After searching day and night, the numerous golden core stage cultivators still hadn’t uncovered the whereabouts of the Shadow Demon Cultivator.
Faced with this reality, the four major powers in Fire Persimmon Immortal City were visibly disheartened.
The lockdown on the city had not been lifted, but rumors and undercurrents surged as the silence wore on.
Zhu Xuanji requested some mechanical fragments from Fei Si.
These fragments came from the malfunctioning, rampaging mechanical monkeys that had attacked Yuan Er.
Since the Shadow Demon Cultivator hadn’t surfaced, these mechanical fragments became the only clues.
Zhu Xuanji examined the fragments.
He had also acquired the blueprints for the fire explosive monkeys.
After glancing at them, he committed the details to memory.
After half a cup of tea’s time, he had managed to piece together three mechanical monkeys from the fragments he held.
The mechanical fire explosive monkeys were heavily damaged, barely managing to stand before him.
Zhu Xuanji took out a control line, infused it with spiritual power, and began controlling the mechanical fire explosive monkeys.
If Fei Si had seen this, he would have been astonished: Zhu Xuanji possessed such skill!
Zhu Xuanji had his own understanding of mechanical arts, one of the reasons he had been chosen to investigate this case.
A moment later, Zhu Xuanji put away all the control lines, sighed, and found no valuable clues.
"Let’s review it one more time."
Zhu Xuanji closed his eyes, retracing his investigation process. First, the mechanical monkeys, then the Thousand-Pound Fire Essence, and finally, the Shadow Demon Cultivator.
"The self-destruction of the mechanical monkeys was obviously a countermeasure against the Origin Tracing Technique."
"The Thousand-Pound Fire Essence left no trace on the market. If one of the four major powers did this, it would be easy to arrange."
"The disappearance of the Shadow Demon Cultivator most likely indicates an inside job, someone secretly aiding his escape!"
All signs pointed Zhu Xuanji toward one of the three great families in Fire Persimmon Immortal City as the likely mastermind behind the bombing of the Immortal Palace, framing the Shadow Demon Cultivator.
"But if the Shadow Demon Cultivator had already escaped, why trigger an explosion with the mechanical monkeys during the Fire Persimmon Festival to implicate the Monkey Head gang?"
"Wouldn’t that be redundant?"
Zhu Xuanji delved even deeper into his thoughts.
"Perhaps the perpetrator wanted to disguise himself, creating the illusion that the Shadow Demon Cultivator was present at the scene."
"Additionally, eliminating the old monkey might have been a move to curb his growing influence. Killing him publicly would undermine the authority of the City Lord’s Mansion."
"And lastly, it seems they wanted to divert my attention, slowing down my investigation."
Bang!
Zhu Xuanji clenched his fist, pounding it onto the jade table.
He sensed the enemy’s provocation. These fragments seemed to mock his incompetence, as if taunting him: Go ahead and investigate. I left clues for you!
But Zhu Xuanji had already been fooled by the mechanical monkeys before and knew that if the enemy acted so brazenly, he was bound to find nothing, only wasting precious time and energy.
"If the mechanical monkeys were a provocation, could the old monkey’s 'mistake' have been real?"
Zhu Xuanji thought back to the Fire Persimmon Festival, where he had returned halfway through the event and used a premium potion to test if the old monkey’s mind had been influenced.
The result of Zhu Xuanji's test was negative.
After racking his brain, he slowly opened his eyes, musing to himself, "The most suspicious part remains that explosion!"
Night had deepened.
Zhu Xuanji concealed his figure and returned to the Monkey Head gang’s territory, casting a spell to put Yuan Er into a death-like slumber.
Then, he carefully dripped a single drop of premium potion onto Yuan Er, yet saw no effect.
Zhu Xuanji felt a surge of frustration. "What was I even thinking? The chances of Yuan Er’s mind being tampered with are minimal!"
“Hmph, that wretch even wasted a drop of my finest potion.”
Looking at the slumbering Yuan Er, Zhu Xuanji’s mood soured.
As he turned to leave, he flicked his sleeve, sending a gust that slapped Yuan Er across the face with a loud crack.
Zhu Xuanji then quietly slipped away from the Monkey Head gang’s base, beneath a sky full of stars, before heading to the top of Fire Persimmon Mountain to see the City Lord.
"City Lord Meng Kui, I need to access all records and thoroughly investigate everyone who has entered or exited the Lava Immortal Palace over the years!"
…
Returning home, Ning Zhuo took a short rest, waited until the dead of night, then donned the Azure Iron Armor and disguised himself once more as the Mysterious Puppet Master.
He used a teleportation array to reach the dungeon, where he met Han Ming.
As soon as he opened the cell door, he saw Han Ming squatting on the floor, scratching her head, looking rather unseemly.
With a start, Han Ming stood up quickly, waving her hands in alarm. "M-my lord, please, no more monkey souls! My soul needs time to digest and purify!"
"By now, my soul has become misshapen, with many monkey characteristics showing."
"My behavior is also beginning to change unconsciously!"
Ning Zhuo nodded, aware that he couldn’t drain the lake to catch all the fish.
He said gently, "You’ve had a rough time recently. For now, you only need to absorb this ape. I’ll give you a break afterward, so you can rest for a while."
Ning Zhuo had been buying up wild monkeys and giving them to Han Ming to absorb.
Thanks to this, Ning Zhuo’s soul essence had increased to over eighty times what it had been when he first encountered Han Ming.
Han Ming’s state had deteriorated rapidly, something Ning Zhuo had noticed.
Thud.
The corpse of Yuan Dasheng was taken out of the storage bag and thrown onto the ground.
Han Ming shuddered, her hair standing on end.
At first glance, she could tell that this old ape was no ordinary creature!
"Devour its soul, and you’ll get your break," Ning Zhuo said.
While handling the corpse, Ning Zhuo had carefully damaged Yuan Dasheng’s soul essence, trapping it within the body.
Yuan Dasheng hadn’t practiced any soul-related techniques, leaving him completely at Ning Zhuo’s mercy.
But doing this carried some risks.
Ning Zhuo’s best option was to let Han Ming absorb it so he could then absorb from her, maximizing the value of this prize.
"Thank you, my lord, for your kindness!" Han Ming swallowed her saliva, activating the Soul Devouring Art.
But the next moment, a golden light flashed from Yuan Dasheng’s corpse.
Pfft.
Han Ming spat out a mouthful of blood, her eyes rolling back as she fainted on the spot.
Ning Zhuo was shocked, quickly directing a few small puppets to administer aid while cautiously inspecting Yuan Dasheng’s corpse.
Han Ming soon regained consciousness, exclaiming in a trembling voice, "Righteous Bones of Gold and Iron!"
"T-this is supreme talent!"
Ning Zhuo raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Supreme talent? Does this old ape possess Immortal Talent? Are you sure?"
Han Ming nodded, staring firmly at the old ape’s corpse, declaring with conviction, "Absolutely! I’ve studied the sect’s ancient texts and confirmed this is a feature of Righteous Bones of Gold and Iron. Those with it are naturally steadfast, unwavering in loyalty and resilience."
"The bones are the hardest, comparable to vajra, with a body of solid strength. The soul, attached to the bones, is firm and unyielding, resistant to external influence."
"In my current state, I can’t absorb its soul. Even in peak condition, success wouldn’t be guaranteed."
At that moment, Han Ming realized the old ape’s identity and murmured, "Who would’ve thought… who would have thought that the old ape of the Monkey Head gang, Yuan Yi’s monkey pet, actually possessed Immortal Talent!"
Immediately, she froze.
She quickly raised her head, looking at Ning Zhuo with a glimmer in her eyes.