"Dean Flander, are we really going to join this commotion? I heard that defilement point is very dangerous. Didn't Heaven Dou Academy already lose a Spirit Sage there?" Oscar asked, his face full of worry. As a food-type spirit master with no combat ability, the thought of going to such a dangerous place made him shiver with fear, feeling completely unsafe.
"What's there to be afraid of, Little Oscar? So many people are going, and Teacher Erlong and the others will be there too. What's to fear?" Dai Mubai said with a laugh, patting Oscar's shoulder.
"Boss Dai, I'm not scared. It's just that the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to start. I'm just worried about any accidents that might affect the competition." Noticing Ning Rongrong and the others looking at him, Oscar quickly retorted. He didn't want Ning Rongrong to think he was a coward.
"Mubai makes a good point. As long as it's not a Titled Douluo, your Teacher Erlong here isn't afraid of anyone," said a fiery, beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties, also patting Oscar's shoulder with a confident smile. After all, with the Golden Iron Triangle reunited, they could even contend with a Titled Douluo, so there was indeed nothing to fear.
"Oh, that's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's carriage! It's Father and the others!" Just then, Ning Rongrong suddenly caught sight of two carriages in the distance, and her eyes instantly sparkled with delight. At the same time, the two carriages slowly drove towards their location.
"Rongrong!"
"Father, Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, you're all here!" Seeing Ning Fengzhi and the others alight from the carriages, Ning Rongrong cheered, flitting like a happy little bird directly into Ning Fengzhi's embrace.
"Clan Master Ning, it's been a while, how have you been?" Yu Xiaogang and the others also stepped forward, respectfully bowing to Ning Fengzhi.
The carriages came to a steady stop. Xue Qinghe, hearing the commotion outside, opened his carriage door and calmly stepped down.
"Rongrong, long time no see."
"Brother Xue, you're here too!" Seeing Xue Qinghe alight from the carriage, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but look surprised.
"My little sister insisted on coming to watch the excitement, aren't you all doing the same?" Xue Qinghe explained with a smile.
"Xue Ke is here too?" Ning Rongrong's gaze turned towards the carriage. As the beloved little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, she not only knew Xue Qinghe but was also familiar with Xue Ke. However, their personalities were quite different, so they didn't really get along and weren't too close.
"It's you!" However, when she saw Lu Jingming step out with Xue Ke, her pupils suddenly constricted, and she couldn't help but exclaim.
Ning Rongrong's exclamation instantly drew everyone's attention. They followed her gaze to Lu Jingming. Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and the others reacted just like Ning Rongrong, all with faces full of surprise.
"What? Rongrong, you know Brother Lu too?" Xue Qinghe was quite surprised and couldn't help but ask.
"I'm also curious, how do you all know me?" Lu Jingming feigned a puzzled expression. In truth, he naturally knew how Ning Rongrong and the others recognized him, but what did a virtual entity in the simulated universe have to do with his real self? He certainly didn't want others to know about his "substitute player" escapades.
"This!" Ning Rongrong and the others were momentarily speechless, looking at Lu Jingming with strange expressions. Especially Yu Xiaogang, his face instantly turned ashen, looking utterly bewildered. Previously, he could delude himself into believing that Lu Jingming was merely a false existence in the simulated universe, but now that the real person stood before him, it meant that the theory he had always believed in was about to suffer a huge blow.
Under the curious gazes of Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong didn't hide anything and recounted exactly what had happened in the simulated universe. When they heard that the Lu Jingming in the simulated universe had defeated the Shrek Seven Devils by himself, and that his spirit ring configuration was beyond common sense, Ning Fengzhi and the others all looked at Lu Jingming in astonishment.
"Heh heh, looks like we're quite fated, aren't we!" Lu Jingming chuckled, breaking the silence, while keenly sensing a slightly hostile gaze. He followed the gaze and saw Tang San glaring at him with a dark expression. Clearly, the other party was still resentful about what happened in the simulated universe.
Lu Jingming's mouth twitched slightly. This guy really loved to play the blame game! It was just killing Xiao Wu in the simulated universe, and in their eyes, that was done by a simulation, so it should have nothing to do with him personally. At least Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others harbored no animosity towards him, differentiating clearly. Even Xiao Wu didn't show hostility towards him. Only Tang San was an exception. This guy's personality was indeed vengeful and prone to shifting blame.
Not only Lu Jingming, but Sword Douluo and Xue Qinghe also sensed the hostility in Tang San's gaze towards Lu Jingming. Recalling what Ning Rongrong had just said, they were all somewhat speechless. Was he really that petty?
Ning Fengzhi also frowned deeply. He hadn't expected Tang San to be so narrow-minded. If Ning Rongrong hadn't evolved her martial spirit due to the immortal herb Tang San gave her, he would have wanted Ning Rongrong to stay far away from Tang San. At the same time, he felt a hint of hesitation about continuing to invest in Tang San. With such a personality, could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan truly benefit from Tang San?
Noticing everyone's gazes, Tang San also realized his behavior was somewhat inappropriate and quickly withdrew his hostility, no longer looking at Lu Jingming. Aside from a few sensitive individuals, the others didn't notice the strange atmosphere.
Ning Rongrong even directly approached Lu Jingming, curiously asking, "Lu Jingming, is your spirit ring configuration really the same as in the simulated universe?"
"The simulated universe creates data entities based on real people, what do you think?" Lu Jingming didn't answer directly but instead retorted.
"It's actually real! How did you do it?" Although she didn't get a definitive answer, this was almost tantamount to an admission. Ning Rongrong couldn't contain her curiosity and continued to press. One had to know that even after absorbing immortal herbs, they were far from reaching Lu Jingming's absurd level. Tang San's absorption of a ten-thousand-year spirit ring for his fourth had already seemed incredible to them, but the Lu Jingming in the simulated universe at that time had a spirit ring configuration of two purple and one black.
"Rongrong!" Ning Fengzhi frowned, his tone a bit sterner. How could one casually inquire about such things? In the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, this would be core secret information.
"It's very simple. Just have strong enough physical quality and spiritual power," Lu Jingming said with a relaxed smile.
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes. What was the difference between saying that and saying nothing? Who didn't know that absorbing spirit rings required meeting physical quality and spiritual power standards? However, she didn't press further. Since she wouldn't get anything out of it anyway, she lost interest.
Due to Ning Rongrong, the Shrek Academy group joined the expedition. With Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo's doting on Ning Rongrong, they naturally wouldn't feel at ease with her out of their sight at a defilement point, so acting together was inevitable.
Shrek Academy had over a dozen people, too many for the carriages, but spirit masters' travel speed wasn't much slower than carriages anyway. Soon, the group moved further and further away from Heaven Dou City, gradually entering the wilderness, where trees became increasingly dense and lush. In the wilderness, carriages could no longer proceed, so everyone had to continue on foot.
As they gradually approached the target valley, a cold, evil aura assaulted them, causing everyone to involuntarily shiver. When they arrived at the valley indicated by the intel, looking at the scene shrouded in black mist, most people fell silent.
"Is this a defilement point? It looks so terrifying!" Ning Rongrong instinctively moved closer to Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo. Only beside her two Titled Douluo grandfathers did she feel sufficiently safe.
"Something's wrong, this situation is very wrong!" Ning Fengzhi frowned deeply. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had cleared many defilement points, but never had one made him feel such a chilling sense of dread. Even defilement points where Spirit Douluo level monsters had appeared, and whose contaminated areas were much larger than this one, had not felt this terrifying.
"How could this be? It wasn't like this when we left!" Not far away, Shui Bing'er and the others from Heaven Water Academy stared dumbfounded at the vastly changed valley. It had been less than two days since they fled back to Heaven Dou City. At that time, the coverage area of this defilement point was far smaller, but now, the contamination had spread completely beyond the valley, at least doubling in size. How long had it been? The spread speed of the defilement point was completely abnormal, vastly different from other discovered defilement points.
"Regardless of the reason, we can only go in and see. If there's really a problem, we must find out immediately, as this place is too close to Heaven Dou City," said Dream God Ji, the chief of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's three teaching committees, his brows furrowed, his voice heavy.
"With Poison Douluo here to oversee, no matter what monsters appear, they won't cause much trouble." The second in command of the three teaching committees, Bai Baoshan, looked towards the rear of the team. There, an old man with white hair was being held by a young girl with short purple hair and emerald eyes.
Dugu Bo ignored the three teaching committees and turned to look behind him, smiling, "Little monster, I knew you wouldn't miss this excitement."
"Old monster, same to you," Tang San stepped forward, smiling and teasing.
Seeing this scene, most of those present looked astonished. Poison Douluo (Du Busi) was notoriously eccentric, yet a Spirit Ancestor could communicate with Poison Douluo so equally, even teasing each other. It was truly unbelievable. The three teaching committees of Heaven Dou Royal Academy looked even more unsightly. It was because Poison Douluo had interfered that they failed to keep Tang San and the others, causing Tang San to leave Heaven Dou Royal Academy. And now, Poison Douluo and Tang San's relationship had grown even closer; they seemed to have become the villains instead.
"His Royal Highness, Clan Master Ning." When the three teaching committees of Heaven Dou Royal Academy saw Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi beside him, they quickly stepped forward and respectfully saluted. Although Ning Fengzhi's cultivation was not as high as theirs, he was the Clan Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, his status no less than, or even higher than, a Titled Douluo. And Xue Qinghe was naturally the one they pledged their loyalty to. It was precisely because they were Xue Qinghe's people that Prince Xue Xing had sought out Dugu Bo to drive Tang San and the others away.
"Old poisonous one, looks like your cultivation has advanced quite a bit!" Sword Douluo's gaze fell on Dugu Bo's grizzled hair. He remembered Dugu Bo's hair being green before. Moreover, he keenly noticed that Dugu Bo's spirit power fluctuations were stronger than before, clearly indicating a breakthrough.
At this time, a group of prominent figures gathered, exchanging pleasantries. Feng Ying of Shenfeng Academy and Huo Shi of Chihuo Academy stood by, anxious but not daring to interject rashly. They were desperate, eager to rush into the valley to find Shui Ming'er, but looking at the gloomy and terrifying valley shrouded in black mist, like a demon's lair, they dared not act rashly.
"Teacher, we need to speed up!" Xue Qinghe frowned deeply, pointing at the rapidly withering trees and flowers. Only now did everyone clearly see that the defilement point was spreading wildly at a visibly rapid pace. Moreover, staying in this area of highly concentrated negative energy made Xue Qinghe feel uncomfortable all over. A strong urge surged within him, wishing he could immediately release his martial spirit and purify everything before his eyes. But he knew in his heart that he absolutely could not do so, which made him feel incredibly distressed.
Not only Xue Qinghe, but everyone else also noticed that the defilement point's spread speed was beyond imagination. At this rate, if it wasn't contained quickly, the defilement would spread to Heaven Dou City within a few months. If the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire were to fall into defilement, it would be no laughing matter. If not cleared in time, this terrifying situation was very likely to occur.
At present, everyone no longer hesitated. They all unleashed their spirit power to protect themselves and stepped into the valley shrouded in black mist. Although Xue Ke's combat ability was limited, she was still a spirit master and could use spirit power to resist the erosion of negative energy. As long as she didn't participate in combat, she could actually last longer than the spirit masters fighting at the front.
Soon after entering the valley, figures of black-armored Golden Guards began to appear one after another. Most of these minor enemies were not very strong, and students from various academies could easily handle them with their own abilities. At least a hundred people had come to join the fun this time, and the lowest cultivation level among them was Spirit Grandmaster, so dealing with these unintelligent Golden Guards was not difficult.
The ones charging at the forefront and fighting most valiantly were the people from Heaven Water, Chihuo, and Shenfeng Academies. After all, these three academies had always been closely connected, and now that Shui Ming'er from Heaven Water Academy was deeply trapped, they were naturally the most anxious. Feng Ying and Huo Shi completely disregarded their status, personally engaging in killing Spirit Grandmaster-level Golden Guards, just to speed up the team's progress.
As the team continued to advance, in addition to the black-armored soldiers, some figures clad in white and black robes also began to appear. These individuals specialized in stealth attacks, leading to injuries among some unprepared academies. Fortunately, all major academies had teachers of Spirit Emperor and Spirit Sage levels leading the teams, so there had been no casualties yet. If it weren't for the presence of the powerhouses from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Poison Douluo, many would have probably retreated long ago. After all, this was merely the outer reaches of the valley, and no one knew what greater dangers lurked deeper within. They had only come to witness the excitement; they didn't want to be cannon fodder for nothing. If it weren't for the chance to gain treasures by killing negative energy monsters, they wouldn't be charging forward so desperately.
Looking at the Golden Guards and monsters similar to the Black and White Impermanence of Wuchang Division being continuously defeated along the way, Lu Jingming felt a strange mix of emotions, between amusement and bewilderment.
Just then, a bizarre yet somewhat sacred prayer suddenly sounded, followed by a massive angelic phantom appearing out of thin air. This angelic phantom was holy and beautiful, yet it was surrounded by black and red killing intent and malevolence, forming a stark contrast with the holy light emanating from its body. This contradictory existence caused everyone's pupils to shrink sharply, and some even couldn't help but exclaim, "Angel Martial Spirit!"
Xue Qinghe's gaze fell upon the figure enveloped by the angelic phantom. He saw a golden-haired girl in golden armor, radiating holy light, yet with blood-red eyes and a face covered in cracks. The Winged Angel Martial Spirit should belong to the ordinary Angel Clan, most likely from the Angel Legion. Xue Qinghe instantly made his judgment. Then, looking at the two yellow, two purple, and one black spirit rings on her, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but frown. Judging by this girl's appearance, she was probably around twenty years old. To become a Spirit King at such a young age, he shouldn't have no impression of her, let alone her being from the Angel Clan. He couldn't figure out who her prototype was, but how could Lu Jingming not recognize her? Wasn't this Yu Mengdi? She had actually appeared as an elite monster!
A Spirit King level powerhouse was no longer something ordinary students could contend with. Huo Shi unhesitatingly flew up, the phantom of his Blazing Demonic Lion roaring towards the sky behind him. He violently punched out, a huge fiery fist mercilessly smashing towards the beautiful angel. Golden sword light and the fiery fist violently collided, erupting in a deafening roar. A powerful shockwave rippled outwards. Huo Shi held nothing back. Spirit rings glowed around him, and his figure turned into an afterimage, instantly appearing before Black Yu Mengdi. His right hand, transformed into a beast claw, pierced Black Yu Mengdi's heart like lightning.
As the black mist gradually dissipated, the angelic phantom also collapsed. Huo Shi's hand now held a golden holy sword, which was a Level 5 soul tool—a soul tool longsword—dropped by Yu Mengdi.
But the next moment, a golden whirlwind, carrying black and red energy, swept like a raging dragon, instantly engulfing Huo Shi. Meanwhile, on a nearby hill, a figure shrouded in black mist had silently appeared. It was Black Ye Wuqing.
"A Spirit Emperor!" Feng Ying frowned deeply. His figure was instantly surrounded by clear wind, and a verdant longblade appeared out of thin air in his hand. He violently swung the blade, and a huge wind blade, like an arrow from a bow, tore through the air with "hissing" sounds, directly slashing towards Black Ye Wuqing, who possessed six spirit rings.
"Brother, will Teacher Huo Shi be alright?" Huo Wu quickly condensed a fireball in her hand and threw it forcefully, blasting a black-robed figure that ambushed them from the shadows into dust. She looked worriedly at Huo Shi, who was enveloped by the golden whirlwind, her heart filled with anxiety. That golden whirlwind carrying black energy was incredibly powerful. Just by looking at it, Huo Wu felt her heart race. She felt that if she were caught in it, she might not even leave a complete corpse. This defilement point was indeed full of dangers. A Spirit Emperor suddenly appeared for a sneak attack, catching even a Spirit Sage like Huo Shi somewhat off guard.
"Roar! Martial Spirit True Body!" Before Huo Wushuang could even reply, he heard Huo Shi's furious roar. Scarlet flames, like raging tides, instantly engulfed the golden whirlwind, transforming into a fiery red expanse. A huge flaming demonic lion, wielding sharp claws, violently tore apart the golden whirlwind, breaking free.
The moment Huo Shi broke free, he opened his mouth wide and spat out torrents of blazing flames, sweeping towards Black Ye Wuqing. Black Ye Wuqing, who had just resisted Feng Ying's attack, had no time to react and was completely engulfed by the towering flames. When the flames gradually extinguished, only a spirit bone emanating golden light remained in place.
Seeing this spirit bone, everyone looked incredulous. One must know that in most defilement points, the treasures dropped were usually soul tools, ores, edible spiritual medicines, or crystals that could enhance spirit power and spiritual force. The probability of a spirit bone appearing was extremely low. Although the quality of this spirit bone was only hundred-year, it was still a spirit bone, and in this era, spirit bones were the rarest treasures.
Huo Shi himself was stunned. He never expected his luck to be so good. A hundred-year spirit bone wouldn't attract the greedy pursuit of Titled Douluo and Spirit Douluo, and other Spirit Sages weren't willing to easily offend Huo Shi, as elemental academies always stood together. Thus, Huo Shi unhesitatingly took the spirit bone into his possession.
Taking advantage of the duration of his Martial Spirit True Body, Huo Shi took the lead and charged courageously towards the depths of the valley, fully demonstrating his "reckless" character. Stimulated by the spirit bone, people from other academies seemed to have been injected with a stimulant. The various Spirit Sage powerhouses who had been somewhat reserved before could no longer hold back. They now used all their might, searching everywhere for negative energy monsters to kill, especially those with cultivation above the Spirit King level.
Among these Spirit Sages, one could see the figures of Flander and Zhao Wuji. Flander, in particular, used his speed advantage to snatch kills everywhere. Although everyone was inwardly annoyed, they dared not express it. After all, Shrek Academy was very close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and one of their students even conversed with Poison Douluo as an equal; they couldn't afford to offend them. As for Liu Erlong, she always stayed by Yu Xiaogang's side, as with Yu Xiaogang's strength, any black mist monster could potentially take his life.
Such reckless hunting naturally attracted the attention of certain presences deeper within the valley.
They saw a pink-haired girl drawing a bow, with six spirit rings—two purple, three black, and one red—appearing in sequence around her. An ice-blue light arrow instantly shot from the bowstring, appearing hundreds of meters high in the sky in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, the ice-blue light arrow exploded violently, transforming into countless icy arrow rain that roared down like a torrential downpour. Terrifying cold energy descended from the sky. Along with the arrow rain, water vapor frozen into ice blocks also fell, forming a dense hailstorm.
"Not good!" Faced with this sudden hailstorm attack, most people were greatly alarmed. Whether it was the arrow rain or the hail, if struck, the consequences would be dire.