"One year, two years, three years."
The intervals at which the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin, recovered her consciousness became longer and longer.
Before, she could see Ning Zhuo several times a year. Gradually, it became once every two or three years.
Ning Zhuo immersed himself in the study of Mechanical Techniques, neglecting sleep and food. Ning Ze and others advised him, and the Academy Elder told him to balance his efforts, but he cast their words aside, feigning compliance—what could compare to the importance of his mother?
One deep night, the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin, appeared.
After examining Ning Zhuo's foundation in Mechanical Techniques, Meng Yaoyin smiled with relief, "My son has studied diligently, creating a solid base in mechanical arts. Although his cultivation level is low, it is enough to help his mother now."
"Mother, what must I do?" Ning Zhuo asked eagerly, full of joy.
Meng Yaoyin said, "Your mother has passed away, only her spiritual nature remains. Now, because of injuries inflicted by the Dao, only by sealing herself can she maintain her presence for more days."
"By common reasoning, you, still in the early stage of Qi Refinement, having embarked on the path of cultivation not long ago, cannot control golden core level mechanical dolls."
"But my 'Buddha Heart Demon Seal' can break this convention!"
"You will use the heart seal, supplemented by the mechanical components I've modified as a Buddhist Physician, and finally combine it with your mother's natural affinity for your spirit. Then, you might barely control the Buddhist Physician."
Meng Yaoyin imparted to Ning Zhuo the technique to control.
Ning Zhuo learned it right away, his eyes shining faintly, able to influence the movements of the Buddhist Physician.
Meng Yaoyin was content, then took care to add, "My child, I have already modified the Buddhist Physician mechanism to ensure it won't completely revert to the Immortal Palace."
"After your mother seals herself, the Buddhist Physician will act according to its own prohibitions and your mother's spirit. It will wander around Fire Persimmon Mountain, continuously slaying Flame Demon Beasts to protect the Immortal Palace."
"Your mother can't recover her consciousness on her own anymore, she needs you to awaken her from the outside. To this end, your mother has already found a solution."
"Your mother belongs to Flying Cloud Country, has already improved upon the Sealing Technique, and made arrangements... Using cultivators who explore Fire Persimmon Mountain... Selling up and down Ruyi silk cords... When your mother needs to exert effort, just mix in special cloud threads..."
Ning Zhuo listened carefully, not daring to miss a single word.
At the end, Ning Zhuo questioned, "Mother, I have recently reviewed 'Lava Fairy Palace Essence' again, whether it's the Big Snake Scythe or you, both have been through the Golden Furnace. How can the Golden Furnace refine spirit? Does this related prohibition come from some scripture? If I obtain it, could it help to restore your spirit?"
Meng Yaoyin smiled slightly, "Your mother has indeed contemplated this point before, and it is indeed possible."
"In the future, when you enter the palace, perhaps you may try it."
"However, spirit is spirit, memory is memory. Your mother has already lost much of her memory, only the most critical parts remain."
"Even though I have sealed the spirit, it doesn't prevent the erosion of memory by the Dao injury."
"My child, your mother..."
Meng Yaoyin's voice choked, her tone trembling slightly, "Mother may not remember you in the future. Acting solely on spirit, I hope you won't be sorrowful!"
Tears suddenly rimmed Ning Zhuo's eyes, his voice hoarse and resolute, "Mother, I will definitely think of a way! Rest assured, I will seize the Immortal Palace, I will surely save you!"
Meng Yaoyin reached out, caressing Ning Zhuo's face, her gaze filled with affection: "Of course your mother believes you, my child, how fortunate your mother is to have such a good child."
"Having accompanied you for so many years, your mother is already content."
"Seizing the Immortal Palace is not important."
"Neither is your mother."
"You should have your own life, and you will have your own path..."
Ning Zhuo interrupted, "Mother! Don't say that anymore..."
He embraced his mother, and for the first time since he had grown up, he shed tears.
...
Sixteen years old.
"Mother, there's been a change! The Lava Fairy Palace has lowered its standard to the Qi Refinement Realm... we might never get there in this lifetime!"
Ning Zhuo decided to bomb the Immortal Palace.
He "accidentally" encountered Ning Chen and Ning Yong.
Ning Chen taunted, "What if I were your uncle and auntie, seeing you so down and out, scraping a living in an inconspicuous little workshop, what would go through your mind?"
"Perhaps they're thinking: Look at that, Ning Zhuo, so ignorant of his place, without our help, he can only live a life of hardship, gradually sinking to the bottom of cultivators!"
Ning Zhuo's mind went on alert, "This Ning Chen is off!"
Outwardly, he furrowed his brows, his face darkening as though his defenses had been breached.
Ning Chen smirked inwardly and pressed on, unaware that Ning Zhuo was simply going along with the trap.
After meeting Ning Zhanji, Ning Zhuo and the family cultivators went deep into Persimmon Fire Mountain.
Ning Zhanji lectured him, "You're still young, don't just chase after money. You should know that investing in yourself is the best path to success."
"Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, your life will be on a different plane."
Ning Zhuo confirmed at this point, "The one who wants to set me up is Ning Zhanji. Even though he has someone behind him... Hmph, you want to scheme against me? It might just be a good opportunity to get rid of this person."
After delving deeper into Persimmon Fire Mountain, Ning Zhuo contacted the Mechanical Buddha Doctor with his Heart Seal.
With a deep light in his eyes, he remote-controlled the Buddha Doctor, cutting down Flame Demon Beasts along the way, and hurriedly set up a rudimentary array as bait.
The Ning Family cultivators were quick to fall for the trap—
"There's a Magma Demon Ape ahead!" Suddenly, a cultivator responsible for scouting in the team shouted a warning.
The Ning Family's team kept moving deeper, surrounded by Demon Beasts, forming an array for self-protection.
Meanwhile, the Buddha Doctor drew close to the Lava Fairy Palace, provoking an attack from Zheng Shuanggou.
"You vermin, daring to covet the Immortal Palace, leave your life behind!" Zheng Shuanggou roared.
The Black Shadow Demon Cultivator Buddha Doctor, under Ning Zhuo's control, spoke in an old voice, laughing harshly, "The treasures of the Cultivation World belong to those who are fated. You major clans of Fire Persimmon Immortal City think you can monopolize the Lava Fairy Palace? Dream on!"
In the midst of battle, the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator struck out casually, killing Ning Zhanji.
"Lord Ning Zhanji!" The Ning Family cultivators cried out. But Ning Zhanji lay on the ground, eyes wide open, dead and unable to close them.
...
The Immortal Palace was exploded into the open, the Dharma Transmission Bell ringing through the entire city, greatly surprising Ning Zhuo.
He and the other Ning Family cultivators were taken back to the prison for questioning.
For safety, Ning Zhuo remote-controlled the Buddha Doctor to follow. If his identity was exposed, he would use the Buddha Doctor for rescue.
Ning Zhuo passed the interrogation smoothly, but an unexpected incident occurred upon leaving the prison.
The Alert Heart Bell sensed something, leading Chi Dun to find the Buddha Doctor.
Two Golden Core Cultivators clashed.
The Ning Family cultivators panicked, fearing collateral damage, and fled in all directions.
Ning Chen and Ning Yong also pulled Ning Zhuo to run.
But Ning Zhuo said, "Run? Let's go back to the prison, that's the safest place!"
The two were stunned.
Ning Zhuo directly grabbed the hands of the two men: "Trust me, you won't be wrong."
The three of them returned to the dungeon.
Ning Chen and Ning Yong were restless.
Ning Zhuo pretended to be leisurely and composed, eating fruit and drinking tea while secretly focusing his mental power to control the Buddhist Physician and tactically retreat during battle.
At the critical moment, he thought of Fei Si and daringly controlled the Buddhist Physician to rush into the Fire Persimmon Forest.
Fei Si's behavior was as Ning Zhuo had predicted; he turned around and stopped Chi Dun.
...
As the Youthful Guest, Ning Zhuo gathered Sun Lingtong and Han Ming and successfully raided the elixirs of Ziyang Courtyard.
Ning Zhuo's plot against Han Ming was a success.
Sun Lingtong suggested inspecting the pills and keeping them.
Ning Zhuo shook his head, "I strongly advise against that."
"This time we happened to come across Meng Chong. He is a Nascent Soul's grandson, and our action could easily be interpreted as a plot against Meng Chong."
Ning Zhuo snorted coldly, "Isn't that simple? Just throw them into the Fire Persimmon Forest."
Sun Lingtong was startled, then his eyes lit up, and he clapped in admiration, "Brilliant, truly brilliant!"
Indeed it was brilliant.
The pills, coming directly from the righteous hall to the hands of the Buddhist Physician, greatly reduced the connection between the Youthful Guest, Sun Lingtong, and the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator.
And with the purification capabilities of the Buddhist Physician's mechanical light, even the Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pills and Foundation Establishment Pills, which Foundation Establishment Cultivator Sun Lie might have tagged with tracking methods, would be thoroughly cleansed.
...
The Persimmon Fire Festival.
Chen Cha felt emotional about Yuan Dasheng's reliability.
Ning Zhuo remained silent, with a current of deep light brewing in the depths of his eyes.
He scoffed to himself, "Reliable?"
"My schemes have all led up to this moment."
A dozen mechanical monkeys suddenly broke free from the control of the cultivators and attacked Yuan Er.
The assassination attempt failed.
Yuan Dasheng turned back around and continued picking persimmons.
On the mountainside, the deep light in Ning Zhuo's eyes had accumulated to the extreme.
"Come on, come on," he whispered in his heart.
The earlier assassination had already attracted the attention of the Golden Core Cultivators. The following explosion shifted almost everyone's focus.
The Buddhist Physician took this opportunity to shrink its form and sneak into the storage formation of an Explosive Flame Monkey.
Once the mechanical monkeys reached their storage limit for persimmons, they were remotely controlled to return by Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
They would stand in the massive circular array, spitting out stored persimmons, which piled up on the ground.
Once they formed a small mountain a zhang high, the array would activate and transport the persimmons directly to the granary of the City Lord's Mansion.
As a result, the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator mysteriously disappeared!
The various Golden Core Cultivators all had serious expressions.
The Zhou Family patriarch doubted Zhu Xuanji's Golden Eyes Talent.
Zhu Xuanji haughtily said, "I can only tell you that my mastery of the Golden Eye Insight is nearly divine. In my decade-plus years with the Divine Hunter Office, I have only encountered three Golden Core Cultivators who have withstood my Golden Eye Insight. Below the Golden Core, no living being can escape my eye!"
...
Ning Zhuo, after his soul entered the Immortal Palace, went straight for the Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra as his reward!
The contents of the Buddhist Scripture quickly transmitted into Ning Zhuo's heart.
"Just as I had guessed!" Ning Zhuo was first exhilarated, then he was stunned.
The content of the Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra moved him!
At that moment, he almost wept with joy.
"Mother, the Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra can refine Spiritual Nature, it can grow your Spiritual Nature."
"It must be the prohibition within the Golden Furnace."
"Mother, I have found it!"
...
The City Lord's Mansion dispatched assassins to attack the three prodigious cultivators.
Ning Zhuo was inside a small cultivation chamber surrounded by Floating Clouds that obscured the view.
He turned his head and stared in a certain direction, frowning deeply, the eerie light flickering in his eyes.
The Buddhist Physician was hidden, always guarding Ning Zhuo's safety.
Through the hands of the Buddhist Physician, Ning Zhuo instantly killed the assassins, and a thought crossed his mind: "Isn't this the perfect opportunity to increase my mother's Spiritual Nature?"
The Buddhist Physician stowed away the corpses of the assassins, hiding themselves inside a carriage.
Clip-clop-clip-clop!
A series of rapid hoofbeats approached.
A carriage seemed out of control, rushing toward the small courtyard.
Boom!
The carriage exploded, and flames scorched everything.
Under the cover of the Cloud Concealed Bud, the Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra refined the small courtyard.
Drawing out specks of Spirit Light, they flowed into the Mechanical Buddha Physician.
The Buddhist Physician's Spiritual Movement recovered.
With the resurgence of Spiritual Nature, it was now able to use its innate Immortal Aptitude and Divine Skills, further regaining strength.
"Mother!" Ning Zhuo choked up, reuniting with her in a blaze.
"Who... are you?" The Buddhist Physician · Meng Yaoyin, however, asked.
Ning Zhuo's body tensed abruptly.
The voice of the Buddhist Physician · Meng Yaoyin was very gentle, "Why do you feel so familiar to me? You must be someone very important to me, right?"
Ning Zhuo's eyes reddened, and his voice trembled, "Mother, I am your child, I am Ning Zhuo."
"Ning... Zhuo?" The Buddhist Physician · Meng Yaoyin looked confused.
She couldn't remember.