Chapter 40

The Ice Serpent and the Ground Lizard actually appeared at the same time!

The young men participating in the trial all turned pale when they heard the Ice Serpent's hiss.

Zheng Rui and Pan Tao were also flustered.

Nie Tian's expression was solemn, and he no longer had the heart to argue with Zheng Rui. His attention was unprecedentedly focused!

Qin Shun's death, the sudden appearance of the Ground Lizard, and the emergence of the Ice Serpent made him realize that the trip to the Green Illusion Realm was not as simple as he had thought.

"Zheng Rui! Pan Tao! You two deal with the Ground Lizard!" An Ying took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and said decisively, "As for the Ice Serpent... leave it to me!"

Everyone could hear the lack of confidence in her voice.

"No way! You can't take on the Ice Serpent alone!" Zheng Rui screamed.

"We'll go after the Ice Serpent, and you deal with the Ground Lizard!" Pan Tao shouted.

Before they came, they had heard from their elders that the Ice Serpent was the most powerful spirit beast in the Green Illusion Realm.

Otherwise, a single Enlightenment Pill wouldn't be exchangeable only for the Ice Serpent's head.

Zheng Rui and Pan Tao also knew that An Ying's true strength was slightly superior to theirs.

However, being at the same Ninth Level of Qi Condensation and having trained at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, they knew that An Ying was only slightly stronger than them. Together, they could actually outmatch her.

If they went after the Ground Lizard and An Ying faced the stronger Ice Serpent alone, it was clear that she was putting herself in a dangerous situation.

They couldn't accept that!

While speaking, Zheng Rui and Pan Tao exchanged a glance and were about to bypass An Ying to confront the Ice Serpent that had just appeared.

"I am the leader! What I say goes!" An Ying angrily shouted, raising her long sword to stop the two, "I know I can't kill the Ice Serpent, but I can at least hold it off! I hope the time I buy will allow you two to kill the Ground Lizard together!"

"Once the Ground Lizard is dead, you can come help me, and the three of us can kill the Ice Serpent together!"

"If we switch targets, no one will be able to resolve the battle quickly. If we drag it out, none of us will leave the Green Illusion Realm alive!"

"But, but letting you hold off the Ice Serpent is too unfair. You might..." Zheng Rui said anxiously.

"If you're worried about me, then do your best to kill the Ground Lizard as quickly as possible! As long as the Ground Lizard dies soon, I'll be fine!" An Ying said firmly.

"Alright! We'll do it your way!" Pan Tao shouted with red eyes.

"Sister Ying, you, you must be careful!" The girl with the doll-like face, gripping her short sword tightly, almost cried out.

Qin Shun had died right next to her, and they were the closest. When Qin Shun was bitten to death by the Ground Lizard, she was completely panicked.

Because they had been training since childhood, all the young men participating in the Green Illusion Realm trial looked older than their peers, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen.

But in reality, they were only twelve or thirteen.

The girl was just twelve this year and had always been treated like a princess in her family. This was her first time experiencing such a situation.

She was clearly very uncomfortable.

Apart from the three from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, the other young men from various families also fell silent after Qin Shun's death.

Fear and unease flashed in their eyes, especially when the Ice Serpent appeared.

The arrival of the Ice Serpent turned their fear into despair!

The only exception was Nie Tian, who had previously argued with Zheng Rui.

Not long ago, Nie Tian had a more desperate experience outside Black Cloud City.

That experience was unforgettable, but he ultimately relied on the beast bone to burn the two powerful enemies to ashes.

Nie Tian was already more resilient than his peers, and after killing someone, his heart was as hard as iron.

Although he was also at a loss in the current situation, he did not panic and had no fear.

Without fear, he could remain clear-headed and highly focused!

It was precisely because of this that he was the first to notice the new anomaly!

Beside the girl with the doll-like face, a flat patch of ice ground abnormally bulged.

The vibration was so slight that the girl, who was already filled with fear and staring at An Ying, did not notice.

She could not have imagined that the Ground Lizard that had just killed Qin Shun would reappear nearby!

She was still listening to An Ying's reassurance.

At this moment, Pan Tao and Zheng Rui, who had just stopped arguing with An Ying, had not yet turned around.

"Move!"

Nie Tian suddenly roared, startling everyone, and all eyes instantly fell on him.

Under everyone's astonished gaze, Nie Tian shot into the air like a human cannonball!

The spiritual energy in his dantian's spirit sea instantly converged into his right leg!

Soaring high, Nie Tian, like a meteor falling to the ground at high speed, fiercely slammed into the ice ground that bulged again beside the girl.

"Boom!"

A dull impact sound came from the ice ground. Nie Tian felt as if he had stepped on a large ball with all his might.

His body, which had landed heavily, was actually propelled back into the air by the rebound force.

"Roar!"

A fierce roar suddenly came from the ice ground beneath him.

The roar clearly came from the Ground Lizard!

"Ah!"

Only at this moment did the girl with the doll-like face react.

The short sword in her hand slashed out a sharp wind blade, frantically stabbing at the ice ground beside her.

"Swish, swish!"

The ice ground suddenly glowed with spiritual light, and sword light spread in all directions.

"Ground Lizard!"

"It's the same Ground Lizard!"

"The boy from the Nie family was the first to notice its movement!"

"Without that boy, Jiang Miao would have been bitten to death by the Ground Lizard like Qin Shun!"

In their panic, everyone screamed and tried to rush towards the Ground Lizard's hiding place.

However, the Ground Lizard, which had been hiding underground, disappeared again after missing its target.

When the trial participants reached Jiang Miao's side, they found nothing.

After landing, Nie Tian, panting, said, "If you all are filled with fear and believe that you are doomed, then there's no need to continue fighting. You might as well commit suicide immediately to avoid being chewed up and swallowed bit by bit by the Ground Lizard and the Ice Serpent!"

Surprisingly, under Nie Tian's sarcasm, no one rebuked him.

The trial participants from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, seeing Nie Tian adjust his breathing and prepare to act again after landing, suddenly fell silent.

Fortunately, due to the appearance of the Ice Serpent, the spirit beasts that had been surrounding them did not rush to attack.

The Ice Serpent, after appearing, seemed unhurried and slowly approached.

This allowed everyone to think about Nie Tian's words and reassess the dangerous situation.

"You're right," An Ying continued, encouraging everyone, "This might be the most terrifying situation we've ever faced! But our purpose in coming to the Green Illusion Realm is to hone ourselves, and we should have the courage to face dire straits!"

"Don't worry, a Level 2 spirit beast isn't that scary!"

"As long as I hold off the Ice Serpent, and Pan Tao and Zheng Rui kill the Ground Lizard, we can turn the tide and take down the Ice Serpent as well!"

"I have confidence in buying them enough time."

"And I also hope you can quickly kill those Level 1 spirit beasts to help Zheng Rui and Pan Tao, and me, to alleviate some of the pressure."

"Believe in me! Believe in yourselves!"

An Ying shouted.

Encouraged by her, Nie Tian noticed that the fear in the trial participants' eyes was gradually replaced by determination.

He couldn't help but look at An Ying approvingly.

At this moment, An Ying also looked at him with the same gaze.

Nie Tian grinned, raised his hand, and shouted, "Good luck."

"You too," An Ying responded.

...

PS: Happy Children's Day to everyone!

In June, I will try to compete for the monthly ticket ranking. I humbly request those with monthly tickets to vote for "Myriad Domains' King." I will be grateful, and I will update four times today. I need one monthly ticket!