Su Ming's battle was over almost as soon as it began.
With a single step forward, an endless expanse of Black Ice spread from his feet, condensing into several spears in mid-air.
The spears shot out, each one finding a Geovishap with pinpoint accuracy and freezing them solid.
The ice spears then shattered, and the frozen Geovishaps vanished into dust with the wind.
Those few vishaps weren't the real problem; the massive army of Hilichurls following them was.
The Millelith stationed near Wangshu Inn had already engaged the Hilichurls.
As it was a major transport hub, the Millelith presence was significant.
However, ordinary soldiers were no match for Hilichurls tainted by Karma.
If Xiao hadn't acted quickly, dispatching the Primo Geovishap in a few moves to assist the soldiers, those ordinary guards would have been corrupted by the karma before the fight was even over.
Su Ming withdrew the freezing power of Parvati with satisfaction. His Dragon Factor was already rapidly replenishing his energy though he had barely spent any to begin with.
Originally, he had just planned to release the cold, freeze the vishaps, and then smash them with his fists.
But he had a sudden inspiration: could he use the power of Parvati and the mana from his Dragon Factor to cast the Adepti arts he had studied?
He didn't expect it to work so perfectly on the first try!
"It seems those years of memorizing books weren't a waste."
Su Ming withdrew his power, reflecting on how he had never given up on studying the theory of the mystical arts despite never being able to sense elemental energy.
Otherwise, today's "flex" wouldn't have felt so natural.
He was also grateful for Cloud Retainer's open-mindedness. Even though he couldn't use elements, she had still taught him everything she knew.
As the woman herself put it: "If I wish to teach, I shall. If you wish to learn, you shall. If you are stuck, ask; I shall provide the answer."
Aside from being a bit stubborn and talkative, Cloud Retainer was undoubtedly an excellent master.
"Now, it's your turn."
Su Ming's expression turned cold. The Black Ice in his hand slowly formed into a rough, jagged spear.
He looked over at the battlefield and saw Xiao being hindered. Because Xiao had to protect the Millelith, he couldn't go all out. He was currently pinned down by the three Abyss Mages and the Stonehide Lawachurl.
Seeing this, Su Ming shouted, "Millelith without Visions, withdraw immediately! Escort the civilians to safety! Do not engage the monsters!"
"Crowding around the Adeptus only gets in his way!"
Alerted by Su Ming, the Millelith finally realized their position.
Aside from two or three soldiers with Visions who stayed to fight, the rest began an orderly retreat, guiding the people to a safe zone.
With the distractions gone, Xiao was finally free to unleash his full strength.
The Nuo Mask appeared on his face. In an instant, the Stonehide Lawachurl, which had been aggressively attacking Xiao, was sent flying.
The sudden shift shocked the three Hydro Abyss Mages.
They finally realized their opponent wasn't some ordinary human, but a Guardian Yaksha who had fought alongside the Geo Archon since the Archon War the Conqueror of Demons!
Seeing that Xiao's side was under control, Su Ming ignored it and flew toward the Hilichurls that were closing in on the retreating Millelith.
"Haaa..."
Enshrouded in cold mist, Su Ming appeared at the rear of the Hilichurl army.
Even from dozens of meters away, the retreating soldiers and civilians felt the temperature plummet. They began to shiver uncontrollably.
The Hilichurls reacted. A Mitachurl swung its massive axe in a heavy overhead strike toward Su Ming.
Su Ming didn't dodge. He didn't even bother to block. He ignored the Mitachurl and continued walking forward slowly.
"Look out!" Lumine cried out in alarm.
Just as she was about to jump in and block the strike for him, something incredible happened.
Without any warning, the aggressive Mitachurl froze solid the moment it came within five meters of Su Ming. It became a lifelike, inky black ice sculpture mid-swing.
Su Ming ignored the frozen beast and simply thrust his ice spear into the ground.
The moment the spear touched the earth, a freezing wave erupted. In the blink of an eye, the entire aggressive army of Hilichurls was turned into ice sculptures.
"Burst."
Su Ming whispered the word. As it left his lips, the dozens of ice statues crumbled into fine powder.
"Whew. It seems this freezing ability works unexpectedly well with the Adepti arts."
"It's still a bit clunky, though. I'll need more practice."
Su Ming reviewed the lopsided battle in his head, noting areas for improvement.
He turned his head. As expected, Xiao's battle was ending.
The Stonehide Lawachurl's Geo shield had been shattered, and it soon fell to Xiao's Primordial Jade Winged-Spear.
Only the three Hydro Abyss Mages remained. Using their bizarre teleportation abilities, they were desperately trying to find an opening to retreat.
"Want to run?"
Su Ming saw through them instantly. He raised his hand and fired three ice orbs, hitting each mage with precision.
The terrifying cold of his power, amplified by the Swirl and Frozen reactions of the water element, took effect instantly.
In a split second, the three Abyss Mages were turned into blocks of ice floating in the air.
Xiao didn't hesitate, finishing all three with a single thrust.
With that, the sudden crisis came to an end.
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