Chapter 592: Heaven's Fate Changes

And after the paper avatar of the White Paper City Lord talked for a moment, Ning Zhuo returned to his dwelling place in the Zang Yang Separate Mansion to rest slightly.

He took out the four treasures given by the White Paper City Lord and carefully observed them.

The wine of the *Lenggu Yuelu Jiu* (Cold Bone Moon Dew Wine) was semi-transparent silver-gray. If viewed from the side, one could see a layer of faint moonlight rippling on the surface of the wine. If the wine was left undisturbed for a long time, fine suspended particles, similar to bone fragments, would condense from it. Ning Zhuo turned his mechanism ring and tried to take a small sip. The wine was extremely clear when it entered his mouth, like snow water. When it reached his throat, a warmth like a hot spring surged up. As an aftertaste, his mouth was filled with the cold fragrance of snowy pine and ice mint.

The *Jiuchuan Xianggeng Xiang* (Nine Springs Rest Incense) had nearly a hundred roots, each like a thin dry branch, dark purple on the surface. Ning Zhuo pinched a piece about half a finger's length and tried to light it. When the *Jiuchuan Xianggeng Xiang* burned, the green smoke rose straight up like a hanging thread, very fine and long. Smelling it, it was like rotten soil mixed with wet cold white plum. The ashes after burning still maintained the shape of the incense. If touched lightly with something that contained *yang* energy, it would immediately transform from ashes into drops of black water beads. At this time, if he smelled it again, it was like the deep woody fragrance of thousand-year-old coffin wood.

The *Egui Tunlu Ding* (Hungry Ghost Devouring Cauldron) was over one person tall, a bronze tripod cauldron with two ears. The cauldron body was covered in copper rust, and the rust erosion had formed blurred images of a hundred ghosts devouring. The inner wall of the cauldron had dried deep green ink marks. The three cauldron feet were wrapped with a layer of gray bones. The cauldron ears seemed to have a layer of deep brown patina, but upon closer inspection, it was countless overlapping finger marks and tooth marks.

The last item was the *Youming Chengfa Shu* (Underworld Punishment Book). It was a book with iron covers and iron pages, quite heavy. The iron cover was dark like night, cast with patterns of black iron hoops, faintly showing the outline of the underworld wheel. The spine was inlaid with an ink jade marrow carved roof, giving it a solemn form. The book pages were all made of cold-rolled thousand-forged cold iron, thin like blades and emitting a faint green light. Each page was yin-engraved with a type of punishment pattern, respectively: oil pot, knife mountain, sword tree, fire sea, ice mountain, iron bed, digging heart, pulling tongue, ox pit, millstone, saw dismemberment, stone press, iron tree, twisting intestines, blood pool, etc. When opening the book, the iron pages struck each other, emitting sounds like iron chains colliding. Ning Zhuo only needed to touch the pages with his fingers to make his soul feel different ways of pain.

"These are all good treasures!" Sun Ling Tong was also observing, his eyes shining.

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly and put these away. He was not in a hurry to use them, but instead pondered about the White Paper City Lord. Before, the White Paper City Lord's scheme was obvious and straightforward, making both Sun and Ning quite wary. But after this meeting, Ning Zhuo found that this person acted quite frankly and spoke openly. "She could have secretly hidden the prophecy poem and so on, not telling me, but she did, and didn't worry about me bargaining." "In fact, she's quite generous, not stingy. Just this item, *Lenggu Yuelu Jiu*, exceeded my expectations." "Indeed, she has the air of a heroine." "Did my mother also cooperate with the White Paper City Lord because of this? Are her feelings for the White Paper City Lord the same as mine?" "My mother is truly benevolent and generous, not even wanting the position of Vice City Lord... Compared to my mother, my perspective is just too poor, I can't do this kind of self-sacrifice for others." "Wan Xiang Sect... True Transmission Disciple..."

A knock on the door interrupted Ning Zhuo's thoughts. The visitor was none other than Wen Ruan Yu. Ning Zhuo now understood that this person was his mother Meng Yao Yin's junior brother, a Gold Core level cultivator, and also a true transmission disciple. Wan Xiang Sect was a super sect, similar in status to the Soul Devouring Sect and the Bu Kong Gate. To become a true transmission disciple of such a force, one's cultivation must at least be at the Gold Core level!

"Come in." Ning Zhuo stood up and opened the door. He was not at all surprised by Wen Ruan Yu's proactive visit. This was because the White Paper City Lord had already clearly instructed him to cooperate with Wen Ruan Yu to investigate the high-level internal traitor.

Wen Ruan Yu cupped his hands towards him, a smile on his face: "I will fully cooperate with Fellow Daoist Jiao Ma to complete this important task!"

Since Ning Zhuo captured three Gold Core level ghost generals alive, his attitude and tone towards Ning Zhuo had become very equal. This time, it was the White Paper City Lord herself who personally cared, telling him to assist Ning Zhuo. This made Wen Ruan Yu's posture even lower, subtly regarding himself as Ning Zhuo's subordinate. This person was a Confucian cultivator; no matter what he thought inside, at least his outward attitude was very proper and in place.

Ning Zhuo also cupped his hands in return and transmitted a divine sense message to Wen Ruan Yu, telling him: We will not beat the bush and startle the snake. The identity of Jiao Ma can be maintained, and we should maintain it as much as possible. For the next action, I will, in the identity of Jiao Ma, follow Wen Ruan Yu to detect the internal traitor, and on the surface, take Wen Ruan Yu as the main person. Wen Ruan Yu thought for a moment. This was a steady and cautious approach, and his evaluation of Ning Zhuo rose a little again. He agreed readily.

He asked Ning Zhuo where they should start investigating next. Ning Zhuo transmitted a divine sense message to him without hesitation: "I've already preliminarily thought about it. Let's go to the south of the city first."

When they arrived at the south gate of the city, Ning Zhuo saw the paper person giant statue again, and the numerous cultivators who were actively resting on the battlefield. Ning Zhuo said: "I need to see the various arrangements that Senior Meng Yao Yin made."

Wen Ruan Yu then followed Ning Zhuo's hidden instruction, first letting the other cultivators on site retreat, leaving only the two of them. Then he opened the array for Ning Zhuo and entered the array space together. Here, Ning Zhuo saw the true structure of the array, which was so complex and intricate that it made his head spin.

"Mother is truly formidable!" "In terms of array setup, her attainment is too deep. I can't understand it yet." Ning Zhuo exchanged messages with Sun Ling Tong in secret, with a look of reverence and filial piety. Sun Ling Tong chuckled, thinking: Isn't this array something your mother and the White Paper City Lord spent seven days and seven nights designing together? Sun Ling Tong understood Ning Zhuo's mood and didn't expose him.

Meng Yao Yin was a Gold Core true transmission of a super sect and was proficient in mechanism art, so she was naturally proficient in many cultivation techniques. It was a pity that she passed away early, leaving Ning Zhuo only a set of classics on mechanism art. Ning Zhuo did not inherit her foundation in arrays and could not understand the array here, but he had his own method.

"Senior Wen, please explain the structure to me a bit." Ning Zhuo directly made the request. Wen Ruan Yu immediately patiently explained to Ning Zhuo, telling him everything he knew. Ning Zhuo's foundation in arrays was solid, so he could barely understand two or three points, and made a precise judgment in his heart: "My mother personally set this up initially. If the various arrangements of this array are burned off using the *Fenjing Banruo Jieling Jing*, I should gain quite a lot of spirituality."

After looking at the array, Ning Zhuo again said to Wen Ruan Yu: "Let's go inside the paper person giant statue and take a look." Wen Ruan Yu had no objection.

The Underworld. Deep in the Shui Zang Gu (Water Burial Valley). The gray bone old man sat cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes, and stared with a complex gaze at a skull in front of him. This was the skull of a *Tiangui* (Heaven Ghost), which was a treasure material at the Void Refinement level! Now, the surface of the skull had been refined by the mansion lord to be like melted water, but the inside was still stubborn bone quality.

"No wonder you, Mansion Lord, did not hesitate to spend such a price to painstakingly refine this piece of *Tiangui* bone." "This top-grade talent is complementary to you, Mansion Lord. No, it simply seems like a heaven-made match."

The mansion lord laughed heartily: "If not for this, why would I make such a big fuss?" After obtaining this piece of skull, he carefully researched it and discovered that it still contained a small part of a divine ability. He painstakingly planned for over a hundred years, continuously investing manpower and resources, and finally this year saw signs of great success. Only a small part of the bone quality remained in the middle of the *Tiangui* skull. As long as he thoroughly refined it, the mansion lord could completely absorb it and add a share of talent for himself!

The mansion lord sighed: "I can say I have exhausted my mind to gain this share of talent. Just to obtain the *Tiangui* Transformation Offering Tribulation Ritual, I spent three percent of my mansion's treasury to exchange it with his mansion."

The gray bone old man was silent for a while, then said: "This ritual originates from the Confucian family. It sacrifices heaven and earth. It is virtue in the Underworld and sin in the Yang World. Therefore, it caused countless killing tribulations and blood debts in the White Paper Immortal City."

The mansion lord chuckled coldly: "To achieve great things, one doesn't stick to trifles. I am an Underworld King, do I still need that Yang World morality?" "I must eliminate the White Paper Immortal City. The entire city must be used for blood sacrifice to complete my *Tiangui* Transformation's sacrifice ritual!"

The gray bone old man sighed: "So, this share of the skull is the source of disaster. I borrowed the tribulation energy within it to cast the Tribulation Ash Covering divination technique, but at the same time, I also calculated that you are still one step away from success."

The mansion lord nodded slightly: "I know." "To absorb this share of the skull, I need the foundation of at least a million people's souls, and also sufficient killing energy to control the impact of this external talent." "I am a mansion lord, my soul foundation has already exceeded ten million. A million people's souls are not an obstacle." "And I use the ghost tide to attack the White Paper Immortal City, which can obtain military killing energy to help me resist the impact."

The gray bone old man nodded slightly, then lightly shook his head: "There is still something else."

"Oh?" The mansion lord was surprised and immediately said, "Can Fellow Daoist Gray Bone calculate it for me?"

The gray bone old man shook his head: "I cannot. But I can still remind you one or two, Mansion Lord."

The mansion lord cupped his hands: "Please do not hesitate to teach me, Fellow Daoist."

The gray bone old man said: "It's actually simple to say. According to my divination skill, the various hurdles are actually a struggle for *qi* and destiny." "You, Mansion Lord, are as noble as the master of a mansion. If placed in the Yang World, you are naturally a king of a country, with extraordinary power and nobility." "But this *Tiangui* Transformation Offering Tribulation Ritual involves both the Yin and Yang Worlds. Your position in the Underworld is stable and unbreakable, but in the Yang World, it is a great weakness." "To win in the Yang World, you must gather the strongest strands of *qi* and destiny among them to succeed." "And the *qi* and destiny of the Yang World are obvious. One is the Yin Tide Black Swamp Wetland, two is the White Paper Immortal City, and three are the various super sects."

The mansion lord laughed heartily: "These three, I already have plans. The City Covering Alliance can solve the geographical advantage, the internal traitor can solve the immortal city, and I already have arrangements for the various super sects."

Hearing this, the gray bone old man slowly nodded: "Mansion Lord's plan is well-thought-out, his schemes have accumulated for decades, and his actions are meticulous. According to the current situation, success is a natural development." "However, talent is something granted by heaven. Any acquired talent that we worldly people seek is against the way of heaven and must not be smooth sailing." "Heaven's *qi* and destiny are the greatest. Compared to heaven, we are like mayflies and ants, not worth mentioning." "Therefore, Mansion Lord, absolutely do not be careless. Who knows if heaven has already brewed some variable, but it just hasn't manifested yet."

The mansion lord restrained his smile, a thoughtful expression involuntarily appearing on his face: "If Fellow Daoist Gray Bone says so, wouldn't finding the variable ahead of time and strangling it in the bud be more effective?"

The gray bone old man said: "This is the method of transforming tribulation." "First, finding this variable is already extremely difficult." "Next, you also need to find the accurate time to resolve the variable. To transform the tribulation of heaven's destiny, you must grasp the timing just right, with the most precise ripeness." "A little too early, the variable is eliminated, and other variables will arise, either more or stronger. A little too late, the variable itself has already caused irreversible negative impact."

The mansion lord listened carefully and felt greatly benefited.

White Paper Immortal City. South City Giant Statue. Ning Zhuo and Wen Ruan Yu investigated inside the giant statue. "This is a mechanism creation, but it mainly uses two major cultivation techniques: talismans and paper crafting. Mother's mechanism skills are so strong, and she has such ingenious ideas, I can absolutely not reach this level!" Ning Zhuo's heart was surging with emotion. Although he vowed to study mechanism art, he was still too young, his cultivation had just begun, so his foundation and level all had too much room for improvement.

A flying letter at this moment flew into the giant statue and landed in Wen Ruan Yu's hand. Wen Ruan Yu swept it with his divine sense, his face showing joy: "Fellow Daoist Jiao Ma, good news. The City Lord herself acted and interrogated the three Gold Core ghost generals, gaining a lot of information. They are all from a mansion force in the Underworld, whose name is the Wanghe Mansion!"

"Wanghe Mansion?" Ning Zhuo's expression changed slightly, "This corresponds to a country force in the Yang World. The mansion lord should be at the Soul Transformation level, right?"

Wen Ruan Yu nodded, then comforted him: "Although that's the case, the Yin and Yang are separated. Even if the mansion lord is fierce, it's even more impossible for him to shuttle to the Yang World. Otherwise, if the mansion lord acted personally, our White Paper Immortal City would have been destroyed long ago."

Ning Zhuo narrowed his eyes: "In the past, there were no Yin soldiers or ghost generals. This time, the ghost tide has this new situation. But I heard that the Wanghe Mansion has been secretly acting for a long time?"

Wen Ruan Yu nodded: "That's right. Although the ghost tide is a normal phenomenon, it doesn't happen frequently. The Wanghe Mansion started acting secretly decades ago, contributing to each ghost tide."

Ning Zhuo's eyes immediately flashed with a fierce light, and he gritted his teeth in his heart, muttering: "Wanghe Mansion... Good, very good. You all made my mother pay so much, even shortening her life to protect the city." He thought for a while, then asked again: "Why did the mansion lord start plotting against the White Paper Immortal City decades ago? Could he still want to walk out of the Underworld, risking the world's great disapproval, to plot for the Yang World?"

Wen Ruan Yu shook his head: "I'm not clear about the details. However..."

"However what?" Ning Zhuo pressed.

Wen Ruan Yu hesitated for a moment, then said: "At that time, Senior Sister Meng seemed to have found some clues and had some guesses."

"What clues?" Ning Zhuo asked again.

Wen Ruan Yu shook his head: "I only heard a single instruction from Senior Sister Meng. She left a secret stash for a fated person, specifically targeting the arrangements in this place."

Ning Zhuo heard about a secret stash again and continued to press. Wen Ruan Yu smiled bitterly: "I've been searching for this secret stash for so many years in the White Paper Immortal City, but I've never found anything. Sometimes I also think that perhaps this was a clever move by Senior Sister Meng to use human hearts to dispatch the city's people to actively participate in the city defense, and there is no secret stash itself."

Ning Zhuo nodded and continued to observe. Sun Ling Tong impatiently asked in secret: "Little Zhuo, you've been investigating for half a day, have you found any clues about an internal traitor?"

Ning Zhuo shook his head in his heart and told Sun Ling Tong the truth: "Old Man, I'm not Zhu Xuan Ji, where do I have the ability to solve cases?" "My purpose in coming here is just to look at my mother's personal arrangements and judge how much spirituality I can get from cremating these."

Sun Ling Tong was involuntarily silent. Ning Zhuo chuckled: "Don't consider victory first, consider defeat, right? Eh?"

Sun Ling Tong: "What is it?"

Ning Zhuo's tone changed: "Old Man, look carefully, isn't the mechanism arrangement here an application of one of the items in my mother's classics?"

Sun Ling Tong carefully distinguished: "Indeed. That was your mother's original creation, quite ingenious. Operating it in the positive direction is one set of functions. Operating it in the reverse direction is another kind of power." "This application... I think there must be another hidden space here!" "Little Zhuo!" "Why do you think your mother made such arrangements?"

Ning Zhuo's heart shook, and he almost blurted out: "Secret stash?"