Chapter 571: Chapter 153: Give the Treasure to Ning Zhuo (Two-in-One)_2
In the early days of the Cultivation World, cultivators focused on delving into themselves, continuously exploring the limits and boundaries of each cultivation stage, which led to qualitative transformations in strength after every realm.
As development continued, when the space for self-exploration became increasingly limited, trending towards zero, the cultivators had no choice but to shift their attention outward, resulting in the rapid advancement of the Cultivation Hundred Skills and leading to unprecedented prosperity today.
Elixir Pills, Magic Artifacts, Formations, Talismans…
The ways and methods by which cultivators utilize resources are increasing.
National Power represents the strength of a nation, refined through a novel cultivation method into a man-made resource.
National Power is hard to come by!
Indeed, there are seldom such opportunities for a nation to issue National Power bricks.
Both regions of Liangzhu Country are strong nations, situated amid lands of four battles, where many armies must be stationed rigidly.
In such circumstances, only through conscription and expansion to form new armies is there strength to attack Thousand Peak Forest.
To attract more cultivators to serve, offering National Power bricks as rewards is a very tempting propaganda tactic.
“I now need National Power bricks to grow by leaps and bounds. Prior to this, I could only rely on the Cultivation Hundred Skills to bridge or even leapfrog the gap in combat power!”
“Among the Cultivation Hundred Skills, only Mechanical Techniques do not distinguish between primary and secondary, integrating a hundred skills to achieve Great Success.”
Ning Zhuo had long had a clear comprehension of the path forward.
He left a Flying Message, reported his whereabouts, and then left the camp.
Next, he had to repair the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon.
Since Ning Zhuo speculated that Liu Er had surveillance techniques hidden within the Three Generals Camp, he became even more cautious.
Repairing something as crucial as the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon obviously could not be done carelessly; it had to be approached with utmost caution.
Although Liu Er was training troops, he was also constantly using his innate ability, Spirit Sound Pulse Detection, to scout the entire camp, particularly paying close attention to Ning Zhuo’s tent.
When Ning Zhuo left his tent, Liu Er secretly spied on him.
Liu Er did not need Ning Zhuo’s Flying Message to reach his hands to know that Ning Zhuo had left the camp.
“Second Brother, Third Brother, continue training. I have other matters to attend to,” Liu Er instructed briefly and then ended the training.
He received Ning Zhuo’s Flying Message on the way, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and found its content uninspiring, merely a notification.
“The Military Adviser’s attitude towards me is casual, unlike before.”
Liu Er felt a hint of neglect, and anger ignited in him once again.
But the next moment, he suppressed the frustration, feeling he should be more tolerant.
“The Military Adviser has contributed a lot to the Three Generals Camp; even if his attitude is poor, I should still endure.”
Liu Er tried to convince himself.
“What exactly does the Military Adviser intend to do?”
“Could he be sneaking off to Red Flower Camp?”
“Logically, as the Military Adviser, he should report his destination to me when leaving the camp.”
“Wait, could it really be that he wants to go to the Red Flower Camp, and that’s why he didn’t report to me?”
Thinking of Mu Lan having a secret meeting with Ning Zhuo, Liu Er felt increasingly irritable and disgusted.
Even Liu Er himself was puzzled as to why he had such intense emotions.
He used his skills to conceal his form and stealthily followed Ning Zhuo, who did not head towards Red Flower Camp but instead entered the woods.
“Could he be trying to take a detour to Red Flower Camp?”
“How bizarre!”
“Liu Er, Liu Er, you should be more magnanimous. Why care so much about Red Flower Camp?”
Liu Er’s innate ability of Spirit Sound Pulse Detection covered a vast range, ensuring he did not lose track even from a great distance.
Even Sun Lingtong, who was using the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon to scout the surroundings, failed to detect any trace of Liu Er.
Deep in the forest, an old Demon Cultivator witnessed this scene, quite pleased.
“Little Six’s Illusion Form Stealth skill has not degenerated; he is worthy of the meticulous teaching and cultivation I provided him in the past.”
The smile on the lips of the Demon Cultivator quickly vanished, replaced by a look of utter seriousness.
He had received the news.
This news truly shocked him—Liu Er had not become Mu Lan’s husband; instead, his subordinate Ning Zhuo was the final victor!
This was inconsistent with the King’s Order he had divined for Liu Er!
It was disastrous.
Failing to become the son-in-law of the Upper General Mansion, Liu Er’s demon-human identity was extremely awkward; how could he ascend to the upper echelons?
This step was truly critical.
Missing this step, a widespread chain reaction would follow, potentially leading to a drastic change in the aftermath of the divination!
“We must find out what exactly happened!”
With this purpose in mind, the Demon Cultivator elder transmitted his Divine Sense, actively contacting Liu Er.
Liu Er, mixed with surprise and joy, thought to himself: “Master hasn’t left yet?”
He went to the appointed forest and met the Demon Cultivator elder once again.
The elder hmmmed, barely suppressing the impatience in his heart, and twirled his beard as he inquired.
Although he had received the news, he lacked detailed knowledge of the internal situation and needed to ask Liu Er, who had personally been involved, to understand more information.
Liu Er naturally did not conceal anything from his master; harboring complex emotions, he spoke straightforwardly.
After learning the details, the Demon Cultivator elder fell into prolonged silence.
In Liu Er’s memory, it was rare to see his master so expressive, which made him even more nervous and he cautiously asked, “Master, did I screw this up!”
The Demon Cultivator elder snapped back to reality, looked at the shrinking and shrugging Liu Er, as if seeing his younger self caught making a blunder, apparently cautious on the surface, but actually sharp and observant, gauging the severity of the punishment.
The Demon Cultivator elder squeezed out a faint smile: “Xiao Liu, you’re overthinking it.”
But Liu Er shook his head: “Master, I feel more and more that I messed this up!”
“You gave me the Yin-Yang Qi Pot, clearly for pursuing Mu Lan.”
“Now, Mu Lan is not my wife. My impression of Ning Zhuo was always good, but recently I’ve been harboring dark thoughts frequently, feeling… feeling like he stole the treasure of my life.”
“Is this treasure Mu Lan?”
When the Demon Cultivator elder saw that Liu Er had guessed the truth, he lightly sighed and gently tapped Liu Er.
And it was this simple affirmative action, after which the Demon Cultivator elder’s whole body suddenly felt weak, forcing him to lean on a nearby tree trunk.
Seeing this, Liu Er’s heart sank. Being a disciple, he naturally knew what such an expression from the elder meant.
“Master, be careful!” Liu Er quickly stepped over, supporting the Demon Cultivator elder.
Liu Er helped the Demon Cultivator elder to a nearby flat rock and slowly sat down.
The Demon Cultivator elder breathed heavily a few times, and deeply sighed, “Xiao Liu, you are determined to establish a realm between humans and demons, despite the King’s Order it’s filled with great turbulence. Your life… is tough.”
“But these hardships will ultimately temper you even more, until you achieve your ideals!”
“This time, although things turned out this way, it’s not yet a complete failure.”
As he spoke, the elder felt powerless again and had to temporarily stop.
Liu Er was surprised: “Master, is there still hope?”
The elder nodded, took a few breaths, and continued: “Ning Zhuo is bound to leave. And he wants to retain his Origin Yang, he won’t Dual Cultivate with Mu Lan. This is especially crucial.”
“Dual Cultivation… once it occurs, there will be a fusion of Lifespans, causing some kind of qualitative change.”
“This qualitative change can be good or bad… Puh.”
The Demon Cultivator elder suddenly vomited fresh blood, eyes turned dim, nearly fainting on the spot.
“Master, Master!” Liu Er was shocked, hastily using methods for healing.
But such backlash from Divination was hard to counter with ordinary methods; it was only when the Demon Cultivator elder regained some breath himself and used his own methods that he slightly improved.
He looked at Liu Er, weakly extended a finger, and weakly said: “Go, lend the Yin-Yang Qi Pot to Ning Zhuo.”
“Absolutely don’t let the two of them Dual Cultivate.”
“You must ensure that Mu Lan’s Origin Yin nourishment is from you, this is extremely important for you.”
After saying this, the Demon Cultivator elder collapsed on the spot, dissolving into a swirl of colorful smoke, eventually dissipating on the spot.