Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

A group of Golden Core cultivators slightly concealed themselves and flew towards the peak of Mount Huoshi.

Leading the group of Golden Core cultivators was Zhu Xuanji. Following behind him were Zheng Jianlian of the Zheng Family's Golden Core, Zhou Nongying of the Zhou Family's Golden Core, and the Ning Family's Golden Core Ancestor.

The Zhou Family and Zheng Family had both received Zhu Xuanji’s invitation, and naturally, the Ning Family’s Ancestor was no exception.

Fei Si sensed the commotion, looked into the distance, and his face turned gloomy: "Zhu Xuanji truly lives up to being of royal descent, to have so quickly drawn in the local families."

"Alas, it seems that the City Lord will not be able to stop him this time."

Zhu Xuanji, leading the three Golden Core cultivators, flew to the mountain's peak to first meet Meng Kui.

Meng Kui’s expression was calm and indifferent, like an ancient well, and he even gave his blessing to Zhu Xuanji, wishing him abundant gains within the Immortal Palace.

Zhu Xuanji carried the royal decree and used the excuse of investigating the case to enter and leave the Lava Immortal Palace. Meng Kui couldn’t even find a reason to delay him.

Seeing Meng Kui’s frustration, the accompanying Golden Core cultivators secretly rejoiced.

This time, under the guise of Zhu Xuanji’s authority, they managed to suppress Meng Kui, allowing the Golden Core cultivators to finally vent some of their frustration.

"Sir, as long as we get close to the Immortal Palace, a beam of treasure light will guide us inside," Zhou Nongying, acting as a guide, explained. "Of course, that's provided our expertise in mechanical arts meets the palace’s entry standards."

Zhu Xuanji nodded and acted according to the guidance.

It was his first time entering the Immortal Palace.

As they neared the palace, a beam of treasure light indeed shone down on him.

The treasure light emitted a faint pulling force. Zhu Xuanji relaxed and didn’t resist at all, allowing the treasure light to pull him into the Immortal Palace.

He had entered the Immortal Palace!

Soon after, Zhu Xuanji finally set foot inside the Lava Immortal Palace.

Behind him were the three Golden Core Ancestors.

“We’ve finally made it in.”

“How long has it been since the last time?”

“Haha, this time Meng Kui won’t dare act against us face to face.”

The three family Golden Core cultivators were quite excited.

Zhou Nongying said, “Lord Zhu, by now, you must have received the key information, right?”

Zhu Xuanji slightly nodded: “Yes, I’ve received it. According to the information, as long as we contribute within the Lava Immortal Palace, we can exchange our contributions for rewards from the palace.”

“The rewards are diverse, including many rare materials from the Scarlet Flame Beasts, as well as spells, mechanical blueprints, and more.”

“Once our contributions reach a certain level, we can use many of the facilities within the Immortal Palace. Our movement range within the palace will also expand accordingly.”

“And the greatest reward is the position of the Palace Master of the Lava Immortal Palace!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Nongying felt relieved. “Lord Zhu, our timing is excellent.”

“It coincides with the Lava Immortal Palace being under siege by demonic beasts, and even the Golden Core-level beasts have already fallen.”

“If we blend into the frontlines and slay the beasts, we can easily gain contributions. The risk is low, but the rewards are substantial.”

Zhu Xuanji nodded, “Then let’s proceed as planned.”

After that, he, along with the three Golden Core cultivators, joined the battle lines of the Lava Immortal Palace.

When the Golden Core cultivators made their moves, it was extraordinary. Wherever they went, demonic beasts were slaughtered, leaving behind piles of corpses.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit saw this scene, its eyes widened, and it snorted angrily. Its true desire was to see the demonic beasts breach the Immortal Palace. But due to the constraints left behind by the Three Sect Lords, it had no choice but to help the Lava Immortal Palace operate properly.

Of course, as the state of the Lava Immortal Palace deteriorated, the constraints on the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit were not as tight as before.

It was precisely through exploiting these small loopholes that the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had gradually dragged the palace down to its current state.

Zhu Xuanji had already slain more than a dozen Scarlet Flame Beasts and slowly stopped.

The three Golden Core Ancestors from the local families were still going all out.

Opportunities to quickly accumulate contributions like this were rare.

Zhu Xuanji transmitted a message to the three, telling them to take a look around the surroundings.

Zheng Jianlian quickly reminded him, “Lord Zhu, you may not know, but we can’t wander around the Lava Immortal Palace unless it’s under special circumstances.”

The Ning Family’s Ancestor sighed and rubbed the dent on his head. That dent still carried a trace, constantly reminding him of how Meng Kui had once ruined his plans!

Zhu Xuanji didn’t mind and waved his hand: “There’s no need to worry, my friends. I have my own methods.”

With that, Zhu Xuanji took out a talisman and activated it.

The talisman burned and quickly transformed into a strange light.

The strange light fell onto Zhu Xuanji, and immediately disappeared. However, Zhu Xuanji’s aura had subtly changed, becoming different from before.

It was precisely this change that allowed Zhu Xuanji to wander around freely.

“This is the Hidden Spirit Wall.” Zhu Xuanji arrived at a wall, reached out to touch it, and immediately felt a sensation in his heart, identifying it.

The wall was thick, and every certain distance along the surface was a large talisman that resembled a window.

When Zhu Xuanji activated a bit of magic power, the wall absorbed it completely.

As it absorbed the power, one could see straight lines of formation patterns flickering on the wall.

The Hidden Spirit Wall was used to store various spiritual energies.

Earth heat, magical power, and other energies could all be absorbed and stored within.

Even if the wall was destroyed, the stored earth heat and magical power wouldn’t explode. Instead, they would remain stored within the bricks.

Moreover, when paired with special formations, it could even forcibly absorb the magical power within enemy spells.

Zhu Xuanji continued walking along the wall, exploring further.

After a while, he paused slightly and discovered a well.

The surface of the well was sealed, but Zhu Xuanji was certain that there was no water inside.

“This is a Dragon Vein Well.”

“Beneath the Lava Immortal Palace is an intricate network of hidden dragon tunnels.”

“The tunnels crisscross in all directions, extending beneath almost the entire palace. The transportation of mechanical troops within the palace is all done through these tunnels.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t enter.”

Zhu Xuanji continued his investigation, stopping at any damaged areas or obvious battle scars. He would then use his Celestial Golden Eyes and Trace Back Art to investigate further.

One of his missions in coming to Mount Huoshi this time was to uncover the secret of the Lava Immortal Palace’s early appearance.

“What’s that?” Zhu Xuanji stood on a high platform, looking into the distance, and saw a row of bronze furnaces.

These furnaces resembled large gourds, sitting on the ground with equal distances between them. From afar, they formed a forest of furnaces, arranged in a perfectly orderly manner.

“Bronze furnaces, iron furnaces, silver furnaces, golden furnaces!” Zhu Xuanji immediately recalled the relevant information.

“There are four grades of furnaces within the Lava Immortal Palace, with the golden furnaces being the most precious, of which there are only eight. If damaged, they are nearly impossible to repair. Only the Three Sect Lords could fix them.”

“These furnaces are responsible for creating all sorts of mechanical creations.”

“The Lava Immortal Palace has been operating until now, still producing endless mechanisms, all thanks to these furnaces.”

Zhu Xuanji descended from the high platform and continued his exploration.

He gradually realized that even with the talisman given by the royal family, the areas where he could move freely were still limited.

“It seems I will need to increase my contributions within the Immortal Palace.”

“Fortunately, I came prepared!”

With that thought in mind, Zhu Xuanji took out three mechanical creations from his storage bag.

A White Porcelain Dragon!

A Thermal Energy Phoenix!

A Spiral Dragonworm!

The White Dragon was as white as snow, its entire body made of exquisite porcelain.

The Phoenix had luxurious, brilliant wings, especially its tail, which was adorned with over a thousand gems that could absorb and emit large amounts of light and heat.

The Spiral Dragonworm resembled an earthworm, but its metal body was incredibly flexible. Its front mouth was terrifying, with countless rotating serrated teeth, best suited for underground digging.

Each of these three mechanical creatures possessed near-Golden Core level combat strength!

Zhu Xuanji presented these three beast-shaped mechanisms.

In an instant, his contributions to the Lava Immortal Palace skyrocketed, surpassing countless predecessors.

In the misty depths, Meng Kui let out a faint sigh.

He had witnessed Zhu Xuanji offering the three beast-shaped mechanisms.

It was clear that Zhu Xuanji had come prepared.

Whether it was the talisman he had used earlier or the three mechanical creatures he had just taken out, Meng Kui quickly recognized that the Southern Dou Royal Family had

a definite stance regarding the Lava Immortal Palace.

Meng Kui was not surprised.

There had always been deep ties between the Southern Dou Emperor and the Three Sect Lords.

The significance of the Lava Immortal Palace to the Southern Dou Royal Family was unique.

Even setting that aside, the Southern Dou Royal Family would surely pay attention to a legacy left behind by a Void Refining cultivator under their rule.

Meng Kui’s previous belief that Zhu Xuanji wasn’t serious had stemmed from the fact that the royal family had only sent one Golden Core cultivator, which didn’t seem like a real show of force.

But now, that fleeting hope had completely vanished.

Zhu Xuanji’s alliance with the three families had put the City Lord's Mansion at a clear disadvantage.

Especially since the two Golden Core cultivators under Meng Kui’s command weren’t qualified to enter the Immortal Palace.

Meng Kui sent a voice transmission to Meng Chong: “Good grandson, when you explore the Immortal Palace next, you must bring others along.”

“The situation is urgent, and opportunities are fleeting.”

“This chance is still in our hands, and we must seize it!”

Meng Chong’s expression shifted slightly, and he immediately nodded, responding loudly: “Grandfather, I understand!”

The City Lord's remodeling team was even more skilled than the Zhou Family’s.

Although Meng Chong preferred to act alone, since his grandfather had personally instructed him, he decided to bring a group to face the challenges together.

Meng Chong summoned the remodeling team to meet him and gave them specific instructions:

“Let me make this clear—if that mechanical ape appears, none of you are to interfere.”

“I can defeat it alone!”

After three hours passed, Meng Chong’s soul entered the Immortal Palace.

Following closely behind were the City Lord's long-trained team—sixteen remodeling team members!