Chapter 94

The battle on the Golden Stair, though not on a large scale, was extremely perilous.

The small square, now reduced to a flat expanse—well, it was flat to begin with—had everything around it turned to powder due to the battle.

Among all this, the most destructive to the surroundings was Garcia's two-handed giant hammer.

Each attack unleashed a fierce shockwave. The stones and trees around, upon contact with these shockwaves, instantly shattered, becoming the main cause of the changes in the surrounding terrain. However, these powders were quickly blown away by the aftermath of the battle, leaving the small square spotlessly clean.

"Laurence, you don't want Azure Wind to turn into a wasteland, do you? If you know what's good for you, leave now. Our goal is just to take that thing!"

Garcia swung his hammer again, forcing Professor Laurence to jump back to avoid it. The ground was directly smashed into a pit over ten meters wide and more than a person deep!

A surge of斗气 (martial aura) flew toward Garcia, instantly splitting into countless smaller streams of martial aura that swirled around him like a whirlwind. Garcia, enveloped in martial aura, stood firm in the center of the whirlwind. Laurence's attacks didn't stop; several more streams of martial aura flew at Garcia from different directions.

"Stop dreaming! I advise you to leave now, and I'll spare your lives!"

Laurence's martial aura struck the ground, carving deep grooves into it. The small square, already riddled with holes from their battle, was now in shambles.

It's worth noting that the ground of this small square was made of lapis lazuli, a material harder than metal. Yet, under the battle of two Golden Stair experts, it was almost unrecognizable!

"Since you put it that way, we can't come to an agreement. Fine, let's settle this with our strength!" A fierce light flashed in Garcia's eyes. He gripped his giant hammer with both hands, and suddenly, his body was bathed in a brilliant light.

He began to swing his hammer, using his feet as the center of rotation. His entire body spun, enveloped in a large cloud of martial aura, and the speed of his rotation increased!

"Damn! You're actually using that move here!" Professor Laurence, seeing Garcia's actions, was immediately alarmed. He raised his longsword, and martial aura continuously gathered on it. A massive, over ten-meter-long sword shadow slowly formed in his hand!

Clearly, Garcia was about to use a powerful move. The previous battles could be considered minor skirmishes, as both sides had their reservations. But now, Garcia was using a move with immense destructive power, and Professor Laurence couldn't let him unleash it!

"Ha ha ha, since you don't plan to let us take that thing, don't blame us for fighting to the death!" Malo laughed loudly, suddenly bending down. He pressed his hands on the ground, and the rings on his hands flashed. A red light appeared in a circle around him, extending for dozens of meters!

Countless red lines quickly moved on the ground, forming a complex magic array. This array enveloped Laurence and Wakano, instantly turning the entire small square red!

"...That's why I always say, I hate those True God Sect members who don't care about their lives!" Wakano's staff struck the ground heavily.

Then, a large area of frost spread from him, quickly covering everything in a layer of white frost, which rapidly merged with the red light on the ground.

Then, a series of explosions sounded. The ground was lifted in pieces. The collision of frost and fire released tremendous energy!

On the other side, Laurence's sword was also unleashed. A sword beam, condensed with martial aura, suddenly slashed toward Garcia. Garcia's hammer, due to its rotation, had drawn in all the surrounding stones and trees, forming a large sphere of martial aura mixed with debris around him!

The destructive power of this sphere was evident from Garcia's path. Wherever he went, deep, wide trenches were left behind!

Even with Ji Ran's agility, he would still be no match for this move. It was a 360-degree sphere with no blind spots; anyone rushing in would be shredded...

But Laurence's martial aura sword directly struck Garcia's hammer sphere!

The boom was louder than any previous collision. The massive shockwave felt like an earthquake. It swept everything away, and the surrounding trees, as thick as bowls, were knocked down in large numbers!

Such a loud noise was hard to ignore in other parts of the academy. Ji Ran and Anya, who were circling around the back of the Tower of Wisdom, were also jolted backward by the shockwave.

"...Are you sure we should still go forward?" Ji Ran looked at Anya.

Anya, still shaken, replied, "It doesn't seem like a good idea... but we can't see anything from here! How about this: we circle around the side of the Tower of Wisdom. It has its own defense system, which will definitely hold up!"

Before she finished speaking, the Tower of Wisdom suddenly glowed. Layer upon layer of protective shields enveloped the entire tower!

At the same time, Morse shouted, "It's open!"

The group of True God Sect members, working together, finally broke the barrier on the gate!

The protective shield, activated by the Golden Stair battle, also enveloped them. Even Professor Laurence and Wakano couldn't stop them from entering!

"Ha ha ha, Laurence, what are you going to do now? The Tower of Wisdom's defenses are up. With your permissions, you can't make them open again, can you? What are you going to do this time?" Malo and Wakano, after their magical duel, laughed at the sight of the Tower of Wisdom's defenses.

Laurence, looking at Malo and Garcia still outside, smiled coldly, "Simple, just don't let you leave."

Saying this, he raised his longsword and attacked Garcia again.

Wakano, raising his staff, sighed, "You foolish people, do you really think there are no defenses inside the Tower of Wisdom?"

Malo also raised his hands, a large ball of fire gathering in his hands, "The Tower of Wisdom's defenses... do you think we came here unprepared? The Eye of Insight, we will take it!"

The battle between the four Golden Stair experts resumed!

Ji Ran and Anya were almost dumbfounded.

They, along with the True God Sect members, were trapped inside the Tower of Wisdom's defenses!

They had been slowly circling around the back of the Tower of Wisdom, and when the defenses were activated, they were included!

Now, they were also trapped inside the protective shield of the Tower of Wisdom, unable to leave!

"What do we do? Hide here and wait for the battle to end?" Ji Ran frowned.

Anya, eager to try, said, "The True God Sect members are inside the Tower of Wisdom. We might as well follow them in!"

Ji Ran thought for a moment and shook his head, "Morse is also a Golden Stair, a priest, but his strength is probably on par with Professor Laurence... If we go in, we're asking for death!"

Anya, however, was unconcerned, "I haven't been inside the Tower of Wisdom, but I've heard about it. The magical energy around it is highly concentrated, greatly reducing even a Golden Stair's perception range. If we sneak in, Morse might not notice us. Besides, the Tower of Wisdom has powerful defenses, and they might not be able to overcome them... We're not as dangerous as we think."

Ji Ran, who had a strong sense of adventure, was also tempted by Anya's words.

"It's too dangerous... If we're discovered, we won't have anywhere to run..." Despite his temptation, safety was still his top priority.

"Don't worry, I'm the granddaughter of a Golden Stair swordmaster, so I know some secrets. For example—" Anya took out her student ID and activated a martial aura on her finger, performing a few operations on it.

"This is a little-known method to gain higher-level permissions, making the Tower of Wisdom not hostile to us and even assisting us to some extent. If we go in, even if we can't do much, Morse won't easily discover us." Anya looked at Ji Ran with a smile.

"...I'll entrust my student ID to you, gentle and lovely Miss Anya."

Anya proudly raised her nose and extended her hand.

After both of their student IDs were operated on, they felt much more confident. They thought Morse and the others had already gone in, so they probably wouldn't be at the entrance.

They quietly circled around from the side, carefully avoiding Malo and Garcia's line of sight. Fortunately, these two were facing away to prevent Laurence and Wakano from approaching the Tower of Wisdom. Otherwise, if they were discovered, they would have shouted to alert Morse inside, causing a big problem.

Laurence and Wakano, seeing them, showed a moment of shock. However, as Golden Stair experts, they quickly concealed their expressions. But their anxious looks were still noticeable to Ji Ran.

With no way to retreat, Ji Ran, after a moment's hesitation, followed Anya, who stuck out her tongue, and they both slipped into the entrance of the Tower of Wisdom.

After a moment of darkness, a strange space appeared before the two young people.

Page break for AD

Page break for AD end