Chapter 118: The Rescue

Ning Zhuo analyzed this and dared not be negligent.

Yuan Dasheng possessed immortal aptitude, which was extremely precious and of immense value! Because it was full of spiritual essence and capable of growth, when paired with the "Suspended Human Threads," it could freely transition into a mechanical body. In this way, if Yuan Dasheng were well-utilized and properly nurtured, it could serve Ning Zhuo throughout his entire cultivation journey.

Setting aside the future, Ning Zhuo relied heavily on it right now to provide challenges and amusement to other competitors for the Immortal Palace. To put it simply, if not for Yuan Dasheng, Ning Zhuo would have been completely overrun by Meng Chong, relying solely on his own mechanical traps. Although he might not have been utterly defeated, Meng Chong’s record for clearing the trials would certainly not have stopped at Room Three.

Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment, recalling the scene where Yuan Dasheng had previously lost control, left the city alone, and remained motionless in a remote wilderness.

"Since Yuan Dasheng wanted to go there, it must hold significant meaning for it!"

"I will take it there directly and see what happens."

As for how to get out?

Ning Zhuo’s eyes rolled, and he quickly devised a reason to leave. He summoned the Ning family guards and told them that he and Zheng Jian had collaborated to create a new mechanical ape. He intended to head into the wilderness to find wild spirit beasts and hone his mechanical arts through real combat.

The guards hesitated, as the assassination attempt had occurred only recently. The risks of Ning Zhuo leaving the city were immeasurable. Ning Zhuo did not make things difficult for them and told them to report it to their superiors.

When Ning Xiaoren heard this report, he thought it over, added two Foundation Establishment stage guards, and took several life-saving items from the family treasury to be delivered to Ning Zhuo.

The fact that Ning Zhuo and Zheng Jian had collaborated to build a mechanical ape was already known to all three major families. Afterward, Zheng Jian had spoken endlessly in praise of the mechanical ape and lauded Ning Zhuo’s mastery of mechanical arts. Ning Xiaoren was, on one hand, eager to see how much combat power this brand-new mechanical ape possessed, and on the other, hoped that Ning Zhuo’s mechanical skills would continue to improve. This would be beneficial for the entire Ning family.

Ning Xiaoren’s reaction was exactly as Ning Zhuo had anticipated. The life-saving items provided were also satisfactory, especially a directional escape talisman that had been locked to the Ning family ancestral home. Once a crisis arose, there would be no need for Ning Zhuo to activate it; the talisman would ignite on its own and instantly teleport him back to the family estate.

"The Ning family is a great cultivation clan; once they truly mobilize their foundations, their strength is evident!"

With this sentiment, Ning Zhuo led a team of Ning family guards and set out from the city in a grand procession. He did not follow Yuan Dasheng’s previous route exactly, but instead chose a longer path, eventually settling near that remote wilderness. He ordered his team to set up camp while he controlled the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, to actively seek out wild spirit beasts to practice with.

With everyone watching, Ning Zhuo could not blatantly let the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, act on its own. If he did, it would surely cause a sensation among the three families—no, the entire city.

Ning Zhuo had a mana thread connected to each of his ten fingertips; the ten threads formed the "Suspended Threads," with their ends linked to the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng. The threads stretched out for three or four zhang, some curved and some straight, acting as a bridge of communication between Ning Zhuo and Yuan Dasheng.

Yuan Dasheng fought the wild beast. At first, it was a chaotic mess—this was Ning Zhuo’s control. Although he had profound knowledge of mechanical arts, the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, was a brand-new creation that required familiarity. Once familiar, Yuan Dasheng fought with method and structure, advancing and retreating with purpose.

The guards were all watching Dasheng’s performance. They discussed it heatedly in private telepathic transmissions.

"This mechanical ape is very strong!"

"It definitely has Foundation Establishment-level combat power!"

"I don’t understand mechanical arts, but I know some artifact refining. The materials used to cast this mechanical ape are of extremely high quality. Even the most basic parts are of Foundation Establishment level, and some are even top-tier materials at the Golden Core level!"

***

Seeing that the time was ripe, Ning Zhuo used the Mirror Platform Telepathic Technique to communicate, allowing Yuan Dasheng some freedom. Yuan Dasheng had long been impatient, but since its master had given a strict order, it had been forced to let its body be manipulated by Ning Zhuo. Many combat opportunities had been missed due to Ning Zhuo’s interference, making Yuan Dasheng increasingly restless.

When Ning Zhuo finally let it act freely, it let out a heaven-shaking roar, startling both the guards and the beast before it.

Yuan Dasheng took a lunging step, covering over a zhang in distance, and charged in front of the beast. It turned its body, raised its arm, and thrust its elbow.

Bang!

The beast was sent flying instantly, breaking several large trees as it tumbled backward.

The Ning family guards were stunned. They felt that in this instant, the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, had come alive. The beast, enraged, stood up and lunged again.

"Take it easy, hold back your strength."

"Play with it properly; no need to kill it just yet!"

Ning Zhuo communicated with Yuan Dasheng. Yuan Dasheng was quite obedient for the moment and immediately complied.

Following this, the guards witnessed a spectacle of the mechanical ape toying with the beast. They watched, one by one, with their mouths agape.

"This mechanical ape is so agile, it’s terrifying—even stronger than I am!"

"Forget about you; even if we all teamed up, I doubt we could deal with it!"

"Is it the mechanical ape that is truly strong? It’s Ning Zhuo!"

"Ah, yes, indeed!"

The guards exchanged these thoughts via telepathy, and their gazes toward Ning Zhuo underwent a dramatic change. Previously, they had been ordered to protect Ning Zhuo because of Ning Xiaoren’s instructions, knowing that Ning Zhuo held a vital role in the Ning family’s grand plan to seize the Lava Immortal Palace. Now, they respected Ning Zhuo from the bottom of their hearts.

The combat power displayed by Ning Zhuo as he controlled the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, exceeded their imagination—it was stronger than the three or four of them working together.

Everyone marveled secretly: "The mechanical ape seems alive; how can Ning Zhuo’s control technique be so powerful?"

"He is clearly only at the Qi Refining stage, and an early-stage one at that, yet by controlling a well-crafted mechanical ape, he possesses combat power that surpasses our own."

"Isn’t this the hallmark of mechanical cultivators, beast-taming cultivators, corpse-controlling and ghost-driving cultivators, and the like? Nothing to be surprised about; throughout history, there have been cases far more exaggerated than his!"

The Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, fought in a humiliating manner, driving the wild boar spirit beast to a breakdown. Exhausted and covered in wounds, the beast eventually collapsed to the ground, motionless, as if accepting its fate.

Ning Zhuo laughed aloud, but he did not kill it, choosing to spare its life. He recalled the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, withdrew his mana threads, and took out a dozen mechanical needles. These needles, varying in thickness, were the "Single-Character Staff Heads."

Ning Zhuo instructed the guards nearby: "Next, I need to change my method of control to verify the limits of the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng’s, ability for long-distance maneuvers!"

"If any accidents occur, please do your best to bring this mechanical ape back."

The guard captain nodded immediately, telling Ning Zhuo to rest assured. His attitude was much more proactive than before. The slight arrogance he had once held due to his superior cultivation had completely vanished.

Only then did Ning Zhuo let Yuan Dasheng head toward the remote wilderness. The Single-Character Staff Heads inserted into Yuan Dasheng’s body rotated slowly over time. As it reached its destination, Ning Zhuo felt a shift in his heart; he clearly felt that the connection between him and Yuan Dasheng had become slightly clearer.

***

It was as if several layers of parchment had been removed from what was previously covered.

When Yuan Dasheng returned, Ning Zhuo checked the Single-Character Staff Heads inserted into its body. He pulled some out to inspect them, twisted others a few more times, and infused them with his divine sense.

He let Yuan Dasheng leave once more, returning to that patch of wilderness. Ning Zhuo’s control over Yuan Dasheng deepened slightly again.

This happened three times, and Ning Zhuo frowned slightly, thinking to himself: "Not enough, far from enough."

To use an analogy, there were hundreds of layers of parchment between him and Yuan Dasheng. Each time it arrived at the destination, three or four layers were removed, then two or three; the effect was clearly diminishing.

The results were bittersweet. The good news was that Ning Zhuo’s hypothesis had been verified: by acting in accordance with the spirit, he could gain the approval of the living spirit within Yuan Dasheng and deepen his control. The worrying part was that the effect of this behavior was not very good. It was like a water bottle being tipped over—only a mouthful or two of water came out, far from enough to quench his thirst.

"What should I do?"

Just as Ning Zhuo was struggling with this, shouts and cries for help rang out from the forest. The guards were on high alert, gathering around Ning Zhuo.

"Something is wrong!"

"Young Master Ning, let’s get out of here quickly!"

"It might be another assassination! We must stop anyone approaching!"

Ning Zhuo, however, wore a strange expression. He stood still and shook his head slightly: "This is indeed an assassination, but it is not aimed at me."

Through Yuan Dasheng’s perspective, Ning Zhuo saw Yuan Er. Yuan Er was being pursued relentlessly by several cultivators. He looked panicked, his body covered in multiple wounds, fleeing in a sorry state with blood spraying along his path.

When Yuan Dasheng spotted Yuan Er, its body shuddered, and a surge of intense emotion immediately welled up, threatening to overwhelm its spiritual essence.

Seeing this, Ning Zhuo had a flash of inspiration and decisively ordered: "Yuan Dasheng, go save him."

The moment the order was transmitted, a dozen more layers of parchment between him and Yuan Dasheng were stripped away.

Yuan Dasheng let out a shout, leaped high, soared over Yuan Er’s head, and landed in the midst of the crowd.

Yuan Er looked up and saw the Tree-War Ape, Dasheng, and could not help but exclaim in surprise: "Uncle Dasheng?"

Meanwhile, in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, in the Black Market, Sun Lingtong led a group of burly men surrounding a stall. He flicked his dagger and shouted in a high-pitched, childish voice: "Hey, if you want to do business here, you have to pay protection fees! You haven't paid yet—how many days has it been?"

The vendor knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly: "Boss Sun, my old mother is critically ill, and my stall income is meager. Can you please grant me some leniency on the protection fee?"

"Bullshit, do you take me for a three-year-old? Trying to trick me!" Sun Lingtong kicked the vendor over, his tone dismissive and his expression fierce: "You think I don't know you?"

He was just about to continue when suddenly, the hair on his entire body stood on end, and he leaped to the side with a jerk.

Zhu Xuanji slowly revealed his figure. "You’re interesting, Sun Lingtong. I only got a little closer, and you sensed me. This pair of spiritual eyes—your vision is not bad!"

"So it is Lord Zhu!" Sun Lingtong hurriedly bowed.

Zhu Xuanji held up a list. "My reason for finding you is simple: tell me where the 'Guest of the Weeping Temple' is!"