Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Like a tiny ripple suddenly appearing on the surface of a dark, calm lake.

A flash of silver light, and Dago's body was no longer in the same place.

The space seemed to be cleaved by a sharp blade, leaving behind a series of distorted light and shadows that left a visual afterimage.

He moved like a ferocious beast hunting its prey, his body drawing an exaggerated arc in mid-air, with dark blue ice flames bursting around him.

The ice flames grew wildly, as if they were alive, trailing long fiery tails that drew a mournful path in the dim light.

The shadow before him grew thicker and thicker, like some kind of gelatinous fluid, trying to slow his movements.

Dago's five fingers formed a hook, his knuckles exerting force, his fingertips carrying an extreme cold sharpness.

"Sizzle—"

It was the crisp sound of fabric tearing.

The fingertips pierced through layer after layer of black, viscous substance, and the resistance vanished the instant they touched the solid substance.

"call--"

Dago stopped abruptly, the frost beneath his feet like the tire tracks of a car braked suddenly, carving deep marks in the void.

Not far from him, Ang stood quietly.

Ang's posture remained unchanged, like an ancient sculpture, even the folds in his clothes exuding composure.

However, the hem of his once intact robe was now missing a corner.

Dago slowly raised his right hand, with a piece of black silk between his index and middle fingers.

Extremely cold frost instantly clung to it, like countless tiny termites gnawing at it.

The piece of silk hardened and disintegrated in the blink of an eye, turning into countless tiny specks of dust that slipped through her fingers.

It was just an inch off.

If that strike had gone any deeper, it wouldn't have just torn off a piece of clothing, but rather Ang's flesh and blood.

"You're smarter than I expected."

Ang lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the inconspicuous gap at the hem of his robe.

He looked up, and for the first time, a strange light appeared in his eyes, which always held a nonchalant smile.

That relaxed feeling, as if he were strolling in his own backyard, was gradually peeling away from him.

"However," Ang's voice remained gentle, "the same method won't work next time."

"It's no longer needed."

Dago's voice was flat, as if he were stating a given fact.

In that brief moment of closeness, he didn't just grab the hem of her clothes.

A deep-seated throbbing in his blood allowed him to detect a signal more reliable than sight.

That's a predator's instinct for its prey.

Between ancient bloodlines, there exists a wondrous connection that cannot be severed.

One percent of the ancient, desperate winter dragon bloodline was now boiling in his veins, like an ancient overlord awakened, roaring greedily.

Ang's existence was no longer a vague shadow in Dago's senses, but a point of light exuding an alluring aura.

At the heart, the bloodline crystal was trembling wildly, each beat pumping out immense power.

Thirst.

An indescribable hunger surged up my spine and into my brain.

This desire does not belong to humans, but to the desperate winter dragon named Behelit.

That is the instinctive desire to devour higher life forms.

The ancient frost that permeated the surroundings was no longer a mere means of attack; it had become Dago's extended tentacles, greedily sensing everything around him.

The layers of shadows were stripped away and disintegrated in his perception.

Ang, hidden deep in the shadows, gradually became clearer in Dago's mind, leaving him nowhere to hide.

"call--"

Dago took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently.

Her long, dark blue hair danced wildly behind her head, making a rustling sound even though there was no wind.

An evil, ancient, and domineering aura spread outwards from him in all directions.

The void behind him began to distort, and the phantom of the Despairing Winter Dragon seemed to come alive, its scales rubbing together with a teeth-grinding sound.

Dago moved.

He ran through the void, and with each step he took, an ice flower burst open in the air.

The same ice magic appeared around him, but the color was completely different.

The original pure white or ice blue hues have now all turned into a deep dark blue, like ice from the deep sea that has been frozen for thousands of years.

Each icicle was entwined with black patterns, emanating an obscure and mysterious aura.

That wasn't magic of mortals; it was the authority of the past.

Even though they haven't broken through to the realm of Law Resonance, the power of these spells has increased exponentially due to the enhancement of the Behelit bloodline.

"[Ancient - Frozen Sword Domain]!"

Dago gave a low shout, his voice seemingly mixed with the roar of a dragon.

A massive, dark blue ice blade slowly rose from the center of the icy vortex.

Countless black lines intertwine and meander across the sword's blade, resembling ancient totems or inscriptions of curses.

This greatsword exudes a strong ancient aura, as if it had just been summoned from an ancient battlefield.

Dago raised his hand and grasped the non-existent hilt of the sword.

His arm muscles bulged as he made a horizontal slashing motion.

This strike had no fancy techniques, only a pure release of power.

As far as the eye could see, large swathes of "night" were forcibly torn apart by this giant sword.

The darkness receded to both sides like a tattered rag, revealing the truth hidden behind it.

Just then, Dago caught a glimpse of a blurry, unseen figure out of the corner of his eye.

Without any hesitation, he pointed.

Countless dark blue aurora veins beneath my feet, like wildly growing vines, stretched rapidly in that direction.

Wherever it passed, shadows shattered and space froze.

The snowflakes that were slowly falling from the sky were now tinged with a dark blue hue.

Each snowflake became incredibly heavy, falling to the ground with a sound like metal clashing against stone.

Ang's domain of darkness is rapidly collapsing, with gaps being carved into what was once boundless darkness.

What now rules this battlefield is no longer a mysterious shadow, but the extreme cold inherited from the past!

"boom!"

Dago suddenly raised his arms, and the swirling frost gathered in front of him, forming a black-blue wave of ice flames.

The icy flames surged and spread wildly in all directions.

Amidst the sounds of large, black chunks collapsing, light once again streamed in from the bottom of the platform space.

The space, which was originally "shrouded in night," has now had its rules forcibly rewritten, with dark blue becoming the new background color.

When the scene inside the platform space was once again clearly presented to everyone, a suppressed gasp erupted from the crowd.

Ang spread his wings, his body half-integrated into the remaining darkness of the night sky, still occupying the highest point of the platform.

The ground, meanwhile, was Dago, protected by countless dark blue frost crystals.

He stood in the center of the frozen earth, like a king reigning supreme.

The battle seemed to have returned to square one, but the momentum had been completely reversed.

The two stood above each other, gazing at each other across the distance, as if sparks were crackling in the air.

Dago's lips twitched slightly, and he took a small step forward.

"Boom—"

The earth roared.

The frost beneath his feet trembled violently. A “brand new” snow country did not fall from the sky, but broke through the earth!

Countless dark blue frost veins spread and intertwine across the land, outlining an ancient and mysterious pattern.

If viewed from above, the pattern would be strikingly similar to the phantom image of the winter dragon behind Dago.

And Dago stood at the heart of the winter dragon pattern.

"Snow Country, the Snow Country of yesteryear..."

Dago's voice was deep and hoarse, carrying a strange resonance.

"This should be called, 'The Frosty Desolation of the Desperate Winter Dragon'."

Surrounded by vast expanses of dark blue frost, Dago slightly raised his head.

Those blue-gold vertical pupils were fixed on Ang, whose smile had vanished high in the sky.

His lips slowly curled up, revealing a wild smile.

"Ang, our game is only just beginning."

"boom!"

A brief silence fell over the crowd on the viewing platform, followed by a low hum.

Whether it was Angna's bizarre methods that surpassed even top geniuses, or Dago's domineering and unparalleled way of breaking the deadlock, both were completely beyond the comprehension of lower-level wizards.

The two people on the stage looked like two ancient, ferocious beasts draped in human skin, locked in a fierce battle.

And the source of Dago's power seems to have a good explanation at this point.

"Dago Heca's power does not come from his heritage, but from his bloodline."

"What kind of bloodline is that, that it can control ancient frost, like some overlord that stood at the top of the food chain in ancient times?"

"But how could that legendary bloodline flow in one person?"

The discussions spread like a tidal wave.

In the Jade Court area, Tracy had already stood up, seemingly in a bad mood as she kept fiddling with the Crimson Lotus Staff in her hand.

"No wonder..."

She gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with disgust. "The moment I saw this guy, I felt nauseous. So he inherited the bloodline and will of that disgusting winter dragon?"

The bloodline hidden within her was issuing a frantic warning, conveying a sense of rage and hostility, as if they were natural enemies meeting.

Last time in the Heart of Machinery, she only had a vague feeling, but now, the feeling is so clear that she wants to rush up and tear the other person to pieces immediately.

Deep within the crowd, Lindis narrowed his eyes slightly.

His gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on the battle between shadows and frost on the stage.

"I remember that the South has always preserved half of the heart of an ancient fallen raven..." Lindis suddenly asked the black-robed man beside him.

"Yes."

The man in black robes answered in a low voice, "The person on the stage was a pawn highly valued by the previous generation of Shuoyue, and it was he who advocated for the transplantation of the Fallen Raven's heart into him."

"Once this is over, take this kid back with you."

Lindis spoke in a flat tone, as if discussing an insignificant commodity, "He integrates very well with the blood of the fallen raven. This kind of special talent has always been what we lack."

"Um."

The man in black robes responded and wrote down the order.

"As for him."

Lindis's gaze shifted and landed on the slender figure protected by ancient frost.

Dago.

His eyes flickered, as if he had thought of something, but he ultimately did not continue speaking.

He seemed to be thinking, and some of his ideas seemed to have undergone subtle changes.

"Boom!"

Just then, a loud bang came from the platform.

At the boundary between black and blue, two figures collided violently.

Dark blue frost instantly condensed into a spear in the air, carrying the momentum to pierce through everything, and fiercely stabbed into the surging shadows.

The shadow, as dark as ink, tried to devour the spear, but was frozen by the extreme cold power attached to the spear, shattering into narrow, serrated shapes.

With Dago's old, desperate Winter Dragon bloodline fully activated, Ang's once-proud methods of concealment became completely useless.

Ang also realized this.

He no longer chose to dodge; black wings suddenly unfurled behind him, and he transformed into a black streak of light, swooping down towards Dago.

He began a real, direct confrontation with Dargo.