The Runaway Fire Snake sustained heavy damage and began to retreat.
It flapped its wings and swiftly burrowed into the thick magma, leaving a trail of flames like a fire snake in its path.
"It's a pity, I didn't calculate its time of death," Meng Kui's pupils returned to normal as he coughed a few times, his face pale.
Using his killing move had also consumed a great deal of his vital energy.
As the Runaway Fire Snake retreated, the Flame Demon Beasts also fell into complete disarray, their morale plummeting; many demon beasts turned and ran back, following the example of the Nascent Soul Level Runaway Fire Snake, burrowing straight into the magma.
In contrast, the human clan cultivators shouted in unison, sweeping away the gloom.
Riding the momentum of their victory, all manners of magic artifacts, treasures, and spells rained down. The infiltrating Runaway Fire Snake, without any support, gradually faltered.
Soon, they all collapsed on the battlefield.
Ning Zhuo stood on high ground, sweeping his eyes around.
Seeing the battlefield riddled with scars, his mood was quite heavy.
How would this settle his score, and what would the change be?
His spirits sank as he checked his own achievements—exactly three hundred and twenty-seven.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of the three renovation teams, Ning Zhuo's achievements had finally reached a positive number. After validation, it had risen sharply above three hundred.
"But if there's a settlement, this little accumulation of achievements might just be a drop in the bucket."
"Without enough achievements, how can I rank among the top to squeeze into the palace exam?"
Ning Zhuo felt profound anxiety.
"No, I have to find a way!"
"To form connections with the people of the City Lord's Mansion? To leverage their power?"
No.
The three positions Ning Zhuo held corresponded to three mechanical buildings, whose positions were almost entirely filled.
Other than that, in the remaining mechanical buildings, Ning Zhuo could not enjoy any share of the achievements.
"To enter the Immortal Palace and then take up other positions there?"
Ning Zhuo also found this path impassable.
On one hand, the triple covenant, which included him, prohibited him from entering the Immortal Palace during this period.
On the other hand, the trials by the elders of the three sects were not winner takes all but catered to everyone, even giving opportunities to demon beasts like Yuan Dasheng.
Ning Zhuo had learned that even if he passed the trials again and took up positions, the previous similar positions would be considered automatically abandoned.
This meant, through the trial stages, a trial disciple could at most hold three positions.
The elders of the three sects encouraged fairer competition, wanting to leave opportunities for new arrivals.
After deep contemplation, Ning Zhuo ultimately decided to start from mechanical techniques and exploit the situation in the demon beast tide.
He estimated the circumstances and judged that the Nascent Soul Level Runaway Fire Snakes would likely strike again.
If he could find a more efficient way to eliminate the Flame Demon Beasts and protect the Lava Fairy Palace, he could also gain a considerable boost in achievements.
Ning Zhuo, having profound expertise in mechanical techniques, quickly identified a direction—to modify the Explosive Flame Monkeys to enable them to steal the core from inside the Runaway Fire Snakes.
The core was the lifeline of the Runaway Fire Snakes. If it were stolen, their combat power would plummet by ninety-nine percent.
In this regard, the crucial inspiration for Ning Zhuo came from Yuan Dasheng's Backhand Retrieval and Sun-Breaking Hand.
Indeed, things proceeded just as Ning Zhuo had anticipated.
In the days that followed, the Nascent Soul Level Runaway Fire Snakes repeatedly invaded.
The swarms of Runaway Fire Snakes continuously infiltrated.
Clearing the Runaway Fire Snakes had become a weary task for the cultivators within the Immortal Palace.
Ning Zhuo's plan to improve the Explosive Flame Monkeys made little progress.
In actual development, he realized there were too many problems to solve, and many stages required experimentation, trying out new mixed materials, and so on.
He was confident in successful development, but time was of the essence!
He was running desperately short on time.
However, in this arduous process, he wasn't without gains.
He had managed to secure the belongings of Zheng Jian before his death.
The subordinates at the black market had demonstrated their worth.
But Ning Xiaohui's relics were not numerous. Reportedly, Ning Xiaohui's grandmother had taken a severe blow, seemingly descending into madness, shrinking away day and night in Ning Xiaohui's room, morbidly hoarding everything related to Ning Xiaohui to herself.
She grieved over her belongings, occasionally washing her face with tears, other times screaming madly. Both her cries and shouts were piercing to hear.
In the Serious Injury Treatment Room, Ning Zhuo cremated the relics of the two.
He successfully restored Zheng Jian's spiritual nature to full.
Ning Xiaohui's relics were few; he only managed to push the spiritual nature of the Floating Ice Jade Mobile Constraint to sixty percent.
Sixty percent spiritual nature—while it could also launch the Ice-Jade Hands, it was sufficient for just one use. According to Ning Zhuo's estimation, after deploying the Myriad Heavens Talent, the spiritual nature of the Floating Ice Jade Hands would likely be severely damaged, nearing scrap.
Beyond that, another gain was Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu.
Under Ning Zhuo's care, Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu's achievements soared rapidly.
With limited spots available in the palace exam, if Ning Zhuo could help them squeeze into the exam list, it would also greatly benefit himself.
"The key issue now is still my achievements!"
A Nascent Soul Level Runaway Fire Snake attacked once again.
Meng Chong repelled it.
Everyone thought it was another progressively customary victory.
However, as a core building collapsed, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit in the main hall suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Ha ha ha, I've succeeded, I've finally succeeded!"
The golden light shield that had been encircling the Lava Fairy Palace suddenly revealed multiple breaches.
No matter how much mana was infused, these breaches simply couldn't be mended.
As soon as the breaches appeared, a massive flow of Flame Demon Beasts surged in like a flood.
The cultivators, caught off guard and vastly outnumbered, could only watch helplessly as numerous buildings collapsed under the onslaught of the beasts.
Some were even smashed to pieces, with rocks, broken wood, and other debris scattered everywhere.
One building after another fell to ruins, as fierce fires quickly spread, threatening to devour everything within the Immortal Palace!
Zhu Xuanji, deep in thought, shouted authoritatively and stepped forward at the critical moment to take command of the battlefield.
Under his direction, the cultivators barely managed to hold a defensive line, momentarily curbing the offensive of the Flame Demon Beasts.
However, looking down at the Lava Fairy Palace, most of its outer circle had been breached, fallen to the rampant Demon Beasts.
The situation turned dire rapidly!
Lava Fairy Palace's main hall.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit danced with joy, "Indeed, indeed, the palace trials have been brought forward!"
This was predictable.
Throughout the years, whenever the Lava Fairy Palace was damaged to a certain degree, it would automatically lower the selection criteria for cultivators, one level at a time.
From Nascent Soul to Golden Core, from Foundation Establishment to Qi Refinement... the trials, which were once at a distance, had greatly been advanced due to the perilous situation of the palace.
"Ning Zhuo, just wait to be eliminated!"
"Once the palace trial starts, all achievements will be promptly tallied. There's no hope for you!"
"Ha ha ha, you used Explosive Flame Monkeys to blast the palace and even used the Five Elements Turret to bomb…"
"Ha ha ha!"
"You've fallen for my scheme, no matter how cunning and sinister you are, you've fallen into my plot, Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit."
Meanwhile.
Ning Zhuo felt a tightness in the index finger of his left hand.
Zheng Jian's Innate Piercing Heart Insight suddenly activated.
Ning Zhuo, worried about his achievements, was suddenly shocked when Piercing Heart Insight activated.
"This is bad!"
"The Lava Fairy Palace is in great peril; it seems the palace trial is about to be brought forward."
"I have a terrible feeling, with insufficient achievements, I'm likely to be squeezed out of the trial ranking."
"What should I do?"
Ning Zhuo bit his teeth hard, "It seems, there's only one way left."
"I shall offer my Buddha Heart Demon Seal!!!"
A teleportation circle appeared, and Ning Zhuo bravely took out the Treasure Seal.
In that instant, his mother's words echoed in his ears: "Ning Zhuo my son, this Treasure Seal, imbued with Flying Cloud Country's technique by your mother, is particularly close to you. You must take good care of it; it is of high grade and will be a great aid in your cultivation."
"No no no!" The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit panicked terribly at this moment.
Although it had known Ning Zhuo possessed the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, it never expected that he would offer up the Treasure Seal prematurely without any hints!
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit resisted fiercely, wishing it could shout in Ning Zhuo's ear, "What are you giving up? How good this Treasure Seal is, and you want to abandon it? Are you letting down your mother?!"
Ning Zhuo's eyes gleamed with a resolute determination.
"If I can stake even my life as a bet, how could I be attached to a mere Magic Treasure?"
"Turn in, turn in, turn in!"
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal was cast into the teleportation circle and quickly disappeared from Ning Zhuo's sight.
In an instant, Ning Zhuo felt an immense void in his heart.
He clenched his teeth, tightly gripped his fists, and silently endured the intense turmoil within.
Moments later.
A message was directly transmitted into everyone's mind—
Lava Fairy Palace trial has commenced!
Achievements are tallied, those ranked in the top thirty-six are:
Zhu Xuanji.
Shuzhong Jun.
…
Yang Chanyu.
Ning Zhuo.
…
Meng Chong
…
Zhou Zeshen
Zhou Zhu
…
Entry standard.