NOVPUBMaster Ni scanned the surroundings, his heart sinking rapidly, and he quickly communicated to the other cultivators:
"Let’s spread out, whether we escape with our lives depends on our individual fate…"
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a Golden Core Master in shock,
"Taoist Brother Ni, look quickly!"
"What more is there to see! A Master wouldn’t possibly be able to…"
Anxious as he was, Master Ni couldn’t help but look downward.
However, the moment he saw the scene below, he was taken aback.
Below,
Civilians, lifted by the waves, were suspended in mid-air.
Beneath them,
Columns of frozen waves, astonishingly high, were holding them up in the air!
And even further below, the entire surface of the water was completely frozen.
At that moment, looking down from the sky, the snow-white ice ridges, columns, and the surface, shimmering under the sunlight, had an unusually cold yet beautiful appearance.
"Who among the Masters could have done this?"
Master Ni watched the scene below incredulously.
Such widespread climate alteration and simultaneously protecting every mortal so precisely, this incredible amount of mana and control was unimaginable — possibly only an Immortal Master of Nascent Soul could exhibit such feats.
"When did a Master capable of such spells come to Heichi Nation…"
Master Ni wondered in awe.
But at that moment, over ten striped red and gray sea toads slightly kicked in mid-air and pounced towards them again.
And below the ice, a slender dark shadow rapidly enlarged, then thunderously slammed into the ice layer… yet did not break through.
Master Ni was secretly alarmed but had no time to think more and quickly scattered with the others.
However, in the next moment, he realized something was wrong.
Eyes bulging with fury:
"Monsters!"
These sea toads did not attack them but instead flicked their tongues out, targeting the mortals and Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment cultivators who were busy transporting them off the ice pillars.
He was indifferent about the mortals; he had done his best and held no regrets.
But among those Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, many were disciples from his Sect, and should these disciples perish here…
Further afield.
Seemingly noticing the commotion, an aura that shook the heavens approached rapidly from a distance, its caster a red-robed cultivator.
But it was already too late.
The sea toads were incredibly fast, and their tongues quickly wrapped around mortal after mortal, low-class cultivators...
Several Golden Core Masters either stared angrily, grieved, or turned to attack the sea toads!
Yet someone was faster than them!
"Whoosh!"
Before the tongues could retract,
A sharp, cold, icy spike instantly pierced through a sea toad’s belly from below before it could react, and in the next moment, frost rapidly spread from the wound, instantly freezing the sea toad within a massive block of ice that crashed down!
The transparent ice block shimmered brilliantly under the daylight!
And the mortal formerly caught by the tongue was steadily supported by the sudden wave of ice.
"This…"
Seeing a Class III, middle-grade Demonic Beast frozen instantly without any resistance, Master Ni and the other cultivators were utterly stunned!
But their shock was far from over.
Just as the sea toad was frozen,
Around the sea toads, over ten ice spikes materialized out of nowhere, shooting at them.
The previously agile, defensively strong Spiky Red Sea Toads, that took considerable effort from Master Ni and others to harm, now appeared as docile as livestock, utterly sluggish under these ordinary-looking ice spikes.
Without any suspense,
These sea toads were frozen one by one like the first.
In merely the blink of an eye,
Dozens of Class III Demonic Beasts, which could have caused severe losses, plummeted like dumplings being dropped.
"This, this…"
Master Ni and the other Golden Core cultivators watched the scene, dumbfounded.
At that moment, sensing something, they couldn’t help but look north.
They saw a Taoist in green robes holding a bamboo staff, approaching over the ice.
He moved with a speed far surpassing their imagination, almost instantly reaching them.
His expression was indifferent.
Yet the Golden Core cultivators recognized him immediately.
"It’s the man from before… it’s actually him!"
Master Ni was incredibly shocked.
He carefully sensed again and indeed did not detect the unique aura of an Immortal Master of Nascent Soul.
Despite this, he did not dare to be negligent and quickly bowed in respect:
"On behalf of the thirty-one disciples from Yellow Pill Valley and the civilians, thank you, Taoist Brother, for your rescue!"
The other cultivators also quickly bowed in gratitude. 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The green-robed Taoist calmly accepted their bows, then with a slight gesture,
The ice pillars and waves instantly transformed back into water waves, securely supporting the mortals in mid-air.
Meanwhile, the outer circle of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples swiftly flew forward to rescue these mortals.
Seeing the green-robed Taoist’s actions, Master Ni and the others no longer doubted.
The previously frozen sea toads also consecutively fell into the green-robed Taoist’s sleeves.
"May I ask for Taoist Brother’s name, so we who owe this great debt can remember it…"
Master Ni was saying, but suddenly stopped speaking, his expression solemn as he stared at the water surface below.
The slender dark shadow that had failed to break the ice reappeared beneath the water and rapidly enlarged!
’Boom’!
The waves rose again.
A round-headed giant serpent, its body dark and tinged with green, opened its gaping maw and shot upwards from the water!
