Immortal Creation.

Chapter 719 Ning Zhuo is my tribulation

This premonition was without reason, and Ning Zhuo himself found it quite strange.

This undoubtedly increased his attention to Banji. After thinking about it, he first wrote a reply to Banji, politely declining the offer.

Then, he summoned Gongsun Yan.

Gongsun Yan clasped his hands in a respectful greeting: "Young Master, what are your orders?"

Ning Zhuo: "Investigate someone for me."

He handed Gongsun Yan a letter from Ban Ji, along with his own reply, and then gave him a bag of spirit stones, instructing Gongsun Yan to take care of it.

Gongsun Yan, holding Ning Zhuo's reply, followed the letter all the way to a mountain peak. He stood in front of one of the cave dwellings and, holding Ning Zhuo's reply, requested an audience.

The cave was opened, and Gongsun Yan was welcomed inside.

Inside the cave, a small banquet was underway. There were songs, dances, and delicious food and wine; the atmosphere was lively.

The hosts and guests of honor at the banquet were Pi Fujie and Ban Ji, respectively.

Pi Fujie, with his full head of gray hair and sunken eyes like a skull, still wore the same loose robe made of leather. However, his expression was no longer arrogant; instead, he was all smiles and talking quietly with Banji beside him.

Gongsun Yan knew who Pi Fujie and Ning Zhuo had grudges against, and naturally, he would also take care of his subordinates. Understanding the other party's strong hostility, he remained expressionless and showed no fear.

Seeing that Feixin followed the scent and flew straight to Banji, Gongsun Yan began to scrutinize the man closely.

The young man, Banji, had a yellowish complexion, high cheekbones, a hooked nose, and thin, pursed lips, giving him a mean and greedy appearance.

He was lean and capable, of medium height, with long arms and neck, and leaned forward quite a bit. When he sat down, he looked like a vulture ready to pounce on its prey.

Gongsun Yan bowed to Pi Fujie and Ban Ji in turn, representing Ning Zhuo to express his purpose in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant.

Ban Ji sat cross-legged, holding a wine cup in one hand and supporting himself on his knee with the other. Only after Gongsun Yan finished speaking did he raise his eyes and shift his gaze from the wine cup to Gongsun Yan.

Gongsun Yan then saw Ban Ji's eyes.

His eyes had a lot of white showing, and his pupils were cloudy yellowish-brown, like two pieces of old amber.

Ban Ji chuckled, a hint of arrogance in his voice, "Your follower is quite something. How long have you been following Ning Zhuo? Were you assigned to Ning Zhuo's side because you're joining the Myriad Manifestations Sect?"

Gongsun Yan cupped his hands and explained the truth, stating that he was originally a guest of the Lin family, assisting Lin Jinglong in joining the Wanxiang Sect, and had only recently joined Ning Zhuo.

Banji's expression remained unchanged. He moved his fingers and twirled the wine glass in his hand.

He was slightly startled, but remained calm: "Oh? The Lin family is quite impressive. How much did Ning Zhuo offer you to send Lin Jinglong?"

Gongsun Yan shook his head slightly: "This is not something that can be told to outsiders."

Ban Ji chuckled. Just now, he had scanned the letter with his divine sense and understood Ning Zhuo's attitude of refusal.

He immediately waved his arm and said, "Alright, I've received the letter. Since Ning Zhuo doesn't have time, let's wait for the right opportunity to arrange a sparring match."

Pi Fujie stood to the side, his brows furrowing slightly.

He deliberately befriended Ban Ji and sent him a generous gift. Although Ban Ji agreed and sent a letter inviting him to spar, he backed down immediately after Ning Zhuo refused.

Pi Fujie took a swig of wine and watched Gongsun Yan leave. He was just about to start talking to Ban Ji.

Ban Ji had already said in advance, "Fellow Daoist Pi, please calm down."

"As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Ning Zhuo's reply was tactful and polite, and he did not completely refuse, but only said that he did not have time at the moment."

“I have this letter, but I can’t spread rumors that Ning Zhuo is cowardly and afraid of fighting, so as not to tarnish his reputation.”

Pi Fujie shook his head, his face slightly cold: "Fellow Daoist Banji, why try to deceive me with such words? Since when have you become so tolerant of your enemies?"

"Moreover, this is clearly Ning Zhuo's delaying tactic!"

"He's unsure of your intentions, so he deliberately sent his subordinate to deliver the reply. I'm afraid he'll focus all his efforts on investigating you now, in order to be more confident in dealing with you."

Seeing Pi Fujie's expression, Ban Ji's own face immediately darkened: "Of course I know that."

"Ever since you wrote to me last time and mentioned Ning Zhuo, I have started investigating this guy myself."

"Did you know that he participated in Chu Xuangui's Xingyun preliminary test this morning and won first place?"

Pi Fujie frowned, a look of doubt on his face: "Chu Xuangui?"

He thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered Chu Xuangui's information, and couldn't help but feel even more puzzled: "This is a Confucian cultivator, at the Golden Core level, one of the pillars of the Confucian cultivation group within the Myriad Manifestations Sect." "What? Was this year's Confucian cultivator's preliminary test so easy? How could Ning Zhuo, an outsider, have won?"

Pi Fujie wasn't really aware of this information.

Ban Ji sneered: "If it's just a small test with a drastic drop in difficulty, that would be a relatively good situation. I'm afraid... hehe."

"Let me tell you one more thing, Bai Jiyun, Liu Fushu, and Kong Ran are also participating in this trial."

Pi Fujie shook his head: "I don't know much about Liu Fushu, but I've heard of Bai Jiyun and Kong Ran before."

"Kong Ran is the son of the current prime minister, and Bai Jiyun is comparable to us, as well as the likes of Situ Xing and Lin Jinglong."

"They are genuine Confucian scholars, yet they were defeated by Ning Zhuo?"

Pi Fujie became increasingly suspicious and uncertain.

Ban Ji had been observing Pi Fujie's expression for a while, and seeing no flaws, he slightly raised his head: "Go and investigate the details yourself."

"This person doesn't seem as simple as he appears."

"Therefore, I must do my best to gather intelligence and postpone dealing with him."

At this point, Banji recalled the words his grandfather had personally instructed him when he set off from the family: "Good great-grandson, I have already used the family's mechanisms to calculate your journey to the Wanxiang Sect."

"This journey is extremely dangerous for you, but it also contains great opportunities."

"You have cultivated demonic arts, which has diminished your virtuous conduct. Now, if you want to join the Myriad Manifestations Sect and take another step forward, you will trigger your tribulation."

Ban Ji felt troubled: "Ancestor, the Myriad Manifestations Sect is full of heroes, so many geniuses and strong people, how can I distinguish which one is my tribulation?"

The grandfather stroked his beard and smiled slightly: "I have already marked you with the family's secret mechanism."

"When you encounter it, you will naturally be touched in your heart."

"But once this method is used, the other party will sense it. You need to be careful, very careful!"

Banji nodded solemnly: "Ancestor, I will remember it."

"Since I chose to cultivate demonic arts, it is only natural that I would frequently encounter tribulations. I have never regretted it!"

"In the past few calamities, I relied on you to avoid them in advance. But this time, I can't avoid them!"

"I definitely need to join the Myriad Manifestations Sect; that's the only way I'll have a brighter future."

"Heh heh, I'd like to see what kind of obstacle can stand in my way!"

When Pi Fujie sent a letter inviting Ban Ji to deal with Ning Zhuo, Ban Ji felt a stirring deep within his heart the moment he received the letter.

"Ning Zhuo?"

"Is he the one who will bring me my calamity this time?"

Ban Ji forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart. His high regard for Ning Zhuo was something Pi Fujie could not have imagined.

Therefore, he was extremely cautious about Ning Zhuo and immediately took great efforts in secret to actively investigate Ning Zhuo's intelligence.

When Banji learned of Chu Xuangui's Xingyun trial results around noon, he became even more wary of Ning Zhuo.

Pi Fujie urged Banji to take action, but Banji felt that if he acted rashly, he might be prematurely facing his own calamity, and that his haste would result in a disastrous defeat.

Therefore, he decided to postpone the operation and conduct a thorough investigation.

"You know, I've successfully avoided disasters several times before."

"This calamity is likely to be more powerful than any before."

"Those who can become my tribulation calamity must be extraordinary!"

"We must be extremely cautious!!"

"Fortunately, he's only a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator..."

"Based on the current intelligence, I'm afraid the difficulty in his tribulation lies in the fact that he has a powerful force backing him up."

"If I defeat Ning Zhuo, I'm afraid it will bring many unexpected and powerful retaliations!"

(End of this chapter)