: Mechanical Puppet Qi Bai

Author: Gu Zhenren

Date: 2024-07-31

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, driven to desperation by rage, spewed flames wildly throughout the main hall, its roars echoing endlessly.

Meng Kui struggled to suppress it, refusing to take even half a step beyond his designated area.

The horde of Blaze Beasts had not been repelled; large groups continued their assault on the immortal palace.

In an instant, the battle atop the mountain grew increasingly complex, making Meng Kui’s task of suppression doubly difficult and exhausting.

But there was no other way.

After all, he was the current lord of the Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

Ensuring the Molten Rock Immortal Palace remained secure was his responsibility.

He had no choice but to endure.

Inside the trial关卡, however, peace and tranquility reigned.

Ning Zhuo gazed at Sun Lingtong’s soul, tilting his large wooden head slightly. “Does… this count as a success?”

If one considered it a success, Sun Lingtong’s soul had indeed been drawn in.

But there were also reasons to deem it a failure.

Normally, when trial disciples first entered Room One, their souls would inhabit an initial puppet torso. They would then activate the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art to attract other mechanical components for assembly.

Yet Sun Lingtong’s soul had entered only to float mid-air, sensing no mechanical parts whatsoever.

A crimson soul flame flickered around Sun Lingtong’s soul.

This was the effect of the Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pills he had recently taken to heal his soul.

The wavering red soul fire resembled phoenix tail feathers, carrying the profound meaning of rebirth through nirvana.

“Since you weren’t assigned an initial mechanical component, I’ll try to arrange one for you,” Ning Zhuo said, taking the initiative to select a mechanical body, limbs, and other parts for Sun Lingtong.

He first had Sun Lingtong’s soul inhabit the mechanical body, then guided and assisted him in assembling his own puppet form.

“So this is what it feels like to become a mechanical puppet? It’s truly marvelous!” Sun Lingtong exclaimed, staring at his wooden hands before stomping his feet and jumping a few times in excitement.

“Let’s go. At any moment, other cultivators might enter Room One to explore. It’s not safe here,” Ning Zhuo urged.

Sun Lingtong nodded repeatedly.

Understanding the urgency, he quickly walked several dozen steps to the first door.

But when he touched it, he received no information, let alone the three rewards.

Ning Zhuo’s heart sank slightly. He knew this was because Sun Lingtong had entered through作弊. Since Sun Lingtong had built his foundation using other methods and hadn’t cultivated the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art, the trial关卡 didn’t recognize him.

What if I try using my Buddha Heart Demon Seal?

The next moment, Ning Zhuo’s soul power rapidly depleted, and Sun Lingtong immediately received the information.

“Which of the three rewards should I choose… Huh?” Sun Lingtong had barely spoken when the three rewards vanished, leaving him unable to choose again.

Ning Zhuo reassured him, “Don’t worry, I just stopped activating the Thread of Human Life.”

This, of course, was a lie.

In truth, Ning Zhuo had employed the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.

He felt no guilt about lying to Sun Lingtong.

When Ning Zhuo was just two or three years old, Sun Lingtong had explicitly told him: Everyone may have their own secrets. Respect others and their right to keep their little secrets.

Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo shared a deep默契. Upon hearing Ning Zhuo’s words, he immediately understood the latter’s intention: “Indeed, we need to test this aspect.”

The test result was clear—Ning Zhuo had to use the Buddha Heart Demon Seal each time, combined with the Thread of Human Life to deepen their connection. This would temporarily resolve Sun Lingtong’s “black户” status, allowing him to gain the Molten Rock Immortal Palace’s acknowledgment and qualify for the trial关卡 rewards.

“This is fantastic!” Ning Zhuo exclaimed. “With this, Big Brother Sun, you might not need to appear on the leaderboard.”

He led the puppet Sun Lingtong through the trials, arriving at the preparation room.

Sure enough, the leaderboard displayed only two “names”: “Entry Standard” and “Meng Chong.”

Sun Lingtong looked at “Entry Standard” and gave Ning Zhuo a thumbs-up. “Well done, well done! Little brother, you’ve got skills.”

Ning Zhuo, cooperating with the Golden Blood War Ape·Da Sheng, guided Sun Lingtong through the trials.

They advanced all the way to the first Buddhist trial.

While Sun Lingtong was in the coffin room, Ning Zhuo focused entirely on sensing the Buddha Heart Demon Seal and activating the Thread of Human Life.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit roared skyward, filled with grief and indignation. Yet, bound by its duty, it had no choice but to transmit the information.

Outside, Meng Kui suppressed the immortal palace, panting heavily.

Sun Lingtong shouted, “Good, I’ve received the message!”

Following Ning Zhuo’s earlier steps, Sun Lingtong began to do the same.

Soon, his puppet body scattered into pieces, and his soul returned to his physical body.

In the underground base, he reinfused the previously extracted divine sense, magic power, and essence blood back into himself.

As per the plan discussed with Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong also returned the Netherworld Ghost God Seal, the Soul-Swaying Rattle Drum, and the shattered Golden Thread Garment to their respective dantians.

He even broke three blades from the Ghost Gate Escape Grass and placed them in his lower dantian, the essence sea.

After completing these steps, Sun Lingtong could only wait quietly for Ning Zhuo to pull him back.

Soon, Ning Zhuo once again drew his soul into the palace, placing Sun Lingtong back into his previous puppet body.

Simultaneously, a teleportation光圈 appeared, spitting out Qi Bai.

“We succeeded!”

“We did it!”

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong excitedly high-fived each other in celebration.

“The Molten Rock Immortal Palace—I’m going to use it to create mechanical constructs!” the Golden Blood War Ape·Da Sheng dragged Qi Bai to the door as Sun Lingtong shouted loudly.

And standing behind him, Ning Zhuo was his staunchest supporter! At this moment, Ning Zhuo called upon the Buddha Heart Demon Seal with all his might while fervently activating the Thread of Human Life.

“Roar—!” The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit wailed in sorrow.

Meng Kui pressed his lips tightly together, striving to maintain suppression.

Previously, when Ning Zhuo used Yuan Dasheng, although he had immortal资质, he was essentially an elderly Fire Fusion Demon Ape at the Qi Refining stage.

This time, however, was different.

Qi Bai was a genuine Golden Core cultivator, and he carried two magical treasures along with three blades of Nascent Soul-level spiritual plants.

The Molten Rock Immortal Palace contained four levels of furnaces: bronze, iron, silver, and gold.

To refine immortal-quality materials, the gold furnace was necessary. Moreover, once used for immortal materials, even the gold furnace could only be employed once!

Qi Bai’s natural aptitude didn’t reach the supreme grade, so he couldn’t use the gold furnace. However, his superior aptitude certainly qualified him for the silver furnace.

The key issue was that one silver furnace alone was far from sufficient.

Qi Bai simply had too many items on him!

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had no choice but to grudgingly全力 refine for Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong.

This was also a major reason why it detested living in the Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

It had no freedom.

No matter how unwilling, it had to comply!

Bang, bang, bang…

One silver furnace after another exploded, unable to withstand the strain.

Only after twenty-one silver furnaces had been destroyed did the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit finally succeed in forging a mechanical puppet.

During this time, Meng Kui breathed a sigh of relief.

This was because the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had to focus entirely on the refining process, leaving it with less energy to cause turmoil in the Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

In the end, the mechanical puppet was completed!

Despite its extreme reluctance, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit teleported the mechanical puppet back, delivering it to Sun Lingtong.

Netherworld Emissary·Qi Bai!

(End of )