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Zhu Xuanji got straight to the point, saying that as soon as he heard about the attack, he rushed over.

"This might be the work of the shadow demon cultivators! According to our previous assumptions, someone secretly released them."

"This is an evil force lurking in the shadows!"

"If we hadn't discovered it in time, I'm afraid the two Qi Refining geniuses of our Zhou family would have perished." The Zhou family patriarch's expression was grave.

Zhu Xuanji held the dead ant corpse in his hand, his eyes radiating golden light as he activated the Trace Back Art.

He remained silent throughout.

The Zhou family patriarch, with a hopeful expression, asked if Zhu Xuanji had found anything.

Zhu Xuanji shook his head!

"Your family's evidence alone is not enough; I need to check with the other families."

Zhu Xuanji bid farewell to the Zhou family patriarch.

He then visited the City Lord's Mansion, the Zheng family, and Ning Zhuo's courtyard one by one.

The results of his investigation were as expected.

There were clues, and plenty of them.

The problem lay in the abundance of these clues.

The Trace Back Art could detect closely related things, but this closeness could involve many aspects.

For example, from the poison residue that harmed Ning Xiaohui, Zhu Xuanji found related ingredients, the herbal boy who prepared the medicine, the servant who delivered the medicine, and so on. Could he determine that the herbal boy or the servant was the culprit based on this?

No!

Because they were closely related to the preparation and delivery of the poison.

But could he be sure they weren't the culprits?

Also no.

Because they might have secretly poisoned the medicine during preparation or delivery.

The Trace Back Art could only uncover clues, and the real investigation had to rely on Zhu Xuanji's various interrogation techniques.

However, Zhu Xuanji decided to stop.

There were too many clues; if he continued to investigate, it would consume a terrifying amount of energy and time.

Zhu Xuanji suspected that the culprit had deliberately set this up to delay his investigation.

Just like the previous incident with the Huoshi mechanical monkeys attacking Yuan Er.

Afterward, Zhu Xuanji traced many clues from the remains of those mechanical explosive monkeys.

Were these clues useful?

Of very little value.

What Zhu Xuanji liked to see under the Trace Back Art was only a few clues.

The fewer the clues, the more valuable they were for further investigation.

But now, every piece of evidence had so many clues.

The culprit's intention to counter the Trace Back Art was very clear.

However, this was also within Zhu Xuanji's expectations.

As the fame of the Trace Back Art spread, many powerful individuals or forces would consciously prepare defenses against it.

All the techniques under heaven were tools to help cultivators better achieve certain goals.

Since they were tools, they could be countered.

What was difficult to counter were always the strongest among people, not the most excellent tools.

There was no invincible technique, only invincible cultivators.

"I had originally hoped that the culprit would slip up, but that was wishful thinking!"

Zhu Xuanji left the four major forces and decided to continue with his original investigation plan.

"Perhaps my methodical investigation has already put pressure on the culprit, which is why these recent attacks occurred, trying to divert my attention."

Zhu Xuanji had been frowning the entire time.

After a round of investigation, he felt that something was amiss.

There was something strange, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't pinpoint anything specific.

Not only that, but the strange feeling also dissipated afterward.

Zhu Xuanji's subsequent actions left the patriarchs of the three major families disappointed.

The three family patriarchs met in secret to discuss a grand plan.

"Detective Zhu is truly disappointing."

"Perhaps he has already discovered which force is responsible, but due to his position, he cannot make it public."

"What do you mean?"

The three patriarchs fell silent.

Though not explicitly stated, they all knew it referred to the City Lord's Mansion.

Whether it was the previous attack or this one, the City Lord's Mansion actually suffered the least losses.

No!

More accurately, they had benefited from the disaster.

Meng Chong's fame soared after eliminating the assassins twice, firmly suppressing the Qi Refining geniuses of the other three families.

"Since Meng Kui took office, he has maintained good relations with our three families. This time, it might not be his doing. After all, Meng Chong's will has always been ahead in the exploration of the Immortal Palace," said the Zheng family patriarch.

The Ning family patriarch also analyzed, "After the last attack, I did suspect the City Lord's Mansion. But this time, the intensity of the assassination was extremely high, with the intent to kill all the Qi Refining geniuses of our three families. Perhaps there really is a hidden force plotting against us."

The Zhou family patriarch shook his head and sneered, "None of our three families' genius descendants died, did they?"

"Even if they had, could it be traced back to the City Lord's Mansion?"

The Zhou family patriarch sighed deeply, "The Meng family is a great family of our Southern Dou Immortal Country!"

"When the Meng family cultivators act, they are generally impulsive and aggressive!"

"Especially the four generals of the Meng family, each one has a record of great military achievements and slaughtered countless enemies!"

"Let’s not even talk about the other three fierce generals. Meng Kui, who is one of the four, may appear peaceful, but that’s all an illusion.

"Think about it; since he took office, have our three families had a good time?"

"Hasn't it been much more oppressive compared to the previous city lords?"

"I wonder if you two have investigated Meng Kui's past battle reports."

"This person is even better at scheming than our Zhou family. He has a nickname, ‘The Prime Minister on the Mountain Top.'

"Is someone like that easy to deal with?"

The Ning family patriarch mused, "Now that you mention it, I have to admit I feel the same."

"As for the Lava Immortal Palace, it was the City Lord's Mansion that discovered it first."

"Next came the Zhou and Zheng families."

"According to the information our family gathered, we know that your two families secretly bribed Meng Kui heavily to keep him from reporting to the court."

"But if you think about it, if Meng Kui had reported it immediately after discovering it, what business would we have?"

"On the surface, it seemed like the Zhou and Zheng families took the initiative to seek his cooperation, but could that have already been part of his scheme?"

The Zheng family patriarch snorted coldly, "Very likely."

"Meng Kui is actually more difficult to deal with than the others in the Meng family because he's more insidious!"

"Relying on the Lava Immortal Palace, he made our three families cooperate with him willingly, allowing him to govern the Immortal Palace with efficiency and harmony all these years."

"Earlier, he deliberately released information, relaxed monitoring, and attracted countless rogue cultivators and demon cultivators to explore the Red Flame Demon Molten Cave."

"Over the years, countless people have died. These people risked their lives, killed numerous Red Flame Demons, and greatly reduced the pressure on the Immortal Palace, allowing the City Lord's Mansion to gradually gain detailed information about the Immortal Palace, the Red Flame Demon Molten Cave, and more."

"If the City Lord's Mansion had handled everything on its own, the City Guard's forces would likely have been wiped out by now."

The Zhou family patriarch added, "Since the emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace, Meng Kui has personally overseen it, suppressing the palace and forbidding anyone from approaching."

"Hmph."

"His excuse is very clever, extremely legitimate."

"In reality, his actions have completely prevented our three families' cultivators from entering the Immortal Palace to explore its treasures."

In the past, when the Zhou and Zheng family cultivators wanted to enter the Immortal Palace, it was very troublesome. They had to climb to the volcano's peak, enter the Red Flame Demon Molten Cave, and choose the correct path to enter the Immortal Palace within the mountain.

During this process, they also had to face the Red Flame Demons along the way.

Finally, the cultivators would reach the Immortal Palace.

But they couldn't break in; only those with mechanical skills already recognized by the palace spirit could enter.

Originally, with the emergence of the Immortal Palace, the cultivators of the three families could have entered and exited frequently.

But Meng Kui's personal suppression prevented the three families from accessing the Immortal Palace.

Although the City Lord's Mansion didn't have cultivators entering the Immortal Palace either, the three families knew that in this aspect, the City Lord's Mansion was far less competitive than during the Qi Refining stage.

In the Qi Refining competition, Meng Chong was a super genius. This advantage was simply too great.

The Zhou family patriarch looked solemn, "At this point, finding the real culprit is not as important as the Lava Immortal Palace."

The other two patriarchs nodded in agreement.

The Zhou family patriarch seized the opportunity, "We can only resist the City Lord's Mansion if we unite and cooperate more closely."

"As a gesture of goodwill, I am willing to fully open the Gather-Disperse Spirit Tide Formation and offer it for your families' use."

The Ning and Zheng family patriarchs were somewhat surprised.

The Zhou family patriarch had previously been adamant about not opening the Gather-Disperse Spirit Tide Formation during their negotiations.

Unexpectedly, after this

assassination, which dealt the Zhou family's two geniuses the biggest blow, the Zhou family patriarch decided to offer the Gather-Disperse Spirit Tide Formation.

"Good!" The Zheng family patriarch said excitedly, "In that case, I will bring out our family's secret treasure—the Sharp Advance Needle."

The Ning family patriarch nodded, "Then my Ning family will offer the Ice Light Strong Vein Talisman!"

"The Gather-Disperse Spirit Tide Formation can help cultivators gather and accumulate strength more quickly."

"The Sharp Advance Needle can open up a cultivator's qi veins during the Qi Refining stage, saving them from painstaking refinement."

"The Ice Light Strong Vein Talisman can cover a cultivator's qi veins with a layer of ice light. With this protection, the cultivator can absorb qi at three times their usual limit without worrying about their qi veins collapsing from the surge of mana."

The three families' genius cultivators had all been injured and needed time to recuperate.

They urgently needed to improve the cultivation of other members of their teams.

These assassinations made the three family patriarchs realize the harshness of the competition and the strength and ruthlessness of their opponents.

They lowered their pride and became more proactive in their cooperation.

At Ning Ze's residence.

In the dining room.

"Mother, how long do we have to wait?"

Ning Ji had just reached out with his chopsticks to grab some food, only for his mother, Wang Lan, to hit his hand with her chopsticks.

Ning Ji, in pain, quickly withdrew his hand.

Wang Lan glared at her son, "What's wrong with waiting a bit?"

"Your father is still in the private prison; how can you eat so calmly?"

Ning Ji rubbed his hand, "But we don't need to wait for Ning Zhuo to start eating. We never had this rule before. Didn't we always eat first?"

Wang Lan snorted, "How can now be the same as before?"

"Ning Zhuo has gained such favor with the young patriarch. As long as he puts in a good word for your father, he can be released!"