**: Dungeon Interrogation**

Fire Persimmon Immortal Mountain.

Deep within the clouds above the mountain peak.

The City Lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City sat cross-legged in the air and summoned his Golden Core subordinate, Chi Dun.

Chi Dun was a middle-aged man, blind in one eye, short in stature, but stout and solid, his muscles bulging, resembling a walking stone stump.

"Chi Dun, I order you to spare no effort in tracking down the shadowy demonic cultivator," the City Lord commanded, seated on a meditation cushion. Around him, white smoke and black clouds churned endlessly, mirroring the gloomy fury in his heart.

Chi Dun wore a troubled expression. "My Lord, your command is my duty. I would go through fire and water without hesitation. But as you know, my primary cultivation is the 'Stone Heart Delaying Tactic.' I fear I may be unsuited for such an important task."

"No matter," the City Lord said with a slight wave of his hand. A magical treasure flew out from his sleeve.

The treasure was entirely tender yellow, small and exquisite—a bell.

The bell flew towards Chi Dun, who hurriedly reached out with both hands to receive it.

The City Lord ordered, "With this Alert Heart Bell, you will have the capability to investigate the demonic cultivator. Proceed with full force!"

Chi Dun took his leave, carrying the Alert Heart Bell. His first step was to head to the main prison.

"Start with the easy tasks first. These Ning Clan cultivators were directly involved. I'll interrogate them first. Otherwise, if the Ning Clan comes to retrieve them later, it will be troublesome."

"That shadowy demonic cultivator used them as a disguise to attract Zheng Shuang Gou's attention. Perhaps there's a mole among them?"

Although he thought this, Chi Dun knew the possibility was actually quite slim.

However, this was a good opportunity for him to use the Alert Heart Bell and familiarize himself with it as quickly as possible.

Ning Zhuo and the others had originally been rescued by Zheng Shuang Gou and weren't detained. However, the emergence of the Immortal Palace and the sound of the Dharma Transmission Bell echoing throughout the city had escalated the situation significantly.

The City Lord personally ordered the detention of all surviving cultivators, including them.

On one hand, it was for interrogation and searching for clues; on the other hand, it was to use his authority to pressure them into strictly guarding the secret of the Immortal Palace's emergence.

Given the circumstances, the City Lord was doing his utmost to remedy the situation and find ways to cover up the secret of the Immortal Palace.

Chi Dun first selected Ning Clan cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. Soon after, it was the Qi Refining stage's turn.

Ning Zhuo, as one of them, was soon led into a single room to face Chi Dun alone.

Chi Dun flipped through the transcript ledger in his hand, not looking up, but his spiritual sense had already enveloped Ning Zhuo from head to toe. "You're not a member of the Demon Hunting Association? How did you suddenly end up going to the Crimson Flame Demon Molten Cave?"

Ning Zhuo swallowed hard, glanced at Chi Dun with a mix of awe and fear, then immediately lowered his head, daring only to look at the ground.

He stammered out an explanation, recounting how he had encountered Ning Chen and Ning Yong, been provoked by their words, and then said a whole lot more.

Chi Dun listened, frowning.

He had little interest in young cultivators like Ning Zhuo.

"This kid only has a measly Qi Refining third-level cultivation. He encounters such a thing on his first trip to the Molten Cave? His luck is truly terrible."

"No, surviving a great catastrophe counts as lucky. Most cultivators, stronger than him, lost their lives."

If Ning Zhuo were the only survivor, he would stand out quite conspicuously now.

But that wasn't the case; there were three surviving Qi Refining newcomers. Ning Chen and Ning Yong were both among them.

"That shadowy demonic cultivator first used demon beast corpses to lure the Ning Clan members all the way, then incited the demon beast tide, all to conceal his own aura."

"He purely used the Ning Clan cultivators as cannon fodder. The possibility of a mole within the Ning Clan is very small."

"If I were him, even if I wanted a mole, I wouldn't choose a small fry at Qi Refining third level."

Of course, Chi Dun wasn't so careless as to be completely off guard.

In fact, he had been continuously activating the Alert Heart Bell and had also activated the Heart Inquiry Array within the interrogation room.

The Alert Heart Bell could keenly detect malice in the surroundings. If anyone in the Ning Clan harbored malicious intent towards Chi Dun, the bell would emit a warning chime.

The Heart Inquiry Array could discern whether a person's words were insincere.

Whenever speech and intent didn't match, the array would emit red and yellow light.

Throughout the entire interrogation of Ning Zhuo, both the Alert Heart Bell and the Heart Inquiry Array remained completely silent.

Originally, Chi Dun had little suspicion towards a minor figure like Ning Zhuo. Based on the bell and the array, he completely cleared Ning Zhuo of suspicion.

"You may go," Chi Dun instructed Ning Zhuo. "Hmm?"

He was slightly surprised.

Ning Zhuo had two streams of nosebleed.

Ning Zhuo was also startled. He wiped under his nose with the back of his hand and saw the bloodstain.

He quickly waved his hands. "Sir, it's nothing, it's fine! Probably a hidden injury left from the Molten Cave. I'm perfectly fine. I feel very well now!"

Chi Dun gave a noncommittal grunt and said no more, simply waving his hand.

Ning Zhuo bowed to Chi Dun, quickly left the room, opening and closing the door gently.

Chi Dun was about to interrogate the next person but paused. His spiritual sense extended, communicating with the guards outside the door. "Go and tell them to treat the Ning Clan cultivators properly. Have they been slacking? How is someone still carrying a hidden injury? Heal them all!"

The Ning Clan was one of the three great clans of Fire Persimmon Immortal City. Chi Dun had no desire to offend them.

Of course, if a specific Ning Clan cultivator were found to be colluding with the shadowy demonic cultivator, that would be a different matter.

Ning Zhuo was taken away and immediately received a new round of treatment.

The nosebleed was, of course, a result of him secretly activating the My Buddha, Demon Heart Seal.

This precious seal could imprint heart seals. Externally, it could influence others' thoughts; internally, it could protect oneself, suppress, and clear away various thoughts and emotions.

It truly was: guiding others towards demonhood, guiding oneself towards Buddhahood.

Ning Zhuo was led back to his cell.

Before even entering, he could hear arguing voices from inside.

The Ning Clan cultivators were engaged in a heated discussion about the content of the Dharma Transmission conveyed by the bell.

As Ning Zhuo entered the cell, many Ning Clan cultivators turned to look at him. Seeing Ning Zhuo unharmed, some nodded slightly at him before turning back to participate in the discussion or argument.

Having gone through life and death together in the Molten Cave, Ning Zhuo's relationship with them had grown much closer.

Ning Chen and Ning Yong even stood up and came over to Ning Zhuo's side, asking with concern.

They were originally classmates, so there was a foundational relationship there.

Although they had also acted on Ning Zhanji's orders, Ning Zhuo had nearly lost his life, so they both felt somewhat guilty.

It wasn't just guilt.

During the Molten Cave incident, Ning Zhuo, though fearful in the face of danger, had still mustered courage. At the brink of death, he had also inspired bravery in Ning Yong and Ning Chen.

Such conduct made Ning Chen and Ning Yong feel both affinity and respect for him.

These various feelings and emotions caused a qualitative change in their relationship with Ning Zhuo.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"We are Ning Clan cultivators, and our Patriarch is also a Golden Core cultivator. If anyone dares to use soul-searching techniques on us, the clan will definitely back us up!"

Ning Chen and Ning Yong spoke one after the other.

Ning Zhuo nodded. "I was a bit nervous when I first went in."

"But from start to finish, I wasn't given a hard time."

"I found it quite simple. Just tell the truth."

He, in turn, tried to reassure Ning Chen and Ning Yong.

"Okay," Ning Yong and Ning Chen responded simultaneously.

The next moment, guards called out, summoning both of them away.

Ning Zhuo walked into the cell and found his spot in the corner.

He had a small stool and a small desk in front of him. On the desk were fruits, nuts, and hot tea.

The treatment for the other Ning Clan cultivators was the same.

This was, of course, not normal; it was entirely due to their status as Ning Clan members.

Ning Zhuo's spot was in the corner of the dungeon.

Not far away, against the wall, was a pile of foul-smelling, ragged straw. Large patches of dried blood stained the brick wall, and finger marks, seemingly clawed out by force, were visible on the surface of the cell bars. Being there, one could almost hear the wails and pleas of the prisoners.

Ning Zhuo understood clearly in his heart: if the truth were exposed, his fate would be far more miserable and terrifying than that of these prisoners. The first to not let him off might not even be the City Lord's side, but the Ning Clan itself! By then, these friendly Ning Clan cultivators around him would turn their hateful faces towards him and hunt him down with all their might.

Ning Zhuo felt no regret.

Blowing up the Immortal Palace was a decision he had long been resolved upon. So what if he risked his life?

He slowly sat down, reached out, and picked up a roasted chestnut.

The chestnut shell cracked easily between his two fingers with a crisp *snap*.

He took the kernel, chewed it, and swallowed.

Now, the Molten Rock Immortal Palace was like this chestnut. Its outer shell had been shattered by Ning Zhuo's ruthless move, and the standard had been lowered.

But how to get to the kernel inside still required careful thought and extreme caution.

The situation had blown up too much. Ning Zhuo, a mere Qi Refining third-level cultivator, was truly walking on thin ice. The slightest misstep could reveal a flaw, like stepping through the ice and falling into a frozen lake, swallowed by the undercurrents and losing his life.

His mother had met such a fate back in the day.

Ning Zhuo chewed the kernel quietly, savoring the flavor on his tongue as if savoring the perilousness of his own situation.

No one would ever guess that this utterly ordinary-looking youth was the true culprit behind the emergence of the Immortal Palace!

(End of )