Ning Fengzhi

Ning Rongrong closed her eyes and waited for a long time, but the hand she had expected never came down.

She cautiously opened a slit between her eyelids and saw Ning Chen already collapsed at her feet, sprawled on the ground as though every ounce of strength had been drained from him.

Her mind went blank for several seconds.

Then she looked down at Ning Chen, then at the two mangled, bloody corpses not far away.

Fear, panic, disgust, and lingering dread flashed across her delicate little face in turn before finally converging into a shriek laced with tears.

Her entire body went limp as she collapsed to the ground. Supporting herself with both hands behind her, she scooted backward several feet until her back struck a tree trunk.

Her chest heaved violently as she gasped for air, tears already filling her eyes.

But Ning Rongrong had no desire to remain any longer. After recovering a little strength, she forced herself to stand and staggered out of the dense forest.

After a while, a man and a woman dressed as School Deacons appeared in the forest clearing.

They glanced at the two dead Inner Disciples, then at Ning Chen, who was barely alive and seemed liable to breathe his last at any moment. They exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity in the other's eyes.

They were guards Ning Fengzhi had specifically assigned to protect Ning Rongrong.

Before Ning Rongrong came to find Ning Chen today, however, she had deliberately shaken them off so they could not stop her, only then bringing Ning Chen into the dense forest.

The two had assumed that, as before, Ning Rongrong merely wanted to bully a school disciple who had once displeased her, so they had not taken it seriously at first.

Only now did they realize how serious the situation was.

For major schools such as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Clear Sky School, which relied primarily on the inheritance of their direct-line Martial Souls, every disciple capable of inheriting the clan's Martial Soul was exceedingly precious.

If branch-line disciples awakened the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, they could not only return to the main line, but would also immediately become Inner Disciples entitled to abundant resources.

As for Inner Disciples born into the main line, they were even more extraordinary. Their talent was generally greater, for one thing, while their parents and relatives were likewise powerful forces within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School that could not be ignored.

Many Inner Disciples even had elders who were school elders or powerful figures holding real authority over an entire family faction.

If those people caused a scene, even Ning Fengzhi would find it troublesome.

And considering they could play with Ning Rongrong, did their identities and backgrounds even need to be mentioned?

On top of that, this involved the Sect Master Ning Fengzhi's own child. Even if Ning Chen's aptitude was poor, he was still the school's young master, making the matter extremely thorny in terms of status alone.

"Miss Rongrong has always held great resentment toward Young Master Ning Chen, but he is her brother after all. I never imagined she could do something like this."

The male deacon wore a bitter expression as he crouched to examine Ning Chen's condition. He could not help sighing again. "Young Master Ning Chen has expended too much.

His vital energy and blood are both depleted, the Soul Power within his body is nearly exhausted, and his internal organs have suffered varying degrees of damage.

Especially his heart. Its beating is extremely weak and intermittent, like a candle flickering in the wind.

I'm afraid he cannot be saved."

The female deacon gave a bitter smile as well. "I never expected a moment of negligence to produce such a result.

That little devil will be the death of us."

"Alas." The male deacon could only sigh. "After this, the two of us probably won't be able to remain in the school.

We should go find an elder and see whether we can be assigned somewhere better afterward."

"That can wait." The female deacon composed herself. "I'll go find Miss Rongrong first. You immediately go find the Sect Master and report this matter.

As for what happens afterward, we'll leave it to fate..."

The two deacons soon vanished into the dense forest again, each departing in a different direction.

In the clearing, Ning Chen's aura grew weaker with the passage of time until, at last, it vanished completely.

The sky gradually darkened, and this clearing seemed to become an isolated land of death, cut off from the rest of the world.

After a while, the space in the empty clearing suddenly began to distort.

The air seemed to be kneaded by an invisible giant hand. Light refracted through the distortion, and the surrounding scenery turned blurred and unreal.

Immediately afterward, two figures emerged as though stepping out of rippling water, appearing before him out of thin air.

The one in front was a middle-aged man.

He looked to be in his early forties, tall and upright, dressed in luxurious robes embroidered with the pagoda emblem unique to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

His features were handsome and refined, while his brows carried the composure and authority unique to someone in a high position. He was Ning Fengzhi, the current Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Standing half a step behind him was an elderly man.

The old man wore a gray robe. His body was withered and lanky, his skin dry and wrinkled, and his cheekbones prominent.

He looked utterly unremarkable, yet anyone who let their gaze linger on him would feel an overwhelming pressure, like a mountain bearing down upon them.

He stood there without releasing the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power, yet he gave off an oppressive aura as immovable as a mountain.

With such majesty, the old man's identity was obvious.

He was Gu Rong, one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's two pillars, a Rank 95 Super Douluo with the title Bone.

The reason the two had appeared before Ning Chen in such a strange manner was Bone Douluo Gu Rong's unique spatial soul skill.

It was precisely because of this powerful soul skill, capable of manipulating space, that Bone Douluo was known as one of the most unpredictable and dangerous experts on the continent.

They were Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

After the deacon arrived at the Sect Master's Main Hall and recounted everything that had happened, along with his deductions, to Ning Fengzhi in full.

This powerful figure, who had served as Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School for more than a decade, exploded instantly.

He knew that Ning Rongrong had always run rampant throughout the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School under the shelter of his favor, even earning herself the nickname Little Devil.

But he had never imagined that Ning Rongrong would quietly cause such an enormous disaster for him!

Two direct-line Inner Disciples with deep backgrounds had died, while his son Ning Chen's life and death were still unknown.

If such a matter were mishandled, it could even cause turmoil within the school!

Ning Fengzhi immediately asked Gu Rong to act. He found Ning Rongrong, then intercepted the four Inner Disciples who had fled early outside the school. They were now confined within his Sect Master's Main Hall.

Afterward, he had Gu Rong bring him to the forest clearing at the edge of the school that Ning Rongrong had described.

Ning Fengzhi first looked at the two dead Inner Disciples. One lay beneath a tree with his back against its roots, his body bent backward at an unnatural angle. His spine had clearly been broken.

The other lay not far from Ning Chen. His face was already a bloody mess of mangled flesh, making it impossible to identify him at all.