“Speak! Why did you kill Yuan Dasheng?” Zhu Xuanji suddenly uttered, his voice like iron, devoid of any warmth.

“Ah?” Ning Zhuo revealed a surprised expression.

“Speak!” Zhu Xuanji barked, simultaneously unleashing a massive pressure, like an invisible mountain range, suddenly bearing down upon Ning Zhuo.

This pressure was so immense that Ning Zhuo, caught off guard, nearly buckled and fell to his knees.

He staggered, his back inevitably bending, but he did not kneel. Instead, he maintained a difficult stance, a stubborn glint flashing in his eyes as he gazed at Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji’s eyes shone with golden light, an unprecedented intensity as he peered into Ning Zhuo!

The razor-sharp gaze instantly made Ning Zhuo feel as though he were stripped bare, exposed to a world of ice and snow.

Ning Zhuo frantically channeled his nine-layered, peak-stage cultivation, pouring it into the Cloud Shadow Bud hidden beneath his tongue.

The Cloud Shadow Bud activated, temporarily and arduously resisting Zhu Xuanji’s scrutiny.

But clearly, the resistance was limited.

Ning Zhuo was drenched in sweat, gritting his teeth, and spoke with difficulty: “Yes, I did have selfish motives.”

“I wanted to conduct the business of mechanical fire monkeys. I wanted to expand the business, and the Monkey Head Gang was my greatest obstacle.”

“Yuan Dasheng’s existence blocked my path to wealth.”

“So, when I saw him severely wounded and on the verge of death during the Fire Persimmon Festival, I harbored murderous intent and proactively sought a token from Master Fei Si.”

“Relying on this identity token, I entered the Monkey Head Gang and persuaded Yuan Er to abandon the treatment for Yuan Dasheng.”

“Yuan Dasheng ultimately died from his grievous wounds, and I am indeed the true culprit!”

“Heh heh heh.” Zhu Xuanji chuckled coldly three times: “Anything else?”

His interrogation was like an icy blade, held directly to Ning Zhuo’s throat.

Ning Zhuo struggled to look at Zhu Xuanji, his expression filled with shock and fear.

Zhu Xuanji’s gaze was like that of a falcon, locking onto Ning Zhuo: “Don’t tell me that you killed Yuan Dasheng for this reason alone!”

“Speak clearly.”

“Confess and receive leniency; resist and face severity.”

“You should understand what kind of consequences you will face if you continue to conceal the truth.”

“You must know that I am a member of the Nan Dou royal family, an agent of the Divine Arresting Bureau.”

“If a reckoning is truly called for, your Ning family is nothing more than a mantis beneath a chariot wheel. Even the Meng family is insignificant!”

Ning Zhuo was covered in cold sweat, his face deathly pale, and his body teetered on the verge of collapse.

Thoughts churned in his mind, a myriad of ideas and questions arising endlessly.

“What did Zhu Xuanji discover to suddenly question me like this?”

“What should I say? What do I need to say?”

“To what extent can I gamble?!”

Seeing Ning Zhuo hesitate, Zhu Xuanji coldly snorted in displeasure, abruptly increasing the pressure.

Ning Zhuo could no longer withstand it. Under the immense, invisible pressure, he knelt on one knee.

Seeing Ning Zhuo’s stubborn stance, Zhu Xuanji asked once more: “Where is the Demonic Dao Scripture?”

Ning Zhuo struggled to raise his head, his expression of confusion genuine. He truly did not know what Demonic Dao Scripture was!

“I don’t know. What kind of Demonic Dao Scripture?” Ning Zhuo immediately said, “I have never seen any scriptures, nor have I heard of any scriptures.”

These words were true!

Zhu Xuanji possessed a strong ability to detect lies, able to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Zhu Xuanji’s brow furrowed: “If you don’t have the scripture, how did you cultivate demonic arts? How did you collect the flesh and blood of your clan?”

Ning Zhuo hurriedly said: “Lord, this is a grave injustice!”

“I have been researching doppelganger puppets.”

“Collecting the flesh and blood of my clan for this purpose is perfectly normal.”

“You are welcome to examine my research records. They are right here.”

Zhu Xuanji’s gaze swept around, and in the next moment, he used his spiritual powers to retrieve many diagrams and several jade scrolls.

These documents indeed contained records of research and experiments on doppelganger puppets, as well as many small directions and minor achievements that Ning Zhuo had conceived.

Ning Zhuo was inherently cautious. When he publicly claimed that he was developing doppelganger puppets, he had already prepared these pieces of evidence.

Zhu Xuanji examined these pieces of evidence, lost in thought.

Ning Zhuo endured the pressure, reaching his limit, and directly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He laughed miserably, deciding to change his posture and simply sit down on the ground.

He looked at Zhu Xuanji, panting heavily, adopting an attitude of confessing his guilt and accepting punishment.

He said sorrowfully: “This day has finally come.”

“I knew this day would come eventually. I knew it…”

Seeing Ning Zhuo’s attitude of admitting defeat and wanting to cooperate, Zhu Xuanji slowly reduced some of the pressure, giving Ning Zhuo some room to breathe: “You are finally willing to speak?”

However, even such a small gesture brought Ning Zhuo a great mental shock, allowing him to gather the most crucial information.

Ning Zhuo secretly gritted his teeth, deciding to take a gamble!

He swallowed hard, shook his head at Zhu Xuanji, and said:

“Divine Arrestor, you know the inside story, and I have been exposed, but I cannot say anything.”

“I am just a small character. If I speak the truth, I will surely die!”

“Hmm?!” Zhu Xuanji raised his eyebrows. “You still dare to resist?!”

He scanned Ning Zhuo’s entire body with a scrutinizing gaze: “Ning Zhuo, it has not been easy for you to reach where you are today. You should cherish it.”

Ning Zhuo laughed miserably: “Of course I know – it really has not been easy for me to reach where I am today! No one knows this better than me.”

“I was born at the bottom, a peripheral member of a branch family, just a small character.”

“I am like a small blade of grass sprouting from the mud, rooted in mire and dung.”

“I need to exert all my strength, absorbing all the nutrients I can obtain, so that I can grow.”

“Like how I control the black market, I also know that this job is dirty, and righteous cultivators disdain to get involved.”

“But what can I do?”

“Even if dung is stinky, as long as it is nutritious to me, I must seize it with all my strength.”

Speaking to this point, Ning Zhuo looked up at Zhu Xuanji, a look of envy in his eyes.

“Lord Zhu, you will never understand me!”

“You are royalty, born superior to others.”

“Your cultivation is as high as the Golden Core stage. You can easily crush me.”
“Just like now, you only need to extend a foot to easily crush me to death, like crushing an ant on the side of the road.”

“But why would someone as noble as you trouble a lowly one like me?”

“You clearly know the truth, why must you make things difficult for this insignificant figure?!”

The more Ning Zhuo spoke, the more aggrieved and furious he became.

His face twisted, filled with terrifying hatred.

“I just want to live well and cultivate properly!”

“I have no choice. At certain critical moments, I am too weak, I have no one to rely on. I can only do some less-than-honorable things to gain the support of others.”

“I had long anticipated your arrival to apprehend me today. As long as you present my incriminating evidence, I will confess.”

“But if you want me to testify, to act as a witness, to become the breakthrough point in this entire case, I absolutely cannot do it.”

“You might as well just kill me.”

“Because I am not alone, I have my family, my relatives and friends, I do not want to implicate them.”

“I alone will bear the consequences of my actions!”

Having said this, Ning Zhuo revealed a look of determination, ready to face death.

Zhu Xuanji fell into silence.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had been watching the spectacle all along, but now it looked utterly bewildered.

It couldn’t understand what Ning Zhuo was saying now.

“What exactly are you talking about?”

Even though it didn’t understand, it could sense an ominous trend.

Because Zhu Xuanji was slowly retracting his imposing aura, no longer applying intense pressure to Ning Zhuo.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit couldn’t help but roar, “Zhu Xuanji, what are you doing? You’ve already discovered him!”

“That’s right, this young cultivator before you, he is the culprit, he is the culprit who bombed the Immortal Palace!”

However, Zhu Xuanji, looking down at Ning Zhuo, revealed a trace of pity in his eyes.

He was Zhu Xuanji, known by the title of ‘Observer of Secrets, Pacifier of the People’.

He had always held great sympathy and compassion for low-level cultivators.

In Xuanlin City, he was willing to risk danger for a bowl of sugar water from an elderly villager, to investigate the Su family’s corruption.

In the Royal Capital, facing the ruler of the Southern Bean Kingdom, he directly stated his intention to curb these great cultivation clans and actively support grassroots geniuses.

He was schemed against by Li Leifeng before his death, but he didn’t rage, instead he felt sorrow and willingly let himself be used, to select the most suitable director for the orphanage.

He possessed a natural vigilance towards the deeply entrenched major forces in the Southern Bean Kingdom. And he harbored a deep-seated compassion for middle and lower-level cultivators.

Looking at Ning Zhuo slumped on the ground, covered in sweat, and utterly disheveled.

Zhu Xuanji sighed, a hint of emotion flickering across his face for the first time, “You little imp, you are too good at scheming. Such intrigue will only lead you to your own demise.”

“You clearly possess talent, why are you so eager for quick success?”

His tone contained a hint of disappointment.

Ning Zhuo gave a miserable smile, “My Lord, it was only after I entered the Immortal Palace with my spirit that I discovered that the head of the wooden puppet was very large. Only then did I realize that I had talent.”

Zhu Xuanji remained silent.

In his eyes, Ning Zhuo was further painted with a pitiable, sorrowful, and laughable image, a victim of fate’s cruel game.

“Ning Zhuo, you have talent, you are an excellent young man.”

“I will give you one chance.”

“Think carefully and give me an explanation within three days!”

“Please remember, the explanation you give me will determine your future.”

Zhu Xuanji folded his hands behind his back, ascended into the sky, then transformed into a streak of light, soaring away.

Ning Zhuo remained slumped on the spot, unmoving, for a long time.

The clamorous sounds grew louder, it was the cultivator guards near his residence, rushing over.

But what was the use?

Facing Zhu Xuanji, the power that Ning Zhuo had cultivated was like paper, completely unreliable.

“Too weak, too weak!”

“My strength is still too weak.”

Ning Zhuo clenched his fists tightly, his fingers digging deep into his flesh.

Molten Lava Immortal Palace, Main Hall.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was dumbfounded!

Even after Zhu Xuanji had flown away, it still stared intently, deeply hoping that the latter would suddenly realize his mistake and turn back to capture Ning Zhuo.

“No, are you just leaving like that?”

“He is the culprit, he is the real culprit!”

“But why do I feel like you even feel sorry for him?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit couldn’t understand at all, feeling utterly absurd.

It wanted to see a spectacle, wanted to see Ning Zhuo being arrested, but what it saw was – Ning Zhuo had once again overcome a deadly crisis.

The dignified Divine Catcher Zhu Xuanji had been deceived by Ning Zhuo.

“Are you a Divine Catcher?”

“Are you fake!”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was furious.

It shifted its gaze, returning it to Ning Zhuo, who was being helped up and surrounded by many cultivators.

“Acting, he is really too good at acting!”

Watching Ning Zhuo being comforted and appeased, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit felt a chill.

“This young man is really too cunning, too terrifying!”

“Is he really only sixteen years old?”

“Could he be an old monster who has cultivated for five hundred years, reincarnated?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit became increasingly wary of Ning Zhuo.

It warned itself that when it came into contact with this young cultivator in the future, it must be cautious in its words and deeds!

Be cautious in words and deeds!