"The one who was killed... resolved?"
Gu Lingxuan darted forward, her gaze fixed on the Mirror Water Beast in the distance.
Hearing Lin Zhaoran and Cao Mingyu respond, Gu Lingxuan snapped out of her daze and responded as well.
She lightly touched the ground with her toes and dashed forward first.
Seeing that they seemed to be preparing to attack again, the Mirror Water Beast raised one of its tentacles and lashed out horizontally.
Without pausing, Gu Lingxuan swiftly swung the Greatsword forward.
"Buzz--"
The Distortion air spread forward and quickly collided with the lashing tentacles, causing the tentacles, which were originally slashing horizontally, to slow down immediately.
However, the Mirror Water Beast can extend more than just one tentacle.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh--"
Tentacle after tentacle slashed down.
This time there are quite a few tentacles; they can't be stopped with a single, casual strike!
Gu Lingxuan slowed her pace slightly.
She took a light breath, swung the Greatsword backward, paused slightly behind her, and then suddenly swung it forward again.
"Buzz--"
The tentacles slowed down.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, three figures passed her and rushed towards the Mirror Water Beast ahead.
"Boom, boom, boom--"
Dust and snow swirled across the battlefield.
Tentacles, resembling whips or long knives, coiled around the Mirror Water Beast.
The air was filled with the sound of wind being cut due to the tentacles' incredible speed.
This time, both sides seem to be serious.
The speed increased with each iteration.
Time passed.
"Boom--"
The ground exploded.
Lin Zhaoran leaped backward to dodge the attack, but before she landed, her eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.
The tentacle that had landed bounced back and then suddenly lashed out again.
There was no time to dodge. Lin Zhaoran subconsciously raised her hand, and ice crystals quickly formed a shield in front of her.
However, hasty condensation is not enough to create a thick shield.
The next moment.
"Bang--"
The shield shattered, and the man was sent flying.
Lin Zhaoran tumbled more than ten meters in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
Not quite satisfied, the tentacles, after sending the human flying, curled back slightly as the momentum subsided, then shot forward with a sudden burst of energy.
"Whoosh--"
The long sword slashed horizontally, and the tentacle that had shot straight at him was severed in two.
Shen Heng didn't stop; with a light tap of his toes, his figure swiftly darted to the side.
Behind him, Lin Zhaoran also quickly moved away.
The next moment.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Several tentacles slammed heavily onto the ground where Lin Zhaoran just been standing, sending dust and snow flying everywhere.
Shen Heng lunged forward, panting heavily, his gaze fixed intently on the Mirror Water Beast.
Although I had somewhat anticipated it, when I actually faced it, I still felt a sense of difficulty in handling it, and...
Shen Heng turned his head to look at Gu Lingxuan and the others beside him.
The armor on the men was no longer as clean as it had been; it was now stained with blood, mud, and white marks...
In just over ten minutes, everyone sustained injuries of varying degrees.
In contrast Mirror Water Beast remains the same as it was at the beginning, except that the Origin Power it senses has decreased slightly.
"This can't go on any longer, it'll drag us down. We have to think of something..."
Shen Heng looked away.
Having fought this far, the only thing I can be thankful for is...
This level of combat did indeed slow down the Mirror Water Beast, causing the others to disappear from sight once again.
However, it's still not too far away.
Shen Heng lowered his eyes, deep in thought.
After a moment, he seemed to realize something, and his gaze fell on a figure.
"Can you still control the Mirror Water Beast?"
The figure paused slightly, then looked in the direction of the sound.
The group chatted amongst themselves.
A moment later, two figures darted diagonally forward, their target the Mirror Water Beast.
"Brother Shen Heng, can the two of us really hold off the Mirror Water Beast?" Cao Mingyu let out a heavy breath, taking the opportunity to adjust his condition. In the battle just now, he had taken several solid hits from the Mirror Water Beast's tentacles.
"Delay if you can, and delay even if you can't," Shen Heng replied, then paused and added, "By the way, in every action later, leave some room for maneuver. If the Mirror Water Beast considers switching to its Tsunami Form, I'll remind you."
Cao Mingyu was slightly taken aback, but did not ask why. He simply nodded to indicate that he understood.
The two moved forward quickly, and the distance that had widened due to the pause in their attack was quickly closed again.
The Mirror Water Beast twisted a fraction of its body and looked over.
"Is it just... the two of you?" The Mirror Water Beast's body swayed slightly, its voice tinged with doubt.
There was no response.
Shen Heng and Cao Mingyu accelerated simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right.
The battle erupted instantly.
Cao Mingyu made the first move, stomping his toes on the ground and accelerating forward.
The next moment.
"Clang--"
The tentacle lashed out at the spear, causing Cao Mingyu's hand to jerk and his body to fly backward.
Then, several tentacles shot straight at them.
Cao Mingyu remained calm, twirling his spear to quickly meet the attack.
"Clang, clang, clang--"
A series of faint metallic clanging sounds followed.
The attack from the tentacles finally stopped.
Cao Mingyu let out a soft breath, raised his eyes, and was about to continue chasing forward when he paused again.
A figure could be seen swinging wildly within the tentacles.
Tentacle after tentacle lashed out at him, but he always managed to dodge them. Occasionally, those that he couldn't avoid were simply sliced in half.
Upon seeing this, Cao Mingyu's lips twitched involuntarily.
"Good heavens, whose ability can so drastically improve physical abilities?!"
Without pausing, he stomped his foot and charged forward again.
Tentacles and water bullets shot wildly towards the two of them.
The difference in rank between the two, both being S-Class Calamity Beast, meant that even though they both had methods to significantly improve their physical abilities, they still felt a heavy pressure.
The battle continues.
The Mirror Water Beast did not suddenly explode; instead, it attempted to switch to Tsunami Form to engulf the two of them.
Perhaps switching forms that way consumes a lot of energy, or perhaps it sensed that the two were on guard and was using this opportunity to deplete their physical strength and Origin Power.
In short, the battle continues.
Gradually, more and more white marks appeared on Cao Mingyu's armor.
Shen Heng's speed also slowed down slightly, and his meridians were convulsing wildly within his body.
"Clang!"
Once again, Cao Mingyu deflected a tentacle, breathing heavily. He opened his mouth and let out a low growl into the channel.
"Captain, have you found an opening? We can't hold on much longer!"
His response was a series of whispered words.
"Delay it a little longer, delay it a little longer..."