Chapter 27: Undermining

Chapter 27: Undermining

< Chapter 27: Undermining >

Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes and found that his surroundings had changed dramatically; he was back in his underground workshop. A strong sense of weakness surged from deep within his heart.

Standing up, Ning Zhuo examined himself. "My physical body is fine, but my soul has been severely weakened." In Room No. 2, he had endured numerous hits from giant trees. "Although it was only my first exploration of the Lava Immortal Palace and I didn't enter Room No. 3, I made significant gains!"

"Especially the magical rewards from Room No. 2, which I was fortunate to bring back with me." Ning Zhuo did not rush to study the magic he had acquired. Instead, he first drank water and ate some food.

With his soul extracted, his physical body had been in a comatose state, maintaining heartbeat and breathing, but remaining immobile for a long time was not advisable. After all, Ning Zhuo was still just a Qi Refining stage cultivator and had not practiced any particular body-strengthening techniques. His physical body was not strong.

While eating and drinking to nourish his body, Ning Zhuo calculated the time spent before and after. "The first exploration of the Lava Immortal Palace took about three hours."

"A Qi Refining stage cultivator who has practiced the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art enters the Lava Immortal Palace differently than before. Previously, the true body entered the palace, but now the soul is drawn in... This means that even if the city lord continues to guard the top of Mount Huoshi, it won't be very effective anymore."

"No, the city lord will probably continue the blockade."

"On one hand, he needs to prevent cultivators above the Qi Refining stage from entering the palace in their true forms. After all, the Lava Immortal Palace has now made its appearance."

"On the other hand, by doing so, he also benefits his own power base. His own grandson, Meng Chong, who is still in the Qi Refining stage, has been preparing to claim the Lava Immortal Palace for a long time. In this regard, the city lord's side still holds a significant advantage."

"Meng Chong possesses superior immortal talents—'Wild Bursting Thunder'—far beyond what I can compare."

"Alas, I wonder how far he has progressed? Room No. 2 definitely wouldn't pose a challenge for him."

Although it was Ning Zhuo's first exploration and he hadn’t reached Room No. 3, his gains were substantial. The Lava Immortal Palace offers completely different treatments to "outsiders" and its "own cultivators."

This was highly advantageous for Ning Zhuo.

Previously, Ning Zhuo had to contend with Foundation Establishment stage, Golden Core stage, and even Nascent Soul stage competitors. But now, under this testing method, his competitors are temporarily just other Qi Refining stage cultivators.

Ning Zhuo recalled the intelligence he had collected.T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m

"Among the city lord's Qi Refining cultivators, Meng Chong is definitely the leader."

"The Zhou family’s Qi Refining cultivators include Zhou Zhendeep and Zhou Zhu. These two have joined the Mud Flow Sect, and their mastery in mechanical arts is hard to estimate."

"The Zheng family's Zheng Jian is the face of the Qi Refining cultivators, possessing top-tier immortal talents like ‘Piercing Heart Insight,' which is also quite remarkable."

"As for the Ning family, among their peers, Ning Xiaohui is the best. However, she is not willing to switch to practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art."

Suddenly, the tool embryo burst into brilliance.

Zheng Jian's eyes sparkled with excitement as he quickly put down the hammer and scooped up a ladle of water, pouring it directly onto the tool embryo.

The clear water hit the tool embryo, hissing upon contact and generating a thick plume of white steam.

Zheng Jian immediately sensed danger and quickly retreated.

But he had already inhaled a bit of the white mist and couldn't help but cough twice, coughing up blood.

"Damn it, the water's been poisoned!"

Zheng Jian's face turned pale as he bolted out of the artifact-refining chamber.

City Lord's Mansion.

A black-clad assassin climbed over the courtyard wall, stepping across the rooftops, quietly pulling out a blowpipe-shaped magical instrument.

He secretly cast a spell, melting a small hole in the roof, and then slowly extended the blowpipe down through it.

But the next moment, he heard a low roar: "Thief, meet your death!"

The blowpipe was harshly shoved back, carrying terrifying electric light, directly piercing the assassin's mouth and shooting out from the back of his head, then vanishing into the sky at high speed.

In the glaring electric light, the assassin trembled violently for a few moments.

The next moment, he turned into char and plummeted headlong. He rolled down the roof, all the way until he hit the ground.

"Hmph!" In the room, Meng Chong slowly closed his eyes, continuing to disperse his power.

Ning Family.

Ning Xiaohui stood before the clan leader, her grandmother, and the family elders of the Talisman Hall by her side.

"I'm not opposed to modifying The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, but I have some conditions!" Ning Xiaohui changed her tone.

Originally, the main line of the Ning family had always failed to elect a notable figure, only being able to nominate Ning Xiaohui.

Ning Xiaohui's grandmother and the supportive elders from Talisman Hall, also gradually unable to withstand the combined pressure from others, had no choice but to compromise.