Chapter 73

Time passed minute by minute.

Since Master Xu began to use the secret technique, more than half an hour had passed. Although Shen Dachui and the others were suppressed and looked quite miserable, they always managed to turn the tide at critical moments and did not suffer any fatal blows.

After a long time, Master Xu gradually became restless and agitated. The force in his hands grew heavier, but his moves became increasingly monotonous and stiff.

He was frustrated to find that during the battle, the red-clothed girl with the sword and the green-clothed girl with the knife were actually getting stronger.

Their originally clumsy sword and knife techniques, under his pressure, rapidly became more proficient. Moreover, the quality of these techniques was definitely above the Golden level. When wielded by Earth Wheel cultivators, they could even pose a threat to him.

In contrast, the spirit technique used by the slightly older woman was far inferior, but her combat awareness was very experienced. She often made appropriate moves at the right time, effectively compensating for the lack of experience of the other two girls.

This generation of Wen Dao Academy truly produced many outstanding talents!

The high-quality weapons, excellent spirit techniques, and high-level cultivation methods left Master Xu with no doubt about their identity as members of the Wen Dao Academy.

Perhaps the effect of the secret technique was gradually waning, Master Xu felt a faint dizziness. He was both surprised and frightened, never expecting to be forced into such a predicament even after using the life-saving secret technique.

At this moment, Liu QiQi's sword and Zheng YueTing's knife attacked from both sides again. To overcome his inner fear, Master Xu roared in anger, his spiritual energy in his palm reaching its peak, and he fiercely pushed it towards Zheng YueTing on the right, forcing the green-clothed girl to dodge.

Just as his full-force palm missed and his body was in a brief state of stiffness, he heard a light "sizzle" from behind.

Realizing he was being attacked, Master Xu didn't have time to change his move. With his rich combat experience, he slightly adjusted the forward momentum of his right palm, managing to turn his body 180 degrees to face the attacker.

Seeing the attacker's face, it was that annoying young man.

Accompanying the young man was a dazzling sword light, like a bolt of lightning and a rainbow in the sky.

The sword qi seemed to freeze the air, and the scene of life and death, the rise and fall of all things, and the intertwining of time and space converged into a single point of light!

It was this move again!

Master Xu's heart sank. The sword technique of Leng Wushuang had left a deep psychological shadow on him. The same move, when used by Zhong Wen, lacked the hidden and sinister feel but had a grand and imposing presence. In terms of understanding the sword technique, Zhong Wen was even better than Leng Wushuang.

Zhong Wen's timing to strike was perfect. Master Xu's body was slightly stiff, and although he relied on his experienced combat skills to avoid the vital heart area, he was still pierced in the chest by this earth-shattering sword.

After all, he had used the secret technique, and his body was like a high-level Earth Wheel expert on steroids, with boundless spiritual energy. When Zhong Wen's sword hit the bone, he felt a powerful counterforce from Master Xu's body, and the supreme treasure sword, infused with the Red Sun Stone, could not advance any further.

"Die!" Master Xu's bloodshot eyes glowed with ferocity. He grabbed the sword with his left hand and pulled it out, then struck Zhong Wen's shoulder with his right palm, which was enveloped in surging black flames.

"Zhong Wen!" Liu QiQi and the others all changed their expressions and cried out in alarm.

Zhong Wen seemed to have anticipated this. He swallowed the Revitalizing Pill in his mouth, grabbed Master Xu's wrist with his left hand, and let go of the sword, which clattered to the ground.

At the same time, a black, slender stick appeared in his right hand. The front of the stick was a fine tube, the opening of which was aimed at Master Xu's chest.

The Divine Fire Gun!

A sense of impending danger surged in Master Xu's heart. He tried to dodge, but his right hand was held by Zhong Wen, and he couldn't break free.

Zhong Wen's eyes gleamed, and he pressed the trigger on the handle of the Divine Fire Gun. The powerful weapon, loaded with eight spirit crystals, erupted with a deafening roar, and the blinding light instantly enveloped and consumed Master Xu.

The unparalleled impact force sent Zhong Wen flying. His body crashed into the black tower wall, and the excruciating pain from his back and the burning sensation from the black flames on his chest almost overwhelmed him. At the same time, the remaining spiritual energy in his body and the power of the Revitalizing Pill began to rapidly heal his wounds.

"Ouch!" Zhong Wen winced in pain, looking down at his chest. The black flames burned on his skin for a while but were finally extinguished by his spiritual energy, preventing them from spreading.

He had bet right! It was indeed related to the level of the cultivation method.

He sighed in relief, feeling a bit of unease.

At this moment, the intense light from the Divine Fire Gun had faded, and the smoke from the explosion was gradually dispersing. Shen Dachui and the others nervously looked in the direction where Master Xu had stood.

The position where the high-level Earth Wheel expert had been was now empty, with only a few scattered pieces of white fabric indicating that someone had been there.

Zhong Wen came to his senses and found that he was still holding a piece of Master Xu's severed arm in his left hand.

"What a terrifying weapon." Shen Dachui's mouth was wide open, clearly frightened by the Divine Fire Gun in Zhong Wen's hand.

Even though Nangong Ling already knew about the Divine Fire Gun, seeing its full power was still incredibly shocking. As for the other girls, witnessing the destruction of a high-level expert from the Holy Land left them in a state of shock, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

"Zhong Wen, are you okay?" After a long pause, Zheng YueTing quickly came to Zhong Wen's side, concerned.

"Just a minor injury, nothing serious." Zhong Wen smiled, but the pain from his wound made him wince again.

The Revitalizing Pill was powerful, but the pain from the healing process was no less intense.

Leng Wushuang, supported by Shen Xiaowan, slowly approached Zhong Wen. Seeing the charred palm print on his chest, her eyes welled up with tears, and her nose tingled with pain.

"Wushuang, I'm fine." Zhong Wen, seeing Leng Wushuang cry, felt a pang in his heart. He stood up unsteadily and gently embraced her.

"I promised to protect you, and I was right there... " Leng Wushuang sobbed, her shoulders trembling against Zhong Wen's chest. "But I still let you get so badly hurt. Am I useless?"

"Stupid girl, if it weren't for your self-sacrificing strike to save Old Shen, we would all be dead." Zhong Wen gently stroked her hair and kissed her soft cheek, comforting her. "You saved all of us."

"That's right, Miss Leng. If you hadn't blocked that attack, the old man would have met his maker." Shen Dachui, recalling the near disaster, was still shaken.

"No, no, I..." Leng Wushuang, with her thin skin, was blushing and couldn't speak coherently.

"The high-level expert from the Holy Land..." Liu QiQi lowered her head, her large eyes fixed on the sword in her hand, lost in thought.

"Old Shen, Master Leng and Zhong Wen are all injured. Why don't we rest here on the second floor and explore the ruins later?" Nangong Ling suggested.

"That's a good idea." Shen Dachui nodded repeatedly. The danger of the battle was unprecedented, and everyone was exhausted, with no immediate desire to continue searching for treasures.

"QiQi, take out the food. TingTing, lay out the tablecloth here..." Nangong Ling began to give orders systematically...

***

The climate of Ice Dragon Island is unique, with all four seasons being like winter.

According to legend, the entire island is the corpse of an ancient Ice Dragon, covered in ice and snow year-round, hence the name "Ice Dragon."

In the center of the island, a series of square-topped, uniquely designed buildings are evenly spaced. Made of unknown materials, they are frozen but still functional, resembling crystal buildings that sparkle and shine in the light, creating a fairy-tale kingdom of snow and ice.

Inside one of these large, spacious buildings, arranged like an auditorium, over twenty rows of seats were filled with Ice Dragon Island disciples in white robes, staring intently at the raised platform in front. On the platform, several figures sat, representing the five Holy Lands participating in the Ancient Divine Text Symposium.

At this moment, nine people, including Master Ning, Old Yan, Divine Calculator, and Chu Lingfeng, were sitting in a circle, with a slender figure standing in the center. Dressed in a snow-white robe, her face as beautiful as the moon, she held a book and spoke confidently.

This beautiful figure was Ning Jie, affectionately called "Little Master Ning."

"...Therefore, based on my judgment, the meaning of this text is that the cultivation method of our sect operates in reverse to other methods and cannot be practiced simultaneously. If one wishes to practice this method, they must first dispel their current cultivation method..." Ning Jie's voice was gentle yet confident, captivating the audience. "...The above are my preliminary interpretations of the twelve difficult questions for this symposium. I hope the seniors will correct me if I am wrong."

"Old Ning, is she really your granddaughter?" Old Yan was speechless, his words faltering. "How can this little girl's expertise in divine texts be so much stronger than yours?"

"Of course, she's my real granddaughter. Just look at her face." Master Ning was proud, his granddaughter's performance making him feel a rare sense of pride.

Old Yan looked at Master Ning's dark, rugged face and then at Ning Jie's ethereal beauty, failing to see any resemblance.

"I see, I see." Divine Calculator wrote furiously on a piece of paper, his face showing a look of enlightenment. Ning Jie's speech had solved a problem that had plagued him for decades. "Impressive, truly impressive!"

"This is the difference between a genius and an ordinary person, isn't it?" Chu Lingfeng laughed bitterly. To others, he was a once-in-a-century talent, but after seeing Ning Jie's performance, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Elder Xue Qianxun from Ice Dragon Island stroked his beard, his admiration evident. "With her, the revival of Wen Dao Academy is unstoppable!"

Behind the four elders, the young talents from the four Holy Lands all looked at Ning Jie, who held the ancient book and exuded an intellectual aura, with admiration.

At this moment, Ning Jie stared blankly at the book in her hand, silent.

These are the elite divine text scholars from the Holy Lands? Compared to Brother Zhong, they are like heaven and earth, truly disappointing.

I wonder where Brother Zhong got that "Ancient Divine Text Reading Technique." The past two days of study have been truly enlightening and eye-opening.

Thinking of Zhong Wen, Ning Jie's lips curved into a smile, her graceful figure glowing with a fairy-like aura in the ice crystal's refraction.