Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Ning Zhuo analyzed the situation up to this point and dared not delay any longer.

Yuan Dasheng possessed immortal potential, which was extremely rare and highly valuable!

Due to its abundant spiritual nature, it could grow on its own. When paired with the "Life Hanging by a Thread" technique, it could freely switch between mechanical bodies.

In this way, if Yuan Dasheng was well-used and cultivated properly, it could completely accompany Ning Zhuo throughout his entire cultivation journey!

Not to mention the future, even in the present, Ning Zhuo heavily relied on it to bring some challenges and fun to the other contenders for the Immortal Palace.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Yuan Dasheng, Ning Zhuo would have been killed by Meng Chong long ago, relying solely on the traps he had set.

Although it wouldn't have been a complete slaughter, Meng Chong's record wouldn't have been halted at Room Three.

After pondering for a moment, Ning Zhuo recalled the scene where Yuan Dasheng lost control earlier, leaving the city on its own and staying motionless in a remote wilderness.

“Since Yuan Dasheng wanted to go there, that place must hold some significant meaning for him.”

As for how to go out?

Ning Zhuo's eyes darted around, and he quickly came up with a reason for leaving the city.

He summoned the Ning Family guards and informed them that he had collaborated with Zheng Jian to create a new mechanical ape.

He needed to venture into the wild to find some wild beasts and use real combat to refine his mechanical arts skills.

The guards hesitated because the assassination had occurred not long ago. Ning Zhuo's desire to leave the city carried unquantifiable risks.

Ning Zhuo didn’t make things difficult for them and allowed them to report this to the higher-ups.

When Ning Xiaoren heard the report, he thought for a moment, then dispatched two more Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. He also retrieved several life-saving items from the family treasury and sent them to Ning Zhuo.

The matter of Ning Zhuo and Zheng Jian working together to create a mechanical ape was already well-known among the three families.

Afterward, Zheng Jian couldn't stop praising the mechanical ape and repeatedly lauded Ning Zhuo's expertise in mechanical arts.

On one hand, Ning Xiaoren was eager to know just how powerful this new mechanical ape was. On the other hand, he hoped that Ning Zhuo's skills in mechanical arts would continue to improve. This would be beneficial for the entire Ning family!

Ning Xiaoren's reaction was exactly as Ning Zhuo had expected.

The life-saving items sent over also satisfied Ning Zhuo, especially a particular directional teleportation talisman that had been locked onto the Ning family ancestral residence. In case of danger, Ning Zhuo wouldn't even need to activate it himself; the talisman would automatically burn and instantly transport him back to the family.

"The Ning family is a prominent cultivation clan. When they truly tap into their heritage, their strength is evident."

With this thought in mind, Ning Zhuo led a group of Ning Family guards and marched grandly out of the city.

He didn’t follow Yuan Dasheng’s previous route exactly but chose a slightly longer path, eventually arriving near the remote wilderness.

He ordered the group to set up camp there while he manipulated the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng to actively seek out some wild beasts for practice.

With everyone watching, Ning Zhuo couldn't openly let the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng act on its own.

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If he did so, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation among the three families—no, the entire city!

Ning Zhuo’s ten fingers each connected to a thread of mana, and the ten threads formed the Life Hanging by a Thread connection, with the other end linked to the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng.

The mana threads extended three to four zhang, some curved, some straight, forming a communication bridge between Ning Zhuo and Yuan Dasheng.

When Yuan Dasheng first fought the wild beasts, it was a flurry of clumsy moves.

This was because Ning Zhuo was controlling it.

Although he had considerable expertise in mechanical arts, the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng was, after all, a new creation that required familiarization.

After getting accustomed to it, Yuan Dasheng's combat became orderly and well-coordinated.

The guards were also observing Yuan Dasheng's performance closely.

They secretly communicated with each other, discussing fervently.

“This mechanical ape is really strong.”

“It definitely has the combat strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!”

“I don’t know much about mechanical arts, but I have some knowledge in artifact forging. The materials used to create this mechanical ape are of high quality. The most basic ones are at the Foundation Establishment level, and some are even top-tier Golden Core materials.”

Seeing that the time was right, Ning Zhuo used the Mirror Platform Spirit Technique to communicate, allowing Yuan Dasheng to exert some freedom.

Yuan Dasheng had long been impatient, but because his master had given strict orders, he could only let his body be manipulated by Ning Zhuo.

Many opportunities for a swift victory had been missed because of Ning Zhuo’s rigid control, which made Yuan Dasheng increasingly frustrated.

When Ning Zhuo finally let it act freely, it immediately roared toward the sky, startling the guards and the wild beasts before them.

With a single stride, Yuan Dasheng leaped over a zhang forward, charging at the wild beast.

It twisted its body, raised its arm, and used its elbow!

Bang.

The wild beast was directly sent flying, crashing through several large trees in its path.

The Ning Family guards were stunned.

In that instant, they felt that the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng had come alive.

The wild beast, enraged to the extreme, stood up and charged again.

“Take it easy, hold back your strength.”

“Play with it, no need to rush to kill it.”

Ning Zhuo quickly communicated with Yuan Dasheng.

At the moment, Yuan Dasheng was still obedient and immediately complied.

What followed was a spectacle of the mechanical ape toying with the wild beast.

The guards were all left gaping in astonishment.

“This mechanical ape is terrifyingly agile, far stronger than me!”

“Not just you, even if several of us joined forces, we might not be able to handle it.”

“Is it really the mechanical ape that's strong? It’s Ning Zhuo who is formidable.”

“Ah, yes, indeed!”

As the guards secretly communicated and reached this point in their discussion, their gazes toward Ning Zhuo changed dramatically.

In the past, they protected Ning Zhuo out of orders from Ning Xiaoren, fully aware that Ning Zhuo was crucial to the Ning family’s grand plan to seize the Lava Immortal Palace.

Now, they genuinely respected Ning Zhuo.

Because Ning Zhuo’s control over the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng displayed combat power that exceeded their expectations, surpassing even the combined strength of three or four of them.

They marveled in their hearts: "This mechanical ape seems alive; Ning Zhuo's control technique is astonishingly strong."

"He's clearly only at the Qi Refining stage, and still early in that stage, but by controlling a well-made mechanical ape, he has combat power beyond ours!"

"Isn't this the specialty of mechanical cultivators, beast-taming cultivators, and ghost-controlling cultivators? Nothing too surprising. There have been far more exaggerated cases in history."

The Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng fought with a domineering and humiliating manner, driving the wild boar-like beast to the brink of collapse. Exhausted and covered in wounds, it finally just lay on the ground, motionless, as if resigning itself to its fate.

Ning Zhuo chuckled but didn’t kill it, sparing its life.

He recalled the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng, withdrew the mana threads, and then took out a dozen or so mechanical needles.

The mechanical needles varied in thickness, precisely resembling the head of a rod.

Ning Zhuo instructed the guards beside him, “Next, I’m going to use a different control method to test the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng’s long-distance return capabilities.”

“If anything unexpected happens, please do your best to retrieve this mechanical ape.”

The guard captain immediately nodded, reassuring Ning Zhuo. His attitude was much more enthusiastic than before, with the slight arrogance stemming from his superior cultivation having completely vanished.

Only at this point did Ning Zhuo direct Yuan Dasheng to head toward the remote wilderness.

The rod heads inserted into Yuan Dasheng's body slowly began to rotate with the passage of time.

When it reached the destination, Ning Zhuo felt a slight movement in his heart, sensing that his connection with Yuan Dasheng had become a bit clearer. It was as if many layers of parchment had covered the link before, and now a few layers had been peeled away.

Yuan Dasheng returned, and Ning Zhuo inspected the rod heads embedded in its body. Some were removed for examination, others were twisted a few more times, and he infused his spiritual sense into them.

He then had Yuan Dasheng leave again for the remote wilderness. Ning Zhuo’s control over Yuan Dasheng deepened slightly.

After three rounds, Ning Zhuo frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "It's not enough, far from enough."

To use an analogy, it was as if a hundred layers of parchment separated him and Yuan Dasheng. Each time they reached the destination, three or four layers, or two or three layers, would be peeled away, with the effect diminishing each time.

The result was mixed.

The good news was that Ning Zhuo's hypothesis was confirmed: by following the flow of Yuan Dasheng's spirit, he could gain its spiritual acknowledgment and deepen his control.

The bad news was that this method wasn’t

very effective. It was like tilting a water bottle and getting only a sip, far from quenching his thirst.

"What should I do?"

Just as Ning Zhuo was troubled, shouts of killing and cries for help came from the forest.

The guards immediately became alert and gathered around Ning Zhuo.

"Something’s wrong!"

"Young Master Ning Zhuo, we should leave here quickly!"

"It might be another assassination attempt. Let's prevent anyone from approaching."

However, Ning Zhuo’s expression turned peculiar. He stood still, slightly shaking his head, “It is indeed an assassination, but it’s not targeting me.”

Through Yuan Dasheng's perspective, Ning Zhuo saw Yuan Er.

Yuan Er was being relentlessly pursued by several cultivators.

He looked terrified, with multiple wounds on his body. He was fleeing in desperation, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

When Yuan Dasheng spotted Yuan Er, its body trembled, and intense emotions surged within it.

Seeing that its spirit was about to be overwhelmed, Ning Zhuo had a sudden epiphany and decisively ordered, "Yuan Dasheng, go save him!"

The moment the command was given, the layers of parchment between him and Yuan Dasheng were peeled away in an instant!!

Yuan Dasheng let out a shout, leaping high over Yuan Er's head and landing among the crowd of enemies.

Yuan Er looked up and, upon seeing the Tree Martial Combat Ape—Dasheng, couldn't help but cry out in surprise, "Uncle Dasheng!?"

At the same time.

In Huoshi Immortal City.

The black market.

Sun Lingtong led a group of burly men, surrounding a stall.

He toyed with a dagger, shouting in a childish voice, “Hey, if you want to do business here, you’ve got to pay protection fees! How many days has it been since you last paid?”

The stall owner knelt on the ground, crying bitterly, “Boss Sun, my elderly mother is seriously ill, and my earnings from the stall are meager. Could you possibly give me some more time for the protection fee…”

“Bullshit! Do you take me for a three-year-old you can fool?” Sun Lingtong lifted a foot and kicked the stall owner to the ground, his tone disdainful, and his expression fierce, “I don’t know who you think you’re dealing with.”

Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly felt his hair stand on end and quickly jumped to the side.

Zhu Xuanji slowly revealed himself, “You’re quite sharp, Sun Lingtong. I got close, and you sensed it. Those spirit eyes of yours… not bad.”

“So it’s Lord Zhu!” Sun Lingtong quickly bowed.

Zhu Xuanji revealed a list, “My reason for seeking you is simple. Tell me where the young puppet master is.”