The flames burned in silence.
Tongues of fire danced without sound, their movements graceful, emanating the benevolent intent of the Buddha.
Pyre of Prajna for Spirit Dissolution!
Ning Zhuo stood before the ball of fire, his eyes reflecting the light, revealing a lingering attachment.
Within the flames, the materials and components of the original Iron-Faced Malevolence armor rapidly melted, spirit essence dissolving out from time to time.
Specks of spirit essence, like fine powder, scattered in the air, then guided by Ning Zhuo’s divine sense, most of them settled upon a mechanical puppet.
This mechanical puppet resembled a mendicant nun, with flax-colored robes concealing its joints. Bronze palms peeked out from the sleeves, and a crimson mark on its brow pulsed with Buddhist light.
Its face bore a semblance of a smile, its half-lowered eyelids held a hint of compassion.
Bronze pivots were exposed at its knees, and its feet wore straw sandals woven from hemp, within which arrays were subtly embedded, their form indistinct.
This was the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao Yin.
A large portion of the spirit essence was infused into the Buddhist Physician.
The remaining portion was still collected by Ning Zhuo into his Spirit Storage Box.
Ning Zhuo had improved and upgraded the Iron-Faced Malevolence armor. The materials he replaced were directly cremated, nourishing the spirit essence of the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin.
“Thus, the item I held as a last resort has been used.”
A faint sense of crisis arose in Ning Zhuo’s heart.
The Iron-Faced Malevolence armor had always been his guarantee, preventing unforeseen circumstances with the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao Yin. Should her spirit essence decline to a perilous state, the Iron-Faced Malevolence would have been a life-saving object.
Burning the Iron-Faced Malevolence prematurely did not completely cure the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao Yin.
Keeping that trump card as a life-saving measure was the better strategy.
“I hope to obtain that mechanical carriage.”
“Beyond that, the more the merrier!”
If it were merely a single mechanical carriage, Ning Zhuo would not have immediately cremated the armor, but would have used it to replace the Iron-Faced Malevolence, serving as the final insurance.
The flames continued to burn, no more spirit essence dissolving out.
After removing the residue and waste, Ning Zhuo placed a pile of遗物 (yíwù – relics/remains) into the flames.
These遗物 were obtained from Tian Shuang, originally belonging to Qi Bai. It was through these遗物 that Tian Shuang performed calculations to deduce Ning Zhuo’s location.
Tian Shuang’s generous gift, through a twist of fate, allowed Ning Zhuo to acquire Qi Bai’s遗物.
There was nothing more to say, straight to the pyre!
The flames burned, spirit essence danced, converging into the body of the Underworld Envoy Qi Bai.
The mechanical puppet Qi Bai was primarily black, with a gray-white color scheme.
It stood six feet five, its frame gaunt. It wore a conical, jet-black bamboo hat, its gray-white head resembling a human skull.
Where its eyes should be was a black rectangle, within which a gray-white horizontal line pulsed with soul light.
Due to Ning Zhuo having previously used the Underworld Envoy Qi Bai in battle within Fire Persimmon Immortal City, its spirit essence had become insufficient. Since then, Ning Zhuo had rarely used this item.
During the battle against the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth, Ning Zhuo also did not bring it out.
On the one hand, using it wouldn’t have solved the problem. On the other hand, it could also expose himself, incurring the wrath of the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth and worsening the situation.
Qi Bai’s spirit essence continuously increased.
But the anticipation in Ning Zhuo’s eyes gradually dimmed.
This was because Qi Bai’s spirit essence increased slower and slower, finally stopping at the stage of ninety-two percent and remaining still.
“Alas, without reaching one hundred percent spirit essence, there is no qualitative change.”
“This Golden Core level puppet still cannot be used freely.”
Ning Zhuo thought of Di Hui.
According to Tian Shuang, Di Hui also possessed a portion of Qi Bai’s遗物.
“If I burn it, Qi Bai’s spirit essence is very likely to reach one hundred percent. After the qualitative change, the spirit essence will be able to recover on its own.”
“Until then, it’s better to use it less.”
Although the Underworld Envoy Qi Bai is of Golden Core rank, without a qualitative change in its spirit essence, it is a consumable item with limited uses.
Moreover, it involves the Path of Soul and exhibits distinct demonic characteristics, with a heavy presence of the evil sect aura, making it unsuitable for Ning Zhuo to use in public.
“Once exposed, if the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth sense its spirit essence, they might realize the importance of Qi Bai’s遗物.”
“To facilitate future endeavors, it is better to endure for now, keep this card in hand, and not rush to play it!”
Both the Underworld Envoy Qi Bai and the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao Yin were produced in the Lava Immortal Palace, carrying the understanding of Mechanical Arts by the Revered Masters of the Three Sects. They shared a common characteristic: integration.
Because the division between components was not obvious, these two puppets seemed to be formed as a single entity, bringing immense difficulty to Ning Zhuo in analyzing their structure.
Although Ning Zhuo was eager to delve deeper into research, he consistently lacked the time and energy, rendering him willing but unable.
After putting away these two mechanical puppets, Ning Zhuo took out the Iron-Faced Malevolence armor and began testing and practicing with it.
Currently, he did not possess a Golden Core, so he could only temporarily use spirit stones, shaped into spheres, and embedded in the Five Elements Golden Core Disc to substitute.
He donned the brand new Iron-Faced Malevolence armor, vibrating the wings on his back, and flew through the air.
When gliding, the wings remained fixed, the shoulder pauldrons drooping, hooked onto the sides of the helmet, and together with the pointed head, the shoulder and head sections formed a triangular shape.
His arms were pressed tightly against his sides, his legs held together without any gap.
At the rear legs and heels were a pair of fin-like dividers, which could adjust direction.
Gliding significantly reduced the consumption of spiritual energy.
When truly bursting with speed, the Golden Swallow Wings would fold completely, hugging his back. Jets would appear all over the Iron-Faced Malevolence, spewing forth Li Fire, providing powerful propulsion!
Once Ning Zhuo accelerated in this manner, his entire being would become like an arrow leaving the bow, streaking through the sky, tearing through the air, leaving behind a long, straight trail of Li Fire.
Utterly exhilarating!
The only drawback was that in this situation, the spirit stone spheres simply could not endure and were quickly depleted.
“Golden Core, only a Golden Core can support the current Iron-Faced Malevolence!”
Ning Zhuo had already contacted the Three Generals Camp and sent a letter to Zhao Xi. While waiting for a reply, for Golden Cores, and possibly Nascent Souls, he was also using the Embryonic Breathing Spirit Vessel to cultivate his physical body.
The higher his physical strength, the greater the military strategy amplification he could receive.
The benefits were obvious, and Ning Zhuo could not stop!
In addition, he had improved and designed Five Elements spells and practiced them numerous times.
Li Fire Purifying Filth Technique!
This spell ignited wounds, burning away impurities, and had many methods to counter techniques from the Path of Soul and poison cultivators.
Blazing Prairies Healing Spirit Flame!
Once this spell was cast, it could ignite a flame within the sea of consciousness. The flame would burn away various harmful thoughts while preserving useful ones.
This was a countermeasure Ning Zhuo devised after suffering greatly from Buddhist thoughts.
Bedrock Soul鎮压咒 (zhèn yā zhòu – suppression incantation)!
After casting, a cultivator could transform a portion of their flesh and blood into rock, resisting pain and suppressing the soul to withstand soul-based damage.
This technique was a补足 (bǔ zú – supplement/addition) Ning Zhuo made to the weakness in soul defense after experiencing the Frost Soul Gaze divine ability of Tian Shuang and reflecting painfully upon it.
He designed this spell with a focus on power, which resulted in significant drawbacks.
After casting this spell, his speed would plummet dramatically.
Pure Land Mending Technique!
This spell required the precious material, Western Pure Land.
Ning Zhuo still had some reserves.
Using this spell, Ning Zhuo could regrow severed limbs, and it came with mysterious purifying power. The regenerated limbs were completely pure, without any filth.
Furthermore, Ning Zhuo had optimized the technique of Fiery Cloak and designed a set of three-layered Li Fire Shields.
He also designed the Earth element’s Thick Earth Armor and Rock Slab Shield.
He had suffered considerable losses in previous death battles, and this time, he compensated for the deficiencies in defense and healing within the Five Elements spells.
With a profound understanding of the Five Elements, one can do as they please!
From these spells, it is clear that to save energy and time, Ning Zhuo only designed for the Earth and Fire elements.
The reason for this choice was that he currently only possessed the Earth Element Spleen Shrine and Fire Element Heart Shrine. As long as his divine sense entered the shrines, he could precisely control Earth and Fire element spells, which was an unexpected gain from his previous life-or-death battles.
Therefore, supplementing the remaining three elements also became Ning Zhuo’s cultivation goal.
When saying goodbye to Lin Bu Fan, Ning Zhuo had already discussed and agreed with him to modify the previous cooperation content, asking Lin Bu Fan to retrieve his Ten Thousand Year Water Essence again.
In addition to practicing these spells, Ning Zhuo also raced against time, squeezing out a little time to design mechanical puppets capable of flight.
Because time was so tight, Ning Zhuo started from practical considerations and could only choose the most practical solutions first.
Following the biological structure of the Golden Swallow, he biomimicked it to create the mechanical Golden Swallow. This undoubtedly saved him from expending a large amount of energy and time on the design phase.
Subsequently, building upon this foundation, he improved the mechanical Golden Swallow, making its control method more similar to that of the Lei Ji Bird.
The mechanical Lei Ji Bird was a typical mechanism that Ning Zhuo frequently used when he was in Fire Persimmon Immortal City. To be precise, when he used the identity of Cui Tiao Ke, the Lei Ji Bird was one of his regular attack methods.
Therefore, Ning Zhuo was very skilled in its operation.
The improved mechanical Golden Swallow naturally reduced the practice process, allowing Ning Zhuo to easily get started.
“With the mechanical pedestal, I can mass-produce mechanical Golden Swallows.”
“However, to truly make them effective, they need to form a battle formation.”
“If only my military strategy realm could be as profound as my Five Elements realm, that would be great.”
Ning Zhuo held the《高勝遺書》(Gāo Shèng Yíshū – Gao Sheng’s Leftover Writings) and the Generals’ United Helmet, but he had not fully comprehended the military strategy of the壯士復還術 (Zhuàngshì Fùhuán Shù – Strongman’s Return Technique). Therefore, he could not conduct the next military strategy comprehension through the combination of these two treasures.
However, after these major battles, his understanding of this military strategy has deepened.
This was the normal speed of cultivation.
Ning Zhuo’s Five Elements realm was completely an anomaly.
Ning Zhuo was racing against time.
The battle with the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth accelerated his growth and also pushed the entire situation forward by a significant margin.
“If my prediction is correct, a major war is about to begin.”
“I hope this time, I will have the opportunity to act against the Six Caves Sect!”
Ning Zhuo had many worries in his heart.
Based on the current situation, this was likely his last opportunity on the Thousand Peaks Forest battlefield.
The longer it dragged on, the more likely the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth were to return.
It would be best if he could achieve his goal before the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth returned, and then quickly relocate!
After all, any detection or tracking method has distance limitations.
According to the information left by Tian Shuang, the reason the Soul Devouring Sect knew Ning Zhuo’s location was after Ning Zhuo actively revealed his identity in the Two Zhu Kingdom, it took several detours for them to find out.
It was only when Tian Shuang and Di Hui, carrying Qi Bai’s遗物, arrived within the range of Thousand Peaks Forest that they began tracking.
Thousand Peaks Forest, somewhere on a peak.
Boom boom boom…
Tian Shuang flew high in the sky, constantly bombing Di Hui, causing ice shards to fly and thunder to rumble.
Di Hui was in immense pain in his heart: “What kind of situation is this!”
He dared not burrow deep underground, fearing that Tian Shuang would lose track of him and return to Ning Zhuo’s side, or do other things, such as committing suicide due to feeling deep罪孽 (zuìyè – sins/transgressions).
Therefore, Di Hui had to string Tian Shuang along, drawing him to a remote area, to prevent other cultivators from having any ill intentions upon seeing them.
Di Hui had to admit that they had indeed suffered a setback this time. This was the most pathetic encounter for the partnership of the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth in nearly a decade.
“Tian Shuang, you fellow, you’ve even used this move!” Di Hui cried out in pain, covered in frost, looking utterly disheveled.
Tian Shuang showed a look of deep sorrow: “My partner, do not be stubborn. Quickly let me end you. This is my redemption, and also your redemption.”
“Our sins are too deep. Only by dying to atone can we express our gratitude to all beings.”
Di Hui’s eyelids twitched with anger, and he gritted his teeth as he shouted, “Tian Shuang, listen to what you’re saying! I’m recording all of this on a jade slip. When you return to normal, I’ll see how you face me!”
Tian Shuang turned a deaf ear, only bombing relentlessly.
Di Hui while escaping in a sorry state, kept shouting: “I’m writing it all down, I’m writing it all down for you!”
Thousand Peaks Forest Frontline Camp.
“Have the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth not been found yet?” Elder Long frowned, questioning the other cultivators, “With so many of you, how are you doing things!”
The other cultivators had bitter expressions, one of them shaking his head: “Elder Long, the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth are not ordinary; they are experts at the Nascent Soul level. From a major demonic sect like the Soul Devouring Sect, even if they receive our flying letter, they won’t pay attention if they don’t want to.”
Elder Long remained silent, lost in thought.
Lu Hongtu, standing beside him, sighed, “The combined attack of Heaven and Earth is indeed formidable. With a single blow, the Two Zhu Kingdom lost six or seven Nascent Soul cultivators.”
“Now is when the Two Zhu Kingdom’s army is weak, which is likely the most suitable time for us to send troops in this war.”
“If we can find the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth and offer them a heavy price to participate in the major battle, our side can at least increase our chances of victory by twenty percent!”
Then, Lu Hongtu’s tone shifted: “It’s a pity we can’t find them.”
“Time waits for no one!”
“If we delay further, this peerless opportunity will be lost. The Two Zhu Kingdom is vast and powerful, and they are likely already replenishing some Nascent Soul level cultivators.”
Elder Long glanced at Lu Hongtu, knowing that the latter’s sigh was actually a piece of advice to him.
After some thought, Elder Long said: “No need to wait for the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth. Assemble everyone, we are going to launch a strong attack on the Two Zhu Kingdom’s frontline camp!”
Two Zhu Kingdom Frontline Camp.
Zhao Xi frowned, questioning Liu Er: “Where is Ning Zhuo? Why hasn’t he returned yet?”
“War is imminent. If the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth attack…”
Liu Er looked helpless, spreading his hands: “My lord, you know me. How could I, a mere half-demon, possibly command him, the esteemed Young Master of the Ning family?”
“In fact, my Three Generals Camp has always been funded by him. He is the financial backer of our army. How could I possibly truly summon him back?”
Zhao Xi snorted coldly: “Since he does not obey military orders, the battle achievements rewards he seeks will not be so swift.”
Liu Er secretly glanced at Zhao Xi, seeing the latter’s livid face. After hesitating for a moment, he still spoke: “My lord, Young Master Ning Zhuo is from another country, and his family is not within the Two Zhu Kingdom. The only connection is his marital relationship with Mu Lan, but even with that, she doesn’t value it and they have agreed to dissolve the marriage in the future.”
“You say, will such a character be constrained by battle achievement rewards?”
Zhao Xi was silent for a long time, then pointed at Liu Er with his finger, and snorted coldly: “He didn’t fund the wrong person in you.”
“Alright then.”
“Send these rewards to him as soon as possible.”
“Deliver it to him in person!”
“And tell him that in this major battle, if he can assist our army in dealing with the Two Ghosts of Heaven and Earth, our country will definitely offer a heavy reward!”
“No, I will write a letter myself. You must deliver it to him personally.”
Liu Er quickly bowed: “This subordinate obeys the command!”
Waving away Liu Er, Zhao Xi was alone in his room and couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.
This high position was too hot to sit on.
He felt a bit restless.
He regretted seizing power at this moment.
He really didn’t expect the second major battle to come so quickly.
According to Zhao Xi’s plan, he intended to earn a large amount of battle achievements during this transition period.
He didn’t expect the transition period to be so short!