Master? Master! Liu Er cried out in alarm.
He watched with his own eyes as the elderly demon cultivator transformed into a complex, colorful smoke, dissipating in place.
Liu Er instinctively reached out to grasp, but clutched only empty air.
Liu Er hurriedly activated several magical formulas, searching all around, but found nothing.
“Master isn’t dead, is he?” A chill ran down Liu Er’s heart. For a moment, he stood rooted to the spot, completely at a loss.
Soon, he shook his head, murmuring to himself, “No, that cannot be. Master’s methods are wondrously profound; how could he easily perish just by offering me this single point of guidance?”
“But it is certain that Master paid a great price this time.”
“Alas! He has sacrificed so much for me; I must complete my aspiration even more so to repay him!”
After comforting himself, Liu Er finally left the mountain forest with hesitation.
A moment later, threads of smoke emerged from thin air, gathering in the same spot.
At first, these threads were grayish-white, giving off a sense of age and weakness. But as the smoke accumulated, points of color gradually appeared within the pale smoke, as if life was stirring within.
The colors quickly became rich and vibrant, then suddenly condensed, once again forming the elderly demon cultivator.
The old man’s face and exposed skin were a mixture of colors, a vibrant display.
After a few breaths, these brilliant hues quickly dimmed and faded, until his skin was no different from that of a normal person.
The elderly demon cultivator’s body trembled, and he abruptly opened his eyes, like a drowning man pulled ashore, finally able to breathe again, or as if he had broken free from a terrifying nightmare, returning to the real world.
“Hoo… hoo… hoo…”
His expression also suddenly became vivid, his face filled with horror.
“How can this be?!”
“I merely offered a little guidance; how could I suffer such a terrifying backlash, triggering my life-saving divine ability, Smoke and Mist Escape?”
“This is not rational!”
The expression of horror solidified on the elderly demon cultivator’s face, remaining for the duration of a cup of tea before slowly fading.
The elderly demon cultivator furrowed his brow, lost in thought: “This is not good.”
“When facing someone with an extraordinary fate and destiny, divination carries an unbearable weight.”
“Before, I only considered Xiao Liu and calculated the cost of guiding him.”
“But clearly, this guidance was far-reaching, disturbing other powerful individuals, and thus this calamity befell me.”
Thinking of this, the elderly demon cultivator’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
He first thought of Ning Zhuo.
“My guidance to Xiao Liu is most disadvantageous to Ning Zhuo.”
“Could it be because of him that I suffered a backlash and injury?”
Hiss…
“Could it be that Xiao Liu’s failure this time was not primarily due to the fortune of the Two-Note Kingdom and Mulan, but because of Ning Zhuo?”
Thinking of this, the elderly demon cultivator could no longer sit still.
He immediately rose, swallowed a spiritual pearl, opened his forehead, revealing a bloody, large eyeball, and began to observe the fortune of the Three Generals Camp.
He saw a three-eared ape monkey sitting still, eyes closed, resting its spirit, its breathing steady.
The elderly demon cultivator gazed intently at the ape monkey’s appearance, and the bloody eyeball on his forehead emitted profound light, becoming increasingly dazzling.
The old man’s own flesh and blood visibly withered at a speed discernible to the naked eye.
Under his unique vision, the three-eared ape monkey gradually enlarged, becoming clearer and clearer.
He observed more hidden secrets.
The ape monkey’s belly was slightly distended, suggesting that the Three Generals Camp itself did not lack military supplies.
With each breath the three-eared ape monkey took, its belly slightly caved in, and its entire body slightly expanded – this indicated that the Three Generals Camp was growing stronger every moment.
These were all good signs, leaning towards prosperity.
But the old man was not satisfied with these; he wanted to see more of the essence.
He let out a low cry, inhaled deeply, and his entire body swelled up, transforming into a small giant, sitting cross-legged on the ground, crushing the nearby mountains and vegetation.
The old man’s eyes were tightly closed, his magical power, spiritual consciousness, and vital essence were consumed frantically, fully pushing the blood-red spiritual pearl on his forehead.
The spiritual pearl eye twitched, at times staring straight ahead, at times looking askance, at times circling, at times its pupil dilating into countless black dots, which then turned into distorted smoke and clouds, only to suddenly condense again.
And in the old man’s vision, the three-eared ape monkey enlarged again, its body transparent, revealing a more internal essence.
The ape monkey’s body was very simple.
There was a heart, earthy yellow, shaped like a monkey’s head, with a pointed face and hairy cheeks, looking depressed. From time to time, the heart would beat, emitting the cry of an ape monkey, a cry revealing a strong sense of anxiety.
The elderly demon cultivator immediately understood: “This is Xiao Liu’s fortune.”
The elderly demon cultivator then looked at the lungs beside it. The lungs were completely red, filled with blood vessels. These blood vessels were not curved,
standing straight and stiff, with no rounded curves at any bend.
And with each breath the ape monkey took, the bloody lungs pulsed accordingly.
The pulsing was mostly stable, but there were also chaotic parts.
Whenever it was chaotic, the bloody lungs would twitch, and strange purple light would emerge from the straight blood vessels.
“This is Guan Hong’s fortune.”
“Guan Hong cultivates a blood-attribute demonic art, is inherently proud and upright, has an injured right arm that has not healed, and has become a hidden danger.”
Within the ape monkey’s body, there was also a kidney.
This kidney was plump and round, completely black. The blackness surged, forming waves, the sound of them crashing against the shore,
shaking like thunder.
“Zhang Hei cultivates a water-attribute technique, has a fierce and unyielding disposition, and possesses considerable wealth. Indeed, this matches the symbol of the kidney very well,”
“Strange!”
“Where has Ning Zhuo’s fortune gone?”
Within the ape monkey’s body, there were only the heart, lungs, and kidney. Other than these, there was nothing else.
As for the absence of the soldiers, the elderly demon cultivator could understand. The Three Generals Camp had been established for a short time. Although they had won an ambush battle, they had been targeted recently. Not only had morale dropped significantly, but many people had also been poached by the White Jade Camp.
Moreover, among these soldiers, the highest cultivation level was only Foundation Establishment, and there were no Golden Core cultivators at all.
And there were no special Foundation Establishment cultivators like Ning Zhuo; their strength was not worth mentioning.
Therefore, the symbol of these soldiers had always been the ape monkey’s body hair, growing on the outside of the body, not a core part of the Three Generals Camp’s fortune, expendable.
“But Ning Zhuo’s combat power has reached the Golden Core level, and he has become the son-in-law of the General’s Mansion, the son of the Ning clan’s great family, and even the military advisor of the Three Generals Camp. How can his fortune not be seen?!”
“Where did it go?”
“Where is it?”
“Come out! Come out!!”
The more the elderly demon cultivator could not see, the more alarmed he became, and the more contorted his expression became.
His originally enormous body, like a burst balloon, rapidly shrank!
His lifespan was constantly diminishing!
The bloody eyeball on his forehead visibly swelled a bit, as if it was about to burst its socket, blood and foul-smelling thick yellow liquid continuously seeping from the edge of the socket.
The intense pain in his body and mind began to torment the elderly demon cultivator, adding several degrees of pain to his angry and shocked face.
Having paid such a heavy price, he finally gained something.
He saw it!
Faintly, he saw a shadowy figure in the shape of a left arm.
The arm shadow was not fixed, moving freely within the ape monkey’s body.
At times, it would sway to the bloody lungs, lightly scooping, collecting countless blood vessels, holding them in its hand, then clenching its fist, and the next moment, opening its palm, its hand was empty.
At times, it would come to the black kidney, lightly hooking, and large amounts of tide would be stirred. The arm shadow was like a bottomless pit, the tide entering the arm without even a sound.
And when it came near the yellow heart, the monkey face on the heart would let out sharp cries of anxiety. But this did not prevent the arm shadow from grabbing.
The five fingers of the left hand spread wide, grabbing fiercely, extracting a large handful of Profound Qi from the earthy yellow heart. The Profound Qi was quickly absorbed by the arm, and the ape monkey’s sharp cries weakened considerably as a result.
Seeing this scene, the elderly demon cultivator’s mouth was agape, and his anger erupted, roaring in his heart: “Thief! This is a thief!!”
“So that’s it, so that’s it!!”
“No wonder Xiao Liu failed, and Ning Zhuo eventually became Mulan’s husband.”
“Ning Zhuo, this thief, is stealing Xiao Liu’s fortune!”
“Outrageous, absolutely outrageous!”
“Exterminate him, he must be exterminated!!”
Never before had the elderly demon cultivator’s killing intent been so fierce and surging.
He had never so deeply hated a person!
“Ning Zhuo!”
“You are the culprit behind Xiao Liu’s failure, exterminate him, you must be exter————”
The elderly demon cultivator’s roar stopped abruptly.
In reality, he had already shrunk from a small giant to a dwarf.
Then, this dwarf’s entire body was aged and decrepit, pale as paper.
A gust of wind blew.
The dwarf turned into a wisp of light smoke, scattering with the wind.
By the time the elderly demon cultivator condensed again, day had turned to night.
“The Smoke and Mist Escape divine ability has been triggered again.”
“But all of this is worth it.”
“I have seen the truth clearly. I will now set up an altar and perform the ritual, using the Great Curse of Seizing Fortune and Returning Destiny!”
The elderly demon cultivator’s face was full of struggle and ferocity.
“Let this thief steal Xiao Liu’s fortune!”
“In just seven days and seven nights, I will curse you to death, and your fortune and destiny will be appended to Xiao Liu’s body, boosting his fortune to be formidable for at least seven years!”
The elderly demon cultivator was filled with anger and hatred. True to his word, he immediately flew far away from Canglin Immortal City to a deserted mountaintop in the distance,
After setting up an illusion array, he began to set up the altar, and then performed the ritual.
Meanwhile, Ning Zhuo, at this very moment, had already activated the Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, traversing a section of void, arriving at a certain mountain valley,
and began repairing this mechanical roaming dragon.
The Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon’s exterior was severely damaged, especially its dragon scale armor, which had large areas of cracks and damage.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong stood side by side.
The latter looked at the large areas of damage, frowning tightly.
The former, on the other hand, wore an expression of heartache.
Ning Zhuo’s fondness for mechanical creations came from the depths of his heart.
His emotions were complex at this time.
Both worried and excited.
Worried about whether he could repair the Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, and excited that he could personally lead this repair, which would undoubtedly be a wonderful experience.
Sun Lingtong used his spiritual consciousness to probe, his brows furrowing even tighter.
He sighed in his heart: “Difficult, difficult, difficult!”
“Undoubtedly, repairing the outer shell of the Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon is a arduous task, requiring not only precise materials but also the application of extremely profound refining techniques. In particular, it is crucial to ensure that its armor can be restored to its original hardness and flexibility to cope with future harsh conditions.”
“After this, we will participate in a great battle, and it is highly likely that we will face pursuit and bombardment from the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Six Cavern Sect again. We cannot suffer losses like last time.”
Thinking of this, Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo: “Xiao Zhuo, I will assist you. Tell me what to do, and I will do it!”
Ning Zhuo nodded, his spiritual consciousness constantly scanning the mechanical roaming dragon, meticulously examining every crack and damage.
The Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon’s outer armor was severely damaged, and in some places, the inner armor was also missing. This situation was more pronounced in the latter half of the dragon’s body.
“The Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon was created by the Lava Immortal Palace. Even the Dragon Thunder Fire Spirit knows the process, but not the principles behind it.”
“I also cannot discern how these dragon scales were made.”
Although Ning Zhuo’s understanding of the Five Elements was profound and his refining skills were outstanding among his peers, the Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon was of the Nascent Soul level and came from the Lava Immortal Palace, which was too much for him.
Therefore, discerning the original dragon scales exceeded his capacity in this area.
“But this does not prevent me from repairing the inner and outer armor.”
If his own strength was insufficient, then external resources would have to be used to make up the difference.
Piling up high-grade precious materials could also achieve great things and break through limitations with force!
“Only…” Ning Zhuo fell into hesitation.
He had already taken action before, purchasing a large amount of precious materials from Jin Li.
Based on the materials he had on hand, there were two options.
One was to refine dragon scale iron with dragon soul grass.
The other was to use Speckled Star Tears, Thunder Dragon Horn, and Ascending Cloud Seal to create talismans, connect them to a magical array, and cover the damaged areas of the dragon’s body. When the array was activated, the talismans would gradually melt and integrate into one body.
The reason for Ning Zhuo’s hesitation was the cost.
Dragon scale iron itself was compatible with the Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, but it was only a Golden Core level material. Dragon soul grass reached the Nascent Soul level,
but was scarce in quantity.
Therefore, the cost was lower.
Although there was only half a drop of Speckled Star Tears, it was a Divine Transformation level precious material! Thunder Dragon Horn and Ascending Cloud were both Nascent Soul level.
If the second method was adopted, the Speckled Star Tears and Thunder Dragon Horn would be completely used up, and only three or four taels of Ascending Cloud would remain.
The cost of the second repair scheme was very high, more than a hundred times that of the first.
“The first scheme is already sufficient. The second scheme is overly extravagant. The cost is a hundredfold, but the added defense is only twice as much.”
“However, warfare is dangerous. If in the future, during the Great Battle of Qianfeng Forest, I suffer an irrecoverable loss precisely because of this extra twofold defense, I will have cause for regret.”
According to Ning Zhuo’s cautious nature, he would usually choose the second option.
But the actual situation was complex.
Because if he adopted the first scheme, the precious materials he saved could be used in other aspects, adding other powers. It did not necessarily have to be used on the Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon to enhance Ning Zhuo’s combat power.
Ning Zhuo was undecided and did not act arbitrarily. He informed Sun Lingtong of the situation.
Sun Lingtong shrugged, expressing his view: “Xiao Zhuo, we have just begun repairing the Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon, and there are still many steps to follow. The Thousand Mile Roaming Dragon is good at escaping and concealing itself; adding defense will not be very effective.”
Ning Zhuo nodded: “Then we will choose the first option—”
Before he could finish speaking, his expression changed drastically.
His gaze shifted downwards, looking at the mechanical ring on his finger.
The ring was tightening, indicating that he was about to encounter a crisis.
“What could it be?”
“Is it warning me that choosing the first option is dangerous and that I should choose the second?”
Ning Zhuo’s thoughts flashed like lightning. He immediately made a decision to use the second scheme, even though the cost was extremely high.
After the time of three half-burnt incense sticks.
On the mountaintop near Canglin Immortal City, the elderly demon cultivator was setting up an altar and performing a ritual!
The chanting of the Great Curse of Seizing Fortune and Returning Destiny had reached the first stage.
“Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo, the young thief plots maliciously.”
“Fortune, fortune, hidden like a shadow in the deep tower.”
“You are strong, but I am stronger, just a thread stronger, that is Heaven!”
The elderly demon cultivator on the high platform held a magic sword in one hand and shook a bell in the other, dancing wildly.
A Thread of Broken Qi Minor Curse!
The elderly demon cultivator’s posture suddenly froze, his eyes wide with fury, and he roared: “Break!”
And at the very moment he struck, Ning Zhuo’s fortune suddenly expanded by two points, pushing back against the elderly demon cultivator by a thread. Poof.
The elderly demon cultivator spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood. The spell failed instantly, and the pain was bone-deep!