"Add more money?" Zhu Xuanji laughed heartily, "That can be arranged!"
However, what came next caused Zhu Xuanji's expression to change when Zheng Shuanggou quoted the exact amount of spirit stones.
His expression was one of shock, and his gaze seemed to ask—Are you serious?
Thus, the second round of discussions broke down, as Zheng Shuanggou's price was too high. Both parties failed to reach an agreement and could only say they would reconsider before scheduling a third meeting.
"These local cultivation families..." Zhu Xuanji gritted his teeth in secret.
Ever since the recruitment order, his pressure had doubled.
More and more cultivators had flooded into Huoshi Immortal City, and the City Lord's Mansion had successfully "recruited" several Golden Core cultivators who possessed significant expertise in the art of puppetry.
These Golden Core cultivators entered the Lava Immortal Palace, working together closely, and were quickly catching up to Zhu Xuanji.
The gap between them was visibly shrinking at an alarming rate.
Zhu Xuanji was well aware that this was actually the work of the Meng family, using this method to bring in reinforcements and help Meng Kui compete for control of the Lava Immortal Palace.
The Meng family needed the Lava Immortal Palace as a stepping stone to seize control of the entire Huoshi Immortal City!
Zhu Xuanji's plan was to retrieve the lost Golden Core mechanical puppet demon general.
Through the Trace Back Art, he saw that the mechanical demon general was lost deep within Mount Huoshi, in the royal court of the Fire Fusion Demon Apes, ruled by a Golden Core-level demon ape king, with the possibility of other Golden Core-level demon apes present as well.
In such a situation, relying on Zhu Xuanji alone would never be enough to retrieve the mechanical demon general.
Therefore, he sought out the Zhou, Zheng, and Ning families to borrow the strength of five Golden Core cultivators to storm the lair of the Fire Fusion Demon Apes deep within Mount Huoshi and retrieve the mechanical demon general.
The first round of talks ended in failure, and the second round also encountered setbacks...
As a divine detective, Zhu Xuanji pondered for a while, finally realizing, "The three families' Golden Cores are deliberately stalling for time."
"After all, entering Mount Huoshi with me means risking their lives."
"They want to confirm whether they have another chance on a different path. If the opportunity is significant, they won’t agree to risk their lives with me."
"Judging by this, the reconstruction teams from the three families must be planning something big."
At the Zhou family.
In the underground hall.
All members of the reconstruction teams from the three families gathered together, attentively listening to Zheng Hua explaining the "Ghost Martial Divine Soldier Refining Art."
"Remember, using this technique will cut off thirty percent of your own soul. During this process, you will experience intense pain."
"Our family has already prepared the corresponding pills for you. If you can't endure it, you can take one to alleviate the pain."
"However, I don't recommend you do this."
"Because the intense pain signifies the close bond between the soul fragments. Maintaining this connection will be highly beneficial for the forging of the ghost weapon."
"But if you take the pill, it will greatly weaken this bond. Even if you manage to forge the ghost weapon, it won’t be perfectly compatible with your body."
"Of course, when necessary, you should still take the pill."
"If you pass out from the pain, the consequences will be even worse!"
Zheng Hua gave a detailed explanation and then demonstrated his own ghost weapon to everyone.
After that, he had a cultivator from the Zheng family's reconstruction team publicly cut a fragment of their soul, depleting their soul power to condense their own ghost weapon.
After understanding and mastering this special refining technique, someone began forging their weapon.
"It hurts so much, heavens!" The first person to try it, under the watchful eyes of countless people, stubbornly refused to take the pill.
As a result, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
Fortunately, Zheng Hua and others were closely monitoring him, and seeing the situation deteriorate, they intervened early.
The unconscious cultivator was quickly stabilized with their treatment, preventing the backlash from endangering his life.
Witnessing this vivid example and the bloody lesson, the other members of the reconstruction team chose a more conservative approach.
Whenever they could no longer endure the pain, they immediately took the pill.
"Ah—!" Ning Yong screamed, his voice hoarse, yet he stubbornly refused to take the pill.
Ning Xiaohui snorted coldly and turned her head away.
After obtaining their ghost weapons, Zheng Hua distributed various pills, mainly for healing the soul or accelerating its recovery.
Then, under the guidance of another elder of the Zheng family, everyone actively practiced using their ghost weapons.
Afterward, they practiced mechanical refining, trained for three major tactics, and so on.
A few days later.
The entire reconstruction team was completely transformed! Their combat power had skyrocketed!
The three family patriarchs urged them repeatedly, and the reconstruction team, without resting, headed straight for the Immortal Palace.
Lava Immortal Palace.
The pupp
ets arrived at the first door.
They lined up in an orderly manner to receive their rewards for passing through.
Everyone's movements were swift and without hesitation. This was because the options and quantities of the rewards had been discussed and predetermined long ago.
Room one, room two, room three.
"No mechanical apes found!" the crowd cheered.
They happily entered the first preparation room.
The cultivators divided the work, with Ning Zhuo and Zheng Jian leading the effort to manufacture various mechanical creations with all their strength.
Room four, room five, room six.
In the second preparation room, the cultivators purchased higher-grade materials and made another batch of items.
Room seven, room eight!
The Golden-Blooded Battle Ape, Dasheng, appeared.
"Finally, we’ve encountered it."
"The eighth room is much deeper than we anticipated."
"This time, we must win!"
The joint forces of the three families were filled with high morale.
Yuan Dasheng roared and charged directly at the group.
The three families' joint forces were on full alert, as if facing a formidable enemy!
"Thunderbolt crossbows, fire!" Zheng Jian shouted.
In the ranks, eight crossbow machines were instantly activated. The arrows were covered in lightning and shot out.
Eight bolts of lightning shot straight forward, striking Golden-Blooded Battle Ape, Dasheng.
The Golden-Blooded Battle Ape, Dasheng, froze in place, pierced by eight thunderbolt-wreathed arrows, each eight feet long, which buried themselves deep into the ground, pinning Dasheng in place.
Yuan Dasheng struggled, but the result was him twitching uncontrollably from the strong electric current, as broken mechanical parts spilled from his wounds.
"We... we did it!"
"Hahaha, who would've thought it would be a one-hit kill."
"The thunderbolt crossbows are incredible, even if they can only fire once. The power is exceptional, definitely worth it."
The crowd cheered.
"Hurry, dismantle the mechanical ape."
"Don't let the electric current damage the internal parts; we need to gather more information!"
Several cultivators quickly rushed forward.
Boom!