Chapter 111: The Primate Moves at Full Capacity

Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

The Ning family carriage moved along the street at a steady, moderate pace. Pedestrians along the way took the initiative to step aside. This was because both the carriage cabin and its flags were emblazoned with a large "Ning" character. The carriage itself radiated the aura of multiple magical artifacts, indicating a high status typically reserved for prominent figures. Even those who could not recognize the artifacts could see the display of power: the carriage was escorted by eight cultivators—four at the Qi Refining stage and four at the Foundation Establishment stage. Given such an entourage, even a fool would understand that someone of great importance to the Ning family was inside.

That someone was Ning Zhuo.

The geniuses of the Qi Refining stage from the four major factions in Fire Persimmon Immortal City had all been assassinated in quick succession. This had severely alarmed the four factions; not only did the three families cooperate more closely, but they also increased protection for their respective geniuses. Ning Zhuo benefited from this, traveling in such a high-spec carriage.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged inside the carriage, surrounded by swirling floating clouds. Ning family cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, using their spiritual sense to probe the situation, could not help but admire Ning Zhuo’s diligence. Those who had been guarding him for a long time gradually realized how hard-working he was, pushing himself to the point of extreme perseverance. He had almost no activities for leisure or relaxation, as if some terrifying giant beast were chasing him from behind, ready to devour him the moment he slowed his pace.

The floating clouds could shield the fluctuations of his breathing. In truth, even if they were leaked, it would not matter, as reaching the upper limit of a cultivation technique requires daily practice to refine new mana for use. Using floating clouds to cover his practice was entirely reasonable. Whether it was his past experience of hardship and loneliness or the recent assassinations, everything made one feel a severe lack of security. Using such actions to fill that inner sense of security was only natural.

In reality, however, Ning Zhuo was remotely controlling Yuan Dasheng.

Ning Zhuo had first taken out the Golden-Blooded War Ape, Dasheng, and secretly placed it in Ning Ze's residence. Once he left the family estate and boarded the carriage, drawing all eyes to himself, he quietly began to remotely control Yuan Dasheng, triggering it to start its operation on the other side. Through the Mirror Terrace Spiritual Connection Technique, Ning Zhuo could observe the environment around Yuan Dasheng at all times. Thanks to the Heart Seal planted by the My Buddha Heart Demon Seal, Ning Zhuo could control Yuan Dasheng even without spiritual sense or puppet strings. Furthermore, Yuan Dasheng itself possessed a certain level of intelligence and could understand relatively complex instructions. This gave Ning Zhuo’s current operation a high probability of success.

Yuan Dasheng donned the Gray Iron Han Armor, which possessed the ability to disguise. This time, it was disguised as an ordinary cultivator. As Ning Zhuo rode in the carriage, Yuan Dasheng walked along a nearby street, brushing past pedestrians in broad daylight. Upon reaching the vicinity of Ning Zhuo’s small courtyard, Yuan Dasheng quickly slipped into an alley and, seeing no one around, ducked into the sewer. At a certain point in the sewer, it touched a wall brick, activating a hidden teleportation array.

The next moment, Ning Zhuo felt his control weaken; Yuan Dasheng had been teleported to the underground base. This was where Han Ming was being held, the transit point for every one of Ning Zhuo’s black market excursions, and the place where he once stored fire essence. Yuan Dasheng approached the furnace, opened its storage bag, and tossed everything inside into the furnace. Afterward, it closed the furnace door and channeled spiritual power into it, slowly increasing the furnace's intensity. The temperature of the air rose, and the crimson light gradually dispelled the surrounding darkness.

The Gray Iron Han Armor still covered Yuan Dasheng. It sat cross-legged in front of the furnace and, with Ning Zhuo’s assistance, began to drive the Cremation Prajna Spirit-Dissolving Scripture. As the spiritual power followed the path of the Buddhist scripture, it gradually revealed its mysterious capabilities. Inside the furnace, the scarlet flames burned, rapidly melting all items associated with Yuan Dasheng. From the flames, specks of pink light began to rise.

The pink light, fine as snow, danced on the tips of the flames. When the cremation ended and Yuan Dasheng opened the furnace door, these specks of spiritual light, like swallows returning to their nests, required no effort from Ning Zhuo. Having no other object to inhabit, they instinctively flew into Yuan Dasheng’s embrace, filling its spirituality. Its original 79 percent spirituality climbed rapidly. After a few breaths, some pink light spots swirled outside Yuan Dasheng’s body, unable to enter, and could only dissipate with regret.

Because Yuan Dasheng’s spirituality had reached perfection. Ten-tenths, self-sufficient. This was a qualitative turning point; from this moment on, Yuan Dasheng’s spirituality could recover on its own, rather than relying solely on external supplementation.

"Very good, very good!" Inside the carriage, Ning Zhuo smiled, his expression weary. After all, this was his first time exerting the Cremation Prajna Spirit-Dissolving Scripture at full power, and remotely at that. Fortunately, his soul was profound, and his spirit was solid. His current Mirror Terrace Spiritual Connection Technique had already reached the sixth level. Among the three-three gate techniques, this cultivation was peerless.

"Return along the original path," Ning Zhuo commanded, but the next moment, the smile on his face froze. From the Golden-Blooded War Ape, Dasheng, came a clear refusal.

Ning Zhuo: "?"

The Golden-Blooded War Ape, Dasheng, controlling the Gray Iron Han Armor, slowly stood up. It looked around in confusion, then looked down at its own hands, feet, and body. It felt extremely puzzled. It did not know who it was, nor did it know where it was.

Ning Zhuo hurriedly sent the instruction again. Yuan Dasheng felt a voice in its mind telling it what to do, but it chose not to listen. It reached out to touch its chest. Deep within, a surge of intense anger and hatred, like a flood bursting through a dam, surged and poured out. Yuan Dasheng was almost instantly engulfed by these powerful emotions. It let out a low roar, emitting a miserable, apelike cry.

The sound awakened Han Ming in her cell. Han Ming had been recuperating for the past few days. Before Ning Zhuo left, he had loosened her restraints. Although she was still chained, her range of motion now covered half the cell. At the same time, Ning Zhuo had set up mechanisms here to feed her at fixed times. To accommodate her needs, he had added a small wooden partition in a corner of the cell with a waste bucket. Once the waste reached a certain level, the brick at the bottom would open, and clean water would flush it away. To keep her from feeling lonely, Ning Zhuo had also placed some books in the cell covering a wide range of topics to help her pass the boring time.

Even so, Han Ming was nearly at her breaking point. She wanted to see the "Chui Bin Ke" (the masked figure); even seeing a cockroach would have cheered her up and brought her a sense of happiness. Thus, when she heard the cry of the ape, she was instantly terrified, then ecstatic. She rushed toward the cell door but was jerked back by the iron chains halfway. Han Ming fell onto the cold floor and screamed toward the door, "I’m here! I’m here!"

"Master, is that you? Have you come?"

Yuan Dasheng heard Han Ming’s voice but ignored it. The intense hatred came and went quickly, like a thin layer of ice on the sea. Beneath the ice was a vast ocean of immense sorrow. The feeling of grief was so thick that it deeply immersed and buried Yuan Dasheng’s spirituality. Yuan Dasheng’s eyes, originally mechanical and dull, now revealed an incomparably deep sadness and mourning. It moved slowly, its footsteps heavy, like a walking corpse, and left the underground base through the teleportation array.

Han Ming was left behind, still screaming miserably. She seemed to be struggling, fighting hard, not wanting the dungeon to return to deathly silence. "Please, Master, are you outside?"

"Please, I don't want to be locked up anymore."

"I'll do anything, just let me out. I can't take it anymore, I really can't take it, wuwuwu."

Han Ming collapsed. The silence that returned to the underground base felt like despair itself gripping her throat. She cried for a long time until she fainted. Ning Zhuo, through Yuan Dasheng, sensed Han Ming’s movements, but he could no longer manage it.

"Yuan Dasheng, stop! Halt!"

"Return along the original path! Return!"

Ning Zhuo communicated intensely through the Mirror Terrace Spiritual Connection Technique, but it was useless. Yuan Dasheng’s spirituality rejected the command.

"Full spirituality—I didn't expect it to have such a drawback."

Ning Zhuo, inside the carriage, was extremely nervous. Once Yuan Dasheng was exposed, it would point directly to his fatal flaw. The My Buddha Heart Demon Seal. Ning Zhuo closed his eyes tightly, calling upon the treasure seal with all his might, so much so that two streams of blood flowed from his nose.

It was useless. He only had the cultivation of the Qi Refining stage, and he could only draw out a sliver of the seal's power. He was too far from Yuan Dasheng, and because of Yuan Dasheng’s autonomous actions, the distance between them was only increasing. Even using the Heart Seal only made Yuan Dasheng’s movements stiff and sluggish; it could not play a decisive role.

Through the Mirror Terrace Spiritual Connection Technique, Ning Zhuo saw that Yuan Dasheng had already left the sewer, stepped out of the alley, and arrived on a street bustling with people. For a moment, Ning Zhuo had the urge to jump out of the carriage and run directly toward Yuan Dasheng. But soon, he suppressed this foolish thought.

"Calm down. Calm down."

Ning Zhuo’s breathing steadied, his eyes cold. He told himself to be calm, and he actually adjusted his state in an instant. The efficiency of it surprised even him. He quickly assessed the situation. Yuan Dasheng was covered by the Gray Iron Han Armor; it was not in the form of an ape, but that of an ordinary cultivator. This was not conspicuous in Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

"The situation is not yet the worst it could be!"

"Emotional surges have great impact, but they are not lasting. Didn't the previous rage and hatred get replaced by sorrow? Once the emotions subside to a certain level, my control over Yuan Dasheng will recover. On the contrary, if I lose my composure and jump out of the carriage to run toward Yuan Dasheng, that would be the biggest blunder."

Amidst the floating clouds, Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and completely calmed down. With so many people guarding him, he needed to continue toward the Zheng family.

"Even if Yuan Dasheng is exposed, I still have my final trump card!"

"Unexpected changes have occurred, but compared to the crisis of the leaderboard name change and the plot to kill Yuan Dasheng, this is nothing."

Since blowing up the Immortal Palace, Ning Zhuo had grown rapidly. Not just in his cultivation, but in his state of mind.