The Ning Family.
Ning Xiaohui had just taken a sip of tea when her expression suddenly changed dramatically.
She dropped the cup, immediately falling to her knees and clutching her neck.
"I... I..." Ning Xiaohui found herself unable to breathe, her face turning a terrifying shade of blue and purple.
The tea had numbed her nose and mouth, the corrosive poison filling her nostrils and mouth, making it impossible for her to breathe!
The next moment, Ning Xiaohui extended her hand and clawed fiercely at her throat.
She tore open her own esophagus, causing blood to gush out. But as a result, she managed to draw in fresh air once more.
The Ning Family guards who heard the commotion were shocked by what they saw and hurried to report the incident.
Ning Xiaohui's face was stern, and she had a spell charged in her hand, ready to strike at anyone who dared approach her.
The Ning Family guards didn't dare act hastily.
When Ning Xiaohui saw her grandmother appear, she finally relaxed and fainted.
At Ning Zhuo's courtyard.
In the small training chamber within the bedroom, Ning Zhuo had his eyes tightly shut, fully focused.
Droplets of fresh blood fell, landing on his chest and staining his clothing.
It was a nosebleed.
Ning Zhuo concentrated all his efforts, using the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique to observe and the Heart Seal to control Yuan Dasheng, occasionally maneuvering the spiritual power within Dasheng's body to cast spells.
When Yuan Dasheng reached the final door, his body was covered in scars. Three fingers on his left hand were broken, and his right leg was nearly severed. It was Ning Zhuo's command to retreat to the maintenance room and self-repair that allowed Dasheng to continue his exploration.
Although the Ning Zhuo puppet's overall strength was inferior to Yuan Dasheng, the two complemented each other well, one attacking from a distance and the other engaging in close combat, creating a synergistic battle strength.
Relying on Yuan Dasheng alone to break through proved much more difficult.
Yuan Dasheng bravely tackled the three Buddhist trials once again, standing before the reward selection door.
Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo chose the "Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra" this time!
The sutra's content quickly transmitted to Ning Zhuo's mind.
"As expected, just as I had guessed!" Ning Zhuo first felt a surge of excitement, then a sense of bewilderment.
The sutra's content moved him deeply!
He suppressed his tumultuous emotions, then ordered the Golden Blooded War Ape - Dasheng to push open the door, entering another hall, and once again saw the new Buddhist, Taoist, and demonic doors.
The three doors required cultivation levels at the peak of the sixth stage, beyond what Yuan Dasheng could achieve.
Ning Zhuo responded with the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, allowing Yuan Dasheng to retreat smoothly and re-enter the reward selection.
Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was extremely agitated.
In the past, Ning Zhuo only cheated on his own, but now even his mechanical puppet was cheating!
The Immortal Palace shook, and Meng Kui took action once more.
The dignified Nascent Soul cultivator worked tirelessly, always on edge, fearing an eruption in the Immortal Palace that could lead to a massive disaster, bringing about untold suffering.
Inside the Immortal Palace, things were peaceful, and Ning Zhuo had some expectations.
"What should I choose this time?"
"Hmm? There's still the Illusion True Lotus Seed?"
"If my guess is correct..."
Ning Zhuo contemplated before choosing the Illusion True Lotus Seed again.
The second Illusion True Lotus Seed traveled along the Life Hanging Thread, entering his Divine Sea, rapidly merging with the previous divine skill seedling.
Soon, the previously sprouting lotus seed, after merging, grew twice as tall!
Upon seeing this, Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's anger subsided slightly.
It didn't expect that after suffering once, Ning Zhuo would still gamble on another Lotus Seed. Thus, he chose the second Illusion True Lotus Seed.
All the Illusion True Lotus Seeds awarded in the Magma Fairy Palace were imbued with the essence of Life-hanging Divine Ability by Yingtuo.
The quantity was limited, available on a first-come-first-served basis.
But comprehending the divine skill was exceedingly difficult.
Seeing Ning Zhuo's choice, Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit felt a sense of schadenfreude!
So, under the perplexed gaze of the City Lord, the once turbulent Magma Fairy Palace suddenly calmed down.
"What on earth is up with this Palace Spirit?" Meng Kui frowned, utterly baffled.
Yuan Dasheng pushed open the door, then retreated again to claim another reward.
For the third time, Ning Zhuo still chose the Illusion True Lotus Seed!
Seeing this, Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit laughed heartily, the ridicule echoing through the main hall.
For the fourth and final time.
In a desperate move, Ning Zhuo still chose the Illusion True Lotus Seed.
After three consecutive Illusion True Lotus Seeds merged, the lotus seedling had grown into a small segment of a lotus root.
With it came a torrent of insights, continuously flooding Ning Zhuo's mind like a river.
Ning Zhuo hurriedly concentrated on these insights and suddenly opened his eyes during the process.
He was currently in the small training chamber, surrounded by floating clouds, obscuring his view.
However, Ning Zhuo turned his gaze sharply in a specific direction, his brows furrowing, eyes flashing with a dark glint.
At the gate, Ning Family Qi Refining cultivators were patrolling.
Thud, thud, thud!
A series of rapid hoofbeats approached.
A carriage seemed to lose control, charging towards the small courtyard.
The Ning Family cultivators first shouted to stop it and then cast spells.
But the spells couldn't halt the carriage, which smashed through the gate and rushed into the courtyard.
After slightly adjusting its direction, it headed straight for the bedroom where Ning Zhuo was.
"Enemy attack!"
A Foundation Establishment cultivator descended from the sky, just managing to block the carriage before his expression changed dramatically.
Boom!
The next moment, the carriage exploded, sending searing flames and a shockwave in all directions.
The explosion was blindingly bright.
The roof of Ning Zhuo's house was lifted, the walls crumbled, and all the furniture and arrangements inside were reduced to ashes in the blast.
The powerful explosion almost leveled the surrounding area.
In the ensuing smoke and dust, the Ning Family guards reassembled.
Only two Foundation Establishment cultivators remained; the other two Qi Refining cultivators had perished in the explosion.
One of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had moved to intercept the carriage, was seriously injured. Yet, he ignored his own wounds, frantically searching for any sign of Ning Zhuo.
This was their mission-critical target to protect!
But the former house had disappeared, and even the training chamber Ning Zhuo had recently built was mostly reduced to rubble.
"It's over, Ning Zhuo is dead!"
"No, we still have hope."
"Yes, yes, the basement, there's a basement here."
The Ning Family dual cultivators then performed hand seals, frantically digging into the ground.
They quickly uncovered a passageway.
Entering the basement, they found it partially collapsed, most of its framework gone.
To their immense joy, Ning Zhuo was indeed there.
"You're alive!"
"Thank goodness!!"
The Ning Family Foundation Establishment dual cultivators were almost moved to tears with joy.
Ning Zhuo, weak and seemingly injured, said, "Brothers, there's no time to talk. Quickly set up a formation to protect me."
"And immediately send a message to the family, asking them to send reinforcements."
The dual cultivators snapped out of it, one of them nodding frantically, "Yes, yes, that's the right thing to do!"
An impromptu array was constructed, with Ning Zhuo inside the formation.
Outside the formation, the two Foundation Establishment guards remained highly vigilant. At any sign of trouble, they would immediately launch spells without hesitation.
Soon after, a large group of Ning Family cultivators arrived to provide support.
Ning Xiaoren led the way, helping Ning Zhuo out of the formation, "Dear nephew, hearing about your attack, I was so worried. I rushed here in a frenzy!"
"Luckily, you had divine protection and survived this deadly assault."
"It was far too dangerous!"
Ning Zhuo first bowed, then asked, "Uncle Ning, the assailant was utterly ruthless, destroying my home. That house was left to me by my mother, and now it's a wasteland."
"When will you catch the demon cultivator who attacked me?"
"I can't rest until he's caught!"
Ning Xiaoren looked troubled, choosing his words carefully to advise Ning Zhuo to be patient.
"For now, let's escort you back to the family residence."
"You should stay at my place; it will be much safer."
This time, Ning Zhuo had little room to refuse.
But after thinking for a moment, he said, "Uncle Ning, I don't want to trouble you constantly."
"Actually, when I was at the academy, I stayed at my uncle's house."
"How about I stay at my uncle's this time since it's also within the family grounds."
Ning Xiaoren considered this and then nodded in agreement, "Alright."
"If you aren't comfortable at my place, I won't force it."
"I'll assign more guards to protect you day and night."
"You may not know, but the geniuses from the four major powers of Fire Persimmon Immortal City in the Qi Refinement Realm have all been assassinated, each sustaining injuries. Ning Xiaohui remains unconscious. Your situation is comparatively better."
Ning Zhuo looked alarmed, gasping in shock.
Ning Xiaoren sighed, his brow furrowed, filled with worry.