Sun Lingtong had long mastered soul-searching techniques, so he knew too well the differences involved.

Normal soul-searching was like treating the subject’s memory as a book. Soul-searching was merely finding a specific line in that book.

But Fen Zhou Du Hun Shu was different.

Using this spell allowed one to transform the subject’s memories into one’s own, as if they had experienced them firsthand.

This, of course, had huge drawbacks, but Ning Zhuo’s Tian Ben Ben Wo perfectly solved this problem!

“Xiao Zhuo, your biggest disadvantage is your age! You’ve been cultivating for too short a time.”

“But with Tian Ben Ben Wo and Fen Zhou Du Hun Shu, you can turn others’ cultivation experiences into your own, largely overcoming your age disadvantage.”

“Each time you cast the spell, you gain a lifetime of another person’s experience. What a terrifying achievement!”

Sun Lingtong grew more and more agitated as he spoke, unable to control himself, and shook Ning Zhuo’s shoulders.

Ning Zhuo, however, was much calmer than his senior.

He slowly shook his head, “No matter how powerful Tian Ben Ben Wo is, it has its limits. We just haven’t discovered them yet.”

Sun Lingtong laughed heartily, beginning to envision the future, “Xiao Zhuo, your comprehension is extraordinary, and you are good at summarizing. Many things you’ve learned are self-taught. Now with such a shortcut in cultivation, your progress will be incredibly fast!”

Ning Zhuo looked at the Gong Ye Fu Tu Ta in his hand, “Fen Zhou Du Hun Shu has five drawbacks. I don’t fear the others, but I am worried about the Hong Lian Ye Huo Fen Shen.”

“The reason I went to Zhu Xie Tang was to control the sins accumulated on my body.”

“I just burned all the souls in the ash jar, and before that, I also burned Pan Si Niang Zi’s soul cloth. I want to see what my merits and demerits truly are.”

Sun Lingtong took a step back, quietly waiting for Ning Zhuo to act.

Ning Zhuo didn’t hesitate, directly infusing spiritual power. The Gong Ye Fu Tu Ta radiated light again, but this time, Ning Zhuo was measuring himself.

The pagoda began to tremble, and after a few breaths, it started to shake violently!

Golden mist, like a fountain, surged outwards from within the pagoda.

Immediately, a golden pillar of light shot out from the pagoda body, piercing straight into the sky. If they weren’t inside the formation space, it would surely cause a huge stir outside.

On the base of the Qing Yu Lian Tai, ripples of shimmering blue-gold light emanated.

The first layer’s Jiu Huo was almost extinguished.

And the second layer’s *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu* was flipping pages frantically. Golden characters appeared on the pages, only to quickly disappear.

“How can this be?” Ning Zhuo was slightly startled, then noticed the Wo Fo Xin Mo Yin in his Divine Sea was triggered again, influencing the *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu*.

The *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu* was like in a gale, its pages furiously turning, yet not a single word remained.

Meanwhile, the deity statue on the third layer almost came alive, its gaze seemingly piercing through the pagoda body, staring at Ning Zhuo, a smile appearing on its face: “Good! Good! Good!”

It praised “Good,” showing great admiration for Ning Zhuo.

Sun Lingtong had been watching, narrowing his eyes against the dazzling golden light, “Xiao Zhuo, you are a truly good person, not a single sin?”

Although the *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu* was ineffective, the pagoda had been refined by Ning Zhuo, so Ning Zhuo was quite clear at this point: “Strange, my merits are enormous, yet I have not a speck of sin.”

“What’s going on?”

For a moment, Ning Zhuo even doubted if the pagoda had measured incorrectly.

This was almost impossible.

Even a living sage, could they truly be without a single sin? One must remember, who among men is not fallible? Everyone makes mistakes, and often these mistakes become sins, accumulating on cultivators.

Sun Lingtong narrowed his eyes, thinking of a possibility: “Perhaps this is a balance of merits and demerits, your merits canceled out your sins.”

Ning Zhuo also considered this: “It seems the Yang Tian merits we acquired are more valuable than we thought.”

Under normal circumstances, merits and demerits should not be able to offset each other.

Just like the large number of Qi Refining stage demonic cultivator souls Ning Zhuo had just measured. Their sins and merits were clearly recorded in the *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu* — how much sin, how much merit, at a glance. If they could offset each other, this phenomenon of coexistence wouldn’t occur.

Yet Ning Zhuo only had merits, not a single sin.

He looked at Sun Lingtong, “Perhaps you, senior, are the same. Let me measure you.”

“Alright, alright,” Sun Lingtong readily agreed.

He had also participated in the war against Wang Chuan Fu Jun. Furthermore, he played an extremely crucial role in Wang Chuan Xian Cheng.

By rights, he should also have a share of Yang Tian merits, and a substantial one at that!

Ning Zhuo acted quickly, activating the Gong Ye Fu Tu Ta and aiming it at Sun Lingtong.

The pagoda body hummed, then vibrated, and once again spewed out Buddhist light and golden mist, though its aura was noticeably weaker than Ning Zhuo’s.

The Jiu Huo showed no reaction, and the *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu* recorded every good deed of Sun Lingtong, from childhood all the way up to the battle concerning Wang Chuan Di Fu.

“Hmm?!” The deity statue on the third layer suddenly opened its eyes wide in anger.

One moment it was praising Sun Lingtong, the next it suddenly spoke.

“Good, good, good… my foot!”

The Di Fu Pan Guan was suddenly enraged!

This deity statue of his was originally part of the Gong Ye Fu Tu Ta. Therefore, he also understood the *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu* very well.

It was precisely because of their mutual cooperation that the Gong Ye Fu Tu Ta could unleash its wondrous power of detecting and estimating merits and demerits.

The Di Fu Pan Guan discovered the truth – this young cultivator child was utterly wicked, unforgivable, and even an object of Yin Tian’s hatred!

Whose side was the Di Fu Pan Guan on?

Di Fu, Di Fu, of course he stood on the side of Yin Tian.

Therefore, the next moment, the Di Fu Pan Guan directly leaped off his divine seat, kicked through the pagoda wall, and charged towards Sun Lingtong.

This battle came so unexpectedly!

Ning Zhuo was also a bit careless. After all, he had just used it on himself without any problems, so he subconsciously thought Sun Lingtong would also be fine.

The Di Fu Pan Guan broke through the pagoda body and entered the combat array. His figure grew with the wind, and in an instant, he was two zhang tall, with a burly physique and an imposing aura.

“One hated by Yin Tian, unforgivable, shall suffer the punishment of tongue-gouging and plowing!”

The Di Fu Pan Guan roared in anger, his divine power stirring up a fierce wind, unleashing the divine art Xuan Tie Zui Jia!

Shackles appeared out of thin air around Sun Lingtong, about to contract and lock him firmly, when Sun Lingtong suddenly vanished from his spot.

Dao Shu – Chuan Kong!

The Xuan Tie Zui Jia locked onto empty space.

The Di Fu Pan Guan looked up at the sky, opened his mouth, and spat out a ghost bead. The ghost bead emitted an eerie cold light, its radiance covering a ten-zhang radius.

As soon as Sun Lingtong appeared, he was caught by the cold light, his movements slowing down several times.

The Xuan Tie Zui Jia reappeared, its extending iron shackles aiming directly for Sun Lingtong’s琵琶骨 (pipa bone).

Ning Zhuo’s pupils constricted. The spells he had prepared surged out: a yellow light protected Sun Lingtong, blocking the shackles, and a fire spell, like a spiritual snake, coiled around the shackles, continuously burning them.

After two spells, Ning Zhuo turned to face the Di Fu Pan Guan, his hand seals matching his body seals, unleashing a wood-element spell.

Vines rapidly grew beneath the Di Fu Pan Guan’s feet, wrapping around his ankles and then binding his legs.

Wu Zang Ling Shen Shu!

Lifebound spell Wu Xing Sheng Mie Shu!

The two叠加 (疊加, diéjiā,叠加) together made Ning Zhuo’s use of any five-element spell both fast and precise.

The Di Fu Pan Guan, obstructed, glared at Ning Zhuo and judged, “Assisting a criminal, the accomplice shall also receive severe punishment!”

He extended his left palm, and a treasured mirror emerged from its center. The mirror surface suddenly shot out a gray-white beam of light, sweeping towards Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo was already prepared and immediately dodged.

The gray beam then swept towards Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong, suppressed by the ghost bead, was hit on his left shoulder while retreating. The protective spell Ning Zhuo had cast for him was pierced, and the flesh on his left shoulder instantly melted away, revealing bone.

Ning Zhuo frowned deeply, slapped his waist storage belt, and released a large number of mechanical constructs.

There were mechanical fire snakes (Ji Guan Zou Huo She) and mechanical thunder birds (Ji Guan Lei Ji Niao).

This was an internal array space. The training array was not high-grade, and the space was relatively small, unlike those in the training hall, making it unsuitable for using things like mechanical explosive monkeys (Ji Guan Huo Bao Hou).

For a time, snakes swarmed the ground like a tide, and birds in mid-air crackled with electricity, raining down like arrows.

The cold smile still lingered on the Di Fu Pan Guan’s lips: “Two Foundation Establishment stage juniors, ant-like struggles!”

The mirror floating in his palm spun rapidly, causing the mirror light to sweep in all directions. Wherever it passed, whether it was a walking fire snake or a thunder-silent bird, they were like wax encountering boiling snow, sizzling and evaporating under the light beam, suffering heavy damage, with countless collapsing on the spot.

Ning Zhuo’s expression was grim, and he ceaselessly released mechanical constructs.

He released as many as were lost.

After all this time, the ordinary mechanisms he had accumulated in his hand had already reached a considerable reserve.

Perfect for this kind of war of attrition!

The Di Fu Pan Guan continuously swept with the mirror light. Although the results were numerous, seeing the endless emergence of mechanical constructs finally changed his expression.

He was not fighting in his main body, but after sensing something amiss with Sun Lingtong, he expended a massive amount of divine power to temporarily inhabit and utilize this deity statue as a clone for battle.

The divine power he consumed was far more than what was actually displayed. After all, his main body was in Di Fu, but this battle was happening in the human realm.

Therefore, he had to finish the battle quickly.

The Di Fu Pan Guan lightly stroked his official robe, which was embroidered with numerous ghosts. The next moment, these ghosts came alive, leaping off the robe and charging towards Sun Lingtong.

The number of ghosts still couldn’t match Ning Zhuo’s mechanical army, but each possessed Foundation Establishment stage combat power. They were like a heavy punch, destroying numerous obstacles in their path and surrounding Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong, holding a dagger, darted among the ghosts, agile to the extreme.

His blade skills were sharp; he consecutively cut down several Foundation Establishment stage ghosts, ensuring his self-preservation.

The Di Fu Pan Guan’s face darkened again: “If not for being in the human realm, and this body… it even makes my ghost-dispelling art so ineffective.”

“Hmm?!”

The Di Fu Pan Guan suddenly sensed something, abruptly turned his head, and cast an extremely sharp gaze towards Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo had already retreated far, his left hand holding the Gong Ye Fu Tu Ta, activating the treasure.

The Di Fu Pan Guan’s statue was originally on the third layer of the pagoda, and from the beginning, it was part of this combined magical treasure, naturally also influenced by Ning Zhuo.

The Di Fu Pan Guan had no choice but to inject more divine power to resist Ning Zhuo’s underhanded tactic. However, inevitably, his aura and combat power still plummeted, and the decline was swift.

The Di Fu Pan Guan took a deep breath, took out his Panguan Bi (judge’s brush), and with a fierce consumption of divine power, cast a divine spell, creating numerous gravestones that smashed down from mid-air.

Each gravestone was as big as a horse, and their impact caused the entire training array to sway. The formation suffered an unbearable tremor, and many array patterns directly disintegrated.

“Not good.” Ning Zhuo, renting the Qing Shi Dong Fu, was its temporary owner here and naturally knew that this training array was not problematic for accommodating battles at the Foundation Establishment level.

However, despite multiple weakening effects, the Di Fu Pan Guan still possessed Gold Core-level combat power. Prolonged battle would naturally cause more and more damage to the training array.

“Xue Shu Yu – Xie!”

Ning Zhuo transmitted his command mentally, ordering an attack.

The next moment, a female-shaped mechanical construct appeared on the battlefield.

She wore an ice-mirror helmet, a hexagonal profound ice armor, with armor plates interconnected like a hexagonal honeycomb. Her shoulder beasts were roaring ice dragons, and her eyes were inlaid with aurora glass. Simultaneously, six mechanical spheres continuously floated around her.

The Di Fu Pan Guan’s expression changed again, as he felt the genuine Gold Core-level aura emanating from Xue Shu Yu – Xie.

“I obey the patriarch’s battle order!” Xue Shu Yu – Xie immediately acted. Six mechanical steel spheres shot out like lightning, spewing forth frosty white cold currents, causing the temperature in the array space to plummet.

Xue Shu Yu – Xie extended her arms, striking simultaneously. Large snowflakes materialized out of thin air, and under her control, the cold air froze the boundary walls, as well as various gravestones and ghosts.

Even ice crystals appeared on the Di Fu Pan Guan’s robe, slowly spreading to cover him.

A trace of surprise flashed across the Di Fu Pan Guan’s indigo face for the first time. He immediately redirected the mirror light, shooting it towards Xue Shu Yu – Xie.

Xue Shu Yu – Xie did not dodge. The aurora glass in the ice dragon shoulder armor suddenly lit up, shooting out two beams of ice light that merged into one mid-air, crashing fiercely into the mirror light.

The two light beams collided in mid-air, emitting sizzling noises, fiercely clashing and entering a brief stalemate.

Xue Shu Yu – Xie’s outstretched arms dropped, then her palms turned upwards, and she pushed forward fiercely from bottom to top.

In an instant, a fierce cold wind rose, carrying goose feather-like snow, forming a small blizzard that instantly engulfed the entire battlefield, completely obscuring the Di Fu Pan Guan’s figure.

When the blizzard ceased, the battlefield fell into silence.

The ghosts, the gravestones, and the Xuan Tie Zui Jia all silently dissipated.

Xue Shu Yu – Xie reached out, dispelling the ice and snow, revealing the Di Fu Pan Guan and Sun Lingtong behind him.

Sun Lingtong’s dagger burst forth with a blue blade light, directly piercing through the Di Fu Pan Guan from behind.

The Di Fu Pan Guan’s expression of anger and hatred froze on his face, then his divine power slowly dissipated, quickly revealing the wooden statue’s original color.

After a few breaths, the dilapidated statue’s original form was completely exposed.

The Di Fu Pan Guan was repelled.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

The Gong Ye Fu Tu Ta, freshly acquired, was damaged after only a brief use. It could only be used again after a new deity statue was installed and the deity successfully invited.

But that wasn’t the point.

Sun Lingtong, panting, treated his shoulder injury while saying, “Deities are one with heaven and earth. It seems we are truly unwelcome in the underworld.”

“Before this, we had already given Gui Gu Lao Ren a water burial, using the Ji De Jing.”

“If we hadn’t done that, this battle would probably have been even more difficult.”

Ning Zhuo’s eyes flickered with sharp light, analyzing in his mind: “When I measured myself earlier, my Wo Fo Xin Mo Yin was passively triggered, suppressing the *Ping Gong Lun Ye Shu*, which is why it wasn’t discovered.”

“It was only after measuring Senior Brother that the Di Fu Pan Guan was angered and went berserk.”

“Alas, this is also a drawback of composite magical treasures refined using the He Qi Zhi Shu. The degree of control is far inferior to conventional magical treasures, and it might even incite rebellion and backlash against the owner.”

“This time I suffered a loss! I was still not cautious enough. If I had been more prepared beforehand…”

Sun Lingtong suddenly let out a soft “咦” (yí): “Xiao Zhuo, look, there’s something wrong with this statue. It seems to be a Shen Tui Yi Bao?”