Fire Ape and Ning Zhuo

Fei Si glanced at him disdainfully. "You brute, you're already being led by the nose by the enemy and you don't even realize it."

He cupped his hands again and looked at the City Lord. "It's all thanks to your Lordship's keen insight, decisive handling of the chaos, and unwavering defense of the volcano's peak, remaining steadfast and giving the enemy no opportunity."

"As long as your Lordship personally presides, who can infiltrate the Magma Immortal Palace right under your nose?"

"This is precisely the brilliant method of adapting to change with constancy, a great skill that appears simple, leaving the hidden enemy to sigh at the heavens with no chance at all!"

Chi Dun was scolded again and immediately said angrily, "You've been talking for ages and haven't gotten to the point. What about the Demonic Cultivator hiding in the Fire Persimmon Forest? What if he triggers a chain reaction of explosions in the Fire Persimmon Forest? Won't the hundreds of years of accumulation in Fire Persimmon City still be destroyed?"

Fei Si shook his head and sighed. "Things have come to this, we can only prepare for the worst."

"However, I don't think it's likely that the other party will actively detonate it."

"He's a Demonic Cultivator, and his brain isn't broken. If the entire Fire Persimmon Forest is detonated, the power will be so strong that it will shake the entire Fire Persimmon Immortal Mountain. He himself will definitely be blown to smithereens and die tragically on the spot."

After a pause, Fei Si continued, "He has already been hit by the Limestone Heart Technique. The longer it drags on, the heavier his injuries will be."

"We are the side with the advantage. We should proceed slowly and steadily, and absolutely not rush for success, giving the enemy an opportunity."

"In my humble opinion, our side should contact the other three families and discuss together how to deal with this Demonic Cultivator. This will strengthen unity and distinguish loyalty. If someone is truly the mastermind or an inside agent, it will be easier for us to discover them."

"In addition, it's best for us to wait until after the Fire Persimmon Festival to act. Harvesting Fire Persimmons on a large scale at that time can minimize our losses."

Chi Dun's eyes widened, and he shouted in disbelief, "You still want to hold the Fire Persimmon Festival?!"

"Do you want everyone in the city to die?"

"Once the Fire Persimmon Forest explodes in a chain reaction, how many casualties will there be?"

"At that time, the City Lord will definitely be held accountable and is very likely to be directly dismissed!"

Fei Si had anticipated this. "Since I proposed this, I naturally have a solution."

"City Lord, please look at this Mechanical Monkey."

Saying this, Fei Si took out a mechanical creation from his storage bag.

This mechanical creation was half a person tall, with bright red monkey fur and bulging muscles, lifelike. If it wasn't a Fire Ape, what was it?

Fei Si continued with a hint of pride, "Just three days ago, Chen Cha presented this mechanism. Using it, we can easily harvest Fire Persimmons and avoid casualties."

The City Lord was expressionless. With a thought, he summoned the Mechanical Monkey and examined it in front of him.

After a few breaths, he nodded slightly. "It's passable, only the control center in the monkey's brain has a bit of cleverness."

He was a Nascent Soul level cultivator with a broad vision. In his opinion, the design of the Fire Ape was unremarkable and uninspired.

"Who is Chen Cha?" The City Lord was somewhat interested in the creator.

Fei Si replied, "Many years ago, your Lordship ordered your subordinates to recruit mechanical engineers everywhere. Chen Cha is one of them, invited by your subordinate to live in Fire Persimmon City."

"This person is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with solid array formations, skilled in setting up Dynamic Arrays. However, in mechanical arts, he lacks spirituality and has never had any outstanding works."

"Now, he finally has some results."

When the City Lord heard that Chen Cha was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he lost interest and waved his hand. "Let's handle this matter like this."

"Chi Dun, from now on, you will fully cooperate with Fei Si."

Chi Dun said gloomily, "Your subordinate obeys!"

The Ning Family.

The Clan Leader summoned the Young Clan Leader to his study.

He first handed over a list.

The Young Clan Leader, Ning Xiaoren, took it and looked through it. He first saw Ning Zhanji among the casualties, and then saw Ning Zhuo's name on the list of survivors.

The Clan Leader sighed, "Ning Zhanji's death in battle is a great loss for our Ning Family."

Ning Xiaoren said, "It is also his honor to sacrifice for the family as a member of the branch family."

The Clan Leader said, "You are in charge of the family's logistics. The compensation for the family's cultivators this time should be handled by you."

Ning Xiaoren quickly said, "Father, rest assured, your son will handle this matter properly."

"Mm." The Clan Leader nodded and tested him, "Xiaoren, what do you think of the emergence of the Magma Immortal Palace this time?"

Ning Xiaoren thought for a moment before saying, "The emergence of the Immortal Palace forces us to accelerate the exploration progress. Our clan was the last to learn of this matter, and the situation is even more unfavorable than before."

"We haven't been able to invite an excellent Mechanical Master, and relying solely on our clan's strength, it will be difficult to compete with the other three parties."

The Clan Leader sighed, his tone heavy, "Currently, the selection criteria for the Immortal Palace have been lowered to the Qi Refining Stage. Perhaps our clan should fully organize a large number of cultivators to switch to cultivating the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art."

Ning Xiaoren frowned tightly, "Father, this is what worries me the most."

"How many people should be organized to switch to the new cultivation technique? What kind of people? Most importantly, how many people from the main family, and who should be chosen? How many people from the branch families, and who should be chosen?"

"The current situation is unclear, and it is quite difficult to decide how to proceed."

Hearing these words, the Clan Leader couldn't help but show a look of relief, "Xiaoren, that you can understand this point means you are a qualified Young Clan Leader."

"For this matter, I need to gather the family elders for a good discussion."

"You go and handle your affairs."

Ning Xiaoren bowed and withdrew.

Back in his own study, a family cultivator came to ask how the family compensation should be distributed this time.

Ning Xiaoren said without hesitation, "Compensation? What compensation?"

"Aren't these Ning family members all from the Demon Hunting Society? The Demon Hunting Society has its own compensation."

The family cultivator looked troubled, "But, they are all from our Ning Family..."

Ning Xiaoren interrupted, "It is precisely because the family is in difficulty and financially poor that we encourage our clansmen to join other organizations to make a living. As members of the Ning Family, you should think for the family!"

The family cultivator had no choice but to withdraw.

Ning Xiaoren was still very angry and summoned Ning Zhuo's eldest uncle, Ning Ze.

Ning Xiaoren's face was ashen, and he tapped the table with his knuckles, making a drumming sound, "Ning Ze, how are you acting as an eldest uncle? Ning Zhuo ran into the Crimson Flame Demon Lava Cave and almost lost his life, do you know that?"

Ning Ze wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly said, "I know, I know!"

He had finally "thought of" a brilliant plan on his own, provoking Ning Zhuo and making him join the Demon Hunting Society. As a result, the Immortal Palace emerged, and Ning Zhanji, who was responsible for recruiting Ning Zhuo, died.

Ning Zhuo didn't actually join the Demon Hunting Society. Instead, Ning Xiaoren saw through Ning Ze's arrangement. The latter was naturally furious!

Ning Ze said with a bitter smile, "It's just, Young Clan Leader, it's not that I don't want to arrange it for Little Zhuo. It's just that he's too stubborn..."

Smack.

Before Ning Ze could finish speaking, he was hit on the head by an inkstone thrown by Ning Xiaoren.

Intense pain struck, and at the same time, a warm current flowed down his forehead, quickly reaching his chin.

The air in Ning Ze's nostrils was filled with the smell of rust.

He knew then that the Young Clan Leader had broken his forehead again.

"Don't play dumb with me!" The Young Clan Leader pointed at the door. "Get out! Next time, I want to hear good news!"

Ning Ze's face was full of pain, blood flowing incessantly from his head, but he didn't dare to treat it on the spot. He gritted his teeth and retreated.