Fire Persimmon Immortal Mountain.
At the mountain peak, deep within the clouds.
The City Lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City sat cross-legged in the air, summoning his Golden Core subordinate, Chi Dun.
Chi Dun was a middle-aged man, blind in one eye, short in stature, but robust, with bulging muscles, like a walking stone pier.
"Chi Dun, I command you to fully investigate the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator," the City Lord sat on a cushion, surrounded by rolling white smoke and black clouds, akin to the resentment and gloom in his heart.
Chi Dun showed a troubled expression, "My lord, with your command, I would go through fire and water without hesitation. But my main cultivation technique is the Stone Heart Delaying Technique, as you know. I'm afraid it may be difficult to take on such a heavy responsibility."
"No matter," the City Lord slightly waved his hand, and a magical treasure flew out from his sleeve.
This magical treasure was tender yellow, small and exquisite, a bell.
The bell flew towards Chi Dun, who quickly reached out to catch it.
The City Lord ordered, "With this Alert Heart Bell, you will have the ability to pursue the Demon Cultivator. Go all out!"
Chi Dun took his leave, carrying the Alert Heart Bell, and first went to the dungeon.
"Start with the easy and proceed to the difficult. These Ning Family cultivators were involved. Interrogate them first. Otherwise, if the Ning Family comes to take them away, it will be troublesome."
"Previously, that Black Shadow Demon Cultivator used them to disguise himself and attracted Zheng Shuanggou's attention. Maybe there's an insider among them?"
Though he thought this way, Chi Dun also knew that the possibility was quite slim.
However, he could take this opportunity to use the Alert Heart Bell and familiarize himself with it quickly.
Ning Zhuo and others were rescued by Zheng Shuanggou and were not detained at first. But after the Immortal Palace emerged and the Dharma Transmission Bell resounded throughout the city, things escalated.
The City Lord personally ordered that the surviving cultivators, including them, be detained.
On one hand, it was to interrogate and find clues; on the other hand, it was to use his authority to force them to keep the secret of the Immortal Palace's emergence.
Given the situation, the City Lord did his best to remedy it, trying every means to cover up the secret of the Immortal Palace.
Chi Dun first picked the Ning Family cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage, and soon, it was the turn of those in the Qi Refinement Stage.
Ning Zhuo, being one of them, was soon brought into a separate room to face Chi Dun alone.
Chi Dun flipped through the notebook in his hand without looking up, and his divine sense enveloped Ning Zhuo entirely, "You're not a member of the Demon Hunting Association? How did you suddenly go to the Flame Demon Melting Cave?"
Ning Zhuo swallowed and glanced at Chi Dun in awe. Then he lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.
He stuttered as he explained the previous encounter with Ning Chen and Ning Yong, who had provoked him with their words, and then he spoke at length about other things.
Chi Dun frowned as he listened.
He had little interest in a young cultivator like Ning Zhuo.
"This kid only had the cultivation level of Qi Refinement Stage 3. His first venture into the Melting Cave, and he encountered such events. Truly terrible luck."
"No, surviving such peril is also considered lucky. Many stronger cultivators than him lost their lives."
If Ning Zhuo had been the only one to survive, he would have been quite conspicuous at this point.
But that was not the case; three newcomers in the Qi Refinement Stage had survived. Ning Chen and Ning Yong were among them.
"That Black Shadow Demon Cultivator first used the corpses of demon beasts to lure the Ning Family members and then provoked the demon beast tide, all to cover up his own presence."
"He purely used the Ning Family cultivators as cannon fodder; the possibility of an insider among them is very small."
"If I were him, even if I were to find an insider, I wouldn't choose a mere Qi Refinement Stage 3 kid."
Of course, Chi Dun was not so careless either.
In fact, he had been continuously activating the Alert Heart Bell and had also activated the Questioning Heart Formation in the interrogation room.
The Alert Heart Bell could keenly detect malice around. If anyone from the Ning Family harbored malice towards Chi Dun, the bell would ring to alert him.
The Questioning Heart Formation could discern whether a person was speaking insincerely.
As long as words and thoughts were inconsistent, the formation would emit a red and yellow light.
Throughout the interrogation of Ning Zhuo, both the Alert Heart Bell and the Questioning Heart Formation remained silent.
Initially, Chi Dun had little suspicion of a small figure like Ning Zhuo, and based on the reactions of the bell and the formation, he completely cleared his doubts.
"You may go," Chi Dun instructed Ning Zhuo, "Hmm?"
He was slightly surprised.
Ning Zhuo had two streams of nosebleed.
Ning Zhuo was momentarily startled, then wiped his nose with the back of his hand, seeing the blood on it.
He quickly waved his hand, "My lord, it's nothing, really! It might be an internal injury from the Melting Cave, but I'm perfectly fine! I feel great now!"
Chi Dun made a sound in response and said no more, just waved his hand.
Ning Zhuo saluted Chi Dun and quickly left, gently opening and closing the door behind him.
Chi Dun was about to interrogate the next person, then paused and spread his divine sense to communicate with the guard outside, "Go tell them to treat the Ning Family cultivators well. Have they been negligent? How is it that someone has internal injuries? Remedy them immediately!"
The Ning Family was one of the three major families in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and Chi Dun didn't want to offend them.
Of course, if a Ning Family cultivator was found to be colluding with the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator, that would be another matter altogether.
Ning Zhuo was taken away to receive a new round of treatment right away.
His nosebleed was caused by him secretly activating the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
This Treasure Seal could engrave a Heart Seal, influencing others' thoughts outwardly and protecting oneself inwardly, suppressing and cleansing various thoughts and emotions.
It turned the demons to Buddha for others and Buddha for oneself.
Ning Zhuo was escorted back to the cell.
Before he even got inside, he heard the sound of disputes from within the cell.
The Ning Family cultivators were heatedly discussing the content of the Dharma Transmission Bell's message.
When Ning Zhuo stepped into the cell, many of the Ning Family cultivators turned to look at him. Seeing him unharmed, some nodded slightly before turning back to the discussion and arguments.
In this venture into the Melting Cave, Ning Zhuo had shared life and death with them, greatly strengthening their bonds.
Ning Chen and Ning Yong stood up and approached Ning Zhuo, asking with concern.
They were once fellow students and had a foundational relationship.
Though they had acted on orders from Ning Zhanji, Ning Zhuo had indeed almost lost his life, and the two felt guilty about it.
It wasn't just guilt.
During the Melting Cave journey, Ning Zhuo, despite being fearful, had shown courage. In the face of death, he also inspired courage in Ning Yong and Ning Chen.
His actions made Ning Chen and Ning Yong feel both close to and respectful of him.
Such feelings and emotions transformed their relationship with Ning Zhuo fundamentally.
"How are you? Are you alright?"
"We are Ning Family cultivators, and our ancestor is also in the Golden Core stage. If anyone tries any soul-searching techniques on us, the family will undoubtedly support us!"
Ning Chen and Ning Yong each said a sentence.
Ning Zhuo nodded, "At first, I was a bit nervous when I went in."
"But from start to finish, I wasn't given a hard time."
"I found it quite simple. Just tell the truth."
He comforted Ning Chen and Ning Yong in turn.
"Good," they both responded simultaneously.
The next moment, the guard summoned them both together.
Ning Zhuo walked into the cell and found his spot in the corner.
He had a small stool with a little table in front of him. On the table were fruits, nuts, and hot tea.
The other Ning Family cultivators were treated similarly.
This was certainly not normal and was entirely due to the Ning Family's status.
Ning Zhuo's spot was in the corner of the dungeon.
Not far off in another corner, there was a pile of foul-smelling, rotting straw, and the brick walls had large patches of dried blood. The cell bars bore the marks of forcibly gouged handprints. In such an environment, it seemed as though the cries and pleas of the prisoners could still be heard.
Ning Zhuo was acutely aware: if things were ever exposed, his fate would be far more tragic and terrifying than that of any prisoner. His first pursuers might not even be from the City Lord's side but from the Ning Family itself! The friendly Ning Family cultivators around him would turn into vengeful faces, pursuing him relentlessly.
Ning Zhuo felt no regret.
Blowing up the Immortal Palace had been a decision he made long ago. What did it matter if he took such a risk?
He slowly sat down and reached for a roasted chestnut.
The chestnut's shell easily cracked between his fingers with a crisp pop.
He took out the kernel, chewed it, and swallowed.
The current Magma Fairy Palace was like this chestnut. Its shell had already been cracked by Ning Zhuo's hard blow; the standards had dropped.
But figuring out how to get the kernel still required careful consideration and utmost caution.
The matter had escalated so much that Ning Zhuo, with only a cultivation level of Qi Refinement Stage 3, was treading on thin ice. One misstep would expose him, just like breaking through the ice layer and plunging into the freezing lake, his life devoured by hidden currents.
Years ago, Ning Zhuo's mother had met such a fate.
Ning Zhuo quietly chewed the kernel, savoring its taste, as if tasting the precariousness of his own situation.
No one would ever suspect that this seemingly ordinary young man was the true culprit who blew up the Immortal Palace!