Thick black and white smoke incessantly billowed around the palace, while molten lava slowly flowed at the base of the palace. The palace, with its red bricks and golden pillars, stood majestic and tall, resembling an ancient giant reclining in a river of molten lava for a bath.
In the deepest part of the main hall, on a high-backed throne, coiled a small dragon. This little dragon was orange-red, resembling solidified lava, with golden light flowing within, making it look extraordinarily majestic. It had a dragon's head, tail, and four claws, but its upper body was that of a turtle. Its shell was covered with uneven reddish-brown rock pieces. The rocks were spaced apart, with gaps crisscrossing, sketching out a grid-like turtle pattern.
It was the spirit of the Lava Immortal Palace—the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit! At this moment, the resting Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit slowly opened its eyes. It looked up, gazing towards the top of the palace. The Lava Immortal Palace trembled slightly, aiding its vision to penetrate the roof and the layers of smoke clouds, eventually glimpsing a blurry figure. It was indeed the lord of the Puppet Immortal City!
To avoid alerting the lord, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit did not look closely but quickly shifted its thoughts, and its gaze began to spread downward. Its vision swiftly covered the entire Puppet Immortal City and continued down to the lush and fiery Fire Crystal Grass at the foot of the mountain, where it abruptly stopped.
The golden pupils in the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's crimson eye sockets shimmered brightly. It intensified its scrutiny. In its view, the mountain city, forests, and residents gradually became translucent, revealing a grand formation.
The grand formation was divided into two main nodes: a large one embedded within the mountain and a smaller one located within the city lord's mansion. Additionally, there were five formation pillars strategically placed at the residences of the Zhou, Zheng, and Ning families, as well as in the dungeon and the city guard barracks.
The formation was immense, nearly encompassing the entirety of Mount Huoshi and was interconnected with numerous smaller formations in the Fire Crystal Grass forest at the base of the mountain.
The base of the grand formation extended from the peak of Mount Huoshi deep into the mountain itself.
The array patterns of the formation were interwoven in shades of cyan and green, forming a massive net that enveloped the entire Mount Huoshi. The Lava Immortal Palace within was like a bird trapped in a cage.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit grunted in frustration, clearly irritated by the sensation of being bound.
With a forceful push of its forepaws, it lifted itself up and then leapt into the air.
Despite having no wings, it flew swiftly and agilely. Its speed was tremendous, and as it darted through the air, it resembled a brilliant streak of orange-gold light.
The streak of light drew a radiant circle in the sky before landing back on the throne.
In an instant, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit went from motion to stillness, with sparks scattering from its momentum, hitting the throne and then flying about in the dimly lit palace.
Having vented its frustration slightly, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit then continued to crane its neck upward, gazing into the distance with intent focus.
Its gaze was fixed on the city lord's mansion.
At that moment, inside the mansion, a burly, wide-eyed young man was sitting cross-legged, actively practicing his cultivation. However, unlike usual, he was not gathering magical power but dispersing it.
He was Meng Chong, the city lord's grandson.
The city lord's voice seemed to still echo in Meng Chong's ears.
"Meng Chong, my grandson, I have already used the Destiny Appointing Talisman to draw the spirit of the Lava Immortal Palace to you! I also lit the Ingenious Calculation Incense to figure out the best steps," he said.
"Remember, you need to be the first to master the 'The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art' and reach the third level of Qi Refining. This is crucial, as it will give you a tremendous initial advantage. Succeeding in this step means you are halfway to success. Like a snowball rolling, you will gradually outpace the other competitors."
"It's just unfortunate that 'The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art' is a Taoist method. If it were a Buddhist method, I could have used my Transformation Pill on you."
"Now, you need to dispel your current cultivation quickly and start over with 'The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art'!"
"You will be provided with enough Vein Nurturing and Body Protecting Powder. Do not hesitate to use it all to achieve a perfect dispel of your current cultivation at the fastest speed!"
Meng Chong exhaled a breath of turbid air, his large eyes filled with determination.
The Destiny Appointing Talisman and Ingenious Calculation Incense are Nascent Soul-level treasures, immensely valuable. The Lord of Huoshi City made such a significant investment, essentially placing the heavy responsibility of conquering the Lava Immortal Palace squarely on Meng Chong's shoulders.
Meng Chong's heart was filled with fighting spirit!
"Grandfather, you have done so much for me. If I still don't succeed, I would bring shame to the Meng name!"
"I will definitely not let you down."
"I must seize this first place!"
Meng Chong's face showed resolute determination as he closed his eyes and continued to dispel his cultivation.
However, his previous cultivation level was too high, having reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Now, dispelling his cultivation actually required more time.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit slowly shifted its gaze from the lord's mansion to the Zhou family territory.
In an underground chamber of the Zhou family,
Zhou Zhendeep and Zhou Zhu stood before a grand formation.
Zhou Zhendeep said, "This Gather-Disperse Spirit Tide Formation is unique to our Zhou family within Puppet Immortal City."
"Zhu, you will next enter this formation to dissolve your cultivation. Then, you'll choose The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art to cultivate anew."
"This formation will help accelerate the dispersal of your old cultivation and aid in your swift re-cultivation."
"Please proceed!"
The Zhou family's foundations were profound, ranking first among the three major families. This was undisputed.
In their designs on the Lava Immortal Palace, the Zhou family had made many attempts early on.
Among these, family members Zhou Zhendeep and Zhou Zhu had joined the Mud Flow Sect, a rare sect skilled in puppetry arts. After achieving some success, they returned to the family to stand by.
Unexpectedly, the transmission bell sounded.
This forced them to make a choice.
After careful consideration, the Zhou family decided to keep Zhou Zhendeep and let Zhou Zhu take the risk of switching to The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
Zhou Zhu had no objections, quietly saying, "Brother Deep, you're smarter than me. I'll do whatever you tell me."
"There's no need for guilt. Contributing to the family is my duty!"
Zhou Zhendeep took a step forward, officially entering the formation. He did not sit down to meditate; instead, he stood upright, his body tall and straight like a sturdy column, solid and unadorned.
The process of dispersing his cultivation began.
Zhou Zhendeep sighed inwardly, feeling pity for Zhou Zhu. Zhou Zhu had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, one level higher than himself. To disperse the mana painstakingly cultivated over many years was a significant loss.
But there was no other choice.
The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art could be crucial in the contest for the Lava Immortal Palace. The transmission bell had sounded for the first time, causing such a stir, revealing that the selection method of the Lava Immortal Palace had undergone significant changes after reaching the Qi Refining stage!
To adapt to potential changes, the Zhou family chose a conservative yet proactive approach.
The grand formation began to hum and operate. Pain appeared on Zhou Zhu's face. The invisible force generated by the grand formation forcibly extracted the mana from Zhou Zhu's body. This inevitably caused him harm!
However, Zhou Zhu had a vitality-restoring constitution. As long as he remained still, vitality would surge within his body, accelerating the healing of his injuries.
The grand formation was assisting him in forcefully dispersing his cultivation, while Zhou Zhu's own healing abilities were actively repairing the damage to his meridians.
This was the key reason for choosing Zhou Zhu to undergo cultivation anew.