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Zhu Xuanji led the three Core Formation cultivators deep into the volcano.

The group entered grandly and openly through the crater.

Zhu Xuanji, in his capacity as a special envoy of the royal family, instructed Meng Kui to diligently guard the Immortal City without fail.

The three Core Formation cultivators were in high spirits. They had long suffered under Meng Kui’s suppression, and seeing him held in check now, they felt a surge of satisfaction.

Unless Meng Kui rebelled, becoming a traitor to the Nan Dou Kingdom, he would have to diligently guard the Immortal City, protect the mountaintop, and quietly await the return of Zhu Xuanji and his party.

Naturally, Ning Zhuo was unaware of Zhu Xuanji’s group’s actions. That very day, he began the first stage of assembly.

He combined a vast number of mechanical components, piecing them together to create a massive, black iron framework.

Previously, the Tree Martial Fighting Ape was eight feet tall, even taller than Ning Zhuo. The Golden Blood War Ape was slightly shorter than Ning Zhuo.

The newly forged mechanical ape was a large-sized construct.

Its framework alone stood at fifteen feet, equivalent to a two-story building.

From the framework alone, one could sense its hardness and resilience, like an ancient beast.

The ape’s framework and joints were all constructed from Myriad Strike Profound Iron.

Ning Zhuo then proceeded to assemble the mechanical ape’s chest and back. These sections primarily used Scarlet Sun Copper, which was very thick and extremely heavy.

Ning Zhuo then attached the ape’s claws and teeth. These were all made of Diamond Stone, with a sharp texture to increase the mechanical ape’s attack power.

On the important joints and surface of the framework, as well as the inner sides of the chest and back, intricate grooves were carved.

The grooves intersected, forming an extremely complex array diagram.

Upon close inspection, it became clear that the reason the array diagram was incomprehensible was that it was actually three or more formations overlaid on top of each other.

This was a remarkable array arrangement technique, showcasing the Zhou family’s expertise in formations!

Within many of the grooves, a thick strand of Blood Silk was inlaid.

Ning Zhuo would use his mana to melt these Blood Silk strands, adding them to the array’s grooves to maintain and preserve the formations. This would extend the lifespan of the formations by at least thirty percent.

The first round of assembly for the entire mechanical ape was completed under the secret collaboration of Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong.

Even though its lower body, including the thighs, was still just a framework, the entire mechanical ape already weighed over thirty thousand jin (approximately 15,000 kg).

According to Ning Zhuo’s conservative estimate, the complete assembly would likely weigh around forty thousand jin.

Such weight would cause even the slightest indentation on normal ground.

This heavy body placed a greater demand on the power source.

Therefore, Ning Zhuo utilized the Mechanical Core Sphere Furnace – Fire Essence, a reward from the Lava Immortal Palace.

This mechanism resembled a giant sphere, with a furnace forged at its center. Various cylindrical protrusions of varying sizes, lengths, and thicknesses were scattered on the sphere’s surface.

The Fire Essence, once fed into the furnace, would be consumed and transformed into surging power, causing the cylindrical protrusions to extend and retract, providing powerful thrust in all directions.

Due to the consumption of Fire Essence, the middle layer of the sphere employed an internal carving technique, cleverly arranging a powerful storage formation.

However, the Mechanical Core Sphere Furnace was not enough. Ning Zhuo also used Wind-Fire Wheels.

According to his design, two massive Wind-Fire Wheels would be installed on the mechanical ape’s calf muscles.

When necessary, the Wind-Fire Wheels would spin at full speed, creating fierce winds and flames to propel the heavy mechanical ape forward with brute force!

The mechanical ape’s hands would be extremely thick and wide.

This time, the Martial Skill Talismans filled in the palms and wrists would not just be a dozen or so, but as many as thirty-six!

As for the designs of the Martial Skill Talismans and Wind-Fire Wheels, and why they resembled the mechanical apes in the Lava Immortal Palace?

Ning Zhuo had already prepared his excuse: “What? Am I not allowed to learn from excellent designs?”

As for the crafting of the Martial Skill Talismans, Ning Zhuo delegated the task to his subordinates.

These former stewards were all Foundation Establishment elites, and crafting some Martial Skill Talismans was not a problem for them.

Therefore, Ning Zhuo prepared a stack of each type of Martial Skill Talisman. His main goal was to be fully prepared and no longer fear overuse.

The most important part was still the internal structure of the mechanical ape.

A Blood Transformation Pool originating from the Lava Immortal Palace, of excellent quality, would fill the position of the mechanical ape’s lungs.

The Blood Oil Flask, also from the rewards, would be connected to the Blood Transformation Pool and hung in the abdomen where the lower dantian was located.

In the abdomen, there was also a Blood Spring Pot right next to the Blood Oil Flask.

The Blood Spring Pot held Ning Zhuo’s fresh blood. Using his blood as a catalyst, the blood oil would be automatically purified in the Blood Oil Flask.

Ning Zhuo’s blood was the standard. The purified essence blood could be completely absorbed by Ning Zhuo, fulfilling his needs perfectly.

Ning Zhuo depleted his blood and needed to use medicinal pills to heal and replenish his blood quickly.

But healing was always better than refining his essence blood himself!

Because during the healing process, Ning Zhuo could focus on other cultivation, making better use of his time.

Zhu Xuanji and his team continued to venture deeper into the Fire Persimmon Mountain.

Sometimes they used the mountain’s natural tunnels, and sometimes they had to carve their own path.

They had many people, so they could take turns being the vanguard, bearing the brunt of the pressure and constantly blazing a trail forward.

There were a great number of Scarlet Flame Demonic Beasts within the Fire Persimmon Mountain.

Even after the previous surge of demonic beasts attacking the Lava Immortal Palace due to the change in the Qi Dynamic Field, the number of demonic beasts remaining within the mountain was still uncountable.

Zhu Xuanji wielded a treasured ruler, unstoppable in his path. The Zheng family cultivators channeled earth fire, attacking fiercely. The Zhou family cultivators threw array discs, setting up the battlefield. The Ning family patriarch spat out freezing frost, freezing and killing powerful enemies.

The six Core Formation cultivators supported each other, their cooperation gradually becoming more seamless. They rested several times along the way, and were gradually running out of stamina.

The deeper they went underground, the stronger and more numerous the Scarlet Flame Demonic Beasts became, constantly attacking them, leaving them exhausted and unable to rest.

“We’re here!” Zhu Xuanji shouted, boosting morale.

They had finally fought their way to the underground nest of the Flame Melting Demon Apes.

Zhu Xuanji immediately discovered the remains of the Mechanical Demon General.

However, in the next moment, the Demon Ape King rose and howled.

With the howl, figures of demon apes emerged from the fire, heavily surrounding Zhu Xuanji’s group of six.

“Crap!”

“They actually have five Core Formation level demon apes?”

“The enemy is too strong, let’s retreat!”

The Demon Apes’ physical attributes were powerful, far exceeding those of humans. Unless one was a body cultivator, it would be extremely difficult to contend with them physically.

None of Zhu Xuanji’s group were body cultivators. Even the Zheng family Core Formation cultivator, Zheng Shuangou, had only dabbled in a single discipline.

Zhu Xuanji also wanted to retreat, but the demon ape formation was too dense, ultimately blocking them.

A life-or-death battle ensued!

Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

Underground secret base.

In the dense dark clouds, Luo Shang was surrounded by several Enchanting Nether Maidens.

These types of female ghosts were extremely skilled at stirring up desire and devouring male yang energy.

However, Luo Shang, surrounded by a group of alluring and charming female ghosts, remained calm and composed, his face cold as he quietly cultivated his demonic arts!

He was using the female ghosts to aid his cultivation.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes slightly, sensing a faint fluctuation.

Soon after, this fluctuation expanded, and the space opened like a door.

Sun Lingtong walked in.

Every so often, he had to switch locations and go to the next underground secret base.

This time, it was this place’s turn.

(End of Chapter)