In the state of the "Lake of Extreme Boiling," three crystals of mental power in Ronan's mind seemed to ignite completely, with thin golden flames rising from the translucent crystals.
A massive surge of mental power erupted from his body, forming a distorted pale golden force field around him.
If the "Lake of No Thought" sealed away all of Ronan's distractions, allowing him to enter a state of absolute focus and control, then the "Lake of Extreme Boiling" was the exact opposite.
All of Ronan's emotions were ignited, transforming into a blazing fire of battle intent, with every cell in his body and every thought in his mind active at ten times the normal rate.
At every moment, countless inspirations erupted, collided, and extinguished in his mind. It was as if magma had broken free from the earth's crust, rolling and roaring without restraint, releasing boundless energy and passion! This state reflected in his spellcasting and combat, resulting in a surge in spell power, an expansion of his domain, and the summoning of even more massive stray energy particles from the world around him.
The three extraordinary domain powers derived from ice magic—"Despair's Freeze," "Frost Veins," and "Extreme Frozen Soldiers"—had all entered the second stage of domain resonance after three years of Ronan's arduous training.
Now, under the enhancement of the "Lake of Extreme Boiling," their might had dramatically expanded, each one approaching the terrifying aura of the third stage of resonance.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
Layers of frost expanded and spread around Ronan, forming a massive ice formation beneath his feet, resembling exquisite hexagonal snowflakes.
Compared to his last encounter with the Ashen Witch, Moriel, this icy power, free from the suppression of the Red Lotus Fire, appeared even more frigid and heavy.
Ronan raised his right hand slightly, and from the deep blue vortex of ice energy particles before him, a pure white ice blade, towering several dozen meters high, slowly emerged.
Without any movement, a terrifying chill and sharpness emanated wildly from it.
The ghostly tide of the Bone Death Knell, Malfurion, swept toward the massive ice blade, and the black-gray tide was silently frozen. Then, like a frozen river crashing into rocks, it was split apart by the ice blade, rolling to either side of Ronan's body.
Ronan glanced at the chunks of black-gray "ice" rolling past his feet, seeing that each piece was densely packed with twisted, terrifying human faces, each one silently screaming at him. "All are vengeful spirits, ghostly bodies."
Ronan took a deep breath, his right hand's five fingers spread wide, then slowly closed.
It was as if he was grasping the pure white ice blade radiating waves of cold and endless sharpness above him. A cold light flashed in his golden eyes, burning with flames.
A gentle breeze ruffled Ronan's hair, and he looked at the Bone Death Knell shrouded in swirling gray smoke, suddenly making a slashing motion with his sword.
"Slash!"
The massive pure white ice blade seemed to be held by an invisible hand, moving almost in sync with Ronan's action.
It quietly lifted, drawing a brilliant ice flower in the air, and then swiftly slashed down.
As the ice blade fell, a long, pitch-black rift appeared in the void, large chunks of ice crystals condensed, and below, the rolling black tide silently parted, including the manifested soul's gray smoke.
Beneath the ice blade, the sinister and evil face of the Bone Death Knell, Malfurion, was fully revealed.
"Boom!"
The tremendous roar from the collision of spells erupted, shaking the air in the surrounding area, even the ancient buildings below seemed to tremble violently.
The energy shockwave whipped up a fierce wind that blew Claire's robe, halting her movement.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned around.
Just in time to see a tall figure, wrapped in silver-white metal, as graceful as a dragon, surrounded by endless cold, "holding" the ice blade and fiercely slashing at the terrifying figure above the ghostly tide.
Claire's pupils constricted, her expression frozen.
Moments later, her eyes flickered rapidly, and she gritted her teeth, spitting out a few words: "This... madman!"
Claire took out a communication stone, quickly sending messages to several people, then her expression changed, and she rushed toward the battle group with anger.
"Is there a top-tier genius fighting?!"
In a winding, ancient alley, two third-level wizards walking together heard the sound of spell collisions and felt the intense tremors coming from afar, suddenly stopping in their tracks, exchanging shocked glances.
Without hesitation, the two flew toward the source of the spell fluctuations.
The closer they got to the battle group, the more they could feel the terrifying might of the combat. Both third-level wizards felt their scalps tingle and their hearts race.
They had already realized that this was a battle far beyond their level, one they could not participate in, but curiosity still drove them forward.
Soon, the scene of the battle appeared in their view.
The black-gray tide roared like a turbulent river, the sound of the death knell echoed repeatedly, and countless ghosts wailed and danced around the battle group. From a distance, the sky seemed to have completely turned into a realm of lost souls, with the scent of decay and death wafting over.
With just one glance, the two recognized the identity of one side in the battle.
"It's the Bone Death Knell, Malfurion!"
"This guy's strength..."
One of the third-level wizards gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with unease as he spoke: "It's even more terrifying than the rumors; he is not something an ordinary mid-third-level wizard can match."
After the shock, their curiosity grew even stronger.
"Who exactly is the person fighting against Malfurion?"
"Is it a top-tier figure from the first echelon?"
As they drew closer, they gradually saw the countless frost and cold that filled the realm of lost souls, the cold wind cutting at their faces, yet it did not diminish their desire to explore.
Ice magic!
The one battling the Bone Death Knell, Malfurion, was a wizard specializing in ice magic!
Which ice wizard in the south could possess such powerful strength?
At a certain moment, the pure white ice blade, resembling the ancient ice dragon's fangs, sliced through the layers of ghostly barriers, revealing a tall figure clad in silver armor, surrounded by swirling snow.
Upon seeing the opponent facing Malfurion, and sensing the mental power fluctuations emanating from him, the expressions of the two third-level wizards froze.
They exchanged glances, seeing shock and disbelief reflected in each other's eyes.
"Second level?!"
"To push the Bone Death Knell, Malfurion, to this extent... is actually a second-level wizard?!"
The same scene was happening in different corners near the battle group.
The battle between Malfurion and Ronan attracted a large number of wizards from the surrounding area to come and watch.
The reputation of the Bone Death Knell was not weak; in the south, among the necromancy spells, the "Bone Death Knell" was almost second only to the "Ghostly Poison Mask."
In terms of the evil and malicious nature of spell cultivation, the "Bone Death Knell" even surpassed the "Ghostly Poison Mask," making it notoriously infamous.
As a result, many wizards recognized Malfurion and were naturally curious about the opponent who could confront him directly.
"Boom!"
The pure white ice blade sliced through the layers of barriers formed by the ghosts, cutting all the way to Malfurion's head, but was ultimately resisted by the mental power field and extraordinary domain he released.
Beneath the dense gray smoke, Malfurion's appearance was bizarre, dressed in a tattered black robe with frayed edges, emaciated and tall, his head bald with no hair, while fan-shaped bone plates grew outward from both sides of his cheeks. His pale eyeballs were filled with crimson veins, resembling a sinister skeleton that had just crawled out of a grave.
"I underestimated you."
"You remind me of the last disciple my teacher took in."
Malfurion tilted his head back, looking at the massive ice blade hovering above him, and spoke softly with a hint of nostalgia: "After I poisoned that old man to death, that little brat challenged me to revenge with his second-level body. At that time, his ignorant and fearless expression was just like yours!"
Malfurion looked at Ronan, a wicked smile suddenly blossoming on his gaunt cheeks, revealing a row of uneven, pale teeth and crimson gums.
With a chilling laugh, he suddenly turned fierce, raising his hands.
"Fear... boil!"
In an instant, all the black-gray tides around Malfurion evaporated.
Countless ghosts flew out from the evaporating black waves, forming a massive ghostly storm that shattered countless frost, quickly sweeping toward Ronan.
Ronan's expression was emotionless, his eyes a thick blue-gold, mesmerizing like fire.
He spread his hands outward, retracting the pure white ice blade that had been slashing at Malfurion, and then it trembled slightly in the void, releasing a surge of mysterious energy, causing an infinite amount of frost to stack into three nearly identical pure white ice blades that appeared in the air.
The domain power of the "Extreme Frozen Supreme Weapon" suddenly expanded several times.
And this was just the beginning; the deep blue magic array beneath Ronan's feet, resembling a hexagonal ice flower, began to grow wildly outward, becoming several times more complex and profound in an instant.
The two expanded domain powers quickly fused, the shattered frost recondensed, and an unprecedented aura of confinement and strangulation surged forth. Under the enhancement of the supreme ice-sealing array, it wrapped around the four pure white ice blades, charging toward the ghostly storm with "Multiple Mirror Light"! To be precise, it should be the "Multiple Mirror Light" seal that had been repeatedly upgraded and optimized.
Three years ago, the "Multiple Mirror Light" could "replicate" a spell twice; three years later, the number of "replications" had reached three times.
Not only that, but the replicated spells were also more perfect, closer to the original version.
"Frost Dragon" and the ghostly storm collided, constantly rubbing against each other, canceling each other out, and ultimately exploded with a thunderous sound, yet without making a single noise.
The exploded ghostly storm transformed into countless streams of black energy, composed of numerous twisted human faces, igniting black flames, like countless black fish darting around in the air, charging fiercely toward Ronan at a certain point.
"Swish—"
Ronan's right arm swung out like a blade, the power not yet diminished, and the four ice blades, now slightly smaller, emitted a clear, vibrating sound as they swept horizontally in all directions.
Streams of black flame energy were frozen, sliced, and extinguished by the frost... but more of the faces of vengeful spirits, frantically shaking, approached Ronan, all making a screaming mouth shape toward him! "Roar—"
Countless ghosts shrieked, and waves of sound converged, directly creating a terrifying sonic tsunami in the air.
At that moment, the void seemed to transform into a transparent curtain that could be seen and touched, presenting layers of twisted ripples and folds under the terrifying sound waves.
The observing third-level wizards, even though they had maintained a relatively safe distance, were inevitably affected.
One by one, their faces changed drastically, and they quickly retreated.
Some who could not dodge in time even had their faces contorted under the sound waves, blood streaming from their orifices, staggering as they barely escaped.
Claire, who had been preparing to sneak attack the Bone Death Knell, also retreated rapidly.
Only when she had retreated to a completely safe area did she let out a sigh of relief, still feeling a lingering fear.
Then, suddenly remembering something, she looked up sharply toward the center of the sound wave explosion.
There, the massive hexagonal ice flower pattern and the four pure white ice blades had all shattered, leaving only a faint golden mental power field, which was rapidly compressing and shrinking under the sonic tsunami. "Damn..."
Claire's face turned extremely ugly, and she clenched her fists tightly, then reluctantly loosened them little by little. "Is this the true strength of Malfurion?"
The retreating observing wizards were all moved, their eyes filled with shock and horror.
"The genius wizards specializing in necromancy in the south, apart from Andariel, no one can suppress Malfurion! This guy's legacy is terrifying; the accumulated vengeful spirits of the Bone Death Knell over generations, even if some perish in battle and time, still possess an unmatched base. Ordinary wizards simply cannot, nor do they have the qualifications to be his opponents."
"That second-level ice wizard is also quite monstrous; it's just a pity he ran into Malfurion."
One wizard couldn't help but sigh, "If he were given more time, he might grow to match or even surpass Malfurion's level.
But unfortunately, he has left no name behind, falling in this battle."
At this moment, in the center of the terrifying sonic tsunami, the faint golden light representing Ronan's mental power had been compressed to the point of being nearly invisible, like a flickering candle in a storm, ready to extinguish at any moment.
The onlookers were filled with regret, disdain, and cold laughter.
Ronan's previously displayed strength, far exceeding his own level, amazed everyone, but if there was blame, it could only be directed at him for being too ostentatious, encountering such an opponent as the Bone Death Knell, Malfurion, before fully growing.
However, just when everyone thought everything was about to end.
A wizard at the edge of the battle group suddenly felt a chill.
He touched his cheek, puzzled, and looked up.
"Is it snowing?"
He was not alone; many observing wizards suddenly noticed that snowflakes had begun to fall from the sky.
Each snowflake had eight corners, a shape they had never seen before, with colors fading from deep blue to pure white, exquisitely beautiful.
The delicate snowflakes gently landed on their faces and bodies, with an inexplicable chill and piercing sensation quickly penetrating through their robes and skin, as if their blood were about to freeze, giving rise to an indescribable fear and despair from the depths of their souls.
The observing wizards realized something was wrong and, uncertain, began to retreat rapidly.
At that moment, the sonic tsunami that filled the sky abruptly came to a halt, and then everyone incredulously saw—
A point of extreme deep blue quietly blossomed from the center of the battle group.
Beneath the deep blue, the air, light, space, and even time seemed to freeze everything.
Countless snowflakes fell from the sky, and deep blue ripples spread out, with numerous ice crystal spikes growing from the void in the blink of an eye.
A massive thorny snow kingdom had descended!
Malfurion was also frozen by a terrifying chill, surrounded by dense ice crystal spikes that trapped him like a cage.
Countless vengeful spirits were sealed by the frost, suspended in mid-air, motionless, transformed into translucent ice spheres containing frozen, twisted human faces.
And beneath this extreme cold.
A tall, slender figure emerged from the depths of the "snow kingdom."
Short hair with a hint of blue in deep chestnut, mesmerizing blue-gold eyes, and a pale yet handsome face.
From Ronan's body, titanium flowed down, quickly forming a magnificent silver spear in his hand.
The spear tip slowly traced through the air, making a sound as it scraped against the icy surface.
Ronan, holding the spear, walked toward Malfurion.
With each step he took, his figure would disappear in the void, then flicker back into existence.
He quickly approached Malfurion, who for the first time showed shock and emotion on his face.
The powerful mental energy, close to the late third level, erupted from Ronan, causing the chilling aura that had frozen Malfurion to rapidly dissipate, and the ice crystal spikes imprisoning him began to creak under the strain. However.
Ronan seemed to not notice any of this.
He simply gazed calmly at Malfurion, slowly raising the titanium spear in his hand, the spear tip aimed at Malfurion's brow, and softly spoke: "Let the sound of the death knell ring once more, Malfurion."
"Consider it your own farewell!"
As the words fell.
Ronan's arm extended forward, the spear slipped from his hand, transforming into a brilliant silver light.
In the air, it vanished and reappeared several times, crossing layers of spatial distance, suddenly appearing before Malfurion like a bolt of lightning, and then fiercely pierced through his head!