The third day, the fourth day…

Every day, clansmen from various branches proactively sought refuge with Ning Zhuo, offering their services.

Ning Zhuo, never one to refuse, accepted them all.

But what pleased him even more were the former stewards.

These elites among the Foundation Establishment cultivators discreetly approached Ning Zhuo, each recommending their descendants to him.

Such actions carried profound significance within righteous sects.

It signified that these Foundation Establishment cultivators had genuinely submitted, acknowledging Ning Zhuo’s future and willing to entrust their descendants to him, all while securing a path for their progeny.

Ning Zhuo, however, had different expectations for these individuals.

He noticed that the descendants of these former stewards were generally young and of lower cultivation.

Ning Zhuo presented a cold demeanor: “If you wish me to accept them, then they must discard their current cultivation and switch to the Five Elements Qi Harmony Art.”

Many hesitated, concerned about the lack of subsequent cultivation techniques, and only a small number of former stewards immediately agreed.

In a small courtyard…

Ning Houjun and Ning Youfu, two former elders of the clan, were engaged in a game of chess.

Ning Youfu held a chess piece, lost in contemplation for quite some time.

Ning Houjun couldn’t help but urge him: “Make your move already!”

Ning Youfu placed his piece on the board and sighed, “Fast, too fast.”

Ning Houjun chuckled, “Are you talking about Ning Zhuo? The speed at which this junior has risen is indeed much faster than you or I imagined.”

Ning Youfu sighed again, correcting him, “It’s far too fast.”

“Ning Xiaohui’s attempt to frame him was originally a crisis, but Ning Zhuo resolved it perfectly. In fact, it has become a huge opportunity for him.”

“Tell me, does this lad possess the skills himself, or is someone guiding him from behind?”

Ning Houjun glared, “What do you mean? Praising yourself in front of me?”

Ning Youfu laughed heartily, “Old friend, you’re still hiding it from me even now? You’re quite slow at chess too!”

In the clan leader’s study…

Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother dragged Ning Xiaohui along to pay respects to the Ning Clan Leader.

“Kneel!”

Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother commanded sternly, “Look at the mess you’ve made!”

Ning Xiaohui gritted her teeth and immediately knelt before the Ning Clan Leader, saying through clenched teeth, “Clan Leader, I know I was wrong. This time, I was too jealous of Ning Zhuo. When I heard that the Ancestors needed Nightwind Malleable Iron, I reported Ning Zhuo without thinking. I was too rash.”

“This has instead given him a golden opportunity to rise.”

At this point, Ning Xiaohui bit her lip in anger.

She was furious.

She had originally thought she could sabotage Ning Zhuo, causing him significant losses and forcing him to swallow the bitter pill, but in the end, she was the one who ended up looking like a fool.

What she thought was a trap had instead given Ning Zhuo an opportunity, bringing him to the attention of several Golden Core cultivators, greatly enhancing his reputation, and rapidly expanding his personal strength in recent days.

Just thinking about how she had facilitated all of this made Ning Xiaohui want to commit suicide.

Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother watched the Ning Clan Leader’s expression closely: “Clan Leader, although Xiaohui is my own granddaughter, this time she acted on her own initiative, causing significant losses to the clan’s main branch. The severity of her punishment is entirely up to you.”

The Ning Clan Leader stared at the grandmother and granddaughter before him, knowing that their proactive admission of guilt and acceptance of punishment was the path that would minimize their losses. He couldn’t help but snort coldly, “Naturally, she must be severely punished. However, Ning Xiaohui, you are currently involved in the Ancestors’ artifact refinement, and your role is not insignificant.”

“This Clan Leader will order you to atone for your sins through service.”

Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother was overjoyed: “The Clan Leader is wise! Thank you, Clan Leader.”

Once the grandmother and granddaughter had left, the Ning Clan Leader reached out in anger, grabbed the inkstone, and threw it out.

After smashing a few objects on the desk, he vented his anger, stabilized his emotions, and looked dejected.

Ning Zhuo had gained too much power.

In just a few days, the changes had been earth-shattering.

A casual remark from the Ning Clan Ancestor had been fully utilized by Ning Zhuo, allowing his power to expand at least sevenfold.

His status within the entire clan had directly leapt several levels.

“Ning Zhuo wants the descendants of some Foundation Establishment cultivators to switch to the Five Elements Qi Harmony Art. He wants to bypass the limitations of the clan’s cultivation techniques and forge a new path to advancement.”

“His ambitions are clear for all to see.”

“It was the Lava Immortal Palace that gave him this opportunity. Without the Immortal Palace, no matter how outstanding he was, what could he have done? It’s all a matter of timing and fate.”

“Wasn’t he greedy and miserly? How could he have done so well this time? Who exactly is guiding him from behind?”

Thinking of this, the Ning Clan Leader felt even more disheartened.

“Actually, it doesn’t matter who is guiding Ning Zhuo.”

“What matters is the attitude of the Golden Core Ancestor.”

“The source of power, the greatest part of it, is violence.”

“Golden Core cultivator Ning Jiufan is the strongest in the entire clan, so he naturally holds the highest power.”

“Ning Jiufan is encouraging Ning Zhuo. This is Ning Jiufan’s attitude, and it is the reason why the entire main branch of the Ning Clan is filled with unease.”

The Ning Clan Leader smiled bitterly to himself, “Ancestor Ning Jiufan has a debt of gratitude and affection towards our main branch, but over the years, we have troubled him so many times that the debt has been depleted.”

“Over a decade ago, during the conflict between the main and branch lines, the Ancestor was already dissatisfied with the main branch’s harsh punishment.”

“He hopes that the entire Ning Clan can grow stronger, not just the main branch.”

Realizing this, the Ning Clan Leader knew that he could not stop Ning Zhuo.

He had originally wanted to use the matter of Ning Zhuo collecting clan members’ flesh and blood to make a fuss.

Now that Ning Zhuo had gained the Ancestor’s approval, for him to step out and expose Ning Zhuo would be like slapping the Ning Clan Ancestor in the face.

He would be an idiot to do that.

All the Ning Clan Leader could do was secretly plant his people into Ning Zhuo’s forces.

Ning Zhuo quietly expanded his scale.

Now, the number of clansmen who regularly offered him flesh and blood was at least three times greater than before.

This meant that the speed at which Ning Zhuo cultivated the Demon-Infused Blood Meridian Art had also increased threefold.

Ning Zhuo claimed to the outside world that he wanted to refine a substitute puppet and needed to use flesh and blood from the same source for research.

No one doubted him.

All doubts, at this moment when he was riding high, were firmly suppressed in the deepest recesses of their hearts.

With the approval of the Golden Core Ancestor, who would dare to doubt him?

Ning Houjun and Ning Youfu expressed their appreciation, feeling that Ning Zhuo’s cultivation was too weak, only at the third level of Qi Refining, and that he should master some life-saving techniques.
Ning Youfu even gifted Ning Zhuo a talisman: “This is a Substitute Talisman, given to you for thorough research. Remember to return it to me once you’ve made progress.”

A Substitute Talisman could, at a critical moment, bear the brunt of an attack in place of the cultivator’s true body. If used well, it could save a life.

Resources and treasures that could save lives were always the most precious.

Ning Youfu valued Ning Zhuo’s potential, and was willing to offer his own life-saving item for Ning Zhuo to study, in order to express his goodwill.

Ning Zhuo’s rise was unimaginably rapid.

This former family elder, seeing the signs, had no choice but to accelerate the pace of his investment.

Otherwise, once Ning Zhuo had truly grown his wings, the cost of investing in him would be much greater.

He might not even have the chance anymore.

Ning Zhuo had not expected to receive such an unexpected gain.

Immediately, he secretly decided that such a valuable item must be kept.

“Researching Substitute Puppets is far too difficult.”

“Studying it for ten or eight years… wouldn’t be excessive, right?”

The loss of the Nightsilk Iron did not hinder Ning Zhuo’s continued crafting of Golden Core-level mechanical apes in the slightest.

His influence was rapidly growing, and by cooperating with the Zhou and Zheng families, he could amplify his voice even further.

Outsourcing the dirty and tiring work, Ning Zhuo leveraged the power of the three righteous families of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, commissioning them to craft treasures on a grand scale.

“This junior, Ning Zhuo, is indeed interesting.”

Zhou Nongying said.

“No wonder even that treacherous fellow Fei Si acknowledged him!”

Zheng Danlian chuckled.

Ning Jiufan simply smiled, remaining silent.

Ning Zhuo’s affairs stirred up a tempest within the Ning family, and its aftershocks rippled through the Zhou and Zheng families as well.

Recently, Ning Zhuo had become the most outstanding figure among the righteous cultivators.

And the source of all this was merely a single sentence from Ning Jiufan.

Ning Zhuo’s affairs, falling into the eyes of the Golden Core Ancestors, were at most intriguing, a diversion for idle chatter after meals.

“The Nightsilk Iron has been inspected, with no problems found, and has undergone preliminary processing. Everyone, let’s prepare to begin the refinement.”

Zheng Shuanggou said.

The Golden Core Ancestors chose an auspicious time and sat down in the center of the formations.

The light of the Heavenly Craftsman Lamp suddenly flared up.

Vast, boundless earthfire, purified by the formation, expunged of all fire fiends, toxic gases, and impurities, was channeled into the Heavenly Craftsman Lamp.

The lamp’s flame abruptly grew sevenfold, transforming from the size of a fingertip into a cup.

The Golden Core cultivators’ divine senses delved into the lamp flame, being slowly consumed by the burning heat.

The lamp flame appeared small, but in reality contained hidden mysteries, possessing the power of Sumeru within a mustard seed.

Within the flame was a sea of fire.

Regardless of the scorching crimson flames, the mechanical weapon, like an ancient giant serpent, remained stubbornly untamed.

The two Golden Core cultivators from the Zheng family took turns performing refining techniques.

A volcano rose from the sea of fire, towering majestically, suppressing the mechanical weapon within its form.

The surrounding flames surged towards the volcano, transforming into streaks of red light as they entered.

The red light shone brightly, gradually softening the mechanical weapon within the volcano.

Portions of Golden Core-level materials were successively poured into the volcano, transforming into streams of five-colored smoke that merged into the mechanical weapon.

Finally – the Nightsilk Iron.

The molten iron was poured over, mixing with the streams of smoke, quickly solidifying and thoroughly filling the mechanical weapon’s deficiencies.

However, the black serpent roared, resisting fiercely, turning its serpentine body, its head facing backward, actually attempting to bite its own vitals.

“Monstrous creature, will you not submit, and surrender obediently?”

Zheng Shuanggou roared, fully deploying his techniques.

Flames formed into chains, binding the black serpent securely.

The Zheng family patriarch stepped into the outer formation, fully utilizing his innate talent – Thousand Hammer Refinement.

Within the world of the lamp flame, crimson flames coalesced into a multitude of hammerheads, swarming towards the black serpent, enveloping it and continuously striking down.

Bang, bang, bang…

With each strike, the serpent’s resistance diminished slightly, and the fire hammer disintegrated as well.

After thousands of strikes, the black serpent collapsed to the ground, weakened, but the expression on its serpentine head remained fierce and untamed.

Zheng Shuanggou, his face covered in sweat, released his control, quickly sat down, and swallowed pills one after another, desperately replenishing his reserves.

Zheng Danlian shouldered the responsibility alone, urging the flames to continue refining the mechanical weapon.

The black serpent exuded a dense shadow, like willow branches swaying and undulating, effortlessly resisting the raging flames.

Seeing this, Zhu Xuanji’s eyes flashed with golden light: “This seems to be an artifact of the Nightsky Dynasty. You scheming lot, making me, a member of the Southern Dou Kingdom’s royal family and the Divine Arrest Division, help you refine forbidden items.”

Zhou Nongying smiled: “Lord Zhu, your words are inappropriate. As far as I know, the Southern Dou royal family has not strictly prohibited Nightsky Dynasty artifacts.”

Zhu Xuanji’s expression turned stern, and he coldly snorted: “Nightsky demonic weapons, although incredibly powerful, are deeply imbued with demonic nature, often devouring their masters. If not handled carefully, they could become the culprits of our downfall. This weapon cannot be used.”