Ordinary People Fall for the Trap

Ning Chen and Ning Yong sat by the window on the second floor of the restaurant, constantly monitoring the street.

"Look, Ning Zhuo is here."

"Let's go!"

The two walked quickly, arriving at the intersection ahead of time. They pretended to meet by chance and ran into Ning Zhuo head-on.

"Ning Zhuo?" Ning Yong called out.

Ning Zhuo looked at the two, paused for a moment, and smiled: "It's you, Ning Yong, Ning Chen."

These two were Ning Zhuo's classmates.

Ning Chen pretended to sigh: "We haven't seen each other since the Grand Examination. It feels like a long time has passed."

Ning Zhuo's heart stirred slightly: "Although the time is short, if many things happen, it naturally gives the illusion of a long time."

Ning Yong: "I heard about your situation. After the Grand Examination, you fell out with your uncle and aunt and refused to accept their help."

"You're living alone now, is it difficult?"

"What are you doing to earn Spirit Stones to maintain your cultivation?"

Ning Zhuo hesitated for a moment: "I'm currently doing odd jobs in a Mechanical Workshop. What about you?"

Ning Yong chuckled lightly, a little proudly: "We've already joined the Demon Hunting Society!"

"We are buying supplies to leave the city. Tonight, we will go into the demon cave with the seniors of the Demon Hunting Society to hunt demon beasts."

"How about it, exciting?"

Ning Zhuo's mouth opened slightly in surprise: "You're going into the Crimson Flame Demon Lava Cave? Isn't that too dangerous?"

"What are you afraid of? What can you accomplish if you're afraid of death?" Ning Yong puffed out his chest, a look of disdain on his face. "When you're young, you should venture out. Without taking risks, where do you get extraordinary gains? Without money to accelerate my cultivation, when will I be able to reach Foundation Establishment?"

Ning Chen said: "Don't listen to him boast. There are cultivators from our Ning Family in the Demon Hunting Society. You've heard of the name of Lord Ning Zhanji, right?"

"We'll enter the cave under his leadership, and tonight is the low tide of the Earth Flame, so it's very safe."

Ning Chen tried his best to dispel Ning Zhuo's concerns.

Ning Zhuo showed a look of envy.

Ning Yong saw this and directly invited: "As I see it, Ning Zhuo, you shouldn't be doing workshop work anymore. Just come down into the cave with us."

"How many treasures are hidden in the demon lava cave?"

"How much can you earn in a week? Maybe if you find a spirit plant in the Crimson Flame Demon Lava Cave, it will be enough for a week's salary!"

Ning Zhuo shook his head and waved his hand, refusing: "My sword technique scores have always hovered around average and below average. Fighting demon beasts is too dangerous, I can't do it."

"Coward!" Ning Yong glared, about to speak.

Ning Chen stopped him with a look and smiled at Ning Zhuo: "If I were you, Ning Zhuo, I would go back and apologize to my uncle and aunt, let them use their connections to get me into the Family Business. The treatment there is definitely much better than working outside!"

Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head, showing the youthful spirit side of him, and said firmly: "Since it has come to this point, I will never bow my head like this."

Ning Chen chuckled lightly: "Then if I were your uncle and aunt, what would I think when I see you down and out, making a living in an inconspicuous small workshop?"

"Perhaps they're thinking: See? This Ning Zhuo doesn't know his place. Without our help, he can only live a difficult life and gradually become the lowest tier among cultivators!"

Ning Zhuo immediately frowned, his expression turning gloomy, as if his mental defenses had been breached.

Ning Chen smiled inwardly, pressing on...

A moment later.

Watching Ning Zhuo's retreating back, Ning Yong said, "Ning Zhuo's results are better than ours, but what use is that? He still easily fell for our provocation and agreed to act with us tonight."

Ning Chen sighed, "Ning Zhuo is just like us, an ordinary person."

"Putting myself in his shoes, if I were him and was deliberately schemed against, I would also fall for it."

"Alas..."

Seeing his companion's low spirits, Ning Yong comforted him, "Although Ning Zhuo is our classmate, we have now pledged allegiance to Lord Ning Zhanji. This time, Lord Ning Zhanji personally gave us the order. What does this bit of classmate sentiment count for compared to our future? We aren't even close to him usually!"

Ning Chen shook his head slightly, "Forget it. This way, we can at least give Lord Ning Zhanji an explanation."

"Let's go."

In the evening, Ning Zhuo arrived at the meeting point alone.

Ning Yong smiled and led him in.

Ning Chen brought him before Ning Zhanji.

Ning Zhanji was a burly middle-aged man with long, narrow eyebrows. He sized up Ning Zhuo expressionlessly, "Since you are all members of the Ning Family, I will take care of you this time and arrange for you to join the team."

"But remember, all actions must follow my orders and arrangements."

"This junior understands!" Ning Zhuo quickly replied.

Information about Ning Zhanji quickly flashed through Ning Zhuo's mind.

Many years ago, the Ning Family began consciously sending cultivators out to various organizations inside and outside Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

Ning Zhanji was one of them.

He himself was very strong in combat, acted decisively, and was known for his swiftness. He could seize fleeting opportunities on the battlefield, thus distinguishing himself as a general-type figure.

This time, Ning Zhanji had been entrusted by Ning Ze and had accepted money from the latter, which was why he dispatched Ning Chen and Ning Yong to provoke Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhanji glanced at Ning Zhuo twice, then withdrew his gaze, evaluating him in his heart: "Qi Refining third layer, nothing special."

Soon, the personnel were assembled, totaling over fifty people.

Most of these people were surnamed Ning. The few outsiders also had close ties with the Ning Family.

Ning Zhanji led everyone and began to advance towards the Crimson Flame Demon Lava Cave.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City was a typical mountain city.

Most of the buildings in the city were concentrated halfway up the mountain. The closer to the city center, the higher the terrain, with the volcano crater at the very center on the mountaintop. The further out, the lower the terrain, extending to the foot of the mountain.

Ning Zhuo and his group climbed upwards from halfway up the mountain. They passed through several checkpoints along the way, and the inspections were quite lax, finally reaching the mountaintop.

At the mountaintop, the spiritual energy was noticeably denser and hotter.

The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, and it was quite pungent.

Although it was night, the volcano crater constantly scattered bright firelight. With the help of the light, Ning Zhuo saw plumes of white smoke drifting above the crater.

Within this white smoke, many Smoke Cloud Sparrows fluttered around, darting in and out.

Ning Zhuo and the others arrived at the edge of the volcano.

Looking down, they saw a wide, flat rocky area within the crater.

The crimson rocks constantly emitted scorching heat. Some red rocks were tightly connected, while others had gaps between the rock slabs, beneath which flowed bright orange-red lava. There were also openings on the rocks.

Some openings occasionally spewed flames, some flowed with lava, and some were bottomless, serving as paths to deeper underground areas.

The mountain wall and the rocky ground were almost perpendicular, and the entire circle of mountain walls was glazed, exceptionally smooth. This clearly showed signs of artificial work; the entire crater was like a giant open cup.

Moving towards the center, Ning Zhuo found that the number of openings on the red rock surface increased, and the size of the openings also grew larger.

Finally, his gaze settled on the very center of the rocky area.

There, was a lake of lava.