: Ning Zhuo, Qing Yan vs. Cold Mist Ascendant

Author: Gu Zhenren

Date: 2025-07-15

Ning Zhuo, Qing Chi, and the others proceeded with caution, their hearts in their throats.

Yet, they reached the depths of the clouds without encountering any obstacles.

"Strange, why is there no resistance?"

"Could it be that the Forgotten River Mansion Lord encountered a powerful enemy, and his arrangements were completely destroyed?"

The Grey Bone Elder had once instructed Sun Lingtong, telling him that the Forgotten River Mansion Lord defied the heavens and would inevitably be entangled and suppressed by fate, plagued by endless misfortunes. As a result, his combat power would drop to the Nascent Soul level during the final confrontation.

Ning Zhuo rubbed the mechanism ring on his finger.

Throughout the entire ascent, the mechanism ring showed no unusual activity.

Besides this treasured artifact, his mother also gave him confidence.

"Mother wouldn't harm me!"

"Since she asked me to come here, there must be some assurance."

"At most, it might be a bit challenging."

"Perhaps the defenders here are already dead. With the Green Scorch Army and military strength加持, I can challenge the Forgotten River Mansion Lord!"

While Ning Zhuo pondered, Qing Yan, beside him, had already taken action.

As a Golden Core-level cultivator, he now mobilized military strength to cast a spell.

The spell's power was immense, making even him feel exhilarated and highly satisfied.

However, his proud technique only dispersed a small portion of the rolling black clouds when it struck, revealing a tiny gap that was almost negligible compared to the overall mass of dark clouds.

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

Qing Yan was stunned.

"What should we do now?" Many in the Green Scorch Army halted, hovering high in the air.

"Let me try!" Qing Chi took the lead, swinging her fists and unleashing bursts of green flame.

The fist flames struck the black clouds, achieving results similar to Qing Yan's earlier efforts—fruitless.

"Mother didn’t mention this before she left."

"It seems we need to carefully test it and find a weakness to proceed!"

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Qing Chi frowned, growing somewhat angry. "I refuse to believe it!"

She charged toward the black clouds.

Qing Yan hurriedly shouted, "Don’t be reckless... Huh?"

The next moment, he saw a dark light flicker around Qing Chi, accompanied by a surge of Yin wind. Like a drop merging into the ocean, she directly plunged into the black clouds.

Ning Zhuo’s eyes lit up instantly. "Could it be...?"

Shortly after, Qing Chi emerged again, excitedly shouting, "It’s divine art!"

Ning Zhuo’s speculation was confirmed, and he couldn’t help but feel thrilled. "Although the Night Patrol God is a common deity, the one we encountered earlier was extraordinary. The divine art bestowed upon us actually allows us to penetrate obstacles."

Jiao Ma’s father sighed in admiration. "Night Patrol, Night Patrol—just from the name, one can tell it possesses the divine ability to roam freely and overcome various obstacles."

This scene brought delight to the entire Green Scorch Army.

What were they waiting for?

Just as Qing Chi was about to issue an order, Ning Zhuo raised a hand to stop her. "Not so fast."

He first called Qing Chi back, then dispatched a small team to scout deep into the black clouds.

The defenders within the black clouds stood ready.

The two remaining Nascent Soul-level cultivators exchanged glances, urgently discussing their next move.

Hundred Ghosts Old Mother looked uneasy. "This cultivation army is indeed strange! The divine art加持 on the entire army actually allows them to easily penetrate the formation barriers!"

"They’ve sent scouts. How should we respond?"

Cold Mist Ascendant wore a grave expression. "Would mice actively provoke an elephant? This cultivation army is both reckless and cautious—likely a facade."

"We should respond with consistency, standing firm and ready. That’s the best strategy!"

Clearly, the two were still shaken by the earlier surprise attack by the powerful expert.

There were originally five Nascent Soul-level cultivators, but now only the two of them remained, both injured and not yet recovered.

Crucially, they hadn’t truly engaged in direct combat; most of their injuries came from the aftermath of clashes between powerful experts.

Moreover, the Forgotten River Mansion Lord’s true self had already issued orders for them to defend strictly and buy as much time as possible.

Although they didn’t know what had happened at the altar battlefield, they could infer from the Mansion Lord’s commands that their master must be seriously injured.

Under such circumstances, they dared not take risks.

The small scouting team ventured into the black clouds and, upon seeing the fully prepared ten-thousand-strong imperial guards, were startled and hurriedly reported back.

After receiving the military intelligence, Qing Chi, Ning Zhuo, and the others all changed their expressions.

The Green Scorch Army numbered only a few hundred and was newly formed—no match for the imperial guards.

Qing Chi hesitated, looking at her beloved for guidance.

Ning Zhuo frowned in thought.

"We must fight!" Qing Yan suddenly declared, clenching his fists with a振奋 expression. "This is just the enemy’s bluff!"

"If they were truly so powerful, they could have sent a small force to intercept and eliminate us halfway."

"Why are they holding their ground here?"

"This must mean they are extremely weak, have suffered heavy losses, and are using illusions to mislead us!"

"If we charge in, we can expose their facade!"

Qing Chi’s eyes lit up instantly. "Dad, you’re amazing too!"

Qing Yan puffed out his chest, snorting through his nose. "What kind of talk is that! Your old man has always been strong."

Ning Zhuo rubbed his mechanism ring, his expression grave. "Mother entrusted me with this mission. We must succeed; otherwise, if the Forgotten River Mansion Lord’s century-long scheme succeeds, countless lives will be lost."

"Let’s charge in!"

Once Ning Zhuo made the decision, Qing Chi naturally followed.

The entire Green Scorch Army plunged into the black clouds.

Witnessing this, Cold Mist Ascendant and Hundred Ghosts Old Mother’s faces darkened.

"They’ve already scouted us! Despite the clear disparity in strength, they still choose to fight. They must have something to rely on!"

"This is clearly a trap! When the battle begins, we must hold our positions and not act impulsively, giving the enemy an opportunity."

"Activate the formation first to neutralize the divine power on them!"

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

The formation hummed to life, emitting waves of black light that illuminated the space within the clouds.

The moment the Green Scorch Army entered, they were suppressed, falling downward until they landed on the black clouds.

These clouds were solidified by restrictions and formations, feeling like solid ground underfoot.

The two armies faced off.

The Green Scorch Army hurriedly adjusted their formation, while the Forgotten River defenders remained motionless.

Ning Zhuo focused his gaze and saw that the enemy soldiers were mostly wounded, with some barely dragging their severely injured bodies. Clearly, they had just experienced a major battle and hadn’t had time to rest or recover.

His eyes settled on the two commanders.

The one on the left resembled a human-shaped cold mist, with blurred facial features, exuding a chilling aura surrounded by countless ice shards.

This was Cold Mist Ascendant.

The one on the right was hunched over, leaning on a cane, with a black robe that constantly幻化出 pale human faces. The countless faces wore expressions of agony and wailing.

This was Hundred Ghosts Old Mother.

Both radiated Nascent Soul auras, stationed at the center of the army.

Qing Chi was eager to move, but Qing Yan stopped her. "We’ve already reached the enemy’s front. There’s no need to rush at this moment."

"Let’s test them first."

Ning Zhuo glanced at him and nodded slightly.

He tossed out several mechanical puppets, controlling them to charge at the enemy formation.

However, before they could advance a hundred steps, they were blasted to pieces by the enemy’s spells and attacks.

The Ten Thousand Rivers defenders only attacked from a distance, still holding their positions.

Ning Zhuo frowned, thoughts swirling in his mind. "Is this a formation illusion, or do they have some hidden difficulty?"

"Pity the Green Scorch Army’s unit type is too uniform and can’t incorporate my mechanical forces."

"Otherwise, I could recreate the advantage I had in the Two Capitals Kingdom."

The Green Scorch Army was newly formed, with the unit type being Paper Money Nether Soldiers. The disparity between Ning Zhuo’s mechanical puppets and the Paper Money Nether Soldiers was too great to be recognized by the unit type.

Moreover, among the military artifacts, there was no treasure like a military registry, leaving no alternative.

Qing Yan suddenly suggested, "Given the current situation, why don’t we commanders take the initiative to probe their虚实, then order the entire army to attack? Alternatively, they could provide us with military strength加持."

Ning Zhuo nodded. "That seems to be the only way."

Qing Chi punched her palm, her eyes shining with determination. "Good, I’ll take on that old granny first."

"Dad, you try attacking that cold mist person."

Qing Yan waved his hand. "No, you’re the commander. Stay back for now. I’ll go with Jiao Ma’s father."

Ning Zhuo shook his head. "Qing Chi, as a general, shouldn’t act lightly, but I can make the first move."

Jiao Ma’s father spoke up, wanting to volunteer, but Ning Zhuo stopped him firmly with a single sentence: "It’s settled!"

Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan stepped out from the army, standing in the open space between the two forces, challenging the enemy commanders.

"Something’s fishy."

"The enemy is luring us again. What tricks do they have up their sleeves?"

Cold Mist Ascendant and Hundred Ghosts Old Mother communicated via divine sense, their doubts growing.

"Currently, there are only two of us commanding the imperial guards. I’ll go out; you stay with the army. If anything happens to me, we won’t be left with troops but no commanders," Cold Mist Ascendant said.

Hundred Ghosts Old Mother nodded. "My injuries are indeed more severe than yours. Do your best to buy time; I’ll focus on recovering as much as possible!"

After settling their plan, Cold Mist Ascendant stepped out from the formation, shouting, "One Golden Core, one Foundation Establishment—I alone can satisfy your death wish."

"Come, offer up your lives!"

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

Cold Mist Ascendant fixed his gaze on the two, and with a thought, the ice shards floating around him shot out.

Mid-flight, these ice shards accelerated sharply, transforming into several beams of extreme cold ice light, their power suddenly increasing more than tenfold.

Ning Zhuo, who had been on high alert, reacted quickly. He cast an earth-element spell, drew upon the加持 of his earth-element spleen temple, and used military strength to erect a sturdy wall of戌土 in front of him.

Qing Yan, shielded by the earth wall, did not dodge. Instead, he brandished his spear, creating a shower of green spear flowers that swept toward the advancing Cold Mist Ascendant.

Cold Mist Ascendant willed more ice shards to fly out, transforming into frost shields that intercepted the green spear flowers midway.

The earth wall was pierced by the ice beams!

The thick wall held for only a moment before being穿透.

Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan reacted in time, dodging aside.

The remaining earth wall instantly froze into a block of ice.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

A series of dull sounds followed as all the spear flowers were blocked by the frost shields, powerless and fading into nothingness.

Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan both showed a flicker of shock.

Not only them, but those watching from behind, like Qing Chi, also felt their hearts tighten.

With just a试探性 attack, Cold Mist Ascendant had displayed formidable combat power.

Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan had military strength加持, but so did Cold Mist Ascendant. In this aspect, with the imperial guards’ military strength, Cold Mist Ascendant held the advantage!

Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan leveraged various means to amplify their combat power, but Cold Mist Ascendant himself possessed Nascent Soul-level cultivation and strength!

Cold Mist Ascendant closed in, launching his assault.

With a wave of his sleeve, he summoned vast waves of profound Yin cold tide.

Curling his fingers, sharp profound ice spikes burst from the ground like bamboo shoots.

Pressing his palm down, countless ice soul needles condensed in the sky, raining down overhead.

Once the正式交手 began, Cold Mist Ascendant firmly held the upper hand. Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan dodged frantically, occasionally counterattacking but appearing utterly狼狈.

Ning Zhuo cycled through the five-element spells, each strike reinforced by the加持 of his five viscera spirit gods and military strength. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even qualify to participate in such a battle.

His usually lethal metal-element spells could now only break ice barriers. His surging water-element spells froze solid the moment they were cast. His blazing fire-element spells quickly died down under the cold ice. His commonly used earth-element defenses were as fragile as paper. His wood-element forests and vines struggled to grow and were quickly frozen to death.

Qing Yan faced a similar situation.

His various magical instruments were rapidly depleted, cracks appearing on his本命法宝. He fought while vomiting blood.

Qing Chi watched with wide, furious eyes, her heart anxious. She wanted to join the fight but was sternly劝阻 by both Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan via divine sense.

The enemy had only sent one person. If their own commander joined the fray, they would be even more passive.

Cold Mist Ascendant sneered. "Two little mice, how overconfident. Die now."

*Ice Art—Frozen Death Line!*

Cold Mist Ascendant concentrated his cold energy into his finger, shooting out a pale blue ice line from his fingertip.

The ice line emitted a white light, shooting forth silently.

Yet, wherever it passed, even space was affected, leaving behind a frozen blue trail!

"糟糕!" Qing Yan’s hair stood on end, sensing a lethal crisis.

He erupted with full power to dodge, but the surrounding cold energy rapidly enveloped him, slowing his movements drastically.

He could only mobilize his magical shield to block in front of him.

The ice line sliced through the shield as easily as a knife cutting tofu.

Qing Yan suffered a backlash, vomiting a mouthful of blood, and seized the chance to shift his posture, avoiding a vital spot.

As a result, the ice line severed one of his forearms and half of his leg.

The wounds didn’t bleed; instead, they instantly froze over. The terrifying cold energy rapidly spread through his limbs toward his internal organs.

Cold Mist Ascendant moved his finger, sweeping the pale blue ice line toward Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo shouted lightly, channeling his法力 to raise thick barriers of earth and wood.

They held for only three breaths before being completely pierced by the ice line.

*Heavy Armor Blood Ape—Da Sheng!*

At this life-or-death moment, Ning Zhuo played one of his trump cards.

Yuan Da Sheng shielded Ning Zhuo, pushing him away forcefully.

(End of )