Chapter 535: Chapter 127: I’m Very Interested in Ning Zhuo
Lord Long coughed and stood up, cupping his hands towards the Old Monster in Stone: “This battle was almost lost, and I am grateful to be saved by Stone friend.”
Such a gesture was extremely rare.
Usually, Lord Long was arrogant and haughty.
Being a Nascent Soul Level Great Cultivator and very senior in age was one thing. More importantly, he was a temple priest of the Ginseng Whisker Dragon King, which made his backing incredibly strong, being second only to one person and above tens of thousands in Thousand Peak Forest.
Yet, this time, he was cupping his hands and express gratitude to the Old Monster in Stone.
Mo Yuan Cave Master, Chi Tengyi, Cang Vine King, and others looked at the Stone Ball, their faces filled with envy.
Everyone knew that after returning to Thousand Peak Forest, the Old Monster in Stone would be handsomely rewarded by the Ginseng Whisker Dragon King!
The next moment, the hoarse voice of the “Old Monster in Stone” rang out: “Little Long, remember that I am your life-saving benefactor. As the Main General, if you had died, even if we completely eliminated two or three armies, it would still be a crushing defeat!”
“I am the key figure who saved the day and turned defeat into victory in this battle.”
“What kind of reward will the Dragon King give to such a meritorious servant like me?”
The expressions of everyone present changed abruptly.
They did not expect the Old Monster in Stone to speak so bluntly, with an unkind tone, displaying an attitude full of arrogance due to his meritorious deeds.
This was not a wise move.
Indeed, you did save Lord Long, but you shouldn’t behave like this.
After all, Lord Long is not just a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he is also a temple priest of the Dragon King. Being rude to him is like being rude to a Divinity Transformation Level existence!
Lord Long’s eye twitched, and he let his hands down, his face showing a faint smile as he spoke at a leisurely pace, “Well said, well said.”
“Stone friend, rest assured. Although I cannot decide the reward, I believe the Dragon King will not treat you unfairly.”
The “Old Monster in Stone” grunted arrogantly, “That’s good.”
While they were talking, more Cultivators arrived to join them covertly.
It was Di Lu and Gu Ya.
The two of them had been entangled with the Barbarian Demon Camp and were in an advantageous position, so their withdrawal went smoothly.
Di Lu’s face was expressionless: “It’s a pity that Xu Dali was already at the end of his tether. Given another 30 minutes, we could have surely captured him!”
Gu Ya, however, kept silent.
Compared to his eagerness before the battle, he now seemed depressed and upset.
As a Beast Tamer, Gu Ya took great care of his wolf pack. His pack had suffered heavy losses in the battle, which pained his heart; he also realized one thing clearly—
When it comes to group combat, a military force composed of Cultivators was indeed the strongest!
To counter an army with a group of Demon Beasts, the size must be at least ten times that of the opponent.
As the people were exchanging details, Chen Lingfeng, Wu Hen, and others arrived there too.
Their expressions were hurried, and their appearance disheveled.
“We underestimated the Three Generals Camp. Although Liu Guan Zhang are Loose Cultivators, none of them is ordinary.”
“What about Ma Feitui?”
“He’s been captured alive by the Three Generals.”
“What?!”
Everyone was astonished for a moment.
Ma Feitui was a Demon Cultivator, originally a Heavenly Steed with Nascent Soul Cultivation Level. Even if not victorious, he should have been able to withdraw.
Unexpectedly, he was defeated and captured alive!
Their faces looked grim.
The combat power of each Nascent Soul was incredibly precious; losing Ma Feitui was a substantial loss for Thousand Peak Forest!
A poisonous snake burrowed out from the ground and spit out a Jade Slip.
It was a letter from Tu Ming.
Lord Long read it with his Divine Sense: “Tu Ming is severely injured and has led the Hundred Poison Tribe to withdraw first. We need not wait for them any longer.”
In this way, from the side of Thousand Peak Forest, one Nascent Soul was heavily wounded, and another was lost, and the achievements were that the Barbarian Demon Camp and White Jade Camp were almost completely annihilated.
Red Flower Camp suffered heavy losses, Three Generals Camp lost a number of members, and the Golden Halberd Army and Fire Cloud Camp were unscathed.
Mo Yuan Cave Master scanned the crowd and laughed: “Ma Feitui is truly ridiculous. I have always said that this demon’s name is a bit too much. From this alone, one can see his weakness—after so many years of targeting General Mu’s Mansion, the achievements are minimal.”
“Now he has slipped and been captured and moreover by the unknown Loose Cultivators Liu Guan Zhang, which further proves my judgment!”
“He is a Demon from the Northern Land. There are no Nascent Soul Cultivators as weak as him in Thousand Peak Forest. His capture is actually a good thing.”
“At least, we won’t suffer more severe consequences after assigning him an important task and being dragged down by him!”
Without a doubt, Lu Hongtu knew how to motivate people.
After managing the Six Cave Sect for so many years, he was a master with words, making the defeat sound like a stroke of luck for Thousand Peak Forest.
Lord Long gestured: “Alright, let’s head back. I never imagined that Ma Feitui would be defeated and captured. We will discuss how to deal with this after we return.”
The “Old Monster in Stone” sarcastically said: “The power of Liangzhu Country is formidable; their rear army alone is already so powerful.”
“Don’t forget, if it wasn’t for me, Little Long, your fate would have been much worse than Ma Feitui’s.”
“He was captured, but at least his life was spared. If I had been any later, you would have been burned to ashes.”
Lord Long’s eye twitched again.
Di Lu and Gu Ya were shocked.
Chen Lingfeng and other Golden Core Cultivators widened their eyes in surprise, holding their breath in shock.
What on earth is going on with the Old Monster in Stone? Such arrogance!
A strong sense of unease surged in Lord Long’s heart. He seemed to foresee that every time he saw the Old Monster in Stone in the future, the latter would probably bring up this life-saving experience.
The “Old Monster in Stone” ignored the somber atmosphere and continued: “All of you leave; I will cover your retreat.”
Lu Hongtu was surprised: “Stone friend, are you not returning with us?”
“That won’t be necessary. I prefer quiet contemplation, and I want to explore the outside world a bit more.” Ning Zhuo responded.
Lu Hongtu looked concerned: “Currently, we have just ambushed the armies of Liangzhu Country, and surely this will incite their wrath, leading to a thorough search. If Stone friend lingers, the risk is high.”
The “Old Monster in Stone” chuckled: “That’s my affair; you need not chatter about it. After this battle, I’ve become quite interested in one of the enemy’s individuals; I want to probe his background.”
“Lu Hongtu, I’ve heard that your Six Cave Sect has quite a few grievances with this person.”
Mo Yuan Cave Master’s expression shifted slightly: “Stone friend, are you referring to that Ning…”
“That’s right, it’s him, Ning Zhuo.” Ning Zhuo spoke up.
Beside them, Sun Lingtong’s eyes widened with curiosity as she gazed at him.
Ning Zhuo intoned softly:
“Horse hooves trample down the flowers,”
“Wind rises, shadows sink into the sand.”
“Who can retain the moon’s brightness,”
“And who will bury the rosy clouds?”
“This is an omen poem divined by Ning Zhuo. It’s very accurate.”
“The horse hooves correspond to Ma Feitui, and the falling flowers foretell his misfortune.”
“The wind and shadows refer to our side’s attack strategy.”
“The moon’s brightness likely refers to the White Jade Camp’s ‘Stars Surrounding the Moon’ battle formation.
“And burying the rosy clouds—that’s Little Long nearly biting the dust, burnt to ashes by the Lifeless Fire.”
Everyone’s heart skipped a beat.
You say it like that!
And it’s getting more and more outrageous, without a hint of tact.
Lord Long’s eyes twitched again.
Doesn’t he care about face at all?!
But the problem is, Old Monster in Stone is indeed his lifesaver!!
At that moment, Lord Long’s foreboding feeling for the future intensified.
“Who can retain the moon’s brightness, and who will bury the rosy clouds? This verse is ingenious; the more I ponder, the more profound it seems!” Ning Zhuo, as Old Monster in Stone inside the Mechanical Dragon, became more immersed in his role.
Beside him, Sun Lingtong sent him a look.
It was the first time he saw someone praise their own work with such heartfelt sincerity!
“Not even a blush. Little Zhuo’s Righteous Path power has increased once more,” Sun Lingtong admired internally.
Outside, the voice of “Old Monster in Stone” echoed in everyone’s ears: “The latter part of this omen poem actually points out that mere appearances of battle outcomes mean nothing. The true conclusion is only revealed at the end.”
“Look at Little Long, he charged into the enemy ranks alone, so formidable, but what happened at the end? He almost perished and was saved by me, wasn’t he?”
Lord Long clenched his teeth in secrecy, Ning Zhuo having mentioned this thrice in a short span.
Di Lu, Gu Ya, and the rest didn’t dare turn their heads to sneak a glance at Lord Long’s expression.
Chen Lingfeng and Wu Hen, both subordinates of Lord Long, wished they could bury themselves into the ground.
Lu Hongtu said: “However, Stone friend, what you may not know is that it was precisely after hearing this poem that we deliberately designed our strategy, hence corresponding to the first half of the poem.”
Ning Zhuo laughed heartily: “Superficial!”
“You underestimate divination, Mo Yuan Cave Master.”
“You think you are countering a plot with another, but you’ve omitted a possibility—that Ning Zhuo had already foreseen your existence, hence the divination of this omen poem.”
Hiss…
Someone inhaled a breath of cold air.
Lu Hongtu’s pupils contracted, but he quickly recovered and wasn’t fooled.
He chuckled while shaking his head: “That’s not very likely. How could that mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator predict the likes of a Nascent Soul like me?”
“Besides, it’s not just me laying the ambush but several others as well.”
“Could we all have been calculated by that minor Foundation Establishment Cultivator?”
Everyone’s expressions relaxed slightly.
Ning Zhuo: “Can’t the art of divination predict the strong from the weak?”
He knew not to rush and smoothly changed the subject: “Of course, I also believe that it’s merely a possibility.”
“That’s why I take an interest in this youngster.”
“I stayed outside just to properly figure him out.”
“He’s already my prey. Kekeke, hahaha!”
“Old Monster in Stone” let out a bizarre laugh.
Everyone fell silent.
Chen Lingfeng and the other Golden Core Cultivators began to mourn for Ning Zhuo silently.
Lu Hongtu smiled slightly: “For Stone friend to hold such a small Foundation Establishment Cultivator in high regard, how fortunate he is.”
“After this battle, I too am concerned about him.”
“With Stone friend taking action personally, the rest of us can rest at ease.”
Inside the Dragon Head Cabin of the Mechanical Dragon,
Sun Lingtong gave Ning Zhuo a thumbs up.
This move was too clever.
After this battle, the omen poem will surely bring great fame and attention to Ning Zhuo.
By using the identity of “Old Monster in Stone,” Ning Zhuo had become an umbrella of protection, shielding him from any potential covert attacks from Thousand Peak Forest.
This move could be described as reaching the pinnacle of ingenuity!
Ning Zhuo: “Let’s go.”
With that, he contemplated moving, ready to activate the Earth Element Technique.
Blending among the multitude of Nascent Soul and Golden Core Cultivators, the pressure was immense.
Ning Zhuo decided to withdraw quickly to prevent any slip-ups if he stayed too long.
“Wait a moment!” Lord Long suddenly spoke.