Chapter 557: Ning Zhuo Drove His Opponent Mad
A gale surged outward from within, blowing continuously. Under its influence, the power of Chen Lingfeng’s various spells surged dramatically, though their accuracy began to falter.
Yet the flaws could not overshadow the brilliance.
Spell after spell erupted without pause. Chen Lingfeng’s casting speed increased by a full sixty percent.
The long-range spells Ning Zhuo launched were intercepted midair by Chen Lingfeng’s wind-attribute spells, which overwhelmed and eradicated them completely.
Chen Lingfeng’s spells crushed Ning Zhuo’s offensive and pushed forward with wild, unrestrained momentum.
Seeing the unstoppable trend of the assault, Ning Zhuo decisively released a large flock of Mechanical Golden Swallows.
The flock resembled a celebratory cloud, glittering with golden light as it hovered above Ning Zhuo’s head. Then it split into three routes and sped away.
One group of Golden Swallows crashed directly into Chen Lingfeng’s wind spells, only to be instantly torn apart, shattering into countless fragments.
The other two groups circled left and right, taking a detour before launching a pincer attack on Chen Lingfeng.
Chen Lingfeng abruptly retreated, wind swirling around his entire body, making him extraordinarily agile.
The front portion of the Golden Swallows could not change direction in time and collided with each other, crashing down.
But the remaining majority merged together, soared into the sky, and formed a shimmering golden school like fish. In midair they arched into a bridge-like curve before diving down.
Chen Lingfeng took a deep breath and then blew out a hurricane.
The emerald gale scattered the flock, blowing the Golden Swallows into disarray. They were scattered like golden chrysanthemums battered by wind and rain—a scene both bleak and strangely beautiful.
With his innate talent activated, Chen Lingfeng’s combat strength had become astonishing.
The Mechanical Golden Swallows Ning Zhuo had just released were nearly wiped out entirely.
However, the destruction of these Golden Swallows, like the destruction of Mechanical Puppets, also amplified Ning Zhuo’s combat power.
Chen Lingfeng’s perception was extremely keen. Sensing Ning Zhuo’s aura rising again, he spoke, his voice carried by the wind directly to Ning Zhuo’s ears.
“Military Advisor Lu’s analysis was correct.”
“Ning Zhuo, the more of your mechanical soldiers die, the stronger the amplification you receive.”
“It’s similar to methods like Total Annihilation by Sacrificing Comrades, Bone Ash Inheriting the Blade, or Blood Banner Shared Destruction.”
“But what you’re using should be a Military Art.”
“You hold a military position and have a military roster slot. So you’re not only borrowing military strength—you’re also drawing on the national power of Liangzhu Kingdom.”
“If you leave the military roster, the power of this Military Art will inevitably plummet.”
Through these words, Chen Lingfeng attempted to exert psychological pressure on Ning Zhuo.
In his view, although Ning Zhuo was a shocking genius, he was still only a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth. Amid such chaotic battlefield conditions, his heart might be the weakest link.
He had completely misjudged.
Ning Zhuo’s years of patient endurance in Huoshi Immortal City had forged an unyielding temperament.
Someone who had been thinking since childhood about how to deal with the City Lord’s Mansion and Nascent Soul cultivators would not waver because of a few words.
Ning Zhuo’s face remained expressionless. Inside, his mind was calm and unmoved. During this short time, his aura had increased yet again.
Using the Warrior Returns Art, he had already fought many battles. The exposure of such information had long been expected.
Ning Zhuo’s main focus remained on controlling his mechanical constructs.
He felt the difficulty.
Controlling so many Mechanical Puppets simultaneously had already reached the limits of his ability. This was only manageable because Sun Lingtong was secretly assisting, quietly controlling a portion of them.
If Ning Zhuo had to control both Mechanical Puppets and Mechanical Golden Swallows at the same time, the difficulty would skyrocket.
This was mainly because the control methods for these two types of mechanical constructs were vastly different, making it hard for Ning Zhuo to manage both.
Thus, after releasing the flock of Mechanical Golden Swallows, he decisively sacrificed part of them to free up his mental capacity.
The collision between the left and right flocks also revealed the shortcomings in his control.
Once the Golden Swallow flock was completely destroyed, Ning Zhuo immediately felt relieved.
“I can’t release such a large flock of Mechanical Golden Swallows so casually again,” Ning Zhuo thought as his pupils narrowed slightly in self-warning.
This batch had been used mainly as an emergency measure. Unlike Mechanical Puppets, such constructs were not plentiful in reserve.
Ning Zhuo released another group of Mechanical Puppets.
The army was immediately replenished, and its formation once again flourished.
Chen Lingfeng’s eyelids twitched at the sight.
By this point, the total value of the Mechanical Puppets Ning Zhuo had expended had far exceeded Chen Lingfeng’s entire net worth.
“This brat is way too rich!”
“Is this what it’s like to be the descendant of a great clan?”
“The Ning Family is this wealthy? I’ve never seen such extravagance from a clan disciple.”
“He’s only a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator—yet he’s richer than me!”
Compared to Ning Zhuo, Chen Lingfeng suddenly felt like someone from a poor backwater who could not even step onto the main stage.
That comparison drove him to intensify his offensive. His spellcasting speed grew even faster.
Innate Talent—Frenzied Wind Bones!
This was a superior innate talent.
Ning Zhuo increasingly felt the terrifying power of this talent.
Chen Lingfeng displayed the combat strength of a peak Golden Core cultivator.
By himself alone, he suppressed Ning Zhuo, Yuan Dasheng, Meng Yahu, and the Mechanical Army.
Wild winds howled, wind blades danced through the air. Chen Lingfeng’s aura grew violently ferocious, clearing the entire surrounding area as the three armies retreated in fear.
Ning Zhuo was halted, unable to advance.
He clenched his teeth and persevered, continuously replenishing Mechanical Puppets to resist stubbornly.
Gradually, the pressure lessened, and Ning Zhuo began to move with increasing composure.
“This is bad! Even after activating my innate talent, I still can’t win?!” Though Chen Lingfeng held the upper hand, the longer he fought, the more alarmed he became.
His attacks grew more violent, but their accuracy deteriorated even further, exposing obvious openings.
By shifting formations of the Mechanical Puppets, Ning Zhuo could sometimes evade most of Chen Lingfeng’s attacks, preserving his forces with minimal loss.
From time to time, he also released small groups of Golden Swallows to launch pincer attacks and relieve pressure.
All the while, Sun Lingtong silently assisted Ning Zhuo, helping control the Mechanical Puppets.
“Little Zhuo is getting stronger!” Sun Lingtong had been observing the battle and noticed this clearly, filling him with joy.
A bystander sees more clearly.
Sun Lingtong could clearly tell that while Ning Zhuo fought Chen Lingfeng alone, his improvement was visible to the naked eye.
Not only had his control of mechanical constructs become increasingly fluid, but his Mechanical Arts and Five Elemental Spells were becoming more skillful, and his timing improved constantly.
Ning Zhuo was like a piece of jade.
Under tremendous pressure, he was being continuously polished. As the saying goes, jade must be carved to become a gem. Ning Zhuo, this piece of jade, was gradually revealing his own brilliance.
“Little Zhuo’s accumulation has reached the point where quantity transforms into quality!”
“In Huoshi Immortal City he never showed off, but he studied seriously, and I sparred with him often, helping him build an extremely solid foundation.”
“After leaving the city to travel the world, he has practiced diligently without pause. Even when time was limited, he treated real battles as training.”
“Especially during his time in the army—countless battles, large and small, have trained him thoroughly.”
“Now the accumulation has finally reached a certain level and is beginning to sublimate!”
Sun Lingtong felt sincerely happy for Ning Zhuo.
Wind Art—Weathering!
The worse Chen Lingfeng felt the situation becoming, the more he puffed out his cheeks and blew out a violent yellow wind.
The yellow gale roared forward. It was nearly impossible to defend against. Wherever it passed, everything crumbled into powder and dispersed like dust—its power was terrifying.
Like true weathering, it first turned all the stone shield plates Ning Zhuo had raised around himself into sand. They scattered instantly into dust.
Next, Ning Zhuo’s three layers of Fire Shields flickered like dying candles in the wind before rapidly disintegrating.
The thick Earth Armor clinging to his body also weathered instantly, cracking apart in large chunks and vanishing—revealing beneath it…
The Hundred-Armed Arhat Armor.
This mechanical armor remained completely unmoved. Gentle Buddhist light shimmered from it, displaying formidable defensive power.
He could not use the Mysterious Gold Armor-Breaking Art!
Several of Ning Zhuo’s defensive spells had already been destroyed, and far too much mana had been consumed.
If he forced himself to cast the Mysterious Gold Armor-Breaking Art now, it would drain all his mana.
In such circumstances, he had to rely on magical instruments or treasures, which consumed less mana.
Foundation Establishment cultivators generally used magical instruments. Although Ning Zhuo currently possessed Golden Core–level combat power, he was still different from true Golden Core cultivators.
One of the differences lay exactly here.
His mana had not undergone qualitative transformation. Using treasures would consume enormous mana—nearly the same as forcibly casting the Mysterious Gold Armor-Breaking Art.
Therefore, Ning Zhuo chose magical instruments.
With a wave of his hand, he scattered a large number of Thunder Beads around Chen Lingfeng.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Consumable magical instruments often possessed fierce power.
A chain of explosions filled the battlefield area with thick smoke and dust.
But the next moment, a gale swept through and dispersed the smoke, revealing Chen Lingfeng again.
Chen Lingfeng looked somewhat disheveled, yet upon closer inspection he was almost completely unharmed—merely a little embarrassed.
However, Ning Zhuo had achieved his objective.
By consuming the Thunder Beads, he had interrupted Chen Lingfeng’s casting and stopped the extremely dangerous Weathering spell.
In the next instant, Shadowblade — Night Tiger appeared.
Ghostslay Claws!
The claws stabbed viciously into Chen Lingfeng’s back, sending blood spraying instantly.
Success!
Stab—stab! Two more strikes landed, even injuring bone.
Once Chen Lingfeng activated his innate talent, he had to cancel defensive methods so that wind could flow through his bones and vent outward.
“Ah!” Chen Lingfeng roared to the sky as a gale burst from within his body, forcibly blowing Shadowblade — Night Tiger away.
But Ning Zhuo seized the opportunity to close in.
Heavy Armor Blood Ape, Dasheng charged at the forefront, clearing the path.
Shadowblade — Night Tiger lunged again.
Chen Lingfeng’s eyes had turned completely blood-red.
Wind Art—Cyclone Sphere!
A tornado erupted, rapidly expanding. It engulfed Ning Zhuo and many of the mechanical constructs before suddenly compressing into a massive emerald wind sphere.
With the last trace of clarity, Chen Lingfeng lifted the sphere with both hands and hurled it into the sky.
Then, having cleared the surrounding area, Chen Lingfeng completely fell into a frenzied state, attacking wildly without distinguishing friend from foe.
This was the inevitable consequence of maintaining an innate talent for too long.
With his own strength alone, Ning Zhuo had driven Chen Lingfeng mad.
Chen Lingfeng now spread chaos across the battlefield.
“Damn it. With his innate talent fully unleashed, Chen Lingfeng may only be Golden Core, but he can fight Nascent Soul cultivators!”
“Don’t engage him—withdraw first.”
Cultivators familiar with the intelligence immediately retreated, trying to distance themselves from Chen Lingfeng.
Even Nascent Soul cultivators did the same.
The wind sphere carried Ning Zhuo across a stretch of the battlefield sky before dissipating midair.
Only then did Ning Zhuo regain his freedom.
Just as he and his mechanical constructs landed on the ground, he saw a massive figure attacking him.
Xiang Yue!