Ning Zhuo was filled with a sense of urgency.
He did not know when the subsequent competitors would be drawn in to undergo the trials within the Magma Fairy Palace.
It might be in the very next moment, when Meng Chong entered the palace, breezed through the trials, reached the preparation room, and discovered Ning Zhuo's identity.
"The opponent possesses superior immortal aptitude!"
"Is there any way to double the depth of my soul essence in a short time?"
Ning Zhuo furrowed his brows and opened several drawers.
These drawers were packed with jade slips.
Each jade slip bore simple annotations.
Ning Zhuo rummaged through them, pulling out a jade slip and pressing it to his forehead.
He drew divine sense from his Upper Dantian Divine Sea and probed the jade slip, browsing through the information.
He had been collecting intelligence externally since he started earning spirit stones. This good habit had persisted for over ten years.
It was precisely through this intelligence that he had gained a deeper understanding of Fire Persimmon Immortal City. Otherwise, how could he, with just Qi Refinement Realm cultivation level, have known about Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators?
Although much of the information was superficial, Ning Zhuo's relentless daily collection and cross-referencing of events over the years had developed insightful judgments.
Ning Zhuo sifted through multiple jade slips, primarily seeking information on souls.
Eleven years ago.
A demon cultivator named Hua Qianhun arrived outside Fire Persimmon Immortal City. She planted flowers in a nearby valley, causing a sea of flowers to spread, creating rumors of miraculous flowers. Many were drawn to the flower sea, where their souls were extracted, becoming fertilizer for the flowers. Eventually, a miraculous flower did emerge, named the Soul Essence Flower. Hua Qianhun plucked it immediately and fled swiftly.
Eight years ago.
News about the appearance of the Seven-Star Lamp spread widely in the cultivation world. Fire Persimmon Immortal City also learned of it.
The Seven-Star Lamp was created by Kong Riyue, a prominent minister of the Green Mountain Kingdom. He attempted to defy fate by creating the lamp, intending to replace part of his soul with celestial energy. Ultimately, he failed due to sabotage by an Overlord Nation agent, Dai Yan.
The appearance of the Seven-Star Lamp caused a stir among several nations, sparking countless cultivators to vie for it and nearly leading to a war between Green Mountain Kingdom and Overlord Nation.
Five years ago.
A Golden Core cultivator from the Holy Ape Sect traveled the world and arrived in Fire Persimmon Immortal City. While residing there, an error in his cultivation technique caused demonic possession, merging his soul with his spiritual pet, the Angry Heart Ape. It caused significant damage to Fire Persimmon Immortal City at the time, and several Golden Core cultivators had to join forces to kill him.
Four years ago.
A surge of ghostly flames appeared in the cemetery at the foot of Fire Persimmon Immortal City's mountain, sparking a temporary craze for collecting ghostly flames.
Three years ago.
Seven hundred miles outside Fire Persimmon Immortal City, a barren mountain's dead valley saw the emergence of a Yellow Spring, drawing many cultivators to fight for it.
Two years ago.
A Nine Nether Black Death Cat appeared near Fire Persimmon Immortal City. The City Lord personally battled it for three days and nights before driving it away.
The aftermath of the battle deeply affected the forests for hundreds of miles.
Many mountains were shrouded in deathly aura, with ghosts roaming at night.
Fire Persimmon Immortal City was also impacted. The City Lord ordered numerous cultivators to continuously go out and cleanse the areas around the Immortal City, restoring natural vitality to the surroundings, with emergency relief funds from the Southern Bean court and a large distribution of supplies.
One year ago.
Sun Lie, an alchemy master, visited Fire Persimmon Immortal City to see friends. At the Zhou Family's request, he used Phoenix bird souls and essence blood to create Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pills. On the day the pills were formed, the phoenix's cry lingered for three days, a spectacle in the city.
Eighteen pills were formed, twelve were handed to the Zhou Family, and the remaining six were fiercely contested by other cultivators, resulting in one death and three injuries. The culprit, Han Ming, remained at large to this day.
"Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pill." A gleam flashed in Ning Zhuo's eyes.
He knew of this elixir pill, blood-red in color, with a fragrance that penetrated the heart, known for its strong soul-nurturing and revival properties.
Ning Zhuo took out a token and tossed it outward.
The token disintegrated in mid-air and quickly transformed into a suit of armor.
Iron Han Armor.
After the Magma Fairy Palace operation, the armor was heavily damaged, especially at the back. The more significant damage lay within; the Foundation Establishment Pill, a critical component, was only ten percent intact.
"No choice, I must take action now!"
Ning Zhuo donned the Iron Han Armor, bent down, and propped himself up with a cane. After a flash of light and shadows, the armor's mask turned into the face of an old man, with a weathered look, black-purple eye bags, and deep wrinkles. He wore a tattered leather cloak, with hair disguised as a fishing whip draping from head to foot.
The Youthful Guest made his reappearance.
Ning Zhuo stood in the corner and activated the teleportation array.
In the next moment, he descended to the underground depths.
Stepping out of the teleportation chamber, he walked past a massive pill furnace used for incinerating corpses, his stooped figure gradually disappearing into the underground tunnels.
Fire Persimmon Immortal City, black market.
In the courtyard, a cultivator knelt on the ground.
His body trembled, his face was bruised and swollen, full of dread, and he begged, "Elder Sun, I will definitely repay the money. I definitely can repay it! You have to believe me, I..."
Poof.
In the next instant, a flash of a blade severed the kneeling cultivator's arm.
"Ah—!"
The kneeling cultivator froze for a moment, then screamed miserably.
Clutching his severed arm, he fell to the ground, rolling in agony.
Blood gushed from the massive wound, quickly forming a pool of blood.
Elder Sun chuckled, enjoying the horrific scene before him.
He had short, jet-black hair, chubby cheeks tinged with a rosy hue, appearing quite adorable.
His eyes were large, clear, and bright. His skin was smooth and youthful, his stature short, resembling a three- or four-year-old child.
This was all because he had accidentally ingested a Longevity Pill in infancy and subsequently practiced a unique cultivation technique.
Elder Sun, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, was fully named Sun Lingtong.
With a sneer, Sun Lingtong said disdainfully, "You still dare to deceive me? I have lorded over the black market for so long, relying on these eyes. They see through anyone. Do you think you can fool my spirit eyes?"
As he spoke, he played with a dagger.
The dagger was exceedingly sharp, fluttering between Sun Lingtong's agile wrist and fingers like a butterfly dancing in moonlight.
Just then, a cultivator approached respectfully and whispered into Sun Lingtong's ear.
Sun Lingtong's smile vanished instantly, his eyes glinting with a cold light.
"Clean this up, we're expecting an important guest." Sun Lingtong waved his hand, and immediately, two hulking body cultivators with brutal faces jogged over.
One of them snapped the neck of the injured cultivator and dragged the corpse away.
The other cast a spell to tidy up the courtyard.
Moments later, the Youthful Guest was ushered into the courtyard.
Sun Lingtong spread his arms and walked toward the Youthful Guest with a full smile, "Brother, what brings you here?"
The Youthful Guest's voice was hoarse and his expression indifferent, "Elder Sun, this time, I do have a favor to ask of you."
"I need to take down Sun Lie."
Sun Lingtong's pupils contracted sharply.