Chapter 573: Why Would I, Ning Zhuo, Need Aphrodisiacs?
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong sped through the high sky, one chasing the other.
“Faster, faster!” Sun Lingtong shouted noisily. Yet even though he pushed the Cang Tie Han Armor to its limits, he still could not shake Ning Zhuo off.
After all, these two Mechanical Battle Armors had been crafted by the same person, using identical designs and materials. Naturally, their performance was almost identical.
Sun Lingtong’s eyes turned as he asked, “Little Zhuo, the Cang Tie Han Armor should be capable of flying faster, right?”
His tone was extremely certain.
He had also studied the mechanical classics left behind by Ning Zhuo’s mother and possessed considerable skill in mechanisms.
“Yes.” Ning Zhuo had always been frank with Sun Lingtong. “Because the Cang Tie Han Armor is worn as armor over our bodies, I set safety limits for it. As long as it stays within the safety threshold, no matter how it’s used, it remains stable.”
“But once it exceeds that line, there’s a risk it might not withstand the strain.”
Sun Lingtong said anxiously, “Enough talking! Quick, Little Zhuo—tell me how to break the limit.”
Ning Zhuo chuckled. “Simple. Channel your own mana into the hidden formation node of the Two-Polarity Formation, and at the same time send your spiritual sense into the bird-shaped rune on the Golden Core Rotation Disk.”
“That will remove the restriction.”
The moment Ning Zhuo finished speaking, a loud explosive boom rang out. He saw Sun Lingtong blast apart the air, stirring up a wave of pressure as his speed surged, instantly widening the gap between them by several hundred steps.
“Hahaha!”
“This feels amazing!”
“Little brother, just eat my dust behind me!” Sun Lingtong shouted excitedly.
After flying far ahead, he even circled back around Ning Zhuo, howling and whooping with extreme arrogance.
Ning Zhuo snorted. “Boss, I can break the limit too.”
After saying that, he also removed the safety line. Instantly, the performance of his Cang Tie Han Armor surged dramatically.
Sun Lingtong cried out strangely and immediately flew ahead again.
Ning Zhuo chased after him relentlessly. “Watch me catch you!”
The two raced across the sky, their speed climbing higher and higher.
The headwind intensified as well. Ning Zhuo soon felt suffocated and quickly mobilized his mana.
White Tiger Army-Breaking Formation!
He activated this formation. The Golden Swallow Wings immediately radiated white-gold light, slicing open the air ahead with continuous tearing sounds.
The mechanical armor covering the front of his body began turning red, and the temperature inside the iron armor rose rapidly.
Ning Zhuo then activated the Earth Shield Formation on his helmet, enveloping himself in a faint yellow translucent barrier. His defense instantly multiplied several times.
The armor’s overheating subsided, and the temperature inside stabilized immediately.
But the relief did not last long. As the speed kept increasing, Ning Zhuo felt pressure enveloping his entire body, making it difficult even to breathe.
He pushed the Two-Polarity Returning Flow Formation inside the mech to its limit, finally balancing the pressure between the inside and outside.
“This is the first time I’ve flown this fast.”
Ning Zhuo tightened his focus, flying while inspecting the internal state of the Cang Tie Han Armor.
He discovered that within the groove of the Five Elements Golden Core Disk, the Golden Core emitted dazzling brilliance. The rate of Golden Core power consumption had increased to more than triple its previous speed.
Even with the White Tiger Army-Breaking Formation clearing the path, he still had to exert his own strength to resist the resistance of breaking through the air.
Aside from the strain, even the slightest adjustment in posture would affect his entire flight trajectory.
Ahead of him, Sun Lingtong was wildly waving his limbs. His flight path rose and fell dramatically, practically bouncing up and down through the sky like a lunatic.
But he was clearly having the time of his life, cheering nonstop.
Ning Zhuo, on the other hand, obediently pressed his legs together and kept his arms hanging straight down, tight against his sides.
Mechanical clasps locked his arms and torso together, temporarily fixing them in place.
He became like a single arrow. Even his head was not tilted upward, staring straight ahead along his body.
With this posture, air resistance dropped to the lowest point, allowing his speed to surge even further.
At the same time, mechanical components extended from behind his legs like fish fins, helping him control his flight direction.
“Waaah!” Sun Lingtong shouted as he blindly crashed into a nearby cloud bank like a headless fly.
Ning Zhuo seized the chance to overtake him and surged forward.
“Boss, I’ve passed you!” Ning Zhuo laughed loudly.
“You brat, don’t get cocky!” Sun Lingtong burst out of the clouds immediately afterward. He adjusted his posture as well, no longer flailing wildly, and pursued Ning Zhuo in the same streamlined position.
From his palms and the soles of his feet, fierce flames blasted outward, dragging a flame trail several zhang long behind him.
Sun Lingtong’s speed surged again!
Ning Zhuo’s heart jumped slightly. He quickly sent a message with his spiritual sense to warn him.
“Boss, take it easy. I’ve never tested it to such extremes before.”
Sun Lingtong grinned. “Isn’t that perfect? Little Zhuo—take this!”
With that, he suddenly charged straight toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo hurriedly dodged.
Sun Lingtong roared past him, the pressure wave pushing Ning Zhuo sideways more than a dozen steps.
Sun Lingtong’s arrogant laughter rang out.
“Little Zhuo, can you still keep up with me?”
Inside the armor, Ning Zhuo’s gaze sharpened.
“Hmph. Boss, don’t forget—this Cang Tie Han Armor was designed by me personally. How could I lose to you?”
His competitive spirit was stirred. He also erupted with a several-zhang-long flame tail and rushed after Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong did not even look back. His spiritual sense covered a vast area, immediately detecting Ning Zhuo chasing after him. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, genuine happiness filling his heart.
“Little Zhuo… you’ve really changed.”
“In the past, you would never behave like this.”
“This journey—especially your experiences on the Liangzhu Kingdom battlefield—has awakened your iron resolve and courage. You’re sixteen years old. This is exactly the passion you should have.”
The Ning Zhuo of the past would have remained silent and endured everything, prioritizing patience and secrecy while avoiding any display like this.
Charge! Charge! Charge!
Ning Zhuo flew faster and faster.
He had never moved this quickly in his life.
It was the first time he had ever experienced such speed, and the thrill made his scalp tingle.
The Golden Core within the disk shone brilliantly, trembling slightly as it unleashed its full power.
The entire Five Elements Golden Core Disk had long since reached its limits from distributing and converting Golden Core power. The whole disk burned hot.
Meanwhile, the Two-Polarity Returning Flow Formation, responsible for regulating internal and external pressure, flickered unsteadily like someone panting heavily.
The entire mechanical armor emitted an overloaded buzzing sound.
Suddenly, Sun Lingtong shot upward, climbing toward even higher skies!
Ning Zhuo refused to be outdone and followed immediately, soaring upward as well.
In that instant, his elbows, hips, legs, and feet pressed tightly against the armor’s inner walls.
His face was squeezed and distorted, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. Ning Zhuo quickly clenched his jaw and shut his mouth tight.
The Golden Swallow Wings endured the sudden directional change and trembled violently. The wing roots bore the greatest pressure, creaking ominously.
“Boss, slow down a bit,” Ning Zhuo warned.
But Sun Lingtong cheered. “This is incredible!”
The next moment, Ning Zhuo saw the flames on Sun Lingtong’s mech surge again. The flames spewing out were no longer red but orange-red.
Clearly, the temperature had risen further.
Ning Zhuo refused to admit defeat and gritted his teeth to keep up.
He pushed the Fire-Tongue Formation to its extreme limit.
The backward thrust instantly tripled!
The buffering air membrane created by the Two-Polarity Returning Flow Formation was compressed as thin as paper.
Dull pain from his hip bones pressing against the armor’s interior continued to pulse.
His bones and flesh bore tremendous pressure, as if he were carrying a thousand-jin burden.
Suddenly, following Sun Lingtong, Ning Zhuo shot straight into the cloud layer above.
In an instant, his vision turned into a boundless white fog where he could not see his own hand.
The Earth Shield bore even greater pressure. The overheating on the surface of the Cang Tie Han Armor rapidly faded, and frost even briefly formed along the inside of Ning Zhuo’s thighs before vanishing.
Whoosh!
After only three breaths, his vision suddenly cleared.
He saw a vast expanse of sky stretching ten thousand miles.
The blazing sun hung high above, dazzling as it illuminated the sea of clouds.
Ning Zhuo had already risen above the cloud layer, still ascending vertically at great speed.
He narrowed his eyes and looked around. For a moment, his chest surged with emotion, and he let out a sharp whistle, fully displaying the spirited vigor of youth.
The sky is vast and the earth boundless—let me fly as I wish!
“Where’s Boss?” Ning Zhuo stopped whistling and looked around.
Sun Lingtong sent a message through spiritual sense.
“Little Zhuo, come here. Look what I’ve found.”
Ning Zhuo reduced his flames slightly, adjusted his direction, and dove back into the cloud sea.
Passing through the clouds, he reunited with Sun Lingtong and saw a hunting scene unfolding.
Two Golden-Feathered Profound Eagles, one large and one small, circled in the sky. On the mountainside below, a flock of sheep huddled together nervously behind their leader ram.
The smaller eagle was the same one Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo had frightened earlier.
The larger eagle was likely its father.
Its head alone was as large as a bull’s. Its iron-gray hooked beak stretched over two feet long. The feathers on the back of its neck displayed a gradient of black and gold—when raised, they resembled a black-gold crown.
With its wings fully spread, its wingspan reached six zhang, casting a massive shadow of death over the grass on the mountainside.
Its talons resembled brass, and its leg bones were as thick as a grown man’s waist. Each of its four claws was as long as a short sword, flashing cold light under the sun.
Each beat of its wings revealed powerful muscle lines beneath its feathers—like mountains forged from molten iron, radiating overwhelming strength.
This was a Golden Core–level adult Golden-Feathered Profound Eagle.
Its dark-gold pupils locked onto the sheep.
Suddenly, it folded its wings and plunged like a falling meteor, claws extended, faint green wind pressure swirling between each talon.
The leader ram raised its head and let out a long cry, spewing a streak of blazing flame.
The eagle casually tilted its body to dodge the attack. Then it swooped into the flock and seized two sheep in its claws.
It soared back into the sky and lightly squeezed its talons, crushing both sheep into chunks of flesh.
Blood and shredded corpses rained down upon the grassland.
The flock panicked even more.
Yet the eagle did not attack again. Instead, it cried out to summon the young eagle.
The young eagle tried to imitate its father and began hunting as well.
But the leader ram continuously spat flames, forcing the young eagle to dodge repeatedly. Several attempts ended in failure.
The father eagle roared angrily and beat its wings, unleashing violent wind pressure that flattened the grass and forced the sheep to kneel together trembling.
With its father’s help, the young eagle regained confidence and successfully captured a ewe, flying triumphantly into the sky.
The sheep wailed while the young eagle cried out joyfully.
“Interesting.” Ning Zhuo watched with curiosity.
Sun Lingtong’s eyes turned as a new idea emerged.
“Little Zhuo, how about we test the Cang Tie Han Armor against that Golden-Feathered Profound Eagle?”
Without waiting for a reply, Sun Lingtong charged straight toward the adult eagle.
The eagle had already noticed the two humans. Seeing Sun Lingtong attack, it immediately spat out a beam of golden light.
Sun Lingtong dodged flexibly. Just as he was about to collide with the eagle, he suddenly shifted direction and brushed past it.
The Earth Shield scraped violently against the eagle’s feathers, bursting into a chain of metallic sparks.
“I’m going to roast this bird!” Sun Lingtong shouted, extending his palm and blasting Fire of Li at the eagle.
The eagle shrieked in pain and furiously beat its wings, sending a gale that blew Sun Lingtong away.
But the golden wings on Sun Lingtong’s back sliced through the wind like blades, and he rushed forward again, entangling with the eagle in aerial combat.
The young eagle, seeing its father under attack, angrily joined the battle.
Ning Zhuo moved even faster, joining the fight.
For a time, two humans and two eagles clashed repeatedly in the sky, exchanging blows in an intense aerial battle.
The eagle was a Golden Core–level demon cultivator, thick-skinned and durable, skilled in wind and metal attributes. Its feathers formed a natural golden armor with astonishing defense.
But the Cang Tie Han Armor worn by Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong both possessed standard Golden Core–level combat power.
The repeated attacks of Fire of Li and golden wings soon caused the adult eagle to bleed.
The eagle chose not to continue the fight. It seized the young eagle in its beak and fled in panic.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong floated in midair.
“Not chasing them?” Sun Lingtong asked.
Ning Zhuo slowly shook his head.
“Considering the deep bond between father and son… let them go.”
Sun Lingtong grinned and agreed.
Ning Zhuo had lost his father in childhood and his mother at the age of two. He had even plotted against a Nascent Soul cultivator to save her, and now traveled the world searching for relics she had left behind.
From these actions alone, one could see how deeply Ning Zhuo valued family.
People often pursue most fiercely what they lack.
The voids of childhood often linger for a lifetime.
The two hovered quietly in the sky, watching the eagle father and son disappear into the distance.
“Baa—baa—”
At that moment, the leader ram walked beneath them and looked up, bleating softly.
Their attention was drawn to it.
The ram lowered its head. Its abdomen contracted, and it spat out a glowing sphere from its mouth.
It placed the sphere on the grass, bent its front knees, and knelt on the ground, bowing three times toward Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong before rising and leaving.
“This is for us?” Ning Zhuo had not expected such a reward.
Curiosity stirred within him. “What is it?”
Sun Lingtong examined it and burst out laughing.
“This is Solar Essence. When it encounters yin energy it becomes as heavy as a mountain, but when it touches yang energy it becomes light as a feather!”
“It’s an extremely potent aphrodisiac treasure.”
Ning Zhuo had read about it in books before but had never seen the real thing.
He immediately lost interest.
“My Yuan Yang remains intact, and my yang energy is abundant. Why would I need aphrodisiacs?”
“The extreme testing is finished. Let’s continue our journey to White Paper City.”
Sun Lingtong nodded.
The two stopped lingering, entered the Wanli Dragon, and continued their journey.
Black Water Mountain — White Paper City.
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion.
The Funeral Music Nether Performer knelt on the ground, her body trembling as she forced herself to plead for punishment.
“City Lord, it was my incompetence! The male consorts I recruited for you were intercepted halfway.”
The City Lord, his hair disheveled and bound by more than a dozen treasure-grade chains, roared wildly:
“I can barely control myself anymore. Yang energy—I need more yang energy!”
“I give you ten days.”
“Gather three hundred more male consorts.”
“If there is another mistake… you will be executed on the spot!”
“Yes—yes, my lord!” The Funeral Music Nether Performer kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude for being spared.
After leaving the City Lord’s Mansion in terror, she immediately issued orders:
“Quick! The City Lord needs more men!”
“The stronger their yang energy, the better!”