Chapter 59: Building from Nothing
Lava Immortal Palace, Main Hall.
Roar!
Watching Yuan Dasheng being defeated, the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit threw back its head in fury, slamming its dragon claws forcefully onto the armrests of the throne.
Although the ranking board within the Lava Immortal Palace did not expressly indicate it, the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit knew well that Yuan Dasheng’s demonic prowess had reached the ninth level, perfectly complementing its own robust physical form.
The problem, however, was that he had had his soul drawn into the palace, losing his original body, and now possessed only a puppet’s shell. A puppet body lacked vital energy, unless it could access the demonic gates beyond Room Nine.
By then, Yuan Dasheng, once he displayed even a fraction of his true power, would soar unrestrained, unstoppable.
But Ning Zhuo blocked his path!
The Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit pinned its hopes on Ning Zhuo making a mistake during battle.
From beginning to end, Ning Zhuo never engaged Yuan Dasheng in close combat. This utterly dashed the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit’s hopes.
What further infuriated the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit was the name that appeared for Ning Zhuo on the ranking board.
It was cunningly chosen!
And so Yuan Dasheng was deceived.
The Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit desperately wished it could scrape those characters off, but it could not.
To any disciple participating in the trial, it was forbidden to leak even the slightest information. This was the strict decree of the Three Sects’ elders!
Room Eight.
Ning Zhuo began to clear the battlefield.
Though victorious, he felt no joy.
This outcome had been within his expectations.
At present, he commanded a multitude of spells, paired with intricate mechanical components, spirit stones, and spiritual power, all far surpassing Yuan Dasheng. His overall strength was formidable.
Moreover, he had previously observed Yuan Dasheng, knowing precisely his speed, strength, and other attributes.
Rather than a desperate clash in a narrow corridor, it had truly been a hunt.
“But even if I defeat him again and again, he’ll return, never truly dying.”
Thus, the problem was not solved.
Ning Zhuo carefully examined Yuan Dasheng’s mechanical parts.
Before the Lava Immortal Palace carried out its cleanup, he hurried to inspect.
Although Ning Zhuo had dominated throughout their exchange, the pressure was immense; he felt Yuan Dasheng must have been concealing his innate talent.
If such a talent existed, it might be revealed through the mechanical components.
For example, Ning Zhuo’s early intelligence talent could be deduced from the shape of his large head.
However, after going over them several times, Ning Zhuo found nothing suspicious.
The components were large, yet their proportions were natural and reasonable, with no single aspect standing out.
“Is it like Meng Chong’s Thunderous Charge, only manifesting once activated?”
“No, if he could activate it, he would have used it in battle already.”
“Is it the puppet body preventing him from using it? Or is there another restriction?”
Ning Zhuo sighed.
This search yielded almost nothing.
Soon, he left Room Eight, retraced his steps, and hurried to repair the mechanical traps.
He also froze the puppet fighters, bringing them into the maintenance chamber, arranging them on various mechanical pedestals, and using an array of tools to repair and reinforce them.
Once the traps had been properly restored and reset, Ning Zhuo returned to the foremost checkpoint.
His greatest progress so far was in Immortal Gate Room One and Demonic Gate Room One; he could not enter the Buddhist Gate.
Inside Immortal Gate Room One, he actively sensed his disciple mark and voluntarily exited the palace.
Yuan Dasheng could clear up to Room Seven in a single attempt; others could potentially do the same.
Therefore, he made sure to withdraw from the deepest point, minimizing his exposure as much as possible.
Ning Zhuo paid careful attention to these details; he was cautious and didn’t want to lose the advantage over minor slips.
His soul returned to his body, and Ning Zhuo continued to study intelligence regarding the Monkeyhead Gang and Yuan Dasheng.
According to the reports: Yuan Yi had poor aptitude, came from humble origins, and once survived by begging.
He was forced to join the Beggars’ Gang, compelled to serve as cannon fodder alongside others in exploring the Crimson Flame Demon Lava Caves.
During the exploration, he encountered an injured young Fire-Meld Demon Ape.
Yuan Yi brought the cub out of the volcano, forging a contract with it.
That cub would later become Yuan Dasheng.
Yuan Yi initially named it Da Sheng, and for a long time, the two depended on each other, struggling through hardship.
Once the Fire-Meld Demon Ape grew, gaining greater combat prowess, their circumstances improved.
They first left the Beggars’ Gang, then made a living in beast-fighting arenas. Da Sheng endured countless bloody battles, gradually earning a reputation.
However, the black market beast-fighting soon came under crackdown, and Yuan Yi and Da Sheng again lost their livelihood.
The Beggars’ Gang sought revenge, plotting against Yuan Yi.
Yuan Yi and Da Sheng endured prison, rebounded from the bottom, allied with fellow inmates, broke out of the gang’s private prison, and after days of fierce alley fights, finally overthrew the Beggars’ Gang.
After the battle, Yuan Yi’s contributions were unparalleled, and he was elected leader.
He took the opportunity to reorganize and founded the Monkeyhead Gang.
At its inception, the Monkeyhead Gang faced joint suppression from other factions in Fire Persimmon City, weathering storms on the brink of collapse, relying on Da Sheng’s fierce fighting to hold their ground and gradually grow stronger.
In this blood-soaked process, Da Sheng’s name faded, and more people respectfully called him Da Sheng, the Great Victor. For the sake of the gang’s reputation, Yuan Yi bestowed him the surname, and so Da Sheng became Yuan Dasheng.
“This is a tale of rising from nothing, tempered by blood and fire, ultimately forging a legacy through extraordinary talent!”
Ning Zhuo carefully studied Da Sheng’s win rate during beast-fighting, as well as key battles in later gang conflicts.
“Taken individually, Yuan Dasheng’s battles were a mix of wins and losses. But if you calculate his overall win rate, it becomes problematic.”
“His win rate is too high, which suggests he is hiding some powerful trump card!”
Generally, such individuals who rise from obscurity often face danger and struggle to conceal their trump cards.
Yet Yuan Dasheng managed to do so.
From this, his hidden trump card is likely immense—very immense!
“He probably possesses innate talent.”
“But in this recent bout, I failed to uncover it.”
Ning Zhuo furrowed his brow, at a loss for a solution.
The underground workshop was utterly silent, its atmosphere oppressive.
Yuan Dasheng’s inherent strength was already formidable, posing a severe threat to Ning Zhuo’s lead, and greatly undermining his strategic layout.
More terrifying was the reaction of the other four major powers once Yuan Dasheng was exposed.
The response of these righteous factions was nearly unanimous: coercion and enticement, to make Yuan Dasheng theirs!
With such a devastating weapon, any of them could gain the upper hand, perhaps even seize the Lava Immortal Palace.
As for Yuan Dasheng cultivating demonic arts, it meant little.
Is it rare for demonic cultivators to serve as the black-gloved hands of righteous factions?
Sometimes, righteous cultivators even disguise themselves as demon practitioners to accomplish things unsuitable for their public identity.
And Yuan Dasheng was easily manipulated.
The Monkeyhead Gang and Yuan Er were both his weaknesses.
Once powerful forces united, Ning Zhuo’s defeat would be nearly certain.
The next developments were easy to predict.
Righteous factions and Yuan Dasheng would join forces, destroy mechanical traps, quickly overtake Ning Zhuo, eventually become masters of the Lava Immortal Palace, examine the records, discover Ning Zhuo’s actions, then capture him and extract the Buddha Heart Demon Seal from him!