Chapter 37: Secret Harm

Ning Zhuo opened his eyes slowly, discovering that his vision had changed greatly, and he was back in his underground workshop.

A strong sense of weakness welled up from the depths of his heart.

Ning Zhuo stood up and examined himself.

"My physical body is fine, but my soul has been weakened too severely."

In Room Number Two, he suffered too many collisions from the giant logs.

"Although this was my first exploration of the Molten Immortal Palace and I didn't enter Room Number Three, I have gained a lot!"

"Especially the spell reward from Room Number Two, which I luckily brought back."

Ning Zhuo did not rush to study the spell he had obtained, but first drank water and ate.

His soul had been pulled away, so his physical body was in a coma; his heartbeat and breathing were maintained, but staying motionless for a long time was also very inappropriate.

After all, Ning Zhuo was only a Qi Refining cultivator and had not specifically cultivated any body-refining techniques. His physical body was not powerful.

While eating and drinking to replenish his body, Ning Zhuo calculated the time before and after.

"The first exploration of the Molten Immortal Palace took about three hours."

"The method for Qi Refining cultivators who have cultivated the Five Elements Qi Law to enter the Molten Immortal Palace is different from before. Previously, it was the true body entering the palace; now, the soul is pulled... this means that even if the City Lord guards the top of Fire Persimmon Mountain, it doesn't have much meaning."

"No, the City Lord should continue to blockade it."

"On one hand, he needs to stop cultivators above the Qi Refining stage from entering the palace with their true bodies. After all, the Molten Immortal Palace has already appeared."

"On the other hand, doing so is also beneficial to his own faction. His grandson, Meng Chong, is still in the Qi Refining stage and had begun preparing to plot for the Molten Immortal Palace long ago. In this regard, the City Lord’s side still has the greatest advantage."

"Meng Chong possesses a super-grade immortal aptitude—Rampaging Thunder! It is simply not something I can compare to."

"Sigh, I wonder which level he has passed? Room Number Two certainly wouldn't stump him."

Mortals with spiritual roots have the basic qualifications for cultivation.

Above spiritual roots, there are countless cultivation aptitudes.

Super-grade talent is called immortal aptitude, which is extraordinary; defeating enemies of higher levels is the norm.

Ning Zhuo’s first exploration, although he didn't enter Room Number Three, had great gains.

The Molten Immortal Palace treats "outsiders" and "its own cultivators" with completely different treatment.

This is very favorable for Ning Zhuo.

According to the previous method, Ning Zhuo would need to face competitors at the Foundation Establishment, Jin Dan, and even Nascent Soul stages.

But now, under this assessment method, his opponents for the time being are only Qi Refining cultivators.

Ning Zhuo recalled the intelligence he had collected.

"Among the Qi Refining cultivators on the City Lord’s side, Meng Chong must be the leader."

"The Qi Refining cultivators of the Zhou family include Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu. These two specifically joined the Mud Flow Gate, and their mechanical attainments are immeasurable."

"Zheng Jian of the Zheng family is the face of the Qi Refining stage; he possesses a superior talent like 'Heart-Piercing Insight,' which is also very remarkable."

"As for the Ning family, among the Qi Refining cultivators of the same level, Ning Xiaohui is the best. However, she is not willing to switch to the Five Elements Qi Law."

"Sigh, these are all geniuses of cultivation."

"Compared to them, I only have the inferior 'Early Wisdom' immortal aptitude, completely unremarkable."

"The key is that they have deep backgrounds and can receive powerful support from their families, or even help from Nascent Soul-level cultivators. I can't; I am too ordinary and can only fight alone. In this regard, I can only look up to them."

Ning Zhuo pondered the situation, his head aching unbearably.

He found a bottle of pills for restoring the soul, poured out a few, and swallowed them with water.

Afterward, he hurriedly threw himself onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

While he was resting, a conflict was occurring in the Zhou family.

"Why can't I use the Gathering and Scattering Wishful Spiritual Tide Array here?" a Qi Refining cultivator shouted, his expression arrogant.

"Because I am here." Zhou Zeshen walked out with a gloomy face.

The Zhou family Qi Refining cultivator’s mouth twitched, and just as he was about to mock, he saw Zhou Zeshen take out a small flag.

He aimed it at the Zhou family Qi Refining cultivator who came to cause trouble, and with just a shake, the soil under the cultivator’s feet turned into a swamp, swallowing him rapidly.

The Zhou family Qi Refining cultivator shouted: "Zhou Zeshen, you are too rampant, actually using force in the clan grounds! Ah—"

He could not speak.

His entire body was almost swallowed by the swamp mud, his chin and mouth submerged in the soil, but his nostrils remained on top, giving him a chance to breathe.

He struggled desperately but could not move, his whole body furious, his face flushed red, his eyes glaring.

Zhou Zeshen sneered, then scanned his surroundings and said to the onlookers: "I know that some in the family are dissatisfied with Zhou Zhu and me."

"But using such petty tricks to disgust people is really underestimating me."

Just then, a sharp alarm sounded from underground.

Zhou Zeshen’s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly turned and ran into the basement.

The Gathering and Scattering Wishful Spiritual Tide Array had already slowly stopped, and Zhou Zhu was lying on the ground, eyes closed, blood flowing from every pore.

"Da Zhu!" Zhou Zeshen yelled, rushed into the array, checked on Zhou Zhu, and gave him emergency treatment.

Not long after, a Zhou family elder with a livid face rushed over: "Investigate, we must find the culprit and punish them severely!"

Zheng family.

In the artifact refining room, it was bustling with activity.

A one-zhang-high furnace opened its mouth wide, the firelight making Zheng Jian’s face red.

At this moment, he was bare-chested, muscles bulging, sweat rolling, refining artifacts with all his might.

He held iron tongs in one hand and raised a hammer high in the other, continuously striking the artifact embryo.

The artifact embryo was quite small, only the size of an infant’s palm.

Suddenly, the artifact embryo shone brightly.

Zheng Jian’s eyes flashed with intensity; he hurriedly put down the hammer, scooped a ladle of water, and sprinkled it directly down.

The clear water hit the artifact embryo, making a hissing sound and steaming out a large amount of white water vapor.

Zheng Jian suddenly felt a hint of danger and hurriedly retreated.

But he had already inhaled a small amount of white water vapor and couldn't help coughing twice, coughing up blood directly.

"Damn it, this water was poisoned!"

Zheng Jian’s face turned pale as he dashed out of the artifact refining room.

City Lord’s Mansion.

A black-clad assassin climbed over the courtyard wall, stepped on the roof, and silently took out a blowpipe-like magic tool.

He secretly used a spell to melt a small hole in the roof, then slowly extended the blowpipe down.

But the next moment, he heard a low roar: "Thief, die!"

The blowpipe was pushed back hard, carrying terrifying electric light, directly piercing through the black-clad assassin’s mouth and shooting out from the back of his head, then disappearing into the high sky at an extremely fast speed.

In the dazzling electric light, the assassin trembled violently a few times.

The next moment, he turned into charcoal and fell headfirst. He rolled down the roof until he fell to the ground.

"Hmph!" In the room, Meng Chong slowly closed his eyes and continued to disperse his cultivation.

Ning family.

Ning Xiaohui stood before the clan leader, with her grandmother and the elder of the Talisman Hall by her side.

"It’s not impossible to make me switch to the Five Elements Qi Law. But I have some requirements!" Ning Xiaohui changed her tune.

It turned out that the Ning family’s main line had never been able to put forward a decent figure, so they could only put forward Ning Xiaohui.

Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother and the Talisman Hall elder who supported her could gradually no longer withstand the joint pressure from others and could only choose to compromise. ===== CHAPTER 38 =====