Ning Zhuo seized the opportunity, swiftly retreated, successfully creating distance between himself and the One-Horned Ghost General.

“A Foundation Establishment pinnacle Ghost General, that ghost-head great saber is no ordinary weapon!” Ning Zhuo’s expression was grave.

He glanced at the silver shield magic artifact positioned on his left arm. With just one strike, a crack had appeared on the artifact.

The One-Horned Ghost General vanished from its spot.

Ning Zhuo felt a chill in his heart. He frantically urged the Azure Iron Heavy Armor, yet he couldn’t detect even a trace of the enemy.

At the crucial moment, Sun Lingtong warned, “Leap backward!”

Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo leaped backward with all his might.

In the next instant, a ghostly figure flashed, quickly solidifying. The Ghost General, wielding a battle-axe, struck empty air.

A second Ghost General.

Ning Zhuo’s heart sank.

“Jump again, to the southeast!”

Sun Lingtong shouted once more.

His spiritual eyes shone brightly.

Ning Zhuo once again successfully dodged, discovering a Ghost General wielding a spear.

All three Ghost Generals were at the Foundation Establishment pinnacle, their attacks appearing and disappearing unpredictably, forcing Ning Zhuo to flee in disarray, with no chance to retaliate.

Sun Lingtong, perched on Chui Binkes’s shoulder, was exerting his innate talent to the utmost. If he couldn’t barely perceive the approaching Ghost Generals, Ning Zhuo’s situation would be even more dire.

“Little Zhuo, Qi Bai’s fighting style is similar to yours. You control mechanical constructs, while he commands Yin spirit Ghost Generals!”

Sun Lingtong’s voice was urgent.

“Don’t get too entangled with these Ghost Generals. Since you can’t escape, strike straight at the source, kill your way to him.”

Sun Lingtong, after all, was a disciple of the Bukong Sect, decisive and ruthless.

Now that things had reached this point, he wouldn’t advise Ning Zhuo to leave.

At this critical juncture, fighting together was the best strategy.

Ning Zhuo slapped his storage pouch, releasing hundreds of mechanical constructs.

Though these were all common, mass-produced items, their sheer number far exceeded the usual standard.

Even Qi Bai, a Golden Core cultivator, felt his expression darken.

“Chui Binkes, only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he can control so many mechanical beasts simultaneously?”

He didn’t realize that Ning Zhuo’s true cultivation was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

His ability to control so many mechanical constructs was superficially due to the staves on them, but in truth, the key was the Buddha-Heart Devil-Seal.

These machines had all been imprinted with the Heart-Seal.

The burden on Ning Zhuo was minimal, and their responses were extremely agile.

The mechanical constructs surged forward in a mighty wave, charging towards Qi Bai.

Qi Bai waved his hands, stirring up a great gust of Yin wind, blowing away thirty percent of the machines.

With a loud shout, he cast out an umbrella-shaped magical treasure. The treasure umbrella flew into the sky, and after opening, cast a vast shadow.

Mechanical constructs covered by the shadow seemed to sink into a swamp, halting in place, their movements becoming extremely slow.

With this, another fifty percent of the mechanical constructs were dealt with.

Only twenty percent of the machines managed to reach him.

Qi Bai had no choice but to retreat.

This retreat immediately allowed Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong to perceive a clue.

Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo spoke at the same time, “Yin Forest Ghost Domain.”

When used, this technique could create a special battlefield, allowing Yin spirit ghosts to have their combat power soar, while also becoming elusive and unpredictable.

Ning Zhuo frowned. “When ordinary people cast this spell, the ghost energy is overwhelming, and the heavens and earth change color. But Qi Bai’s use is extremely restrained, almost imperceptible.”

Sun Lingtong: “He has the innate talent of the Nether Eye, naturally close to the paths of Yin spirits and ghosts, and has an extraordinary understanding of them.”

“It’s perfectly normal for him to cast spells of this type to a level that ordinary people cannot reach!”

Technique – Ghost Flame Scorches the World.

Qi Bai retreated while casting the spell.

A ghastly green ghost fire burned silently, consuming the last twenty percent of the mechanical constructs, causing them to lose contact with Ning Zhuo and then disintegrate on their own.

Too strong!

Qi Bai’s strength was definitely top-tier among Golden Core cultivators.

Ning Zhuo and the others found it exceptionally difficult to deal with even bottom-tier Golden Core cultivators, let alone face Qi Bai directly.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong were immediately plunged into a bitter struggle.

Qi Bai’s Yin Forest Ghost Domain spell was cast again, silently, without any outward sign.

The three Ghost Generals, enhanced to peak Foundation Establishment battle strength, once again became silent and elusive, relying solely on Sun Lingtong for warnings.

Sensing the unfavorable situation, Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong tried to disengage from the battlefield.

But at every crucial moment, Qi Bai would intervene, personally casting spells to intercept the two of them.

In order to maintain the situation, Ning Zhuo constantly brought out mechanical constructs.

The mechanisms he had painstakingly accumulated for over a decade were being consumed like mad, only in exchange for him to barely survive on the battlefield.

Lava Immortal Palace.

A Flame Melt Demon Ape broke through the Immortal Palace’s third line of defense as soon as it appeared.

Golden Core-level combat strength!

The Demon Ape took the lead, destroying every mechanical battle puppet it encountered.

Beneath the Demon Ape’s terrifying strength, the mechanical battle puppets, regardless of the materials used, were as flimsy as paper.

The Immortal Palace trembled as the Demon Ape smashed through a wall, formally charging into a side hall.

Long Yuan Fire Spirit roared repeatedly, quickly dispatching mechanical battle puppets into the side hall.

“There’s a turning point!”

The Ning family ancestor also received the message, asking him to assist in the battle.

The Ning family ancestor hesitated for a moment, then chose to refuse.

He continued to stay on the front line, resisting the tidal wave of attacks from the Crimson Flame demonic beasts.

The Demon Ape wreaked havoc in the side hall, causing Meng Kui and Zhu Xuanji to frown, both thinking, “The Lava Immortal Palace is so weak.”

In the next moment, a special mechanical puppet descended gracefully.

It exuded a Golden Core aura, cast the Five Elements Qi Harmony Art, and with a wave of its feather fan, it unleashed the Five Elements Creation and Destruction, various spells struck the Demon Ape, causing the latter to cry out in pain.

Meng Kui looked surprised, carefully sizing it up.

“Dao Master!”

Zhu Xuanji uttered in his heart, revealing the name of the Golden Core-level mechanism.

According to the royal family’s intelligence, there were three great mechanical generals in the Lava Immortal Palace: Demon General, Dao Master, and Buddha Physician.

The Dao Master’s descent immediately curbed the Flame Melt Demon Ape’s offensive.

With the advantage of terrain, the Dao Master mechanical puppet quickly drove the Flame Melt Demon Ape out of the side hall, defeating the latter repeatedly.

“Chance!”

Taking advantage of this delicate situation, the Ning family ancestor abandoned the front line and turned to run towards the side hall.

He had just obtained permission from the Long Yuan Fire Spirit.

Even if he went to put out the fire in the side hall now, it would still count as battlefield contribution, and he wouldn’t be judged as a deserter by the Long Yuan Fire Spirit.

The contribution from putting out the fire was, of course, very low, but what the Ning family ancestor valued more was exploring the side hall.

Meng Kui took in this scene and sighed softly, throwing out a Kernel of Extraneous Peach Fate.

The peach kernel instantly disappeared, descended from the sky, and shot straight at the Ning family ancestor’s head.

A streak of emerald green spring thunder bloomed, piercing through layers of clouds and smoke.
The Ning Clan Ancestor desperately resisted, but layers of defense were shattered by the Spring Thunder.

The peach pit swept away all obstacles, broke through multiple layers of protective measures, and struck the Ning Clan Ancestor squarely on the head.

With a cry of agony, the Ning Clan Ancestor felt a pit cave into his skull.

The power of thunder poured into his body, almost paralyzing him completely.

He hastily exerted all his power to cast a spell, freezing his internal organs to temporarily protect his life.

Without a backward glance, he fled out of the Immortal Palace.

“Hanging Braid Death Whip!”

Ning Zhuo wildly swung his long whip, scattering the onrushing Yin spirits.

However, he was trapped in an encirclement, surrounded by a dense throng of man-eating ghosts.

Qi Bai’s methods were endless, and his Yin spirit army seemed inexhaustible.

Since the start of the battle, he had only retreated once.

For the rest of the time, he had firmly maintained the upper hand.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong’s situation was precarious, nearly hanging by a thread.

As a last resort, Ning Zhuo had to throw out a trump card he had been saving for seven days.

*Boom boom boom!*

Inside and outside the battlefield, explosions occurred in rapid succession.

Qi Bai sneered, “What are you blowing up? I’m right here!”

Ning Zhuo replied, “I’m blowing up the Immortal City Array!”

Qi Bai’s expression suddenly changed.

In the next moment, vast array patterns manifested, crisscrossing and covering the entire battlefield.

The Immortal Array was immense and grand, unstoppable, and unmatched.

Everyone and everything on the battlefield was targeted uniformly.

Ning Zhuo’s mechanical creations, only a few remaining, were lost without a pang of regret.

Qi Bai’s Yin spirit army, on the other hand, was truly numerous and populous.

In an instant, they were all finished.

Even Qi Bai himself was firmly bound in the high sky, subjected to the grinding of the array.

Ning and Sun did not take the opportunity to attack.

Because they were also covered by the array patterns, but because they had the status of city residents, they only lost their freedom and could not move.

Qi Bai was furious.

These Yin spirit legions were the result of his years of accumulation, now vanished into smoke, completely annihilated, a loss that made his heart ache.

And what made his heart bleed even more was his three Ghost Generals, each of whom he had carefully cultivated, possessing the battle power of the Foundation Establishment peak.

All gone.

The Immortal City Array was terrifying in its power, capable of protecting the entire Immortal City when fully activated.

This place was also one of the strongest nodes.

Therefore, the three Ghost Generals with Foundation Establishment battle power had no resistance and were crushed, leaving only three pieces of Soul Essence.

“Break for me!”

Qi Bai roared, his face twisted.

He had to resist with all his strength, or he would be ground into slag by the array.

Spell—Netherflame Hell.

Spell—Ghost Shadow Senluo.

Spell—Nether Ghost Wail.

The ghostly fire turned from a ghastly green to a yellow-green, burning miserably, the flames rising six zhang high.

Ghost shadows rose, like giants.

They adopted a posture of supporting the sky with their hands, wanting to break the array pattern restraints.

The mournful wailing of ghosts was about to pierce the eardrums, drilling straight into the form, shaking the entire battlefield.

Qi Bai cast three spells in succession, while urging his innate talent, the Nether Death Eye, causing the power of the three spells to skyrocket several times.

For a time, the array patterns shook and rapidly dissolved.

The restraints on Ning Zhuo’s body quickly loosened, gradually freeing him.

“So strong!”

Sun Lingtong clicked her tongue, her face full of shock.

This was the Immortal City Array.

Qi Bai was able to shake it with his own strength.

This was what Qi Bai looked like when he was attacking with all his strength.

Previous battles had never truly forced him to use his full strength.

The gap between the two sides was too large.

Ning Zhuo was not shaken in the slightest, this kind of battle power gap was one of the situations he had expected.

He looked up at the peak of Fire Persimmon Mountain, his eyes full of expectation, and murmured: “Come on, come on, come quickly.”

The clouds above the mountain peak.

Meng Kui turned his head slightly, frowned, and looked at Qi Bai’s battlefield from afar.

And in various parts of the Immortal City, countless disputes were taking place at the same time.

The cause of many people’s battles was just some small misunderstanding, or a little friction.

“Watching a tiger fight from the mountain top.”

“The Qi Luck is boiling!”

“This ritual has reached its climax, and the end is not far away!”

Meng Kui realized something.

His pupils reflected Qi Bai’s arrogant posture, very clearly: “You actually want to shake the Immortal City Array, even if you are a true disciple of the Soul Eater Sect, you shouldn’t be so unrestrained!”

“Go!”

Meng Kui threw a peach pit again.

The peach pit fell from the sky, bringing out a Spring Thunder.

The Spring Thunder roared, striking Qi Bai squarely, causing his eyes to roll upwards and his head to bleed.

“Ah!”

He screamed loudly, unable to maintain his spells, and immediately suffered a backlash.

The stronger his spells were in actual combat, the stronger the backlash he suffered.

In an instant, Qi Bai was seriously injured.

“Now is the time!”

Ning Zhuo’s hard-fought plan, the opportunity he had calculated, had finally arrived.

He buried explosives just to blow up the Immortal City Guardian Array.

He triggered the Immortal City Array more to attract Meng Kui to take action.

“Whenever I want to get off the field to find out about Senior Brother Sun’s situation, or to rescue him, it will trigger the warning of my Buddha Heart Demon Seal!”

“This is unusual!”

“The biggest possibility is that Meng Kui used his magical power of watching from the sidelines!”

Ning Zhuo’s information channels are far inferior to Zhu Xuanji, but he can still understand one of Meng Kui’s strongest methods.

“When Meng Kui uses the power of watching from the sidelines, he can only use the peach pit during the duration of the magical power.”

“This is a Nascent Soul level offensive method. Qi Bai is strongest, but he is only at the Golden Core stage!”

Meng Kui performs the ritual, Ning Zhuo sets the trap!

“Meng Kui, you are high above, sitting on the mountain top.”

“But when a strong man wants to destroy the Immortal City Array, will you care?”

“To be able to deal with Qi Bai, I bet you will at least throw a peach pit!”

In order to save Senior Brother Sun, Ning Zhuo knew that Qi Luck was weird, but he still had to personally get off the field.

But he never thought that he was just a chess piece.

Even a Nascent Soul may not be used for his own purposes.

End of chapter.