Chapter 106: Ning Zhuo Under Attack

Ning Residence.

Ning Xiaohui had just taken a sip of tea when her expression suddenly changed drastically.

She accidentally knocked over the cup, immediately dropping to her knees, clutching her neck.

“I—I…” Ning Xiaohui struggled for breath, her face twisted into a terrifying shade of blue and purple.

The tea had numbed her nasal passages and mouth; the poisonous residue from the corrosion filled her nose and mouth, suffocating her!

In the next moment, Ning Xiaohui reached out and fiercely clawed at her throat.

She tore through her own windpipe, blood flowing freely, but by doing so, she managed to breathe fresh air once more.

The Ning family guards rushed over at the sound, aghast at what they saw, hastily reporting the situation.

Ning Xiaohui’s face was grim; her hands were ready to unleash spells, aimed at anyone who dared approach.

The guards dared not act rashly. Only when Ning Xiaohui saw her grandmother did she relax and faint.

---

Ning Zhuo’s Courtyard.

Inside the small secret cultivation chamber within his bedroom, Ning Zhuo closed his eyes tightly, utterly focused.

Drops of fresh blood fell, staining his clothing red.

It was nosebleed.

Ning Zhuo was pouring his all into observing with the Mirror Table Spirit-Communion Technique, controlling the puppet Yuan Dasheng with his mind seal, occasionally directing the spirit power within Dasheng’s body to cast spells.

By the time Yuan Dasheng reached the final gate, it was battered and bruised all over.

Three fingers on its left hand were broken, and its right leg was nearly severed.

It was only under Ning Zhuo’s command that Yuan Dasheng retreated back to the maintenance chamber, repaired itself, and regained the ability to continue exploring.

Although Ning Zhuo’s puppet was not as strong overall as Yuan Dasheng, the two complemented each other perfectly—one attacking from afar, the other engaging in close combat—creating a transformative combat strength.

If Yuan Dasheng charged alone, the difficulty would skyrocket.

Bravely breaking through the three Buddhist Gates, Yuan Dasheng once again stood before the door offering rewards.

Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo chose the “Cremation Prajñā Spiritual Scripture.”

The contents of the Buddhist scripture quickly infused into Ning Zhuo’s mind.

“As I suspected!”

Ning Zhuo was initially elated, then suddenly dazed.

The teachings of the Cremation Prajñā Spiritual Scripture moved him deeply.

Suppressing the swelling, complex emotions within, he commanded the Golden Blood Battle Ape, Dasheng, to push open the door and enter another hall, where he saw three new gates representing Buddhism, Taoism, and Demonic paths.

These three gates required mastery of the three peak six-layer cultivations, beyond Yuan Dasheng’s capability.

Ning Zhuo then invoked the Buddha-Heart-Demon-Print, allowing Yuan Dasheng to retreat smoothly and enter the reward phase once more.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit was furious.

Previously, Ning Zhuo had been cheating alone; now even his mechanical puppet was cheating.

The Immortal Palace trembled as Meng Kui acted again.

The proud Nascent Soul cultivators toiled endlessly, constantly fearing palace upheaval that might trigger volcanic eruptions, causing great disasters and mass suffering.

Yet within the Immortal Palace, all remained serene.

Ning Zhuo still had some small hopes.

“What should I choose this time?”

“Hmm, is there still an Illusion True Lotus Seed?”

“If my guess is correct…”

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and chose the Illusion True Lotus Seed again.

The second Illusion True Lotus Seed was delivered to his Divine Sea via the Lifeline String.

---

It quickly fused with the previously nascent divine ability bud.

Soon, the sprout of the lotus seed grew to twice its original height.

Seeing this, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit’s anger subsided somewhat.

It hadn’t expected Ning Zhuo to take a loss once and still want to gamble further, choosing a second Illusion True Lotus Seed.

All the Illusion True Lotus Seeds rewarded in the Lava Immortal Palace contained part of the essence of Yingtuo’s Lifeline String divine ability.

Quantity was limited and first come, first served, but comprehending the divine ability was extraordinarily difficult.

Ning Zhuo’s choice delighted the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit.

Thus, to the puzzled gaze of the city lord, the Lava Immortal Palace, which had been in turmoil moments before, suddenly calmed down.

“What exactly is going on with this palace spirit?” Meng Kui furrowed his brow, baffled.

Yuan Dasheng pushed open the door and then retreated again to claim rewards.

The third time, Ning Zhuo still chose the Illusion True Lotus Seed.

At this, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit rolled with glee, its mocking laughter echoing through the main hall.

The fourth and final time.

Despite difficulty mounting, Ning Zhuo again chose the Illusion True Lotus Seed.

After fusing three consecutive Illusion True Lotus Seeds, the lotus sprout had grown into a small lotus arm segment.

Along with this came a flood of insights, continuously impacting Ning Zhuo’s spirit like a rushing stream.

He quickly focused to absorb them, and during this process, suddenly opened his eyes.

Deep inside the secret cultivation chamber, surrounded by floating clouds that blocked sight, Ning Zhuo turned his head to fixate on a certain direction, brows knitted tightly, a faint gleam flickering in his eyes.

At the courtyard gate, Ning family’s artifact-refining cultivators were patrolling.

Clatter, clatter, clatter.

A carriage seemed out of control, rushing toward the courtyard.

The Ning family cultivators shouted loudly to halt it, then cast spells.

But the spells couldn’t stop the carriage; it violently smashed through the gate and barreled inside.

After slightly adjusting its direction, it headed straight for Ning Zhuo’s bedroom.

“Enemy attack!”

Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed to have appeared from nowhere, just managing to block the carriage.

Suddenly, their expression changed drastically.

Boom…

The next moment, the carriage exploded, unleashing intense heat and towering flames.

The shockwave spread in all directions.

The explosion was blindingly bright.

The Ning family house initially had its roof blown off, then the walls collapsed, and all furniture and furnishings inside were reduced to ash and dust.

The fierce blast nearly leveled everything around.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the Ning family guards regrouped, left with only two Foundation Establishment cultivators; the other two Qi Refinement cultivators had perished in the blast.

One of the surviving Foundation Establishment cultivators was the one who had blocked the carriage, badly wounded.

Yet he paid no heed to his injuries, frantically searching for Ning Zhuo’s whereabouts.

This was their protected target.

But the building was gone, and even Ning Zhuo’s recently built secret cultivation chamber was reduced to a small pile of broken walls.

---

“It’s over, it’s over… Ning Zhuo is dead!”

“No, we still have hope.”

“Yes, yes, there’s a basement here.”

So the Ning family dual cultivators hastily made hand seals and furiously dug into the ground.

They soon uncovered a passage.

Entering the basement, they found that much of the structure had collapsed.

But to their immense relief, Ning Zhuo was truly there.

“You’re still alive.”

“Thank heavens!”

The Ning family Foundation Establishment cultivators were almost moved to tears with joy.

Ning Zhuo’s breath was weak; he seemed injured.

“Two elder cousins, don’t talk about anything else yet; quickly form a formation to protect me.”

“Also, send a message to the clan at once; have them send reinforcements.”

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators snapped awake, one nodding frantically.

“Yes, yes, that’s the right thing to do.”

A temporary magical array was erected, with Ning Zhuo inside.

Outside the array, the two Foundation Establishment guards remained vigilant.

At the slightest disturbance, they would not hesitate to unleash spells immediately.

Soon after, a large team of Ning family cultivators arrived.

Ning Xiaoren led the way, welcoming Ning Zhuo out of the array.

“Dear nephew, nephew! Hearing about your attack, I was so worried, heart burning with anxiety all the way here.”

“Fortunately, fate was on your side, and you survived this deadly ambush!”

“So dangerous!”

Ning Zhuo first bowed, then asked, “Uncle Ning, the culprit was ruthless enough to blow up my residence, the home my mother left me, now reduced to ruins.”

“Have we caught the demonic cultivator who attacked me?”

“I cannot rest for a moment until he is caught.”

Ning Xiaoren looked troubled, choosing his words carefully to advise Ning Zhuo to remain calm.

“For now, we must escort you back to the clan’s base.”

“You’ll stay at my mansion; it’s much safer there.”

Ning Zhuo had little room to refuse this time.

But after some thought, he said, “Uncle Ning, I don’t want to trouble you all the time.”

“Actually, when I was at the academy, I stayed at my eldest uncle’s house!”

“Perhaps this time I’ll stay there. They’re within the clan’s inner territory anyway.”

Ning Xiaoren considered this and nodded in agreement.

“Fine. If you don’t get used to my place, I won’t force you.”

“I’ll send more guards to watch over you day and night.”

“You may not know, but the Qi Refinement talents among the four major factions of the Volcanic Immortal City have all been assassinated and injured. Ning Xiaohui remains unconscious. Your situation is relatively better.”

Ning Zhuo’s face turned pale with horror, death whispering close.

Ning Xiaoren sighed deeply, brows tightly knit, deeply worried.

End of chapter.