In Ning Zhuo’s small courtyard.

A pair of mechanical arms, like ice crystals, are crystal clear with graceful curves. The ten fingers are long and delicate, round and smooth as pearls and jade. The runes on the palms and backs of the hands resemble ice flowers, exuding a cold and sacred aura.

This is a mechanical component – The Floating Ice White Jade Hand.

Its talent – Ice Grease Jade Hand!

A chilling aura enveloped Buddha Physician – Meng Yao Yin, causing her to freeze rapidly.

To amplify the power, Ning Zhuo activated a temporary formation. The core of the formation was the Ice Heart Jade Pot! He had specially borrowed this from Ning Jiu Fan.

With the combined enhancement of the Ice Grease Jade Hand and the Ice Heart Jade Pot, Buddha Physician – Meng Yao Yin was frozen within a massive block of ice. The dents and other imperfections on her body rapidly repaired themselves.

Moments later, the ice block disintegrated and melted. Buddha Physician – Meng Yao Yin stood up, motionless.

“How is it?” Sun Ling Tong, who had been assisting in operating the formation, stepped forward, a look of nervousness on his face.

Ning Zhuo carefully inspected the Buddha Physician mechanism. He saw that there was still a trace of purple light within Meng Yao Yin’s spirit, and the surface of her Golden Core was still generating cloud-flowers, overflowing with purple intent.

He slowly shook his head.

Sun Ling Tong couldn’t help but sigh.

Ning Zhuo, in turn, comforted him, saying, “Boss, we expected this outcome, didn’t we?”

“My mother was a Golden Core cultivator in her life. After her death, she transformed into a puppet, yet she could still repel Zhu Xuan Ji head-on. She must have been extraordinary.”

“She succumbed to this injury. It’s almost impossible for us to resolve the illness that took her life by just using one magical artifact and a bit of talent.”

Sun Ling Tong nodded, “Yes, if it were useful, your mother would have probably acted long ago, snatched Ning Jiu Fan’s Ice Heart Jade Pot, and healed herself.”

“No,” Ning Zhuo shook his head, “My mother was a righteous person. How could she plunder others without reason? She must have traded or borrowed it from our clan’s ancestor.”

Sun Ling Tong: …

He couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, “Based on your mother’s various actions in the Lava Immortal Palace, she doesn’t seem like a good person.”

However, he also understood Ning Zhuo very well.

In Ning Zhuo’s heart, his mother was naturally unique!

So, Sun Ling Tong responded with an “oh” and agreed, “You’re right.”

Ning Zhuo looked at Sun Ling Tong, his eyes filled with apology, “Boss, I’m sorry, I hid a lot of things from you. I…”

Sun Ling Tong looked at Ning Zhuo in surprise, then waved his hand, “Haven’t you apologized already? It’s fine!”

He chuckled, placing his hands behind his head, “To be honest, I really didn’t expect that I was injured back then because of your mother. That’s why you saved me.”

“Your mother’s methods were really ruthless!”

“However, there was a reason for it. Who told me to stumble near your home?”

“No wonder at the final crucial moment of vying for the Immortal Palace, I was blinded by luck and developed feelings of dislike and hatred towards you.”

The day Ning Zhuo ceded the position of Immortal Palace Master to Meng Kui, he secretly revealed everything to Sun Ling Tong.

After listening, Sun Ling Tong finally understood, and shouted angrily, “You brat, you hid so much from me, making me worry about you for nothing!”

Seeing Ning Zhuo staring at him with a sincere and earnest look, what could Sun Ling Tong do?

Of course, he forgave him!

Now, hearing Ning Zhuo apologize again, Sun Ling Tong, in turn, comforted him, “It’s a small matter, these are all small matters.”

“I was the one who repeatedly told you to keep your secrets and not let me know.”

“You did a great job, Xiao Zhuo.”

“Hidden matters are easy to do, open matters are hard to accomplish. The reason you were able to succeed is precisely because you hid well, isn’t it? It’s because you could even hide from me, that you were able to, as a weak individual, finally take everyone by surprise and seize the greatest victory.”

“You must continue to maintain this excellent habit!”

Ning Zhuo quickly expressed that he would definitely continue to maintain it, and praised Sun Ling Tong for teaching him well.

Sun Ling Tong put his hands on his hips proudly, chuckling and scolding, “You brat, do you think I’ll be happy if you flatter me?”

He had cultivated Ning Zhuo, arguably raising him single-handedly.

This experience and feeling of a big brother being like a father made him completely free of jealousy. He would sincerely feel proud and relieved for any achievement Ning Zhuo made.

At this moment, Ning Chen arrived outside the door to report that the Zheng family’s clan land had been officially handed over.

Sun Ling Tong said solemnly, “Alright, it’s my turn to do some real business. I’ll go with Yang Chan Yu and sweep the Zheng family’s clan land again to see if we can find any hidden vaults. Report back to you if we find any loopholes.”

It turned out that when Ning Zhuo, Meng Kui, and Zhu Xuan Ji made their agreement, they divided the Zheng family’s assets.

According to the agreement, the Zheng family’s clan land would be transferred to Ning Zhuo, becoming the clan land of the Ning family’s branch!

Sun Ling Tong quietly left.

On the surface, Ning Zhuo had already made a clear separation from Sun Ling Tong and the Unempty Gate. Therefore, it was necessary to avoid suspicion.

This separation status was thanks to Zhu Xuan Ji’s guarantee, which made it deeply ingrained in people’s minds.

Even at the final crucial moment, it was the “Entry Standard” that took the Immortal Palace once, letting the Book Lord and others know the information. In their opinion, the “Entry Standard” was Sun Ling Tong, and they wouldn’t have thought it was Ning Zhuo.

In addition, many Golden Core cultivators remained in the Transition Secret Pavilion. Even if Chi Dun, Zhou Nong Ying, and others arrived, they were still intimidated by the fierce power of the Great Snake Scythe and did not teleport into the main hall through the main door.

This provided a huge prerequisite for Ning Zhuo and the other two to make a private agreement and keep it a secret.

Of course, it wasn’t without flaws.

For example, when Meng Kui blew off the roof of the main hall, the situation inside might have been detected by outsiders.

But this was actually not important at all!

So what if they knew?

The three parties involved had already negotiated and jointly acknowledged the situation. Who would the public believe?

Even if the public didn’t believe Ning Zhuo, wouldn’t they believe the City Lord’s Mansion? Even if they didn’t believe the City Lord’s Mansion, wouldn’t they believe the King’s Godly Constable, Zhu Xuan Ji?

Even if they didn’t believe any of them, what could they do?

Could it affect the cooperation between the three parties?

When Sun Ling Tong and Yang Chan Yu joined forces, becoming invisible and arriving at the Zheng family’s clan land, they happened to see Ning Yong and others replacing the plaque above the gate.

The plaque above the Zheng family’s gate was replaced, and the Ning family’s plaque took its place.

This scene sparked lively discussions among the passersby in front of the gate.

“It’s changed, it’s changed, it’s really changed to the Ning family’s plaque!”

The relevant rumors were deliberately spread by Ning Zhuo.

“I heard this is the clan land of the Ning family’s branch. Do you know? The patriarch of the branch is actually Ning Zhuo!”

“Ning Zhuo? I think I’ve heard that name before.”

“He’s a genius of the Ning family, very young, only sixteen!”

“What’s the situation? How much cultivation can a sixteen-year-old have?”

“Just in the middle stage of Qi Refining.”

“With such cultivation, he can serve as the head of a clan? What is his identity?”

“Just an ordinary branch that has been bullied for over a decade. You must have heard of the disputes between the main branch and the branch of the Ning family, right?”

“Then why can he serve as the patriarch? Even if it’s just the patriarch of a branch? I can’t figure it out!”

“You don’t know this, do you? This is a good move by the Ning family. The Zheng family was taken down, and the great clan land became empty. The Ning family wants to contend for it, but they already have a clan land, so there’s no legitimate reason.”

“So, they split the family? To occupy this piece of fat with such a reason? Makes sense! So, is Ning Zhuo actually a puppet pushed forward?”

“Exactly, you have some insight to be able to think of this point. This Ning Zhuo was previously pushed forward to become the master of the black market, wasn’t it the same?”

“Then why didn’t the Zhou family split their family like this?”

“Alas, they were a step too late, didn’t react in time, and let the Ning family make the first move. The cultivators of the Zhou family are relatively rigid, you don’t know that!”

The passersby were engrossed in this exchange, and their comments were quite insightful.

The so-called seeing through the truth was actually just their own presumption, and it was far from the truth.

The real division of benefits was far more cruel and cold than the low-level cultivators imagined. Many of the scattered messages were intentionally whitewashed by high-level cultivators.

Sun Ling Tong and Yang Chan Yu worked together, searching in secret multiple times, but found no hidden vaults. However, they did find many loopholes in the formations and other areas.

Some were old holes from years past, while others were newly added.

Clearly, the City Lord’s Mansion was not honest before the handover and had played many tricks.

All of this was reported to Ning Zhuo.

The clan land’s formations needed to be redesigned, and various loopholes needed to be filled. Ning Zhuo knew that he was about to establish his own household. Anyway, his true combat power had already been exposed, so acting strong would elicit more respect and fear, rather than increasing greed and taking advantage.

The greatest advantage of the Zheng family’s clan land was that their conditions for smelting and forging were the best in Flaming Persimmon Immortal City.

Even the City Lord’s Mansion couldn’t compare!

On the Zheng family’s clan land, Ning Zhuo presided over a public sacrifice.

He chanted the sacrificial text, his voice filled with emotion and tears: “Tears fall from the heavens, the wind and clouds lose their color. Today, we gather here to mourn the sacrificed clan members.”

“…Ning Xiao Ren, Ning Ze, Ning Xiang Guo…”

“In your lives, you were intelligent and courageous, with noble virtues that shone in all directions, making the family prosperous and the neighbors peaceful.”

“Alas! Today, you return to dust, and your heroic spirits fall into the underworld… May your souls in heaven rest in peace, protect your descendants, and bless the Ning family with eternal peace!”

After Ning Zhuo finished chanting, the clan members in the hall were all moved.

Amidst the mourning clothes, crying sounds gradually arose, and sorrowful music played.

“My husband, my son!” Wang Lan was extremely sad and fainted from crying.

Ning Zhuo was greatly alarmed. He personally attended to her, extremely nervous. He personally performed blood purification and gave Wang Lan a pill, waking her up. Such pure filial piety deeply impressed everyone.

Many clan members who were unaware of the situation developed a strong sense of recognition towards him. Even if this branch patriarch’s cultivation was a little lower now, it didn’t matter. Such a benevolent and filial person wouldn’t be far off the mark!

“Ning Chen, quickly help my aunt to the backyard to rest for now.”

Ning Zhuo specially selected a large house in the Zheng family’s clan land and offered it as a residence for Wang Lan.

After making proper arrangements, he continued to preside over the sacrifice.

After the main ceremony ended, he actively comforted the family members of Ning Xiang Guo and publicly presented them with many spirit stones.

He recalled Ning Xiang Guo’s various contributions in the black market, listing them like cherished possessions, which deeply moved Ning Xiang Qian and others. They felt that everything they had done was seen by Ning Zhuo. This was worth it!

Yang Chan Yu, who was hiding to the side, leaned against the corner of the wall with a mocking expression: “Rest in peace? Weren’t these people killed by him? Can they rest in peace?”

“Hypocritical! You little brother, you’re too hypocritical,” Yang Chan Yu said with disdain.

Sun Ling Tong sat on the wall, also hidden, and rolled his eyes upon hearing this: “What do you understand? The righteous path is like this.”

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