“Heh heh heh. You think you’re fooling anyone?” Han Ming sneered.
Ning Zhuo’s voice turned cold, “If you won’t cooperate willingly, then I’ll have to use force.”
With that, Ning Zhuo reached into his robe and took out his tools.
They were mechanical needles of varying lengths and thicknesses.
“What are you going to do to me?!”
Seeing the Mysterious Puppet Master advancing step by step, Han Ming began to panic.
Ning Zhuo spoke softly, “Hold still, some of these needles are a bit thick, so it might hurt.”
A dozen mechanical puppets, each carrying a few mechanical needles, climbed onto Han Ming’s body.
“You old scoundrel, just kill me… Agh!”
Han Ming’s body convulsed as she threw her head back and screamed.
Her piercing cries echoed through the cell, sending chills down the spine of anyone who heard.
Moments later, mechanical needles were embedded all over her body, at each joint, key meridian, and even in the front and back of her skull.
Some of the finer needles were tolerable, but the thicker ones were causing blood to slowly seep from the insertion points.
Taking a deep breath, Ning Zhuo channeled his secret technique to control these mechanical needles.
The needles of all sizes trembled slightly under his control, some swirling inside Han Ming, while others twisted and rotated outside her body.
“Aaagh!” Han Ming’s screams erupted again, sharp enough to pierce the eardrums of any listener.
The agony was so intense that her body twisted uncontrollably, her slender fingers clawing at the cold, heavy iron chains with such force that her fingertips bled.
Yet this pain was nothing compared to the agony brought by the needles.
With complete focus, Ning Zhuo summoned the Buddha Heart Demon Seal from the Divine Sea in his dantian!
The seal, as mighty as a mountain, lay within his Divine Sea, with one side emitting a red demonic light.
The demonic light soon reflected off each mechanical needle, permeating every part of Han Ming’s body.
Then, a pink heart seal shot from Ning Zhuo’s chest and sank deep into Han Ming’s heart.
Han Ming’s screams began to diminish as an overwhelming sense of terror gripped her.
She could feel her body betraying her will, activating the Nine Turns Soul Devouring Art!
“No! No!” Han Ming’s pupils contracted to pinpoints, yet she couldn’t stop herself.
Soon, the technique reached a critical level, drawing out her soul essence.
At the right moment, Ning Zhuo released his hold and opened the Soul Capturing Shuttle.
Instead of falling, the Soul Capturing Shuttle, under Han Ming’s control, floated slowly before her.
Then, the sharp tip of the shuttle gently pricked her chest.
The Soul Capturing Shuttle activated.
Never in her wildest dreams did Han Ming imagine that such a day would come!
The very Soul Capturing Shuttle she had used to slaughter countless souls and harm untold lives was now turning on her.
And the one wielding it was none other than herself!
The Soul Capturing Shuttle trembled slightly.
Han Ming’s lifetime of accumulated soul essence was fully purified, steadily infused into the Soul Capturing Shuttle.
As the purified soul essence approached the shuttle’s carrying capacity, it began to emit a faint cold light.
A moment later, the Soul Capturing Shuttle was fully loaded, and Ning Zhuo reclaimed it.
Han Ming’s face turned ashen, her body slack, as though her very bones had been extracted.
Only the iron chains around her wrists, shoulders, and hooks kept her from collapsing completely.
“What… what did you do to me?”
“What kind of sorcery is this?”
Han Ming lifted her head, her eyes filled with terror as she stared at Ning Zhuo.
“You’re from the Shadow Sect? Was that just a soul-bewitching technique?”
“Or are you from the Gu Sect? Did you use some kind of Gu poison on me?”
“No… none of it… none of it…”
Her entire body trembled, as did her heart; all her former confidence and courage had vanished completely.
Under the Azure Iron Armor, Ning Zhuo had already begun to bleed from his nose.
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal, a power to ascend oneself to Buddha while rendering others into demons.
Using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal alone could impact a target of the same level, but only briefly.
Against those with greater cultivation, the effect was minimal and required guiding their thoughts rather than direct control.
But, using supplementary mechanical needles as he had just done, the effect was significantly magnified.
Just now, Ning Zhuo had issued a heart-seal command to Han Ming—activate the Nine Turns Soul Devouring Art and transfer the soul essence to the one before her.
With the help of the mechanical needles, Han Ming had indeed followed through.
Even though she hadn’t wanted to in the slightest!
“The mechanical records Mother left behind mentioned other types of control sticks: the Cross Control Stick, the Straight Control Stick, and the King Control Stick."
"Too bad my cultivation isn’t high enough to use the stronger ones.”
“For now, I can only use this Straight Control Stick.”
Ning Zhuo’s mother had been a mechanical cultivator, and most of his expertise in the mechanical arts came from her records.
Control sticks and puppet strings were the two main ways to control mechanical constructs.
Just now, Ning Zhuo had treated Han Ming as if she were a mechanical construct, controlling her.
However, even the strongest King Control Stick alone couldn’t have achieved such a result unless Ning Zhuo’s cultivation far surpassed Han Ming’s, or his expertise in mechanical arts increased a hundredfold.
What truly caused this breakthrough was the Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
Ning Zhuo had gradually discovered this combination on his own.
The benefits were evident; the downside was that the target of this method would soon perish, turning into a mere disposable resource.
Instead of absorbing the soul essence immediately, Ning Zhuo inspected Han Ming’s injuries.
“The cultivation technique you’ve practiced is quite remarkable."
"Many parts of your body have successfully undergone corpse transformation."
"This will let you hold out longer. Excellent, excellent.” Ning Zhuo nodded approvingly.
Hearing this, Han Ming could endure no longer and fainted in fury.
Meanwhile.
Meng Chong had returned to the City Lord’s mansion.
Arriving at the training room, he wasted no time and immediately began to disperse his cultivation.
His supreme talent—Wild Sprint Thunderclap!
Sparks of lightning crackled over his body as his three treasures—essence, spirit, and vitality—decreased rapidly.
The lightning accelerated his dispersal process, producing impressive results!
Meng Chong’s eyes flashed with electric light as he exclaimed with delight, “At this rate, by tomorrow I’ll have fully dispersed my spiritual power and can start my cultivation anew!”
“I’ve learned it, I understand now!”
“Wild Sprint Thunderclap is my greatest asset. From now on, I’ll be fearless, charging forward without hesitation!”
Meng Chong reveled in his breakthrough.
The more he wholeheartedly charged ahead, the stronger Wild Sprint Thunderclap became, the more fully he could control it.
“As expected, the more I express my nature, the more my talent manifests and strengthens!”
“Old Sun, you’re amazing! Hahaha!”
In the underground prison.
Ning Zhuo ignored the unconscious Han Ming.
He went to the adjacent room, removed his armor, and, holding the Soul Capturing Shuttle, lightly touched its tip to his own skin.
In the next instant, a stream of cool, gentle, purified soul energy flowed from the shuttle, infusing his soul.
Ning Zhuo took a step back, his pupils dilating as he was overwhelmed by an intense, blissful sensation.
It was like diving into a lake on the hottest day of summer.
His soul essence rose swiftly, surpassing the growth of his past sixteen years and doubling!
Yet, the shuttle still contained half its soul essence.
After a few breaths, the Soul Capturing Shuttle was empty, and its faint cold glow completely faded.
“So comfortable, incredibly comfortable.” Ning Zhuo felt reinvigorated, better than ever.
Then he noticed something strange.
He felt a slight warmth in his left arm.
“What’s going on?”
Just like Meng Chong’s emotions, he was surprised and delighted, “My left arm is heating up—is my innate talent being activated? Is it starting to manifest?”
Excitement surged within Ning Zhuo.
If he could discover the activation conditions, he could continue to foster his talent, eventually bringing it to full manifestation.
“What was the reason?”
“Is it because I absorbed purified soul essence?”
“Or is it because I punished a demonic cultivator, upheld justice, and maintained the righteous path?”