Chapter 141: Ning Xiaohui vs Meng Chong
Lava Immortal Palace.
Room One.
Various mechanical parts were piled into small hills.
The puppet Ning Zhuo jumped down from the mountain.
“You’re a bit slow,” the puppet Ning Xiaohui said, folding her arms and staring at Ning Zhuo with a trace of arrogance.
Ning Zhuo shrugged. “I’ve been obsessed with improving the Mechanical Tree Martial Ape lately, so I’m not in great shape. Ning Xiaohui, you’re insisting on dragging me through this challenge with just the two of us. Are you confident?”
Ning Xiaohui snorted coldly. “The opportunity in Lava Immortal Palace is right in front of us. The four factions are competing fiercely in Huoshi Immortal City, and our Ning Family is currently in last place.”
“I called you here only because you are part of the Ning Family.”
“I don’t need you to do anything. This time, just follow me.”
After saying this, Ning Xiaohui turned and left.
Ning Zhuo paused slightly, thinking, “Ning Xiaohui’s demeanor is completely different from before. Her confidence is so high—she must have made a major breakthrough or gained some huge advantage.”
Ning Zhuo became somewhat curious.
Though he had shown reluctance when Ning Xiaohui called him to join her in the palace, he was actually quite happy.
Joining the reformation team had been the right decision! This action had been giving him positive feedback all along. Ning Zhuo had been worrying about how to find a reason to enter Lava Immortal Palace, and now Ning Xiaohui had come to him voluntarily, like a pillow sent to someone who was feeling sleepy.
Regarding Ning Xiaohui’s arrangements, Ning Zhuo was also happy to follow behind her and slack off.
The first gate.
Ning Xiaohui and Ning Zhuo both stepped forward to claim their rewards.
“You take the spirit stones. I’ll need them,” Ning Xiaohui instructed.
“Understood!” Ning Zhuo complied smoothly.
Now, in the Ning Family, only the two of them had reached the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining. Ning Zhuo’s true cultivation level had not been exposed. Therefore, in the family, Ning Xiaohui really had no choice but to call on him to participate.
After receiving the spirit stones, Ning Zhuo handed them directly to Ning Xiaohui.
This action satisfied Ning Xiaohui. She nodded and accepted them. “At least you’re sensible.”
Ning Zhuo chuckled softly. “As long as you can lead me deeper, I’m willing to cooperate.”
“Watch closely,” Ning Xiaohui said as she pushed open the door.
But she only opened a small crack.
That was enough.
Then, she silently activated her talent.
Ice Jade Hand!
The puppet Ning Xiaohui’s hands emitted white light, spreading a strong freezing aura.
The freezing aura quickly permeated, following the crack in the door, covering the walls and ceiling of Room Two.
Only the door was spared.
Ning Xiaohui pushed the door open and walked in leisurely.
Ning Zhuo followed closely behind, praising her non-stop. “Amazing, absolutely amazing!”
“Ning Xiaohui, you really live up to your name.”
“What spell is this?” Ning Zhuo asked deliberately.
“Hmph, with your knowledge, all you know about are spells,” Ning Xiaohui snorted coldly. She liked hearing flattery and praise, but on the surface, she remained indifferent, as if accomplishing these things was a trivial matter for her.
“This is my talent—Ice Jade Hand!” Ning Xiaohui announced calmly, raising her chin slightly.
“Ice Jade Hand?!” Ning Zhuo exclaimed in surprise, widening his eyes as he stared at Ning Xiaohui.
“Your talent can achieve this level?” Ning Zhuo looked extremely shocked.
This made Ning Xiaohui feel immensely pleased.
Ning Zhuo continued, “If you can do this, why didn’t you use it before?”
Ning Xiaohui snorted coldly. “For one, I hadn’t fully mastered it yet and couldn’t use it freely. And secondly, are you a pig-brain? There were outsiders before—why would I reveal my trump card?”
Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly. “Understood, only you could think that far ahead, Xiaohui.”
“You’ve always been brilliant, ever since we were young!”
“No wonder you said earlier that I just need to follow you.”
“You’re truly amazing.”
“With you in the Ning Family, we will surely rise to the top, leaving the other three factions far behind!”
Ning Xiaohui thoroughly enjoyed Ning Zhuo’s praise.
This time, she had deliberately brought Ning Zhuo along to subdue this talented branch member, making sure the entire reformation team would recognize who the leader was!
From the looks of it, her plan was progressing very smoothly.
“You’re from the Ning Family. As long as you know this, that’s enough.”
“From now on, as long as you follow me, you will keep winning!”
“Speaking of which, you also have talent.”
“But you need to develop it. First, we need to determine exactly what kind it is.”
“I look forward to your future performance!”
“Understood! I’ll do my best,” Ning Zhuo replied, humbly playing along with Ning Xiaohui.
Ning Xiaohui continued to clear the levels.
She kept using her talent, unleashing freezing auras that gradually froze Room Two, starting from the front section, spreading to the middle, and finally reaching the rear.
Ning Xiaohui grew increasingly exhausted, her soul power rapidly diminishing. There was no other way—this was just a puppet body, not her true physical form.
The energy transfer through the Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread connection caused significant losses.
After all, Ning Xiaohui didn’t have the related divine ability as a prototype.
While Ning Xiaohui was as tired as a dog, Ning Zhuo leisurely followed behind, relaxed and carefree.
Of course, he didn’t show the slightest bit of ease outwardly.
He acted very nervous, constantly speaking—sometimes offering high praise to Ning Xiaohui, sometimes expressing concern about their progress, and sometimes even suggesting that Ning Xiaohui take a break.
Ning Xiaohui coldly rejected the idea of resting.
The freezing aura she released wouldn’t last long before it dissipated.
Thus, Ning Xiaohui could only push herself to the limit, aiming to reach the second gate as quickly as possible—that was the wisest choice.
“Xiaohui, you’re absolutely amazing!”
“In just a dozen more steps, we’ll reach the second gate and pass this level.”
“Why is there still such a long way to go?” Ning Xiaohui felt the struggle intensely, but she had to maintain her strong facade, gritting her teeth and giving it her all.
Just as she and Ning Zhuo were about to succeed, the door behind them suddenly opened.
In the next moment, the puppet Meng Chong walked in.
He saw Ning Zhuo and Ning Xiaohui and couldn’t help but be startled.
“It’s Meng Chong!” Ning Zhuo shouted, his voice trembling slightly, showing deep fear.
“Meng Chong…” Ning Xiaohui’s eyes narrowed. In her mind, Meng Chong was her only true rival, her biggest competitor.
But Meng Chong merely glanced at the two Ning Family members before withdrawing his gaze.
Crackle.
Lightning flashed as Meng Chong darted around the room, bouncing off the walls and ceiling like a bolt of electricity.
“You…” he began, standing at the first gate.
“You’re too slow.” After saying this, Meng Chong dissipated the lightning and had already landed at the second gate.
Ning Xiaohui: !!!
Meng Chong’s dominance deeply shocked her.
She took a deep breath. “Meng Chong, we both benefit from cooperation. You’ve seen my strength. Let’s team up and explore the palace together.”
Ning Xiaohui proactively extended an invitation.
However, Meng Chong raised his hand, pointing it at her. “Just you?”
Celestial Talent—Wild Sprint Thunderclap.
Spell—One Burst of Qi.
With the power of lightning, the speed of the qi flow became incredibly fast. Originally, it was just a support spell, but now it was forcefully turned into an offensive one.
Too fast!
Ning Xiaohui had no time to react before the qi flow knocked her away, smashing her into a wall, triggering a trap. A heavy hammer mechanism fell and crushed her to pieces.
Ning Zhuo rushed to save Ning Xiaohui, but halfway through, he stepped on another trap. Once again, he fell into darkness, trapped until his soul power ran out.
“Two small fry,” Meng Chong sneered dismissively, turned to claim his reward, and walked into the third gate with a serious expression.
His fighting spirit soared, and upon entering Room Three, he shouted loudly, “I, Meng Chong, have returned!”
“That Mechanical Ape, today I will settle the score!”
“Hm?”
“Where is it?!”
Meng Chong scanned the room, then looked around a second time, but he still couldn’t find the “Mechanical Ape” he had been longing to defeat.
“What’s going on?”
“Where is that Mechanical Ape?!”
Meng Chong felt utterly deflated, as if his punch had landed on cotton. The disappointment was overwhelming.
He had trained diligently, making significant progress in strength, only to find that the opponent he had been determined to surpass was gone!
“If I keep clearing the levels, will I encounter it again?” Meng Chong wondered, rekindling hope.
Without Yuan Dasheng, the puppet fighters in Room Three were numerous but couldn’t stand up to Meng Chong at all.
After spending some time, Meng Chong knocked down all the mechanical puppets and pushed open the door, officially entering the preparation
room.
“This checkpoint seems a bit special?”
“What’s that?”
His eyes immediately landed on the ranking stone pillar.