Chapter 484: Can't Hold It Anymore
The searing pain bent the Demon Cultivator Elder over.
“Why?” The elder’s eyes bulged wide.
This was far too much of a coincidence!
Just as he was about to strike, Ning Zhuo’s Fortune Energy suddenly surged, overtaking him by a thin margin.
And the One-Line Fortune-Breaking Curse was determined by the comparative levels of Fortune Energy between the two sides.
As Ning Zhuo became the stronger one between them, the One-Line Fortune-Breaking Curse rebounded onto the Demon Cultivator Elder.
To use an analogy, it was as if the elder had raised a hammer to shatter Ning Zhuo’s Fortune Energy, but Ning Zhuo’s energy had suddenly strengthened, and the hammer rebounded and smashed into his own head.
“Thankfully, I hold an official title in the Dynasty, which offers protection in this area. A minor curse like this isn’t enough to scatter my Fortune Energy.”
But the backlash from casting the curse was all too real.
The Demon Cultivator Elder couldn’t heal himself either.
It was because he was currently in the midst of the Fortune-Seizing Life-Reclaiming Great Curse—he could only carry out this ritual and no other actions. If he interrupted it himself, he would suffer horrifying backlash and pay a terrible price.
Panting heavily, the Demon Cultivator Elder straightened his upper body and began preparing the curse again.
“Ning Zhuo’s Fortune Energy shows no further change!”
“That must’ve been just a coincidence earlier.”
“Now, let’s see my Two-Line Fortune-Breaking Curse!”
A moment earlier—
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong looked toward the Wanli Dragon.
The Mana Reservoir within the Wanli Dragon was spewing vast quantities of mana, pouring into the array along the dragon’s body.
This array was linked together from countless talismans.
And it was Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong who had crafted these talismans—they were now standing nearby, watching intently, looking somewhat nervous.
They had expended a tremendous amount of precious materials and paid a steep price. If they wanted to do it again, they would at least need to return to Jin Li for another purchase.
Fortunately, the formation continued operating steadily, with no mishaps.
When the formation gradually weakened and finally ceased, the dragon’s body of the Wanli Dragon had been fully restored.
Where it had been damaged before, cloud clusters now took its place.
These clusters overlapped in layers, tightly packed, replacing the previous dragon scales and providing tight protection to the dragon’s body.
Looking closely, one could see the cloud-like dragon scales slowly rotating like clouds. And deep within them, faint threads of azure-blue lightning flickered.
This was due to using the Thunder Dragon Horn as a material, granting it lightning attributes.
“This is just too extravagant,” Sun Lingtong exclaimed.
It was his first time seeing someone stack materials with such boldness.
“As expected of you, Little Zhuo.”
“Hehehe.”
“I still remember when you first started making mechanical constructs. I brought you nearly every model on the market, and you harshly criticized most of them for being crudely designed and wasteful.”
“So, how do you feel now?” Sun Lingtong teased.
Ning Zhuo let out a sigh and gave a bitter smile. “Big Brother, I still feel the heartache. But fortunately, the Mechanical Ring has stopped contracting.”
“Based on past experience, although this time was excessive in terms of materials, it should mean we made the right choice.”
“Let’s proceed to the next step.”
Naturally, the Wanli Dragon couldn’t be completed in one go.
Its surface may now be covered with cloud-like dragon scales serving as both outer and inner armor, but many weak spots still remained.
These vulnerabilities were insignificant in normal situations.
But once it crossed through the void, it would be disastrous.
Even Nascent Soul–stage cultivators could only travel through the void using their Nascent Soul—never their physical bodies.
The pressure of void traversal was enormous. The Wanli Dragon had been a seamless whole before, but now that it had been repaired, there were inevitably weak points.
These vulnerabilities were like the thinnest link in an iron chain, the first to snap under pressure. And once it snapped, it would trigger a chain reaction, leading to complete collapse.
Ning Zhuo needed to detect these vulnerabilities and reinforce them!
Once again, he faced a choice.
Among the chosen materials, he had prepared two sets of plans.
Both would lead to about the same final effect—one was faster but required more resources; the other slower and more frugal.
“I’m not in a rush. A slower option is fine.”
Ning Zhuo was thinking this when suddenly, the Mechanical Ring on his finger contracted again, warning him!
“Hm?”
“So, I should choose the faster reinforcement plan?”
Ning Zhuo didn’t hesitate and immediately made the adjustment.
—Time returned to the present.
In the forest—
The Demon Cultivator Elder roared inwardly, “Two-Line Fortune-Breaking Curse, break for me!”
Yet Ning Zhuo’s Fortune Energy suddenly surged again, just barely surpassing that of the Demon Cultivator Elder.
Puh!
The Demon Cultivator Elder spewed another mouthful of blood, falling to one knee, clutching his chest, his face twisted in agony.
Beyond the pain, there was also intense rage.
“Again?!”
The elder was caught between shock and disbelief—and helplessness.
“This is too much of a coincidence.”
“No, two consecutive coincidences are no longer coincidences.”
“Could it be that Ning Zhuo has already sensed I’m cursing him and is countering me?”
“Or… does he possess some unique means of protecting his Fortune Energy?”
The Demon Cultivator Elder fell into doubt.
He suddenly realized that choosing to cast the Fortune-Seizing Life-Reclaiming Great Curse might have been recklessly hasty.
“I didn’t investigate thoroughly and rashly unleashed a Great Curse!”
“Now, unexpected occurrences have happened twice in a row—this is highly unreasonable.”
“At that time, I acted out of anger too.”
He felt regret.
Of course, it wasn’t just his rage.
At the time, his main consideration was: by stealing Ning Zhuo’s Fortune Energy and restoring the King’s Mandate, it would cause fortune to blossom again, which would eventually lead Mu Lan to follow the shift in Fortune Energy and become Liu Er’s wife.
“There’s something deeply off about Ning Zhuo!”
“Next is the Three-Line Fortune-Breaking Curse. If that fails again, the entire Great Curse will only serve to strengthen Ning Zhuo.”
A heavy weight seemed to crush the elder’s chest.
Once a Great Curse was cast, it couldn’t be stopped midway.
Ning Zhuo and Liu Er’s Fortune Energies would become tightly linked due to this Great Curse. It was like a life-and-death struggle—whoever lost would lose everything, while the winner would take it all!
The Demon Cultivator Elder’s eyes bulged. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as a terrifying thought arose.
“Could it be that even my Fortune Energy observation was affected, drawing me in and making me act rashly in anger—only to ultimately drag Little Six into this, helping Ning Zhuo succeed?!”
Observing Fortune Energy was never easy.
For someone like the elder, every observation required the use of precious treasures and came at great cost.
And once he observed it, it meant Ning Zhuo’s Fortune Energy had become aware of him as well. Every move the elder made would be subject to backlash from Ning Zhuo’s energy.
“No. Absolutely not!”
“I came here to help Little Six, not to add to his troubles.”
The Demon Cultivator Elder drew a deep breath, eyes filled with resolve.
The third minor curse was utterly critical.
There could be no failure!
With intense determination, the elder drew various treasures from his storage belt in succession—at the Nascent Soul, and even Soul Formation level!
He mobilized these materials and began a new round of preparations.
This was what it meant to go all out in casting a Great Curse!
Formations, talismans—were carved onto nearby rocks, trees, and even hovered in mid-air.
If Sun Lingtong saw this scene, he’d probably be drooling all over.
These treasure materials were simply too precious and rare, their market value incredibly high. For a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, stealing just thirty percent of them would be enough to bring unimaginable wealth.
Without a doubt, this was an astounding fortune!
“Hmm?” The Demon Cultivator Elder’s finger paused slightly, suddenly sensing that Ning Zhuo’s arm’s fortune energy had risen once more.
A chill swept through the Demon Cultivator Elder’s heart: “Good thing I wasn’t hasty and delayed the activation of the Three-Line Fortune-Breaking Curse. Otherwise, at this rate, I’d likely be repeating the same mistake!”
As Liu Er’s master, the Demon Cultivator Elder remained highly vigilant.
After two consecutive failures, he decisively adjusted his strategy.
This adjustment proved quite effective, allowing him to narrowly avoid disaster.
“It’s not over yet!”
“I’ve seen through your tricks. This time, I will go all out, spend more than half my assets, and achieve success in one strike!”
Meanwhile.
Ning Zhuo’s expression was grim as water. He felt the mechanical ring on his finger contracting and expanding in a steady rhythm.
It was a continuous warning!
“The situation isn’t looking too good, boss,” Ning Zhuo said to Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong stared at the mechanical ring on his finger. “Xiao Zhuo, could it be your mechanical ring’s malfunctioning? Is it really trustworthy?”
Ning Zhuo extended his other hand, touching the surface of the mechanical ring with a firm gaze and an unwavering tone: “I trust it!”
His gaze was sharp and frosty. He murmured, “Previously, I responded to its warnings twice in a row, both times using treasure materials to repair the Wanli Dragon.”
“Wanli Dragon is an extraordinary mechanical treasure. If it can be repaired, it can enhance my strength.”
“In other words, I transformed the treasure materials into my own power—that’s how I turned danger into safety.”
“Now that Wanli Dragon is repaired, I should seek other ways to greatly enhance my strength. If so, I might be able to resolve the crisis.”
Sun Lingtong didn’t trust the mechanical ring, but he trusted Ning Zhuo completely.
“Since you said so, Xiao Zhuo, then what are we waiting for?”
“Let’s return to Canglin Immortal City. Whatever we see, we buy it—let’s turn our wealth into power!”
The two acted immediately.
Having been heavily funded, the Wanli Dragon had already been fully repaired. After traversing the void, it carried Ning and Sun back to Canglin Immortal City.
Canglin Immortal City had a vast marketplace. The market was extremely prosperous, selling magical tools, treasures, talismans, pills… an overwhelming variety of goods.
Under normal circumstances, there would never be this much.
This was because the Liangzhu Kingdom had established this place as their rear base, using the power of the entire nation to construct this temporary and abnormally booming market.
Ning Zhuo walked past numerous shops in succession, finally entering a mechanical goods store.
As he entered, he saw many samples of mechanical constructs.
To prepare for the great battle at Thousand Peaks Forest, most of the store’s goods were war machines—rather large in scale. There were ballistae, chariots, catapults, rams, and more.
Ning Zhuo gave them a quick glance and paid them no heed.
The shopkeeper came trotting over and bowed with clasped hands: “Greetings to Strategist Ning.”
Ning Zhuo had once returned triumphant alongside the three generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang, so his face was widely recognized.
For shops like these, they had already investigated every army and key figure.
Among such intelligence, Ning Zhuo ranked among the top.
His recent marriage to Mu Lan was still a secret for now. But his identity as Military Strategist and Sacrificial Wine of the Three Generals Camp had already spread far and wide. More importantly, Ning Zhuo was in charge of the army’s logistics. The procurement of military resources had always been handled by him.
Therefore, upon seeing Ning Zhuo, the shopkeeper grew extremely excited and began eagerly anticipating this transaction.
Ning Zhuo nodded slightly. “Your store is the largest. You must have mechanical puppets, right?”
The shopkeeper was briefly stunned, then slightly disappointed.
Not buying large-scale war machinery, but a few mechanical puppets as personal guards—how much profit could that bring?
Still, considering future possibilities, the shopkeeper smiled and said, “Of course we do! For Strategist Ning to grace our humble shop is truly a great honor. A few mechanical puppets—I’ll consider them small gifts to you.”
Ning Zhuo chuckled and shook his head. “If it were only a few mechanical puppets, I wouldn’t have come to your shop. I could just make them myself, couldn’t I?”
The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. He quickly gestured, “Strategist, please come inside. Our shop definitely has the largest selection of mechanical puppets in the city, and we have ample stock.”
The two moved toward the inner hall. Ning Zhuo heard voices—familiar ones—and paused slightly.
Sure enough, in the inner courtyard, he saw Mu Lan.
Mu Lan was accompanied by a female quartermaster, bargaining with the assistant shopkeeper.
The trouble with Red Flower Camp had passed. Having previously received aid from the Three Generals Camp and having just received her rations that morning, Mu Lan had come in person to purchase military supplies.
Upon seeing Ning Zhuo, Mu Lan was briefly startled.
Ning Zhuo saluted first: “Strategist of the Three Generals Camp, Ning Zhuo, greets General Mu Lan.”
Mu Lan immediately understood that Ning Zhuo was maintaining his disguise and didn’t want to expose their marital relationship. Her emotions turned complex.
Mu Lan nodded slightly to Ning Zhuo with a look of unfamiliarity, then turned to the shopkeeper. “We were in the middle of negotiations, and you left halfway—so it was to receive a big customer, I see.”
The shopkeeper hurriedly apologized and begged pardon.
Mu Lan gave a slight smile. “A good attitude. In that case, give me a little more leeway on the price.”
Recently, she had suffered greatly from a lack of funds, so she argued every coin.
The shopkeeper gave a wry smile and had no choice but to agree.
He then led Ning Zhuo aside to display many mechanical puppets.
Though Mu Lan continued negotiating prices, part of her mind lingered on Ning Zhuo.
Hearing he intended to buy mechanical puppets in large quantities only heightened her curiosity.
The shopkeeper recommended many mechanical puppets.
Ning Zhuo multitasked—listening while simultaneously reviewing the related jade slips with his spiritual sense.
“This one looks good.” Very quickly, Ning Zhuo selected a particular mechanical puppet.
The shopkeeper saw that this model was quite expensive and broke into a wide smile, praising Ning Zhuo’s discerning eye and asking how many he needed.
Ning Zhuo rubbed his thumb against the mechanical ring on his index finger and asked casually, “How many do you have?”
The shopkeeper reported a number, clearly proud of his ample stock.
But in the next instant, Ning Zhuo’s face remained impassive as he said, “Good. I’ll take them all.”
The shopkeeper stared in shock.
Ning Zhuo added, “I’ll take this model as well. However many you have, give me all of them.”
The shopkeeper opened his mouth to speak.
Feeling the ring still contracting, Ning Zhuo purchased a third model of mechanical puppet.
The shopkeeper was so delighted he began to babble, “My lord, we also offer payment plans—no worries at all.”
“Bring them all to me. I’ll pay the full amount right now.” Ning Zhuo waved his hand, resolute.
The shopkeeper said “Excellent!” three times in succession, hurriedly commanding several clerks to gather the goods, and soon handed over several full storage bags to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo paid the full price.
The mechanical ring finally quieted down. He let out a silent sigh of relief.
Beside him, Mu Lan had witnessed the entire transaction. Though her face remained calm, her feelings were complex.
“I’m leaving,” Ning Zhuo took his leave.
As he passed Mu Lan, he said to the shopkeeper, “Red Flower Camp and our Three Generals Camp are close allies. Shopkeeper, there’s no need to be so formal.”
The shopkeeper hurriedly bowed in acknowledgement.
Then, he turned to Mu Lan and said, “Since General Mu Lan was personally vouched for by Lord Ning, all the goods you purchased this time will be our gift to you. No charge whatsoever.”
This time, Mu Lan could no longer keep a straight face—her expression changed visibly.
She forced herself to speak, offering her thanks to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo didn’t look back, walking out of the shop with his back to her, only raising a hand slightly in farewell.
“He’s just too cool!” the female quartermaster beside Mu Lan exclaimed in awe.