Four guardians attended to Ning Zhuo’s every need.

Two were Qi Refining stage cultivators, and two were Foundation Establishment stage experts. They were all dispatched by the Ning Clan to protect Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo was of great importance now, a significant asset in the Ning Clan’s exploration of the Lava Immortal Palace. The extent of the Ning Clan’s regard was evident in these four guardians.

After leaving the family’s estate, Ning Zhuo didn’t immediately return to his own abode.

He visited several shops, procuring a variety of specially made bricks, array plates, and other items for setting up formations.

The four guardians noticed and communicated telepathically.

“That kid Ning Zhuo is planning to build his own cultivation chamber.”

“This kind of chamber offers excellent protection and can even shield against spiritual senses. How will we monitor him in the future? Using magical artifacts would create too much commotion.”

“Let’s report this to the young clan leader.”

“But speaking of which, this kid is really loaded!”

“He’s the young clan leader’s favorite right now, and he’s receiving resources from all three allied families. Naturally, he’s flush with funds.”

Once his shopping was complete, Ning Zhuo spared no expense, hiring formation masters to set up arrays.

He left the estate in the morning, and by afternoon, a newly constructed small chamber had appeared within his bedroom.

The chamber was built entirely of stone bricks, equipped with a stone door that could be moved left or right, opened or closed, with the infusion of mana and control of spiritual thoughts.

But the formation wasn’t fully laid out yet.

The small chamber didn’t possess much defensive power.

The two Qi Refining stage guardians guarded the perimeter, continuously patrolling the courtyard and outside.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators, one concealing his form, the other stood guard at the door of Ning Zhuo’s rear room, closing his eyes to recuperate.

Night deepened!

Ning Zhuo opened his eyes, gently rose from his bed, flipped a switch, and entered the underground workspace.

“So, he is a young man after all!”

One Foundation Establishment cultivator slowly opened his eyes, revealing a hint of knowing smile.

Ning Zhuo surveyed the workshop, his expression tense. First, he examined several spots to see if there were any changes.

These were all detection methods he had set up; if an outsider entered here, it would likely cause changes in these places.

Nothing had changed.

Under the spiritual sense monitoring of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Ning Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief, his brow relaxed, and his whole being eased.

He strolled around, touching this and moving that, as if returning to his own lair, exuding a sense of security and comfort from within.

He sat in a chair, stretched languidly, and even yawned widely.

After resting for a while, he slowly stood up.

From his storage pouch, he took out a prayer mat and placed it in the center of the room.

After sitting down cross-legged, he took out several bottles of pills and placed them before him.

Both the prayer mat and the pills stirred envy in the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Ning Zhuo was only at the Qi Refining stage, but he was the most outstanding member of the three allied families’ modification team, receiving a large amount of resources.

Before starting his cultivation, Ning Zhuo paused, then took out a handkerchief from his bosom.

The handkerchief was white as snow, with a soft texture and no pattern.

Ning Zhuo infused mana into it, and wisps of white clouds gradually emerged from the square of fabric, surrounding Ning Zhuo.

The white clouds piled upon one another, gradually enveloping Ning Zhuo completely.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators frowned simultaneously.

They communicated telepathically, “That seems to be a Floating Cloud Scarf.”

“Indeed, it’s that magical artifact, abundantly produced in the Flying Cloud Kingdom!”

“How did Ning Zhuo get one?”

“Hmm? It could be an heirloom from his mother; don’t you remember? The data said that Ning Zhuo’s mother, Meng Yaoyin, came from the Flying Cloud Kingdom.”

“Oh, I remember now; that must be it. But what do we do now? We can’t sense his cultivation situation!”

“Floating clouds obscure the vision. The shielding ability of the Floating Cloud Scarf is very strong; otherwise, it wouldn’t be so renowned.”

“It doesn’t matter; as long as we ensure Ning Zhuo’s safety, monitoring isn’t the key point. Of course, we’ll report this situation tomorrow morning.”

Ning Zhuo had long planned and envisioned many scenarios.

As the two Foundation Establishment cultivators had guessed, this cloud scarf was indeed an heirloom from his mother.

The floating clouds produced by using this magical artifact would provide excellent concealment.

With this cloud cover, it would be difficult to leak his cultivation situation.

Even if someone used Golden Eyes to look, it would stimulate the floating clouds to consume energy drastically, giving Ning Zhuo ample warning and sufficient time to adjust.

Of course, risks still existed.

There were countless methods in the cultivation world, including talents, spells, and so on. Perhaps some method could pierce through the floating clouds, observe Ning Zhuo’s true situation, and not even trigger any abnormalities in the floating clouds.

Ning Zhuo had considered this point.

But, as before, he had no choice but to do so.

He had done his best.

The four powers were large and influential. The overall cultivation level of the modification team was progressing rapidly.

Ning Zhuo’s previous enemy-deterrent measures would inevitably become ineffective.

Zhu Xuanji’s constant investigation also brought immense pressure.

Ning Zhuo must seize the time.

Prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat.

Even if he had meticulously constructed a counter-investigation defense line for over a decade, it would collapse.

He must seize the Lava Immortal Palace before anyone else.

Therefore, taking some risks in these areas was necessary!

Demonic Infusion Blood Tendon Art to refine essence blood!

Five Elements Qi Rhythm Technique to inhale and exhale mana!

Mirror Platform Spiritual Communication Art to forge spiritual thoughts!

The three cultivation methods were practiced in turn, and various expensive and rare pills were continuously put into his mouth.

Even the prayer mat he sat on was a supplementary cultivation artifact sent down by the three allied families, which could increase Ning Zhuo’s cultivation speed.

The three cultivation methods progressed in unison, and the improvement was visible to the naked eye.

“There are no problems with the cultivation methods.”

“But I can’t practice any spells, nor can I exercise my newly acquired nascent divine ability.”

Whenever Ning Zhuo thought of the Human Life Hanging by a Thread nascent divine ability, he felt a bit itchy, wanting to use it to see its effect.

But in this situation, he could only endure.

At the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain, amidst the billowing clouds and smoke, Meng Chong was also cultivating.

He floated in the air, his eyes closed, still in a state of slumber.

The current City Lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, Meng Kui, hovered above Meng Chong, reaching out to cover Meng Chong’s head.
He exerted his strength, mobilizing his vital essence and pouring it in.

Meng Chong was his own grandson, of the same bloodline. Because of this, Meng Kui’s vital blood essence could be naturally absorbed by Meng Chong to some extent.

Meng Chong benefited, his sunken eye sockets and protruding cheekbones visibly smoothing out at a rate that was perceivable.

Meng Kui, on the other hand, became noticeably weaker.

Although he was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, he had focused very little on physical cultivation.

Of course, even without focusing on the physical body, the foundations of a Nascent Soul cultivator were still stronger than most Golden Core body cultivators.

The most crucial reason for Meng Kui’s weakness was the extreme attrition involved in the process.

The vital blood essence offered by Meng Kui would undergo layers of purification, with only a small fraction of it being absorbed by Meng Chong.

Although the proportion lost was staggeringly high, the benefit of doing so was that it ensured Meng Chong’s vital blood essence remained purely untainted, without a trace of external impurities.

Meng Kui originally did not want to do this, but he had no choice. He knew that the joint exploration of the Lava Immortal Palace by the three families had made significant progress.

But Meng Chong was still stuck in Room Three and remained unconscious to this day.

Therefore, he had to act.

“Meng Chong, my grandson, you are destined to be the new master of the Lava Immortal Palace, quickly awaken!”

Meng Kui transmitted his voice.

Meng Chong slowly opened his eyes, “Grandfather, I…”

Meng Kui used voice transmission, instructing him to close his eyes, recuperate, and actively rest.

Cultivators possessed the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit.

Meng Kui had completely replenished Meng Chong’s essence before allowing him to speak.

His complexion was somewhat sallow, and his eyes were slightly dimmed.

Once Meng Chong had regained his freedom, he began to recount his experiences in Room Three.

Meng Kui never suspected that the Golden-Blood Battle Ape Great Victory was a trap set by other competitors.

Stroking his beard in contemplation, he said after a moment, “Your martial skills and the mechanical ape are quite different. Even with special training, it will take a lot of time.”

“Your time is extremely important. You must seize the initiative!”

“I have a method that can quickly bridge the gap, but it will be a little painful!”

Meng Chong was overjoyed and quickly said, “Grandfather, your grandson doesn’t know what pain is. What method is it?”

“Lightning strikes!” Meng Kui said.

Meng Chong said, “What will I strike with lightning?”

Meng Kui shook his head, “You will be struck!”

“Ah?” Meng Chong was about to continue, when suddenly there was a rumble of thunder, and a flash of blue light suddenly illuminated the cloud of smoke.

Meng Chong was struck hard, stunned in place.

His entire body was charred, his hair exploded, and wisps of black smoke rose.

Rumble…

Rumbles of thunder continued to echo in the smoke.

Meng Chong gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, constantly recalling the appearance of the Golden-Blood Battle Ape Great Victory in his mind, “I will definitely master it. I will get my revenge.”

Ning Manor!

Ning Xiaohui was also undergoing special training.

She stretched out her hands and plunged them into a basin of ice.

Instantly, a chilling force penetrated her heart, making her pale and causing her to shiver from time to time.

“Hold on, Xiaohui!”

Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother looked serious, cheering her on from the side.

“You have the Ice Jade Hands by natural endowment, making you the best way to suppress that Ning Zhuo!”

“Ning Zhuo’s talent has not yet been tested, and even if it is, there might not be mature methods to further develop it.”

“You are different! Your Ice Jade Hands have appeared many times in our clan!”

“This is the advantage of family!”

“Our bloodlines are the same, we practice similar techniques, and we consume similar resources.”

“There are many cultivation methods related to the Ice Jade Hands, all of which have been gradually explored by generations of ancestors!”

Ning Xiaohui was determined, “I understand, Grandmother. The Ice Jade Hands have always been my greatest advantage.”

“Once the special training is complete, what will that insignificant Ning Zhuo be?”

Zhou Family!

Zhou Zeshen had several tubes inserted into his body, and medicinal liquids were constantly flowing into him through the tubes.

He was cultivating with all his might.

Zheng Family.

Zheng Jian constantly practiced with his mechanical puppets, focusing intently and entering a state of self-forgetfulness.

The competition surrounding the Lava Immortal Palace had passed its opening and entered a more intense phase.

The night was already deep.

Yuan Er tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep or rest peacefully.

Ever since Yuan Dasheng passed away, he had been like this every night, feeling empty and insecure.

“Why isn’t Uncle Dasheng’s automaton ready yet?”

“Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll go find that Ning Zhuo!”

Inside the Lava Immortal Palace, the Golden-Blood Battle Ape Great Victory quietly squatted in Room Three. When not activated, it was no different from the bricks and stones.