Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master-Chapter 1266 - 490: Abandoned Temple (Part 2)

"Joining other sects might be difficult for him, but not Myriad Images Sect, as its doors remain open. This is the magnanimity that encompasses all rivers, truly remarkable, and worthy of being the top sect in Flying Cloud Country!"

Ning Zhuo set aside his overwhelming thoughts, striding forward as he concentrated on the current trial.

"Blood Village is the first test. Cultivators must uphold justice and overcome pride in their hearts, treating mortals with caution."

"The Demon Seed is the second test. To clear this hurdle, cultivators need to resist the pressure of competition and the selfish desire to win."

"Judging by this, the second trial of the Evil Slaying Hall is not just testing the cultivators’ various techniques; it’s also testing the cultivators’ character."

"These two trials seem to be telling me—often, to act justly, one must first conquer oneself."

With such awareness, Ning Zhuo officially stepped into the third test.

Before him stood a dilapidated temple. The dark red mist was thicker than in the first test of Blood Village, nearly congealing into tangible blood-colored dewdrops suspended in midair, with every breath feeling like the viscous warmth of blood.

"Daoist Brother Ning Zhuo!" A clear call made Ning Zhuo turn around.

In the next moment, he saw Yun Niaoniao emerging from the smoke and clouds on the other side.

Yun Niaoniao’s eyes shone brightly as she approached quickly, her plain white dress stained with mottled dark red by the blood mist, yet it did not diminish her gentle and peaceful demeanor.

"Finally, I meet Daoist Brother Ning." Yun Niaoniao’s tone carried a trace of relief and expectation, "With you around this time, Niaoniao feels much more at ease."

"Daoist Friend Niaoniao." Ning Zhuo was about to speak further when another figure appeared from the smoke.

The newcomer wore a washed-out blue robe, a long sword without a sheath hanging at his waist, the sword’s body dim yet subtly exuding a sense of sweeping righteousness.

His face was gaunt, about forty years of age, with graying temples, but his eyes were as clear as spring water. In his stride was an air of straightforwardness, the blood mist unable to approach within three inches of him.

"Lu Xuan’an greets the two Daoist friends." The newcomer cupped his hands, his voice calm yet resonant like the ringing of a sword.

Ning Zhuo returned the gesture, understanding—this was ’Righteous Sword’ Lu Xuan’an, who had severed a spirit vein and damaged his Dao Foundation to protect mortals, a former true disciple of Qingyun Sword Sect mentioned in the pre-test intelligence.

The three were already familiar with each other’s intel, and after a brief exchange, they agreed to join forces.

Ning Zhuo took the lead, with Yun Niaoniao and Lu Xuan’an on either side, entering the dilapidated temple together.

The temple’s interior space was cramped, packed with seven people—no, six living people, plus one whose breath was weak.

Most noticeable was the Foundation Establishment Cultivator lying in the corner. Wearing the attire of the Evil Slaying Hall, there was a deep, bone-revealing wound on his chest, simply bandaged, but dark red blood still oozed out. His face was deathly pale, unconscious, with only a faint breath remaining, in a perilously dangerous state.

Three children huddled in another corner, the oldest no more than seven or eight, the youngest only four or five. Their eyes were frenzied, uttering meaningless growls, their hands constantly scratching their skin, already covered in multiple blood marks. A female cultivator was attempting to cast a mind-calming spell, barely maintaining control; any lapse could lead to the children fully losing their minds, beyond retrieval.

Two middle-aged villagers lay in the center, their faces ashen, breathing rapidly, with veins bulging like worms on their chests, indicating deep blood mist erosion, likely to turn into demons at any moment.

Finally, leaning against the stone wall was a middle-aged man in black. His eyes were half-closed, his hands bound by specially crafted forbidden technique chains, with a faint and ironic smile at the corner of his mouth. Despite his pale complexion, the blood mist’s effect on him seemed minimal, instead forming a faint halo around him.

The information transmitted through Divine Sense simultaneously reached the Divine Sea of Ning Zhuo, Yun Niaoniao, and Lu Xuan’an, informing them of the details.

Bound by chains was an Evil Cultivator, a contact developed by the Evil Slaying Hall’s cultivator; he possessed critical clues about the original body of the Blood Fog Demon Seed.

The unconscious Evil Slaying Hall cultivator, in cooperation with a passing female cultivator hero, accidentally discovered the Demon Seed’s original body, but it managed to escape. In the end, the Evil Slaying Hall cultivator barely rescued several mortals, paying a heavy price and falling into a dying state.

The trial had strict restrictions, Ning Zhuo and others were not allowed to use their personal items or spells.

Ning Zhuo squinted slightly, puzzled, "In the previous test of the Demon Seed, there were clear requirements in the Divine Sense Transmission. But this time, there isn’t any. Are we meant to act freely?"

Yun Niaoniao frowned, "If we can’t use our power, what is the difference between us and mortals?"

Lu Xuan’an pondered, "This might be requiring us to work collaboratively. As for the limitation, in my view, it should encourage us to make the most of available resources. There should be some clues or key items on their bodies, right?"

Ning Zhuo nodded, agreeing with Lu Xuan’an’s assessment.

Upon hearing this analysis, Yun Niaoniao’s eyes lit up and she stepped forward to converse with the female cultivator.

Though the female cultivator knew little, she was willing to actively cooperate with Ning Zhuo and the others.

Eventually, Ning Zhuo and the group gathered three items from the Evil Slaying Hall cultivator, the evil cultivator contact, and the mortals.

A jade-green elixir pill, emitting Vitality Qi; a pale golden protective talisman, with intricate patterns; and a jug of clear Spiritual Liquid, enough to fill about three small cups.

Lu Xuan’an found himself in a dilemma, "Our colleague from the Evil Slaying Hall is gravely wounded and requires the elixir pill to sustain his life. The three children have their minds eroded by the blood mist; without the Spiritual Liquid to cleanse their Divine Souls, they’ll become completely mad in no more than two hours. As for the two villagers... the blood mist has reached their heart vessels, but fortunately, the protective talisman can help delay the effects, giving us a chance to treat them."

He paused and looked at the middle-aged man in black, "This person is an evil cultivator contact, possessing some kind of protective secret technique within, rendering the blood mist’s effect on him minimal..."

The middle-aged man in black looked at Lu Xuan’an, "Let me go! And I’ll give you the information about the Demon Seed’s original body. I know where it ran off to!"

The three of them exchanged glances.

This was the first time the man in black spoke. When Lu Xuan’an rummaged through his possessions earlier, he remained silent, without even struggling.

The man in black fixed his gaze on the pale golden protective talisman, "That’s my talisman! Without it, I couldn’t have made it through such dense blood mist. Give it back to me, let me go, and I’ll reveal the clue immediately."

"Heh, your time is running out."

"Soon, the Demon Seed’s original body will escape. You’ve been at this for so many years, Evil Slaying Hall’s manpower, so close to capturing the original body."

"The original body has been heavily damaged; it will surely need to hide. It’ll be extremely difficult to capture it in the future!"

Ning Zhuo remained silent, contemplating deeply.

The man’s words in black had made the situation even more complex.

The healing resources were limited.

If they let the man in black go, the resources would be even more limited, clearly insufficient to rescue everyone.

This forced Ning Zhuo and the others to make a difficult choice—who to sacrifice and who to save.

Meanwhile, the matter of the Demon Seed’s original body must be prioritized.

Ning Zhuo sent a Divine Sense Transmission to the other two, "This test has prohibitions but no standards for passing. However, I think we should still obtain this critical clue."

Lu Xuan’an immediately agreed, "This is the trial of the Evil Slaying Hall. On the surface, there’s no passing standard, but it’s already clear. We must act righteously and uphold justice!"

"The original body of the Demon Seed is of paramount importance, being the source of this disaster. Letting it go would be disregarding the bigger picture."

"However..."

Lu Xuan’an looked at the two unconscious middle-aged villagers, the three frenzied children, the dying Evil Slaying Hall cultivator, and the female cultivator barely maintaining her spell, falling into extreme distress.

He was hailed as the Righteous Sword, not bearing to see mortals caught in the crossfire of cultivator conflicts, knowing the difficulties in ending the disputes, he severed a spirit vein, leaving nothing for all parties to dispute over, at the cost of his own cultivation and being expelled from his sect.

Undoubtedly, Lu Xuan’an possessed a spirit of sacrifice.

The same was true for Yun Niaoniao, who held deep compassion for mortals.

If not for these traits, neither would have passed the first test at Blood Village. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Yet at this moment, their qualities of sacrifice, kindness, and compassion had become obstacles and weaknesses.