Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Ning Zhuo's interest was immediately piqued.

Earlier, when Sun Lingtong had taken out the Underworld Ghost God Seal and the Soul Dispersing Rattle Drum, there had not been such a look of surprise on his face.

Could it be that the treasure hidden within Qi Bai's sea of essence was even more valuable than the previous two magical treasures?

Under Ning Zhuo's watchful gaze, Sun Lingtong withdrew the mist and revealed a treasure plant.

It was a small patch of grass.

The plant was about three feet tall. Its roots were thick, covered with bark-like textures, and at the base, the roots were white, gradually darkening towards the leaves until they turned completely black.

The leaves could be divided into two distinct parts.

The lower half of the leaves were withered and curled, resembling ancient scrolls weathered by time; the upper half of the leaves were full of vitality, with clear veins and a faint glow at the edges, like a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Without needing Sun Lingtong to explain, Ning Zhuo exclaimed, recognizing the origin of the treasure plant: "Ghost Gate Escaping Grass?"

The Yang Realm was the world where Ning Zhuo resided, where the sun rose and set, and life thrived.

The Yin Realm, on the other hand, was filled with wandering ghosts, shrouded in perpetual gloom and deathly aura.

The passage between the Yin and Yang Realms was called the Ghost Gate Pass.

Ghost Gate Pass was a one-way gate.

One could only enter the Yin Realm from the Yang Realm, or enter the Yang Realm from the Yin Realm.

Only near the Ghost Gate Passes that led from the Yin Realm into the Yang Realm could the Ghost Gate Escaping Grass grow.

Its roots were buried deep in the soil of the Yin Realm, absorbing death energy, while its leaves stretched towards the Yang Realm, brimming with life.

Born from death and full of vitality, this grass possessed an extraordinary ability to heal.

Even a mortal on the brink of death could recover quickly just by inhaling its fragrance.

At that moment, Ning Zhuo recalled the battle that had just taken place.

Qi Bai had only needed to catch his breath to quickly recover, turning his serious injuries into minor ones.

It was likely due to this treasure plant!

Sun Lingtong sighed and said, "Every single Ghost Gate Escaping Grass is a Nascent Soul-level treasure. Qi Bai was fortunate to obtain such an opportunity."

"The power he cultivated is Yin-based, making the Ghost Gate Escaping Grass a perfect fit for him!"

Ning Zhuo counted and found that the patch of Ghost Gate Escaping Grass had seven leaves.

"Fortune smiles upon us!" Ning Zhuo stated concisely.

The market value of each leaf far exceeded the cost of all the mechanical constructs he had used in the battle! Moreover, these leaves were highly sought after but rarely available.

The disparity between cultivators was vast, and the higher one ascended, the greater the gap became, even with treasure plants.

The mechanical constructs Ning Zhuo lost in battle were at most made with Foundation Establishment materials. However, the Ghost Gate Escaping Grass was a Nascent Soul-level treasure plant, related to life and healing, which greatly boosted its market price.

"Now that's great news, Big Boss. You don't need to worry about the injuries to your body anymore," Ning Zhuo said with a smile.

Sun Lingtong nodded slightly. "It's a pity that my power isn't Yin-based. To make full use of it, I'll need to set up a formation."

Every cultivation resource was used differently and with varying effectiveness depending on the cultivator.

After carefully storing the Escaping Grass, Sun Lingtong continued to search for more treasures.

Not long after, he pulled out a set of miniature clothing from Qi Bai's sea of essence.

The clothes were only the size of an adult's palm, woven from golden threads. With such exquisite craftsmanship, it was clear that it was at least the work of a grandmaster tailor.

It was precisely this set of Golden Thread Garments that had produced the protective golden light, rendering Ning Zhuo's Strangling Puppet Whip ineffective.

Now, the Golden Thread Garments were badly damaged and unusable. Repairing them would be troublesome, requiring a high level of expertise in cultivation tailoring techniques.

After failing to extract any more treasures using the cloud mist, Sun Lingtong forcefully drew out most of Qi Bai's essence blood and infused it into his Blood Gourd.

As a result, Qi Bai's essence, energy, and spirit had been mostly depleted, greatly reducing his threat.

The Underworld Ghost God Seal, Soul Dispersing Rattle Drum, Ghost Gate Escaping Grass, and Golden Thread Garments were Qi Bai's most valuable treasures.

Three of them were magical treasures, while the Ghost Gate Escaping Grass was a Nascent Soul-level treasure plant.

Only magical treasures were worthy of being nurtured within a cultivator's three major dantian points.

Just like Ning Zhuo's Buddha Heart Demon Seal within his sea of spirit.

Qi Bai, as expected from a true disciple of a major demonic sect, possessed three magical treasures and a Nascent Soul-level treasure plant—a very impressive fortune.

It should be noted that most ordinary Golden Core cultivators primarily used magical tools. Even if they owned a magical treasure, they would typically only have one.

Qi Bai, bearing the title of Blind Judge, was not an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, possessing three magical treasures. The Nascent Soul-level treasure plant was worth a fortune, coveted even by Nascent Soul cultivators.

"If it weren't for us being in Puppet Immortal City, if it weren't for Meng Kui's divine ‘Observing the Mountain' ability, and if it weren't for your mechanical ape, little brother, defeating Qi Bai would have been nearly impossible!" Sun Lingtong sighed.

The battle against Qi Bai had been exceptionally difficult and perilous, but the rewards were equally immense.

The three magical treasures and the treasure plant were the highlights, but Qi Bai's clothing and accessories were also magical tools. Items like storage belts and storage bracelets were all taken by Ning Zhuo beforehand.

As for the valuable treasures hidden within the three seas of essence, Ning Zhuo lacked the ability to retrieve those.

The wealth stored in items like the storage belt remained a mystery, but it gave the two much to look forward to.

With the valuables from the three seas of essence taken, Sun Lingtong had effectively disarmed Qi Bai.

However, Sun Lingtong had expended tremendous energy. His once rosy complexion turned pale again, and his previously restored energy plummeted back to its lowest point.

"Qi Bai must die."

"If he doesn't, he will come after us for revenge."

"But it's best if we don't kill him ourselves. He is a true disciple, destined to rise in the Soul-Devouring Sect's ranks. If we kill him, his soul imprint will be marked by the Soul-Devouring Sect."

"If the Soul-Devouring Sect seeks vengeance, we won't be able to withstand it."

Sun Lingtong sighed, furrowing his brows as he racked his brain on how to deal with Qi Bai.

But Ning Zhuo suddenly said, "I might have a solution."

"Oh? What kind of solution?"

"Let the Lava Immortal Palace kill Qi Bai!"

Sun Lingtong was intrigued. "What's your plan?"

Ning Zhuo, however, didn't immediately reveal it. "I’m not sure if it will work yet. I need to try it first."

"Big Boss, excuse me for what I'm about to do."

"Huh?" Sun Lingtong was bewildered, not understanding what Ning Zhuo meant.

At the same time.

Puppet Immortal City had entered a state of full lockdown.

Chi Dun left the City Lord's mansion, disappointed.

He had just finished reviewing the various records of the formations with Fei Si but did not find what he was looking for.

Fei Si said, "The formation on that battlefield was first tampered with by Sun Lingtong using the methods of the No-Void Sect."

"Later, Qi Bai wiped out all the formation patterns. It's not surprising there are no detailed records of the battle with him."

Chi Dun nodded.

Although they despised each other, he and Fei Si cooperated closely under the City Lord's orders.

The two Foundation Establishment demon cultivators from the Soul-Devouring Sect with hooked noses and triangular eyes had already been arrested by the City Lord's mansion.

Sun Lingtong, Han Ming, and the young puppet master had all been placed on the wanted list, with significant efforts to capture them.

Sun Lingtong's black market had been dismantled, and Han Ming's whereabouts remained unknown.

"Sun Lingtong…" Fei Si sighed internally, feeling it was a pity.

Over the past few years, Sun Lingtong had secretly funneled many benefits his way.

Fei Si had grown fond of someone like Sun Lingtong—not just for the benefits, but because he had brought order to the black market, saving Fei Si a lot of trouble.

Chi Dun remarked, "Previously, Han Ming's whereabouts were unknown, but I suspect she's hiding in some underground base."

"After today’s observation, I realized just how many gaps there are in the grand formation of Puppet Immortal City!"

Fei Si pondered, "A full citywide search would be meaningless. I suspect there are still many such underground bases."

"Why don't we report to the City Lord and request permission to overhaul the grand formation of the city, reducing the gaps between the formations as much as possible!"

Chi Dun thought for a moment and agreed.

Together, they climbed to the mountaintop to seek an audience with the City Lord.

The City Lord

was in the midst of discussing the city's grand formation with Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji said, "When the royal family originally constructed the city's grand formation, they were mindful of the Lava Immortal Palace. A large amount of space was left vacant for fear that the formation's operation would interfere with the palace."

Meng Kui replied, "Now that the Lava Immortal Palace has re-emerged, if the royal family were to rebuild the city's formation…"

Zhu Xuanji shook his head. "I didn't come to discuss that with you."

"City Lord Meng Kui, if you have opinions, feel free to report them."

"My main reason for coming here is to inform you and request your cooperation. Soon, I will enter the Immortal Palace myself!"