**Ning Family.**
Ning Xiaohui had just taken a sip of tea when her expression suddenly changed dramatically.
She identally dropped her teacup and immediately fell to the ground, clutching her neck.
"I… I…" Ning Xiaohui struggled to breathe, her face turning a terrifying shade of blue and purple.
The tea had numbed her nasal cavity and mouth, the poison corroding her and filling her nose and mouth with toxic foam, making it impossible for her to breathe!
The next moment, Ning Xiaohui reached out with her hand and viciously scratched at her throat.
She directly tore open her windpipe, causing blood to flow profusely. But because of this, she managed to breathe fresh air once again.
The Ning family guards, who rushed in upon hearing themotion, were shocked by the scene and hurriedly reported the incident.
Ning Xiaohui, her expression fierce, prepared a spell in her hand, aiming it at anyone who dared to approach her.The Ning family guards didn’t dare to act rashly. It was only when Ning Xiaohui saw her grandmother appear that she rxed, fainting on the spot.
**Ning Zhuo''s Small Courtyard.**
In the small secret cultivation room inside his bedroom, Ning Zhuo sat with his eyes tightly closed, fully focused.
Drops of fresh blood dripped down, falling onto his chest and staining his clothes.
It was nosebleed.
Ning Zhuo was going all out, using the Mirror tform Spirit Technique for observation and controlling Yuan Dasheng with his Heart Seal, asionally manipting Dasheng’s spiritual energy to cast spells.
When Yuan Dasheng reached the final door, his body was covered in wounds.
Three fingers on his left hand were broken, and his right leg had nearly been severed.
It was only under Ning Zhuo’smand that Yuan Dasheng retreated to the maintenance room, where he self-repaired before being able to continue exploring.
Although the Ning Zhuo puppet was not as powerful as Yuan Dasheng, the twoplemented each other well, with one attacking from a distance and the other engaging in closebat, creating a significant change in theirbat effectiveness.
Relying solely on Yuan Dasheng to charge through would have been much more difficult.
Yuan Dasheng courageously fought through the three barriers of the Buddha Gate and once again stood before the reward selection door.
Without any hesitation, Ning Zhuo directly chose the *Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra*.
The content of the sutra quickly transmitted to Ning Zhuo''s mind.
"Just as I thought!"
Ning Zhuo first felt exhrated, then quickly became dazed.
The content of the *Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra* moved him deeply.
He forced himself to suppress the surging emotions and ordered the Golden Blood Battle Ape, Dasheng, to push open the door and enter another hall, where he once again saw the three gates: Buddha, Dao, and Demon.
The three doors required cultivation at the peak of the sixthyer to enter, which was beyond Yuan Dasheng’s capabilities.
Ning Zhuo then activated the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, allowing Yuan Dasheng to retreat smoothly and re-enter the reward stage.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was furious.
Previously, Ning Zhuo only cheated by himself, but now even his mechanical puppet was cheating.
The Immortal Pce shook as Meng Kui made another move.
As a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, he was working tirelessly, constantly worrying that the Immortal Pce might erupt and cause a volcanic explosion, resulting in a great disaster with countless casualties.
Inside the Immortal Pce, everything was peaceful.
Ning Zhuo was still a bit eager.
"What should I choose this time?"
"Hmm, is there still another *Phantom True Lotus Seed*?"
"If my guess is correct…"
Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment and then chose the *Phantom True Lotus Seed* again.
The second *Phantom True Lotus Seed* was sent to his spiritual sea through the Life Hanging by a Thread divine ability.
It quickly merged with the divine ability bud from before.
Soon, the previously sprouting lotus seed grew to nearly twice its original size after the fusion.
Seeing this, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit suddenly felt less angry.
It hadn''t expected Ning Zhuo, after suffering a loss once, to still take a gamble and choose the second *Phantom True Lotus Seed*.
All the *Phantom True Lotus Seeds* in the Lava Immortal Pce were imprints of a part of the essence of the Life Hanging by a Thread divine ability.
They were limited in number, avable on a firste, first-served basis, but understanding the divine ability was extremely difficult.
Seeing Ning Zhuo make such a choice, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was gloating.
Thus, under the puzzled gaze of the city lord, the previously tumultuous Lava Immortal Pce suddenly calmed down.
"What on earth is wrong with this Pce Spirit?" Meng Kui furrowed his brows, unable to understand.
Yuan Dasheng pushed open the door, then retreated again to im the reward.
The third time, Ning Zhuo still chose the *Phantom True Lotus Seed*.
At this point, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was rolling withughter, its mocking voice echoing throughout the main hall.
The fourth time, and also thest time.
The exhausted Ning Zhuo still chose the *Phantom True Lotus Seed*.
After fusing three *Phantom True Lotus Seeds* consecutively, the lotus bud had grown into a small segment of lotus root.
This brought with it a flood of insights, like a rushing stream, constantly washing over Ning Zhuo’s mind.
Ning Zhuo quickly focused on these insights. In the process, he suddenly opened his eyes.
He was in the small secret cultivation room, surrounded by floating clouds that obscured his vision.
But Ning Zhuo turned his head and stared in a certain direction, his brows furrowed, his eyes shing with a dark glow.
At the courtyard gate, a Ning family artifact refining cultivator was patrolling.
Tap, tap, tap.
A horse-drawn carriage seemed to lose control and rushed toward the small courtyard.
The Ning family cultivator first shouted loudly to stop it, then quickly cast a spell.
But the spell couldn’t stop the carriage. It smashed through the courtyard gate and charged into the courtyard.
After slightly adjusting its direction, it headed straight for the bedroom where Ning Zhuo was.
"Enemy attack!"
A Foundation Establishment cultivator descended from the sky, blocking the carriage.
Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically.
Boom…
The next moment, the carriage exploded, sending intense heat and mes soaring into the sky.
The st wave surged in all directions.
Everything turned blindingly white.
First, the roof of Ning Zhuo’s house was blown off, then the walls were torn apart. Everything inside the house, including furniture and decorations, was reduced to ashes in the explosion.
The violent explosion nearly leveled the surrounding area.
Amidst the smoke and dust, the Ning family guards regrouped. Only two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators remained, while the two Qi Refining stage cultivators had perished in the explosion.
One of the Foundation Establishment cultivators was the one who had tried to intercept the carriage and was severely injured.
But he didn’t care about his own injuries, frantically searching for Ning Zhuo’s whereabouts.
After all, this was the target they must protect at all costs.
"It’s over, it’s over, Ning Zhuo is dead!"
"No, there’s still hope."
"Yes, yes, there’s a basement here."
The Ning family’s double cultivators quickly formed hand seals and began digging furiously.
They soon unearthed a passage.
Entering the basement, they found that most of the framework had already copsed, and much of it had caved in.
But to their immense joy, Ning Zhuo was indeed there.
"You’re still alive."
"Thank heavens!"
The two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Ning family were almost in tears of joy.
Ning Zhuo, his breath weak, seemed to be injured: "Two brothers, let’s talkter. Quickly set up a formation to protect me."
"Also, quickly send a message to the family, asking them to send people to escort us."
The Foundation Establishment double cultivators suddenly realized, and one of them nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, that’s exactly what we should do."
A temporary formation was set up, with Ning Zhuo inside.
Outside the formation, the two Foundation Establishment guards didn’t dare to rx even a little.
At any sign of trouble, they would immediatelyunch spells without hesitation.
Not long after, arge group of Ning family cultivators arrived to escort him.
Ning Xiaoren led the way, weing Ning Zhuo out of the formation: "Dear nephew, dear nephew, when I heard you were attacked, I was so worried. I was anxious the whole way."
"Fortunately, you have the heavens'' protection and survived this deadly crisis!"
"It was extremely dangerous!"
Ning Zhuo first bowed in respect, then asked, "Uncle Ning, the attacker was utterly ruthless, even blowing up my residence. It was a ce left to me by my mother, and now it’s in ruins."
"When can we catch the demonic cultivator who attacked me?"
"I won’t have peace of mind until we catch him."
Ning Xiaoren looked troubled, carefully choosing his words to persuade Ning Zhuo to stay calm.
"For now, let’s escort you back to the family residence."
"It would be much safer for you to stay at my mansion."
This time, Ning Zhuo didn’t have much room to refuse.
But after thinking for a moment, he said, "Uncle Ning, I don’t want to trouble you all the time."
"In fact
, when I was studying at the academy, I used to stay at my uncle’s house!"
"So this time, I’d rather stay at my uncle’s house. After all, they are also within the inner area of the family estate."
Ning Xiaoren thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement, "Alright. If you’re notfortable at my ce, I won’t force you."
"I’ll send more guards to watch over you day and night."
"You might not know this, but all the Qi Refining stage geniuses from the four major forces in the Volcano Immortal City have been assassinated, each of them injured. Ning Xiaohui is already unconscious. Your situation is rtively better."
Ning Zhuo’s face showed fear, and he gasped.
Ning Xiaoren sighed, his brows furrowed, his face full of worry.