Phoenix Soul Blood Incense

Ning Zhuo's heart was filled with urgency.

Because he had no idea when the later competitors would be lured away by soul-hooking and enter the Magma Immortal Palace to undergo its trials.

It might well be the very next moment that Meng Chong entered the palace, passed every trial along the way, reached the Preparation Room, and discovered Ning Zhuo's name.

"The other side has Superior Grade immortal aptitude!"

"What method could make my Soul Foundation surge by at least double in a short time?"

Ning Zhuo furrowed his brow and opened several drawers.

The drawers were crammed full of jade slips.

Every jade slip bore a simple label.

Ning Zhuo searched through them, pulled out one jade slip, and pressed it to his forehead.

He drew Divine Sense from the divine sea in his upper dantian, sent it into the jade slip, and perused the information within.

From the moment he began earning spirit stones, he had started gathering intelligence from outside sources. This good habit had endured for more than a decade.

It was precisely through this intelligence that he came to understand Fire Persimmon Immortal City more deeply. Otherwise, with his Qi Refining Stage cultivation, how could he have known about cultivators such as Golden Core Cultivators and Nascent Soul cultivators?

Though much of the intelligence only scratched the surface, Ning Zhuo had collected it day after day for more than a decade, constantly comparing it against the progression of events and pondering over it.

Ning Zhuo examined multiple jade slips, chiefly searching for information related to souls.

Eleven years ago.

A demonic cultivator named Hua Qianhun came to the outskirts of Fire Persimmon Immortal City. She planted flowers in a valley nearby, allowing a sea of blooms to spread across mountains and fields, creating rumors that an exotic flower had emerged. Many were drawn in and entered the flower sea, only to have their souls extracted and turned into flower fertilizer. In the end, an exotic flower truly did emerge: the Soul Essence Flower. Hua Qianhun immediately plucked it and swiftly fled.

Eight years ago.

News of the appearance of the Seven Stars Lamp spread widely throughout the cultivation world. Fire Persimmon Immortal City learned of it as well.

The Seven Stars Lamp had been crafted by Kong Riyue, a renowned prime minister of Green Mountain Kingdom. He wished to defy heaven and alter his fate, so he made this lamp, intending to use the power of starlight to replace a portion of his soul with a heavenly soul. In the end, Dai Yan, an infiltrator from Hegemon Weapon Kingdom, sabotaged it, causing the effort to fall short at the last step.

The appearance of the Seven Stars Lamp stirred up waves in several nations at the time, inciting countless cultivators to fight over it and nearly provoking a war between Green Mountain Kingdom and Hegemon Weapon Kingdom.

Five years ago.

A Golden Core Cultivator from the Sacred Ape Sect traveled the world and arrived at Fire Persimmon Immortal City. While residing there, he made an error in his cultivation technique and suffered a Cultivation Deviation, causing his soul to merge with that of his spirit pet, the Raging Fire Heart Ape. It inflicted considerable damage upon Fire Persimmon Immortal City at the time; several Golden Core Cultivators had to join forces before they could kill him.

Four years ago.

A great many ghost flames appeared in the graveyard at the foot of Fire Persimmon Immortal City's mountains, setting off a brief craze for harvesting ghost flames.

Three years ago.

Seven hundred li from Fire Persimmon Immortal City stood a barren mountain. Within a dead valley on that mountain, a pool of Yellow Spring appeared, drawing many cultivators into contention.

Two years ago.

A Nine Nether Black Death Cat was born near Fire Persimmon Immortal City. The City Lord personally entered the battle and fought it for three days and three nights before finally driving it away.

The aftermath of that battle deeply affected the forests and mountains for several hundred li around.

Deathly qi shrouded countless mountain ridges, and a hundred ghosts walked by night.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City was caught up in the disaster as well. The City Lord ordered large numbers of cultivators to continuously leave the city, purge the surrounding area, and set mountains and rivers back in order. The Southern Bean Dynasty allocated disaster relief funds and distributed vast quantities of supplies; only then was the natural vitality of heaven and earth around them restored.

One year ago.

Grandmaster of Alchemy Sun Lie came to Fire Persimmon Immortal City to visit friends. At the Zhou family's request, he used the souls and essence blood of phoenix-type birds to refine Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pills. On the day the pills were completed, phoenix cries lingered around the rafters for three days without ceasing, becoming a wondrous sight within the city.

Eighteen pills were refined. Twelve were delivered to the Zhou family, while the remaining six sparked a fierce struggle among cultivators, resulting in one death and three injuries. The culprit, Han Ming, remained at large to this day...

"Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pill." A sharp glint flashed through Ning Zhuo's eyes.

He knew of this pill. It was red as blood, its fragrance seeped into the heart, and it possessed powerful soul-nourishing and restorative effects.

Ning Zhuo took out a token and tossed it outward.

The token disassembled in midair, swiftly transforming into a suit of armor.

Azure Iron Han Armor.

After the operation to blow up the Immortal Palace, the Han Armor had suffered severe damage, especially across its back. Its greater losses lay within. The Foundation Establishment Pill, a crucial mechanism component, had only one-tenth remaining.

"No choice. I have to act!"

Ning Zhuo climbed into the Azure Iron Han Armor. He bent over and braced himself on a cane. After a flicker of light and shadow, the armor's faceplate became that of an old man, his expression weathered, the bags beneath his eyes dark purple, deep wrinkles etched across his face. He wore a tattered leather cloak, while the Topknot Hanging Death Whip came apart and disguised itself as hair, hanging from his head all the way to his feet.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer made another appearance.

Ning Zhuo stood in the corner and activated the teleportation array.

The next moment, he entered the depths underground.

He left the teleportation chamber, passed a massive pill furnace used for cremating corpses, and his hunched figure gradually vanished into the underground passageway.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City, Black Market.

In the courtyard, a cultivator knelt on the ground.

His body trembled. His face was bruised and swollen, filled with terror and worry as he cupped his hands and begged, "Boss Sun, I'll definitely repay the money I owe. I definitely can repay it! You have to believe me, I..."

Pfft.

The next moment, a blade flashed, and one of the kneeling cultivator's arms was directly severed.

"Ah—!"

The kneeling cultivator froze for a moment before immediately letting out a miserable howl.

He clutched the stump of his arm and fell to the ground, rolling about as excruciating pain wracked his body.

Blood sprayed from the enormous wound, quickly forming a pool of blood.

Boss Sun giggled, admiring the miserable sight before her.

She had short, jet-black hair. Her cheeks were plump, stained with two rosy patches, making her look exceptionally adorable.

Her eyes were large, their black and white sharply distinct. Her skin was tender and smooth, her body small; altogether, she looked like a child of three or four.

This was because she had accidentally eaten a Face-Fixing Pill as an infant, then gone on to cultivate a certain special technique.

Boss Sun was a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Her full name was Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong sneered disdainfully. "You still want to fool me? I've controlled the Black Market for so long by relying on these eyes of mine. I judge people most accurately. Do you think you can deceive my spirit eyes?"

As she spoke, she toyed with a dagger.

The dagger was exceedingly sharp. Between Sun Lingtong's incomparably nimble wrist and fingers, it fluttered like a butterfly spreading its wings beneath the moonlight.

Just then, a cultivator respectfully stepped forward, stood beside Sun Lingtong's ear, and whispered a few words.

Sun Lingtong immediately wiped away her smile, a cold gleam flashing through her eyes.

"Clean this up. An honored guest has arrived." Sun Lingtong waved her hand, and two burly Body Cultivators with fierce, fleshy faces immediately jogged over.

One directly twisted the neck of the one-armed cultivator, then carried away the corpse.

The other cast a spell to clean the small courtyard.

A short while later, the Tassel-Haired Wanderer was led into the courtyard.

Sun Lingtong spread her arms and walked toward the Tassel-Haired Wanderer with a broad smile. "Brother, what wind has blown you here?"

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer's voice was hoarse, his expression indifferent. "Boss Sun, this time, I truly have something to ask of you."

"I want to make a move against Sun Lie."

Sun Lingtong's pupils suddenly contracted.