: A Critical Mistake

2024-07-31 Author: Gu Zhenren

A heavy weight seemed to press down on Yuan Er's heart, making it difficult to breathe.

Observing the overall situation, he understood it all too clearly.

The efficiency of the mechanical monkeys at harvesting was truly astonishing, far surpassing that of the monkey pets.

The monkey pets would get tired, worry about self-destructing, and be cautious. The mechanical monkeys never tired; if damaged, they went for emergency repairs and quickly returned to the field. Crucially, they weren't afraid at all, making them highly efficient.

"We've fallen completely behind. The Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove is our last chance. Uncle Monkey, it's all up to you now!" Yuan Er said.

Yuan Dasheng nodded at him and leaped into action.

He had been conserving his energy all this time, waiting for the critical moment to make his move.

Yuan Dasheng had a burly frame. He lightly extended his arms, his palms swiftly leaving faint shadows. Yet, when his palms touched the fire persimmons, they didn't trigger an explosion.

The Fire-Blend Demon Ape worked with both hands simultaneously, swiftly and efficiently stripping a Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon tree of all its fruit, dropping them to the ground.

His astonishing performance drew the gazes of countless cultivators.

"That Fire-Blend Demon Ape is incredible!"

"Of course! He's the foundation of the Monkey Head Gang, a pet beast left behind by the old gang leader, Yuan Yi."

"It's truly breathtaking to watch. His movements are so forceful, yet he doesn't trigger a single explosion. His martial skill is so high it puts many martial arts masters to shame."

Yuan Dasheng combined hardness and softness, controlling strength and gentleness with perfect unity. Thousand-Year Fire Persimmons were inherently more volatile than their hundred-year or ten-year counterparts, but in his hands, they were handled with such control they seemed as docile as fakes.

The ape leaped and moved between the trees and the ground. Despite his large, burly stature, he was agile and swift, captivating many onlookers who couldn't help but focus on this display of powerful, graceful movement.

On the mountainside, Chen Cha, Ning Zhuo, and the others also watched the scene through the projection array.

Chen Cha showed surprise: "The Monkey Head Gang has managed the fire persimmon harvesting business for so many years for a reason! They have real skill!"

"Indeed, very impressive," Ning Zhuo said. "But it's a pity there's only one of this ape leader."

Chen Cha shook his head: "Don't say that. Based on current performance, the quality of our mechanical monkeys isn't good; they've caused many explosions."

"In the future, the City Lord's Manor will probably assign regular fire persimmon harvesting to the mechanical monkeys. The other monkey pets are inefficient and make many mistakes."

"But for the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmons, they'll have to use this Fire-Blend Demon Ape. His movements are fast, relaxed, and very reliable."

Ning Zhuo fell silent, a faint, dark light swirling deep within his eyes.

He sneered inwardly: "Reliable?"

"All my scheming until now has been waiting for this moment."

"Yuan Dasheng, what comes next is what I've carefully prepared for you."

"Die... for me!"

As this thought crossed his mind, over a dozen mechanical monkeys suddenly broke free from the cultivators' control and charged at Yuan Er.

The sudden变故 caught many by surprise, leaving them stunned.

Yuan Er, however, reacted quickly.

Ever since the assassination attempt, he had been treading on thin ice, constantly on edge!

At the first sign of trouble now, he was like a startled rabbit, ready to bolt into a tunnel.

Mechanical monkeys were attacking from the left, right, and behind. Only the path directly ahead of Yuan Er was clear.

In his panic, Yuan Er instinctively chose the direction he thought was safest.

He rushed straight ahead, aiming to rendezvous with Yuan Dasheng!

Yuan Dasheng also reacted instantly, stopping his harvesting and quickly rushing towards Yuan Er.

The two successfully met up within the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove. The mechanical monkeys, however, couldn't get in.

It turned out Fei Si had taken action, activating a formation that directly destroyed these mechanical火爆 monkeys.

This was the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove!

The most valuable part of the entire grove, extremely precious. Fei Si certainly wouldn't allow these mechanical monkeys to run rampant and cause damage.

"Is that shadowy demonic cultivator causing trouble again? But why target the Monkey Head Gang?" Zhu Xuanji, Chi Dun, and the other Golden Core cultivators were puzzled. Without seeing the shadowy demonic cultivator himself, they held back, none making a move.

Fei Si's face darkened. His eyes flickered as he began to suspect this might not be the shadowy demonic cultivator's doing, but possibly a vicious scheme by Ning Zhuo.

"If it really is him, then this Ning Zhuo is utterly reckless and deserves death!"

Although Fei Si somewhat appreciated Ning Zhuo, when it came to his own duties and future prospects, if Ning Zhuo had truly done this, Fei Si would be the first to not let him off!

Fei Si immediately ordered all the fragments of the mechanical monkeys to be sent to Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo, and sent an envoy with a message.

The envoy soon stood before Ning Zhuo, his expression and gaze ice-cold: "Lord Fei Si says: anyone who disregards the bigger picture is seeking death!"

Chen Cha was dumbfounded.

Ning Zhuo wore an extremely serious expression: "Please inform Lord Fei Si, this junior would never be so shortsighted! To control these mechanical monkeys requires at least a Foundation Establishment level cultivation. How could I possibly manage it?"

"This must be a move by that shadowy demonic cultivator, a test or provocation. I beg Lord Fei Si to investigate clearly. Currently, there are few repair tasks. To prove my innocence, I request permission to temporarily withdraw and return to Fire Persimmon Immortal City."

Only then did Chen Cha understand, showing a trace of anger at being wronged. He took a deep breath, suppressing his fury: "We wouldn't selfishly plot against the Monkey Head Gang in front of everyone!"

"From such a distance, controlling these mechanical monkeys without using suspension threads or divine sense... that's giving us far too much credit."

The envoy's expression softened slightly. He simply nodded, turned, and left.

Chen Cha was still fuming: "What is all this? The control core components of these mechanical monkeys are three meandering pellets; they require Foundation Establishment level to operate. To suspect Xiao Zhuo like this is just absurd!"

Ning Zhuo smiled wryly: "We can't blame Lord Fei Si. He's under immense pressure. Right now, only the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove remains, and the shadowy demonic cultivator hasn't made his move yet. It's probably coming soon!"

Inside the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove.

Yuan Er, still shaken: "Uncle Dasheng, the Flying Disk Workshop has gone mad! Under the watch of the entire city, they still tried to kill me!"

Yuan Dasheng also looked furious. He patted Yuan Er's shoulder, comforting him and urging him to calm down.

Fear still lingered on Yuan Er's face, but his tone was excited: "Uncle Dasheng, in my opinion, the Flying Disk Workshop saw your magnificent display of power, couldn't sit still anymore, and took this desperate gamble."

"Uncle Dasheng, please keep going, continue harvesting the persimmons, and secure our victory!"

Yuan Dasheng nodded. He pointed at Yuan Er, then at the ground.

Yuan Er immediately understood: "Don't worry, Uncle Dasheng, I won't go far from you."

Yuan Dasheng turned back, climbed the tree again, and began harvesting persimmons.

His movements gradually sped up, soon returning to his previous efficiency.

On the mountainside, the dark light in Ning Zhuo's eyes had accumulated to its peak.

"Come on, come on," he whispered in his heart.

Yuan Dasheng's expression changed drastically!

His fingers exerted force, actually crushing a Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon.

He had made a mistake.

At this final moment, on the verge of victory, he had made a mistake!

(End of )