Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1380: Chapter 546: Underhanded Manipulation (2)

"The forebears who founded the Myriad Images Sect and established such a system are truly admirable—and terrifying."

The golden radiance left in the sky by Chun Yangzi’s carriage had yet to fully disperse when an abnormal change arose on the horizon.

A speck of scarlet appeared in the heavens.

At first it was no larger than a needle’s tip, utterly inconspicuous in the night sky. But in the blink of an eye, it rapidly expanded, like a drop of fresh blood dripping into clear water, swiftly spreading, diffusing, corroding, staining half the night sky a dark, blood-red hue.

Within that scarlet, a figure slowly walked forth.

He walked upon the void, each step landing exceedingly light, almost without sound. Yet every time his foot fell, a ring of dark red ripples spread beneath him, as though a pebble had been tossed into a pool of blood, waves undulating outward.

The Red Robe Guest!

He still wore a long robe of glaring scarlet, its surface embroidered with dark-black blood patterns, the lines twisted like serpents, faintly writhing in the night wind as though alive. His features were so handsome as to verge on the demonic—brows like distant mountains, eyes like bright stars, a high straight nose, lips a deep crimson, as if smeared with fresh blood.

At this moment, his face was full of displeasure.

He had just returned to the Main Mountain Gate when he received bad news—Chun Yangzi had actually revealed himself of his own accord and was participating in this Xingyun Trial!

The Red Robe Guest and the current Chun Yangzi bore a deep-seated grudge. The former had been hunted down by the Pure Yang Palace, driven to a wretched state, forced in the end to join the Myriad Images Sect before he gained a period of peaceful days.

"Eyesore." The Red Robe Guest lifted his right hand, fingers splayed, and gently grasped at the remnant golden radiance hanging in midair.

The golden radiance flickered violently a few times in the night sky, emitting a "chi-chi" hissing sound, like charcoal doused by cold water, and finally dispersed completely, not a trace remaining.

The Red Robe Guest gave a cold snort, casting his gaze over the guardian cultivators flying over to receive him.

The cultivator, scalp tingling, braced himself and led the Red Robe Guest onward.

Within the Array Space, a brief silence fell.

Qing Baizi’s voice was hoarse and low: "Whether it is Chun Yangzi or the Red Robe Guest, their Elixir Qi is incomparably vast. Even if we add all of ours together, we are not equal to either one of them alone."

Shen Hongyao: "Hmph. If I were given the same amount of cultivation time, the accumulation I built up would certainly be no weaker than theirs."

Qin Ke furrowed her brows: "Chun Yangzi is one thing. But the Red Robe Guest uses human blood, human bones, and Human Souls as medicine... would the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit accept someone like that?"

Jiang Ping sighed: "Of the Four Symbols, the East Cyan Dragon governs life, presiding over the sprouting of all things and the flourishing and withering of plants; the West White Tiger governs slaughter, presiding over armor and warhorses, weapons and killing; the North Black Tortoise governs concealment, presiding over the Netherworld, the Underworld, and the return of all things to storage. As for the South Vermilion Bird..."

"It governs growth, presides over summer, belongs to Fire, and its color is red."

"Fire rises and burns, hot and dry, its light shining everywhere. It can warm the human heart, and it can burn all things to ash; it can illuminate the darkness, and it can devour the light; it can bring hope, and it can bring destruction. Fire itself has no good or evil, no right or wrong; it is merely pure power."

"All things grow and are nurtured in the south; this ’growth’ is growth and strengthening. It represents an upward-driving force, a vigorous, burgeoning vitality."

"Thus, it belongs to neutrality."

Jiang Ping’s horizons were broad; upon hearing this, Shen Hongyao and the others could not help but knit their brows.

They all realized one thing: even a Great Demon Cultivator like the Red Robe Guest might still be acknowledged by the Artifact Spirit Vermilion Bird.

None of these people rushed to take part in the trial.

Wang Yu’s arrangement for them was to wait until the final deadline before taking the field.

On the one hand, it was to broaden their horizons. Even in past Feiyun Conferences, opportunities like this were rare.

On the other hand, it was to let the vast crowd of cultivators run trials and make mistakes for them.

Ning Zhuo wished to collect results and infer patterns from comparisons. Wang Yu and the others harbored the same intention.

Once the trial-and-error produced results and a pattern emerged, Jiang Ping and the others could adjust in time and make the most appropriate arrangements.

Danxia Peak, main hall.

Wang Yu held a Jade Token in his hand, watching Chun Yangzi’s performance within the Array Space.

Chun Yangzi extended his palm, revealing a cluster of Fire Seed.

Wang Yu identified it at once: "Oh? A Vermilion Feather Flame."

This Fire Seed was a red-gold hue, shaped like a fledgling bird, its wings not yet grown. This flame was born within a Phoenix Nest, condensed from the surplus fire scattered when a Phoenix Egg was incubating.

The Vermilion Feather Flame was extremely young, so young as to be almost devoid of any offensive power. But it possessed a unique power of its own, holding an innate advantage in refining certain Elixir Pills.

The crucial point was that the Vermilion Feather Flame could grow; it was the lower-tier Fire Seed of many other Fire Seeds.

For example, if it could gain recognition from the Nanming Vermilion Bird Fire, it could take the Vermilion Bird as its mother and the fire furnace as its nest, slowly maturing in the nurturing Vermilion Bird Qi, finally shedding its fledgling form and transforming into an entirely new Nanming Vermilion Bird Fire Seed!

Chun Yangzi, as the master of a sect, had only to invoke his sect’s heritage to bring out such a Fire Seed; this posed no difficulty.

Even if it was his personal private stash, it would not be surprising.

But unfortunately, the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit showed no reaction at all.

"No matter, I’ll assist you." Wang Yu smiled faintly and gave his horsetail whisk a light shake.

He covertly manipulated the Array, directly driving the Jade Token to fly toward Chun Yangzi.

Chun Yangzi first put away the Vermilion Feather Flame, then accepted the Jade Token, a composed smile appearing on his face.

Wang Yu, meanwhile, hid his merits and fame.

Whether the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit could be saved or not was still uncertain. But external forces like Chun Yangzi and the Pure Yang Palace were tangible realities.

This Xingyun Trial hosted by Danxia Peak—even if they ultimately failed to save the Nanming Fire Furnace—would naturally benefit if they could absorb more outside talent.

"Some people I proactively granted Jade Tokens to, but some I did not."

"Those people need to be placed under special observation in the future!"

Images of several people clearing the trial flashed through Wang Yu’s mind; among them were Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong, and Qing Chi.

Two days and nights passed in a flash.

Ning Zhuo examined the intelligence he had gathered in his hands, still pondering the possible patterns.

"Zhong Limei, Qing Baizi, the Nine Fire Dragon Lord, Cang Yazi, Chun Yangzi, the Red Robe Guest, Tao Liang, Hundred Herbs Elder, Qin Ke, Dong Nishang, and so on—all are included."

"Not a single Nascent Soul Cultivator fell in the first round, and among the Golden Core Cultivators only a few suffered defeat and ruin."

"Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, Zhu Fenxiang, Situ Xing, Yun Niaoniao, as well as my boss, Qing Chi, Gongsun Yan and the others all passed."

Ning Zhuo could not help but look up at the sky: "This is difficult."

"The information I obtained is indeed true. But the Array was laid by Danxia Peak; there is bound to be hidden manipulation."

"People like Zhong Limei, Qing Baizi, Qin Ke, Jiang Ping—these are the visible signs."

"Thus, in reality, what the Artifact Spirit Vermilion Bird is close to, what it acknowledges, is something that’s very hard for an outsider like me to judge."

"In that case, I’ll just take things one step at a time."

The second round began.

The number of people on Danxia Peak had decreased by at least eighty percent.

Where the sky had once been crowded, now only the mountain paths had queues.

Many cultivators, though unqualified, still came to observe. Xiao Juxia was one of them.

Ning Zhuo landed at the foot of the mountain and joined the line.

When he reached the summit, the Jade Token he had previously obtained was taken back, and he once more stepped into the Array Space.

The Array Space was no different from before; even the Jade Token appeared exactly the same.

But when Ning Zhuo walked up to the Jade Token and it gave no response at all, he knew the standard of the examination had been raised a notch.

"The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art I major in also includes Fire-attribute. I might as well try that first."

Ning Zhuo expelled his Five Elements Mana, then dismantled it; the other four elements progressively engendered one another, ultimately converting the Mana into pure Fire-attribute form.

Just by doing this, the Jade Token trembled once, then actively flew to hover before Ning Zhuo.

"That’s it?" Ning Zhuo promptly reached out and took it.

Just like that, he breezed through the second round.

Wang Yu was still personally presiding over the Array; seeing Ning Zhuo clear the trial, his heart stirred slightly.

"The Cultivation Technique this child majors in can actually control the Five Elements Mana with such practiced ease, clearly delineated yet able to engender and restrain one another?"

"With a bit of cultivation, he would be an excellent seedling for Alchemy!"

"The Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit is fond of him; just expelling Fire-attribute Magic Power was enough to let him pass."

The Jade Token flying to Ning Zhuo had not been Wang Yu’s covert intervention.

Those he did intervene for were the likes of the Red Robe Guest, Cang Yazi, Chun Yangzi, and so on.

"Tie Kuang’s analysis was correct. These Nascent Souls and Golden Cores—their Cultivation Level is too high, which in itself arouses the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit’s wariness and vigilance."

"Sigh... without my interference, every last one of them would have been eliminated!"

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