Chapter 647: Ning Zhuo, Qing Yan vs. Han Yan Master

Ning Zhuo, Qing Chi, and the others were on tenterhooks the entire way. They encountered no obstacles until they reached the depths of the clouds.

"Strange, why is there no ambush?""Could it be that the Lord of Wangchuan encountered a powerful enemy and had his arrangements completely destroyed?"

The Old Man of Grey Bone had once advised Sun Lingtong, telling him that the Lord of Wangchuan, by defying the heavens, would inevitably be entangled and suppressed by fate, suffering numerous misfortunes, such that his combat power would plummet to the Nascent Soul level during the final confrontation.

Ning Zhuo rubbed the mechanical ring on his finger.

Throughout the entire ascent, the mechanical ring showed no unusual activity. Besides this magical artifact, his mother also gave him confidence.

"Mother wouldn't harm me!""Since Mother told me to come here, there must be some safeguard.""At most, it will just be a bit difficult.""Perhaps the defenders here are all dead. I'll take the Qingjiao Army, with its military might, and challenge the Lord of Wangchuan!"

While Ning Zhuo was pondering, Qing Yan, who was nearby, had already made a move.

He was a Core Formation cultivator. At this moment, he drew upon military power and unleashed a spell. The spell's immense power made him feel satisfied and his mind wander.

However, his proud technique, when unleashed into the rolling black clouds, only dispelled a small portion of them, revealing a tiny gap that was almost negligible compared to the overall mass of black clouds.

Within a few breaths, the small gap vanished, having been filled back in.

Qing Yan was at a loss.

"What should we do?" Many members of the Qingjiao Army stopped, hovering in the high sky.

"Let me try!" Qing Chi charged forward, raising her fists, which erupted with bursts of green fist-flames.

The fist-flames struck the black clouds, yielding results similar to Qing Yan's earlier attempt: fruitless.

"Mother didn't mention this part before she left.""It seems we need to thoroughly probe and find a weakness to continue our advance!"

Just as she thought this, Qing Chi frowned, a little annoyed: "I don't believe it!"

She rushed towards the black clouds.

Qing Yan quickly called out, "Don't be reckless—"

The next moment, he saw a dark glow flicker around Qing Chi. A strong, eerie wind surged, carrying her directly into the black clouds, like a drop of water entering the ocean.

Ning Zhuo's eyes lit up immediately: "Could it be—"

Immediately, Qing Chi emerged again, excitedly shouting, "It's a divine spell!"

Ning Zhuo's guess was confirmed, and he couldn't help but feel excited: "Although the Night Roaming God is a common deity, the one we encountered just now was quite extraordinary. The divine spell bestowed upon us actually has the ability to pierce through obstacles."

Jiao Ma's father sighed: "Night Roaming, Night Roaming. Just from the name of this deity, one can tell it possesses divine power to roam freely across the world, overcoming all sorts of obstacles."

This scene surprised the entire Qingjiao Army.

What were they waiting for?

Qing Chi was about to give an order, but Ning Zhuo extended his hand to stop her: "No rush."

He first called Qing Chi back, then dispatched a small team to delve into the black clouds for reconnaissance.

The defenders within the black clouds stood ready.

The only two remaining Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances, discussing urgently.

Old Mother of a Hundred Ghosts looked surprised and suspicious: "This cultivation army is indeed strange! The divine spell empowering their entire army can actually pierce through the formation's barrier with ease!""They've dispatched scouts. How should we respond?"

Venerable Han Yan's expression was grave: "Would a mouse provoke an elephant? This cultivation army is both reckless and cautious; it's likely all a disguise.""We should respond to all changes by remaining unchanged and stand ready!"

The two were clearly intimidated by the previous surprise attack from a powerful expert.

There were originally five Nascent Soul cultivators, but only two remained, both injured and not yet recovered.

Crucially, they hadn't truly participated in direct combat; they were mostly affected by the aftermath of clashes between powerful experts.

Moreover, the true body of the Lord of Wangchuan had already issued orders for them to defend steadfastly and gain as much time as possible.

Although the two didn't know what had happened at the altar battlefield, by pondering the Lord of Wangchuan's orders, they understood that their master must have been seriously injured.

Under these circumstances, they dared not take any risks.

A small team of scouts entered the black clouds and were startled to see over ten thousand Imperial Guards standing ready. They quickly reported back.

Upon receiving the military intelligence, Qing Chi, Ning Zhuo, and the others' expressions changed.

The Qingjiao Army numbered only a few hundred and was a newly formed force, no match for the Imperial Guards.

Qing Chi was indecisive and looked at her beloved.

Ning Zhuo frowned in thought.

"We must fight!" Qing Yan suddenly declared, clenching his fist, his expression excited. "This is just a bluff from the enemy!""If they were truly that powerful, they could just send a small contingent to intercept and kill us midway.""Why are they staying here?""They must be very weak, having suffered heavy losses, and are maintaining an illusion to make us misjudge them!""If we charge in, we can expose the false appearance they've created!"

Qing Chi's eyes immediately sparkled: "Father, you're amazing too!"

Qing Yan puffed out his chest and snorted: "What are you talking about! Your old man has always been strong."

Ning Zhuo rubbed the mechanical ring, his expression grave: "Mother instructed me that this mission must succeed, otherwise, if the Lord of Wangchuan's century-long scheme is realized, countless lives will be lost.""We'll charge in!"

Once Ning Zhuo made up his mind, Qing Chi naturally followed the Qingjiao Army into the black clouds.

Seeing this, Venerable Han Yan and the Old Mother of a Hundred Ghosts both looked grim.

"They clearly already scouted us! Yet, despite knowing we're strong and they're weak, they still want to fight. They must be relying on something!""This is clearly a stratagem to lure us in! When we clash, we must hold our ground firmly and not act impulsively, or the enemy will seize an opportunity.""First, activate the formation to counteract the divine power on them!"

The two communicated via divine sense, quickly settling on a battle strategy.

The formation began to operate, emitting streams of black light that illuminated the space within the clouds.

As soon as the Qingjiao Army entered, they were suppressed, falling downwards until they finally landed on the black clouds.

These black clouds were solidified by restrictions and formations, making them feel like solid ground when stepped upon.

The two armies faced each other.

The Qingjiao Army hastily adjusted their formation, while the Wangchuan defenders remained motionless.

Ning Zhuo gazed intently and saw that the enemy soldiers were generally wounded, with some dragging their heavily injured bodies. Clearly, they had just been through a major battle and hadn't had time to rest and heal.

His gaze settled on the two commanders.

The one on the left resembled a humanoid wisp of cold smoke, with indistinct facial features and details, emitting an icy chill, surrounded by countless floating ice shards. This was Venerable Han Yan.

The one on the right had a stooped figure, leaned on a staff, and on her black robe, countless pale human faces would intermittently materialize, all contorted in expressions of pain and wailing. This was the Old Mother of a Hundred Ghosts.

Both exuded Nascent Soul aura and commanded the central army.

Qing Chi was eager to move, but Qing Yan stopped her: "We've already reached the enemy; there's no rush for a moment.""Let's probe them first."

Ning Zhuo turned to glance at him and nodded slightly.

He tossed out numerous mechanical puppets, controlling them to charge into the enemy formation.

However, before they could even advance a hundred paces, they were blasted to smithereens by the enemy's spells and other attacks.

The Wangchuan defenders only attacked from a distance, remaining motionless in their positions.

Ning Zhuo frowned, thoughts rising and falling in his mind: "Is this a disguise by the formation, or is there some untold secret?""It's a pity the Qingjiao Army has a single troop type and cannot incorporate my mechanical army.""Otherwise, I could replicate the advantage I had during the Two-States period."

The Qingjiao Army had just been established, and its troop type was the paper money underworld soldiers. Ning Zhuo's mechanical puppets were too different from the paper money underworld soldiers to be recognized as part of their troop type. Furthermore, without treasures like military registers among the military equipment, there was truly no way around it.

Qing Yan suddenly said, "Given the current situation, why don't we generals take the initiative to attack and probe their true strength, then order the entire army to attack? Otherwise, we could also ask them to provide military power to empower us."

Ning Zhuo nodded: "That's the only way."

Qing Chi punched her palm, her eyes gleaming with vigor: "Alright, I'll take that old woman as my opponent first.""Father, you try attacking that cold smoky figure."

Qing Yan waved his hand: "No, you are the commander, stay behind first. I'll go with Jiao Ma's father."

Ning Zhuo shook his head: "Qing Chi, as a general, indeed shouldn't move lightly, but I can go first."

Jiao Ma's father opened his mouth, wanting to request to fight, but Ning Zhuo's resolute expression stopped him with a single sentence: "It's settled!"

Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan stepped out of their army, into the open space between the two forces, and loudly challenged for a duel.

"Something is strange.""The enemy is trying to lure us again. What tactics do they possess?"

Venerable Han Yan and the Old Mother of a Hundred Ghosts exchanged thoughts via divine sense, their doubts resurfacing.

"Currently, you and I are the only Imperial Guard commanders. I can go out to fight, and you stay to command the army. If anything happens to me, we won't be in the predicament of having soldiers but no general," Venerable Han Yan said.

The Old Mother of a Hundred Ghosts nodded: "My injuries are indeed more severe than yours. You must try your best to buy time; I'll secretly do my utmost to recover!"

Having concluded their discussion, Venerable Han Yan stepped out of the formation and loudly declared: "One Core Formation, one Foundation Establishment. I alone am enough to satisfy your death wish.""Come, offer up your lives!"

Qing Yan and Ning Zhuo exchanged a glance and, without hesitation, attacked simultaneously.

Venerable Han Yan's gaze fixed on Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan. With a thought, the ice shards suspended around him shot out. As they flew mid-air, their speed drastically increased, transforming into several beams of intensely cold ice light, their power surging more than tenfold. Ning Zhuo had long been prepared and reacted quickly, casting an Earth element spell, summoning the power of the Earth element Spleen Temple for enhancement, and using military strength to raise a thick earthen wall from the ground, blocking in front of him. Qing Yan, meanwhile, used the earthen wall for defense and did not dodge. Wielding a long spear, he conjured spear blossoms. Clusters of green spear blossoms shot forth, like a rain of flowers, enveloping the charging Venerable Han Yan. With a thought, Venerable Han Yan sent out a dozen more ice shards, which transformed into frost shields, intercepting the green spear blossoms midway. The earthen wall was pierced by an ice line! The thick earthen wall only resisted for a brief moment before it was pierced through. Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan reacted in time and dodged away. The remaining earthen wall instantly froze into a block of ice. Bang, bang, bang— A series of muffled thuds followed as all the spear blossoms were blocked by the frost shields, powerless and helpless, meeting their demise.

Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan both showed a hint of alarm on their faces. It wasn't just them; Qing Chi and the others watching from behind also felt a shock. With just a probing attack, Venerable Han Yan displayed formidable combat power. Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan were empowered by military strength, and Venerable Han Yan was too. On this point, Venerable Han Yan, possessing the military might of the Imperial Guards, had an even greater advantage! Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan could leverage various methods to achieve stronger combat power. However, Venerable Han Yan himself possessed Nascent Soul level cultivation and combat power!

Venerable Han Yan closed in and launched an attack. A mere flick of his sleeve could conjure vast waves of profound yin cold currents. With a flick of his finger, countless sharp profound ice spikes would shoot up from the ground like rapidly growing bamboo shoots. With a sweep of his palm, countless ice soul needles would condense in the sky and descend over their heads. As soon as the formal engagement began, Venerable Han Yan gained a firm upper hand. Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan frantically dodged, occasionally counterattacking, appearing extremely disheveled. Ning Zhuo continuously cast Five Elements spells, each attack drawing upon the enhancement of the Five Viscera Spirit Gods and simultaneously consuming military power, as he would otherwise be entirely unqualified to participate in such a battle. In the past, his sharp Metal element spells could take lives. Now, they could only break through ice barriers. His surging Water element spells were frozen in place as soon as they were cast. His fiery Fire element spells quickly died down under the ice. The Earth element spells Ning Zhuo often used for defense were as brittle as paper. His Wood element spells, forming forests and vines, struggled to grow and shortly froze to death.

It was the same for Qing Yan. His various magic tools rapidly depleted, and cracks appeared on his life-bound magical treasure. He was spitting blood while fighting. Qing Chi watched with wide, angry eyes, her heart filled with anxiety. She wanted to join the battle but was firmly dissuaded by simultaneous divine sense messages from Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan. The enemy had only deployed one person. If their own main general were to participate, they would be even more disadvantaged.

Venerable Han Yan sneered: "Two little mice, how overconfident. Die." Ice Spell: Frozen Kill Line! Venerable Han Yan's cold energy condensed into a finger, from which a pale blue ice line shot out from the fingertip. The ice line emitted a white glow, darting forth silently. However, wherever the ice line passed, even space itself was affected, leaving a frozen, ice-blue streak!

"Damn it!" Qing Yan's hair stood on end; he felt a fatal threat. He exploded with all his might to dodge, but the surrounding cold energy quickly enveloped him, drastically slowing his movements. He could only summon his magical artifact shield to block in front of him. The ice line cut through the shield as easily as a sharp blade slicing through tofu. Qing Yan suffered a backlash, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and seized the opportunity to change his body posture, moving his vital points out of the way. As a result, the ice line directly severed an forearm and half a leg. The wounds did not bleed; instead, they instantly froze into icy surfaces. The terrifying cold rapidly permeated his limbs, burrowing towards his internal organs.

Venerable Han Yan moved his finger, and the pale blue ice line swept towards Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo let out a low cry, activating his magic power, and raised thick barriers of Earth and Wood elements. They only resisted for three breaths before being completely pierced by the ice line.

Heavily Armored Blood Ape, Yuan Dasheng! Yuan Dasheng protected Ning Zhuo, forcefully pushing him away.