One Person Too Many: Who Should Withdraw?
The bird-man struggled amidst the raging flames formed from Sword Intent. Seeing that he had finally persuaded the other party, he said again, "I can offer myself to your Source of Extreme Frost, but you must promise to let me leave."
It looked at Chen Ning with great apprehension.
At this time.
It was as if their roles had been reversed.
The rule-maker, no longer high and mighty, now has to beg the other party for leniency.
"I'm sorry, I refuse."
Chen Ning uttered a single sentence.
That guy's heart sank.
"Human... human... without my guidance, you would never find the Source of Extreme Frost beneath this intricate and frigid cave. Even if you did find it, it would have wasted too much of your time. Your trial here must have a time limit... If you agree to release me, I will point you to the exact location. I have been here for countless years, and only I know the location of the Source of Extreme Frost."
"Oh, since you know so much about it, why didn't you take it with you?"
Chen Ning revealed a playful smile.
The feathers on the birdman's head suddenly bristled.
Panic ensued.
This human actually saw right through me!
"Sect Leader, Ling'er understands now. If the Source of Extreme Frost truly exists, it should emerge from beneath the ice cave after being relieved of its guard duties, and then leave directly with the Source of Extreme Frost." The little girl also showed a look of realization.
"That's right. Either it's lying to us, or it simply can't take the Source of Extreme Frost away. Why would I bother raising a tiger only to have it become a threat?"
Chen Ning narrowed his eyes and looked at the birdman.
This Heavenly Lake Secret Realm is extremely wondrous, and contains many unknown dangers.
Letting this birdman who has lived here for who knows how long leave could very well cause trouble.
So.
The best approach is still to maintain a stable and conservative stance.
By this point, Birdman already knew he was in a dead end.
That Source of Extreme Frost does indeed exist.
But the condition for obtaining it is that it can only be done after its death.
So it originally intended to use this temptation to keep the two of them occupied before figuring out how to leave.
However, the other party saw through his plan.
The surrounding flames seemed poised to consume everything.
Final.
The bird-man let out a painful scream.
It vanished into nothingness.
Immediately.
Beneath the ice cave, a transparent ball of light rose up.
"This must be the Source of Extreme Frost it was referring to."
Chen Ning's eyes flickered.
Then he reached out and probed.
The ball of light then floated onto Chen Ning's palm.
A system notification sound immediately followed.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have discovered the epic treasure [Source of Extreme Frost]. After fusing with it, you can comprehend the Great Dao of Ice."
Chen Ning smiled.
That's not urgent.
The Heavenly Lake Secret Realm holds many fortuitous opportunity.
We must explore as much as possible within the limited time.
Otherwise, just as the old messenger said, by the time the Heavenly Lake Secret Realm reopens in four years, much time will have changed.
After leaving the area of Withering Ice Cavern.
The two continued on their way.
We have now arrived at a Gobi Desert.
The sun was high in the sky.
The temperature is extremely high.
As far as the eye can see, everything is flat.
Not a blade of grass grows there.
The sand and gravel on the ground were also scorching hot.
"This secret realm is truly wondrous; it contains all sorts of terrains and topography."
Chen Ning couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
The terrain has changed.
The guards here should show up now.
However, the guards were not seen.
I did see a familiar figure.
"Sect Leader Chen?"
Zhuge Bai called out uncertainly from afar.
Then, they got closer and closer.
"Sect Leader Chen, it's so good to finally see you!"
"Did the young master also just arrive here?"
Chen Ning was quite friendly when he saw familiar faces.
"Sect Leader Chen, please don't be so polite. Just call me A-Bai, like my uncle does. We still need to travel together in this secret realm."
"Good."
Chen Ning also felt that the other person was someone with a very compatible temperament.
Unlike other prodigies, who all think too highly of themselves and don't even look at others.
"Sect Leader Chen, you may not know this, but I've been trapped in this Gobi Desert for several hours. The guardians here say they won't open this place until a certain number of people have gathered."
"A certain number of people..." Chen Ning frowned and asked, "How many people?"
"Once all five of you have gathered, you can open this secret treasure."
A heavy voice came from behind.
The three of them couldn't help but turn around to look.
All that could be seen was a single stone statue standing tall.
The stone statue appears to have stood there for thousands of years, severely weathered, with a rough and eroded surface.
Now.
A voice came from the stone statue. "No need to rush, the rest will be here soon."
After the sound faded.
The stone statue fell silent once more.
Not long after.
A proud figure, riding a dragon, stormed into this Gobi Desert.
We landed in front of the stone statue.
It was none other than the Asura Divine Son.
He was accompanied by two young men.
Chen Ning was unfamiliar with these forces in Central Province.
Therefore, it's impossible to tell which family's prodigy he is.
Chen Ning didn't recognize them, but Zhuge Bai did.
Seeing the three of them descend.
Zhuge Bai whispered in Chen Ning's ear, "Sect Leader Chen, you've already met the Asura Divine Son, so I won't say much more. The other two are no simpletons either. The one in the dark blue robe is Jiang Yue, the young prodigy of the Demon Battle Saint Sect. When I saw him a year ago, he was already a Five-Star Martial Venerable."
Chen Ning nodded.
Zhuge Bai added, "The one in the silver armor is Wang Han, a prodigy from the Wind and Thunder Divine Cult. His cultivation is even stronger than Jiang Yue's; he is a Six-Star Martial Venerable."
Really.
Those who can be called geniuses not only have abundant Cultivation Resources, but also extraordinary talent that surpasses everyone else.
However, these two are powerful.
However, compared to the Asura Divine Son, he still has to be relegated to the back.
He was the leader.
Obviously.
The three Asura Divine Son formed an alliance.
The three of them lingered on Chen Ning and his companions for a moment.
Immediately, I was drawn to the stone statue.
Their understanding of this secret realm mostly comes from the experiences summarized by some senior experts within their sects who had entered the realm before.
The stone statue in front of me.
They are, in effect, the guardians of this Gobi Desert.
By following the relevant rules, you can reap the benefits.
This is almost a consensus.
So.
Their attention was then completely focused on the stone statue.
"Intruders, your numbers exceed five, making it impossible to open this secret treasure. One person must leave before it can be opened."
The sound emanated from the stone statue.
The group of people were taken aback upon hearing this.
Jiang Yue's eyes darted around as he said, "Divine Child, this place requires five people to open; it must have immense benefits."
Wang Han, clad in silver armor, chuckled, "Indeed, with such restrictions, the treasures in this secret vault must be extraordinary. However... we have one more person."
Chen Ning, Su Ling'er, Zhuge Bai, and the three Asura Divine Son, making a total of six people.
Unable to open the hidden treasure.
Therefore, one of them must leave.
Jiang Yue shook his head and laughed, "That's easy. Just get one of those three to withdraw."
Upon hearing this, Wang Han also looked at Chen Ning and the others.
The Asura Divine Son remained silent throughout.
This kind of thing can be left to them to do.
Jiang Yue of the Demon Battle Saint Sect stepped forward and shouted towards Chen Ning and the other two, "Hey! You all heard that too, the stone statue said one person has to leave. You guys, quickly discuss who will leave! Don't waste our time."