Mantis Shrimp

Biodata

Power Progression

• Its Guardian level cannot exceed the Coral Shell Room’s level. Raising it from level zero to level ten would cost 550 Spirit Pearls 10.

Background / History

Xiao Hao sought the Peacock Mantis Shrimp after rejecting other monsters that could not withstand the Deep-Sea Ghost. Forum reports placed one about a thousand meters away, and viewers described the species as rare enough—and durable enough—to survive more than an immediate killing blow from a ghost in the teens. Following viewer directions without revealing that he could read them, Xiao Hao reached it after roughly half an hour 8 9.

During the capture attempt, the mantis shrimp’s scythes, stabbing legs, and branching antennae repeatedly forced the Shadow Seahorses out of hiding. Five seahorses became critically injured before Xiao Hao devised a coordinated lure: they materialized from different directions, drew tentacle strikes, and returned to shadow form, causing the antennae to knot together 9.

The mantis shrimp severed all its tangled antennae to escape, but its speed could not outmatch the seahorses. Their Darkness Domain followed it until sustained erosion brought it down. Xiao Hao then completed the bond, gaining his first Battle General 9.

Appearance

• Wild-boss size: Approximately four meters long and two meters tall; appeared smaller after bonding reset its level 9 10.
• Shell: Emerald armor covering its back and body 9.
• Tail: A peacock-like fan shading from emerald to black and gold, with sapphire-blue edging and ruby-red stripes 9 20.
• Legs: Roughly a dozen or more pairs of jointed, red-diamond-like limbs with spear-shaped tips 9 10.
• Forelimbs: Two enormous emerald mantis appendages resembling scythes beneath its head 9.
• Antennae: Soft, branching, scaled feelers that extend into numerous scarlet Rinkaku Tentacles 9.

Abilities & Skills

Jade Armor

Its metal-attribute shell grants near immunity to physical attacks from opponents of the same level 10.

• Withstood the Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp swarm’s teeth without damage and remained unmoved under repeated Human-Faced Thornfish water cannons 16 20.
• Viewers identified its full-body armor as a counter to the Ghost Infant, which normally enters through bodily openings or soft skin. This matchup was discussed rather than fought 32.
• Does not make it invulnerable to stronger enemies: the Deep-Sea Ghost cut five bleeding cracks into its back during an ambush 17.

Mantis Scythe

Its exceptionally sharp forelimbs possess special severing and piercing properties. Opponents of the same level are described as virtually unable to defend against them 10.

• Basic attacks: Dismembered a Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp in three rapid slashes before using any active skill 16.
• Ultimate: Spins its scythes at extreme speed, cutting surrounding monsters into thin slices and reducing earth and stone to fine debris 16.
• Interception: Cut down venomous needles, webs, and strips of flesh during the base-station battle 50.
• Area denial: Sustained scythe attacks forced Qiu Chengnan out of hiding despite his monsters’ Phasing 50.
• Limits: Physical strikes cannot damage the Primordial Snailfish’s gelatinous body or connect with enemies while they remain phased. Its blades also failed to sever the Deep-Sea Ghost’s spine 18 24 50.

Rinkaku Tentacles

The mantis shrimp can branch its antennae into numerous regenerating tentacles used to attack or bind enemies 10.

• Strangles, pierces, and crushes targets, including enemies behind it while its scythes face forward 16.
• Restrains multiple opponents at once; bound the Vulture Harpy, Human-Faced Spider, and Chang Zhiqian before slamming them into the concrete floor 50.
• Braces Xiao Hao on its back to prevent him from falling while exhausted 16.
• Can become tangled when repeatedly baited into attacks from different directions—a weakness Xiao Hao exploited during its capture 9.
• Regrew completely after the mantis shrimp severed two tentacles to stop the snake woman’s spreading petrification 50.

Sea Fan Peacock Tail

Its tail generates powerful undercurrents or waves. Outside water, the skill can condense atmospheric water molecules to create waves 10.

• Swept thornfish into the seabed and flattened uneven terrain into a plain 20.
• Repeated directional sweeps created an apparent safe zone inside the seahorses’ Darkness Domain, funneling the swarm into lethal erosion 20.
• Directional limit: Each sweep affects only one direction, requiring repeated uses against enemies surrounding it 20.
• Damage limit: During the thornfish hunt, it killed level-zero monsters outright, but some level-one and level-two targets survived because the seawater cushioned the impact 20.
• Collateral risk: Destroyed Xiao Hao’s cave cover and exposed him to the swarm’s water cannons 20.

Undying Body

This passive greatly enhances the mantis shrimp’s physical capabilities and continuously unlocks its bodily potential. Its skill description identifies it as the key to its unrestricted skill use 10.

• Allowed it to remain combat-ready during the prolonged Spiny Shrimp battle while Xiao Hao and the seahorses struggled with exhaustion 16.
• Xiao Hao chose this skill to address his own weak physique and severe stamina limits; acquiring it strengthened his body and gave him a muscular build 10.
• Despite its name, the mantis shrimp can still be wounded or killed by sufficiently powerful attacks. Xiao Hao expected the Deep-Sea Ghost’s ultimate to kill it in one hit 11 17.

Mount and Mobility

• Its many jointed legs provide an exceptionally steady ride, even while carrying an exhausted Xiao Hao 10 16.
• It is relatively slow and cannot fly; faster thornfish successfully kited it until it used its tail skill 20 47.
• Its scythes have difficulty reaching directly beneath its body, though its spear-tipped legs can attack that space 9.

Relationships

• Xiao Hao — Master and rider. Initially bonded it as a tank against the Deep-Sea Ghost; its Undying Body became an unexpected additional benefit. It later carried him away from battle and supported him with its tentacles 9 10 11 16.
• Shadow Seahorses — Fellow Guardians and combat partners. They defeated it before bonding, then combined their Darkness Domain with its physical attacks and crowd control during swarm hunts 9 16 20.
• Deep-Sea Ghost — Enemy whose strength exceeded its defenses. The Ghost wounded its shell during an ambush and damaged its scythes in the final battle 17 24.
• Qiu Chengnan and his monsters — Opponents in the base station. Their Phasing initially negated its physical attacks, but sustained Mantis Scythe attacks forced Qiu Chengnan to reveal his position 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Survival and Swarm Hunting

• Ghost diversion: Carried Xiao Hao toward the Ghost’s territory before being recalled as he began the lure. Its limited speed prevented it from serving as a reliable escape mount during the pursuit 11.
• Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp swarm: Drew attacks, slaughtered clustered monsters, and carried Xiao Hao while the seahorses drained the swarm’s vitality 16.
• Primordial Snailfish boss: Could not kill the physically immune boss through cutting alone. Instead, it passed pieces into Xiao Hao’s Exploration Bubble, where pressure loss caused them to melt; the kill awarded 550 Spirit Pearls 18.
• Golden Copepods: Intercepted three attackers, killed one, and helped prevent the other two from escaping. The hunt yielded 450 Spirit Pearls in total 19.
• Human-Faced Thornfish swarm: Combined tail sweeps with Darkness Erosion to eliminate the swarm after inadvertently exposing Xiao Hao’s hiding place 20.

Defeat of the Deep-Sea Ghost

Hidden outside the Coral Shell Room throughout the night, the mantis shrimp emerged from the seabed when Xiao Hao immobilized the Ghost with a Silence Card. Its scythes shredded the Ghost’s neck but could not cut through the spine. When the three-second restraint ended, the Ghost knocked it back and chipped its blades; the Ghost had 14% health remaining before Xiao Hao finished it with the Curse-Kill Card 24.

Real-World Battles

• Blue Dragon City: Stayed behind while all seven seahorses searched the city for Insect Monsters, owing to its slow movement and inability to fly 47.
• Base-station confrontation: Protected Xiao Hao from simultaneous attacks, restrained three enemies, regenerated petrified tentacles, and used sustained Mantis Scythe attacks to counter Qiu Chengnan’s concealment 50.