"Wait, did I hear that right?"
"Three Golden Core Cultivators fought against Zheng Danlian, and they lost despite having members from major sects like the Complete Book Pavilion and the Purple Dawn Pavilion?"
"Perhaps, there was infighting among those three?"
"The Night Rain Demon Soldiers! That's the only explanation."
The cultivators who were still in the Secret Pavilion of Transition were astonished when they heard this announcement.
Zheng Shuanggou and others soon snapped out of the impact of this news.
They encountered each other in one of the secret chambers.
In the center of the secret chamber, a mechanical frog roamed about with a treasure chest placed atop a gigantic frog head.
However, the cultivators were not in the mood to concern themselves with these mechanical frogs.
This was because the Lava Fairy Palace was damaged, weakening the prohibitions of the Secret Pavilion of Transition, allowing the cultivators to regain their Foundation Establishment Stage capabilities.
This led to a significant reduction in the difficulty of the mechanisms, traps, and set-ups in the secret chamber.
And since the cultivators could now access their own items, the value of various mechanisms and tooling inside the secret chamber also sharply decreased.
Both sides' gaze passed over the group of mechanical frogs and landed on each other.
Zheng Shuanggou showed a hint of joy: "I didn't expect to run directly into two from the Meng Family. Meng Chong is only in the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement Realm; we have the advantage."
Ning Jiufan, however, frowned and shook his head: "War is fraught with danger."
"Meng Chong possesses Immortal Aptitude, which allows for fighting above his level in the early stages of cultivation, as common as eating and drinking."
"Zhou Nongying was eliminated by him, this young man should not be underestimated!"
"We should retreat."
Ning Jiufan was very cautious.
For him, even though his side appeared stronger on paper, the actual battle might not go as expected.
It was better to retreat, regroup with other cultivators, and then combat together, which was the best choice.
After all, from the roster, only two from the Meng Family made it to the third round of the palace trials.
In contrast, despite Zhou Nongying being eliminated, the Zheng Family still had dual cultivators, the Ning Family had Ning Jiufan and Ning Zhuo, and together with Zhu Xuanji, their numbers and lineup were the strongest.
"Now that we can use our personal items, Meng Chong's grandfather, who is a Nascent Soul Cultivator, must have provided him with numerous protective treasures."
"There's no need to take unnecessary risks, we should find others and unite."
"When the time comes to turn and deal with them, it will be as unstoppable as Mount Tai crushing eggs and thunder sweeping across a lair!"
Ning Jiufan conveyed to Zheng Shuanggou through a transmission, reminding him not to forget about the Bukong Sect. This power excels in conspiracy and intrigue and should not be underestimated.
Compared to them, the two from the Meng Family could be considered potential allies.
Zheng Shuanggou nodded: "You make sense. Alas, it's my fault for being unable to adjust my mindset when facing the junior Meng Chong. Let's go."
"Where do you think you're going!" A Golden Core Cultivator from the Meng Family roared, rushing over.
Sizzle.
A remnant of thunder lingered where Meng Chong previously stood before slowly dissipating.
In an instant, Meng Chong had already moved through the middle of the mechanical frogs and pounced right in front of Ning Jiufan and Zheng Shuanggou.
Meng Chong soared into the air and dove down.
Boom!
He landed harshly on the ground, shattering the floor tiles into innumerable pieces that flew everywhere.
However, Zheng Shuanggou and Ning Jiufan had already retreated timely, one to the left and one to the right, trapping Meng Chong between them.
Electricity wrapped around his body, Meng Chong stood up, battle-spirit high, and with a smile he declared, "You are all my prey; none of you can escape!"
Zheng Shuanggou snorted coldly and charged forward: "Junior, you speak too boldly!"
The two exchanged blows, with loud banging noises. After several exchanges, Meng Chong burst forth like electricity, creating distance.
Ning Jiufan inwardly cursed his luck. Meng Chong was incredibly fast; even if he tried to retreat, Meng Chong could easily catch up.
Ning Jiufan had no choice but to strike, regardless of whether they fought or fled, he had to severely injure Meng Chong first!
The Ning Family Ancestor unleashed Frost Spells, shooting rows of ice cones flying.
Meng Chong made an abrupt turn, tracing a lightning path in midair, dodging all the ice cones.
Zheng Shuanggou followed by throwing dart, yet none managed to catch even a corner of Meng Chong's clothes.
"And there's me too!" In the midst of the fray, the Meng Family's Golden Core Cultivator also burst through the mechanical frogs, arriving on the scene.
Zheng Shuanggou faced off with the Meng Family's Golden Core Cultivator, retreating step by step.
Being a Golden Core Body Cultivator, Zheng Shuanggou suffered heavily in a brute force battle.
At a critical moment, his wrist's storage bracelet emitted a dazzling light, releasing a pair of Magic Artifact Level great blades.
Zheng Shuanggou wielded the twin blades, sending out sheets of blade light.
The blade light struck the body of the Meng Family's Golden Core, but was completely blocked by the Qi Armor.
The Meng Family's Golden Core charged violently, fists flying like shadows. Zheng Shuanggou was pummeled until his blood surged, retreating repeatedly, forced to ward off attacks with the blades, unable to counterattack.
...
Several Hangman's Nooses danced around Ning Jiufan, continuously shooting threads.
The threads aimed and shot towards Meng Chong with fierce momentum, all missing their mark.
"Slow down, slow down, slow down!" Meng Chong yelled, his battle spirit growing even more fervent.
He laughed loudly, obviously thoroughly enjoying the taste of the battle.
Boom.
Suddenly, he unleashed a spell, air blasting out and flames raging, destroying the threads and the Hangman's Nooses.
"The Ning Family Ancestor is nothing more than this!" Meng Chong fiercely charged towards Ning Jiufan.
Ning Jiufan watched Meng Chong coming like a thunder dragon, his heart calm as ice, unafraid in the face of danger. He slightly stepped back, palms facing down, and forcefully pressed down.
Instantly, a strong force of mana radiated in all directions, forming an ice wall in the blink of an eye.
This ice wall formed a circle, protecting Ning Jiufan in the center of the circle.
Ning Jiufan did not stop, layers upon layers of ice walls rose around him like surging waves, extending in all directions.
The ice walls kept thickening, quickly solidifying together; in an instant, they formed a small valley made of ice crystals.
Ning Jiufan took a deep breath before casting another spell.
Then, a strong north wind roared out from the valley and quickly filled the entire Secret Pavilion.
The air temperature dropped sharply, and frost rapidly spread over the walls, the ceiling, and the floor of the Secret Pavilion.
The biting cold enveloped Meng Chong.
Meng Chong let out a loud shout and cast the Baptism of Fire Technique.
The next moment, his whole body was covered in flames, isolating the external severe cold, and he charged towards Ning Jiufan once again.
Ning Jiufan raised his right hand and launched a large number of ice sculptures from his storage bracelet.
The ice sculptures fell into the ice crystal valley, enlarging and reverting into various flying birds and beasts, attempting to intercept Meng Chong.
Meng Chong was much faster than them.
But Ning Jiufan manipulated the ice sculptures, continuously casting spells, drastically reducing Meng Chong's speed, who promptly gave up charging directly at Ning Jiufan and temporarily turned his attacks on these annoying ice sculptures.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each ice sculpture was essentially at the Foundation Establishment Level. Before the rapidly charging Meng Chong, almost none had the power to retaliate.
Soon, many of them were blasted apart.
For a moment, lightning flashed like a dragon; wherever it struck, ice sculptures exploded, and the brilliant flashes of thunder fire and ice crystal shards illuminated each other.
However, the ice sculptures were not without effect. By gradually wearing down with one after another, Meng Chong's momentum was greatly diminished.
By the time Meng Chong reached the ice valley, the blowing cold winds forced him back again.
…
Bang.
Zheng Shuanggou fell like a cannonball and smashed directly onto the ice valley.
He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his chest was caved in, with the distinct shape of a fist impression.
Zheng Shuanggou's magic weapon spear in his hand was already broken into two pieces; he simply discarded it and took out his signature weapon from his storage bracelet—the Moon Hook.
The Meng Family's body cultivator attacked again, and Zheng Shuanggou, with his back against the ice valley, confronted him.
Depending on the Magic Treasure Level material of the Moon Hook, Zheng Shuanggou managed to block the Meng Family body cultivator, but it was still a stalemate.
Inside the ice valley, Ning Jiufan keenly perceived this scene.
He quickly analyzed the situation in his mind, "No wonder he's a body cultivator from the Meng Family, his strength is formidable!"
"Zheng Shuanggou is at a disadvantage depending on the Moon Hook. This is a Magic Treasure Level, which consumes a lot of Mana. He won't be able to hold on for long."
"It looks like it's up to me."
With that thought, Ning Jiufan took out the Magic Treasure Ice Heart Jade Pot.
With a thought, a stream of Ice Jade Wine flew out of the spout.
Ning Jiufan opened his mouth and quickly swallowed the ball of Ice Jade Wine.
The next moment, he silently activated his spell.
Meng Chong charged again, relentless and with even more ferocious momentum.
It was hard to imagine that he only had the cultivation level of the middle stage of Qi Refinement!
The Ice Valley burst out blocks of flying bricks.
Meng Chong dodged most of them, enduring the flying bricks, diving from high altitude, and continued charging towards Ning Jiufan.
The next moment, these flying bricks suddenly disintegrated and turned into clusters of hail and snowflakes.
For a moment, snow and ice fluttered throughout the Secret Pavilion.
The north wind blew out from the ice valley.
The howling north wind picked up ice shards and white snow.
The wind and snow obscured visibility, coalescing into large white pythons that surrounded Meng Chong.
Meng Chong kept dodging, and amid flashes of lightning, he smashed each white python with his fists.
He became more excited as he fought, feeling his blood boiling. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed the sensation of his fists striking solidly.
The wooden puppet body he had when entering the Immortal Palace really impaired the display of his true strength.
The Snow Pythons in the wind and snow were blown apart, but soon reformed.
Meng Chong exploited the smaller details, initially having the upper hand. But after an intense battle, he was heavily surrounded and gradually exhausted, unable to break through.
Seeing Meng Chong in trouble, the Meng Family Golden Core Body Cultivator disregarded his own safety and struck Zheng Shuanggou heavily.
Zheng Shuanggou's hooks cut through the body cultivator's skin, but he himself was blown away, crashing through the ice valley and falling to the ground like a cannonball.
Nearby, Ning Jiufan could not attend to him and focused entirely on controlling his spells to firmly surround Meng Chong.
Logically, such extensive casting by Ning Jiufan should have consumed a lot of Mana. Meng Chong's tactic of focusing attacks was supposed to counter this.
However, in actual combat, the scales of victory gradually tilted towards Ning Jiufan.
Meng Chong gradually found it hard to defend.
Zheng Shuanggou sat down on the ground, swallowing elixir pills while he couldn't stop praising, "Brother Ning, your stacking skill, dividing technique, and transformation mastery are absolutely passionate as fire! If you could combine them, you would truly be a Grandmaster Level existence!"
What he referred to were all casting techniques.
Stacking involved the same spell being continuously layered to produce a qualitative change. Just now, Ning Jiufan's continuous invocation of ten ice walls, which then fused into forming ice mountains surrounding them, was stacking.
Dividing and transformation then involved the flying bricks in the ice valley, where aspects were split from one spell and transformed into another.
And the subsequent snowstorm and Snow Pythons were an integrated application of stacking, dividing, and transformation.
Zheng Shuanggou exclaimed, "Brother Ning, we weren't wrong about you; you genuinely are a skilled Combat Skill practitioner."
Just as Ning Jiufan was about to respond politely,
he suddenly felt a jolt of fear, having been heavily wounded!
He looked down to see a hooked blade piercing through his abdomen. The familiar shape was the Moon Hook, part of Zheng Shuanggou's signature weapon.
The next moment, the Moon Hook exploded in brilliance, and its sharp energy quickly eroded Ning Jiufan's organs.
Ning Jiufan's body trembled violently, staring at Zheng Shuanggou in disbelief, "You!!"