The appearance of Hu Gan and the others was like a fresh wave of reinforcements, instantly boosting the spirits of the already weary elders. “Everyone, listen to my command! Switch out the elders on duty!” In an instant, numerous figures flashed into the sky outside the energy barrier. With a wave from Hu Gan, over a dozen strong warriors from the outer academy flew up, seamlessly taking over the task of maintaining the energy barrier.
The elders who had been shouldering the heavy burden were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. They bowed gratefully to Hu Gan and the others, then leaped down from the sky, sitting cross-legged on the ground to rapidly recover their depleted Dou Qi.
Although the fighters that Hu Gan brought from the outer academy were generally weaker than the inner academy elders, they more than made up for it in numbers. Thus, even though the multicolored energy net had dimmed somewhat, it still managed to withstand the ferocious attacks of the invisible fire serpent.
As he felt the weakening impact of the invisible fire serpent, Su Qian also let out a slow breath of relief. It seemed this creature would eventually run out of steam.
Beyond the hundred-meter boundary of the energy barrier, a sea of black figures clustered on rooftops and treetops, looking at the terrifying standoff in the sky with a speechless awe. The normally revered elders appeared so fragile against the invisible fire serpent. Even with their eyesight, they could see that if not for the reinforcements from the outer academy, the energy barrier might have been breached by the invisible fire serpent.
Amidst the silence, there was also a sense of dread toward the mysterious invisible fire serpent, which, with its own power, had caused such a commotion in the inner academy. Even the grand elder seemed to be quite wary of it.
“What on earth is that thing?” Countless people murmured in shock and horror within their hearts.
In the sky, seeing that the frenzied attacks were futile, the invisible fire serpent finally stopped its fruitless movements, once again coiling its massive body in mid-air. Its completely white eyes stared fixedly at the energy barrier above, and its half-meter-long snake tongue hissed, as if gathering energy for another attack.
Seeing the invisible fire serpent stop its assault, Su Qian and the others felt a significant reduction in pressure. However, they did not relax much, knowing that the massive beast below might launch a fierce, desperate attack at any moment.
“Senior Su, continuing this standoff isn’t good for us. Maintaining this energy barrier consumes too much Dou Qi. If it remains motionless, we won’t be able to keep it up indefinitely,” Hu Gan said, flashing to Su Qian’s side and staring intently at the invisible fire serpent within the energy barrier, his brows furrowed.
Su Qian nodded slightly and smiled, “Don’t worry. It’s currently in a state of exhaustion. In the short term, it shouldn’t be able to unleash another powerful attack. We should use this time to prepare for the next step in sealing it.”
“Alright, our people from the outer academy will maintain the energy barrier. You can command the inner academy members for the next step of the seal,” Hu Gan nodded and then formed hand seals, a robust flow of Dou Qi surging from his palms to take over the energy Su Qian had been holding.
Although Hu Gan’s strength was not as great as Su Qian’s, he was still a peak-level Battle Emperor, so he could handle the energy barrier without any trouble. Freed up, Su Qian slowly ascended, hovering in the center above the energy barrier. He glanced at the sea of fire around the Sky Fire Refining Tower and then shouted, “Elders and teachers of the inner academy, take your positions according to the formation and begin the sealing plan!”
As Su Qian’s voice echoed, the elders who had been resting quickly opened their eyes and leaped back into the sky, forming a staggered formation.
After the elders had taken their positions, a large number of figures also emerged from the crowds gathered in the distance. These figures, though numerous, lacked the imposing aura of the elders, and even compared to Lin Xiu Ya and Liu Qing, they were a notch lower. Clearly, these were the teachers of the inner academy.
Though their aura was not strong, their sheer numbers made up for it. As a result, the sudden surge of activity significantly boosted morale. Some of the students watching from afar were filled with a surge of excitement, almost wanting to join in and lend a hand.
The eighty-eight teachers, lacking the ability to fly, mostly took up positions on the treetops around the energy barrier, forming a stark contrast with the elders in the sky.
“Form the sealing array!” Suspended high above the energy barrier, Su Qian clenched his fists and roared.
As Su Qian’s voice faded, bursts of Dou Qi light suddenly surged in the air. The elders and teachers simultaneously let out a resounding chant, and then a torrent of nearly a hundred beams of Dou Qi shot out from their hands. Their target, however, was not the invisible fire serpent within the energy barrier, but Su Qian himself!
Staring at the beams of Dou Qi converging from all directions, Su Qian swiftly changed his hand seals, and a robust spatial wave surged before him, forming a vacuum circle about half a foot in diameter. The nearly hundred beams of Dou Qi light all converged into this vacuum, instantly filling it with a powerful flow of Dou Qi. Thus, a half-foot wide and long vacuum ball of Dou Qi appeared in Su Qian’s hands.
Sensing the convergence of extremely terrifying energy in the sky, the invisible fire serpent, which had been coiled in the air, became restless. Its white, triangular eyes glared at Su Qian with a fierce light, and intense, invisible flames surged from its body. Then, with a mighty lash of its tail, it shot toward the energy barrier like a bolt of lightning, causing the space along its path to ripple and distort.
“Be careful, everyone! Don’t let this beast break through the energy barrier!” Watching the invisible fire serpent charging with overwhelming force, Hu Gan’s face grew solemn as he shouted in a low, urgent voice.
“Yes!” Everyone responded in unison, their Dou Qi surging wildly and pouring into the energy barrier, making it shine even more brightly.
With a deafening roar, the massive body of the invisible fire serpent crashed into the energy barrier, causing a sound akin to a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting. In that instant, the faces of many of the outer academy’s strong warriors paled slightly.
“This beast… truly terrifying…” Su Qian’s face flushed slightly red as he watched the energy barrier being squeezed into a dangerous arc. His Dou Qi flowed like a flood, continuously pouring into the energy barrier, stabilizing it.
However, this time, the invisible fire serpent seemed to sense the danger of the energy being concentrated in Su Qian’s hands. It struggled with all its might, and the energy barrier’s light dimmed slightly under this strain.
“Elder Su, hurry up!” Hu Gan gritted his teeth, his hands trembling slightly as he shouted to Su Qian in the sky.
Su Qian’s gaze locked onto the invisible fire serpent struggling fiercely within the barrier. The gigantic ball of Dou Qi in his hands shone ever more brilliantly, and his robes fluttered without wind, inflating as if he were a balloon.
The Dou Qi ball in his hands, as it condensed, had become a dazzling, blinding sun. In the next moment, the enormous Dou Qi ball began to tremble violently. Su Qian knew that it had reached its critical point.
Feeling the trembling of the Dou Qi ball, a cold, sharp look flashed across Su Qian’s eyes. He gave a low, stern shout, which echoed like thunder throughout the inner academy: “Beast, go back!”
With his shout, Su Qian thrust his hands downward, and the massive Dou Qi ball shot through the space, silently merging into the energy barrier. Like a cannonball, it slammed into the invisible fire serpent’s colossal body.
A piercing, blood-curdling screech erupted from the invisible fire serpent, even with its formidable strength. The sudden, powerful explosion forcefully pushed it to the ground, and under Su Qian’s control, it was sent into the cracked Sky Fire Refining Tower.
“Seal!” As the invisible fire serpent was flung back into the Sky Fire Refining Tower, a flash of joy appeared in Su Qian’s eyes, and he rapidly formed hand seals, shouting sharply.
As Su Qian’s voice reverberated, a faint black energy membrane suddenly reappeared at the top of the cracked Sky Fire Refining Tower, sealing it tightly.
“Wow!” Seeing the Fallen Heart Flame sealed back into the tower, the countless students watching from afar erupted into a deafening cheer.
“Teacher…” In a cluster of flames, Xiao Yan gazed at the Sky Fire Refining Tower, which was now glowing with a black light, and frowned, whispering to himself.
“Don’t be anxious. The Fallen Heart Flame is not so easily sealed… Moreover, it seems that other forces have been alerted by the disturbance here,” the slightly surprised voice of the Medicine Elder suddenly rang in Xiao Yan’s mind.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan froze, his expression changing slightly as he exclaimed, “Could it be the Black Corner Region?”
“Outside the Inner Academy, only the Black Corner Region exists. It must be them…”
“These guys are indeed cats that cannot resist the smell of blood. They dare to meddle in the affairs of the Inner Academy,” Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, his gaze scanning the clear sky. Although the Inner Academy was enveloped by a spatial barrier, it was not particularly effective in concealing things from truly powerful individuals.
In the sky, Su Qian let out a huge sigh of relief as the Fallen Heart Flame was once again sealed. Hearing the cheers in the distance, a smile appeared on his face. However, just as the smile formed, it froze at the sound of a sudden, light laugh!
“Hehe, I didn’t expect the Inner Academy to be hiding such a unique flame. Great Elder Su Qian, you’ve kept it well hidden…”
As the laughter faded, ripples appeared in the clear sky, and a large group of figures slowly advanced, finally hovering in the air. Instantly, a bloody aura enveloped the sky above the Inner Academy!
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