Chapter 198: Forced to Submit
“It is too old, its years are numbered. It lives in a constant state of slumber, barely hanging on. This time, we have awakened it.”
“Hurry and request help from the City Lord!”
As everyone communicated via transmission at full speed, the Nascent Soul Demon Ape fully opened its eyes.
It did not attack, but instead changed its sleeping posture, exposing its sagging chest and bloated belly.
It let out a screeching sound, scanning the Golden Core humans with a scrutinizing gaze.
Zhu Xuanji and the others were stunned.
These people were quite familiar with the Fire Fusion Demon Ape. The Golden Cores of the three families lived in Huoshi Immortal City and had many interactions with the Fire Fusion Demon Ape.
Zhu Xuanji, being a detective and a member of the royal family, had also conducted thorough investigations and read many royal intelligence reports before coming to Huoshi Immortal City.
So, when they saw the Nascent Soul Demon Ape’s behavior, they exchanged transmissions and exclaimed in shock, “This female ape is in heat!”
Among the Fire Fusion Demon Apes, females were extremely rare, with the number of males being at least eighty times that of the females.
Thus, in every ape group, the females were the most precious asset, ensuring the future of the group.
This particular Fire Fusion Ape group was unique, as there was a female ape that had grown to the Nascent Soul level, with a status even more prestigious than the previous Golden Core Demon Ape King.
No wonder the demon apes were so protective of its residence.
Zhu Xuanji hurriedly transmitted, “Don’t act rashly!”
“The female ape being in heat is actually our opportunity.”
“It seems to have mistaken us as potential mates chosen by the ape group.”
Zheng Shuanggou, holding his twin hooks, had a sudden change of expression. “Lord Zhu, what do you mean by this?”
Zhu Xuanji said, “As long as one of us is chosen by it and mates, our relationship with the ape group will drastically change, turning from enemies to allies.”
“At that point, not only will we no longer need to worry about the demon general mechanisms, but the ape group may even voluntarily gift us precious materials.”
“You all live on Mount Huoshi; how could you not know of this behavior?”
Indeed, this was the case.
Female apes were insatiable, and male apes of the same level often died during the mating process.
Sometimes, when a female ape’s life level was too high and it entered heat, the male apes wouldn’t dare approach. In such cases, they would abduct males from other ape groups or human men to satisfy the powerful female ape’s overwhelming desires.
If a male ape or man survived after satisfying the female ape, he, or they, would be treated well by the ape group. Receiving gifts as a form of gratitude was a common gesture.
After hearing Zhu Xuanji’s explanation, Zheng Shuanggou and the others felt a chill in their hearts.
Zhou Nongying’s expression darkened. “Lord Zhu, do you realize what you are saying?”
Zhu Xuanji spread his hands. “This is the situation we are facing. If you hope to wait for Meng Kui’s reinforcements, I might still have a chance, but for you all, it’s out of the question.”
“We are trapped in a death situation. Only by discarding everything can we find a way to survive!”
“The good news is: the female ape only chooses one mate each time. It will only choose a second mate if the first one dies midway and it still has unfulfilled needs.”
“In other words, it will only pick one of us.”
“At that time, whoever is chosen, even if it’s me, will have to go along with it, no matter what.”
“To survive, there’s no shame in this!”
“Do you want to live, or do you want to die?”
Zhu Xuanji’s words left the Golden Core cultivators with varied expressions.
Zheng Jianlian sighed, “Of course, I want to live.”
Ning Jiufan, feeling that his chances of being chosen were the lowest, looked indifferent and firmly said, “I agree with Lord Zhu’s plan!”
The others remained silent.
Zhu Xuanji clapped his hands. “That settles it!”
“No matter who is chosen, the rest of us must keep this matter a secret.”
All the other Golden Core cultivators strongly agreed.
The Nascent Soul female ape, with its chest exposed, kept making screeching sounds. Its eyes swept back and forth, making the Golden Core cultivators pale and their hearts race.
Suddenly, the female ape’s gaze paused, and it pointed its finger at someone—Ning Family’s Golden Core Ancestor.
Ning Jiufan!
The female ape beckoned him with its finger.
Ning Jiufan was dumbfounded, disbelief written all over his face.
“Me?”
“Why me?!”
He couldn’t understand at all.
Compared to him, Zheng Shuanggou and Zheng Jianlian were clearly more physically robust, perfectly fitting the aesthetic of the Fire Fusion Demon Apes.
Even though the Golden Cores of the Zhou family were somewhat lean, their cultivation techniques at least weren’t ice-based.
Ning Jiufan primarily cultivated the Ice Heart Sutra, and this cold aura naturally clashed with the Fire Fusion Demon Ape, which should have made the latter detest him.
“Why?”
“Why?!”
Ning Jiufan shook his head, continuously muttering.
“There’s no reason. It has chosen Brother Ning, so Brother Ning, please bear with it.” Zheng Shuanggou relaxed and took out the Nine Yang Yellow Ox Ointment.
“Hurry up and take some orally, and apply some to the crucial areas!” Zheng Shuanggou urged.
Ning Jiufan was still in disbelief, unable to accept what was happening, but the ointment was shoved into his hands.
Soon, Zhu Xuanji and the others dug into their own bags, offering Ning Jiufan strong support.
The Zhou family’s Golden Core produced a pill. “This is the Spring Bloom Pill. After consuming it, it greatly enhances energy and stamina.”
Zheng Jianlian fumbled through his storage bag and brought out a ring-shaped treasure. “I’m ashamed. Years ago, I killed an evil cultivator from the Flower Plucking Sect and obtained this Dragon Yang Essence Ring. I’ve never been able to get rid of it, but it’s perfect for this situation.”
Prompted by this, Zhu Xuanji also took out a sachet. “While tracking down a female demon, I acquired this Spring Dream Sachet. I had planned to use it as a clue for further investigation, but you can use it for now.”
Ning Jiufan was visibly resistant, but the other Golden Core cultivators were resolute, stuffing pills, treasures, and other items into his hands.
“Go!”
“Brother Ning, we all acknowledge your contribution. We won’t let your sacrifice be in vain.”
“When we return to the city, I’ll treat you to a meal!”
Ning Jiufan kept shaking his head. “I don’t want the meal, nor do I want these things. I believe we can still plan this out carefully.”
But in the next moment, an invisible force dragged him out of the crowd.
It turned out that the Nascent Soul female ape had grown impatient and took matters into her own hands!
Ning Jiufan glared with wide eyes.
He was touched on the face by the female ape.
Ning Jiufan glared with wide eyes.
His clothes were stripped off.
Ning Jiufan glared with wide eyes.
Suddenly, he realized what was happening, raised his head to the sky, let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and muttered through gritted teeth, “Forced into this, what else can I do! I can only submit, I can only submit.”
“Brother Ning, you are righteous!” Zhu Xuanji looked deeply moved.
The other Golden Core cultivators also showed solemn expressions, echoing their agreement with flattering words.
Ning Jiufan suddenly said, “No, I must make a contract with you all.”
“Especially you, Lord Zhu. I am doing this entirely because of you.”
“From now on, the Ning Family must hold a prominent position in Huoshi Immortal City…”
He quickly transmitted a series of conditions.
While being forced into submission, Ning Jiufan also coerced the other Golden Cores, as well as Zhu Xuanji.
In a short time, he compelled the other Golden Core cultivators to sign an alliance agreement with him.
The agreement secured the Ning Family’s position in Huoshi Immortal City and guaranteed its future benefits. Ning Jiufan also secured many resources suitable for his cultivation.
The Nascent Soul female ape, in her excitement, pinned Ning Jiufan down.
Ning Jiufan painfully closed his eyes, while he waved his hands, activating a treasure that released icy mist, shrouding him and the female ape tightly.
This left the disappointed Zheng Family Golden Core cultivators unable to watch the spectacle.
The two Golden Cores of the Zhou family discreetly retracted the jade slips they had hidden in their sleeves, feeling immense regret—they had missed the opportunity to record the scene.
It was a strange, prolonged battle!
Ning Jiufan was drenched in sweat, struggling to cope, his face pale, rapidly weakening.
The female ape let out a satisfied roar.
“Brother Ning, hang in there!” The human Golden Core cultivators earnestly cheered Ning Jiufan on.
“Why did this female ape ultimately choose Brother Ning?” Zhou Nongying expressed his confusion.
The others shared the same doubts.
Zheng Jianlian spec
ulated, “Perhaps this female ape has lived long enough and wanted to try something different, something fresh?”
Zhu Xuanji’s heart stirred. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, “It’s probably because of the Peach Fate Seed.”
“Back then, when Meng Kui used his divine power to stir the Qi of Fortune covering the entire Mount Huoshi…”
“The only tool he could use was the Peach Fate Seed.”
“The reason he could use it without disturbing the flow of fortune and affecting himself is that this seed carries strong peach blossom luck.”
“Strictly speaking, the Peach Fate Seed is a treasure that enhances one’s romantic fortune. Its offensive power, which harms others, is actually just the price of gaining more romantic opportunities.”
Everyone suddenly understood. “So that’s it.”
“No wonder the female ape didn’t choose anyone else but Brother Ning.”
“Brother Ning, too. He ventured into the Immortal Palace behind our backs, got hit by the Peach Fate Seed, and now finds himself in this situation. Isn’t this just karma as described in Buddhism?”
With this explanation, everyone’s sympathy for Ning Jiufan’s unfortunate situation diminished significantly.
Underground base.
Ning Zhuo wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve.
“It worked!” He looked at the mechanical ape.
Thanks to Ning Zhuo’s frantic assembly, the mechanical ape was now fully repaired.
Its head contained the Frenzy Thought Drum, while its chest housed the Mechanical Heart Furnace·Fire Essence.
The lower half, originally just a skeleton, had now been fitted with mechanical components, fully disguised.
Ning Zhuo extracted Yuan Dasheng’s spirit and placed it inside the mechanical ape.
The mechanical ape activated on its own, opened its eyes, moved its limbs, and then knelt on one knee before Ning Zhuo, respectfully greeting, “Subordinate pays respects to the master.”
“This is for you, to help conceal all your auras!”
Ning Zhuo stuck out his tongue.
From the base of his tongue, a mark quickly emerged.
The mark soon became prominent, transforming into a cloud of mist that floated out.
In the air, the mist formed into a pure white bud, entirely made of cloud vapor, with wisps of mist faintly escaping from its edges.
The Hidden Cloud Bud!
Ning Zhuo guided the bud, sending it deep into the mechanical ape’s body.
The cloud vapor bud transformed back into the mark, imprinting itself on the surface of the mechanical ape’s heart furnace.
The mechanical ape’s surging aura was completely concealed.
“Yuan Dasheng, I command you to go, break through the ghost fog, and rescue Elder Sun!”
“Yes, I obey.”
The mechanical ape reached its destination.
Fei Si remained unaware.
Chi Dun suddenly said, “Who’s there?!”
In an instant, the mechanical ape charged into the ghost fog.
After all, it possessed the strength of a Golden Core level, and the ghost fog, infused with lustful energy, was naturally restrained by the mechanical ape.
The ghost fog scattered slightly, but Sun Lingtong was still trapped.
He was being tightly held by Yang Chanyu, who had already activated her evil technique of harvesting Yang to replenish Yin!
“Elder Sun!” Ning Zhuo’s voice, transmitted through the Life-Hanging Thread, directly reached Sun Lingtong’s heart.
Sun Lingtong was overjoyed. “Little brother, you’ve finally arrived!”
“Hurry, lend me some Yang energy to deal with this.”
“Otherwise, my cultivation will collapse!”
Ning Zhuo: “Ah?!”