Chapter 9: Ordinary People Fall Into the Trap

Ning Chen and Ning Yong sat by the window on the second floor of the restaurant, constantly monitoring the street.

"Look, Ning Zhuo is here."

"Let's go!"

The two moved swiftly, arriving at the intersection ahead of time, pretending to have a chance encounter and bumping into Ning Zhuo.

"Ning Zhuo?" Ning Yong called out.

Ning Zhuo looked at the two, stunned for a moment, then a smile spread across his face: "It's you, Ning Yong, Ning Chen."

These two were Ning Zhuo's classmates.

Ning Chen feigned admiration: "We haven't seen each other since the Great Examination. It feels like a long time has passed."

Ning Zhuo's heart stirred slightly: "Although time is short, if many things happen, it naturally gives the illusion of a long duration."

Ning Yong said: "I've heard about your situation. After the Great Examination, you had a falling out with your uncle and aunt and refused their assistance."

"Are you finding it difficult living alone now?"

"What do you do to earn spirit stones to maintain your cultivation?"

Ning Zhuo hesitated for a moment: "I'm currently working part-time in a mechanical workshop. What about you?"

Ning Yong chuckled lightly, somewhat proudly: "We've already joined the Demon Hunting Guild!"

"We are purchasing supplies to leave the city. Tonight, we will be entering the demon caverns with the seniors of the Demon Hunting Guild to hunt demon beasts."

"How about that? Exciting, right?"

Ning Zhuo opened his mouth slightly in surprise: "You're going to enter the Crimson Flame Demon Melting Cave? That's too dangerous, isn't it?"

"What's there to fear? What can you accomplish if you're afraid of death?" Ning Yong puffed out his chest, a look of disdain on his face. "You should explore everywhere when you're young. Where can you find extraordinary gains without taking risks? Without money to accelerate cultivation, when will I ever reach the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Ning Chen then said: "Don't listen to him bragging. There are Ning family cultivators in the Demon Hunting Guild. Have you heard of Lord Ning Zhanji's name?"

"We will enter the cave under his leadership. Tonight is also the low tide of the earth flame, so it's very safe."

Ning Chen tried his best to dispel Ning Zhuo's concerns.

Ning Zhuo revealed a look of envy.

Seeing this, Ning Yong directly invited: "In my opinion, Ning Zhuo, you should stop doing workshop work. Why not join us in the cave?"

"How many treasures are hidden in the demon melting cave."

"How much can you earn in a week? Maybe you'll find a spiritual plant in the Crimson Flame Demon Melting Cave that will be enough for your weekly salary!"

Ning Zhuo shook his head and waved his hand, refusing: "My sword skills have always been mediocre. It's too dangerous to fight demon beasts. I can't do it."

"Coward!" Ning Yong glared, about to speak.

Ning Chen stopped him with a look and smiled at Ning Zhuo: "If I were you, Ning Zhuo, I would go back and admit my mistakes to my uncle and aunt and ask them to use their connections to get me into the family business. The benefits there are definitely better than working outside!"

Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head, revealing the youthful spirit, and said firmly: "Now that things have reached this point, there's no way I'll lower my head like this."

Ning Chen chuckled: "Then if I were your uncle and aunt, what would I think if I saw you living in poverty, making a living in an inconspicuous little workshop?"

"Perhaps I would think: Look, this Ning Zhuo is ignorant. Without our help, he can only live in hardship and gradually become the lowest of the low among cultivators!"

Ning Zhuo frowned, his face gloomy, as if his defenses had been broken.

Ning Chen smiled inwardly, continuing his efforts...

A moment later.

Watching Ning Zhuo's departing figure, Ning Yong said: "Ning Zhuo's grades are better than ours, but what's the use? Didn't he easily fall for our goading and agree to act with us tonight?"

Ning Chen sighed: "Ning Zhuo, like us, is just an ordinary person."

"Putting myself in his shoes, if I were deliberately plotted against, I would fall for it too."

"Sigh..."

Seeing his companion's low mood, Ning Yong comforted him: "Although Ning Zhuo is our classmate, we have now sworn allegiance to Lord Ning Zhanji. This time, Lord Ning Zhanji personally gave us the order. What does this little bit of classmate affection count for compared to our future? We're not even that familiar with him usually!"

Ning Chen shook his head slightly: "Forget it. This way, we can finally give Lord Ning Zhanji an explanation."

"Let's go."

As dusk approached, Ning Zhuo arrived at the gathering point alone.

Ning Yong smiled and led him in.

Ning Chen brought him before Ning Zhanji.

Ning Zhanji was a burly middle-aged man with slender eyes and eyebrows. He sized up Ning Zhuo, expressionless: "Since we are all members of the Ning family, then I will take care of you this time and arrange for you to join the team."

"But remember, all actions must follow my orders and arrangements."

"This junior understands!" Ning Zhuo quickly said.

Information about Ning Zhanji quickly flashed through Ning Zhuo's mind.

Many years ago, the Ning family began to consciously send cultivators out to various organizations inside and outside Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

Ning Zhanji was one of them.

He was very strong in combat and acted decisively, almost like a whirlwind. He was able to seize fleeting opportunities on the battlefield, thus emerging as a leader-type figure.

This time, Ning Zhanji was precisely requested by Ning Ze and accepted the latter's money, which is why he dispatched Ning Chen and Ning Yong to goad Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhanji glanced at Ning Zhuo and withdrew his gaze, assessing in his heart: "Third level of Qi Refining, mediocre."

Soon, the personnel were assembled, totaling over fifty.

Most of these people were named Ning. The few outsiders were also closely related to the Ning family.

Ning Zhanji led the group and began to advance towards the Crimson Flame Demon Melting Cave.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City was a typical mountain city.

Most of the buildings in the city were concentrated on the hillside. The higher up you went towards the city center, the higher the terrain, with the volcano crater at the very top. The lower you went towards the surroundings, the lower the terrain, which was the sprawling foothills.

Ning Zhuo and his group climbed upwards from the hillside all the way. They passed through several checkpoints along the way, and the inspections were very lax. Eventually, they reached the summit.

At the summit, the spiritual energy was noticeably denser and hotter.

The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, which was quite pungent.

Although it was night, the volcano crater was constantly scattering bright light. With the help of the light, Ning Zhuo saw wisps of white smoke floating above the volcano crater.

In this white smoke, many Smoke Cloud Sparrows flew around, darting in and out.

Ning Zhuo and others came to the edge of the volcano.

Looking down, they saw a wide, flat rocky area in the crater.

The scarlet rocks were constantly radiating scorching heat. Some of the red rocks were closely connected, while others had gaps between the rock slabs, with bright orange-red magma flowing beneath the gaps. There were also openings in the rocks.

Some of the openings spewed flames from time to time, some flowed with magma, and some were bottomless, leading to deeper underground passages.

The mountain walls and the rocky ground were almost at a vertical angle, and the surrounding walls were all glazed, exceptionally smooth. This was clearly man-made, and the entire volcano crater was like a huge open cup.

As Ning Zhuo looked toward the center, he discovered that the number of cave entrances on the red rock surface increased, and the size of the cave entrances also grew larger.

Finally, his gaze settled on the very center of the rocky area.

There, there was a lava lake.