: Hidden Harm

2024-07-31 Author: Gu Zhenren

Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes, finding his vision drastically changed. He was back in his underground workshop.

An intense feeling of weakness welled up from the depths of his heart.

Ning Zhuo stood up and examined himself.

"My body is fine, but my soul has been severely weakened."

In the second room, he had been struck by the giant wooden pillars too many times.

"Although this was only my first exploration of the Molten Lava Immortal Palace and I didn't even enter the third room, I gained a lot!"

"Especially the spell reward from the second room, which I luckily managed to bring back."

Ning Zhuo wasn't in a hurry to study the spell he obtained. Instead, he first drank water and ate.

His soul had been extracted, leaving his body in a coma. While his heartbeat and breathing were maintained, remaining motionless for a long time was still not ideal.

After all, Ning Zhuo was only a Qi Refining stage cultivator and hadn't specifically practiced any body-tempering techniques. His physical body wasn't strong.

While eating and drinking to replenish his body's nutrients, Ning Zhuo calculated the time spent.

"My first exploration of the Molten Lava Immortal Palace took about three hours."

"The method for Qi Refining stage cultivators who have practiced the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art to enter the Molten Lava Immortal Palace is different from before. Previously, it was entering with the true body; now, the soul is drawn in... This means that even if the City Lord guards the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain, it holds little significance now."

"No, the City Lord will probably continue the blockade."

"On one hand, he needs to prevent cultivators above the Qi Refining stage from entering with their true bodies. After all, the Molten Lava Immortal Palace has already emerged."

"On the other hand, doing so also benefits his own faction. His own grandson, Meng Chong, is still at the Qi Refining stage and has been preparing to seize the Molten Lava Immortal Palace for a long time. In this regard, the City Lord's side still holds the greatest advantage."

"Meng Chong possesses a supreme immortal资质—Rampaging Surging Thunder! He's simply on a different level compared to me."

"Sigh, I wonder how many rooms he has passed? The second room definitely can't trouble him."

Mortals with spiritual roots have the basic qualification to cultivate.

Above spiritual roots, there are countless cultivation aptitudes.

Supreme aptitudes are called Immortal Aptitudes; they are extraordinary, and defeating opponents above one's level is commonplace.

Although Ning Zhuo didn't even enter the third room during his first exploration, his gains were immense.

The Molten Lava Immortal Palace's treatment towards "outsiders" and "its own cultivators" was completely different.

This was very advantageous for Ning Zhuo.

According to the previous method, Ning Zhuo would have to face competitors at the Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and even Nascent Soul stages.

But now, with this method of trial, his opponents, for the time being, are only Qi Refining stage cultivators.

Ning Zhuo recalled the information he had gathered.

"Among the Qi Refining cultivators on the City Lord's side, Meng Chong is undoubtedly the leader."

"The Zhou family's Qi Refining stage cultivators include Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu. These two specifically joined the Mudflow Sect; their attainments in mechanism arts are hard to estimate."

"The Zheng family's Zheng Jian is the face among their Qi Refining stage members. He possesses a high-grade aptitude like Piercing Heart Insight, which is also very remarkable."

"As for the Ning family, among Qi Refining cultivators of the same level, Ning Xiaohui is the best. However, she is unwilling to switch to cultivating the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art."

"Sigh, these are all geniuses in cultivation."

"Compared to them, I only have a low-grade Early Wisdom Immortal Aptitude, utterly ordinary."

"The key point is, they have deep backgrounds and can receive strong support from their families, even assistance from Nascent Soul stage cultivators. I can't; I'm too ordinary and can only rely on myself. In this aspect, I can only look up to them."

Ning Zhuo pondered the situation until his head ached unbearably.

He found a bottle of soul-restoring pills, poured out a few, and swallowed them with water.

Then, he hurriedly threw himself onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

While he was resting, a conflict was occurring in the Zhou family.

"Why can't I use the Gathering and Dispersing Auspicious Tidal Array here?" a Qi Refining stage cultivator shouted arrogantly.

"Just because I'm here," Zhou Zeshen said, stepping out with a dark expression.

The Zhou family Qi Refining cultivator curled his lip, about to mock, when he saw Zhou Zeshen take out a small flag.

Zhou Zeshen pointed it at the troublemaking Qi Refining cultivator and simply shook it. The ground beneath the cultivator's feet immediately churned, turning into a swamp that rapidly swallowed him.

The Zhou family Qi Refining cultivator yelled, "Zhou Zeshen, you're too arrogant, actually using force within the clan grounds! Aiyah..."

He could no longer speak.

He was almost completely submerged in the mud, his chin and mouth sunk into the earth, but his nostrils remained above, giving him a chance to breathe.

He struggled desperately but couldn't move. Furious, his face turned red, and he glared angrily.

Zhou Zeshen sneered, then scanned the surroundings, addressing the onlookers: "I know some in the clan are dissatisfied with me and Zhou Zhu."

"But using such petty tricks to annoy people really underestimates me."

Just then, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded from underground.

Zhou Zeshen's expression changed dramatically. He hastily turned and rushed into the basement.

The Gathering and Dispersing Auspicious Tidal Array had gradually stopped. Zhou Zhu lay on the ground, eyes tightly shut, blood seeping from all his pores.

"Big Zhu!" Zhou Zeshen cried out, rushing into the array to check on Zhou Zhu and provide emergency treatment.

Soon after, a Zhou family Elder arrived with a livid face: "Investigate! We must find the culprit and punish them severely!"

---

Zheng Family.

The forging room was bustling with activity.

A ten-foot-high furnace stood open, its firelight reddening Zheng Jian's face.

At the moment, he was bare-chested, muscles bulging, sweat rolling down, fully focused on forging.

He held a pair of iron tongs in one hand and a hammer high in the other, continuously striking the weapon blank.

The blank was quite small, only the size of a baby's palm.

Suddenly, the blank emitted a bright light.

A gleam shot from Zheng Jian's eyes. He quickly put down the hammer, scooped a ladle of water, and splashed it directly onto the blank.

The clear water sizzled upon contact, producing large plumes of white steam.

Zheng Jian immediately sensed danger and hurriedly retreated.

But he had already inhaled a small amount of the white steam. He couldn't help but cough twice, actually coughing up blood.

"Dammit, poison was added to this water!"

Zheng Jian's face turned pale as he dashed out of the forging room.

---

City Lord's Manor.

A black-clothed assassin scaled the courtyard wall, stepped onto the roof, and silently took out a blowpipe-like magical instrument.

He secretly used a spell to melt a small hole in the roof, then slowly extended the blowpipe down.

But the next moment, he heard a low roar: "Scoundrel, die!"

The blowpipe was violently pushed back, carrying terrifying electric light. It shot back through the assassin's mouth, exited through the back of his head, and then vanished into the sky at extreme speed.

Under the dazzling electric light, the assassin trembled violently a few times.

The next moment, he turned into charcoal and collapsed, tumbling down the roof until he hit the ground.

"Hmph!" In the room below, Meng Chong slowly closed his eyes and continued dispersing his cultivation.

---

Ning Family.

Ning Xiaohui stood before the Clan Head, accompanied by her grandmother and the Elder from the Talisman Hall.

"Having me switch to cultivating the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art isn't impossible. But I have some demands!" Ning Xiaohui had changed her tune.

Originally, the Ning family's main branch couldn't produce a suitable candidate, so they had to recommend Ning Xiaohui.

Ning Xiaohui's grandmother and the supporting Talisman Hall Elder were gradually unable to withstand the combined pressure from others and had no choice but to compromise.

(End of )