"You go on ahead. I'll return briefly," Zhu Xuanji said, turning back midway.
Fei Si hurriedly responded, "I’ll go with you, together!"
The Zhou family ancestor was equally unwilling to be left behind, following closely, "Lord Zhu, have you discovered something?"
Zhu Xuanji only shook his head.
In no time, the three of them had returned to the Flying Disc Workshop.
Several cultivators of the workshop were busy repairing the roof.
With a wave of Zhu Xuanji’s hand, the roof lifted once more as the three golden core cultivators descended slowly.
"Ah, my lords!" Ning Zhuo and Chen Cha bowed again.
Ignoring them, Zhu Xuanji walked straight to Yuan Dasheng’s corpse and took out a vial of elixir from his sleeve.
The moment he removed the stopper, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the air, causing a wave of shock in everyone’s hearts.
Fei Si gasped, "A supreme-grade pill?"
Supreme-grade pills were exceedingly rare.
Each one required the perfect combination of timing, location, and people, even for the creator, who could not easily replicate such success.
With a solemn expression, Zhu Xuanji had no hesitation in using this precious item to verify his suspicions.
All eyes were on him as he cautiously let a single drop fall.
The drop of elixir landed on Yuan Dasheng's corpse, seeping in immediately.
Zhu Xuanji and the others waited a while but observed no change.
Zhu Xuanji sighed, "This old ape’s mind had not been influenced by any external force recently. Its self-destruction in Fire Persimmon Forest was indeed its own mistake."
Fei Si’s expression fell, as if to say, "That’s it?"
The Zhou family ancestor merely nodded slightly.
Without a glance at the others, Zhu Xuanji turned and flew up, leaving the scene.
Fei Si and the Zhou family ancestor followed behind.
The three golden core cultivators left once more.
Ning Zhuo and Chen Cha continued to process Yuan Dasheng's corpse.
Seeing that Ning Zhuo moved sluggishly, his face pale and his breath weak, Chen Cha couldn't help but ask with concern, "Little Zhuo, you've been working so hard lately, assembling the mechanical monkeys, participating in the Fire Persimmon Festival, and under Fei Si’s orders, forcing Yuan Er to give up Yuan Dasheng. And now, you've faced the pressure of the three golden core masters twice."
"You've really been through too much. Go home and rest well. I'll take care of things here."
Ning Zhuo forced a wry smile and waved it off, wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.
"Let me catch my breath first." He set his work aside, found a stool, and sat down to recover his strength.
A powerful sense of dread washed over him, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead again.
That had been a dangerously close call!
"Just a bit more… just a little more, and…"
He had barely finished extracting all of Yuan Dasheng's blood when the three golden core cultivators arrived to examine the corpse.
Later, when the three golden core cultivators had returned, had he truly used the Buddha Heart Demon Seal to manipulate Yuan Dasheng, things would have turned disastrous.
The memory flashed back to several days before.
Ning Zhuo, faced with a life-and-death crisis, had pondered intensely, exhausting every idea.
Yuan Dasheng was powerful!
And he was surrounded by the protection of the Monkey Head Gang.
A direct confrontation would be the worst approach.
"But using another’s blade requires exposing Yuan Dasheng to other factions…"
Aside from figuring out a way to involve other factions in making trouble for the Monkey Head Gang, there was the risk of others realizing Yuan Dasheng’s true value, which would backfire on Ning Zhuo.
The biggest hurdle, however, was Zhu Xuanji.
Zhu Xuanji possessed the Origin Tracing Technique!
If Ning Zhuo used the Buddha Heart Demon Seal directly on Yuan Dasheng, Zhu Xuanji could simply trace the origin on Yuan Dasheng’s corpse and find a close connection—himself.
That would be akin to inviting exposure.
"How am I supposed to save myself?"
Ning Zhuo thought bitterly, his mind in turmoil!
He plunged into the depths of thought.
A deep sense of isolation enveloped him, making him feel as if the whole world had abandoned him.
No one understood his true situation.
He had no one to confide in, no one to rely on.
Fate was as cold and cruel as ice, pitting him against a powerful foe like Yuan Dasheng, forcing him into a deadly fight.
With an all-encompassing view of the situation, he could only fight alone!
While planning his countermeasures, intense emotions surged within him.
Helplessness, powerlessness, despair, a yearning to survive, anger, hatred, a refusal to let down his mother’s last wishes, a rebellious desire to defy fate…
Ning Zhuo had to remain vigilant against these emotions, stripping them away to think as calmly and objectively as possible.
He had to find possibility within the impossible!
And it had to succeed in one go, with utmost precision.
A single flaw in his plan would spell his doom, drawing trouble directly to himself.
"I still lack critical information."
"For instance, how exactly did Yuan Dasheng acquire the Demonic Blood Vein Technique? How many layers has he reached?"
"Wait… the Demonic Blood Vein Technique!"
In his thoughts, Ning Zhuo paused, his eyes suddenly gleaming.
Yes, the Demonic Blood Vein Technique.
Once activated, this demonic technique allowed one to extract blood qi, forming blood qi membranes.
Used on oneself, it could enhance mobility and add a layer of defense.
Used on others, it could erode and pollute their blood qi.
If enough blood qi membranes accumulated in another's body, it could restrict or even control them.
At that moment, it was as if Ning Zhuo saw a glimmer of hope in the endless darkness.
"I can influence it by infiltrating its blood qi."
"Of course, it can’t be my own blood qi. Yuan Dasheng would definitely sense foreign blood qi clashing with his own."
"I can use its own blood qi!"
Ning Zhuo couldn't extract blood from Yuan Dasheng himself.
However, Yuan Dasheng did have offspring among the monkeys!
"Though these monkeys likely carry their mothers' blood, if I gather enough of their blood, I can use alchemical techniques to purify it, extracting blood qi close enough to Yuan Dasheng’s own."
Considering this, Ning Zhuo faced another problem—could Yuan Dasheng detect this identical blood qi?
"Could it sense such a subtle intrusion?"
Thinking deeply, Ning Zhuo doubted it.
"Yuan Dasheng has cultivated two techniques."
"One is the Demonic Blood Vein Technique, origin unknown, but at least at the third essence refining level."
"The other is the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, obtained from the Dharma Transmission Bell, cultivated to the peak of the third qi refining level, enabling it to merge its soul with the Immortal Palace."
"Beyond that, it shouldn't have any other techniques!"
To enter the Immortal Palace at the qi refining stage, one had to relinquish all other techniques, except for the Mirror Platform Spirit Communication Technique, Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, and the Demonic Blood Vein Technique.
Only with the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique at the peak of the third qi refining level could the soul-meld with the Immortal Palace mechanism be triggered.
If Yuan Dasheng had another technique, it would only be the Mirror Platform Spirit Communication Technique.
If it had reached this level in spirit cultivation, it would be displayed on the leaderboard.
Yet, to this day, Ning Zhuo’s pseudonym was the only name on the Spirit Refining Leaderboard.
"Without a spirit cultivation technique, relying solely on five elements spiritual power and the Demonic Blood Vein Technique, it’s impossible to perceive such minute details."
"According to reports, Yuan Dasheng isn’t adept at using artifacts and prefers close combat, fully utilizing his physical strength."
"Gambling on this point gives me a fair chance."
Ning Zhuo had no other options and could only gamble that Yuan Dasheng lacked the means for such fine perception.