In front of Zhou Nongying, Fei Si also showed his favor toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo, however, remained calm, completely opposite to how he used to be.
His deanor naturally pleased Zhou Nongying, as he realized that Ning Zhuo, this young junior, was incredibly smart and clearly understood the current situation—who was an ally and who was a formidable enemy.
At present, the Lava Immortal Palace was already in the hands of the ng family.
ng Kui certainly would not let go of it easily. In ti, relying on the critical support of the Lava Immortal Palace, the ng family would have an almost perfect excuse to continuously send their cultivators to occupy Huoshi Immortal City.
Eventually, the result would be Huoshi Immortal City being swallowed by the ng family, turning into their private city.
In this scenario, the Zhou family and Ning family naturally had to unite to resist the ambitious ng family.
Seeing Ning Zhuo behave this way, Fei Si didn’t stay longer and took his leave in advance.
Ning Zhuo, with proper manners, escorted him all the way to the door.
Before leaving, Fei Si smiled slightly and ntioned Chi Dun, saying that since the monster tide had been extinguished, Chi Dun, this body cultivator, had been obsessing over the Buddhist Doctor ng Yaoyin. He had a strong desire for a duel, wanting to recover from his previous loss and ease the dissatisfaction in his heart.
Ning Zhuo also smiled slightly, imdiately recognizing that Fei Si was using Chi Dun to threaten him.
Since that was the case, he didn’t hold back and said, "Although I’m young and weak, I do have a competitive spirit. Since Lord Chi Dun has such refined interests, I’ll definitely accompany him to the end. I’m just worried… under the blade of my serpent sickle, I may not control my strength well, and if Lord Chi Dun were to fall, that would be quite unfortunate!"
Fei Si imdiately withdrew his smile, coldly nodded at Ning Zhuo, then turned around and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Watching Fei Si’s figure soaring into the sky, Ning Zhuo’s gaze turned deep. He knew that from this mont on, the close relationship between him and Fei Si had vanished, and they now stood on opposite sides.
"Director Zhu Hou of the Orphanage is here—!" the guest announcer loudly proclaid, followed by reciting the list of gifts Zhu Hou had brought.
Many people's hearts were once again shaken!
Although Zhu Hou only had a Foundation Establishnt cultivation, he was born into the Southern Dou royal family, naturally carried a reputation, and held a high status. The royal family placing him here was obviously to act as a stake, observing the situation in the Immortal City and attempting to counterbalance the influence of ng Kui.
Ning Zhuo, who had just turned back from the gate, heard the announcent and imdiately turned around again, greeting Zhu Hou with a warm smile.
Zhu Hou, however, was different from the others.
He first entered the banquet, causing a stir imdiately.
He mingled among the guests, forming many good connections before finally leaving the table to discuss with Ning Zhuo and Zhou Nongying.
This ti, Zhu Hou was representing the Southern Dou royal family, wanting to support Ning Zhuo's branch and the Zhou family, hoping they could prevent the ng family’s future encroachnt on Huoshi Immortal City.
The three had a pleasant conversation, all strongly inclined toward cooperation.
After they parted ways, Ning Zhuo returned to the banquet.
Once he sat at the main table, the cultivators who had been waiting eagerly for him rushed forward to offer him drinks.
First to co were the two forr elders of the branch, Ning Youfu and Ning Houjun.
Ning Zhuo was now the head of the branch family, his status far surpassing that of the two elders.
Ning Youfu showed clear signs of submission, while Ning Houjun humbled himself even more, as he had other motives. He hoped his descendants could return to Ning Zhuo’s branch family and have the heavy sentence of exile revoked.
Ning Zhuo didn’t imdiately agree but said that it would require an assessnt before a decision could be made.
Even this simple response brought tears to Ning Houjun's eyes, deeply moved.
"In the future, I hope the two elders can continue to act as pillars for the branch family, sheltering the younger generation for so ti," Ning Zhuo actively invited.
Ning Youfu and Ning Houjun exchanged glances and agreed on the spot. Their initial retirent from their elder positions wasn’t entirely voluntary.
On the side, the elder from the academy had a gloomy expression but was powerless, watching helplessly and with frustration as Ning Zhuo’s branch family absorbed people from the side branches, expanding and strengthening itself quickly.
Forr deacons like Ning Xiangqian also gathered around Ning Zhuo, eagerly hoping to be included in his branch family.
Ning Zhuo stated that a public list would be released soon.
Next ca Ning Chen and Ning Yong, old classmates and mbers of the reformation team.
Ning Zhuo encouraged them warmly. He had always held a high reputation among these people, mainly due to his many previous teachings.
Now, with his status as head of the branch family solidified, completely surpassing them, it further inspired their desire to follow him.
The leader of the Monkey Head Gang and the leader of the Crane Beak Gang also arrived, sitting at the far corner of the banquet.
Even so, they were trembling with excitent.
This was sothing they had dreamt about before pledging allegiance to Ning Zhuo. As Ning Zhuo's status rose, they too benefited, finally mixing into the circles of righteous cultivators.
They personally witnessed Zhou Nongying, Fei Si, and Zhu Hou coming to congratulate Ning Zhuo, which made their loyalty toward Ning Zhuo increase a hundredfold.
Chen Cha, Feng Heizi, Filthy Not Clean, and the One-Ard Craftsman also left their tables one by one, stepping forward to offer their congratulations.
Chen Cha, with a complex expression, sighed deeply, "Ning Zhuo, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have imagined you could reach this point. Congratulations!"
Ning Zhuo stood up, grasping Chen Cha's hand, displaying unusual closeness, which aroused the envy of Feng Heizi, Filthy Not Clean, and the One-Ard Craftsman.
At the banquet, Feng Ji was boasting to the cultivators at his table.
"Back when the Ning family patriarch was still alive, he asked to evaluate Ning Zhuo’s chanical Fire Monkey."
"When I saw it, I was astonished! Not to ntion other aspects, just the design of the storage array was perfect. If it were , I might have chosen the Cloud Whale's air sac!"
"Hahaha, compared to a genius like him, I’m really too ordinary and insignificant."
"To be in the sa city as Lord Ning Zhuo is already the greatest honor of my life!"
...
Lava Immortal Palace.
ng Kui hovered slightly in the air, seated above the pit where the throne once stood.
In front of him, a mirror ford by a spell reflected scenes from Ning Zhuo’s branch family.
There was only one protagonist in the mirror, and that was Ning Zhuo.
ng Kui observed the white-clad youth, his gaze deep.
Before the dust settled, he would never have believed that he would lose to such a junior.
Who could have thought that in this Huoshi Mountain, a young Qi Refining cultivator could endure in disguise for more than ten years, plotting to seize the Lava Immortal Palace by destroying it and temporarily deceiving all the major forces?
"Grandfather!" ng Chong barged through the hall doors and rushed to ng Kui's side.
"Is Ning Zhuo opening his mansion today? I want to go and challenge him! I haven’t lost yet!" ng Chong shouted loudly, vowing revenge.
ng Kui snorted coldly, flicking his finger. A sharp force hit ng Chong, causing him to shrink back, holding his forehead and crying out in pain.
"Grandfather, why did you hit ?"
ng Kui said, "I’ve always told you to train diligently and master more skills in the cultivation arts, but you never listen."
"This ti, didn’t you see?"
"Ning Zhuo’s mastery of chanical arts has left you far behind. The chanical Ape you considered your lifelong rival is rely one of his many creations. In the end, the palace master’s seat, which was rightfully mine, was voluntarily ceded by him!"
"Look at him, only sixteen years old, just slightly older than you."
"At such a young age, he already made you suffer a crushing defeat, separating your soul from your body. At such a young age, he possesses such power and outstanding chanical skills. Today, he even establishes his branch family."
"Chong'er, you should learn well from geniuses better than you!"
ng Chong was dumbfounded.
His grandfather, ng Kui, had always been proud of him. Yet now, hearing these words felt so unfamiliar. After all, in the past, ng Chong had always been the main character.
Now, Ning Zhuo had successfully pushed ng Chong aside.
"Alright, Chong'er’s defeat this ti is understandable. After all, both of us were deceived by that cunning little brat, weren’t we?" ng Hu revealed his figure.
He walked up behind ng Chong, lifting him up. "I’ll take Chong'er away for now. The Three Sects Art focuses on the chanical arts, and the opportunity has been lost, so it’s no longer suitable for Chong'er."
"Coincidentally, the Thunder Nation’s Wu Ting Grandmaster is publicly recruiting direct disciples. Chong'er
has the immortal potential for Wild Sprint Thunderclap. If he can beco Wu Ting’s direct disciple, the results will be even better."
ng Kui nodded, "Very well, take him away then."
No matter how much ng Chong struggled and shouted, ng Hu carried him away, turning into a rainbow and disappearing.
ng Kui was left alone, sighing quietly.
If the complete Three Sects Art had been available, keeping ng Chong here to continue training wouldn’t have been a bad option.
But the true scripture of the Three Arts was held within the body of the Daoist Master of the chanisms.
The line to gain the Three Sects Art from the Lava Immortal Palace only provided the Qi Refining stage of the art.
The follow-up techniques were hidden within the Bell of Transmission, but ng Kui had no way to decipher it—not just because it was incredibly difficult, but because there was no way to start!
ng Kui, who was well-versed in the mysteries of fate, knew that the Lava Immortal Palace’s fortune had already been claid by soone else. If you’re ahead from the first step, you’ll always stay ahead. The subsequent fortune would only bless the first to seize it, not ng Chong.
For ng Chong to catch up was extrely difficult, and since he had already missed the opportunity, wasting ti here would lead to poor progress. It was better to make a decisive retreat and pursue another path.
Spiritual sense spreading out, ng Kui once again surveyed the Lava Immortal Palace.
"The losses are too heavy!" He shook his head repeatedly.
From the bottom of his heart, he did not want to take over this ss.
But he had no choice. The ng family needed sothing from Huoshi Immortal City.
And to maintain long-term control over Huoshi Immortal City, the ng family needed a reason to counter the Southern Dou royal family’s policy of rotating city lords.
There was no doubt that the title of palace master of the Lava Immortal Palace could help the ng family achieve this goal.
That’s why, even though ng Kui, a wise general, knew this was a trap, he had to go along with Ning Zhuo’s wishes and take it up willingly.
"Restoring the entire Lava Immortal Palace will cost an astronomical amount. Only by seeking help from the family can it be done," ng Kui, despite being at the Nascent Soul stage, couldn’t personally cover the cost of the palace’s restoration, showing just how great the expenses were.
What really troubled ng Kui wasn’t the restoration but the positions.
The Lava Immortal Palace had nurous positions, and even though the chanical structures had collapsed, the positions had not been revoked.
According to the agreent between ng Kui and Zhu Xuanji, regardless of who obtained the position of palace master, these positions would not be cleared.
So, although ng Kui was the palace master, many positions within the palace were held by the reformation team cultivators of the three families.
The presence of these individuals, who held many key positions in the palace, would undoubtedly weaken the ng family’s control over the Lava Immortal Palace!
This was the most crucial foundation for Zhou Nongying and Ning Zhuo’s alliance against the ng family.
Branch family.
The banquet was nearing its end when the guest announcer suddenly called out, "Lord Song Fuli is here—!"
Ning Zhuo slightly tensed, knowing that an unwelco guest had arrived.
Song Fuli’s face was expressionless, and he stood straight. He neither offered gifts nor intended to step inside.
He blocked the entrance.
(End of Chapter)
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