“You all go on ahead, I’m going back for a moment.” Zhu Xuanji abruptly turned around mid-journey.

Fei Si hastily added, “Together, let’s go together!”

The Zhou Clan’s Patriarch naturally didn’t want to be left out, closely following, “Detective Zhu, did you discover something?”

Zhu Xuanji simply shook his head.

Before long, the three of them returned to the flying disc workshop.

Several cultivators from the workshop were repairing the roof.

With a wave of Zhu Xuanji’s hand, the roof was once again lifted.

The three Core Formation cultivators slowly descended.

“Ah, the three esteemed Seniors!” Ning Zhuo and Chen Cha prostrated themselves once more.

Zhu Xuanji ignored them, walking directly to Yuan Dasheng’s corpse, taking out a vial of medicinal liquid from his robes.

The instant he uncorked the vial, a medicinal fragrance spread, causing a collective tremor in the hearts of everyone present.

Fei Si exclaimed, “A supreme-grade elixir?”

Supreme-grade elixirs were exceedingly rare, each one requiring the perfect confluence of celestial timing, geographical advantages, and harmonious efforts to concoct. Even the creators themselves could not easily replicate such success.

Zhu Xuanji wore a solemn expression, willing to use such a precious treasure to verify what he suspected.

All eyes were focused on him as he carefully dripped a single drop of the liquid.

The liquid landed on Yuan Dasheng’s corpse, instantly permeating it.

Zhu Xuanji and the others waited for a long while, but no change occurred.

Zhu Xuanji sighed, “This old ape’s mind hasn’t been influenced by any external forces recently. This exploding Fire Persimmon Grove was truly its mistake.”

Fei Si’s expression fell, as if to say, “That’s it?”

The Zhou Clan Patriarch merely nodded lightly.

Without even glancing at the others, Zhu Xuanji turned and left, leaping into the air.

Fei Si and the Zhou Clan Patriarch followed suit.

The three Core Formation cultivators departed once more.

Ning Zhuo and Chen Cha continued to deal with Yuan Dasheng’s corpse.

Chen Cha noticed Ning Zhuo’s slow movements, pallid complexion, and weak breathing, and couldn’t help but inquire with concern, “Little Zhuo, these past few days you’ve been rushing to craft automaton monkeys, participated in the Fire Persimmon Festival, and under Fei Si’s orders, coerced Yuan Er to hand over Yuan Dasheng. And finally, you faced the pressure of three Core Formation Great Cultivators twice.”

“You’ve worked too hard; go home and get some rest. I can handle things here.”

Ning Zhuo forced a bitter smile, wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.

“Let me catch my breath first.” He stopped what he was doing, found a stool, and sat down to rest.

A wave of intense fear washed over him, causing his forehead to break out in cold sweat once more.

The situation just now had been extremely perilous!

“Just a little bit more, just a little bit…”

He had just finished draining Yuan Dasheng’s blood when the three Core Formation cultivators had arrived to investigate the corpse.

Afterward, the three cultivators had returned. If Ning Zhuo had truly used the Myriad Buddha Heart Demon Seal to influence Yuan Dasheng, things would have been dire.

Time rewinds to several days prior.

To cope with the crisis of life and death, Ning Zhuo racked his brains.

Yuan Dasheng was strong!

It also had the Monkey Head Gang guarding it.

A direct confrontation was definitely the worst option.

“Borrowing a knife to kill someone means exposing Yuan Dasheng to other forces…”

Aside from scheming how to get other forces to make trouble for the Monkey Head Gang, if someone discovered Yuan Dasheng’s value, Ning Zhuo would be hoisting himself by his own petard.

The biggest limitation was Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji possessed the Source Tracing Divine Art!

If Ning Zhuo used the Myriad Buddha Heart Demon Seal to directly influence Yuan Dasheng, Zhu Xuanji only needed to use the tracing art on Yuan Dasheng’s corpse to find the closely linked subject – Ning Zhuo.

This was equivalent to actively exposing himself.

“How can I save myself?”

Ning Zhuo pondered deeply, racking his brains!

He was trapped in the abyss of thought.

A strong sense of loneliness enveloped him, making him feel as if he had been abandoned by the entire world.

No one knew his true situation. He could not confide in anyone, nor could he rely on anyone.

Fate was cold and cruel, placing a powerful enemy like Yuan Dasheng before him, forcing him to fight to the death.

He surveyed the entire situation, having to fight alone!

When thinking about countermeasures, strong emotions always arose.

Helplessness, powerlessness, disappointment, despair, a yearning to survive, anger, hatred, the unwillingness to betray his mother’s dying wish, a rebellious desire to challenge fate…

Ning Zhuo had to be vigilant at all times, trying to eliminate the interference of emotions, and think calmly and objectively.

He had to find possibilities within the impossible!

And he had to succeed in one go, with the utmost thoroughness. Because if there were any flaws in his plan, he would inevitably burn himself and seek his own doom.

“I still have a lot of key information that I haven’t figured out.”

“For example, how did it obtain the Demonic Blood Tendon Art? How many layers does it have?”

“Wait a minute… Demonic Blood Tendon Art!”

Ning Zhuo, deep in thought, paused for a moment, then his eyes gleamed with brilliance.

Yes, the Demonic Blood Tendon Art.

Once this demonic art was activated, it could draw upon blood essence to condense into blood tendon membranes.

Used on oneself, it could enhance mobility and provide a certain degree of defense.

Used on others, it could use one’s own blood essence to erode and contaminate the other’s blood essence. Once a large number of blood tendon membranes were created inside and outside the target’s body, it could be used to imprison and even control them.

At that moment, Ning Zhuo seemed to see a glimmer of hope in the endless darkness.

“I can use blood essence to infiltrate and influence it.”

“Of course, not my blood essence. If there were conflicting blood essence from a different source, Yuan Dasheng would definitely be able to detect it.”

“I can use its own blood essence!”

Ning Zhuo certainly couldn’t draw blood from Yuan Dasheng. However, the latter had monkey descendants!

“Even if these monkey descendants carry blood from their respective mothers, as long as I collect enough, I can use alchemical methods to purify it, extracting the blood essence closest to Yuan Dasheng itself.”

When Ning Zhuo thought of this, he faced another problem: Would Yuan Dasheng be able to detect this source of blood essence?

“Is it capable of perceiving subtle nuances?”

Ning Zhuo pondered deeply, feeling that the possibility was not high.

“Yuan Dasheng cultivates two arts.”

“One is the Demonic Blood Tendon Art, of unknown origin, at least at the Qi Refining third stage.”

“The other is the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art, obtained from the Scripture Transmission Bell, cultivated to the peak of the Qi Refining third stage, thus allowing its soul to enter the Immortal Palace.”

“Apart from that, it can’t cultivate other arts!”

To enter the Immortal Palace during the Qi Refining stage, one needed to discard all other arts! Unless it was the Spirit Mirror Communion Art, the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art, or the Demonic Blood Tendon Art.

The Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art had to reach the peak of the Qi Refining third stage to trigger the mechanism for the soul to enter the Immortal Palace.

If Yuan Dasheng had other arts, it could only be the Spirit Mirror Communion Art. Once it had the Soul Refining cultivation in that aspect, it would definitely be displayed on the rankings.

But the Soul Refining ranking only showed Ning Zhuo’s pseudonym to this day.

“Without Soul Refining arts, relying solely on Five Elements energy and the Demonic Blood Tendon Art, it’s impossible to perceive subtle nuances.”

“According to intelligence, Yuan Dasheng itself is not good at using magical implements, preferring close combat, fully utilizing the power of its body.”

“Taking a gamble on this aspect, the odds aren’t small.”

Ning Zhuo had no other choice but to gamble that Yuan Dasheng had no other means to perceive subtle nuances.