Chapter 178: How Arrogant Can a Branch Family Be?
The joint team of three families had five Qi Refining stage geniuses as the clear leaders, the core figures of the battle.
Any combat plan essentially revolved around these five people.
Ning Zhuo’s decision to hide his abilities proved to be beneficial at this moment. He made up his mind to listen carefully, remember attentively, and then think of counter-strategies.
Ning Zhuo and the other four entered a secret chamber.
The layout of the chamber resembled a classroom, with a middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator standing at the front.
The five of them each found a place to sit.
“My name is Zheng Hua,” the middle-aged cultivator introduced himself, “I’m here to explain the general strategy for this joint operation.”
Ning Zhuo immediately recalled the information about Zheng Hua.
He was a mid-Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, yet he already served as an elder of the Zheng family due to his unique talent—he could handle many materials that were difficult to refine, known as “Gold and Stone Opener.”
Zheng Hua also had considerable expertise in artifact refinement, reaching the level of a master, making him one of the top artifact cultivators in the entire Huoshi Immortal City.
Zheng Hua released his mana, and it condensed into the form of a Golden-Blooded Battle Ape, Dasheng, vividly lifelike in midair.
Zheng Hua said, “Everyone should be familiar with this mechanical ape, or at least deeply impressed by it.”
Zhou Zhenshen, Zhou Zhu, Zheng Jian, and others all looked serious.
Ning Xiaohui’s face was grim.
Ning Zhuo frowned deeply.
Zheng Hua continued, “According to the current intelligence gathered, this ape puppet primarily engages in close combat.”
“Its body seems to be made of Zhu Fire Glaze, a material refined from Zhu Flame Stone. The best way to deal with this material is by using ice-based techniques.”
“Its skeleton contains Scarlet Gold Mysterious Iron, and the surface of the bones is inscribed with prohibitions.”
“Judging by the pattern of these prohibitions and its combat behavior, it’s likely a defensive prohibition. I personally suspect it’s a Vajra Body Protection Technique.”
“So, using lightning-based techniques to erode the prohibitions is also a meaningful tactic!”
“The puppet’s brain likely contains a special calculation component. If we can destroy this part, it will significantly affect the battle.”
“Because, although the puppet’s material isn’t particularly outstanding, its combat skills are extraordinary. To achieve this, the calculation component must be highly sophisticated.”
“If we can’t destroy its head, then its hands are the next primary target.”
“There are probably several martial arts talismans hidden in its hands. Destroying these talismans will also reduce its combat ability.”
Zheng Hua’s analysis slightly eased the expressions of the five.
Next, with a thought, the image of Yuan Dasheng formed by mana suddenly collapsed. When it reformed, it had turned into the Netherworld Envoy, Qi Bai.
Zheng Hua’s expression grew much more serious. “In my opinion, although this puppet has appeared fewer times, it’s even more dangerous than the mechanical ape.”
“Its skeleton is made of Ghostly Blue Underworld Iron, and parts of its bones have been replaced with Soul Wood. While the exact age of the Soul Wood is unknown, based on the specifications of the mechanical ape, it should be at least a hundred years old.”
“But just these materials alone aren’t enough to allow this puppet to control so many ghosts.”
“There must be other critical components on its body that help it manipulate the ghosts.”
“This puppet has the ability to weaken souls in its attacks, and judging by the mana fluctuations, it closely resembles the Soul Devouring Art.”
“There’s a component in its neck that can emit drum-like sound waves, causing intense tremors in living souls. Once this sound is released, it’s very difficult to defend against it with just our bodies.”
“Its eyes are a key design, made from mixed materials, though their exact power is unknown. I suspect they contain some sort of trump card!”
“All over its body are small holes for projectile attacks. Once activated, these small holes can rapidly shoot out Yin-attribute Silk Gold. The Silk Gold can merge in an instant, forming a black robe as a protective barrier with excellent defensive capabilities.”
“Based on this, perhaps we can use mud-based spells to block all the holes.”
Zheng Hua concluded by saying, “This ghost slave puppet has at least two arrays on its body. There are at least eighteen spell talismans, making it clearly a long-range type of puppet. I strongly recommend engaging it in close combat.”
The five once again grew serious, each thinking: There’s too little information! There was clearly far less intelligence on the ghost slave puppet compared to the mechanical ape, and only a few countermeasures had been devised. It seemed it would be very difficult to deal with it.
Ning Zhuo’s brow furrowed even tighter, thinking to himself: Too much information has been leaked. Zheng Hua’s analysis was almost entirely accurate, worthy of being one of the Zheng family’s key figures in artifact refinement.
As for the Soul Devouring Art, although its nature was seen through, no one had connected it to the Soul-Devouring Sect.
Because of the many variations of the Soul Devouring Art, not only Soul-Devouring Sect cultivators could use it.
It’s just that Soul-Devouring Sect disciples wielded this art with far greater power.
In fact, the Soul Devouring Art existed long before the creation of the Soul-Devouring Sect.
According to legend, its origin lay with one of the ten ancient beasts, the Ghost Shā Soul Devourer.
The Ghost Shā Soul Devourer was thirty feet long, resembling a lion-tiger hybrid, with a massive and imposing body. Its limbs were thick and powerful, its claws sharp as knives.
Its body was covered in dark scales, which glowed faintly at night.
The Ghost Shā Soul Devourer had three eyes on its head, with the central eye able to see the presence of ghosts.
Its mouth was wide, with sharp teeth that could easily tear apart any soul.
Its tail was snake-like, with a tip shaped like a snake’s head. The snake’s head contained a blue-glowing gem that could store endless soul power.
On its back were a pair of massive black wings, bat-like in shape, enabling it to fly at incredible speeds, easily catching up to fleeing ghosts.
Zheng Hua dispersed his mana, looking seriously at the five people. “The above is merely a conjecture based on the current information.”
“It’s possible that if we all deploy, the difficulty of the challenge will increase, making the puppets even stronger.”
“And there’s also the possibility that a third or even fourth puppet might appear!”
“Alright, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, and I’ll do my best to answer.”
Zhou Zhenshen was the first to ask, “These are both puppets, so why not target that aspect? I want to know, have we discovered how these two puppets are controlled?”
Zheng Hua shook his head, “No.”
“Strings, rods, and spiritual sense are the classic methods of control, but none apply to these two puppets.”
“We suspect they are controlled by spiritual intelligence.”
“The Lava Immortal Palace possesses the palace spirit, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, which can control puppet automatons.”
“Previously, when the Lava Immortal Palace was attacked by demon beasts, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was rumored to have taken action, driving a humanoid puppet to control the battlefield.”
“This is a related battle report, which everyone can review.”
Zheng Hua took out a jade slip and handed it to the five below.
When it reached Ning Zhuo, he pressed the jade slip against his forehead and saw the defensive battlefield atop the volcano, witnessing the deployment of Golden Core-level puppet Daoists.
“This should have been during the fight between me and Brother Sun against Qi Bai.”
“Who recorded this scene? To manage such a feat right under Meng Kui’s nose!”
“This vantage point… it seems to be from a distance?”
A name flashed in Ning Zhuo’s mind—Zhu Xuanji.
He was right.
It was indeed Zhu Xuanji who provided the jade slip to the three families’ Golden Core ancestors.
Afterward, the three family ancestors copied the image and transmitted it back to their respective families.
Zheng Hua continued speaking as the group examined the jade slip, “If it is indeed controlled by spiritual intelligence, then both the mechanical ape and ghost slave puppet can be considered spiritual treasures.”
“Spiritual treasures?!” Zheng Jian couldn’t help but exclaim.
Symbolic treasures, magic tools, magic treasures, spiritual treasures.
From the perspective of quality, spiritual treasures were already at the highest level. Throughout history, the town-guarding treasures of the great sects, families, and immortal nations were invariably spiritual treasures.
“This person seems to be the Golden Core ancestor of my family?” Ning Zhuo observed the jade slip, naturally seeing the scene where his family’s ancestor was struck on the head by a walnut and forced to retreat.
Without showing any emotion, he passed the jade slip to the next person.
“The three families’ understanding of Yuan Dasheng and Qi Bai is already quite deep.”
“They’ve even guessed the truth about spiritual intelligence control!”
“Indeed, to become a great family in Immortal City, they possess the foundations and strength not to be underestimated.”
“However, they’ve only guessed part of it and are
still some distance from the truth.”
But that wasn’t their fault.
They were simply missing key information. Once they had it, they would be able to fill in the gaps and uncover the truth!
“It’s easy to imagine that if they reached the coffin chamber and learned about the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra, they would quickly suspect the true identities of Yuan Dasheng and Qi Bai.”
“But I’ve already raised all the stone walls of the Buddhist and Demon Sects.”
Previously, Ning Zhuo had a flaw.
In the second transfer hall, the Buddhist and Demon Sects were still visible.
However, as the embryonic form of his divine ability, “Life Hanging by a Thread,” neared completion and Ning Zhuo’s cultivation and soul power greatly improved, he finally managed to fully raise the stone walls in the second transfer hall, completely blocking them off.
Ning Zhuo deliberately said, “With just this information, I don’t think we stand a high chance of defeating the mechanical ape and ghost slave puppet.”
“I suggest delaying the operation, continuing to investigate, and gathering more comprehensive information.”
“Only after fully preparing should we launch a large-scale exploration of the Lava Immortal Palace!”
Zhou Zhenshen immediately gave Ning Zhuo an approving look, thinking, “Ning Zhuo thinks the same as me. We’re both people who use our brains.”
Ning Xiaohui snorted coldly, “Ning Zhuo, how can you be so timid before even fighting?”
“You want to gather information, but we can use this opportunity to have a good fight with that damned mechanical ape!”
“Once we tear it apart, won’t we have gathered all the key information?”
Ning Zhuo snorted coldly, “Ning Xiaohui, I know you’ve often been slaughtered by the mechanical ape. I understand your eagerness for revenge.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can fight recklessly.”
“Your recklessness will only bring more failure!”
“You!” Ning Xiaohui glared, her face full of anger and disbelief.
No one had ever, or rather, no peer had ever been so blunt with her!
Ning Zhuo was the first.
And he did it right in front of others, directly ridiculing her.
“You, a mere branch family…” Ning Xiaohui gritted her teeth, her eyes practically shooting flames.
Ning Zhuo mercilessly interrupted, “And you, as the main family, can’t even match half of my achievements, so what are you?”
Ning Xiaohui suddenly stood up straight, her entire body radiating cold air.
A ghost as white as snow and icy cold rose from her body, glaring sinisterly at Ning Zhuo, “When did the Ning family’s branch become so arrogant?”
Ning Zhuo’s pupils shrank, and he quickly leaped back, creating distance while staring intently at the ghost, “What are you?!”
The ghost trembled with anger, “I am also from the Ning family’s main branch!!”