Lava Immortal Palace, Main Hall.
Roar!
Seeing Yuan Dasheng defeated, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit tilted its head back in fury, slamming its dragon claws against the armrests of the throne.
Although the ranking board in the Lava Immortal Palace didn’t explicitly reflect it, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit knew that Yuan Dasheng’s mastery of demonic arts was at the formidable ninth level, perfectly complementing its own robust physique.
However, Yuan Dasheng’s soul had been extracted into the palace, and without its original body, it only possessed a puppet form.
This puppet body lacked blood and qi, making it powerless unless it reached the Demonic Gate beyond Room Nine.
At that point, as long as Yuan Dasheng could even slightly unleash its true strength, it would soar unstoppably.
Yet Ning Zhuo had blocked its path!
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit pinned its hopes on Ning Zhuo making a mistake in the fight.
From start to finish, Ning Zhuo never engaged Yuan Dasheng in close combat, extinguishing any hope the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had.
Adding to the spirit’s frustration was Ning Zhuo’s name on the ranking board.
Such a sly choice!
Yuan Dasheng had been thoroughly deceived by it.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit wished it could scratch those characters off, but it couldn’t.
For all disciples in the trial, it was strictly forbidden to leak any information—an absolute mandate set by the Sage of the Three Sects!
Room Eight.
Ning Zhuo began cleaning up the battlefield.
Although he had won, he felt no joy.
The outcome had been exactly as he expected.
Given his extensive mastery of techniques, coupled with supporting mechanical components, spiritual stones, and abundant spiritual power, he held an overwhelming advantage over Yuan Dasheng.
Moreover, Ning Zhuo had observed Yuan Dasheng before, gaining insight into its speed, strength, and other specific attributes.
It was less a clash on a narrow path than a planned hunt.
“Still, no matter how many times I defeat it, it will keep coming back, never truly dying.”
Thus, this did not completely resolve the problem.
Ning Zhuo meticulously examined Yuan Dasheng’s mechanical components.
Taking advantage of the palace’s delay in clearing them away, he hurriedly inspected everything.
Though he had held the upper hand throughout the entire battle, Ning Zhuo felt considerable pressure, suspecting that Yuan Dasheng had a hidden innate talent.
If it did have innate talent, it might be hinted at in its mechanical components.
Just as Ning Zhuo’s Early Wisdom Talent showed some signs in his oversized head, he went over the components two or three times, finding nothing suspicious.
The components were sizable but proportionally balanced, with no part excessively prominent.
“Could it be similar to Meng Chong’s Wild Sprint Thunderclap, only manifesting after activation?”
“No, if it could activate, it would have done so during the battle.”
“Is it the puppet body preventing its use? Or are there other restrictions?”
Ning Zhuo sighed. This search yielded almost nothing.
He quickly exited Room Eight and retraced his steps to repair the traps along the way. He also froze the martial puppets and transported them to the preparation room, where he placed them on various mechanical pedestals, utilizing mechanical crafting tools to repair and strengthen them.
After confirming the traps were repaired and reset, Ning Zhuo returned to the outermost checkpoint.
His current progress was the first room in the Dao Gate and Demonic Gate trials; he hadn’t been able to enter the Buddhist Gate trial.
Within the first room of the Dao Gate, he actively sensed his disciple mark and exited the Immortal Palace.
Yuan Dasheng could reach Room Seven in a single run, so others likely had similar potential.
Thus, he made a point of withdrawing from the depths, minimizing his exposure.
Back in his body, Ning Zhuo resumed his research on the Monkey Head Gang and Yuan Dasheng’s background.
The intelligence stated that Yuan Yi, born with poor aptitude and from a humble background, had once relied on begging for survival.
Forced to join the Beggars’ Sect, he, along with others, had been used as cannon fodder to explore the Demon Lava Cave.
During this exploration, he encountered an injured Fire Fusion Demon Ape cub.
Yuan Yi took the cub out of the volcano and forged a contract with it.
This cub later became known as Yuan Dasheng.
Yuan Yi initially named it "Dasheng," and for a long period, they survived in hardship together.
Only after the Fire Fusion Demon Ape grew and its strength increased did their situation improve.
They first escaped from the Beggars’ Sect, then turned to beast fighting for a livelihood.
Dasheng fought in countless bloody matches, gradually making a name for itself.
However, black market beast fights were soon cracked down upon, leaving Yuan Yi and Dasheng once again destitute.
The Beggars’ Sect sought trouble with them and secretly schemed against Yuan Yi.
Both Yuan Yi and Dasheng ended up in prison, but rebounded by rallying with other inmates, breaking out of the Beggars’ Sect’s private jail, and, after several days of fierce street battles, ultimately overthrowing the sect.
Afterward, Yuan Yi was lauded for his merits and was chosen as the leader.
He took the opportunity to reorganize and establish the Monkey Head Gang.
Initially, the gang faced unified suppression from other factions in Fire Persimmon City and barely survived, relying on Dasheng’s fierce battles to gain a foothold and gradually grow stronger.
Through this bloody and stormy process, Dasheng’s name was slowly forgotten, and more people began to call it "Dasheng."
For the gang’s reputation, Yuan Yi granted it a surname, and thus Dasheng became Yuan Dasheng.
“This is a tale of building an empire from scratch, enduring countless trials of blood and fire to forge a legacy!”
Ning Zhuo carefully reviewed Yuan Dasheng’s winning streak in beast fights and the key gang battles that followed.
“When viewed individually, Yuan Dasheng’s battles had both wins and losses. But considering the overall win rate, there’s an issue.”
“Its win rate is unusually high, indicating it likely has a powerful hidden card!”
Typically, those rising from the dregs face frequent dangers and can’t keep a hidden card for long.
Yet Yuan Dasheng had managed to do just that.
This suggests its hidden card must be substantial.
“It likely possesses innate talent.”
“But this time, I didn’t manage to detect it.”
Frowning deeply, Ning Zhuo pondered without a solution.
The underground workspace was deathly quiet, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
Yuan Dasheng’s power alone posed a serious threat to Ning Zhuo’s lead, potentially wreaking havoc on his plans.
Worse yet, was the reaction of the other four major factions upon Yuan Dasheng’s emergence.
Each orthodox faction would react identically: coercing and enticing Yuan Dasheng into their service.
With such a formidable weapon, any faction could gain the upper hand and even claim the Lava Immortal Palace.
As for Yuan Dasheng practicing demonic arts, that was no impediment.
Was it uncommon for demonic cultivators to serve as underhanded agents for orthodox forces?
Often, orthodox cultivators themselves played the role of demonic cultivators to handle unsavory tasks.
Yuan Dasheng would be easy to control.
Both the Monkey Head Gang and Yuan Er were its weak points.
If they allied, Ning Zhuo’s defeat would be all but certain.
The subsequent developments were easily predictable.
Orthodox factions joining with Yuan Dasheng would swiftly destroy the traps, catching up to Ning Zhuo, ultimately claiming the Lava Immortal Palace, investigating his records, seizing Ning Zhuo, and extracting the Buddha Heart Demon Seal!