"Brother Arden, its hide is too thick—I can't break through it!"
Ju Fufu swung Hu Wei and smashed it hard against the Notorious Miasmic Devourer's miasmic shield, but the effect was poor.
Smack!
A tentacle lashed in, forcing Ju Fufu—who was about to attack again—to dodge instead.
"I'll do it!"
Hua-la-la~!
Arden thrust his sword forward, stirring up the sound of surging water.
Torrent Swordsmanship: Ascending Flow!
A technique that condensed flowing water into an attack—when unleashed, it resembled a high-pressure water cannon, boasting extremely strong piercing power and making it perfect for dealing with miasmic shields.
Psh~!
Sure enough, the miasmic shield was pierced, opening a gap.
The sword transmitted the sensation of cutting into flesh. Ju Fufu seized the chance and slashed several times with her claws—but the Notorious Miasmic Devourer absorbed the ether and miasmic aura permeating the surroundings, quickly repairing the breach in its shield.
Seeing this, Arden's expression darkened.
If it were an ordinary Ethereal, his sword strike combined with Ju Fufu's tiger claws would have already finished it off. But the Notorious Miasmic Devourer had massive vitality, thick flesh, and rapid regeneration. Even thousands more sword strikes and claw attacks might not be enough to kill it.
"Arden, Fufu—attack its tentacles!"
Yixuan's voice came from above. As the azure wings transformed into ink-black blades, she spun in midair, cleanly severing a lunging tentacle at the root.
That damage far exceeded what Arden's sword and Fufu's claws could do.
Arden and Ju Fufu immediately switched tactics. Instead of trying to one-shot the Notorious Miasmic Devourer, they focused on destroying its tentacles.
On one side, Arden cut down the tentacles, while on the other, the Notorious Miasmic Devourer continuously absorbed ambient ether and miasmic aura to regenerate them at high speed.
The battle fell into a war of attrition!
About ten minutes later.
This can't go on!
On the surface, the three from Yunkui Summit were suppressing the Notorious Miasmic Devourer. With its tentacles constantly being severed and regrown, their numbers never became overwhelming, and the trio appeared safe. Yet Arden was growing increasingly anxious.
He did a quick calculation and realized that they might not be able to outlast the Notorious Miasmic Devourer.
Its enormous size meant an absurdly long health pool, and within an environment saturated with ether and miasmic aura, it could keep recovering indefinitely.
Although Arden had prepared plenty of recovery pills, drug resistance meant that the more they were used in a short time, the worse the effect became.
By his estimation, the pills' recovery effect was already less than one-fifth of what it had been initially.
Of course, that wasn't even the most critical issue.
The real problem was that the influx of Ethereals hadn't stopped. The golden barrier Arden had set up to seal the mine's entrance was on the verge of failing under the endless swarm.
If countless Ethereals rushed in, the situation for the three of them would only worsen.
It could be said that among timing, terrain, and unity, Yunkui Summit only held an advantage in unity.
Think fast… the human spirit can overcome anything!
BOOM!
At that moment, Arden noticed that due to interference from the tentacles, Ju Fufu's swing with Hu Wei went off-target and smashed directly into the Notorious Miasmic Devourer's miasmic shield.
This time, however, the shield didn't block the blow completely. Instead, a hole was smashed open, taking several seconds before it regenerated.
That's it!
Seeing this, Arden's eyes lit up.
The Yunkui Summit trio's relentless assault hadn't been pointless. Under nonstop attrition, the Notorious Miasmic Devourer's defensive capabilities had inevitably declined.
Which meant that its resistance to powerful burst attacks was now far lower than at the start of the fight.
"Shifu, Fufu—watch my signal! Go all out with your ultimates and strike its main body!"
Arden immediately adjusted their strategy, shifting from attrition back to a decisive killing blow.
"Mm!"
"Arden, are you confident?"
While the Notorious Miasmic Devourer had been wearing them down, the trio from Yunkui Summit had also been consuming their strength. Given Yixuan's current condition, unleashing two ultimates in a row would already be her limit.
"About eighty percent… Maybe more!"
"Good!"
There was never a hundred-percent certainty on the battlefield—eighty percent was more than enough.
The three from Yunkui Summit immediately changed tactics.
"May the Heavens guard us… Amitabha!"
First, Arden applied another wave of buffs. Then Ju Fufu, acting as the breaker, charged straight to the front.
Arden and Yixuan focused on clearing away the obstructing tentacles.
At last, the Notorious Miasmic Devourer's body was left without tentacle protection, fully exposed before Ju Fufu.
"Hu Wei—final move!"
Ju Fufu poured every ounce of her strength into this strike. "Listen to my tiger's roar… RAWR~!!"
Rumble rumble~!
The force was overwhelming, like Mount Tai crashing down!
The blow made the entire mine tremble three times over.
Stomp—stomp~~!
Even the Notorious Miasmic Devourer's massive body was forced back by such tremendous power. As it fell into a staggered state, its miasmic shield was smashed open with a huge breach, unable to recover for the moment.
"Now!!"
There was no better opportunity than this!
"Heavenly thunder, heed my call!"
Zzzla~!
BOOM~!
"Obliterate—Form and Spirit!"
Ultimates were unleashed as if they cost nothing, instantly kicking up clouds of dust that filled the air.
…
The dust gradually settled, the obstruction to their vision clearing. The three from Yunkui Summit saw that enormous figure still standing.
All three felt their hearts sink at the same time.
"Arden, Fufu…"
Yixuan was about to say something—but just then…
Rooar~~!
Kra-kra-kra—crack!
Accompanied by an unwilling roar, the Notorious Miasmic Devourer's massive body shattered into pieces, quickly dispersing into ether.
"Phew… that scared me to death!"
Ju Fufu plopped down on the ground and let out a huge sigh of relief. "I thought we hadn't killed it. I really don't have the strength to do that again."
"Fin—"
Only managing to utter a single word, Yixuan's vision suddenly went dark.
Her tightly strung nerves finally relaxed after victory, and combined with the immense exhaustion from battle, she couldn't hold on and lost consciousness.
"Shifu?"
Arden hurriedly caught Yixuan, preventing her from falling to the ground.
"Mm… I'm fine, just a bit tired."
In the next moment, Yixuan regained consciousness. She twisted slightly, trying to free herself from Arden's embrace. "You… you can let go now."
"Oh!"
Arden reluctantly loosened his arms.
The soft sensation vanished along with it.
No rush, no rush. Yixuan Shifu has already agreed to marry me—waiting a few more days won't hurt.
That said, given Shifu's character, she probably won't go back on her word… right?
"Brother Arden, Shifu—uh, so… how are we getting out?"
Just as Yixuan and Arden from Yunkui Summit relaxed, planning to rest briefly before returning to Suibian Temple, Ju Fufu noticed a major problem.
"Uh…"
Hearing this, Arden looked toward the mine's entrance and froze.
The swarming Ethereals hadn't dispersed with the Notorious Miasmic Devourer's death. On the contrary, fueled by the ether and miasmic aura IT left behind, they had become even more frenzied.
===BREAK===
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