Chapter 752: Ning Zhuo: I have come to uphold justice

This conversation between the Ban family’s Supreme Elders and the Wandering One Loose Immortal changed Ban Ji and also changed the entire Ban family.

After the Supreme Elders discussed it fiercely for three days and three nights, they made a major decision—to fully support Ban Ji in becoming king!

They secretly utilized the Clan Destiny Pivot Chain to tightly link the destiny of the Ban family and Ban Ji, forming the closest connection where one prospers and one suffers together.

This became the family’s biggest secret!

They constantly consumed the Wandering One Loose Immortal’s precious materials to divine the path forward for Ban Ji.

Ban Ji also grew rapidly on the calculated path, and even though he practiced the demonic path and frequently had extreme actions, he always maintained a good relationship with the family.

For this session of the Flying Cloud Assembly, the Ban family and Ban Ji had already started preparing more than a decade ago.

Whatever was calculated, they prepared for.

Of course, because the time interval was long, sometimes the results calculated earlier and those calculated later contradicted each other.

Divination is just a calculation and deduction; the operating results of the real world will also change due to many unexpected factors.

A few years ago, the Supreme Elders used the Clan Destiny Pivot Chain to calculate that the starting place of Ban Ji’s King’s Mandate was at the main gate of the Myriad Phenomena Sect. The time was this session of the Flying Cloud Assembly.

All subsequent divinations pointed to this result.

Qing Huangzi’s inheritance [Empty Valley Note Green Mechanism Tube], Che Zhuzi’s Void Spider Silk, and Blind Foolishness’s Blind Foolishness Divine Art were all Ban Ji’s cultivation resources, the fuel for the formal eruption of the King’s Mandate————

In addition to the Rising Cloud Small Trial, there were various tasks upon formally arriving at the Flying Cloud Assembly.

The family also thoughtfully arranged the order for Ban Ji to obtain these opportunities. Frequent divinations caused the family’s destiny to constantly decline, secretly consuming massive resources and paying an extremely heavy price.

The Ban family appeared glamorous on the outside, but their various expenditures for Ban Ji almost emptied the family treasury.

Fortunately, this was the final investment period; once the King’s Mandate formally erupted, its power would manifest. At that time, one would sit at home and blessings would come from the heavens. Everything would be smooth sailing, and even with slight setbacks, one would be able to turn bad luck into good, and even gain blessings from misfortune.

The Ban family’s decades of cost-no-object investment would also enter a period of return.

Mechanism Cave Abode.

Ban Ji, covered in sweat, is grinding his teeth, cutting off the mechanism foreign object at the end of his right leg.

Some blood splatters out, but the wound is immediately sealed by magic power, stopping the bleeding almost instantly.

Ban Ji performs healing measures.

The technique he uses is extremely proficient, almost becoming an instinct.

There is no other way; he has experienced this situation too many times.

Soon, his right leg grows back; the newly grown patch of skin is clearly much fairer and more tender than other parts.

Ban Ji moves his calf, ankle, and toes, and stands up weakly.

He walks to the carriage-cabin-sized mechanism aggregate in front of him, cautiously takes out a scroll, and pours magic power into it.

The scroll sprays out countless tiny runes; the runes surround the surroundings, forming a three-dimensional magic array that wraps the mechanism aggregate.

Subsequently, Ban Ji murmurs, increasing the magic power input, causing countless runes to bloom with brilliance; the magic array activates with full force, the brilliance stinging the eyes, but it disappears immediately.

Along with the disappearance of the magic array, Ban Ji’s right calf also disappears.

The scroll becomes heavy, several times heavier than before. Countless runes form circles, and at the very center is a picture of a carriage-like mechanism, with a giant iron hand growing beneath the mechanism. The entire mechanism emits wisps of purple intent.

And these purple intents have already begun to permeate and erode the surrounding runes.

The runes are temporarily firm, but Ban Ji knows very well that these runes can only last for a few months at most before they collapse. At that time, Ban Ji will have to use the magic array to seal it again.

Of course, this is no longer his business, but the Ban family’s business.

Since more than a decade ago, Ban Ji has started using various methods to suppress his Immortal Endowment, the Myriad Mechanism Demon Monster. He lets it activate only every once in a while to exert its power.

Every time the Myriad Mechanism Demon Monster acts up, Ban Ji’s body will alienate, forming a strange and terrifying mechanism aggregate.

These mechanism aggregates are essentially irrigated with the principles of mechanism arts, the Demonic Sect, and the Strange Dao. They look strange and harmful, but their actual value is quite high.

They are equivalent to secret manuals and classics, recording the principles of the three aspects, bestowed by the heavens!

Because of this Immortal Endowment, the Myriad Mechanism Demon Monster, these heaven-bestowed principles are carried by Ban Ji’s physical body.

In over a decade, the number of these flesh-and-blood classics has approached ten thousand.

Ban Ji has not successfully read a single "classic."

"If it were just the principles of mechanism arts and the Demonic Sect, ordinary people could read and learn them. But the Strange Dao is mixed in————sigh!"

Ban Ji sighs deeply, rolls up the sealed scroll, and temporarily puts it into his bosom.

His eyes flash with sharp light, and he thinks to himself: "This time, surviving the Immortal Endowment activation was much easier than before."

"It’s all thanks to the Blind Foolishness Divine Art."

"Heh heh. The world thinks that I mastered the Blind Foolishness Divine Art to deal with enemies. In reality, using it on myself was my original purpose!"

According to the previous intensity, Ban Ji would have to cut off at least two legs, and sometimes even sever his lower body at the waist, just to survive one round of principle irrigation.

But this time, Ban Ji severed his right leg, and not even the whole thing.

The help the Blind Foolishness Divine Art gave him is indeed huge, for all to see!

"For my sake, Father almost exhausted the family wealth and risked his old face to activate the Clan Destiny Pivot Chain multiple times just to calculate the path forward."

"The Blind Foolishness Divine Art really has a miraculous effect on me!"

"Then the previous [Empty Valley Note Green Mechanism Tube], Void Spider Silk————"

Thinking of this, Ban Ji’s face turns gloomy.

He grinds his teeth, and cold murderous intent permeates from the bottom of his heart: "Ning Zhuo, just keep these two opportunities with you for now."

"Hmph, when the time is ripe, I will come to take them myself."

"My human tribulation, I will break it myself!"

"At that time, taking your life along the way is not out of the question."

"And before that, the inheritance of the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor is the most important. If I can obtain this soldier armor, I’m afraid I can have a positive influence on the mechanisms that my flesh-and-blood body mutates into when the Immortal Endowment activates, or even control them!"

Time is limited, and this inheritance is clearly more important.

Ban Ji can only put Ning Zhuo aside for now.

The next day.

Ban Ji arrives at Soldier Armor Peak early.

This mountain peak stands above the sea of clouds, looking like a giant bronze blade pointing obliquely at the sky from afar.

The towering mountain body is composed of countless ink-green rocks layered together. Red-gold mineral veins seep out from between the rock crevices, like blood grooves after a weapon has been quenched.

The main mountain ridge is as sharp as the back of a knife, and hundred-forged rock slabs extend from both sides; although the rock slabs are also ink-green, they carry a grayish-white luster.

Red-gold mineral veins appear mostly in the middle of the mountain belly. Looking from afar, it is as if streams of golden water are constantly overflowing from the peak of the mountain, eventually gathering in the mountain belly, accumulating into golden rivers and golden lakes.

The inheritance place of the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor is not on the peak, but in a cave in the mountain belly—Profound Armor Cave!

"It’s Ban Ji!"

"It really is him."

"Bad luck, how did I run into him here?"

"Steady, the Rising Cloud Small Trial for the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor happens every session; although there is competition, it is not intense."

"Yes, there are rarely any deaths in the Profound Armor Cave, and as long as you reach the third level, every cultivator can get a piece of armor."

Many cultivators recognize Ban Ji.

Ban Ji also obtained a stone tablet; although the limelight was not as strong as Ning Zhuo and Situ Xing in the first wave, he still stood out.

More importantly, many rumors circulating at the Myriad Phenomena Sect’s main gate recently involve Ban Ji and Ning Zhuo.

Ban Ji leans against the mountain wall, listening to everyone’s discussion about him, his eyes narrowing, revealing an amber cold light from the slits of his eyes.

As time passes, more and more cultivators gather at the entrance of the Profound Armor Cave.

They are also sizing each other up and exchanging pleasantries, silently calculating the strength of their competitors and their own position among them.

Naturally, there are not many cultivators who can attract Ban Ji’s attention.

"Ao Pan. Golden Core body cultivator, skilled in whip techniques. His tendons and meridians stretch like a dragon, capable of being extracted from the body to crush magic treasures."

"Zhang Wangxing. Foundation Establishment level body cultivator, combined with low-grade talent, can cause his entire body’s flesh and bones to undergo violent deformation, changing inexplicably."

"Tie Zheng. Golden Core level martial cultivator, skilled in blade techniques, raising twelve Golden Core level blade beasts."

"Lu Zeng. Golden Core level mechanism cultivator, skilled in making various mechanism components, capable of adapting to massive mechanism creations."

Regarding the Rising Cloud Small Trial for the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor, naturally, there is more than just this round. Ban Ji surveys them, and there are only four who can make him vigilant.

Because the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor itself is at the level of a spirit treasure, and every piece of armor is at the level of a magic treasure, it is quite practical, so it attracted the participation of Golden Core level cultivators.

Some Rising Cloud Small Trials have strict requirements for cultivation level from the publisher. For example, Qing Huangzi’s Rising Cloud Small Trial only required Foundation Establishment level cultivators to participate.

The two small trials of the Confucian cultivator group secretly took care of Ning Zhuo, limiting the cultivation range to the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.

The Rising Cloud Small Trial for the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor is limited to the range of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core.

But in reality, Qi Refining stage cultivators rarely come to participate. The biggest prize here, the Nine-Layer Armor pieces, are each at the magic treasure level, which is a bit too high-grade for Qi Refining cultivators and not very applicable.

With so many Rising Cloud Small Trials, Qi Refining cultivators naturally choose those that are suitable for them, helpful, and have a good chance of success; there is no need to come to the Profound Armor Cave to join the fun.

It is not that no cultivators have come to take risks.

But the result of joining in blindly is often becoming a laughingstock and becoming entertainment for others.

Ban Ji silently evaluates his true opponents: "Only four pose a threat; there are many people, so the probability of running into them is not high."

"Even if we run into each other, we should restrain ourselves and eliminate others; that is the wise move."

Ban Ji’s own cultivation is at the peak of Foundation Establishment, but he has Golden Core level combat power. So, facing Golden Core cultivators, he is not afraid at all.

While he is observing others, others are also observing him, seeing Ban Ji leaning against the mountain wall with an aloof posture, squinting his eyes to size up others, indeed possessing a certain bearing.

Whether it is his Ban family background or his stunning combat record against Golden Core cultivators in the past, others attach great importance to him.

Many experts are also evaluating and thinking about which objects to avoid as much as possible in the upcoming Rising Cloud Small Trial.

Suddenly, Ban Ji’s eye slits widen, he changes his standing posture, turns around, leans his back against the mountain wall, his eyes blooming with sharp light, grinds his teeth, and stares fixedly at mid-air.

Seeing Ban Ji facing a great enemy, everyone is also startled, following his line of sight, and turning around to look.

They see a white-clothed youth riding a mechanism python made of green bamboo, drifting over.

The youth’s head is slightly large; it is Ning Zhuo.

The mechanism he is riding is the Forest-Piercing Green Python Shaft from the inheritance [Empty Valley Note Green Mechanism Tube].

"Ning Zhuo! How did he come here?!"

"Did he guess I was here? Or was my intelligence leaked?!"

In an instant, Ban Ji’s expression changes drastically, revealing a sense of anger.

"The mechanism python he is riding, looking at its workmanship and style, should be Qing Huangzi’s inheritance?"

"Hateful! This should have been mine!!"

Thinking of this, a surging hatred reveals itself in Ban Ji’s eyes.

The cultivators become restless at this moment.

"It’s Ning Zhuo!"

"Although this child is not from our country, he is talented and has a bright future; he is a top-tier genius of this session."

"Is Ning Zhuo here for the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor, or specifically to snipe Ban Ji?"

"Hahaha, no matter the reason, there will be a good show to watch."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it is impossible for Ban Ji to leave————does he still want the Ban family’s face?

Ban Ji himself does not know the secret of his King’s Mandate. He sees and remembers how much the Ban family has paid for him.

Therefore, he will consider the Ban family.

Ning Zhuo lands on the ground, bows to the cultivators around him, and introduces himself with a smile.

Most cultivators return his smile or nod to show goodwill. No one wants to offend a talented cultivator with a bright future. According to past conventions, almost all cultivators who emerged in the first wave were absorbed by the Myriad Phenomena Sect.

After Ning Zhuo greets them, he walks straight toward Ban Ji.

The crowd watching the show immediately makes way for him.

Ning Zhuo is expressionless and stands in front of Ban Ji: "Fellow Daoist Ban Ji, we meet again."

Ban Ji grinds his teeth, murderous intent surging; he wishes he could take action on the spot and grind this white-clothed boy into dust.

But this is the Myriad Phenomena Sect’s main gate, and there are rules; he cannot take action, and he dares not take action.

Ban Ji only says fiercely: "Ning Zhuo, this time is not like on Green Bamboo Peak. You actually came to block me again; who gave you the guts? Why do you think you can defeat me? Heh heh, you will eat the bitter fruit of your own arrogance!"

Ning Zhuo immediately shows a solemn expression: "Eat the bitter fruit? I walk straight and sit upright, upright and clean; what evil deeds have I done? And how could I eat the bitter fruit?"

Ning Zhuo frowns, righteously saying: "On the contrary, it is you! Evil deeds will surely lead to self-destruction! You plotted to harm me just to covet my Golden Core mechanism puppet. You must know, I came to deal with you this time, not just for myself, but for the thousands of innocent people who have been persecuted and plotted against by you!"

"Your Ban family wants to offer heavy gifts to settle the matter?"

"Hmph, how could I, Ning Zhuo, be someone who forgets righteousness for profit? You underestimate me too much!"

"I came here this time to deal with you, to stop you, to let you know what is eating the bitter fruit, what is called evil not overcoming righteousness, and what is called justice must prevail!"