Upon hearing Zhu Xuanji’s account, Zhu Zhen finally understood the reasoning behind his previous deductions.

That the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit could catch the eye of the Three Sects’ Venerables in its lifetime was truly extraordinary!

The №1 Golden Furnace was used to refine its soul.

The №2 Golden Furnace was used to forge its蛟龙 dragon-crocodile body.

Now, not even 720 years had passed, yet the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit had used its snake body as the primary material to forge a Nascent Soul-level mechanical construct – the Myriad Leagues Roaming Dragon.

Zhu Zhen mused, “The Lava Immortal Palace is like a prison to it. It can no longer tolerate its days as the Palace Spirit, and thus desires to escape.”

“And to escape, it must inevitably break free from the prison, which means destroying this Lava Immortal Palace.”

“This is why the Lava Immortal Palace is in constant decay, has opened up selection processes to the outside, and is continually lowering the selection criteria.”

Zhu Xuanji sighed softly, “This situation is quite tricky now.”

Zhu Zhen was puzzled.

Zhu Xuanji continued his spiritual message, revealing more secrets.

Back then, in the royal family’s secret vault, he didn’t just see the scene of the Immortal Palace Burial Mountain.

There were other images as well.

The dying Grand Empress of the Southern Bean Kingdom left a will, admonishing her descendants: after her diligent and painstaking investigation in her later years, she had many new and significant discoveries regarding the Lava Immortal Palace and the Three Sects’ Venerables.

“The Lava Immortal Palace is absolutely not a move casually placed by the Three Sects’ Venerables on a whim.”

“Their intentions run deep.”

Within the Lava Immortal Palace, there are not only mechanical inheritances and the supreme arts of the Three Sects, but also the divine ability, Threads of Human Destiny!

On her deathbed, the Grand Empress still worried about the affairs of the Southern Bean Kingdom: “If my Zhu family does not produce a Royal Decree, we must strive to grasp the divine ability, Threads of Human Destiny.”

“The divine ability seed within the Lava Immortal Palace is the key to mastering the Threads of Human Destiny. We must strive to obtain it.”

She also said, “The supreme authority of the Lava Immortal Palace is divided into three parts.”

“One part resides in the position of the Palace Master, another in the Palace Spirit, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit, and the final part is the佛心魔印 Buddha-Heart Demonic Seal.”

“The first two can be contended for, but only the佛心魔印 Buddha-Heart Demonic Seal must not be touched.”

“This seal has an immense origin, related to the conflict between the Buddhist and Demonic Realms, and carries a massive amount of karma. Ordinary cultivators or powers who accept this seal will see their destiny rapidly and continuously depleted, until their destiny becomes weak or even exhausted, triggering layer upon layer of calamities.”

“If the Southern Bean Zhu family in the future has no Royal Decree, nor anyone who has mastered the divine ability Threads of Human Destiny, they will inevitably struggle to maintain the domestic situation, their destiny limited, and the nation’s fortune arduous.”

“Under such circumstances, one must absolutely not covet immediate benefits. Accepting the佛心魔印 Buddha-Heart Demonic Seal will bring national turmoil, external pressure, internal rebellion, and ultimately lead to the nation’s demise and the ruin of its ruler, reducing a long-established foundation to dust.”

Upon hearing Zhu Xuanji’s account, Zhu Zhen couldn’t help but reveal a worried expression.

“The precious seal cannot be taken, and the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit wants to escape. Therefore, if we wish to control the Lava Immortal Palace, we must obtain the position of Palace Master.”

Zhu Xuanji raised his head, gazing at the decaying spherical light shield in the sky: “The current situation is even more complicated.”

“Not only must we seize the position of Palace Master, but we must also disrupt the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit’s escape plan!”

“We don’t understand how to control the Lava Immortal Palace. Even if we become the Palace Master, it will be difficult to control the entire Lava Immortal Palace effectively in the first instance.”

“Once the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit leaves, the Lava Immortal Palace, lacking guidance, will see its defenses plummet to rock bottom.”

“The flames will rage, and the beast tide will be fierce. By then, the beast tide will charge unimpeded, rapidly overwhelming the entire Immortal Palace!”

“Unless it’s a Nascent Soul level expert like Meng Kui, perhaps they could protect the entire Immortal Palace with their individual power?”

“We Golden Core cultivators should not harbor such foolish fantasies.”

Zhu Zhen nodded in agreement, his expression heavy.

Zhu Xuanji paced back and forth a small circle with his hands behind his back, his thoughts settled, and he instructed Zhu Zhen.

The immediate priority is to fully search for the hiding place of the Myriad Leagues Roaming Dragon. If they can intercept this mechanism beforehand, it will certainly shatter the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit’s grand escape plan.

“This is difficult,” Zhu Zhen transmitted, stating, “The Myriad Leagues Roaming Dragon can be large or small, and it’s certainly highly valued by the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit and will be hidden very deeply. Searching for such a target in this vast Lava Immortal Palace is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

Zhu Xuanji also instructed him to constantly monitor the Golden Furnace Ruins.

Zhu Xuanji: “The ruins of the №3 and №4 Golden Furnaces were bombed beyond recognition, but there are still very small parts that have merged with the surroundings.”

“You need to find an opportunity to approach again, excavate the surface, and then 解炼解炼 disentangle and refine, restoring the previous form.”

“I always feel that important clues are also buried in these №3 and №4 Golden Furnaces.”

Zhu Zhen felt even more difficulty, transmitting: “Brother, the reason we were able to enter the Golden Furnace Ruins this time was due to deliberate design. And we seized the excellent opportunity presented by the struggle between the shadowy demonic cultivator and Yang Chanyun.”

“The Schemes of No Vacancy, even now that the Golden Furnace Ruins have been blasted into ruins, will likely not give us an opportunity so easily again.”

Zhu Xuanji nodded, agreeing with Zhu Zhen’s analysis.

There are roughly two paths to break the current predicament.

One path is to start with objects, which are the mechanical structures. In Zhu Xuanji’s view: the Schemes of No Vacancy were able to restrict their approach to the Golden Furnace Ruins primarily by relying on the Five Elements Artillery Towers and the Point-Ordering Platform.

If Zhu Xuanji could decipher the Schemes of No Vacancy’s control methods and use the demonic beasts to enter the Golden Furnace Ruins, there would be no obstacles.

The other path is to start with people, namely Yang Chanyun and Sun Lingtong.

But these two are extremely elusive, hidden within the Lava Immortal Palace, and simply cannot be found.

This time, it was also because Yang Chanyun was first forced out by the shadowy demonic cultivator that she revealed her traces outside of the palace examination.

Zhu Zhen transmitted: “Lately, I have been continuously pondering the current situation, and suddenly I thought of another person who might become our breakthrough.”

Zhu Xuanji looked sideways: “Oh? Pray tell.”

Zhu Zhen: “It’s the Tassel-Haired Guest!”

“Previously, the Tassel-Haired Guest, along with Han Ming and Sun Lingtong, attacked the Purple Yang Courtyard together. Afterwards, risking his life, he, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, fought against the Golden Core Qi Bai, and ultimately forcibly rescued Sun Lingtong. All these clues indicate that his mechanical skills are quite impressive.”

“I strongly suspect that the Tassel-Haired Guest is likely the one controlling the Five Elements Artillery Towers and the Point-Ordering Platform.”

Zhu Xuanji pressed: “Do you have any basis for this suspicion?”

Zhu Zhen simply said: “How could the Schemes of No Vacancy not use such a mechanical cultivator? Unless the battle with Qi Bai seriously injured the Tassel-Haired Guest and he has been recuperating, otherwise he is hiding deep within the Lava Immortal Palace, constantly monitoring the Golden Furnace Ruins and preventing us from approaching.”

Zhu Xuanji shook his head slightly: “I understand.”

Zhu Zhen continued: “The Tassel-Haired Guest appeared in the black market very early on, continuously selling a type of mechanical rope to the outside world, named the Up-and-Down Wishful Rope.”

“Among the cultivators exploring Mount Fire Persimmon, this rope is very popular.”

“Even now, there are still Up-and-Down Wishful Ropes on the market and in the hands of many cultivators.”

“I think it would be better to collect these mechanical ropes and hand them over to you, Brother, to investigate.”

“Under your discerning eyes, Brother, we should be able to find important clues, or even flaws, regarding the Tassel-Haired Guest!”

Zhu Xuanji laughed heartily, unable to resist patting Zhu Zhen’s shoulder: “Good boy, it’s indeed because you’ve been training outside for many years. Your thinking is meticulous, you have unique insights, and you are much stronger than before.”

Zhu Zhen understood Zhu Xuanji quite well. Seeing his lack of interest, he couldn’t help but be puzzled and asked: “Brother, what exactly are you thinking? Is there something wrong with the clue I’ve grasped?”

Zhu Xuanji sighed, his expression quite complex: “It’s not wrong, it’s just that I’m afraid I’ve already guessed the identity of this Tassel-Haired Guest.”

Zhu Zhen couldn’t help but stare: “If you’ve already guessed, why doesn’t Brother go and capture…”

Suddenly, he reacted.

“Brother doesn’t go to capture, which proves that he doesn’t need to capture, or perhaps he cannot capture… Could it be?!”

Zhu Zhen suddenly turned his head, subconsciously looking at the residence of the Ning family’s ancestor, Ning Jiu Fan.

Zhu Xuanji said faintly: “During the previous palace examination, cultivators could invite outsiders as helpers. But on Sun Lingtong’s side, a mechanical cultivator like the Tassel-Haired Guest never appeared. At that time, I already felt strange.”

Speaking of this, Zhu Xuanji patted Zhu Zhen’s shoulder: “Of course, this is just my guess. If you are interested, you can indeed collect the Up-and-Down Wishful Ropes. However, I think that after the Schemes of No Vacancy are exposed, the City Lord’s Mansion will certainly investigate all clues with full force.”

“Although Meng Kui is stationed at the mountain peak, the Acting City Lord Fei Si is also a capable person. With his ability, he has probably already gathered a batch of Up-and-Down Wishful Ropes. If you want to save some effort, you might as well write to him and directly request a batch of mechanical ropes.”

Zhu Zhen opened his mouth, and finally sighed: “I understand.”

After a pause, he sincerely praised: “As expected of Brother!”

Zhu Xuanji gave a wry smile and encouraged: “Go and do your work.”

“Based on my limited understanding of the Three Sects’ Venerables, this palace examination probably only has three rounds.”

“Now, the second round of the palace examination is likely nearing its end.”

“The situation is too tense! Externally there is a beast tide, and internally the Schemes of No Vacancy are causing trouble. Many things, we can only grasp the big and let go of the small.”

“If the situation is stable and there is a large margin for error, we can investigate everything. But now, we can only be swept along by the overall situation, unite allies, conserve energy and time, and focus on one point.”

Zhu Zhen could feel Zhu Xuanji’s helplessness, his face full of gratitude: “Brother’s teachings, this younger brother will surely keep them in mind.”

Zhu Zhen was originally a member of the Southern Bean royal family and had a deep affection for Zhu Xuanji.

He was now especially fortunate that he had taken the cloud whale and followed this route, reuniting with Zhu Xuanji and being able to contribute to this major event and assist his brother.

After receiving the important task, he spared no effort, despite the difficulties.

There were many holes in the light shield of the Lava Immortal Palace, the outer ring had been basically lost, demonic beasts roamed freely, but the inner ring still maintained its defensive line.

Zhu Zhen screened, first abandoning the outer ring and only searching in the inner ring.

He searched many places, checking each one thoroughly, and didn’t even see a shadow of the Myriad Leagues Roaming Dragon.

During this time, he still wrote a letter and sent it to Fei Si. However, it was no longer a request for Up-and-Down Wishful Ropes, but a direct inquiry about all the information the City Lord’s Mansion had regarding the Tassel-Haired Guest.