Chapter 328 - The Patriarch Favors Ning Zhuo Too Much
Ning Family.
Discussion Hall.
The Spirit Lamp emitted a bright light.
The group of family elders gathered here, but the main seat and the one to its left were both empty.
The Ning Family Patriarch and the Young Patriarch were absent.
The elders' expressions were gloomy, their moods sour, as they discussed official matters.
"The Lava Immortal Palace's Red Flame Beast tide has already retreated by sixty percent. In a few days, the Red Flame Demonic Beasts around Huoshi Immortal City will also start to retreat. When the time comes, the City Lord's Mansion should post a notice, and besides providing disaster relief, clearing out the wild demonic beasts should not be mentioned, but the frontier outposts are where we should intervene."
The words of the elder from the Talisman Hall immediately gained the approval of most people.
It had been four days since Ning Zhuo voluntarily handed over the position of Palace Master to Meng Kui.
In fact, on the day Meng Kui became Palace Master, three Nascent Soul stage cultivators joined forces. Zhu Xuanji, Booklord, and others launched a counterattack, killing countless enemies and completely extinguishing the rampant arrogance of the Red Flame Demonic Beasts.
The three Nascent Soul cultivators were naturally Meng Kui, Meng Hu, and a cultivator from the Taiqing Palace.
The Taiqing Palace cultivator used the excuse of "their disciple being mistakenly killed by the Zheng Family" to seek control over the Lava Immortal Palace.
After Meng Kui became Palace Master, he openly displayed his position, making the Nascent Soul cultivator from Taiqing Palace immediately realize his plans had failed.
Glaring at Meng Hu and Meng Kui, he gritted his teeth, saying, "What a pair of formidable generals from the Meng Family."
Meng Hu’s eyes were focused, his attention more on the ill-fated shield in the hands of the Nascent Soul cultivator from Taiqing Palace. This Night Rain Demon Weapon was indeed powerful. He had fought bitterly for a long time but saw no hope of breaking the shield. Instead, he had been wounded repeatedly, his injuries severe, and all his defensive techniques had been greatly weakened.
Meng Kui, on the other hand, smiled, indicating he wouldn't let the Taiqing Palace Nascent Soul cultivator go back empty-handed, promising to hand over the entire Zheng Family!
This left the Taiqing Palace Nascent Soul cultivator quite surprised. After detailed inquiries, he learned that the two Golden Core Ancestors of the Zheng Family had already fallen, and key figures like Zheng Hua and talented youths like Zheng Jian had all lost their lives.
He immediately understood the reason Meng Kui could give up the Zheng Family.
Without the strength to protect themselves, the Zheng Family was a chess piece that could be sacrificed at will!
Once the Taiqing Palace Nascent Soul cultivator understood the details, his attitude softened, "I need the corpses of the two Golden Core ancestors from the Zheng Family."
Meng Kui nodded meaningfully, "You can have Zheng Jianlian, but Zheng Shuanggou was killed by demon cultivators, and his body is missing."
The Taiqing Palace Nascent Soul cultivator said, "Just one corpse of Zheng Jianlian won't be enough!"
Meng Kui sneered, "No need to rush. Once we kill those two demon cultivators and retrieve Zheng Shuanggou's body, you will have what you need."
The ones who killed Zheng Shuanggou were actually two Golden Core cultivators from Taiqing Palace, who had disguised themselves as demon cultivators.
The Taiqing Palace Nascent Soul cultivator hesitated momentarily but could only compromise, softening his stance further as he communicated privately with Meng Kui.
He indeed needed the Zheng Family captives to present to his sect. Without cooperating with Meng Kui, he wouldn’t get the body of Zheng Jianlian and would also be driven away by the two Meng Family Nascent Soul cultivators, making him lose face.
After half a discussion, Zhu Xuanji also flew into the sky, representing the royal family of Southern Dou, expressing their willingness to cooperate. If the Nascent Soul cultivator from Taiqing Palace could assist, it would be considered a great merit, and he would be richly rewarded by the Southern Dou Kingdom.
Just like that, both sides, who had just been fighting fiercely, made peace. The Taiqing Palace Nascent Soul cultivator, Meng Kui, and Meng Hu all joined forces, sweeping through the battlefield and slaughtering the Red Flame Demonic Beasts, leaving corpses strewn everywhere.
Among the Red Flame Demonic Beasts, three Nascent Soul stage creatures were either killed or severely injured. The Flame-Licking Lizard, with a hole in its head, fled in defeat.
The Fire Serpent was imprisoned by Meng Kui.
The Demonic Ape fell unconscious.
The Red Flame Demonic Beasts suffered heavy casualties, but lacking intelligence, the bloodshed and deaths only fueled their ferocity, causing them to continue charging relentlessly.
The three Nascent Soul cultivators first easily reclaimed lost territory, then counterattacked into the magma, killing all the way into the depths of Huoshi Mountain, slaughtering so many that their hands grew weary before they finally stopped.
During this period, another Nascent Soul-level Red Flame Demonic Beast, enraged, fought against the three Nascent Soul cultivators and retreated heavily injured.
Meng Hu pursued the beast relentlessly, only turning back in frustration after seeing it disappear into the endless fire poison and underground flames.
Without the support of a Nascent Soul-level demonic king, the elite Golden Core-level beasts naturally suffered great losses.
However, even with the frequent attacks from the Nascent Soul cultivators, the Red Flame Beast tide continued unabated until the third day when the number of beasts emerging from the peak of Huoshi Mountain began to decrease significantly.
"This time, so much slaughter has been committed, angering the heavens. Once I return to the palace, I will fast for seven days and seven nights, cleanse myself with the aura of Shangqing, and wash away the bloodshed and killing intent," the Nascent Soul cultivator from Taiqing Palace sighed, ceasing his attacks.
Meng Kui also immediately stopped.
Only Meng Hu continued to fight, roaring to the sky in a frenzy, his voice shaking the clouds, enveloping the entire Huoshi Mountain.
The Red Flame Beast tide was suppressed by the joint efforts of the three Nascent Soul cultivators!
The Ning Family elders continued to discuss family affairs.
They counted the losses, repaired the family’s defensive formations, and distributed compensation strictly...
Finally, they could no longer avoid a certain topic, one that no one in the hall wanted to confront.
"Ning Zhuo is our real threat! This time, he wants to publicly honor the Ning Family members who died in battle. Are we really not going to stop him?" The one who spoke was Ning Qingqiao.
He possessed a rare talent, like frost silently falling, and had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Initially, he had no qualifications to join the discussion. But after the demonic beasts attacked the city, not only the patriarch died, but some elders also perished.
With the high-ranking members of the family left with vacancies, Ning Qingqiao was promoted, becoming a new face in the discussion hall.
The elders all fell silent.
The elder from the Academy Hall sighed softly, "The great matters of the nation lie in military affairs and sacrifices. The same applies to the family."
Ning Qingqiao immediately added, "If we really let Ning Zhuo preside over the public ceremony, I fear the hearts of the branch family will all turn towards him. With this increase on one side and decrease on the other, how will we compete with the branch family in the future?"
The elders all frowned.
It wasn't that they lacked a broad view, but rather they were all well-versed in governance and fully understood the current situation: the main family and the branch family, because of their blood ties, were like a lever balanced in the middle. When one side rose, the other fell.
If the east wind prevailed over the west wind, the side being suppressed would be continuously drained by the stronger side, becoming weaker, while the stronger side would grow even stronger.
The elder from the Battle Hall spread his hands, "Ning Zhuo has already become the patriarch of the branch family, and even the patriarch has acknowledged it. There is no way to reverse this."
"Although he is just a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, his status is high enough. There's no issue with him presiding over the ceremony publicly. How can we stop him?"
Everyone fell into silence.
"Ning Zhuo... who could have predicted such a freak would emerge from our branch family?"
"Months ago, I never would have imagined that my mighty Ning Family would be split in two because of a mere sixteen-year-old branch family junior!"
"Hmph, if not for the emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace, how could this have happened?"
Seeing that the elders were only skimming the surface, Ning Qingqiao grew anxious, "Hmph, in my opinion, if we can't stop him directly, we should use some underhanded methods. If we can prevent Ning Zhuo from successfully holding the ceremony, or make it look bad, it will certainly damage his prestige, giving our main family an advantage."
Pfft.
Ning Qingqiao had just finished speaking when his expression suddenly changed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, falling from his chair and kneeling on the ground.
The elders were shaken and wanted to rise, but an overwhelming pressure forced them back into their seats.
Suddenly, Ning Jiufan appeared in the patriarch's seat.
He coldly swept his gaze across the room and reprimanded, "We are all from the same Ning Family, and you dare to turn against each other? With such hearts, how can you make
the family prosperous?"
"Patriarch!" the elders cried out, trying to explain themselves. Some even distanced themselves from Ning Qingqiao, claiming his views were personal and did not represent theirs.
Hearing their words, Ning Qingqiao was so furious that he spat out another mouthful of blood.
Ning Jiufan harshly rebuked the elders, then turned his gaze to Ning Qingqiao, stripping him of his elder status and sentencing him to three years of reflection in isolation for deep self-examination.
After dealing with the situation, Ning Jiufan left.
Only then did the elders regain their mobility, each drenched in cold sweat, feeling as if they had been granted a new lease on life.
Looking at Ning Qingqiao, they felt disdain in their hearts. Being an elder wasn’t just about strength; one needed brains as well.
Yet they couldn't help but feel a sense of shared misfortune.
Ning Qingqiao had natural talent, and yet this was his fate. For them, who lacked such talent, attempting to go against Ning Zhuo would surely lead to an even worse outcome than Ning Qingqiao's.
"I agree with Ning Zhuo presiding over the ceremony; there's nothing wrong with it."
"Yes, he's a genius of our family. It's a great thing that such an outstanding junior can step forward and take responsibility."
"This is a sign of our Ning Family's prosperity. I think we should support him during the ceremony."
"I agree."
"I concur."
"I second that."
Seeing the elders' reactions, Ning Qingqiao was so enraged that his vision went black.
"The Patriarch is too biased!" he wailed before passing out on the spot.
The other elders silently agreed with Ning Qingqiao's grievance, but they acted as if they hadn't heard a thing.
Ning Jiufan sighed deeply.
Although he had left, his spiritual sense still enveloped the discussion hall.
If the elders of the Ning Family's main branch knew the truth about the Lava Immortal Palace, they would surely understand Ning Jiufan's intentions deeply.
Ning Zhuo's final display of strength had shocked Ning Jiufan greatly!
He could face off directly against Zhu Xuanji's Buddhist Doctor, Meng Yaoyin.
He could summon Rudie Maiden, capable of deploying a near-Golden Core-level formation.
Heavy Armor Blood Ape, Dasheng; Nether Envoy, Qi Bai; and Weather Ball, Ice Crystal Snow.
With such mechanical creations at his side, who would still dare to regard Ning Zhuo as just a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator?
This formidable combat strength had already surpassed Ning Jiufan!
And Ning Zhuo's handling of Zhu Xuanji and Meng Kui had impressed Ning Jiufan even more, earning his full respect.
In his heart, Ning Jiufan regretted not discovering Ning Zhuo's excellence sooner. He had reached out too late to win him over.
He also secretly rejoiced that Ning Zhuo had voluntarily split from the family, sparing the main branch from his threat. With his righteous methods, strategic mind, and terrifying combat power, who in the main branch could be his match?
Didn't the Ning Family's Patriarch and Young Patriarch both die in front of him?
Ning Jiufan's public support for Ning Zhuo, and his strong backing, were actually to protect the Ning Family's main branch. After all, he had promised to protect these descendants.
Ning Jiufan's punishment of Ning Qingqiao was also to make him see reality clearly. During the three years of isolation, he hoped Ning Qingqiao could focus on his cultivation and, with his natural talent, provide new strength for the main branch of the Ning Family.
Right now, Ning Qingqiao, having just gained elder status, had become too arrogant. If he really provoked Ning Zhuo, his life would be in danger!
Unfortunately, Ning Zhuo, Zhu Xuanji, and Meng Kui had agreed to keep the final truth of the Lava Immortal Palace's contest a secret. Although Ning Jiufan was informed afterward, he couldn't reveal it.
Without knowing the truth, the others couldn't understand Ning Jiufan's good intentions.
(End of this chapter)