Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong, and the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin, stepped into the main hall together.

Mong Chong and the others remained frozen in place, unable to move.

Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu had already lost their life force.

Mong Chong had already reached the throne.

Clearly, a life-and-death struggle had just taken place.

Ning Ze and Ning Xiaoren lagged behind, having fled in terror after witnessing Meng Yao Yin’s demonic might.

Like stone statues, they were all frozen in place.

Mong Chong had already bent down, facing the throne, about to sit.

But this tiny gap was like a chasm, separating him from his goal.

Divine Ability – Life Thread!

As soon as Ning Zhuo recovered slightly, he unleashed this divine ability with all his might.

Who among those present had not been marked with his Life Thread?

Even Mong Chong!

He had been marked with the Life Thread by Ning Zhuo as early as when he entered the Immortal Palace and tangled with the Goldblood Battle Ape, Da Sheng.

It was because of this that Ning Zhuo had been able to precisely sense Mong Chong’s movements and pursue him during the various turning points, especially after a large number of low-level cultivators flooded in.

It was because of this that the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit deeply understood that Mong Chong could never defeat Ning Zhuo.

The Life Thread divine ability allowed him to fight above his level. With his Foundation Establishment cultivation, Ning Zhuo could theoretically threaten Golden Core cultivators, let alone deal with Mong Chong.

“Mercy, spare my life, Ning Zhuo! I was wrong, I was just wrong, I was blinded by greed! I swear, from now on, I will never oppose you!” Ning Xiaoren, unable to move, cried out in panic.

“Little Zhuo, Little Zhuo, I’m your uncle, your flesh and blood. Are you not afraid of being condemned if you kill me?” Ning Ze’s eyes widened, unable to hide his terror.

Ning Zhuo ignored them, a cold glint in his eyes.

The Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin, full of disgust, flicked a finger.

Two sharp cracks sounded almost simultaneously.

Ning Xiaoren’s and Ning Ze’s heads exploded, like watermelons hitting the ground.

Then, their headless bodies fell to the ground.

Mong Chong’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

He could only see Ning Zhuo and the others approaching out of the corner of his eye.

The Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai, acted as the vanguard, arriving behind Mong Chong first.

He reached out and grasped Mong Chong’s neck, pulling back to extract Mong Chong’s soul.

He restrained the soul, compressed it into a ball, and held it in his palm.

Then, he slowly retreated, bowing slightly, clearing a path for Ning Zhuo.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit did not appear.

It had retreated, hiding extremely well, its main focus still on remotely controlling the Ten Thousand Mile Wandering Dragon, dodging and fleeing from Zhu Zhen’s pursuit!

Everything happening in the main hall was within its observation.

But what could it do?

Despair was pulling it into the abyss.

A dull thud echoed, and everyone turned to look.

Zhu Xuanji, his body encased in golden light, suppressed his injuries and rushed back again.

The Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin, holding the Great Serpent Scythe, slowly walked towards Zhu Xuanji.

To her left and right, the Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai, and Weather Orb – Ice Crystal Snow, stood ready to assist.

A fierce battle began in the next moment!

Taking advantage of Zhu Xuanji being blocked, Ning Zhuo walked towards the throne.

With a gentle sweep of his gaze, Mong Chong’s body tilted sideways, falling like a stone statue.

Ning Zhuo stepped over his body, faced the throne, then turned and slowly sat down.

This simple action was profoundly significant!

The struggle for the position of Master of the Volcanic Immortal Palace had come to an end.

“The third round of the Hall Exam is over! The new Master – meets the entrance criteria, all others are eliminated.”

The message was relayed, and Zhu Xuanji was stunned: “So Ning Zhuo is the one who met the entrance criteria!!”

At the entrance to the Secret Pavilion, the Golden Core cultivators who were hesitating whether to charge into the main hall all stopped in their tracks.

“Alas, Zhu Xuanji also failed.”

“I never expected that in the end, the Volcanic Immortal Palace would fall into the hands of the Empty Gate!”

“Their arrangements here are too deep! The entire Zheng family was set up, that Night Rain Demonic Weapon is too fierce!”

Everyone lost their fighting spirit.

Only the upper half of the Scholar Lord remained, staring at the door, but his soul was lost.

He had encountered such a door before, but the requirement was to piece together the correct “Demonic Contamination Bloodline Art”!

“So, I was just one step away from breaking out of the Turning Point Secret Pavilion!”

“The Demonic Contamination Bloodline Art! Ahhh! Why didn’t I acquire this cultivation technique?!”

The Scholar Lord was filled with extreme regret.

“Little Zhuo, you finally succeeded, you’ve become the Palace Master!” Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo on the throne, feeling a surge of emotion, infinite relief, and joy, almost bringing him to tears.

“Little Zhuo, it wasn’t easy for you to reach this point,” Sun Lingtong sighed.

To his surprise, Ning Zhuo shook his head: “No, I haven’t completely succeeded yet.”

He leaned back in the chair, stroking the armrests, feeling the various textures, imagining what it was like when his mother was alive, entering the main hall and sitting on the throne, usurping some of the Palace Master’s authority, relying on her position as Repairing Order Chief.

This was described in many places in the “Synopsis of the Volcanic Immortal Palace”.

When Meng Yao Yin sat on the throne, she could remotely control several mechanism buildings, including the medical hall and the Gourd Fire Furnace Forest.

At this moment, Ning Zhuo sat on the throne, the true Palace Master, and he could sense the entire Volcanic Immortal Palace, all the mechanism creations.

However, it was this full sensory connection that allowed him to understand with extreme clarity and depth how dire the state of the Volcanic Immortal Palace was. Almost all the important mechanism buildings were gone, leaving only the main hall in the inner circle.

The outer and inner circles of the Volcanic Immortal Palace were almost completely submerged by the tide of demonic beasts, leaving only the main hall as a place where cultivators gathered, desperately and numbly holding the final line of defense.

If the complete Volcanic Immortal Palace was ten parts, then the collapsed and separated parts were at least seven parts!

“The losses are devastating, too horrible to behold!”

“Rather than rebuilding, it would be better to build another mechanism palace.”

To truly repair and rebuild it would be a bottomless pit!

Fate’s cruel joke.

Fourteen years of yearning and longing, fourteen years of patience and scheming, only to end up with a ruin of mechanisms.

Ning Zhuo chuckled and performed a cultivation technique.

Fire Burial Prajna Soul Liberation Sutra!

Flames suddenly erupted, spreading rapidly, firmly enveloping the throne, fiercely burning and refining it.

Sun Lingtong was shocked: “Little Zhuo, what are you doing?”

Ning Zhuo had already stood up, continuing to perform the fire technique while holding Mong Chong’s body in one hand, moving away from the throne.

He stared at the burning throne and explained to Sun Lingtong: “The Volcanic Immortal Palace is almost destroyed. Burning the throne is my biggest goal.”

Sun Lingtong was puzzled. He didn’t know that Meng Yao Yin had sat on the throne countless times, desperately studying its flaws and pouring her heart into it.

Just like refining Ning Xiaohui increased the spirituality of the Flowing Clouds Talisman.

Melting the Immortal Palace throne would surely generate spirituality, increasing the power of the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin!

“As expected.” Ning Zhuo was delighted to see the throne melting, dots of spirituality appearing like faint fireflies.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit could no longer hide!

It revealed its dragon-tortoise form: “Ning Zhuo, no, stop quickly!”

“Stop quickly!”

“If you burn the throne, you’ll only prolong your mother’s life for a while.”

“Without the throne, the Volcanic Immortal Palace will be engulfed and destroyed by the red flame beast tide. That will be the collapse of the overall situation. At that time, without this bridgehead, the beast tide will march down the mountain and slaughter the residents of the entire city. You will create boundless karma of killing!”

“With such sins pressing down on you, it will not only be detrimental to your cultivation, but you will be plagued by bad luck for the rest of your life, constantly encountering misfortunes, hated by heaven and earth, you will not be able to move an inch!”

“Just now, didn’t you suffer from karmic fire burning your body? Can you imagine that pain amplified a hundred thousand times? Can you bear it?”

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit had to urge him desperately.

Because with this overall collapse and the creation of such karma, it, as an accomplice, could not escape, and its fate was worrying!

“As long as my mother can regain her spirituality… Hmph!” Ning Zhuo’s face was cold, and he stubbornly persisted.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit cried out in anxiety, flames erupting all over its body.

Sun Lingtong quickly stood beside Ning Zhuo, vigilantly staring at the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit pleaded bitterly, but Ning Zhuo turned a deaf ear.

Zhu Xuanji was enraged and anxious, feeling a burning desire to kill Ning Zhuo for the first time.

“Ning Zhuo!”

His roar was like thunder: “Don’t make a wrong step and ruin your entire life!!”

“By causing a massacre in the entire city, you will definitely become a major wanted criminal of the kingdom. All the righteous sects of the world will join forces to hunt you down.”

He charged forward recklessly, willing to endure the Great Serpent Scythe’s slash, letting his left arm be almost severed, but still firmly grasping the scythe.

The Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin’s strength was clearly not as great as Zhu Xuanji’s, and she couldn’t break free for a moment.

Zhu Xuanji let out a long cry.

Divine Ability – Retreating Bells!

The essence of metal stained the Great Serpent Scythe, spreading rapidly across its surface, freezing large areas of gold, sealing it.

Without waiting for the seal to be complete, Zhu Xuanji abandoned the Great Serpent Scythe, broke free, and crashed towards Ning Zhuo.

The Underworld Envoy, Qi Bai, Milk Butterfly Mother, and Weather Orb – Ice Crystal Snow all moved to intercept.

To their surprise, Zhu Xuanji feinted, rushed towards the vicinity of the throne, reached out, and grabbed a treasure mirror.

It was the Golden Phoenix Mirror!

This mirror originated from the Volcanic Immortal Palace and was one of the prime choices for controlling mechanism creations.

The body of the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin, was a mechanism Buddhist physician, and was precisely countered by the Golden Phoenix Mirror.

Indeed, Zhu Xuanji held the treasure mirror and shone it.

Under the mirror’s light, the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yao Yin’s speed greatly decreased, and her movements became stiff.

Meng Yao Yin decisively released her grip, and the Great Serpent Scythe transformed from a scythe back into a great serpent, pouncing towards Zhu Xuanji.

The Golden Phoenix Mirror in Zhu Xuanji’s hand was not as effective against the Night Rain Demonic Weapon.

“Where are Chi Dun, Zhou Nongying, and that bunch?!” Zhu Xuanji was entangled by the Great Serpent mechanism, unable to stop Ning Zhuo for a moment, and his heart was filled with anxiety.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit suddenly shouted: “Ning Zhuo, do you know what the three sect masters said when they arranged the Immortal Palace and guarded Fire Persimmon Mountain?”

“Golden furnace, red fire refines the soul spirit, Immortal Palace buries the mountain, benefiting all sentient beings.”

“I advise the Southern Emperor not to be obsessed, old feelings are like smoke scattered in the past.”

“All sentient beings suffer from heavy delusions and desires, mistakenly believing themselves to be independent puppets.”

“My Buddha is compassionate for great love, let go of your heart’s obstacles, and the path will naturally form.”

“I understand, I’ve figured it out!”

“The three sect masters weren’t just speaking to the former Southern Emperor, they were also speaking to you!”

“Don’t be so obstinate and refuse to see the light!”

“Haven’t you suffered for these past fourteen years?”

“Let it go, let it go!”

“For fourteen years, the Volcanic Immortal Palace has been the greatest puppet string for you!”

“Let go of your obsession, let go of your heart’s obstacles. You must learn compassion, for compassion is great love!”