Su Ran looked at the group of ice spirit puppets, knowing she couldn't afford to get entangled with them too long, otherwise the black-robed man would catch up, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from both sides. She quickly surveyed her surroundings and discovered that these ice spirit puppets seemed to be controlled by some kind of formation within the passage. To break through quickly, she had to find the core of the formation and destroy it.
"Listen up, everyone! These puppets are controlled by an array. We need to spread out and find the array's core. Don't linger in battle; finish this quickly!" Su Ran issued the order swiftly. The disciples nodded and each used their movement techniques to rush off in different directions.
A disciple skilled in wind magic used "Swift Wind Step" to move with incredible speed among the puppets. While dodging the puppets' swung ice blades, he carefully observed their movements, trying to find a flaw in the formation. Suddenly, he noticed that one of the puppets was moving slightly slower, seemingly out of sync with the others. An idea struck him, and without hesitation, he charged towards that puppet.
As he approached the puppet, he unleashed "Wind Blade Storm," countless wind blades slicing towards it like razor blades. Cracks appeared in the ice surrounding the puppet under the onslaught of the wind blades. Just as the wind blades were about to completely destroy the puppet, the other puppets sensed the danger to their companion and abandoned their fellow disciples, surrounding the wind-elemental disciple.
Seeing this, Su Ran quickly unleashed "Ice Spirit Arrow Rain," sending countless ice arrows flying from her hands towards the puppets besieging the wind-elemental disciples. The ice arrows were incredibly powerful, piercing the puppets' bodies with holes. But these puppets seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing their relentless charge towards the wind-elemental disciples.
"No, we'll be trapped if this continues!" Su Ran thought anxiously. Her gaze swept across the passage and she noticed some strange runes on the walls shimmering faintly, which were likely related to the core of the formation.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Ran used "Ice Spirit Blink" to instantly appear beside the passage wall. She carefully studied the runes and discovered they formed a complex ice-based array, with the core of the array located at the center where the runes converged. Su Ran took a deep breath, channeling the last of her spiritual energy into an ice sword, which she then thrust towards the center of the runes.
The moment the ice sword pierced the center of the rune, the rune shone brightly, and the entire passage shook violently. The ice spirit puppets seemed to have lost control, their movements becoming sluggish and stiff.
"Hurry, the formation is about to fail!" Su Ran shouted. The disciples rushed towards the exit of the passage. However, just as they were about to rush out of the passage, the man in black robes caught up with them.
Seeing that Su Ran and the others were about to escape, the leader of the black-robed men's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint: "Do you think you can escape?" He waved his hands, and black spiritual energy chains flew out from his hands, wrapping around Su Ran and the others.
Su Ran hurriedly cast "Ice Shield Protection," and a massive ice shield appeared before everyone. The chains of spiritual energy struck the ice shield, producing loud "bang" sounds. Although the ice shield temporarily withstood the attack, cracks appeared under the continuous impact of the chains of spiritual energy.
"Attack together, everyone! Break these chains!" Su Ran shouted. The disciples unleashed their spells, fire, lightning, wind blades, and other magics bombarding the spiritual energy chains. With everyone's combined attack, the spiritual energy chains finally snapped.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the group rushed out of the passage, only to find themselves in a vast ice field. A fierce wind howled across the ice field, and blizzards raged, severely obstructing visibility. Behind them, the ice palace was slowly collapsing, massive blocks of ice tumbling down with deafening roars.
"Which way?" a disciple asked. Su Ran looked around and noticed a towering iceberg on the ice plain. There seemed to be a cave at the top of the iceberg, which might provide temporary shelter.
"Let's go to that iceberg and take shelter in the cave!" Su Ran said, pointing to the iceberg. The group struggled to make their way towards the iceberg amidst the raging blizzard.
The men in black robes naturally wouldn't give up easily, and they followed closely behind. One of them used "Dark Tracking Technique" to pinpoint Su Ran and the others' location amidst the swirling snow.
"Don't let them get away!" the man in black robes shouted. The other men in black robes quickened their pace and gave chase.
Just as Su Ran and the others were about to reach the foot of the ice mountain, a pack of ice wolves suddenly appeared on the ice field. These ice wolves were huge, exuding a cold aura, and their eyes gleamed with a ghostly blue light as they let out low growls at Su Ran and the others.
"Another problem!" Su Ran frowned. At this moment, they had to deal with the black-robed man behind them and the ice wolf in front of them, making their situation extremely difficult.
"Everyone, stand back to back and prepare for battle!" Su Ran shouted. The disciples quickly formed a circle, warily watching the ice wolves around them.
The ice wolves launched the first attack, charging towards the group like lightning. Su Ran unleashed her "Ice Spirit Sword Qi," unleashing streaks of icy blue...
The ice wolves pounced like a storm, but Su Ran's icy sword energy crisscrossed, each strike hitting the wolves precisely, instantly freezing them into ice sculptures before shattering them into dust. However, the ice wolves were numerous, advancing wave after wave, showing no fear of death. The disciples also unleashed their best skills, and for a moment, the icy plains flashed with magical light.
The disciples, skilled in lightning magic, brandished their hands, unleashing thick bolts of lightning that cleaved down from the clouds, striking the ice wolf pack. Accompanied by piercing howls, many ice wolves were charred black and collapsed to the ground. But the ice wolves' charge remained ferocious; several broke through the magical defenses and pounced on the disciples.
One disciple was caught off guard and his arm was bitten by an ice wolf, instantly staining the snow red with blood. Seeing this, the other disciples rushed to his aid. A wind-element disciple unleashed a "Whirlwind Tornado," lifting the ice wolf into the air, followed by a fire-element disciple's "Fire Blast," which blasted the ice wolf to pieces.
At this moment, the black-robed men caught up as well. The leader of the black-robed men, seeing Su Ran and the others entangled by the ice wolves, revealed a ferocious smile: "You will not escape today!" He formed hand seals and chanted incantations, creating a huge black vortex in his hands, emanating a chillingly evil aura.
"Oh no, he's about to unleash a forbidden spell!" Su Ran thought in alarm. She knew all too well the immense power of such an evil forbidden spell; if they were hit, they would have no chance of survival. Immediately, Su Ran mustered all her spiritual power and cast "Ultimate Protection of Ice and Snow," instantly creating a massive ice fortress centered on their location, protecting them within.
The black-robed man's forbidden spell—"Dark Annihilation Vortex"—let out a muffled roar as it hurtled towards the ice fortress. Under the impact of this terrifying power, the ice fortress trembled violently, and countless cracks rapidly appeared on its surface. Su Ran's face was deathly pale as she desperately tried to maintain the ice fortress's stability; she could feel her spiritual energy rapidly draining away like water from a burst dam.
Outside the ice fortress, the ice wolves collapsed and died under the aftershocks of the dark annihilation vortex. Meanwhile, the man in black robes took the opportunity to approach the ice fortress, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Su Ran and the others when it shattered.
Just as the ice fortress was about to shatter, a mysterious white light suddenly shot from afar, striking the black-robed man's dark annihilation vortex with pinpoint accuracy. A deafening boom followed as the dark annihilation vortex and the white light canceled each other out, the resulting powerful energy sending the surrounding ice and snow flying dozens of meters high.
Inside the ice fortress, Su Ran and the others were shocked by the powerful impact. When the light dissipated, they saw a mysterious old man in a white robe appear not far away. The old man had white hair, but was remarkably vigorous, his eyes revealing a profound and powerful aura.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering in our affairs?" the leader of the black-robed men asked with a gloomy expression.
The mysterious old man smiled slightly, his voice resounding across the icy plain like a great bell: "You evil scoundrels are running rampant in this icy plain, and I naturally cannot sit idly by."
The man in black robes sneered, "You? Don't think you can stop us." With that, he waved his hand, and the other men in black robes scattered, surrounding the mysterious old man.
The mysterious old man remained unfazed, standing calmly with his hands behind his back. The man in black robes launched the first attack, unleashing a barrage of evil spells like black meteors towards the old man. The old man, unperturbed, murmured an incantation, and a soft white light enveloped him. The evil spells, struck by the light, vanished without a trace, like mud sinking into the sea.
Then, the mysterious old man lightly flicked his finger, and a white sword aura shot out from his fingertip, heading straight for a man in black robes. The man in black robes hurriedly cast a defensive spell, and a black shield appeared in front of him. However, the white sword aura was incredibly powerful, piercing through the black shield and striking the man in black robes. The man in black robes screamed and flew dozens of feet away, crashing heavily onto the snow, his life hanging in the balance.
The other men in black robes were terrified at the sight, but the leader was unwilling to give up: "Attack together and kill him!" The men in black robes unleashed their strongest spells, and in an instant, black light completely enveloped the mysterious old man.
A hint of disdain flashed in the mysterious old man's eyes. He swiftly formed hand seals and chanted, "The righteous energy of heaven and earth purifies all evil." A massive white pillar of light rose from above his head, like a sharp sword, instantly dispelling the surrounding black light. Under the impact of this powerful force, the black-robed men coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing the situation was dire and knowing victory was unlikely, the leader of the black-robed figures gritted his teeth and used the "Dark Escape Technique," transforming into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing into the icy plains.
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