Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Zhu Xuanji arrived amidst thunderous noise, and left with the wind whistling, attracting considerable attention.

His cultivation was at the Golden Core level, and he was also a royal family member and a renowned detective throughout the country. Every move he made attracted attention.

Now, his grand actions had already stirred up a storm in the entire city.

Countless people were curious and doubtful: What had happened that caused Lord Zhu Xuanji to make such a big move?

Soon, rumors spread like wildfire, and Ning Zhuo suddenly entered everyone’s view.

Although Ning Zhuo was just a small cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining, a closer look at his identity revealed it was far from ordinary.

He possessed mysterious talent, and in recent times, he had been making a name for himself, becoming quite prominent.

Not only had he dethroned the young patriarch of the Ning family’s main branch, but his achievements in exploring the Lava Immortal Palace were also remarkable and astonishing.

Even the Ning family’s Golden Core Ancestor, Ning Jiufan, thought highly of Ning Zhuo and publicly stated that Ning Zhuo had contributed to the Ning family.

On one side was Zhu Xuanji, and on the other was Ning Zhuo.

What had happened between these two that made Zhu Xuanji act in such a manner?

For a time, everyone in the city was extremely curious about the inside story.

After Zhu Xuanji returned to his residence, he gave an order and summoned the three Golden Core ancestors of the families.

The three Golden Core ancestors were curious about Zhu Xuanji’s behavior, and upon receiving his summons, they gladly went to meet him.

Soon, they all gathered in front of Zhu Xuanji.

After the trip to the Fire Fusion Demon Ape’s lair, their relationship had grown even closer.

They were natural allies with Zhu Xuanji.

Because the stance of the three major cultivation families in Huoshi Immortal City was to unite with the Southern Dou royal family to resist the Meng family!

If Zhu Xuanji from the royal family could become the Palace Master of the Lava Immortal Palace, Huoshi Immortal City could maintain its current state.

But if the Meng family gained control of the Lava Immortal Palace, then the entire Meng family’s power would heavily encroach on Huoshi Immortal City.

Eventually, the city would become the Meng family’s private territory. By then, the three families would have no space for survival and would be forced out.

In the reception hall.

Zhu Xuanji wore a stern expression as he scanned the room and said in a deep voice, “Everyone is here.”

“I know you all have doubts in your hearts.”

“Before we discuss this in detail, please sign this oath first.”

As he spoke, Zhu Xuanji took out a scroll from his sleeve.

The scroll’s specifications were of a high level, classified as a magical treasure, resembling the royal decree of the Southern Dou royal family.

Upon unfolding the scroll, one could see that it was inscribed with an extremely intricate formation. Occasionally, in the right light, densely packed formation patterns would flicker and disappear.

Even for the Golden Core ancestors of the three families, it was their first time seeing such a high-quality contract treasure.

Zhu Xuanji continued, “I ask all of you here to use this scroll in front of everyone and swear that you have no ties to the shadow demon cultivators.”

At these words, the three Golden Core ancestors were astonished.

Recently, Zhu Xuanji had stopped investigating the bombing of the Lava Immortal Palace.

His focus had shifted to exploring the palace and gaining more merit and contributions.

Why was he suddenly bringing up the shadow demon cultivators again?

Although they did not understand Zhu Xuanji’s intentions, the three Golden Core ancestors still followed his request and held the royal decree scroll, swearing their oaths in front of everyone.

Seeing that the oaths were made, Zhu Xuanji’s expression eased a little.

“As I thought.”

He slowly put away the decree and said to everyone, “Since you all have no secret ties to the shadow demon cultivators, I will now explain.”

“The source of all this is this Blood Path Diagram.”

Zhu Xuanji took out the Blood Path Diagram and handed it to the others for inspection.

The quality of this Blood Path Diagram was very high, classified as a magical treasure, with a smooth surface.

Zheng Shuanggou, the Golden Core cultivator from the Zheng family, was the first to notice something and showed a trace of shock on his face.

“Such a high-quality Blood Path Diagram should have recorded a true scripture.”

“A true scripture?!” The others were surprised.

Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly and admitted, “That’s right.”

“This Blood Path Diagram is a mechanical component that I retrieved from the body of a mechanical demon general.”

“The mechanical demon general itself has no spiritual nature. But with this diagram and the true scripture, it could operate the content of the scripture and perform the techniques.”

“The mechanical demon general was confirmed to have Golden Core level combat power, which means that the demonic scripture on this diagram is at least at the Golden Core level as well.”

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but feel excited.

Ning Jiufan stroked his beard and said, “The Three Sect Lord had a unique life full of hardships, practicing three different techniques, which is historically rare. It’s not surprising that he would leave behind some demonic arts.”

The Golden Core ancestor from the Zhou family said, “I have heard of the Three Sect Lord’s techniques. He left a mechanical inheritance in the Lava Immortal Palace, and the most valuable part of it is the Three Sect Lord’s techniques. Besides the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, there are two other techniques that correspond to the three dantians in the human body.”

“If all three techniques are cultivated together, it can form the foundation of the three dantians.”

“Now that the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art has been revealed, perhaps the demonic scripture on this Blood Path Diagram is also one of the Three Sect Lord’s techniques?”

Zhu Xuanji nodded, showing a slight smile.

“My thoughts align with yours.”

“I am also very curious about the content of the true scripture once recorded on this Blood Path Diagram.”

“If I can obtain it, perhaps I can gain insight into the Three Sect Lord’s techniques and confirm whether the rumors are true.”

“Moreover, if I retrieve the true scripture, it will greatly benefit me in terms of merit and contributions when handing over the mechanical demon general.”

“Therefore, I used the Trace Back Art on this Blood Path Diagram.”

“I obtained a crucial clue—years ago, a small monkey accidentally came into contact with the damaged mechanical demon general.

“When it touched it, the demonic scripture took the initiative and merged into the small monkey’s body.”

“I want to retrieve the true scripture, but I don’t know what the small monkey looks like now.”

“Seven days ago, I secretly sent a letter to the Southern Dou royal family, seeking assistance.”

“The royal family’s cultivators helped me deduce the appearance of the small monkey in its adult and old age.”

“With this visual clue, I was able to seek the help of the Fire Fusion Demon Ape clan in Mount Huoshi to investigate and search for it.”

At this point, Zhu Xuanji couldn’t help but look at Ning Jiufan.

Ning Jiufan’s expression darkened slightly, and he immediately understood Zhu Xuanji’s meaning.

Ever since the last exploration of the depths of Mount Huoshi, he had become a guest of honor and was highly welcomed by the largest Fire Fusion Demon Ape clan.

If he stepped forward with this visual clue to seek help, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape clan would most likely assist.

Merely relying on verbal communication, the intelligence of the Fire Fusion Demon Ape clan might not be able to fully understand.

But with this image, they would have a clear and unmistakable target for their investigation.

Zhu Xuanji continued, “Today, I received a reply from the royal family.”

“And thus, I learned what the small monkey looks like in adulthood and old age.”

“The result surprised me—the small monkey turned out to be Yuan Dasheng!”

“Yuan Dasheng?” The Golden Core ancestors looked at each other, unfamiliar with this small figure’s name.

Ning Jiufan inquired, “Since Lord Zhu knows him, where is this monkey now?”

“Yuan Dasheng!” The Golden Core ancestor of the Zhou family frowned, showing a strange expression, “He’s already dead.”

The other Golden Core ancestors all looked at him.

Then, the Zhou family’s Golden Core ancestor recounted in detail the series of events that had occurred during the Huoshi Festival.

At that time, the shadow demon cultivators were nowhere to be found, and the City Lord’s Mansion, along with the Golden Core ancestors, searched every inch but could not find this demon cultivator, causing the upper echelon of Huoshi Immortal City to lose face.

The Zhou family’s Golden Core ancestor suspected that someone was hidden within Yuan Dasheng’s corpse, so he, along with Fei Si and Zhu Xuanji, went to the Monkey Head Gang to investigate.

When they arrived, they learned that Yuan Dasheng had already died, so they went to the Flying Disk Workshop to confirm the corpse.

“That means Yuan Dasheng’s body ended up in Ning Zhuo’s hands?” Ning Jiufan was stunned.

Zheng Shuanggou suddenly realized, “So that’s why

Lord Zhu, after discovering it was Yuan Dasheng, immediately went to find Ning Zhuo to retrieve the true scripture.”

Zhu Xuanji nodded, “But I did not recover it. Ning Zhuo told me that he knew nothing about it.”

The three Golden Core ancestors exchanged glances.

The Golden Core ancestor from the Zhou family pondered, “Lord Zhu has Celestial Golden Eyes and various spells for detecting lies. None of us can conceal falsehoods.”

“Ning Zhuo is just a mere third-layer Qi Refining cultivator. If he says he knows nothing, it should be true.”

“Then, where did the true scripture go?”

Zheng Shuanggou was full of confusion, “Yes, if the true scripture is not with Ning Zhuo, where could it be?”

At this moment, Zhu Xuanji said, “This is precisely the main reason I gathered you here and had you sign the oath.”

With that, Zhu Xuanji grasped the contract decree and swore in front of everyone, “What I am about to say may not be the complete truth, but it is mostly based on my own experiences, without any falsehood.”

After saying this, Zhu Xuanji took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.

“We all know that Ning Zhuo is the inventor of the Mechanical Explosive Monkey. He once brought an incomplete Mechanical Explosive Monkey to seek advice from the owner of the Flying Disk Workshop, Chen Cha. And Chen Cha was recruited by Fei Si. After that consultation, Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo reached an agreement for his workshop to produce the mechanical monkeys for sale.”

“Not long after, the shadow demon cultivators tried to approach the Lava Immortal Palace but were discovered by Zheng Shuanggou. A fierce battle ensued. During the battle, one of the Explosive Monkeys, carrying a large amount of Fire Essence, bombed the palace, causing the Lava Immortal Palace to emerge early, with the transmission bell ringing throughout the city.”

“Zheng Shuanggou personally saved Ning Zhuo and other Ning family cultivators. Shortly after, shadow demon cultivators appeared near the dungeon, and Chi Dun struck, trying to capture them. The shadow demon cultivators fled into the Huoshi Forest. Fei Si stepped in to protect the forest and stopped Chi Dun from pursuing further.”

“I began investigating the mechanical monkeys but found that these constructs were everywhere in Huoshi Immortal City, with sales booming. I also investigated the sale channels of Fire Essence and found no large-scale purchases recorded in the market.”

“When I was at a dead end, Chi Dun persuaded me, and Fei Si invited me to take action during the Huoshi Festival against the shadow demon cultivators. I agreed to their request.”

“At the Huoshi Festival, everyone here participated and witnessed the attack on Yuan Dasheng by more than ten Mechanical Explosive Monkeys. The attack was unsuccessful.”

“But after that, when Yuan Dasheng was picking the Huoshi fruit, he inexplicably made a mistake, triggering a terrifying explosion. During the explosion, I observed through my Golden Eyes that Yuan Dasheng attempted to use demonic arts to protect himself but forcibly suppressed it, seemingly unwilling to implicate the son of his former master.”

“I admired his loyalty, so I appeared in public and ordered Fei Si to open the formation. Fei Si was initially reluctant, but under my strong insistence, he opened the passage. I entered and saved Yuan Dasheng, giving him a chance to live, though he fell into a coma and was later taken back to the Monkey Head Gang by their people.”

“Fei Si gave his waist token to Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo, carrying the token, went deep into the Monkey Head Gang’s territory and persuaded Yuan Er with words to abandon Yuan Dasheng. Yuan Dasheng eventually succumbed to his injuries, and Ning Zhuo took his corpse away.”

“We searched the Huoshi Forest for the shadow demon cultivators but never found any trace of them. The Zhou family cultivator suspected that someone was hidden in Yuan Dasheng’s corpse, so he, Fei Si, and I went to investigate.”

“We first went to the Monkey Head Gang’s base and learned that Yuan Dasheng had died, and his corpse had been taken by Ning Zhuo. We immediately rushed to Chen Cha’s workshop. When we arrived, Yuan Dasheng’s blood and essence had already been drained from his body.”

Hiss…

The three Golden Core ancestors couldn’t help but gasp.

They all understood!

“Was it the City Lord’s Mansion!?” Zheng Shuanggou’s face was filled with disbelief, “So the shadow demon cultivators were from the City Lord’s Mansion, and they were the ones who bombed the Immortal Palace. But why?”

Zheng Shuanggou was full of confusion, “Before this, the Meng family had already secretly allied with my Zheng family and the Zhou family, and we had reached an agreement.”

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