The Lava Immortal Palace gradually ascended, its golden pillars and red bricks grand and majestic, creating a staggering visual impact.
Under the glaring firelight, the entire Immortal Palace looked like the residence of a deity.
All of Fire Persimmon Mountain trembled, emitting terrifying roars.
Vast ground energy surged as magma boiled, shooting up several zhang high!
Cultivators scattered in all directions, appearing as insignificant as ants before the might of heaven and earth.
The current City Lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City appeared, his expression solemn.
He activated the grand formation positioned at the volcano's mouth, pouring in the power of his nascent soul stage cultivation.
Countless blue-green radiances coalesced mid-air, forming a web-like grand formation that covered the towering magma column about to erupt from the crater.
Both sides collided in a fierce deadlock.
The earth quaked, the mountains shook!
The entire Fire Persimmon Immortal City was roused; countless people rushed out of their homes, staring in terror at buildings that had collapsed or were teetering.
Black smoke from the volcanic eruption rose up, as if a demonic disaster had descended, threatening to engulf all life and the heavens!
The black smoke surged, yet the blue-green radiance persisted, the Protective Mountain Formation standing firm, preventing a worldly catastrophe.
The tremors gradually weakened until they faded entirely.
The Lava Immortal Palace stood within the volcano’s crater, like a giant lying across the landscape.
Above it billowed endless black smoke, while below churned scalding magma.
The palace’s golden pillars and red bricks featured towering towers, majestic grand halls, and intricate side halls, embodying the fiery ferocity of fire, the steadfastness of metal, and the solidity of earth.
Countless gazes, some shocked, some curious, some covetous, all focused on the Lava Immortal Palace.
But in the next moment, the City Lord, his face pale, slowly descended from the sky.
With a wave of his long sleeves, the grand formation activated, shifting light and shadow to shroud the Lava Immortal Palace in secrecy, obscuring it from view.
At the volcano’s mouth, casualties among the cultivators were severe, and those who had ventured within the volcano were nothing but bones.
Zheng Shuangjun, leading the surviving Ning Clan members, rode a cloud up to the City Lord: “City Lord.”
He began his report, communicating swiftly through divine sense.
The City Lord understood the circumstances, his expression solemn, his gaze icy. “Investigate! I want a thorough investigation. That Shadow Demon Cultivator must pay the ultimate price!”
His eyes then swept over the surviving Ning Clan members behind Zheng Shuangjun. “Investigate these people too. Detain any survivors and interrogate them thoroughly!”
“Gather all possible clues about the Shadow Demon Cultivator.”
“If any accomplices are found, punish them severely!”
The City Lord was the only nascent soul level cultivator in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and his mood was extremely foul.
During his term, he had discovered the Lava Immortal Palace.
Yet, he hadn’t reported it; instead, he chose to conceal it from higher-ups.
He wanted to claim the Lava Immortal Palace, to develop it internally, and ultimately to seize it for himself.
But reality had not gone as planned.
The Zhou and Zheng Clans had successively discovered this secret.
The City Lord was forced to compromise, secretly making a pact with them.
This year, the Ning Clan had also uncovered the secret.
The Ning Clan, possessing a golden core level cultivator, was a prominent cultivation family in the Immortal City, and the City Lord had already been prepared to accept them.
He envisioned the top four forces in the Immortal City collaborating to monopolize and develop the Lava Immortal Palace, shutting out any outsiders.
But now, this arrangement was on the verge of collapse!
“Shadow Demon Cultivator, damn that Shadow Demon Cultivator!!”
The City Lord’s inner fury was like a surging tide whenever he thought of the culprit.
“What should I do?”
The City Lord suppressed his rage, contemplating a solution.
He was merely a local City Lord sent by the Southern Bean Kingdom and couldn’t control everything.
“Damn it! Once news reaches the capital, I won’t be the one in charge anymore!”
As a high-ranking official of the Southern Bean Kingdom, even with his nascent soul stage, he was insignificant compared to the entire Southern Bean Kingdom.
“Sigh… I’ll hide it as long as possible.”
“Fortunately, the Lava Immortal Palace hasn’t fully emerged, remaining at the crater. I just need to repair the grand formation, set up dense clouds as a cover, issue a ban, and…”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of bell chimes suddenly echoed from deep within the volcano.
The bells rang continuously, resonating across heaven and earth.
Upon hearing the bell chimes, people felt a cultivation technique slowly materialize in their minds.
The City Lord’s heart shook, his face turning grim as he muttered, “The Dharma Transmission Bell?!”
Night deepened.
Fire Persimmon Immortal City remained in chaos. Countless buildings had collapsed, and city residents were abuzz with intense discussion, with most gazing toward the mountain peak.
The grand confrontation between the City Lord and the Immortal Palace had made it clear to everyone—a significant event had occurred at the mountain summit!
Just then, the deep, resounding chimes of the bell rang out!
Clang… clang…
The bell’s sound reverberated, piercing the clouds.
The bell’s chimes shook the city’s outer walls and echoed through countless alleys and streets.
It spread over the high courtyards and ordinary dwellings, stirring every particle of air and enveloping the entire Immortal City.
It resonated precisely within each sentient heart, stirring their very souls!
Amidst cries of astonishment and confusion, the crowd’s focus was drawn to the cultivation technique unfolding in their minds.
In the City Lord’s Mansion.
A burly youth lay fast asleep on the ground, jolted awake by the bell chime. His large eyes snapped open.
“Wah!” he shouted, bracing his arms and springing up with a gust of wind.
“An enemy?!” The burly youth was on full alert.
Just then, the City Lord transmitted a message, “Meng Chong, my grandson, quickly comprehend this. It’s the Dharma Transmission Bell, key to seizing the Lava Immortal Palace!”
“The Dharma Transmission Bell?” Reminded by the City Lord, Meng Chong immediately froze in place, standing as straight as a spear. His eyes glazed over as he focused on memorizing and comprehending the cultivation technique appearing in his mind.
In the Zhou Family.
The young cultivators Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu were studying mechanical diagrams together.
One was short, the other tall; one frail, the other sturdy.
In an instant, both froze in expression and movement.
A few breaths after the bell rang, Zhou Zeshen’s face showed astonishment.
“Quick, quick! This seems to be the Dharma Transmission Bell. The cultivation technique is embedded in the bell chimes! Comprehend it swiftly!”
Zhou Zhu, usually silent and reliant on Zhou Zeshen’s guidance, immediately sat cross-legged with eyes closed.
In the Zheng Family.
Zheng Jian was scrutinizing the family’s ledgers.
The young cultivator wore a circlet with a gem resembling a pupil in its center.
The steward before him looked pale, sweating profusely.
Zheng Jian suddenly snorted coldly, throwing the ledger to the ground. He scolded, “Did you really think your falsified accounts could deceive me?”
The steward shivered, collapsing in fear.
At that moment, the bell rang.
Zheng Jian’s expression shifted drastically as he waved the steward away. “I don’t have time for you. Get out!”
In the Ning Family.
Widely recognized within the clan as a genius, Ning Xiaohui was exhausted from making too many talismans during the day.
Despite the bell chimes, she remained sound asleep, her brows furrowed, unmoved.
Ning Ji was in the midst of cultivation when the bell chime broke his focus. Confused, he muttered, “What on earth is this?”
At the volcano’s mouth.
Zheng Shuangjun still rode on a cloud.
On the cloud, Ning Clan cultivators were sprawled about in disarray.
They were not alone; most other cultivators also lay or sat where they were.
“Opportunity—this is an opportunity!”
The cultivators were overjoyed, each straining to memorize.
Ning Chen sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes tightly, his brows knitted in concentration.
Ning Yong clutched his head, muttering, “Ahh, remember it, remember it! Head, it’s all up to you, remember it for me!”
Ning Zhuo’s heart surged with both shock and joy. “I did it! I triggered the selection standard of the Lava Immortal Palace.”
“However, the selection method changed, directly transmitting a foundation establishment level cultivation technique.”
This development had caught Ning Zhuo off guard.
Like the other cultivators, he stood silently, listening intently to the bell.
The bell gradually transformed into a cultivation technique—Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique!
“With this cultivation method, I can finally leave behind the Ning Family’s Snow Domain Talisman Diagram.”
In that moment, a flood of emotions—relief, excitement, accomplishment, all surged in the young man’s heart, exceeding his expectations after his long-planned, risky endeavors.
It was indeed—
The Mechanical Fire Monkey leaps into molten depths, the Azure Iron Armor shatters morning frost.
The Buddha and Demon seal within the hidden mechanism, as the Immortal Palace quakes, revealing heavenly light.
The Dao bell tolls, passing on new teachings, Five Elements Qi Regulation aligns with nature.
Cultivate to return to the root, breaking seals to roam free!