Secret underground base.
A massive Blood Transformation Pool, resembling a coffin, hung from the room’s ceiling beam.
A thick tal pipe extended from the Blood Transformation Pool.
The pipe connected to a huge Blood Oil Bottle, which was filled with murky essence blood, appearing black and red.
From the bottom of the Blood Oil Bottle, five or six pipes extended out.
These pipes were finally inserted into the back of a chanical Ape.
Inside the chanical Ape, Yuan Dasheng’s spirituality was fully employing the ninth layer of the Demonic Blood Tendon Technique!
Essence blood was infused from the Blood Oil Bottle into Yuan Dasheng's chanical body, then through the operation of the Demonic Blood Tendon Technique, it beca Demonic-Stained Essence Blood.
Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged opposite Yuan Dasheng.
Between him and Yuan Dasheng, as well as around them, there was a simple and sowhat hastily drawn formation.
The formation emitted a faint red light and a slight bloody sll.
The ninth-layer Demonic-Stained Essence Blood cultivated by Yuan Dasheng was purified through this formation and finally entered Ning Zhuo’s body.
Ning Zhuo then used the seventh-layer of the Demonic Blood Tendon Technique, continuously transforming it, eliminating the essence blood that did not suit him, and steadily accumulating his essence sea cultivation.
Of the ten portions of Demonic-Stained Essence Blood, only two to three portions could be used by Ning Zhuo in the end.
However, by doing this, Ning Zhuo did not need to cultivate on his own, saving him a great deal of ti.
Moreover, as long as the scale was large enough, theoretically, the speed at which his essence sea cultivation grew would be incredibly fast!
"Having family is truly a blessing."
"How can I expand the number of family mbers so I can obtain more blood and flesh?"
Ning Zhuo had been pondering this question.
After experiencing such enormous benefits, he found it difficult to pull back.
But he hadn’t lost his rationality.
He was well aware that his large-scale public purchase of his family’s blood and flesh had already strayed into a very gray area.
Just one more step forward, and he would be suspected of practicing demonic arts.
Recently, he had been too conspicuous, going against his long-standing principle of hiding his abilities.
Now, many people were watching him, waiting for him to make a mistake.
His large-scale purchase of his family’s blood and flesh was akin to fetching chestnuts from the fire, extrely risky. Even though he had claid it was under the guise of "developing puppet chanisms."
Ning Houjun and Ning Youfu, the two forr family elders of the branch families, had sent people or written letters after hearing about Ning Zhuo’s actions, reminding him to be extrely mindful of his reputation!
The scale could not be expanded any further.
Any further expansion would make it easy for soone to accuse him, catch him on a minor offense, and ruin his reputation.
And reputation was extrely important for a righteous cultivator!
Crunch.
Suddenly, the left arm of the chanical Ape emitted a muffled sound, then directly snapped off at the elbow.
Afterward, as if triggering a chain reaction, the shoulder and chest of the chanical Ape, as well as the abdon, all exploded with chanical fragnts.
A large amount of essence blood spurted out.
Amidst the rapidly gushing blood, the chanical Ape couldn't bear the burden and shattered into pieces.
Ning Zhuo furrowed his brows.
He wasn’t surprised nor distressed, as the chanical Ape was a typical crudely made product.
However, this was already the 132nd one.
The broken fragnts had already piled into a small mountain.
Ning Zhuo looked up at the beam of the room.
The giant Blood Transformation Pool and Blood Oil Bottle hanging there also showed fine cracks, with signs of disintegration.
“It’s ti to properly create a chanical Ape,” Ning Zhuo thought to himself.
Previously, he and Sun Lingtong had crudely crafted it together, mainly to break through to the seventh layer as quickly as possible.
Now that he had reached the seventh layer, Ning Zhuo’s cultivation in essence, qi, and spirit had broken through the shackles and could continue to rise.
Now that he had reached the seventh layer, Ning Zhuo needed to focus on the future.
On one hand, he needed a Golden Core level chanical Ape to fully bring out the value of Yuan Dasheng’s spirituality, and on the other hand, he needed a higher-quality chanical Ape that could produce essence blood.
Combining both needs, Ning Zhuo decided to imdiately begin crafting a new chanical body for Yuan Dasheng.
He took the initiative to visit Zheng Jian and invited him to collaborate in creating the chanical Ape.
Zheng Jian was pleasantly surprised.
The last ti he worked with Ning Zhuo, he learned a lot about chanism knowledge and greatly admired Ning Zhuo’s chanical expertise.
“I wonder what new ideas Brother Ning has this ti?” Zheng Jian asked for advice.
Ning Zhuo, however, shook his head: “I may disappoint Brother Zheng; this ti, the chanical creation is different from last ti…”
After explaining, Zheng Jian indeed showed a disappointed expression.
It turned out that Ning Zhuo was not planning to reveal the chanism design this ti. He rely needed to refine high-quality materials with Zheng Jian and the Zheng family’s assistance.
Zheng Jian hesitated for a mont but eventually nodded, feeling that, based on his friendship with Ning Zhuo, he could help refine the materials for him.
Ning Zhuo took out Scarlet Sun Copper.
Zheng Jian was amazed.
“This kind of Golden Core level copper material requires extrely high heat to lt.”
“No wonder Brother Ning ca to find .”
“However, I’m only at the Qi Refining stage. Brother Ning, you may be overestimating .”
Ning Zhuo explained that he could invite other cultivators from the Zheng family to do the job.
Only then did Zheng Jian nod: “As long as Brother Ning can afford the cost, based on our friendship, I will definitely help you find the right person in the family!”
“The price is not an issue,” Ning Zhuo responded readily.
The expert Zheng Jian brought from the family quoted a high price.
Ning Zhuo smiled and bargained: “What if I’m not only refining the Scarlet Sun Copper?”
He took out a second material.
As a result, the Zheng family expert frowned after seeing it: “This Myriad Strikes Profound Iron requires a tedious process of at least ten thousand hamr strikes.”
“Though it’s Golden Core level material, it takes too much manpower.”
“I don’t have the ti for private jobs. There are still many important tasks from the family weighing on my shoulders.”
Ning Zhuo took out a third material.
This ti, the Zheng family refining expert directly shook his head, saying he couldn’t do it.
“Unless one is at the Golden Core stage, which can directly refine it.”
“I’m only at the Foundation Establishnt stage and would need to borrow the Heaven-tier refining room to have a chance of lting it.”
“But right now, the Heaven-tier refining room is already occupied.”
Ning Zhuo then asked how long the refining room would be occupied.
“That’s uncertain. I advise you not to hold out too much hope,” the Zheng family expert said candidly.
After leaving the Zheng family, Ning Zhuo soon contacted Zhou Zhenshen.
Zhou Zhenshen praised him: “Brother Ning, you truly have courage, attempting Golden Core level chanical creations while still at the Qi Refining stage. Such boldness! Remarkable, remarkable!”
“I’m willing to give my full support!”
However, when Ning Zhuo ntioned the specific requirents, Zhou Zhenshen found himself in quite a difficult situation.
“Brother Ning, you want to arrange formations on these Golden Core level materials, and such a huge and dense formation at that. I, Zhou Zhenshen, cannot do it.”
“My family’s Foundation Establishnt cultivators can barely manage it, but it will require a lot of manpower working together.”
“Otherwise, the construction ti will drag on too long.”
Ning Zhuo calculated that the Zhou family’s labor costs were already high. With more people, the paynt would put quite a strain on him.
However, when Ning Zhuo assigned the task of creating talismans to his forr subordinates, he received excellent feedback.
The elite Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the Ning family all expressed their willingness to refine various martial arts talismans for Ning Zhuo free of charge.
But how could Ning Zhuo agree to that?
Saving spirit stones was not important.
Ning Zhuo did not want to be the one to break his own rules and ruin the atmosphere he had painstakingly created within his team.
Paying his subordinates was far more valuable than paying the Zheng or Zhou families!
After doing so calculations, Ning Zhuo realized that if he paid the spirit stones, he could barely cover a third of the project.
“This isn’t the Zhou or Zheng families deliberately inflating prices. In fact, their prices are already quite fair relative to the market.”
Once materials reached the Golden Core level, Ning Zhuo’s accumulated funds suddenly seed very shallow!
His idea of using various factions to jointly refine the chanism was good, but in practice, it encountered many difficulties.
After so thought, Ning Zhuo ca up with a solution.
“It’s ti
to expose so information about ng Chong!”
Through the Turtle Breathing Gang, Ning Zhuo secretly “leaked” the news that ng Chong had successfully passed certain trials and obtained techniques from the fourth to sixth layers to the three major families.
Zhou Zhenshen exclaid: “ng Chong is indeed impressive! The City Lord’s Mansion is far ahead!”
Zheng Jian clenched his fists: “I must obtain the subsequent techniques. Being stuck at the third layer is unbearable.”
The Ning family patriarch and the various family elders deliberated: “The Five Elents Qi Regulation Art was left by the Three Sect Lords, and its potential is imnse. The subsequent techniques are a major issue for our family.”
The elders discussed among themselves: “Who can take on this important task?”
“Ning Xiaohui has already left the modification team.”
After a brief discussion, the elders’ minds all turned to Ning Zhuo’s na.
It seed, probably, possibly… the Ning family could only rely on Ning Zhuo to obtain the subsequent techniques!
The elders continued to discuss: “Although we personally dislike him, we have to admit that Ning Zhuo is capable.”
“The key issue is whether soone like Ning Zhuo, even if he acquires the subsequent techniques, will hand them over to the family?”
At this point in the discussion, the elders looked at each other in silence.
After a long while, soone broke the silence, looking at the Ning family patriarch: “Ning Zhuo loves money. Patriarch, you should communicate with him more.”
The Ning family patriarch, looking troubled, nodded. Just thinking of Ning Zhuo gave him a headache.
There were two routes to explore the Lava Immortal Palace.
Entering the palace with one’s body could earn rit points to exchange for various cultivation resources.
Entering the palace with one’s soul involved being tested by nurous trials but could grant access to the subsequent techniques of the Five Elents Qi Regulation Art.
And this was a reward that those who entered with their bodies could not obtain.
In the arrangent of the Three Sect Lords, entering the palace with one’s body was for outsiders and guest cultivators, while entering with one’s soul was for nurturing their own people, and the true transmission techniques would never be made public.
For the three families, they had deeply studied the Five Elents Qi Regulation Art. Even though they only had three layers, they found this technique to be exceptional. Their desire for the subsequent techniques had always been present, silently accumulating.
And this desire was exactly what Ning Zhuo had discovered and manipulated as "puppet strings."
Without Ning Zhuo approaching them, Zhou Zhenshen and Zheng Jian both ca to him on their own.
They didn’t know how many trials needed to be passed to obtain the techniques.
But they knew that Ning Zhuo was strong and had a significant conflict with the Ning family’s main branch.
If they could invite Ning Zhuo to assist in their exploration of the Immortal Palace, it would greatly benefit them. Moreover, strengthening ties with Ning Zhuo and supporting him could help provoke a second internal conflict within the Ning family.
This mutually beneficial situation made the scheming Zhou and Zheng families enthusiastic, and they proactively offered Ning Zhuo a discount!
The problems that had been troubling Ning Zhuo were thus easily resolved.
When the Ning family’s main branch learned of Ning Zhuo’s cooperation with the Zhou and Zheng families, they were furious.
Many people wanted to take action and accuse him of colluding with outsiders, disregarding the family’s interests, and damaging Ning Zhuo’s reputation.
But they were stopped.
The Ning family patriarch, pinching his nose, once again summoned Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo gladly went.
After Ning Zhuo left, the sound of things being smashed once again ca from the Ning family patriarch’s study.
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