**: The Palace Spirit Bows in Submission**

Zhu Xuanji left Ning Zhuo's residence but did not cease his observation of him.

Ning Zhuo still carried the means left behind by Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji silently watched Ning Zhuo.

Every action Ning Zhuo took after their separation fell under his scrutiny, yet he found no flaws.

Zhu Xuanji's brow furrowed slightly; the strange feeling lingering in his heart refused to dissipate.

Upon reflection, he had unexpectedly discovered that Ning Zhuo seemed to be involved in every significant event.

He still couldn't pinpoint exactly where the oddity lay.

But testing Ning Zhuo was just a trivial matter, done on a whim without much effort.

"My Golden Eye talent, once mastered, has only been concealed by a few Golden Core cultivators so far. Ning Zhuo is merely at the Qi Refining stage; how could he possibly hide anything from me?"

Zhu Xuanji shook his head. After all, he had just personally inspected him.

"He made it! He made it!" the Long Yuan Fire Spirit shouted.

Main Hall, Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit had been closely watching Ning Zhuo.

When Zhu Xuanji approached Ning Zhuo, the Fire Spirit widened its eyes, nearly collapsing on the spot, muttering, "It's over, it's over!"

But contrary to its expectations, Ning Zhuo actually managed to deceive Zhu Xuanji.

Even when Zhu Xuanji personally inspected his three Dantians, he found nothing amiss.

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit was overwhelmed with excitement, bouncing around wildly on its throne.

"He got through! He actually passed Zhu Xuanji's inspection!"

"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable."

"He actually had this trick up his sleeve."

"Amazing, just amazing."

"Hahaha..."

The Fire Spirit laughed heartily, but then suddenly froze, becoming as still as a statue.

It felt deeply embarrassed!

"Why did I suddenly feel so happy for Ning Zhuo?"

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit let out a heavy sigh and gradually relaxed.

"Regardless, Ning Zhuo has survived this crisis."

"Next, he should deal with Ning Xiaohui's problem, right?"

"It can't stump him! He even managed to deceive Zhu Xuanji. If he can overcome such a major life-and-death crisis..."

"He is very capable, and his mind is extremely sharp."

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that a mere Qi Refining cultivator could outmaneuver Golden Core cultivators like this."

"If someone like that grows up, how formidable would he become?!"

When Ning Zhuo laid out the plan to Sun Lingtong and the others earlier, the Long Yuan Fire Spirit had observed the entire process.

But despite witnessing Ning Zhuo's entire scheme, the Fire Spirit, with its limited intellect, couldn't grasp the reasoning behind his arrangements.

It was only after the whole event concluded that the Fire Spirit suddenly understood, feeling profound admiration for Ning Zhuo's strategy.

It was simply miraculous.

The more it had resisted and feared Ning Zhuo before, the more it now respected him.

"So impressive!"

"Ning Zhuo will definitely solve Ning Xiaohui's problem. Once the issue of Shi Jiting is gone, I won't have any handles against me."

"At that time, who would suspect me? Who would dare to suspect me?"

"I will surely gain my freedom!"

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit paced around, chest puffed out with pride. Like Ning Zhuo, it was also very excited.

It couldn't help but want to contact Ning Zhuo and urge him to act quickly, but just as it was about to speak, it slowly closed its mouth.

It didn't dare!

"This little Ning Zhuo is far too cunning."

"He even managed to deceive Zhu Xuanji; he's truly terrifying."

"His preparations were extremely thorough. Even though he's only at the Qi Refining stage, he could hide from a Golden Core cultivator."

"The Buddha Heart Demon Seal wasn't the biggest contributor; it was that flower left to him by his mother."

"What exactly is that flower?"

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit was filled with curiosity about it.

---

Zhu Xuanji was alone.

He once again wrote to the royal family for assistance.

The current situation was vastly different from before.

The Zheng Family Golden Core had seized the Demonic Sutra. This wasn't particularly important in itself. What truly shifted the landscape was Zheng Danlian killing a direct disciple of the Taiqing Palace.

Moreover, this incident had been loudly publicized by Luo Shang.

If it hadn't been spread, the matter might have been manageable.

Zhu Xuanji could have intervened on behalf of the Zheng Family, negotiated with the Taiqing Palace behind the scenes, and arranged for compensation.

But now that it was public knowledge, everyone knew a Taiqing Palace direct disciple had fallen to Zheng Danlian.

As a super sect, the Taiqing Palace had to respond to protect its reputation.

This meant Zheng Danlian would face immense pressure. If handled poorly, it could not only cost him his life but also implicate the entire Zheng Family.

So, should the Zheng Family be protected or not?

Zhu Xuanji's personal inclination was to protect them, but his individual power was insufficient. Saving the Zheng Family required the strength of the Southern Bean Royal Family.

On the other hand, Zhu Xuanji also had to consider the Royal Family's stance and the overall situation of the Southern Bean Nation.

Compared to the Taiqing Palace, the Southern Bean Royal Family's comprehensive strength was undoubtedly greater.

This was because the Royal Family could consolidate the power of major cultivation clans like the Meng and Su families, assembling a large army of cultivators.

Sects often excelled at training elite disciples. They occupied relatively abundant resources and focused on cultivating high-level combat power. In a direct confrontation, even if all their disciples were gathered, they would struggle to withstand the armies of a cultivation nation.

This differed from ancient times.

In antiquity, before the Hundred Crafts of Cultivation were fully developed, cultivation level was the primary standard for measuring individuals and factions.

After all, each major breakthrough—Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul—represented a qualitative transformation.

Thus, high-level cultivators could often single-handedly dominate battlefields.

But now, the Hundred Crafts of Cultivation had advanced tremendously! For example, Artifice technology allowed for the assembly and forging of materials at the Golden Core level to create artificed puppets with Golden Core combat power.

Even if the puppeteer was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they could use such a puppet to bridge the cultivation gap and defeat a stronger opponent.

This was the progress of the era!

This progress also颠覆ed the relationships between nations, sects, and families.

For a long period in history, cultivation sects were the dominant force in the world, the optimal form of organizational power.

Even if nations existed, they were mostly mortal kingdoms manipulated from behind by cultivation sects.

But now, the development of the Hundred Crafts enabled lower-level cultivators, given sufficient resources and technology, to create combat power rivaling higher levels.

This meant the numerical advantage of cultivators became significant again.

Large numbers of low-level cultivators, with enough resources and technology, could, to some extent, contend with higher-level cultivators.

However, no royal family of a cultivation nation would underestimate a super sect.

These major sects often produced exceptionally powerful individual elites.

If such elites targeted members of the royal family for assassination, clearly any royal family would find it extremely troublesome.

Therefore, from the royal perspective, they typically maintained good relations with these super sects.

After all, the talents trained by these super sects were also sought after by various cultivation nations.

Super sects also constantly dispatched disciples to serve in different cultivation nations, expanding their influence.

In summary, if the Southern Bean Royal Family wanted to protect the Zheng Family, they likely could.

Unless the Taiqing Palace received support or guarantees from other major powers and intended to move against the entire Southern Bean Nation, the Taiqing Palace would probably compromise with the Royal Family.

Zhu Xuanji was not the Monarch of Southern Bean. He couldn't make such an important decision for the Monarch.

Thus, he could only write a letter, report this critical matter, express his opinions and thoughts within, but he would not interfere with the Monarch's judgment.

If the Monarch decided to protect the Zheng Family, Zhu Xuanji would wholeheartedly support it.

If the Monarch chose to abandon the Zheng Family, Zhu Xuanji was also willing to carry out that order.

In his letter, Zhu Xuanji also requested access to all intelligence regarding the series of events related to the Night Rain Demon Soldier.

---

City Lord's Manor.

Chi Dun stood before Fei Si, his expression grim, loudly exclaiming, "That Zheng Family Golden Core obtained the Demonic Sutra. This sutra is quite important. I came into contact with it during the battle; it's called the 'Demonic Stain Blood Tendon Art'."

"I analyzed it later. Although I obtained limited content, I confirmed that this Demonic Stain Blood Tendon Art complements the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art."

"We must quickly find the Zheng Family Golden Core and try to acquire this Demonic Sutra."

"It would be greatly beneficial to us."

"If they truly master it, Young Master Meng Chong's leading position might be threatened."

Fei Si's face was dark. "You reckless fool! I ordered you to hold back, yet you charged forward impulsively."

"The Demonic Sutra is important, but it is definitely not the most critical issue right now."

"The current situation is very dangerous; you simply don't understand."

"Don't block my way. I need to request an audience with the City Lord."

Fei Si immediately flew to the top of Fire Persimmon Mountain to seek instructions from Meng Kui.

"Lord City Lord, Yang Chanyu first appeared near our City Lord's Manor, carrying the Demonic Sutra, posing as if trying to escape."

"Yet she was intercepted mid-way by a shadowy demonic cultivator who proactively exposed that what Yang Chanyu was carrying was indeed the Demonic Sutra."

"This is clearly a frame-up targeting our City Lord's Manor, aiming to let the world know that the Demonic Sutra was indeed within our manor."

"My investigation into the source of the rumors has begun to yield some clarity."

"The most crucial third layer of rumors was secretly promoted jointly by the Zheng, Zhou, and Ning families."

"Given this trend, your subordinate is deeply concerned that the struggle for the Molten Rock Immortal Palace will escalate in intensity, spiral out of control, and ultimately harm the innocent common people of the entire city."

(End of )