Chapter 66: Critical Mistake

Yuan Er felt as if a colossal boulder weighed down on his chest, making even breathing a struggle. He surveyed the entire scene, his mind acutely aware of the dire situation.

The harvesting efficiency of the clockwork monkeys was simply astonishing, far surpassing that of the monkey pets.

The monkey pets would tire, worry about self-detonation, and proceed with caution. The clockwork monkeys, however, felt no fatigue. Damaged, they would simply undergo emergency repairs and swiftly return to the fray. Crucially, they possessed no fear whatsoever, resulting in remarkably high efficiency.

"We are falling behind on all fronts. The Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove is our last chance. Uncle Monkey, everything depends on you!" Yuan Er declared.

Yuan Dasheng nodded in response and leaped forward.

He had been conserving his energy, waiting for this critical moment to unleash his full potential.

Yuan Dasheng was a powerfully built ape. With a graceful sweep of his arms, his hands moved with such speed that they blurred into faint shadows. Yet, when his palms touched the fire persimmons, they triggered no explosions.

The Fire-Fused Demon Ape worked ambidextrously, swiftly clearing all the thousand-year fire persimmons from a single tree, depositing them safely on the ground.

His astonishing performance drew the attention of countless cultivators.

"This Fire-Fused Demon Ape is truly formidable!"

"You jest, this is the foundation of the Monkey Head Gang, a pet beast left behind by the former leader, Yuan Yi."

"It's awe-inspiring to behold. His movements are so forceful, yet he doesn't trigger the fire persimmons to explode. His martial prowess is so refined, it puts many martial arts masters to shame."

Yuan Dasheng blended power with finesse, balancing force and gentleness in his heart. The thousand-year fire persimmons were inherently more volatile than their hundred-year or ten-year counterparts, but in his hands, they were as docile as if they were mere imitations.

The ape leaped and bounded among the trees and on the ground, his immense frame displaying both power and agility. Many onlookers couldn't help but focus their gaze, admiring this captivating display of strength and grace.

On the mountainside, Chen Cha, Ning Zhuo, and others observed this scene through the projected images from the array.

Chen Cha revealed a look of surprise, "The Monkey Head Gang has been able to dominate the fire persimmon harvesting business for so long, they certainly possess the skill!"

"Indeed, they are impressive," Ning Zhuo said, "But unfortunately, this ape leader is only a single entity."

Chen Cha shook his head, "That's not quite right. Judging from their performance so far, our clockwork monkeys are of inferior quality, causing quite a few explosions."

"The City Lord's Mansion will assign the clockwork monkeys to harvest ordinary fire persimmons in the future. The efficiency of other monkey pets is simply too low, and they make too many mistakes."

"But when it comes to the thousand-year fire persimmons, we will have to rely on this Fire-Fused Demon Ape. He moves so quickly, calmly, and reliably."

Ning Zhuo remained silent, his eyes brewing with faint, sinister light.

He sneered inwardly, "Reliable?"

"All my scheming has been leading up to this very moment."

"Yuan Dasheng, what awaits you next is my carefully prepared scheme."

"Just... die!"

As he thought this, a dozen or so clockwork monkeys suddenly broke free from the cultivators' control and charged towards Yuan Er.

The sudden shift caught many by surprise.

Yuan Er, however, reacted swiftly.

Since the assassination attempt, he had been treading on thin ice, constantly vigilant!

Now, at the slightest sign of trouble, he was like a startled rabbit, ready to burrow underground.

Clockwork monkeys attacked from the left, right, and rear, leaving Yuan Er's front wide open.

In his panicked state, Yuan Er instinctively chose the direction he believed to be the safest.

He bolted straight ahead, seeking to join forces with Yuan Dasheng!

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

The two successfully reunited within the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove, but the clockwork monkeys were unable to follow.

Fei Si had intervened, activating the array and directly destroying the mechanical fire-bomb monkeys.

This was the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove!

The essence of the entire fire persimmon forest, of inestimable value, Fei Si would certainly not allow these clockwork monkeys to wreak havoc.

"Is that the shadowy demonic cultivator causing trouble? 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 remained in the shadows, none of them revealing themselves.

Fei Si's expression turned grim. His eyes flickered with suspicion, wondering if this was not the shadowy demonic cultivator's doing, but rather a cunning scheme orchestrated by Ning Zhuo.

"If that is the case, then this Ning Zhuo is truly audacious and deserves to die!"

Although Fei Si held some admiration for Ning Zhuo, his responsibilities and future prospects were on the line. If Ning Zhuo had truly done this, Fei Si would be the first to eliminate him without hesitation!

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

The envoy soon arrived before Ning Zhuo, his face and eyes icily cold, "Lord Fei Si says, anyone who disregards the bigger picture is courting death!"

Chen Cha was bewildered.

Ning Zhuo's expression was utterly solemn, "Please inform Lord Fei Si that this humble one would never be so lacking in discretion! Controlling these clockwork monkeys requires at least Foundation Establishment cultivation. How could I possibly achieve that?"

"This must be an act of manipulation and probing by that shadowy demonic cultivator. I implore Lord Fei Si to investigate thoroughly. Currently, the repair tasks are scarce. To prove my innocence, please allow me to temporarily withdraw, returning to Fire Persimmon Immortal City."

Only then did Chen Cha understand, and a sense of indignant outrage flashed across his face. He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his anger, "We would never stoop so low as to sabotage the Monkey Head Gang in full view of the public for personal gain!"

"From this distance, to remotely control these clockwork monkeys without the aid of silken threads or spiritual sense is simply overestimating our abilities."

The envoy's expression softened slightly. He merely nodded before turning and leaving.

Chen Cha was still seething with anger, "What is the meaning of this? The control core components of these clockwork monkeys are three 'strolling pellets', which can only be manipulated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. To even suspect Xiao Zhuo based on this is absurd!"

Ning Zhuo forced a bitter smile, "We cannot blame Lord Fei Si. He is under immense pressure. Now that only the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove remains, and the shadowy demonic cultivator has yet to strike, it is likely to happen soon!"

Within the Thousand-Year Fire Persimmon Grove.

Yuan Er was still shaken, "Uncle Dasheng, the Flying Disk Workshop is insane! They still want to take my life under the watchful eyes of the whole city!"

Yuan Dasheng's face was also filled with anger. He patted Yuan Er on the shoulder, comforting him and telling him to calm down.

Terror still lingered on Yuan Er's face, but his tone was invigorated as he said, "Uncle Dasheng, in my opinion, the Flying Disk Workshop saw your incredible prowess and couldn't sit still any longer, so they took a desperate gamble."

"Uncle Dasheng, please continue your efforts, continue harvesting the persimmons, and secure our victory!"

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

Yuan Er immediately understood and nodded, "Don't worry, Uncle Dasheng, I won't stray too far from you."

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

His movements gradually quickened, and soon he was back to his previous efficiency.

On the mountainside, the sinister light in Ning Zhuo's eyes reached its peak.

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

Yuan Dasheng's expression changed drastically!

He exerted force with his fingers and actually crushed a thousand-year fire persimmon.

He had made a mistake.

At this final moment, just before victory, he had made a mistake!