< Chapter 66: Critical Mistake >
Yuan Er felt as if a giant stone was pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe. He observed the entire situation and was fully aware of the circumstances. The efficiency of the Mechanical Apes was truly astonishing, far surpassing that of the monkey pets.
The monkey pets would get tired, worry about self-destruction, and act cautiously. In contrast, the Mechanical Apes would not tire, and if damaged, they could be swiftly repaired and returned to action. Crucially, they exhibited no fear, leading to extremely high efficiency.
“We are already falling behind comprehensively. The Millennium Huoshi Forest is our last chance. Uncle Monkey, it’s all up to you now!” Yuan Er said.
Yuan Dasheng nodded to him and leapt out. He had been conserving his energy, waiting for this critical moment to make his move.
Yuan Dasheng, with his burly physique, lightly spread his arms, his palms moving swiftly and leaving faint black shadows, yet when his palms touched the huoshis, they did not trigger an explosion.
The Fire Fusion Demon Ape, using both hands, quickly and efficiently harvested all the millennium huoshis from a fire persimmon tree, dropping them to the ground. Its impressive performance drew the attention of countless cultivators.
“This Fire Fusion Demon Ape is amazing!”
“You’re joking, this is the heritage of the Monkey Head Gang, a spirit pet left by the old gang leader, Yuan Yi.”
“It looks terrifying. Its movements are so rough, yet it doesn’t trigger any explosions in the huoshis. Its martial skills are so advanced that even many martial arts masters would be ashamed.”
Yuan Dasheng skillfully balanced firmness and gentleness, light and heavy in harmony. The millennium huoshis, originally more prone to explosion than the hundred-year and ten-year huoshis, were handled with such precision in its hands that they remained as calm as if they were fake.
The apes leaped and bounded between the trees and the ground. Despite their large and burly bodies, they moved with an agile swiftness that captivated many onlookers, who couldn’t help but appreciate this display of powerful grace.
Halfway up the mountain, Chen Cha, Ning Zhuo, and others watched this scene through the images projected by the formation.
Chen Cha showed a look of amazement. “The Monkey Head Gang has been controlling the Huoshi harvesting business for many years; they are quite capable!”
“Indeed, very impressive,” Ning Zhuo agreed. “But unfortunately, there is only one of this Fire Fusion Demon Ape.”
Chen Cha shook his head. “You can’t say that. Judging by the current performance, our mechanical apes are of poor quality, causing numerous explosions.”
“The City Lord’s Mansion will assign mechanical apes for harvesting ordinary Huoshi in the future. Other monkey pets are inefficient and make frequent mistakes.”
“But when it comes to the Millennium Huoshi, we must deploy this Fire Fusion Demon Ape. Its movements are swift, leisurely, and very reliable.”
Ning Zhuo remained silent, his eyes brewing with a cold gleam.
He sneered inwardly, “Reliable?”
“I’ve been plotting for this very moment.”
“Yuan Dasheng, what comes next is my carefully prepared gift for you.”
“Die!”
At this thought, a dozen mechanical apes suddenly broke free from the cultivators’ control and charged at Yuan Er.
The sudden change startled many people.
Yuan Er, however, reacted quickly.
Having been walking on thin ice and constantly on edge since the assassination attempt, he was like a frightened rabbit ready to dive into a burrow at the slightest disturbance.
Left and right, as well as from behind, mechanical monkeys attacked relentlessly. In front of Yuan Er, however, the way was clear.
In his panic, Yuan Er instinctively chose the direction he believed to be the safest.
He ran straight ahead, aiming to regroup with Yuan Dasheng!
Yuan Dasheng also reacted immediately. Interrupting his own actions, he swiftly ran toward Yuan Er.
The two successfully met in the Millennium Huoshi Forest, with the mechanical monkeys unable to follow them inside.
It turned out that Fei Si had intervened, activating a formation that directly destroyed these Mechanical Exclusive Monkeys.
This was the Millennium Huoshi Forest!
The essence of the entire forest was here, of immense value. Fei Si would certainly not allow these mechanical monkeys to cause any damage.
“Is it that shadow demon cultivator causing trouble? But why target the Monkey Head Gang?” Zhu Xuanji, Chi Dun, and the others were all puzzled. Not seeing the shadow demon cultivator in person, these Golden Core stage cultivators remained still, none revealing themselves.
Fei Si’s face turned grim, his eyes flickering with suspicion. He began to doubt that this was the work of the shadow demon cultivator, suspecting instead that Ning Zhuo might be behind this scheme.
“If that’s truly the case, then that brat Ning Zhuo is unbelievably audacious and must be killed!”
Although Fei Si somewhat appreciated Ning Zhuo, when it came to his own responsibilities and future, if Ning Zhuo had indeed done this, Fei Si would be the first to not let him go!
Fei Si immediately ordered all the mechanical monkey fragments to be sent to Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo, along with a message.
The messenger quickly arrived in front of Ning Zhuo, his expression and gaze extremely cold. “Lord Fei Si said that anyone who disregards the bigger picture is courting death!”
Chen Cha was stunned.
Ning Zhuo’s expression was extremely serious. “Please inform Lord Fei Si that I would never act so recklessly! To control these mechanical monkeys, one would need at least the Foundation Establishment stage cultivation. How could I possibly do that?”
“This must be the work of that shadow demon cultivator, a test of some sort. I urge Lord Fei Si to look into this matter carefully. Currently, repair tasks are scarce. To prove my innocence, I request permission to temporarily withdraw and return to Puppet Immortal City.”
Chen Cha finally understood, and a look of indignation appeared on his face. He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. “We would never, for personal gain, plot against the Monkey Head Gang under everyone’s watchful eyes!”
“Controlling these mechanical monkeys from such a distance without using wires or spiritual sense? That’s overestimating us.”
The messenger’s expression softened slightly. He nodded and turned to leave.
Chen Cha was still fuming. “What nonsense is this? The core components for controlling these mechanical monkeys are three walking marbles, which require Foundation Establishment stage cultivation to manipulate. To suspect you of this, Ning Zhuo, is truly absurd!”
Ning Zhuo smiled wryly. “You can’t blame Lord Fei Si. The pressure on him is immense. Now, only the Millennium Huoshi Forest remains. The shadow demon cultivator hasn’t made a move yet, but it might happen soon!”
In the Millennium Huoshi Forest.
Yuan Er, still shaken, exclaimed, “Uncle Dasheng, the Flying Disk Workshop is insane! Under the eyes of the entire city, they still want to take my life!”
Yuan Dasheng, also furious, patted Yuan Er’s shoulder to comfort and calm him.
Yuan Er’s face still bore traces of fear, but his tone was invigorated as he said, “Uncle Dasheng, I think the Flying Disk Workshop made this desperate move because they saw your great power and couldn’t sit still any longer.”
“Uncle Dasheng, please continue your efforts and keep picking the persimmons to secure our victory!”
Yuan Dasheng nodded, pointing first to Yuan Er and then to the ground.
Yuan Er immediately understood and nodded. “Don’t worry, Uncle Dasheng, I won’t stray far from you.”
Yuan Dasheng turned back, continuing to climb the tree and pick the persimmons. His movements gradually sped up, soon returning to his previous efficiency.
On the mountainside, a dark gleam in Ning Zhuo’s eyes had reached its peak.
“Come on, come on,” he silently called in his heart.
Yuan Dasheng’s expression suddenly changed dramatically!
His fingers exerted too much force, and he accidentally crushed a Millennium Huoshi persimmon.
He had made a mistake.
At this critical moment, right when they were about to win, he had made a mistake!