Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1165: Chapter 442: Qingwu Langjun

Ning Zhuo gazed calmly at the other three cultivators.

With a solemn expression, he clasped his hands in salute: "Further fighting is pointless. What do the three of you think?"

The three cultivators looked at each other.

Originally, if Tie Zheng and Ning Zhuo continued to exhaust each other, they had a good chance. But with just one sentence, Ning Zhuo struck a chord in Tie Zheng’s weakest spot and successfully persuaded him to surrender.

The remaining three cultivators faced Ning Zhuo, who was still capable of fighting, and found themselves in an awkward position.

To fight or not to fight?

The three cultivators showed hesitation.

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, mobilizing his divine sense, several pieces of mysterious armor floated around him, slowly rotating.

Pa.

The bronze whip cracked loudly, snapping the three cultivators back to reality.

One of them sighed deeply: "Well, if even a Golden Core like Tie Zheng has conceded, then I too will surrender."

His declaration immediately drew glaring looks from the other two.

But as he was teleported away from the scene, there was nothing the remaining two could do.

"I surrender! Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo indeed surpasses us in skill." The second person also dropped his weapon and was teleported away.

The last cultivator held on to a cleaver.

He was still in the process of refining it.

"Alas, what a pity!" He glanced regretfully at the cleaver, finally threw it down, and cupped his hands to Ning Zhuo, publicly conceding.

In that cave, only Ning Zhuo stood upright, surrounded by the scattered mysterious armors.

"Eleven, twelve... sixteen."

The cultivator from the Xuan Armor Cave counted, confirming the number of mysterious armors in the scene.

With only Ning Zhuo left, no one to compete against, all these mysterious armors were considered his achievement.

"First place!"

"Ning Zhuo is the first place in this Xingyun Trial."

"Another first place has appeared."

"Phew, I didn’t expect this outcome. At the start, I thought he would be eliminated quickly."

"Among all the first-place winners, Ning Zhuo will be one of the most memorable cultivators to me. Haha, information about him will surely fetch a good price."

The Hao-surnamed cultivator listened to the discussions around him but felt no relief. He glanced at the surrounding cultivators, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "Although the Xingyun Trial has ended, it’s not over yet."

At the edge of the cliff, clouds rose.

Ban Ji and Ban Jie felt no leisure for tea, the mountain wind ruffling their hair and clothes, leaving them restless and cold.

Just because the latest intelligence had just been delivered to them.

"Ning Zhuo actually became the final victor? And in first place?!"

"Tie Zheng, that Golden Core failure, actually conceded voluntarily!" Ban Ji’s face was full of gloom.

His gaze sharp, carrying a trace of anger, he stared at Ban Jie: "Why did your men split into two waves this time? If they had all acted at once, the outcome could have been very different!"

Ban Jie sighed, gave Ban Ji a look, thought to herself: "If we don’t control the support, how can we hone and bring out your King’s Order?"

Of course, this was only in her heart.

On the surface, she explained: "If we send everyone at once, you might become the target of everyone’s focus! The three Golden Cores together with Ning Zhuo and others would eliminate you first."

Ban Ji wasn’t easily persuaded: "Of course, we wouldn’t reveal everything from the start. The best time would have been just after Tie Zheng eliminated Lu Zeng and Ao Pan. Why didn’t you go all out then?"

Ban Jie snorted lightly: "Don’t forget, before the Golden Core cultivators determined the victory, you and the Rust Disaster Craftsman had already been pushed into a disadvantage by Ning Zhuo and others. My wavering moves were out of desperation."

After a pause, she continued: "And another point. If we used all our forces, how would others view our Ban Family? Even if you’re in first place, it would be an unfair victory. By then, without mentioning anyone else, Ning Zhuo alone would definitely seize on this point. Our family would be in a passive position!"

Ban Ji’s nostrils flared, his fists clenched, veins bulging.

Resentment grew within him, gritting his teeth: "Again with reputation! Always worrying about others, never straightforward. Ahhh! I want to disregard everything and just sweep through, crush Ning Zhuo, Tie Zheng, and others underfoot!"

Ban Jie didn’t share his thoughts. Seeing Ban Ji’s displeased expression, she gently advised: "For this trial, our family offered substantial support, with nearly ten people lying in ambush for us. At the very beginning, we fell into Ning Zhuo’s rhythm, forced to reveal our ambushes multiple times, yielding very low returns from painstaking preparations."

"And another mistake, I misjudged Tie Zheng."

"From the performance in the scene, it seems that person may have had a Heart Demon. My maneuvering support not only assisted you but also made you his eyesore."

Ban Ji was reminded by these words, feeling ashamed that despite the family’s support, he was eliminated.

He took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly: "You didn’t miscalculate, you just underestimated Tie Zheng. It’s not your fault, just from the old information alone, who would have thought Tie Zheng had a Heart Demon?"

Seeing Ban Ji’s expression soften, Ban Jie continued: "And another point, causing our failure. Ning Zhuo unexpectedly possessed a seventh Mysterious Armor! Our informant was misled on this, leading to severe misjudgment on our part!"

If he had known earlier that Ning Zhuo had a seventh weapon, Ban Jie would have included Ning Zhuo when secretly inciting the Golden Core cultivators.

Ban Ji remembered, emitting strands of killing intent: "That Ning Zhuo is cunning!"

"He kept the bronze whip hidden until the very end to use it."