Chapter 488: Beginning of Great Luck

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Within the fiery Date Mountain.

The battle to encircle and suppress the Myriad Year Fire Essence had reached its most crucial juncture.

"Not good, it's trying to flee, quickly capture it!" Zhou Nongying cried out in alarm.

The formation encircling the Fire Essence, having endured too much of the battle's aftermath, was riddled with cracks on all sides.

After a fierce fight, the Myriad Year Fire Essence's state had plummeted, its fighting spirit and morale greatly diminished, no longer wishing to battle. It chose to escape.

Zhou Nongying pursued it from behind.

Ning Jiufan and the second Nascent Soul Old Ancestor of the Zhou Family flanked it from left and right, attempting to encircle it.

Just as it seemed they wouldn't make it in time and the Myriad Year Fire Essence would escape, a walnut suddenly shot down from high above.

The walnut scattered emerald light, striking the Myriad Year Fire Essence directly on its head.

Seeing this scene, Ning Jiufan's eye twitched, and he instinctively slowed his steps.

The other Nascent Soul Old Ancestor of the Zhou Family was the first to reach the Myriad Year Fire Essence's side.

The Myriad Year Fire Essence remained motionless, falling into the lava, bobbing up and down.

"Terrible." Ning Jiufan cursed inwardly. He firmly remembered Ning Zhuo's instructions; the latter greatly needed this Myriad Year Fire Essence. Now, it was about to fall into the hands of the Zhou Family's Nascent Soul cultivator. If he had to redeem it, it would surely cost much more.

Just as Ning Jiufan was blaming himself, the Myriad Year Fire Essence suddenly opened its eyes and unleashed a desperate strike.

A terrifying explosion occurred, and the magma instantaneously formed monstrous waves.

The Zhou Family's Nascent Soul Old Ancestor was instantly enveloped in raging flames from head to toe.

He let out a mournful scream.

In an instant, all the defensive measures he activated were incinerated, his robes and body reduced to nothing.

His flesh and blood were annihilated in the orange-red flames in a flash, the exposed skeleton also roasted into charcoal, crumbling inch by inch.

After merely two breaths, a Nascent Soul cultivator vanished into thin air.

And after slaying its enemy, the Myriad Year Fire Essence's entire body became dim and lusterless, almost shrinking to the size of a fist.

Ning Jiufan, his face full of vigilance, followed closely and successfully sealed it using talismans.

"I got the Myriad Year Fire Essence!"

"That was close..."

Even after fighting for a long time and being within the volcano, Ning Jiufan's heart was chilled.

If he hadn't hesitated for a moment just now, it would likely have been him who suffered disaster.

Meng, who had been seated on the throne of the Lava Immortal Palace from beginning to end, slowly closed his eyes, no longer peering into the volcanic battlefield.

His expression was displeased, and he felt a hidden sense of pity.

To avoid suspicion, he had deliberately refrained from personally participating in the battle, precisely to prevent the Zhu Family from holding him accountable afterward.

Ning Jiufan was his main target. Meng threw the walnut, subtly withdrawing his power, so the Myriad Year Fire Essence's injuries weren't that severe.

In this battle, Ning Jiufan's performance was exceedingly conspicuous, even with Nascent Soul-level cultivators like Lin Bufan participating alongside him.

"His demonic beast companion, the Fiery Melt Demon Ape, seems to have begun cultivation..."

"Sigh."

Meng sighed inwardly.

At the crucial moment just now, Ning Jiufan hesitated a step, causing him to miss the Myriad Year Fire Essence's final counterattack,

thwarting Meng's scheme.

Of course, Meng wasn't without gains — the Zhou Family lost a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"If I had successfully weakened Ning Jiufan's fortune before, he would definitely have suffered disaster."

"What treasure does he possess that can shield his fortune?"

"Was it secretly bestowed upon him by the Nan Dou Royal Family?"

It was no wonder Meng speculated thus.

Because before this, he had used the Peach Blossom Beyond the Affairs Walnut to strike Ning Jiufan's head, with a very obvious effect.

At that time, Ning Jiufan clearly did not have a treasure to protect his fortune.

Lin Bufan took a deep breath and cast a spell again.

The constantly turbulent magma rapidly calmed down under his magic.

The great formation slowly opened.

Zhou Nongying, his face full of sorrow, flew over to converge with Ning Jiufan and Lin Bufan.

He couldn't bear to mourn the fallen cultivator of his clan; his heart had already begun to weigh the future situation in the Fiery Date Immortal City.

Since the battle at the Lava Immortal Palace, the Zheng Family had been eliminated, the Ning Family occupied the Zheng Family's territory, and surged upwards, becoming the foremost power beneath the City Lord's Mansion.

Generally speaking, the Zhou Family, as an established family in Fiery Date Immortal City, would suppress latecomers like the Ning Family.

However, the situation in Fiery Date Immortal City was very special.

The Meng Family's attempt to seize this place was a more urgent and powerful enemy.

Previously, due to Zhu Xuanji's methods, the Zhou, Zheng, and Ning families had formed an alliance with the Royal Family, making it difficult for the Zhou Family to change its course.

In this situation, with the Ning Family receiving strong support from the Zhu Family, it was hard for the Zhou Family to act.

Adding to this, the Ning Family produced Ning Zhuo, a son who exceeded expectations, who even displayed Nascent Soul-level combat power in the struggle for the Lava Immortal Palace. Coupled with Ning Jiufan's own formidable combat power, this made it even more impossible for the Zhou Family to act.

Therefore, after Ning Zhuo's branch family was established, Zhou Nongying even personally visited and showed goodwill, having the Zhou Family cultivators actively assist Ning Zhuo in arranging formations.

All the above was under the condition that both Zhou Family Nascent Soul cultivators were still alive.

Now, the Zhou Family was left with only Zhou Nongying, a single Nascent Soul cultivator. The Zhou Family's situation had further deteriorated, its strength significantly diminished, and it was very likely to become a vassal of the Ning Family.

Outside Fiery Date Mountain.

Shen Lingzhu and Zhu Xuanji also learned the outcome of this battle.

"The Myriad Year Fire Essence ultimately fell into Ning Jiufan's hands. Ning Zhuo truly is the son of the tribulation, his fortune is astonishingly strong," Shen Lingzhu sighed.

Zhu Xuanji mused, "Meng still succeeded after all. The Zhou Family lost a Nascent Soul cultivator, and our side's strength in Fiery Date Immortal City has still weakened significantly."

"Henceforth, the Ning Family will be the main force obstructing Meng."

"It seems, we must increase support for the Ning Family."

Shen Lingzhu nodded in agreement and smiled, "I just added fortune to Ning Jiufan, and he received our aid, which can be considered fitting."

Zhu Xuanji: "Leaving aside other matters, simply regarding the Myriad Medicine Sect, the Ning Family is a close ally of my Zhu Family.

Alas, if Ning Zhuo weren't the son of the tribulation, our actions would be much more convenient."

After exchanging some words, the two concealed their figures and quietly approached Fiery Date Immortal City.

Two nations.

Azure Forest Immortal City.

Three Generals' Camp.

"!" Liu Er's mount suddenly stumbled, stepping into a pit in the ground.

Liu Er was training his troops with all his might. Caught off guard, as the horse fell to the ground, he was also thrown to the ground.

Although Liu Er quickly stood up, the commotion was quite large, and the soldiers gathered around to check.

"Big Brother, are you alright?" Zhang Hei was the first to run over, asking with concern.

"I'm fine." Liu Er shook his head, frowning as he looked at the ground.

Guan Hong also rode over on horseback. After inspecting the scene, he breathed a slight sigh of relief: "It was a hidden pit in the ground, just happened to be stepped on by the horse's hoof."

Liu Er had been training his troops for a long time, cooperating with the soldiers and constantly drilling military formations, causing the horse to become exhausted. After stepping on the hidden pit, it fell to the ground.

Liu Er fell along with it because he was concentrating almost all his spirit on organizing the military formation, thus reacting a bit slowly.

Liu Er patted his armor, led the horse, and re-mounted: "Continue training the troops!"

At his command, the Three Generals' Camp began training again.

However, Liu Er's brows remained tightly furrowed, feeling as though a large part of his heart was missing.

"What is this terrible feeling, exactly?"

"Could it be that Mulang used force, forcing Ning Zhuo to engage in dual cultivation?"

"Even the Military Advisor! He's been leaving the camp every day, nowhere to be seen."

"Alas, if before, I had agreed to give him a quota, he would now be here practicing with those mechanical soldiers of his, right?"

Ning Zhuo had already entered the Myriad Li Traveling Dragon.

He slowly raised his head, straightening his upper body, no longer hunched over the desk.

On the desk before him were layers upon layers of blueprints, all depicting various mechanical structures.

Azure Forest Immortal City.

"Honored guest, please take your time." The shop assistant respectfully saw Ning Zhuo off.

Ning Zhuo strolled out of the Complete Books Pavilion.

He had just entered the Complete Books Pavilion to select cultivation methods for Meng Yehu.

Meng Yehu's spiritual intelligence was even higher than Yuan Dasheng's and he could cultivate techniques. Ning Zhuo's trip was a careful selection, and he finally chose a cultivation method for Meng Yehu.

This method was closely related to Meng Yehu's innate talent and was called the Night Walker's Thorned Back Diagram.

Returning to the Myriad Li Traveling Dragon, Ning Zhuo buried himself in designing a mechanical body for Meng Yehu.

In all the design drafts, Meng Yehu had a tiger's head and a human body, trying his best to match his spiritual intelligence and restore his original appearance. Ning Zhuo primarily focused on his innate talent, Night Shadow Baleful Qi, to design his mechanical body.

In terms of materials, Ghost Shadow Bamboo was the most suitable. After all, it was the accompanying growth of Night Shadow Baleful Qi.

But Ning Zhuo did not have much Ghost Shadow Bamboo on hand, and this precious material was relatively rare. He wouldn't use it now. Ning Zhuo had decided long ago to use other precious materials first and consider it when the time was ripe.

"I don't know much about Night Shadow Baleful Qi, and Meng Yehu's chosen cultivation method is the Night Walker's Thorned Back Diagram, which is also unrelated to the five elements."

Ning Zhuo pondered for a long time, his head faintly growing larger.

One plan was centered around the Ghost Shadow Talisman. Whenever Meng Yehu displayed his innate talent Night Shadow Baleful Qi, it would trigger the Ghost Shadow Talisman, forming countless black ghost shadows, instantly composing an army of dozens of people. One could bully the few with many, oh,

no, launch a righteous encirclement.

The second plan was to utilize mechanical components to change the form of Night Shadow Baleful Qi, transforming it into a sky full of baleful qi, corroding strong enemies, creating visual and mental illusions for the enemy, and confusing reality.

The third plan was to arrange a blade formation on Meng Yehu's body. Once triggered, it could form thousands of night shadow blades, cutting sharply, dismembering the enemy to death.

The fourth plan was to fully utilize the Night Walker's Thorned Back Diagram, equipping Meng Yehu with a set of mechanical accessories that would allow him to greatly increase his speed in dark environments, dodge like a ghost, making him elusive.

The fifth plan was to arrange the Nether Soul Binding Formation. With this formation as the core, combined with Night Shadow Baleful Qi, it would bind the enemy's soul within. As the number of bound souls increased, Meng Yehu's combat power would also rise.

The sixth plan...

The seventh...

The eighth...

Ning Zhuo conceived twenty-odd plans, making his head spin. For a time, it was difficult to decide, without knowing how to choose.

"It's really impractical to try them one by one."

"My available funds also can't withstand such luxurious experiments."

"I have to choose the most suitable set of plans."

But the awkward part was here.

Ning Zhuo also didn't know what was most suitable.

He couldn't make the decision; the answer to this question could only be known after testing in a real battlefield.

"Sigh!"

Ning Zhuo sighed deeply, stood up, wanting to go out for some air.

As a result, this movement knocked over the desk, and various design blueprints scattered on the ground.

Ning Zhuo bent down to pick them up, when his movements suddenly froze. This was because he saw five or six blueprints scattered on the ground, just happening to form a complete shape of Meng Yehu.

More importantly, under Ning Zhuo's mental calculation, this combination plan was truly excellent, with a very high probability of success.

"What luck!"

The more Ning Zhuo pondered, the more he felt this plan was excellent. He immediately decided: "I'll use this set of plans!"

Ning Zhuo acted decisively. He immediately flew out of the mechanical traveling dragon and went around the major markets and various shops within Azure Forest Immortal City to purchase materials, spending large amounts of spirit stones in exchange for the precious materials he desired.

"I have to thank this great battle!"

"Azure Forest Immortal City was built into a major rear area, hence I can purchase what I want here."

"In ordinary times, the variety of precious materials in Azure Forest Immortal City would never be this numerous."

While Ning Zhuo was working diligently for Meng Yehu, Sun Lingtong lay in the胎息灵 (Fetal Breath Spirit), completely bored.

"Although this cultivation method has a thousand good points, there is one thing I am extremely dissatisfied with!"

"This is too boring!"

Sun Lingtong felt bored and increasingly impatient, starting to move his essence blood around haphazardly, wanting to assist the Heaven-Born Earth-Nourished Fetal Breath Great Method.

As a result—

His essence blood surged uncontrollably in his body, immediately causing him injury.

His internal organs were damaged, and a large amount of blood began to flow internally.

"Bad, this is bad."

"Where's Xiao Zhuo, save me."

Internal blood surged up, immediately blocking Sun Lingtong's mouth and nose.

He gradually suffocated. At this critical moment, a sudden enlightenment dawned upon him, and he gained a deeper understanding of the "Heaven-Born Earth-Nourished Fetal Breath Great Method."

"So that's how it is."

Sun Lingtong was overjoyed, feeling a sense of sudden realization, his heart filled with the joy of enlightenment.

The next moment, the scriptures of the Heaven-Born Earth-Nourished Fetal Breath Great Method shone with even more radiance.

Sun Lingtong not only escaped danger but also doubled his efficiency.

After selecting the precious materials, Ning Zhuo did not refine them himself. He found Jin Li again.

He wanted to ask Jin Li for help in processing these precious materials and crafting some mechanical components.

Jin Li laughed heartily: "Little Friend Ning, you've come at just the right time. The capital has dispatched several artifact refiners,

to assist me."

"They just arrived yesterday and are coming to refine artifacts here today."

"You tell them your requirements."

"With their abilities, although not as good as mine, they will surely be able to accomplish this for you."

Ning Zhuo cupped his hands in thanks and sent a portion of the precious materials to Jin Li as a gesture of gratitude.

Jin Li laughed heartily, patting Ning Zhuo's shoulder excitedly: "Little Friend Ning Zhuo, you are truly too polite, you've spent money on me."

Those who are willing to spend money are generally very welcome.

With the assistance of Jin Li's subordinates, Ning Zhuo obtained all the semi-finished products that very night.

"Many hands make light work. If it were just me, it would take at least half a year to reach this stage."

Ning Zhuo felt that spending money and giving gifts were quite worthwhile.

He simply stayed up all night, assembling the various mechanical components.

Meng Yehu's body had a vague prototype.

When Ning Zhuo took out Meng Yehu's spiritual intelligence sphere and placed it inside, the mechanical Meng Yehu soon activated on its own.

He did not look around, nor did he examine his new body. Instead, he bowed deeply to Ning Zhuo, speaking in a low tone, "Father God!"