Chapter 247

White…

The entire field of vision was filled with pure, spotless white.

Ning Ning tried to open her eyes, attempting to see the surroundings that were gradually becoming blurry, but her consciousness uncontrollably grew more scattered, dissolving like snowflakes into a vast expanse of white.

With her level of cultivation, it was already a miracle to use the Ten Thousand Swords Technique.

Later, she augmented it with sword light, forcibly increasing the brightness of the light sources in the heavy snow.

After all this effort, she had almost exhausted her spiritual energy.

She could hear the voices of He Zhizhou and Xu Ye nearby.

Ning Ning wanted to respond, but before she could open her mouth, the scene before her suddenly wavered.

Amidst the endless white, a patch of emerald green suddenly emerged, growing more and more intense, like vines wildly sprouting in winter, devouring the snow with astonishing speed.

Then, the vines wrapped around trees, and the forest surged.

In just a moment, she found herself on a completely new floor of the tower.

Having grown accustomed to the persistent cold of the previous floor, the sudden rise in temperature felt like flames scorching her skin.

Ning Ning took a deep breath, realizing that her body was burning hot and the back of her head throbbed with pain.

If she collapsed here, it would be the end.

She barely managed to gather her consciousness to avoid fainting, leaning her body against the trunk of a giant tree, and looked around at her surroundings.

This was a lush forest, with green ponds and swamps everywhere. The crisp chirping of birds echoed around her, along with the rustling sound of leaves being stirred by the wind, helping her to clear her mind a little.

Compared to the icy Qiong Mountain, this place seemed less extraordinary.

The overwhelming greenness was like a tide, so dense it seemed ready to drip off the leaves. When the wind stopped, the whole world fell silent.

Ning Ning carefully searched and glimpsed a stone tablet hidden in the shadows of the trees.

The inscription on the tablet was somewhat blurred, but she immediately recognized the number on it.

Sixty-two.

What bad luck.

She no longer had the strength to grip her sword. Forcing herself to open her storage bag, she tried to find a few spirit-replenishing pills inside.

But as soon as she lowered her head, she heard a faint rustling sound in the nearby woods.

Something was approaching.

The presence also sensed her, and an icy killing intent pressed down on her.

Ning Ning slowed her breathing, struggling to lift her head and look ahead.

All the disciples participating in the Ten Methods Assembly were elites from various sects, and the trial in the Demon Refining Tower was not without mercy.

Before entering, everyone had taken a Divine Escape Pill.

If they found themselves unable to cope and in mortal danger, they could use their spiritual energy to escape from the tower.

Moreover, the elders of each sect were observing the battle through the Mystic Mirror.

If they sensed something was wrong, they would forcefully summon the participants out.

Knowing she had an escape card, she didn’t show any fear.

As the leaves began to tremble and the killing intent grew stronger, she finally glimpsed the outline of the approaching figure, and Ning Ning was slightly taken aback.

It wasn’t some terrifying demon or ghost.

It was a human figure.

The last layer of foliage was abruptly pushed aside, and Ning Ning, leaning against the tree trunk, met the person’s gaze.

Her sword energy was faint and weak, while the other’s sword intent was like a surging undercurrent, cold and fierce.

Yet, as their forces met silently in the air, it was the other’s strength that first dissipated into nothing.

Ning Ning was stunned: “…Pei Ji?”

Pei Ji was also surprised.

He had only recently arrived on this floor of the tower, intending to explore further when he heard the sound behind him, thinking it was a sneak attack by a demon—

The darkness in the black-clad youth’s eyes quickly faded, replaced by a layer of nervous unease as he frowned upon seeing her pale face.

“You—”

Pei Ji noticed that Ning Ning’s spiritual energy was nearly depleted and instinctively moved closer to her.

Unexpectedly, the girl, upon seeing him, had the wariness in her eyes fade into confusion, and despite her discomfort, she almost instinctively smiled.

Then she swayed and fell forward.

=====

This forest was eerily quiet.

Pei Ji had recently defeated a long-tailed fox demon at the Golden Core stage, successfully leaving the 43rd floor.

Considering that this was the 62nd floor, it should be much more dangerous. Yet, as he carried Ning Ning through the forest, searching for a cave to shelter them, he hadn’t seen a single trace of a demon.

Thinking of Ning Ning again, he couldn’t help but frown.