Chapter 197: Gathering Yang to Supplement Yin
Ning Zhuo stood on the broad and heavy shoulders of the Mechanical Ape, opening its skull.
Then, he took out a mechanical component from his storage belt.
It was a drum.
The drum body resembled a short, thick cylinder.
The drum itself was a deep red color, smooth on the surface, clearly lacquered, exuding an ancient and solemn aura.
The drum had two skins, yellowish-brown in color, stretched tightly, thick and resilient.
Around the drum skins, a row of copper nails was embedded, each nail head perfectly rounded.
The drum body was covered with intricate carvings and patterns, depicting a battlefield where the warriors on both sides were fighting fiercely, all shouting in anger.
This was the reward Ning Zhuo had received from the Lava Immortal Palace—a mechanical component—the Frenzied Thoughts Riot Drum.
When struck, the drum produced a deep and resonant sound that reverberated in the mind, creating various chaotic and violent thoughts and emotions.
The proper use of the drum was to strike it during battle, affecting nearby enemies, driving them into a frenzied state, losing their sanity and revealing countless flaws.
Ning Zhuo, however, thought of using the drum to help the Mechanical Ape think.
Chaotic and violent thoughts could still be thoughts. But the result of such thoughts was often relentless attacks, ignoring one’s safety, intent on killing the enemy at all costs!
“This is fine.”
“Yuan Dasheng’s spiritual intelligence has already advanced to the Spirit-Wisdom Stage, giving him considerable thinking ability.”
“With Yuan Dasheng’s intelligence, it can suppress the violent thoughts and avoid completely losing sanity.”
“Of course, if the drum is struck for a long time, the violent thoughts will flood the mind, overpowering Yuan Dasheng’s rationality.”
But this was precisely the state Ning Zhuo desired.
By then, Yuan Dasheng would be in full berserk mode. According to the mechanism built into him, he would unleash at least double his combat power beyond standard limits!
Ning Zhuo had already lifted the Mechanical Ape’s skull. After taking out the Frenzied Thoughts Riot Drum, he inspected it to confirm it was intact before placing it inside the ape’s head.
There was already a prepared base inside the skull.
The Frenzied Thoughts Riot Drum was placed on the base.
Ning Zhuo took out more than a dozen rods, each of which could fold in the middle. He inserted the rods into the base, then bent their midpoints and connected the other ends to the mechanical grooves on the drum body.
Ning Zhuo infused mana and activated it briefly, immediately causing the drum to emit a sound that echoed within the skull.
After confirming everything was in order, Ning Zhuo began arranging the inner wall of the skull.
He took out a talisman brush and started drawing on the inner wall, then pulled out dozens of talismans from his pocket, sticking them all over, even covering the inner wall of the skull.
After completing this, he replaced the skull.
“I should have set up a Reverberation Formation, but for now, I’ll use talismans as a temporary fix.”
Ning Zhuo, covered in sweat, did not dare relax for a moment, let alone rest.
“Boss Sun is in a perilous situation, I must race against time, giving it everything I’ve got to buy him more chances for survival!”
“Sigh, Boss Sun is probably in trouble because of me.”
“My Divine Ability, *Life Hanging by a Thread*, is linked to him. If I suffer a blow, he will be implicated.”
“In fact, if it weren’t for me, he could have left Huoshi Immortal City long ago.”
“But he stayed here, trying to help me, protect me.”
“Given his personality, staying hidden in these underground bases must be more torturous than death. But he’s endured it all this time without a single complaint.”
“It’ll be fine, it will!”
“Over these days, I’ve worked hard to gain fame, earn recognition, and plant my *Life Hanging by a Thread* on many people.”
“My Divine Ability is now complete, able to borrow the fortune of others. I already have a solid foundation of fortune to resist misfortune.”
“So, Boss, you will be fine!”
“Boss, you mustn’t get hurt.”
Ning Zhuo continued urgently enhancing the Mechanical Ape while trying hard to steady his emotions.
In the underground base.
Within the vortex of ghostly fog.
“Hehehe, got you now, Sun Lingtong!” Yang Chanyu’s face was filled with an infatuated smile, her eyes brimming with affection, enough to make one’s heart ripple.
“Yang Chanyu, calm down, calm down!” Sun Lingtong struggled desperately as Yang Chanyu tightly embraced him, but he couldn’t break free.
“Wait, let go of me, let go, I can’t breathe!”
His face was buried in Yang Chanyu’s chest, almost suffocating.
Yang Chanyu giggled, holding Sun Lingtong tighter while swaying her body from side to side, as if trying to merge Sun Lingtong into her body.
Ghostly energy coiled around Yang Chanyu, filling her mind with endless lust, leaving her with no reason.
At this life-or-death moment, Sun Lingtong, pushed to the brink, unexpectedly made a desperate breakthrough!
“Emptiness Seal!!” He squeezed out every ounce of his strength, calling upon the mark of the *Emptiness Seal* with unprecedented fury.
The seal emitted a faint glow, spreading from Sun Lingtong’s body and covering Yang Chanyu.
It worked!
Yang Chanyu’s face immediately showed signs of struggle and hesitation. The seductive ghostly energy that had invaded her was mostly driven out.
Yang Chanyu loosened her grip on Sun Lingtong, though her hands still clung tightly to his arms.
“They’re going to break, they’re going to break!” Sun Lingtong shouted, “Yang Chanyu, snap out of it!”
Yang Chanyu’s expression continued to struggle, alternating between infatuation and clarity.
Sun Lingtong, still suppressed by the ghostly fog and bound by Yang Chanyu, had not yet regained his freedom.
“Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Zhuo, come save me quickly.”
Sun Lingtong’s pupils shrank as he saw Yang Chanyu losing the battle again, her face returning to a dazed state. She giggled foolishly and puckered her lips to kiss Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong quickly turned his head to the right, avoiding the kiss.
Yang Chanyu withdrew and kissed him again.
Sun Lingtong swiftly turned his head to the left, once again dodging Yang Chanyu’s lips.
Yang Chanyu kissed again and again, while Sun Lingtong kept dodging to the left and right.
After failing for a long time, Yang Chanyu finally smiled charmingly, “Little brother, I didn’t expect you to be so shy. But it’s useless!”
With that, she activated a secret technique—*Gathering Yang to Supplement Yin*!
“Something bad’s going to happen!” Sun Lingtong was so anxious his face turned red. Bound as he was, he couldn’t avoid the strike.
“It’s happening!” The same exclamation echoed in Zhu Xuanji’s heart.
He led the three families’ Golden Core cultivators deep beneath Mount Huoshi, fighting all the way to the royal lair of the Fire Fusion Demon Ape.
But not only were they ambushed, now they couldn’t even break through, temporarily trapped in a corner as waves of demon apes pressed in.
Zhu Xuanji held the front line alone, forming a one-man defense!
Throughout the battle, he displayed countless treasures, his combat strength far surpassing that of the other three families’ Golden Core cultivators.
His brows furrowed as he repelled another attacking Golden Core-level Fire Fusion Demon Ape, his eyes gleaming with golden light as he stared at a nearby cave entrance.
“Look over there, that cave entrance. During our earlier attempts to break out, whenever we headed that way, the demon apes became extremely nervous and fully defensive.”
“That cave very likely leads to the outside!”
Zhu Xuanji conveyed his guess through spiritual transmission.
“Or it could be the ape nursery,” Zhou Nongying, who had retreated to the back to heal himself, added.
Zhu Xuanji continued, “In a moment, I will release a quasi-Golden Core level mechanical creation to charge toward that direction and attract the apes’ defense.”
“If they get nervous, there will surely be gaps in other areas. We will feint and break through the opening, retreating the way we came!”
Zhu Xuanji had the three families’ Golden Core cultivators prepare, then began a countdown through spiritual transmission.
At the count of “one,” he shouted, “Move!”
Zhu Xuanji released a tiger-shaped machine, which charged toward the cave entrance without regard for its safety.
As expected, the Golden Core-level demon apes surrounding them became extremely anxious and rushed to intercept the tiger-shaped machine.
“Go!” Zhu Xuanji charged forward, seizing the opening in the demon apes’ defenses.
Roar.
The next moment, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King descended like a demon god, blocking the path and forcibly stopping Zhu Xuanji’s advance.
Seeing Zhu Xuanji blocked, the three families’ Golden Core cultivators behind him all attacked.
Various spells struck the Ape King, but the effects were weak, with at least thirty percent of their power diminished.
This only enraged the Ape King further. With a furious roar, it lashed out with fists and feet, sending Zhu Xuanji flying.
It charged at the three families’ Golden Core cultivators.
The Golden Core cultivators’ hearts pounded, and they scattered in panic, causing the Ape King to miss its target.
Sud
denly, Zhu Xuanji shouted, “Don’t resist me!”
With that, he manipulated the tiger-shaped machine, which had been charging toward the cave entrance.
The tiger-shaped machine had been badly damaged by the Golden Core-level demon apes, teetering on the edge of collapse.
But once controlled, the machine emitted several beams of guiding light.
The beams shot toward the human Golden Core cultivators, enveloping them in a powerful and irresistible pull.
Having been warned by Zhu Xuanji, the three families’ Golden Core cultivators did not resist and allowed themselves to be drawn in by the beams.
The tiger-shaped machine, now linked to all the human Golden Core cultivators, suddenly swerved in another direction.
“Roar!!”
The Fire Fusion Demon Apes roared in unison, furious.
With the speed of the light beams, the human Golden Core cultivators reached the other side of the battlefield in nearly two blinks of an eye.
And this side was precisely the cave entrance they had just targeted.
“Hahaha, well done, Lord Zhu!” Ning Jiufan laughed heartily.
“Get inside! Force the Fire Fusion Demon Apes into a dilemma!” Zhu Xuanji charged ahead once more.
Since the beginning of the battle, he had always been the first to charge. His upright demeanor secretly earned the respect of the three families’ Golden Core cultivators.
“Not good!” In the next moment, Zhu Xuanji abruptly halted, exclaiming in a low voice.
The three families’ Golden Core cultivators following him all looked up and their faces changed.
They saw an old ape lying down, slowly opening its eyes. Its aura was clearly at the Nascent Soul level.
Roar, roar.
Outside the cave, the Golden Core-level demon apes were crowded together, none of them daring to rush into the cave.
The human Golden Core cultivators were trapped in the middle, with a Nascent Soul-level elder ape ahead and several Golden Core-level Fire Fusion Demon Apes behind, caught between a rock and a hard place.
“Trouble!”
“A Nascent Soul-level demon ape is hiding among them!!”
“Why didn’t it show up earlier when the Lava Immortal Palace was in turmoil?”