Hearing the transformation team members’ words grow increasingly excessive, Zheng Hua coldly shouted, “Enough!”

“Swallow all these baseless conjectures back down.”

“I know that at this very moment, your hearts are filled with grief and anger. But do not be blinded by these emotions. Remember! Your surname is Zheng, and you bear the honor of my Zheng family.”

“Do not let outsiders laugh at us. Invite that Ning Zhuo in.”

Ning Zhuo entered the hall.

Looking around, everything was in mourning white.

The Zheng family cultivators were lined up on both sides. Some held their heads high, eyes closed, silently shedding tears. Some covered their faces and knelt on the ground, burning paper money. Most, however, turned to look at Ning Zhuo, glaring at him with angry eyes.

Zheng Jian had held high prestige during his life. His death had united the Zheng family’s transformation team in their hatred of the common enemy, creating a powerful sense of a sorrowful army.

Ning Zhuo couldn’t help but recall how this group had dared to charge and fight even against the Golden Core cultivator Yang Chan Yu earlier.

At that time, Ning Zhuo was filled with emotion – Zheng Jian had truly won the hearts of so many! The Zheng family’s bloodthirsty courage was clearly evident!

In the air, the hostility of the Zheng family members towards Ning Zhuo permeated.

Ning Zhuo wore a look of sorrow and walked to the coffin.

He first bowed to Zheng Hua, then stood before Zheng Jian’s body, silent.

His face was solemn, his eyelids lowered, seemingly in silent contemplation of the lingering warmth of the departed hero.

A gentle breeze fluttered the hem of his robe, and Ning Zhuo slowly widened his eyes.

At this moment, his eyes were red-rimmed, his gaze filled with endless grief.

“Brother Zheng Jian!” Ning Zhuo cried out in sorrow, breaking the dead silence in the hall.

“I, your younger brother, cling to life, while you, my elder brother, have departed!”

“From this day forth, the sun and moon watch us both, but heaven and man are forever separated.”

“My heart is like a knife at this moment, my guts are twisted with pain!”

Ning Zhuo wailed, falling to his knees, and began to weep bitterly.

“Alas, Brother Zheng! I recall when we refined the mechanical ape together, your strategy was profound and far-reaching, my craftsmanship complementing it perfectly. Our cooperation was seamless, and thus the intricate mechanism was created. Your talent was exceptional, and I deeply admired you. To have you as a friend was truly the fortune of three lifetimes.”

“Painful, Brother Zheng! I remember again the trial stages, when I fought alongside you to defeat enemies and break through barriers together. Although the enemy’s power was perilous, we were united in spirit, invincible wherever we went. It was a pity that because of Ning Xiao Hui, our efforts were thwarted, yet I was comforted by you, valuing heroic spirit over gain or loss, only then did I find relief.”

“Sorrowful, Brother Zheng! Although you and I toiled for our respective families, our hearts were connected, and we had an agreement: I was willing to concede the medical hall, and you would reciprocate with a large sum of money. Now the person is gone, the promise is empty, my heart is burning with pain.”

“Burning!”

Ning Zhuo tore at the clothes on his chest, tears flowing like a spring, his voice hoarse and exhausted, his heart aching.

Seeing Ning Zhuo’s genuine emotion, everyone in the hall was moved.

Many people’s hostility greatly decreased, and they began to weep. Even the few who still harbored suspicion towards Ning Zhuo were infected by the immense grief and sorrow at this moment, shedding silent tears.

The sound of weeping blended together, gradually growing louder.

Ning Zhuo suddenly raised his voice: “Brother’s death must not be taken lightly! Your younger brother will definitely avenge you!”

“Countless Zheng family brothers in this hall will definitely avenge you!!”

The people in sorrow were stirred by this loud cry, igniting the hatred and roar in their hearts.

They all began to shout.

“Avenge, avenge!”

“I will kill Yang Chan Yu in this lifetime!!”

“I swear to slaughter the entire Empty Sect!”

Zheng Hua’s eyelids twitched violently upon hearing this.

The Zheng family disciples were saying increasingly excessive things, their emotions completely manipulated by Ning Zhuo.

Why was Zheng Hua urgently transferred here? On one hand, it was to protect the transformation team, and on the other, it was to stabilize the situation and the morale.

Ning Zhuo’s cries had stirred up anger in the hall, and the situation seemed to be on the verge of losing control.

This forced Zheng Hua to speak, shouting in a stern voice: “Revenge is necessary! But look at yourselves now, all of you are in the Qi Refining stage, not even Foundation Establishment. How can you kill a Golden Core?!”

“You want to avenge now? Is it revenge, or is it courting death? Hmm?!”

Zheng Hua possessed considerable authority, and his words caused the young cultivators in the hall to fall silent.

In the silence, Ning Zhuo’s body swayed, and he stood up.

He faced Zheng Hua and bowed: “Senior Zheng Hua.”

“Before this, Brother Zheng Jian and I had almost reached an agreement. Our personnel would withdraw from most of the positions in the medical hall competition, retaining only a few spots, while your side would receive a large sum of money as compensation.”

“Brother Zheng Jian is someone I respect. Although he is gone, I am still willing to do whatever I can.”

“How to seek revenge?”

Saying this, Ning Zhuo straightened his body, lowered his arms, and scanned the surroundings.

He continued, “Although we are only in the Qi Refining stage, we also have our own unique way of seeking revenge!”

He raised his fist and said with conviction, “If the enemy doesn’t want us to obtain Immortal Palace positions, we must achieve it and thwart their plans!!”

“I am willing to assist the Zheng family, personally taking action to help every member of the Zheng family’s transformation team, working together on repair tasks, and increasing the achievements of the cultivators in the hall as quickly as possible so that you can enter the medical hall and obtain medical officer positions sooner.”

“Furthermore, I make this promise to everyone here: from now on, the focus of the Ning family’s transformation team in obtaining positions will absolutely not be the medical hall!”

“Although our Ning family has obtained some positions in the medical hall, I swear here by the honor of my Ning family that the medical hall positions we hold will not be further increased!”

Upon hearing these words, the entire hall was moved!

Zheng Hua also looked at Ning Zhuo with newfound respect.

After Ning Zhuo left, the Zheng family cultivators exchanged glances, their impressions of Ning Zhuo having greatly changed.

“I didn’t expect this Ning Zhuo to be so responsible!”

“Such noble character, I misunderstood him.”

“Hmph, even if he didn’t do this, couldn’t our Zheng family still defeat the Ning family and seize the medical hall?”

“Don’t underestimate Ning Zhuo. Only our leader Zheng Jian could suppress him!”

“I think I was wrong about Ning Zhuo before. He didn’t have to do this, but he did.”

“He just mourned our leader, weeping bitterly. It seems that although he and our leader came from different families, heroes cherish heroes, and they had already become bosom friends.”

Ning Zhuo returned to his temporary residence and paid respects to Ning Jiu Fan.

Before taking action, he had already reported to Ning Jiu Fan.

Ning Jiu Fan: “Looking at your expression, it’s done. Do you truly intend to help the Zheng family like this?”

Ning Zhuo said with a solemn expression: “Old Ancestor, this is what I think.”

“Firstly, Zheng Jian did indeed divert firepower for me. If Yang Chan Yu had struck at me first, how many blows could the treasure talisman withstand? His contribution is why I was able to survive by chance!”

“Secondly, the conflict between my Ning family and the Zheng family regarding the medical hall has still not been resolved.”

“Thirdly, by accomplishing this matter, I can gain a lot of reputation in the righteous path. And if I didn’t do this, given the Zheng family’s strength and their spirit of a sorrowful army, they would still force my Ning family back.”

“Fourthly, it’s also not bad to let the Zheng family cultivators occupy the medical hall positions first. Don’t forget, the Tai Qing Palace and the Empty Sect are both enemies of the Zheng family. Perhaps there will be a turning point in the future.”

After listening to this analysis, Ning Jiu Fan finally showed a joyful expression, stroking his beard and saying: “Good, good, good. You are young, yet your thoughts are thorough.”

“What the Empty Sect wants to do is completely suppress your actions. The reason why Yang Chan Yu killed Zheng Jian first should be that she sensed the treasure talisman on you.”

“After all, she inherited from the Empty Sect and is very skilled at sensing treasures. And this treasure talisman was not refined by you, so it cannot be taken into your body, and its aura constantly leaks out. It is quite normal for it to be discovered.”

“Therefore, you don’t have to be so grateful to Zheng Jian. Blame the two Golden Core ancestors of his family for being so careless with their genius cultivator, giving him too few protective items, or not giving him good enough ones.”

Ning Zhuo suddenly understood, showing a receptive expression: “So that’s how it is!”

At this point, he had settled matters with both the Zheng family and Ning Jiu Fan, clearing the way for him to openly assist the Zheng family.

Ning Jiu Fan said again: “Give me that Slick and Oily Talisman, I will replenish your magical power.”

“I will also bestow upon you another talisman, named the Water to Fish Talisman. Although it has no spirituality, it can still be used勉强 after being refined with essence blood.”

“In the future, if you encounter a situation like today, and the Slick and Oily Talisman is activated, you can use the Water to Fish Talisman. It can perfectly match the slick and oily energy, greatly increasing your speed, and also allowing for flexible turning, just right.”

Without Ning Zhuo needing to remind him, Ning Jiu Fan had already taken the initiative to give him more life-saving methods.

After all, the death of the genius cultivator Zheng Jian was close at hand.

In the following days, Ning Zhuo kept his promise, actively assisting the Zheng family’s transformation team, boosting their achievements, and helping them quickly enter the medical hall to obtain medical officer positions.

During this period, Ning Zhuo went to the critical care treatment room and retrieved a new spirit box.

Yang Chan Yu had seized Zheng Jian’s soul. After it fell into Sun Ling Tong’s hands, it was refined by the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit Dissolving Sutra, purifying a wisp of spirituality.

Because only the soul was available, the spirituality was only thirty percent.

Ning Zhuo successfully created a mechanical ring, containing Zheng Jian’s spirituality, and wore it on his left index finger.

Ning Zhuo sought artifacts related to Ning Xiao Hui and Zheng Jian’s lives while also looking after the Ning family, trying his best to arrange for them to be stationed in the Five Elements Artillery Towers.

He also reached an agreement with Zhou Ze Shen to assist them in obtaining positions on the General Appointing Platform as quickly as possible. Ning Zhuo received considerable compensation for this.

At the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain, deep within the clouds and mist.

Meng Kui’s eyes shot out a sharp light, and he once again performed a divine ability – Sitting Mountain Observing the Wind and Clouds!

Great Wind Talisman!

Cloud Rise Talisman!

The great wind rises, the clouds soar, sitting on the mountain, listening to the pine trees rustle.

Meng Kui’s vision suddenly changed.

Blazing flames, a dragon turtle like a mountain, bearing an immortal city on its back, crushing stone slabs, raising its head and letting out a long roar towards the sky.

The night sky was pitch black, a huge mysterious bird shot out streaks of lightning, circling and dancing, almost扑下 (pūxià – swooping down).

A massive tree reaching the sky and grounding itself, its branches and roots extending, were deeply embedded in the dragon turtle’s body, deeper than before!

The dragon turtle was weak, and molten lava-like blood fire flowed from the wounds where the roots were embedded.

Its situation was precarious, the rock slabs shattered, causing its lower body to fall into the scorching lava, with a strong tendency to be submerged.

Meng Kui strained to observe, blood and tears flowing from his eyes.

“How is this possible?”

“Why? Why can’t I see the Empty Sect’s luck? Where did the luck represented by Sun Ling Tong and Yang Chan Yu go?!”

This was the second time Meng Kui had used this divine ability.

The first time was after the Golden Core free-for-all.

But in these two castings, he had not seen the Empty Sect’s luck!

This made it difficult for him to understand.

Suddenly.

The lava erupted violently, forming a huge wave.

The scorching lava formed a vortex, fiercely sucking and dragging the dragon turtle down.

The dragon turtle let out a mournful cry, trying hard to crawl out, but it only sank deeper and deeper!

Seeing this scene, Meng Kui immediately forgot his previous questions, his face filled with solemnity.

“The terror of the Blazing Flame Beast Tide has begun to show itself!”

At the same time, in the real Fire Persimmon Mountain, a Nascent Soul level fiery serpent let out a long hiss, revealing itself, its blazing body directly crashing into the Lava Immortal Palace!