Netherworld Emissary, Qi Bai.

Primarily black, with an ash-white color scheme.

He stands six feet five inches tall, gaunt and emaciated. His head appears to be topped with a conical hat, but it is actually a fused part of him. His skull resembles a jet-black, ink-like conical hat, spreading out in all directions.

Concealed within the shadows beneath this hat-like cranium, his entire ash-white head lies hidden, reminiscent of pallid human bone.

Within his head, his eyes manifest as black bars, horizontally positioned above the bridge of his nose.

A faint, ash-white line bisects the center of each bar, shimmering ethereally.

His body’s surface is covered in inscribed talismans.

The runes are intricate, outlined by various ash-white lines, also appearing and disappearing intermittently.

If one is not careful, it would seem as if countless wraiths are coiling around his frame.

“What an astounding construct!”

Ning Zhuo exclaimed, rushing forward excitedly.

Behind him, Sun Lingtong smiled faintly, shaking his head at Ning Zhuo’s exuberant display.

He knew that Ning Zhuo possessed a heartfelt affection for all kinds of mechanical creations.

Even at the tender age of two or three, Ning Zhuo would linger longingly at roadside stalls.

Later, upon entering the schoolhouse, his eyes would still be riveted by mechanical toys such as the “Erlang’s Legs” or “Sanmao,” unable to tear himself away.

Ning Zhuo was perpetually short of funds, forced to simply observe, unable to afford them.

It was Sun Lingtong who, having observed this on several occasions, bought Ning Zhuo a mechanical toy on his birthday, exciting the latter beyond measure, rendering him foolishly gleeful for quite some time.

“The skeleton seems to be forged from Gloom Azure Nether Iron, the most suitable material for channeling yin-attributed magical power!”

“The critical joints employ century-old Soulwood, remarkably flexible, and capable of serving as a haven for wandering spirits!”

“The core is an Yin Deficient Spirit Jade! This naturally occurring, unique spiritual stone can store vast quantities of yin spiritual energy!”

Finally, Ning Zhuo grabbed the edge of the conical hat, lifting it slightly to better discern the eyes of the mechanical Qi Bai.

“It seems that Deathglare Glaze is used, and that’s just one of the main materials! The ocular components must be constructed from a composite material!”

Ning Zhuo declared with certainty.

“If that’s the case…”

The wood-like Ning Zhuo suddenly slapped his palm with a fist, “This mechanical puppet should be able to manifest a Celestial Gift! The special structure of the eyes is surely designed to unleash the Underworld Gaze!”

With this thought, Ning Zhuo abruptly twisted his head, turning his entire face to the back, and asked Sun Lingtong, “Elder Sun, what information did you glean?”

Sun Lingtong uttered a surprised “Ah! I didn’t receive anything!”

“My fault, my fault, I was too excited!”

Ning Zhuo patted his wooden head, producing a resounding thud.

In the next moment, he summoned his Buddha-Devil Heart Seal and activated the Lifeline Threads!

“Got it, I received a substantial amount of information!”

Sun Lingtong exclaimed.

Ning Zhuo nodded, “The same happened to me earlier!”

Sun Lingtong relayed, “This mechanical puppet is called Netherworld Emissary, and beneath the forehead between the eyebrows is the mechanical component, the Netherworld Official Seal, capable of summoning spirits and deities from all directions!”

“The neck contains the mechanical component Soul-Shaking Throat Drum, which can emit drum sounds that attack, causing the souls of living beings to violently tremble!”

“Further down, there are the mechanical components Echoing Chamber and Amplifying Bottle, to be used in conjunction with the Soul-Shaking Throat Drum!”

“The mechanical ejection ports distributed throughout the body, when activated, can eject Golden Silk Ghost Gauze. The ghost gauze can instantly intertwine to form a black robe for protection!”

Ning Zhuo listened, nodding slightly as he took in the details.

There was a clear distinction between the puppet Qi Bai and the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape: the puppet possessed a multitude of mechanical components.

Ning Zhuo understood the reason, “Before the forging, Elder Sun incorporated the Netherworld Deity Seal, the Soul-Shaking Rattle Drum, and the shattered magic treasure Golden Threaded Robe into Qi Bai’s dantian.”

“During the forging process, the Magma Immortal Palace fused these treasures together, creating corresponding mechanical components.”

Sun Lingtong suddenly widened his eyes, “Six tenths of spiritual intelligence, able to unleash the Celestial Gift of Underworld Gaze twice? Each activation of this Celestial Gift will damage the eye structure, requiring timely replacement of components to use it a second time.”

“Netherworld Emissary Qi Bai possesses the Nine Nether Formation and the Spirit Communication Formation. The former can mobilize yin-attributed spiritual power to replenish itself or enhance the potency of spells. The latter can communicate spiritually with sentient beings within a certain range.”

“Netherworld Emissary Qi Bai retains the Soul-Devouring Golden Core, utilizing the Nine Revolutions Soul-Devouring Technique to absorb the souls of enemies, enhancing its own state or replenishing its subordinate yin soldiers and wraiths.”

This was within Ning Zhuo’s expectations, considering Yuan Dasheng’s abilities.

The mechanical Yuan Dasheng could also unleash the Devil-Infected Blood Tendon Art.

“Twelve Wraith-Nurturing Jars are deployed throughout the body. The effect of nurturing wraiths is enhanced if the ashes of the ghost’s previous life are stored!”

“There are a total of thirty-six spell talismans, which are…”

Sun Lingtong gradually fell silent.

Ning Zhuo, who had been listening intently, asked, “Elder Sun, what’s wrong?”

Sun Lingtong’s voice trembled, “This… is a bit terrifying!”

“What do you mean?” Ning Zhuo inquired.

Sun Lingtong scratched his head, “Little Zhuo, you know about the Spirit Burial Sect, right?”

Ning Zhuo nodded immediately, “Yes, a demonic sect, very powerful, but they sacrifice lives to appease the spirits, burying heaven and earth, seeking only spirituality!”

“Because they were too depraved, they were besieged and annihilated!”

Sun Lingtong nodded, “The Spirit Burial Sect buried countless lives simply to extract spirituality, and were thus targeted by righteous, demonic, and heretical factions.”

“Look at the Magma Immortal Palace.”

“It not only refines spiritual intelligence, but also thoughtfully arranges a mechanical body for that intelligence.”

“Netherworld Emissary Qi Bai, though limited by the current stage, with a fragile body, has the potential to reach Golden Core combat power solely based on those three mechanical components!”

“If outsiders were to discover that the Magma Immortal Palace possesses such abilities, Little Zhuo, what do you think would happen?”

Ning Zhuo’s heart trembled slightly, and he fell into silence.

Back then, the Spirit Burial Sect was targeted by almost the entire cultivation world simply for burying lives to seek spirituality. Only the annihilation of the entire sect brought it to an end.

Now, the Magma Immortal Palace not only buries lives to seek spirituality, but also thoughtfully provides a mechanical body, immediately putting that spirituality to practical use.

What would happen if this was discovered?

Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment, then thought of the Spirit Burial Sect, and shuddered.

Sun Lingtong sighed, marveling, “Tsk, tsk, the Upper Master of the Three Sects is formidable, I believe he once participated in the battle to eradicate the Spirit Burial Sect?”

“He once joined a Demonic Sect and practiced for a long period of time!”
“Behold the completed construct, truly a demon’s work!”

One of the fundamental distinctions between the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path lies in the source of cultivation resources for its practitioners. The Demonic Path draws upon the cultivator themselves.

The Lava Immortal Palace crafting mechanical puppets from corpses is undoubtedly a demonic act.

Ning Zhuo shook his head, “Elder Sister Sun, these are but tools. Used righteously, they serve justice. Used wickedly, they serve evil!”

“Just like when we took control of the Black Market and reorganized it, we eliminated countless evils and crimes! This is an act of righteousness!”

Sun Lingtong: “Little Brother, weren’t we originally seeking revenge?”

“Later, our influence grew, and to facilitate intelligence gathering and for profit, we fought many battles, gradually becoming a dominant force in the Black Market, eventually becoming its master.”

Ning Zhuo coughed twice, “We did indeed prevent much bloodshed and indirectly saved many innocent lives. Elder Sister, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You!” Sun Lingtong giggled, “Yes, yes, yes.”

Had it been anyone else uttering such hypocrisies, Sun Lingtong would have rolled her eyes or even spat in their face.

Too insincere, too weak.

But since it was her good brother Ning Zhuo speaking, she would let it pass.

Sun Lingtong could only shake her head, smiling indulgently, playing the part of one who sees through the facade but chooses not to expose it.

“Actually, it’s not Little Zhuo’s fault.”

“Think about the kind of righteous people he encountered when he was young.”

“Ning Ze, Wang Lan, Ning Ji, and Ning Xiaoren – weren’t they all hypocrites who said one thing and did another?”

“So, in Little Zhuo’s initial perception, the Righteous Path was supposed to be like this!”

Ning Zhuo mused, “Only sixty percent spirituality. Next, we must raise it to one hundred percent.”

“Spirituality is the most valuable and precious aspect of this mechanical puppet!”

“We need information about Qi Bai!”

“That’s going to be difficult!”

Sun Lingtong spread her hands, “I’m now wanted throughout the city, and the Black Market is gone. My previous intelligence channels are basically useless.”

Ning Zhuo sighed, “Alas, we’ll just have to take it one step at a time.”

Sun Lingtong said, “Now that Qi Bai is dead, the Soul Devouring Sect will definitely react. We should lie low and avoid inquiring about Qi Bai, or they might trace us.”

“Yes, I’ll listen to you, Elder Sister!” Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly.

This exploration of the Immortal Palace yielded great rewards for Ning and Sun.

They successfully eliminated the hidden threat of Qi Bai. It wouldn’t do to keep him sealed indefinitely.

Hadn’t the imprisonment of Han Ming been a painful lesson?

Next, Sun and Ning used the checkpoint to test the power of the Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai.

However, Qi Bai’s combat strength turned out to be much lower than they had anticipated.

The Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai, was made with ordinary materials, so much so that when the power of the Golden Core was unleashed, the mechanical body couldn’t withstand it.

This was rather awkward.

Qi Bai’s two main mechanical components were the Underworld Official Seal and the Soul-Shaking Throat Drum.

The Underworld Official Seal could communicate with spirits and deities.

These spirits and deities were not controlled by Sun Lingtong, but by the Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai.

Now that Qi Bai’s spirituality was only sixty percent, even worse than Yuan Dasheng’s was initially, he couldn’t communicate with the summoned spirits.

The Soul-Shaking Throat Drum was powerful, but the mechanical puppets in the checkpoint had no souls.

This was like when Qi Bai tried to shake the soul of the Tree Martial Ape, Yuan Dasheng, but found that there was no soul to shake.

Qi Bai also possessed the innate talent of the Netherworld Death Eye, but with only sixty percent spirituality, he could only use it twelve times.

Furthermore, this talent was mainly for reconnaissance, so Ning and Sun had no intention of trying it.

Ning Zhuo also discovered that Sun Lingtong’s control over the Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai, was much weaker than his control over Yuan Dasheng.

Ning and Sun discussed and speculated that it might be because Elder Sister Sun was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, while Qi Bai retained his pre-mortem Golden Core, resulting in a weak master and a strong slave, making him disobedient.

Sun Lingtong guessed, “The three sects’ intention in setting up the Three Gates of Buddhism is probably to give each trial disciple a relatively refined mechanical construct.”

“This mechanical construct can be used as a main general in the future. Initially, it will be made with ordinary and inexpensive materials.”

“Probably, in the following checkpoints, there will be many opportunities to maliciously modify and upgrade the main general construct step by step!”

“During this process of assembling and modifying the mechanical main general, the trial disciples’ mechanical skills will also continuously increase.”

“In any case, the Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai’s combat strength still has great potential and needs investment in the future to truly realize its Golden Core strength.”

“It’s almost time, Little Zhuo, we should go back!”

Sun Lingtong reminded him.

Ning Zhuo said, “There’s still some time. We must make full use of every opportunity to explore the Immortal Palace. I have a good idea now.”

“Oh? Tell me!”

End of chapter.