Ning Zhuo's interest was immediately piqued.
Earlier, when Sun Lingtong had taken out the Underworld Ghost God Seal and the Soul Dispersing Rattle Drum, there had not been such a look of surprise on his face.
Could it be that the treasure hidden within Qi Bai's sea of essence was even more valuable than the previous two magical treasures?
Under Ning Zhuo's watchful gaze, Sun Lingtong withdrew the mist and revealed a treasure plant.
It was a small patch of grass.
The plant was about three feet tall. Its roots were thick, covered with bark-like textures, and at the base, the roots were white, gradually darkening towards the leaves until they turned completely black.
The leaves could be divided into two distinct parts.
The lower half of the leaves were withered and curled, resembling ancient scrolls weathered by time; the upper half of the leaves were full of vitality, with clear veins and a faint glow at the edges, like a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
Without needing Sun Lingtong to explain, Ning Zhuo exclaimed, recognizing the origin of the treasure plant: "Ghost Gate Escaping Grass?"
This world is divided into two sides: the Yang Realm and the Yin Realm.
The Yang Realm was the world where Ning Zhuo resided, where the sun rose and set, and life thrived.
The Yin Realm, on the other hand, was filled with wandering ghosts, shrouded in perpetual gloom and deathly aura.
The passage between the Yin and Yang Realms was called the Ghost Gate Pass.
Ghost Gate Pass was a one-way gate.
One could only enter the Yin Realm from the Yang Realm, or enter the Yang Realm from the Yin Realm.
Only near the Ghost Gate Passes that led from the Yin Realm into the Yang Realm could the Ghost Gate Escaping Grass grow.
Its roots were buried deep in the soil of the Yin Realm, absorbing death energy, while its leaves stretched towards the Yang Realm, brimming with life.
Born from death and full of vitality, this grass possessed an extraordinary ability to heal.
Even a mortal on the brink of death could recover quickly just by inhaling its fragrance.
At that moment, Ning Zhuo recalled the battle that had just taken place.
Qi Bai had only needed to catch his breath to quickly recover, turning his serious injuries into minor ones.
It was likely due to this treasure plant!
Sun Lingtong sighed and said, "Every single Ghost Gate Escaping Grass is a Nascent Soul-level treasure. Qi Bai was fortunate to obtain such an opportunity."
"The power he cultivated is Yin-based, making the Ghost Gate Escaping Grass a perfect fit for him!"
Ning Zhuo counted and found that the patch of Ghost Gate Escaping Grass had seven leaves.
"Fortune smiles upon us!" Ning Zhuo stated concisely.
The market value of each leaf far exceeded the cost of all the mechanical constructs he had used in the battle! Moreover, these leaves were highly sought after but rarely available.
The disparity between cultivators was vast, and the higher one ascended, the greater the gap became, even with treasure plants.
The mechanical constructs Ning Zhuo lost in battle were at most made with Foundation Establishment materials. However, the Ghost Gate Escaping Grass was a Nascent Soul-level treasure plant, related to life and healing, which greatly boosted its market price.
"Now that's great news, Big Boss. You don't need to worry about the injuries to your body anymore," Ning Zhuo said with a smile.
Sun Lingtong nodded slightly. "It's a pity that my power isn't Yin-based. To make full use of it, I'll need to set up a formation."
Ning Zhuo, however, didn't immediately reveal it. "I’m not sure if it will work yet. I need to try it first."
"Big Boss, excuse me for what I'm about to do."
"Huh?" Sun Lingtong was bewildered, not understanding what Ning Zhuo meant.
At the same time.
Puppet Immortal City had entered a state of full lockdown.
Chi Dun left the City Lord's mansion, disappointed.
He had just finished reviewing the various records of the formations with Fei Si but did not find what he was looking for.
Fei Si said, "The formation on that battlefield was first tampered with by Sun Lingtong using the methods of the No-Void Sect."
"Later, Qi Bai wiped out all the formation patterns. It's not surprising there are no detailed records of the battle with him."
Chi Dun nodded.
Although they despised each other, he and Fei Si cooperated closely under the City Lord's orders.
The two Foundation Establishment demon cultivators from the Soul-Devouring Sect with hooked noses and triangular eyes had already been arrested by the City Lord's mansion.
Sun Lingtong, Han Ming, and the young puppet master had all been placed on the wanted list, with significant efforts to capture them.
Sun Lingtong's black market had been dismantled, and Han Ming's whereabouts remained unknown.
"Sun Lingtong..." Fei Si sighed internally, feeling it was a pity.
Over the past few years, Sun Lingtong had secretly funneled many benefits his way.
Fei Si had grown fond of someone like Sun Lingtong—not just for the benefits, but because he had brought order to the black market, saving Fei Si a lot of trouble.
Chi Dun remarked, "Previously, Han Ming's whereabouts were unknown, but I suspect she's hiding in some underground base."
"After today’s observation, I realized just how many gaps there are in the grand formation of Puppet Immortal City!"
Fei Si pondered, "A full citywide search would be meaningless. I suspect there are still many such underground bases."
"Why don't we report to the City Lord and request permission to overhaul the grand formation of the city, reducing the gaps between the formations as much as possible!"
Chi Dun thought for a moment and agreed.
Together, they climbed to the mountaintop to seek an audience with the City Lord.
The City Lord
was in the midst of discussing the city's grand formation with Zhu Xuanji.
Zhu Xuanji said, "When the royal family originally constructed the city's grand formation, they were mindful of the Lava Immortal Palace. A large amount of space was left vacant for fear that the formation's operation would interfere with the palace."
Meng Kui replied, "Now that the Lava Immortal Palace has re-emerged, if the royal family were to rebuild the city's formation..."
Zhu Xuanji shook his head. "I didn't come to discuss that with you."
"City Lord Meng Kui, if you have opinions, feel free to report them."
"My main reason for coming here is to inform you and request your cooperation. Soon, I will enter the Immortal Palace myself!"