Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master - Chapter 1355 - 534: Ning Zhuo Is About to Die (Part 2)
He only refined part of both.
As a result, when he ultimately achieved Nascent Soul, although Qin De took main control and became the primary consciousness, a secondary consciousness still emerged.
The source of this consciousness came from the Blood Fog Demon Seed and Song Taosheng.
Although the previous owner of the Blood Fog Demon Seed was not clear-headed, he fervently favored Ning Zhuo, believing the big-headed youth was the ideal successor for the Demon Seed.
This fervent pursuit was interrupted by Zhong Dao but instead became increasingly intense.
As for Song Taosheng, he certainly held great affection for Ning Zhuo! In fact, the whole Confucian Cultivator group greatly admired Ning Zhuo.
Under such circumstances, when Qin De, the primary consciousness, fell unconscious and lost control, the secondary consciousness controlled the Nascent Soul body and decisively followed the aura to find Ning Zhuo’s Bluestone Cave Mansion.
In fact, the place where Qin De fell was precisely the mountain peak where the Bluestone Cave Mansion was located!
The Demon Confucian Nascent Soul relentlessly pursued, probing as Ning Zhuo’s aura grew stronger, its excitement mounting.
Upon reaching the gate of the Cave Mansion, it was finally repelled by the Defensive Magic Array. Lacking the intellect of ordinary people, it recklessly attacked, eventually drawing out Ning Zhuo, confronting him directly.
Ning Zhuo was barely aware of these events and could hardly fathom the origin of the Nascent Soul.
Now his breathing grew heavier, and an ominous sense of crisis continually accumulated in his heart!
A ray of Spirit Light appeared in the Divine Sea.
Ning Zhuo pondered, “What if I refine this Nascent Soul?”
The Mechanical Ring slightly contracted.
Ning Zhuo: “Refining it is also not possible?!”
Back mountain of the Myriad Images Sect.
This is a valley spanning hundreds of miles.
Surrounded by mountains, the valley is shrouded in mist year-round, with dense Spiritual Energy.
A thousand years ago, this place was an abandoned spirit field of the Myriad Images Sect. Despite ample Spiritual Energy, the peculiar terrain caused chaotic energy flow, unsuitable for cultivating Spiritual Medicine and thus abandoned for years.
When Shao Qian Nong first joined the Myriad Images Sect, he explored the mountains and took an immediate liking to this place.
He said, “Though chaotic, the Spiritual Energy here follows a pattern. The Earth Veins are mixed, yet have roots. There is order within chaos, purity within the mix – truly the best place to set up Yi Lin.”
The Myriad Images Sect naturally acquiesced.
Since then, the Yi Lin Hermit has lived here in a cabin amidst the Yi Lin plants, cultivating for over a thousand years.
Dong Chen barely stabilized his injuries before hurrying to this valley, seeking an audience with Shao Qian Nong.
At the end of the path lies a valley veiled in mist. The mist is faint yet heavy, pressing down on the valley like a thick quilt. Within the mist, silhouettes of flora faintly appear, indistinct and unclear.
At the valley entrance stands a bluestone, inscribed with two ancient characters – Yi Lin. The inscription is dim, its edges covered with moss, its age indeterminate.
Dong Chen paused to adjust his attire.
Standing beside the bluestone, he clasped his fists and spoke with a gentle yet clear voice that carried into the forest: “Yi Lin Hermit, Dong Chen requests an audience.”
A moment of silence followed in the forest. Then, an elderly voice drifted from deep within the mist, like falling leaves, like branches swaying: “Come in.”
Dong Chen stepped past the bluestone, formally entering the valley.
The mist gradually dispersed around him, revealing a winding path. The path is less than three-si wide, paved with bluestone.
He stepped onto the path, his steps light. The trees on either side appear and vanish in the mist.
There are Heavenly Gang Pines. Their trunks are straight as spears, piercing the sky, bark silver-white as snow, needle leaves verdant as jade.
There is the Earth Mother Locust Tree. The crown droops like a cover, roots twisted like dragons, partly exposed on the surface, intertwining like a giant net. The bark is deep brown like soil, leaves thick as palms, vein patterns clear as mountains and rivers.
There is the Thunder Shocking Bamboo. Its sections hollow, as thick as a child’s arm, towering like a building. Winds passing through the bamboo produce rumbling sounds akin to distant thunder, deep and powerful.
There is the Wind Dancing Willow. Its branches soft like silk, drooping to the ground, swaying with the breeze. The willow leaves are slender as brows, tender green like spring water.
…
As Dong Chen passed, the crowns parted of their own accord, the branches retreated, and the roots crawled aside, making way. Once he passed, everything returned to its original state.
The forest remains quiet. No birds chirping, no insect sounds, only the rustle of wind passing through the treetops.
This is Yi Lin.
At the very center of Yi Lin is an open area. In the middle stands a lone thatched hut.
The hut is not large, with only three rooms – one for living, one for divination, and one for guests. Its walls are transparent, open to wind and rain. In front of the hut is an old locust tree, its trunk robust, requiring the embrace of three men, its crown like a canopy, covering half the open space. Beneath the tree is a stone table with two stone stools, atop them sits a set of rustic pottery tea utensils.
Shao Qian Nong is seated under the old locust tree.
His face was gaunt, with slightly high cheekbones, small eyes, deep-set eye sockets, and pupils of a very light gray-brown, as if covered with a layer of morning mist.
His hair was grizzled, casually tied with a sharpened twig, with a few strands loose on his forehead. Below his chin were three sparse long whiskers, colored like dry grass, reaching down to his chest.
His hands rested on his knees, with long fingers, clearly defined joints, and nails cut very short, the fingertips covered with fine scars. The palms were rough as tree bark, covered in calluses.
He was slender as bamboo, with a slightly hunched back, and not very tall.
At this moment, he was wearing a gray robe of coarse cloth, washed to a faded white, with frayed cuffs and collar. A grass rope was tied around his waist, with a small cloth pouch hanging from it, sewn from coarse hemp, palm-sized.
He looked like an old farmer, without a hint of cultivation aura.
But Dong Chen knew very well that the cultivation level of the person before him surpassed his own, as he was at the Transforming Spirit Level and skilled in divination, a hidden skill of cultivation!
Shao Qian Nong turned his eyes, looking at Dong Chen. His gray-brown eyes were as calm as water, without a trace of ripple.
“Current Sect Master.” His voice was flat, “Please sit.”
Dong Chen sat opposite him. The stone bench was cold, yet he felt at ease.
Dong Chen explained his intentions, finally stating, “Aside from others matters for now, this time the intensity of the Qi Fortune clash greatly surpassed expectations. The most crucial point is that during the clash, the Heavenly Cloud Cover was overturned at one corner, leading to the misfortune always suppressed, likely falling upon our Myriad Images Sect. I implore Yi Lin Hermit to divine a fortune.”
Shao Qian Nong nodded slightly, slowly closing his eyes, leaning against the old locust tree beside him.
The wind brushed the treetops, and the leaves of the old locust tree rustled.
A few withered leaves floated down, landing on the stone table, beside the tea cup, and on Shao Qian Nong’s shoulder.
He did not brush them off, simply leaning quietly against the trunk, motionless, as if he too had become a tree.
After a moment, he slightly opened his eyes, telling Dong Chen his preliminary estimation, “This bit of misfortune, though small, has already set in motion.”
Dong Chen’s heart tightened, “Where did it fall?”
Shao Qian Nong said, “It fell on a young cultivator.”
“Who?”
“I have yet to figure it out.”
Dong Chen gritted his teeth, making a firm resolution, “Even at the ends of the earth, gathering the full force of the Myriad Images Sect, I will also eradicate this person!”
He then cupped his fists, pleading once more, “I ask the hermit to divine again who this person is, and the precise location.”
Shao Qian Nong nodded, once again closing his eyes, leaning against the old locust tree.
Ban Family Territory, secret room of the Ancestral Hall.
In the center of the secret room, the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain stood silently.
Three Supreme Family Elders sat around the mechanism.
Since the last observation of Ning Zhuo’s Qi Fortune, a considerable time had passed. The strength and unpredictable changes of that young man’s Qi Fortune were truly the most remarkable they had seen in their lives. Today, the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain was activated once more, as everyone present felt an inexplicable unease.
The leading Supreme Family Elder spoke, “Let’s begin.”
The three acted simultaneously, infusing mana into the mechanism.
The bronze mechanism suddenly shuddered.
Sliders moved up and down, chains were guided left and right, and wheels rotated back and forth. The clattering sound was dense as rain, as if the entire mechanism had awakened from slumber. An intangible pressure spread throughout the secret room.
One breath, ten breaths, thirty breaths.
The Clan Fate Mechanism Chain rotated faster and more violently. The sliders were nearly derailing, chains stretched taut, and wheels emitted a piercing friction sound.
“Ning Zhuo’s Qi Fortune grows stronger; each observation exponentially increases in difficulty.”
“It’s out.”
Above the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain, the peculiar scene of Qi Fortune gradually manifested.
One could see that the arm of Qi Fortune was surrounded by clouds and mist, slowly forming the shape of a coffin, about to bury Ning Zhuo’s Qi Fortune!
“What, what is going on?”
“What exactly happened?”
“How did it come to this? The change is too drastic!”
The three Supreme Family Elders looked at each other in shock.
They never expected that this Destiny Observation would reveal such an outcome.
Because this phenomenon clearly indicated — Ning Zhuo was about to die!
