: All Are Fuel (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Sun Lingtong did not intercept early. Instead, he left the preparation room and headed straight for the depths.

With Ning Zhuo not by his side at the moment, Sun Lingtong was effectively an unregistered entity—unable to claim rewards or open doors.

So, Sun Lingtong waited for the Golden Blood War Ape, Da Sheng, to push the door open first, then squeezed in right after.

Seeing this, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit gnashed its teeth in fury!

Meng Chong took the lead, charging through the second and third barriers, bringing sixteen similar puppets into the preparation room.

Instantly, the speedrun, progress, and Qi Refinement leaderboards were filled with names.

Only the top ten were recorded on the leaderboards, and many others ranked beyond the top ten, ineligible to appear.

Ning Zhuo let out a long breath, feeling a hint of joy in his heart.

This way, if his name failed to appear on the leaderboard when he entered the preparation room in the future, it would have a very reasonable explanation.

If the leaderboard had been empty before, his absence would have been a major flaw!

By using his enemies, Ning Zhuo resolved this hidden risk.

"Charge, charge, charge!" Meng Chong surged forward wildly.

With him leading the way, the sixteen puppets behind him remained safe, cruising effortlessly all the way to Room Nine.

"Finally here," Sun Lingtong hid in a corner, having set up multiple layers of camouflage outside, showcasing the Disguise Mastery of the Empty Gate.

Sun Lingtong peered outside through two small holes.

Boom, boom, boom...

Meng Chong laughed heartily, brawling with the Golden Blood War Ape, Da Sheng.

After fighting his way through, he had finally found his target. His fighting spirit soared, electricity crackling around his body as he battled with gusto.

The other members, meanwhile, were exchanging fire with numerous martial arts and spell puppets. With no formation to speak of, the battlefield was utter chaos.

Sun Lingtong waited patiently for a short while. Seeing the timing was ripe, he chuckled secretly to himself and remotely ordered the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, to act.

The Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, lay flat inside a temporarily crafted coffin buried beneath the floor tiles.

Without revealing himself, Qi Bai cast spells while lying down.

Instantly, mournful wails of vengeful spirits and howls of ghosts filled the air!

Various beast souls emerged from the ground, pouncing on the modification team.

Where did these beast souls come from?

Thanks to a clever idea from Ning Zhuo.

After learning about the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, Ning Zhuo thought of the first barrier of the Buddhist sect.

There were many coffins there, sealed and storing numerous corpses—both demon beasts and spiritual plants.

Did these have souls?

Most likely, yes!

Because constructing spiritual mechanisms required preserving the body as intact as possible. The more complete the physical body, soul, mana, essence blood, divine sense, etc., the better.

So, Ning Zhuo brought Sun Lingtong and the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, to the first barrier of the Buddhist sect.

With the help of the My Buddha Heart Demon Seal, the souls within these coffins were summoned. The Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, took the opportunity to replenish a significant amount of combat power!

The modification team had just defeated all the martial arts and spell puppets and were gathering to watch the fight between Meng Chong and Yuan Dasheng, tired and relaxed.

Caught off guard by the sudden change, many reacted too slowly. They were pounced on by the ghost souls, their own souls impacted or even torn apart, crying out in pain.

The scene descended into chaos.

The air temperature plummeted as vengeful spirits rose, swirling in mid-air.

The modification team from the City Lord's Manor was thrown into disarray, scattering in a panic.

"An ambush?!" Meng Chong stole a glance but was immediately counterattacked by Yuan Dasheng, who took advantage of the distraction to send him flying into a wall.

"Roar!" Yuan Dasheng roared, pounding his chest, exuding a fierce and heroic aura.

Then, he crooked his index finger at Meng Chong, a highly provocative gesture.

Meng Chong's eyes widened instantly—he was being looked down upon by a mere construct!

With a low growl, he charged forward, engaging Yuan Dasheng in battle once more.

After several exchanges, Yuan Dasheng suddenly abandoned defense, stretching out his arms to grab Meng Chong.

A glint flashed in Meng Chong's eyes: "An opening!"

Rampaging Thunder Charge!

He shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

Yuan Dasheng's arms crossed, grabbing empty air.

Almost simultaneously, Meng Chong appeared behind him as if teleporting.

Meng Chong struck hard at Yuan Dasheng's back.

Just as he succeeded, a shadowy figure drifted into view, striking at him.

Caught off guard, Meng Chong failed to dodge in time and was hit in the back by the shadow.

It was the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, who had been lying in wait, seizing the moment to act!

With that single blow, Meng Chong lost his mobility, his soul forcibly extracted from the puppet body!

Meng Chong: ?!

The modification team, who had been fleeing helter-skelter from the horde of beast souls, finally came to their senses upon seeing this.

"Young Master Meng Chong!"

"Save the young master, quick!"

"Another special construct puppet!!"

Disregarding their own safety, they lunged at Qi Bai.

Qi Bai retreated silently, drifting backward.

Roar!

Yuan Dasheng leaped in front of the crowd, becoming an insurmountable obstacle.

"Ah..." Meng Chong screamed in agony.

His soul was now in Qi Bai's grasp, shrinking rapidly like a balloon with a hole punctured in it.

Nine Revolutions Soul Devouring Art!

Though Qi Bai was dead, his Golden Core remained, and so did the Nine Revolutions Soul Devouring Art.

In life, he had easily extracted Sun Lingtong's soul. This time, succeeding in his sneak attack, he similarly pulled out Meng Chong's soul.

He activated the Nine Revolutions Soul Devouring Art, devouring Meng Chong's soul!

Meng Chong gripped Qi Bai's arms, his legs kicking wildly, instinctively about to use his innate talent, Rampaging Thunder Charge.

But Sun Lingtong was prepared. He gave a precise order: "Use the Soul-Shaking Throat Drum!"

The Nether Envoy, Qi Bai's throat vibrated slightly, emitting a drum-like sound.

The sound wave struck Meng Chong head-on. The latter immediately felt the world spin, his arms and legs going limp like noodles, ceasing all struggle.

Qi Bai took the opportunity to viciously devour his soul.

Just as Meng Chong's soul shrank to its limit, on the verge of collapse, the Life Thread above his head activated. With a slight tremble, it pulled him out of the Immortal Palace and back into his physical body.

Without Meng Chong, the modification team, despite their numbers, was no longer a concern.

With the combined efforts of the Golden Blood War Ape, Da Sheng, and the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, they were soon subdued, their souls extracted and devoured. Before their souls could scatter completely, the Life Threads sent them back to their bodies.

"We won!"

"So easy."

Sun Lingtong emerged from the corner, clapping his hands excitedly.

He broke into a jog, running up to the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, and issued an order.

Qi Bai half-knelt, extending a palm to press against Sun Lingtong's puppet body.

In the next moment, pure soul essence was channeled into Sun Lingtong's soul.

Sun Lingtong threw his head back, took a deep breath, and exclaimed in pleasure.

His soul had been injured before. Although treated with the Phoenix Soul Blood Incense Pill, it was still not fully healed.

But now, with the influx of soul essence, his soul's injuries healed rapidly. After reaching peak condition, it continued to surpass its limits, growing vigorously!

"Marvelous, truly marvelous!" Sun Lingtong was overjoyed, his face beaming.

"Stop, stop now." He called a halt in time.

He had absorbed half of the soul essence; the other half he intended to leave for Ning Zhuo.

"The injuries on my soul are completely healed now."

"From now on, all the soul essence will be left for Xiao Zhuo. The more his soul power grows, the more Illusory Reality Lotus Seeds he can claim!"

He called out to the Golden Blood War Ape, Da Sheng: "Xiao Zhuo, come quickly! There's something delicious!"

Ning Zhuo, observing through Yuan Dasheng, witnessed the entire process and unconsciously swallowed.

It had been a long time since he last absorbed soul essence.

Han Ming was lost, and Qi Bai had been turned into a construct puppet, which finally allowed him to regain a means of obtaining soul essence.

"The City Lord's Manor is wealthy and influential. Treating Meng Chong and the others' soul injuries will be effortless for them."

"This is perfect!"

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but fantasize about the future.

With the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, Ning Zhuo suddenly realized that all the cultivators participating in the trials could become fuel for his cultivation!

"Speaking of which, when will the joint modification team from the three factions enter the palace together?"

Ten Thousand Ghosts Forest.

Netherworld Valley.

The main sect of the Soul Devouring Sect was located here.

Soul Lamp Tower.

Countless soul lamps burned quietly. Most emitted a green flame, but a few burned with other colors.

Among these thousands of soul lamps, one with a gray-white flame suddenly went out.

The disciple on duty initially thought he was too tired and hallucinating. But after rubbing his eyes and looking again, he jumped up in horror.

"B-bad news! The soul lamp of True Disciple Qi Bai has gone out!" The disciple ran to report to the elder, kneeling.

"What?!" The elder also stood up, unable to remain seated.

"Qi Bai? Blind Judge Qi Bai's soul lamp?" The elder confirmed again.

The disciple nodded hurriedly.

The elder's expression turned grave. He rushed to the Soul Lamp Tower, and upon seeing the extinguished lamp, any hope he had vanished.

"A True Disciple of our sect has fallen!" The elder's face was extremely dark. He let out a deep sigh, a terrifying killing intent spreading around him. The disciple on duty beside him felt as if he had suddenly been plunged into the depths of winter, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

The Soul Lamp Tower elder did not linger. He immediately left the tower and headed to the main Soul Devouring Hall to report.

In the main Soul Devouring Hall, the current Sect Master of the Soul Devouring Sect and several elders were discussing important matters.

"Next year is our sect's once-in-a-decade disciple competition. We might finalize the specific content of the tests this time."

"A powerful soul beast has appeared in the soul crystal mine at Ghost Shadow Mountain Range, with combat power comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator. It severely interferes with our sect's mining operations. We need to dispatch elders promptly to eliminate it."

"The Ghost Mother Bone Lotus in Ghost Child Valley has been accumulating for over twenty years and will bloom in three years. Recent rumors suggest that True Disciples from righteous sects are secretly planning to raid the Ghost Child Valley branch and destroy the Ghost Mother Bone Lotus."

"The Blood Fiend Sect has repeatedly provoked conflicts along the middle reaches of the Ghost Weeping River recently. According to intelligence, it's orchestrated by the newly promoted Elder Xue Shouren within the Blood Fiend Sect, suggesting a major move. This person is a traitor to our sect, knows much about us, and has now joined the Blood Fiend Sect as an elder. If we don't eliminate him now, he will surely become a great menace in the future."

The Soul Devouring Sect was a major demonic sect, its influence vast. Not only did it control a region, but it also established branch sects extensively, spreading its reach across multiple cultivation nations.

Being the Sect Master was no easy task—managing myriad affairs daily was inevitable.

"Urgent report!"

"True Disciple Qi Bai of our sect—his soul lamp has extinguished completely. His death is confirmed."

The Sect Master and elders immediately stopped their discussion, all turning to look at the reporting disciple.

The Sect Master's face darkened: "Has a soul summons been attempted?"

The disciple hurriedly replied: "The Soul Summoning Banner was used seven times consecutively, but Qi Bai's soul did not return. Both elders at the Soul Summoning Platform judge that Qi Bai's soul has scattered."

The Sect Master slammed the armrest of his chair in anger: "Good, good, good. Our sect has lost a True Disciple. Who did it? Find the culprit! There will be retribution!"

(End of )