Chapter 1575 - 651: Three Brave Life-taking Nail (Part 2)

Chapter 1575: Chapter 651: Three Brave Life-taking Nail (Part 2)

Zhu Fenxiang’s expression momentarily paused, then turned to surprise: "Why?"

"Ning Zhuo and I now secretly exchange information, mutually leveraging each other’s strengths, both sides have initiative; the relationship is just right."

"If I publicly stand by his side, the space for both of us to maneuver would become much smaller."

"Moreover, we would have to face the competition from the Situ Family, and perhaps get involved in the waves stirred up by Nanming Village."

"Mother, you’ve always acted thoroughly and cautiously, why are you so aggressive today?"

Zhu Guizhi listened quietly, instead feeling a bit of relief in her heart. Her daughter didn’t let emotions cloud her judgment, still able to clearly analyze the pros and cons—this is good.

Yet the more calm Zhu Fenxiang was, the more Zhu Guizhi felt compassionate, thinking her daughter hasn’t yet realized her true feelings for Ning Zhuo, thinking she should give her a push from behind.

"Daughter, if you continue to gaze from a distance like before, you’ll never have the chance. The person closest to the water gets to reach the moon first; you need to stand by the water’s edge to catch that moon." Zhu Guizhi’s thoughts surged like tides, but she maintained her usual calm appearance.

"This matter can be justified both publicly and privately." Zhu Guizhi said slowly.

"Publicly, it could be claimed that the Zhu Family wants to involve itself in the Nanming Fire Furnace. The Nanming Fire Furnace is a Spiritual Treasure, Nanming Village is newly established, and the debt structure has not yet been fully solidified. Our proximity to Ning Zhuo is to intervene in the power structure of Nanming Village, to secure long-term benefits for the family."

"Fenxiang, if the Zhu Family truly secures a place in the affairs around the Nanming Fire Furnace, even the elders in the family would be tempted."

Zhu Fenxiang: "What about privately?"

Zhu Guizhi sighed again inwardly—it’s obviously paving the way for you. Silly girl, your heart is set on him, yet you’re stubbornly refusing to admit it.

She swallowed these words, then said softly, "Ning Zhuo is a worthy investment! The path of cultivation is long and arduous; merely accompanying someone promising and capable for part of the journey would greatly benefit us. Isn’t that right?"

Zhu Fenxiang immediately thought of how the Earth Guardian True Monarch valued Ning Zhuo, nodding sincerely, her face full of approval.

She contemplated earnestly for a moment: "I’ll contact Ning Zhuo first and see what he has to say."

Zhu Guizhi smiled: "Alright."

Zhu Fenxiang got up and walked into the inner chamber. The furnishings inside were simple, with a statue of the Earth Guardian True Monarch placed at the center.

The statue was no more than a foot high, the entire body exuding a heavy earth-yellow divine light, resembling a miniature mountain pressing down on the table, merely looking at it made one’s spirit feel weighted.

Zhu Fenxiang stood before the statue, formed seals with her hands, silently prayed, sending out a message.

Three Lights Heavenly Dao Cave Mansion.

Gongsun Yan stood nearby checking materials, while Fire-Wick Ahuo squatted beside one large wooden box after another, hugging his knees and staring blankly.

The boxes were jam-packed with various mechanism materials.

Three hundred green-striped bamboo cores, used for repairing the skeletons of mechanical birds.

Twenty boxes of cloud silk soft copper, lightweight and resilient, suitable for crafting mechanical feathers.

A thousand taels of fine silver springs, capable of filling every pivot gap within the joints of mechanical birds.

Eight boxes of thunder pattern red rivets, adopting the mechanism can instantly enhance a section’s burst strength.

Five buckets of floating sound jade shavings, can be integrated into the supporting mechanisms of Empty Valley Sound Green Mechanism Tube, making sound rhythm transmission more fluid and smooth.

...

The sheer quantity of these materials layered their brilliance, nearly turning the entire cave mansion into a glazed secret chamber, even someone like Gongsun Yan, accustomed to such occasions, felt his breathing tightened by the overwhelming spiritual brilliance filling the room.

Ning Zhuo remained unmoved.

These contributions were indeed massive in scale but couldn’t bring about qualitative change.

They could expand the number of the mechanical bird group, repair previously damaged mechanisms, allow Ning Zhuo to fight longer and more steadily, but held little meaning in the face of Three Brave of Xiang Sect.

At this moment, Ning Zhuo felt a slight stir in his heart, sensing a disturbance from the Shutu Prison True Monarch Statue inside his storage waist belt.

He extended his divine sense, receiving Zhu Fenxiang’s message.

Ning Zhuo’s brows slightly furrowed.

"Zhu Fenxiang is probing me, she or the Zhu Family want a more direct involvement in Nanming Village?"

This ally, who has always lurked in the shadows, suddenly harbored new schemes.

Ning Zhuo had originally been waiting for a response from Wen Ruanyu, foreseeing the obstacles from Wen Ruanyu. The Confucian Cultivator Group seeing him venture deeper and deeper into danger, should be inclined to intervene and dissuade him. But the premise was reaching an agreement with Wen Ruanyu.

Ning Zhuo was somewhat surprised, not anticipating Zhu Fenxiang to emerge first.

A wry smile stirred within Ning Zhuo’s heart.

In forming alliances and establishing a village, he stirred up a storm, causing more chain reactions.

Zhu Fenxiang, this ally, is bringing trouble to him. Underneath the simple inquiry lies the ambition that Ning Zhuo must be cautious of!

As Ning Zhuo carefully contemplated how to respond to Zhu Fenxiang, a visitor arrived outside the cave mansion.

The visitor was masked, draped in a gray-black cloak, his aura barely perceptible.

He knocked on the door but did not announce his name: "They are merely empty titles and false names, better save the effort. I came only for the battle between your young master and Three Brave of Xiang Sect."

The masked cultivator, upon entering the cave, sized up Ning Zhuo: "Young Master Ning, I bring something with me."

Ning Zhuo invited him to sit, but the masked cultivator shook his head and stood in place.

He took out a black long box from his sleeve.

The box was pieced together from unknown black bones, with dark red bloodlines seeping through the bone seams, like dried blood traces.

The lid was engraved with three distorted human figures, back-to-back, in grotesque postures that appeared to be tearing at each other, struggling in despair.

Ning Zhuo’s eyes slightly narrowed at this sight.

The masked cultivator opened the long box, within lay a rust-black long nail silently.

The seven-inch nail was covered with dense barbs. The nail’s end embedded a half-broken soul crystal, inside the soul crystal curled a transparent human figure, features blurred, chest marked with three overlapping scars, as though pierced by three different weapons simultaneously.

As soon as the nail was exposed, the cave mansion echoed with a low and faint soul howl, emanating an intense hatred that was almost irreducible, like cold steam seeping from a thousand feet below ground, chilling the atmosphere to an icy degree in a breath.

"This item is called the Three Brave Life-taking Nail," the masked cultivator’s voice was deep.

"Its core is the remnant soul of our family’s Nascent Soul Ancestor. The ancestor was slain by the combined efforts of Three Brave of Xiang Sect back then, his Nascent Soul destroyed, leaving only a last wisp of soul remaining. He swore vengeance, exhausting the entire clan’s foundation, setting up a great array, using the soul as the refining material, endless and immortal hatred locking all in on Three Brave of Xiang Sect. Alas, we descendants are inept, unable to avenge the ancestor’s grievance."

"This treasure, once used up, upon hitting, can temporarily render Life and Death Together divine skill ineffective!"

"Oh?" At this instant, Ning Zhuo’s eyes flashed sharply.

He finally received the aid capable of providing him a qualitative change!