: Mu Lan, Bear With It

2025-01-13 Author: Gu Zhenren

: Mu Lan, Bear With It

"Hmm?" The old demon cultivator frowned, once again observing a change in Ning Zhuo's fortune.

"The previous increase was just a few threads, a few strands. This time, it's risen so much."

"This Ning Zhuo kid is truly treacherous!"

"If I had been fooled by the earlier illusion, let my guard down, and rashly used the Three-Line Fortune-Breaking Curse, wouldn't I have fallen right into his trap!"

The old demon cultivator was so frightened that a cold sweat broke out on his back.

He snorted coldly, his eyes icy and venomous.

He took out a large amount of precious materials again, but this time, instead of adding them directly, he suspended them mid-air temporarily.

Taking a deep breath, the old demon cultivator endured the intense pain and tore off most of the fox skin from his chest.

Ignoring the blood dripping, he flung the fox skin into the air.

The fox skin exploded in mid-air with a poof, turning into a cloud of smoke that enveloped and covered all the suspended precious materials, not letting a single wisp of aura leak out.

Gritting his teeth, the old demon cultivator began arranging the materials again.

After obtaining the puppet, Ning Zhuo didn't return to the Three Generals Camp but secretly left the city. Activating the Ten-Thousand Li Wandering Dragon, he traversed the void and arrived at a deserted valley.

The mechanism ring remained quiet, which put his mind at ease.

He shook out various storage pouches, releasing all the puppets.

Instantly, over four hundred puppets crowded the small valley, perched on rocks and trees, scattered everywhere.

Ning Zhuo used his spiritual sense to activate the My Buddha Demonic Heart Seal in his upper dantian, shooting out pink heart seals.

Once the heart seals were implanted, Ning Zhuo immediately established a close connection with these puppets.

He then used his spiritual sense to control them but could only manage about one hundred seventy before reaching his limit.

The number of targets a cultivator can control simultaneously varies greatly depending on their cultivation technique, innate talent, magical treasures, and other factors.

The Mirror Platform Spirit Channeling Art that Ning Zhuo practiced was inherently skilled at controlling multiple targets simultaneously—but it required the use of mechanism mirrors.

The method for crafting these mirrors was recorded in the Foundation Establishment of the Mirror Platform Spirit Channeling Art, named the Split Spirit Mirror.

"I'll craft the Split Spirit Mirror once I return to the Three Generals Camp."

Thinking this, Ning Zhuo spread his ten fingers wide, shooting out ten suspension threads from his fingertips to control the ten nearest and strongest puppets.

Instantly, the connection between these ten puppets and him became extremely tight and intense.

This was the most commonly used control method for mechanism cultivators.

The connection was the strongest, but the number controllable was the smallest.

Although cultivators had various methods to split their mana threads to control more targets, doing so would also weaken the connection.

And Ning Zhuo's truly strongest control method had to be...

Divine Ability—Thread of Human Fate!

But unfortunately, this ability couldn't take effect on the over four hundred puppets present.

"The Thread of Human Fate can be used to control cultivators, as well as sentient mechanism creations like Yuan Dasheng."

"So, if I want to use my divine ability to control these puppets, there seems to be one way..."

Ning Zhuo took out the Spirit Concealment Box.

It contained many spiritual essences, accumulated by Ning Zhuo since the Lava Immortal Palace and greatly increased when he burned many relics at Misty Hidden Mountain.

The stock of spiritual essence was considerable, though quite mixed.

Ning Zhuo slightly opened the Spirit Concealment Box, drawing out the specks of spiritual essence and guiding them into each puppet.

The puppets remained motionless.

Ning Zhuo kept increasing the amount, filling them with more spiritual essence.

The mixed spiritual essences tangled, collided, and separated within the puppets, never coalescing, remaining scattered and ineffective.

Ning Zhuo attempted to use his Thread of Human Fate divine ability, lightly settling it atop the puppets' heads.

"Success!"

The joy on Ning Zhuo's face was fleeting, because he discovered that although the Thread of Human Fate could be applied, the mixed spiritual essences were rapidly depleting at an alarming rate under this state.

Soon, the large amount of mixed spiritual essence filled in was completely consumed.

Ning Zhuo's expression darkened slightly.

Without spiritual essence, his Thread of Human Fate automatically detached from the puppets.

Ning Zhuo fell into thought: "Mixed spiritual essence can help the Thread of Human Fate gain control over the puppets for a very short time."

"During that period, my control over these puppets will reach the most thorough degree!"

"The combat power of this puppet army could potentially skyrocket to its limit."

But it should still be used sparingly.

Only as a last resort.

Using it too often would expose the Thread of Human Fate divine ability.

Clearly, once this divine ability was exposed, it would have a huge negative impact on Ning Zhuo's travels and interactions with others.

"But if the situation is too urgent, I'll have to use it."

War is perilous!

On the battlefield, anything can happen.

The previous ambush left an extremely deep impression on Ning Zhuo. Faced with the sudden turnaround, he couldn't react in time, even while protected by layers of troops. Since then, Ning Zhuo felt utterly insecure.

Next, Ning Zhuo began attempting to drill the Light Foot Swift Wind Formation.

Oh no, the Light Body Swift Wind Formation.

Ning Zhuo's face quickly turned pale, a fine layer of sweat appearing on his forehead, his spiritual sense in his upper dantian depleting drastically.

The entire Light Body Swift Wind Formation was only drilled to thirty percent completion before Ning Zhuo could no longer sustain it.

Normally, soldiers would act according to the battle formation's content on their own.

But now, every puppet's movement had to be personally directed and commanded by Ning Zhuo.

The difficulty of forming the formation thus skyrocketed to the heavens.

Unless they reached the level of sentience like Yuan Dasheng or Meng Yehu, they might be able to move according to the battle formation on their own.

"Refine a single spiritual essence and nurture it to become more intelligent, capable of acting according to the battle formation."

"Craft treasures like the Split Spirit Mirror."

"Improve my own techniques for controlling mechanisms!"

"Increasing the strength and scale of my own spiritual sense would also allow me to control more puppets simultaneously."

Ning Zhuo's thoughts raced, quickly conceiving multiple plans.

"Using various methods, I must achieve the level where the puppets can form battle formations."

Ning Zhuo had gained some experience in battlefield combat.

The ambush battle gave him a profound understanding: only by forming battle formations can the weak overcome the strong.

Battle formations are a quite mature and excellent method, capable of nearly perfectly concentrating the power of many weaker individuals to achieve the effect of resisting stronger opponents.

In ancient times, the Array Dao and Military Dao among the Hundred Crafts of Cultivation hadn't developed to this stage. Unable to leverage numerical advantages, the cultivation world placed more emphasis on individual development and cultivation level. Looking at history from that era, there were often examples of one person facing thousands of troops alone, sweeping through entire immortal cities.

Sun Lingtong suggested: "Xiao Zhuo, don't forget I can control some puppets for you too."

This was indeed a good suggestion.

Sun Lingtong's spiritual sense was originally quite exceptional.

And he himself had some ability to control various mechanisms. After all, he had started studying the mechanism texts left by Ning Zhuo's mother a long time ago.

But after just briefly drilling the Light Body Swift Wind Formation, Ning Zhuo moved on to a more important attempt.

Military Art—Warrior's Return Technique!

Under the enhancement of this military art, Ning Zhuo intentionally damaged the puppets under his command.

The degree of damage varied.

The lightest was just having the puppet break from control, stopping in place.

Next was disassembling the puppet but not damaging its components. Given a little time, it could be reassembled.

Then came damaging various parts of the puppet.

Finally, completely crushing the puppet, even annihilating it.

After one round of verification, Ning Zhuo's aura surged upward, and he reached a preliminary conclusion: "Just disassembling doesn't provide enhancement. The more thorough the destruction, and the more combat power retained before destruction, the greater the enhancement I receive."

Sun Lingtong was overjoyed: "Xiao Zhuo, doesn't that mean you could possess Nascent Soul level combat power?"

Ning Zhuo smiled and shook his head.

Sun Lingtong slapped his forehead: "Oh, I see. You're only at the Foundation Establishment level; your body and soul are too weak to bear Nascent Soul level combat power!"

After all, between Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul, there was still the Golden Core stage.

Previously, in the Army Testing Diagram, Ning Zhuo was just a part of his spiritual sense, condensed into a false body.

To apply this in the real world, he couldn't receive such a跨度 enhancement. Nascent Soul level power imposed on him would cause him to die instantly.

Ning Zhuo added: "Not only is it difficult for me to bear, but the Warrior's Return Technique military art also has the possibility of being countered by enemies."

"This military art, combined with the puppet army, can boost my own combat power to the Golden Core level."

"If this method is used frequently, it will definitely be targeted by the enemy and easily countered."

Sun Lingtong nodded, offering his opinion: "To exert stronger power, Xiao Zhuo, I suggest you lead a separate army!"

Ning Zhuo shook his head: "I've thought about that too. Leading a separate army, being incorporated into the Two Pillars Kingdom would allow me to enjoy the kingdom's power enhancement."

"That way, when puppets are lost, the enhancement I receive would be greater."

"Even at the start of a battle, I could actively sacrifice some puppets to enhance my own strength, increasing my survival rate on the battlefield!"

Ning Zhuo's strength lay in mechanisms.

Experiences like the ambush battle and Gao Sheng's posthumous letter had allowed him to摸索 out a combat method for a puppet army.

This method was quite peculiar and held promising prospects.

Ning Zhuo glanced at the mechanism ring, packed up all the puppets, and even smoothed the surrounding rocks before leaving with the help of the Ten-Thousand Li Wandering Dragon.

Returning to the Three Generals Camp, his first action was to pay a visit to Liu Er, seeking an allocation for his puppet army.

Liu Er smiled wryly, expressing considerable difficulty.

"Military Advisor, you know the situation of the Three Generals Camp."

"Our quotas are limited. To carve out a large portion for the puppets, how many would be left? It's simply not enough for me and my second and third brothers to command."

Liu Er unusually refused Ning Zhuo.

He smiled on the surface, but hatred lurked in his heart. This hatred originated from the depths of Liu Er's being.

Ning Zhuo nodded: "What a pity. In that case, I can only go to the Red Flower Camp for help. General, no need to see me out. I take my leave."

"Eh? Ah?!" Liu Er was stunned, inwardly shouting, instinctively reaching out to stop Ning Zhuo.

Had he known it would促成 Ning Zhuo and Mu Lan's meeting, Liu Er definitely wouldn't have refused Ning Zhuo.

"What am I doing? Driving Ning Zhuo to the Red Flower Camp? Making Ning Zhuo and Mu Lan's relationship even closer?!"

Liu Er regretted it, wishing he could slap himself hard.

But he couldn't think of any appropriate excuse, and could only watch helplessly as Ning Zhuo left again.

"They won't end up dual cultivating, will they?"

"But Master recently sent me a letter, telling me to temporarily stop lending out the Yin-Yang Unity Pot. What exactly does Master intend?"

Arriving at the Red Flower Camp, Ning Zhuo found he didn't need to announce himself and was allowed entry.

"Master Ning Zhuo..." Mu Lan, upon hearing the news, immediately put down her military affairs to welcome Ning Zhuo.

She was, after all, a general's daughter, with proud bones. Even without outsiders present, she still didn't change her address, not calling Ning Zhuo her husband.

Ning Zhuo bowed to her with clasped hands and stated his purpose.

Mu Lan nodded, agreeing without any hesitation: "The Red Flower Camp has a full quota of three thousand people, but it has been understaffed since a long time ago."

"I have many slots here that can be allocated to your puppets."

"Wait!" Zhang Zhongyi lifted the tent flap and barged in.

He hurriedly came to Ning Zhuo's side, grabbing his arm: "You've finally come, Master Ning Zhuo!"

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"

"You see, General Mu Lan agreed to solve your quota problem without a moment's hesitation."

"You two are already husband and wife in name; it's time for you to show some commitment too."

Mu Lan coughed: "Uncle Zhang, please don't make things difficult for Master Ning Zhuo. If we're talking about commitment, I should be thanking him for earlier at the mechanism shop..."

Zhang Zhongyi directly interrupted, staring intently at Ning Zhuo: "What about General Mu Lan's injury?"

Ning Zhuo smiled wryly: "Of course, it needs to be resolved."

Zhang Zhongyi immediately followed up: "There's no time like the present. How about now? Do you know how many times I went to the Three Generals Camp? Every time I couldn't find you; you were always coincidentally out. How strange!"

Ning Zhuo then extended his hand: "In that case, please lend me the 《Mysterious Gold Armor-Breaking Art》."

《Mysterious Gold Armor-Breaking Art》!

The family heritage cultivation method of the Mu General's Manor, the path relied upon by Old General Mu.

Holding the jade slip, Ning Zhuo focused his mind to read it, his brows slightly furrowing.

The 《Mysterious Gold Armor-Breaking Art》 was a military art, not a metal-element cultivation method. Although it contained some principles of the metal element, its main body was a method for utilizing military force.

"Truly the family heritage of a General's Manor; it's indeed profound!"

After pondering it for a while, Ning Zhuo praised sincerely.

In such a short time, he had already learned a lot from the military art portion.

Zhang Zhongyi said anxiously: "Master Ning Zhuo, can you treat it?"

"Of course." Ning Zhuo nodded.

His understanding of the five elements was very deep. Even without knowing military arts, he could still start from the metal-element portion and conceive a treatment method.

"This method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause, but it can still provide significant relief."

"Come, let me explain it to you two in detail."

After imparting the method, Ning Zhuo was still held back by Zhang Zhongyi, staying in the tent to treat Mu Lan.

During the treatment, Zhang Zhongyi suddenly twitched his left hand, causing the needle to deviate slightly and making Mu Lan spit out a small mouthful of blood.

"Quick, quickly perform cavity-pushing blood exchange for the General!" Zhang Zhongyi urgently called out.

Understanding the situation, Ning Zhuo immediately went to Mu Lan's front, placing his palm on her lower abdomen, continuously rubbing and channeling法力.

Mu Lan's injury then stabilized.

Zhang Zhongyi sighed deeply: "Ah, I'm old. I never thought the needle could go off at the final moment."

"Ah." He sighed deeply again, glancing at Ning Zhuo and Mu Lan who were close at hand, and rubbed his forehead, "I'll leave the rest to you two. This old man is dizzy and needs to rest urgently."

Saying this, he ignored Ning Zhuo's attempts to keep him and directly left quickly. Where was the sign of dizziness in his movements?

Leaving Ning Zhuo and Mu Lan looking at each other.

This was the first time Ning Zhuo had been in such a posture, in close contact with General Mu Lan.

Raising his head slightly, he saw the female general's distinct facial features, full of heroic spirit. Though her expression was resolute, it didn't lack gentleness at this moment.

For the treatment, she had already removed her armor, wearing only an inner red garment.

Her black hair was casually tied up, a few strands falling from the hair tie, lightly brushing her forehead, slightly messy, somewhat sticky due to sweat, revealing fatigue and valor.

The ends of her hair fell onto the red garment, black and red contrasting sharply.

Mu Lan sat cross-legged, her upper body posture upright, exuding a clear military temperament.

Ning Zhuo noticed that Mu Lan's shoulders were broad, but her waist was slender. Such feminine characteristics were usually concealed by heavy armor.

Mu Lan and Ning Zhuo locked eyes for a moment. Her breathing became slightly hurried, her eyelashes fluttering lightly. Her gaze was no longer so firm, wanting to look away but unwilling to back down, maintaining her strong image.

But Ning Zhuo lowered his head, seriously looking at Mu Lan's lower abdomen: "There's one last stagnant point. I need to break through it with full force. Just bear with it for a moment."

Mu Lan nodded slightly, about to respond, but didn't expect Ning Zhuo to act immediately.

Caught off guard, a sound escaped her, turning into a soft moan.

Instantly, two blushes appeared on Mu Lan's face.

Since childhood, she had never been so close to a man, nor had she ever made such a sound.

The atmosphere inside the tent became somewhat暧昧.

(End of )