Chapter 97: Everyone Knows You Were Wronged

Ning Zhuo quickened his pace.

He was venturing into the Immortal Palace with Yuan Dasheng, an undertaking fraught with risk. Meng Chong might force his way in at any moment. Without Yuan Dasheng holding the line in Room No. 3, Meng Chong could easily storm through to the Preparation Chamber.

"I hope Meng Chong stays unconscious long enough to give me more time to explore," Ning Zhuo thought. This train of thought suddenly sparked an inspiration regarding the theory of destiny, leading to many new realizations.

"The Molten Immortal Palace is like an arena. Meng Chong and I are both inside it; even when we aren't face-to-face, our destinies are entangled and consuming one another."

"I took the lead, set traps, and obstructed his path at every turn—I had the upper hand. But he grows stronger in the face of adversity, and through his special training, his strength has improved rapidly."

"When I faced a crisis and had to change my name, I manipulated Han Ming. Yet, in the Ziyang Branch, Meng Chong suddenly burst forth and defeated him. If he had acted more decisively then, or pursued him relentlessly to finish the job, I would have had no other choice. Had my attempt to change my name failed, I would have been indirectly defeated by him."

"Not long ago, I narrowly managed to eradicate Yuan Dasheng. According to Han Ming, my fortune surged as a result. By utilizing Yuan Dasheng, I defeated Meng Chong and left him in a catatonic state, once again pinning him down. I just wonder what kind of formidable state he will be in when he returns, and how much he will have progressed."

Lost in these reflections, Ning Zhuo arrived back before the three doors.

"These three doors are, in fact, a vulnerability. Zhu Xuanji once witnessed Yuan Dasheng using the Demonic Stained Blood Tendon Art. Although it was brief, the aura had already leaked out. If someone masters this dark art in the future, Zhu Xuanji will surely notice the clues, casting new suspicion on the death of Yuan Dasheng. New suspicion leads to new investigations, and such investigations are extremely dangerous for me."

"Alas, if only I could conceal this demonic door."

Ning Zhuo had tried this before; unfortunately, no matter how hard he channeled the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, he could not make the stone wall rise again to cover the entrance.

"The most pressing matter is to seize every moment and opportunity to explore."

Ning Zhuo was racing against time—not just against Meng Chong and Zheng Jie, but against Zhu Xuanji as well.

"This time, I will break through the Buddhist gate first!" Ning Zhuo had already decided. The Golden Blood War Ape, Dasheng, was simply too high-quality and possessed distinct advantages for navigating the Buddhist trials.

However, the first door Ning Zhuo pushed open was the Demonic one. He explored it for a while before stopping voluntarily. His main goal was merely to obtain the blood energy within. He poured every drop of it directly into Yuan Dasheng.

In an instant, the red muscles on Yuan Dasheng began to emit a dark crimson glow. A dense, demonic aura radiated from him, exuding a sense of tyranny and ferocity.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, which had been watching Ning Zhuo, was so furious that fire spewed from its nostrils. Normal competitors could not retreat; they were forced to choose one of the three paths and follow it to the bitter end. But Ning Zhuo, relying on the cheating capabilities of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, had performed a retreat. This maneuver had significantly amplified Yuan Dasheng's power.

It protected Ning Zhuo, rampaging through the Buddhist trials and proving invincible.

"Just as I suspected, Yuan Dasheng had a high level of Essence Refining cultivation before his death, and the Demonic Stained Blood Tendon Art was likely at a high level. Using his complete corpse and soul as the primary materials means the resulting intelligence carries deep imprints of his former actions. When using blood energy, it can even manifest large swaths of blood tendons."

Ning Zhuo cleared the three Buddhist trials and stood before the gate once more. "What reward awaits this time?" He sensed that the reward would be valuable, as the second Buddhist gate had offered no clearance reward.

As expected, when Ning Zhuo touched the gate, he immediately received information. A dozen options left him dazzled for a moment.

His first thought was: "Can I keep retreating and claim all these rewards?"

"Choose one first, then verify. What is the best choice?"

After studying them, Ning Zhuo found that most options were spells or mechanism blueprints; the only unique item was a Lotus Seed of Illusory Truth.

"What is a Lotus Seed of Illusory Truth?" Ning Zhuo asked in his heart.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had been waiting for this and eagerly explained, "The Lotus Seed of Illusory Truth imprints the essence of a divine ability. Once planted, it assists a cultivator in fully comprehending that ability. It is rare, extremely precious, and in limited supply..."

*Snap! Snap! Snap!*

The fire whip lashed out wildly. The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit gritted its teeth, enduring the strikes without uttering another word. Unable to hear the rest, Ning Zhuo subconsciously assumed that was the complete explanation.

"Limited supply and extremely precious! Then I choose this."

Once Ning Zhuo made his selection, a phantom of the lotus seed traveled through the gate and into the deepest part of his Upper Dantian Sea of Consciousness.

"That's it?"

"What now?"

Ning Zhuo stood frozen for a moment, stunned. Once planted, the Lotus Seed of Illusory Truth seemed to vanish, becoming nearly impossible for even him to find. He tried several methods, all of which failed. "Perhaps I can only interact with it once my soul returns to my physical body," he speculated, holding onto hope.

Little did he know, in the main hall of the Molten Immortal Palace, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was lying on its back, pounding its shell with its dragon claws, laughing heartily! Finally, it had managed to trick Ning Zhuo.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit felt the physical pain of the lashes, but its heart was filled with joy. The information it had withheld was that while the Lotus Seed of Illusory Truth was precious, the probability of it helping a cultivator comprehend a divine ability was abysmally low. Many Golden Core cultivators had planted these seeds and realized nothing. This was because all these seeds contained the essence of only one divine ability: "Human Life Hanging by a Thread."

In the eyes of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, for a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator like Ning Zhuo to try and comprehend it was nothing short of a fantasy!

Ning Zhuo pushed through the gate, entered a new hall, and saw a fresh set of Buddhist, Daoist, and Demonic doors. He tried using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal to retreat, but was shocked to find the doors extremely difficult to open.

A sense of foreboding washed over him: "Could it be that the influence of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal is no longer sufficient at this depth?"

Watching this, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit became much calmer. It knew the true reason: it wasn't that the seal's influence was insufficient, but that Ning Zhuo was only at the Qi Refining stage and could not draw out much of the seal's power. Reaching this depth, he could no longer easily influence the gate mechanisms unless his cultivation improved significantly—which was impossible to achieve in a short time.

Ning Zhuo paid a heavy price to successfully retreat and return to his previous position. He touched the gate again, found he could choose another reward, and opted for a spell. He pushed through the gate again, entered the hall, but decided not to retreat further. The cost was simply too high.

Ning Zhuo reached out to the three doors. He found the mechanics were largely the same as before. By touching the surfaces, he obtained the fourth through sixth layers of the three respective cultivation arts.

"Finally, I can continue my cultivation. These arts came just in time!"

Ning Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had suspected as much, only now, with his suspicions confirmed by reality, did he truly feel at ease. After looking around and finding nothing else, he retreated once more, selected a final reward, and retraced his steps.

He returned to Room No. 3 and left Yuan Dasheng there. He then returned to Room No. 2, finding everyone else still trapped and completely oblivious to the outside world. Ning Zhuo jumped into a pit and waited silently.

Once the others had exhausted their soul energy and were returned to their physical bodies, he waited a little longer before using his Trial Disciple mark to easily return his own soul to his body.

Two days later.

Ning Xiaoren invited Ning Zhuo into his study. Upon entering, he found Ning Ze kneeling on the floor, his head bloodied from being struck by an inkstone.

Ning Xiaoren looked pained and said to Ning Zhuo, "At first, I didn't want to believe it, not until the evidence was laid before me, and until I personally confirmed it from your uncle's own lips."

"Nephew Ning Zhuo, I never expected—I never could have imagined—that your uncle would be so shameless! To embezzle the cultivation funds I secretly provided for you every year!!"

Ning Zhuo's pupils dilated; his face showed disbelief and rage.

"Uncle, is this true?!" Ning Zhuo roared at Ning Ze.

Ning Ze’s body trembled. He looked up slowly at Ning Zhuo. His eyes were clouded, his face a mask of misery, and his body bore the marks of severe interrogation. Ning Ze stared at Ning Zhuo, then at Ning Xiaoren, whose gaze was sharp and unforgiving.

Ning Ze’s heart turned to ash. He took a deep breath and said in a heavy, hollow voice, "Yes. It was me."

Ning Zhuo swayed, stumbling back a step, and was steadied by Ning Xiaoren’s hand. Unable to bear the blow, Ning Zhuo squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down his cheeks. His vision went dark.

He thought of the past.

"Kneel!" Ning Ze held a bamboo rod, his voice stern.

Young Ning Zhuo held his head high. "Why are you punishing me? I told you, I didn't do it! I really didn't!"

*Crack.*

The bamboo rod struck hard. A red welt appeared on Ning Zhuo’s cheek, which immediately began to swell. Ning Zhuo still held his head high.

Ning Ze flew into a rage and swung the rod again.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

Ning Zhuo was struck behind the knees and forced to the ground.

"Uncle, why don't you believe me? I've been framed! I didn't do this! *Sob...*" Ning Zhuo raised his arm to wipe his tears.

"Still being stubborn!" Ning Ze threw the rod aside and turned to leave. "You will kneel here until you admit your mistake. You won't get any dinner until you do!"

That night, Ning Zhuo knelt from dusk until dawn, eventually fainting.

The next morning, Wang Lan said to Ning Ze, "Husband, though Little Zhuo is wild, he is honest. At least, he has never lied to us. I don't think he did this."

Ning Ze snorted coldly. "Of course I know he was framed."

"But what could I do?"

"The father of the child who actually did it is an elder of the War Hall. We cannot afford to offend them!"

"If Ning Zhuo just admits to it, the matter is resolved. Being stubborn will only bring us more trouble!"

Wang Lan gasped, "Ah, so that's it."

"Husband, you did the right thing."

"What does it matter if a child suffers a little grievance or is wrongly accused?"