Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Early in the morning, Yuan Er arrived at the entrance of Ning Zhuo’s small courtyard.

Seeing him attempting to enter, a patrolling Ning family cultivator in the Qi Refining stage immediately stepped forward to block him. "Stop."

Although Yuan Er was in the Foundation Establishment stage, upon seeing the identity token on the Qi Refining stage cultivator's waist, he didn’t dare to act rashly. "I’m here to see Ning Zhuo. I’m Yuan Er, the current leader of the Monkey Head Gang."

"Please wait a moment, I will report." The Qi Refining cultivator glanced at Yuan Er and exchanged a look with his approaching companion.

The companion nodded and stood at the entrance of the courtyard, blocking Yuan Er.

Yuan Er felt uneasy, thinking to himself that as a gang leader, he was now being kept outside when seeking an audience with a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

However, he had gathered quite a bit of information over the past few days, learning that Ning Zhuo was highly valued by the Ning family and was a favored figure in the eyes of the young clan leader, Ning Xiaoren.

"Why don’t I have a powerful family to rely on?" Yuan Er thought bitterly, just as the reporting cultivator returned and said to him, "You may enter!"

Yuan Er stepped into the courtyard, pausing slightly after a few steps.

He quickly understood that this was a deliberate leak of aura, a warning not to act recklessly.

Yuan Er’s heart skipped a beat. "Why is Ning Zhuo so valued by the family that they would even deploy a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator to protect him?"

The fact that the three families were working together to reform their cultivation was kept secret from the outside world.

Yuan Er was still unaware of the details.

"Leader Yuan, please come in!" At that moment, Ning Zhuo appeared with a polite smile to greet him.

Ning Zhuo led him into the bedroom, not the study!

"Apologies, I’m temporarily setting up a cultivation room, please don’t mind, Leader Yuan!" Ning Zhuo explained.

Yuan Er then saw three formation masters working together to set it up.

With a single glance, he recognized these three formation masters as renowned experts in the market, all in the Foundation Establishment stage, not a single one in the Qi Refining stage.

Yuan Er immediately felt the wealth of Ning Zhuo, and the unease in his heart deepened.

Ning Zhuo did not invite him to sit, so Yuan Er could only stand at the doorway, feeling awkward.

While communicating with the formation masters, Ning Zhuo occasionally glanced at Yuan Er from the corner of his eye, observing his expression.

After a moment, he turned to Yuan Er. "Leader Yuan, as you can see, I’m busy here. What business do you have?"

Yuan Er replied, "Mr. Ning, could we speak privately?"

However, Ning Zhuo did not agree. He pointed to the cultivation room. "As you can see, I need to keep an eye on this. I can’t step away for now!"

"I can guess why you’re here."

"You want to order a mechanical monkey, don’t you?"

"Yes, yes!" Yuan Er quickly nodded, "Mr. Ning, you do remember!"

"I’ve always kept it in mind!" Ning Zhuo sighed, "But I’ve been very busy lately!"

"I was staying at the family’s main estate until a few days ago!"

"Although I was fortunate enough to stay at the young clan leader’s residence for many days, I thought it over and decided it was more convenient to move back here. I’m more accustomed to this way of living."

"So, as you can see, I’m setting up a small room for cultivation!"

"I’m a bit busy, so you’ll have to be patient and wait!"

Yuan Er, of course, would not let this matter be brushed aside so easily.

He maintained a humble posture and politely inquired about the timeframe.

Ning Zhuo sighed deeply. "It’s hard to say. In the next few days, the family will also be preparing to test me, to evaluate my aptitude."

"I can’t give you a definite answer for now, but rest assured, you’ll get it!"

"Aptitude test?" Yuan Er was taken aback.

Even the three formation masters setting up the formation glanced at Ning Zhuo.

Having spiritual roots was not uncommon, but cultivators with innate aptitude were rare.

Even those with low-grade aptitude were different from the ordinary, truly deserving the title of genius.

"Could it be that Ning Zhuo has displayed some sort of aptitude, which is why he has gained the family’s favor?" Yuan Er couldn’t help but speculate.

In an instant, his assessment of Ning Zhuo rose to a new level.

Although he was the leader of the Monkey Head Gang, it was difficult for him to command respect, and he lacked powerful allies.

Facing Ning Zhuo, a genius cultivator favored by a prominent cultivation family, he dared not be tough.

Thus, he was left in an awkward situation by Ning Zhuo for a while, unable to endure the discomfort, and eventually offered to leave.

Ning Zhuo smiled again. "Let me see you out!"

Despite saying this, he only escorted him to the bedroom door.

Just after Yuan Er left, a Foundation Establishment stage guard from the Ning family transmitted a message to Ning Zhuo. "There’s a tail following Yuan Er!"

After Yuan Er entered the courtyard, this tail had been hiding nearby and hadn’t left.

"As soon as Yuan Er left, the tail left as well!"

"Should we remind Yuan Er?"

The guard wasn’t clear on the relationship between Yuan Er and Ning Zhuo, so he reported everything promptly and in detail.

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and shook his head. "Leader Yuan is strong; there’s no need to remind him!"

The guard immediately understood and said no more.

Ning Zhuo’s gaze was deep. From the beginning to the end, he had never intended to hand over the mechanical creation made from Yuan Dasheng’s corpse to Yuan Er.

Yuan Er’s problem did not need him to solve, as the countless enemies provoked by the elders of the Monkey Head Gang, as well as Yuan Yi and Yuan Dasheng, would all take care of it for Ning Zhuo.

All Ning Zhuo had to do was delay as long as possible.

As for the family testing his aptitude, it wasn’t an issue.

"For Ning Xiaohui’s sake, how could the family easily test my aptitude?"

"At most, they’ll put on a show to prove to the Zhou and Zheng families that I do indeed have aptitude, but the results just haven’t shown up yet."

Ning Family!

Ning Xiaohui’s entire body radiated cold air, her hands plunged deep into ice, and her lips were turning blue from the cold.

Her grandmother accompanied her throughout, encouraging her, "Xiaohui, hold on."

"You need to carefully comprehend the meaning of this cold."

Ning Xiaohui shivered, "Gr-Grandmother, do we have to do it this way? Can’t we try something else?"

Her grandmother shook her head slightly. "This is the fastest way."

"Aptitude is the soil of divine abilities. This method can fully stimulate your aptitude, making it manifest more."

"If you were in North Wind Country, where you grew up in ice and snow, you would have a deeper understanding of Ice Jade Hands."

"Unfortunately, we’re in Southern Dou Country, living on an active volcano. The environment is different, so your understanding of your aptitude is limited."

"No, I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to freeze to death!" Ning Xiaohui couldn’t hold on any longer and finally withdrew her hands, failing at the last moment.

Her grandmother sighed deeply, but seeing Ning Xiaohui’s tearful face, she couldn’t bring herself to scold her.

…

At the peak of Mount Huoshi, clouds and mist rolled around!

Meng Chong hovered in mid-air, his eyes wide, staring intently at the surrounding clouds and mist.

Boom!

A thunderous sound echoed, and the grayish-white clouds suddenly flashed with a bright blue color!

This was lightning piercing through the clouds, dyeing them blue.

Meng Chong had no time to react before being struck by a bolt of lightning, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood as he was flung backward.

"Damn it, how hateful!"

"The clouds and mist here obscure my vision, making it impossible to see the lightning before it strikes!"

Meng Chong was utterly exhausted.

Although his vital essence had been replenished by Meng Kui, his mana and spirit were still severely weakened.

In these two aspects, even someone like Meng Kui, who was at the Nascent Soul stage, couldn’t help him.

It wasn’t that Meng Kui lacked pills to restore mana and spirit, but that after consuming such pills, a cultivator had to use the corresponding profound techniques to quickly digest the medicinal power.

Otherwise, the accumulated medicinal power would backfire, inevitably harming the body and even endangering life.

However, Meng Chong only had the first three layers of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, which meant his efficiency in digesting medicinal power was too low.

As for the twin treasures of spirit and mind, he had no corresponding techniques, leaving him unable to absorb the medicinal power effectively.

Boom!

Meng Chong was struck again, the charred skin peeling off in layers, his hardened body covered in cracks, from which fresh blood continuously oozed.

He was now a bloodied figure, his body nearly collapsing under the strain, yet his fighting spirit grew even stronger.

"Come!"

"Again!"

"Again!"

Boom, boom, boom…

He was struck by lightning repeatedly, on the brink of death, when suddenly, he had a realization.

Sizzle…

Electric arcs crackled across his body, forming a shadowy figure woven from lightning.

The shadow moved in sync with Meng Chong's body and limbs, closely connected.

When the next bolt of lightning struck, Meng Chong’s body flickered, leaving behind a shadow of lightning as his true form had already evaded.

He dodged the lightning, and the remaining lightning shadow absorbed the power of the bolt, growing even more solid.

The crackling sound intensified as the shadow became more tangible.

"Using my aptitude like this consumes much less than before!"

"The key is that I can accelerate only a specific part of my divine body. Just with this, I can deal with that special mechanical ape!"

"Hahaha, I’m coming, I’m coming!"

Meng Chong raised his arms in triumph, laughing heartily.

Meng Kui silently nodded in approval, a look of admiration on his face, thinking to himself, "As expected of my grandson, courageous and diligent, fearless and relentless, he hasn’t brought shame to the Meng name!"