Zijin's Battle of Attrition

"Light of Purification!"

A pure white light shone down, dispelling the negative effects on the Silver Mask. The assassin's dizziness subsided, and the tinnitus disappeared.

With just one glance, he locked onto Ruogejin's figure again, and in a flash, he launched another surprise attack.

Ruogejin used his staff to block, and the sound of metal clashing echoed across the snowfield. He was forced to take a few steps back, feeling a growing sense of irritation.

Ruogejin wanted Aiwanbei'er to fight the assassin Silver Mask, but the latter wouldn't have his way. Both were seasoned veterans on the battlefield, and neither could easily outmaneuver the other.

Then go after the therapist!

To his dismay, the seemingly delicate healer was anything but easy to deal with. Several sneak attacks were effortlessly deflected by her, as calmly as a seasoned hunter.

For a fleeting moment, Ruogejin even suspected that the healer intended to rush up and strike him with magic.

If this drags on, there's no hope of a decisive victory in the short term. And Lord Abigai's orders—this master only cares about the results!

We can't delay any longer!

Ruogejin made a snap decision and plunged his staff into the snow. Earth Magic Power surged from the tip of the staff like a tidal wave. The surrounding snow churned violently, and hard rocks burst from the ground, clinging to his body as if they were living things.

"Rock Giant Transformation Spell!"

As the rocks continued to attach, Ruogejin's body rapidly expanded, transforming in the blink of an eye into a five-meter-tall rock giant. He stretched his newly grown rock arms, charged towards Ge'enda'er, and slammed his fist, imbued with rich earth Magic Power, down with a whooshing sound.

"Boom!"

The shockwave ripped away all the surrounding snow, revealing the frozen, iron-hard earth beneath. The spot where Ge'enda'er stood was blasted into a three-meter-diameter crater by the residual force of the punch, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards.

Earth-type Battle Mage!

The empty-handed Silver Mask approached from behind, its silver blade gleaming coldly. With a full-force strike, it slashed across Ruogejin's back. The hard rock armor was torn open, and the bloodstains from the blade's tip could even be faintly seen.

Ruogejin merely sneered, and with a surge of earth Magic Power, the rock armor on his back instantly returned to its original state.

Jielusi raised her hand to cast a healing spell, a soft green light enveloping Ge'enda'er. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she abruptly looked up.

Her face changed drastically, "Oh no!"

Jielusi looked up and, sure enough, found that Aiwanbei'er had taken the opportunity to escape the battlefield and was rushing towards the Youth Civilization.

Even more alarming was that behind him were more than sixty bear-men warriors, charging forward like a tidal wave following their chieftain.

Ruogejin raised his petrified giant fist, earth Magic Power condensed into a tangible halo on it. Not to be Ge'enda'er, the holy light on his arms shone even brighter.

"Bang!"

The two enormous forces collided again, and a large amount of rubble broke off from Ruogejin's arm, but was quickly replaced by newly formed rock.

Ge'enda'er grunted and took two steps back. Jielusi's healing spell followed again, and holy light healed his injuries like flowing water.

Ge'enda'er knew that Ruogejin on the other side was also heavily weakened, but at this rate, his side would have no way to break away and intercept the bears.

The assassin Silver Mask can leave at any time, but his effectiveness is limited when facing the tough-skinned Aiwanbei'er.

Jielusi made a decisive move, unleashing a series of Reinforcement Spell spells on her teammates. "Ruogejin won't last long like this. Attack with full force and take him down first!"

"Alright!" Silver Mask and Ge'enda'er responded simultaneously, lunging forward once more!

****

High in the sky on the other side, the battle was equally fierce.

Abigai her staff high, and wind and water Magic Power intertwined around her, forming a dazzling vortex. The light at the tip of the staff grew brighter and brighter, eventually transforming into a blinding blue-green beam that shot straight down.

"Ice Blade Tornado!"

A raging hurricane, carrying countless sharp ice shards, completely enveloped the area where Zijin was located. The girl's shield flickered violently under such a fierce attack, its surface rippling with waves.

After discovering that the Zijin's domain was "Natural Rhythm," Abigai decisively changed tactics, switching to using this pure elemental damage spell.

Faced with the simple and brutal elemental area-of-effect attacks, Zijin didn't have a good way to deal with them and could only keep strengthening her shield to withstand the attacks.

"Natural Rhythm" limited the enemy, and also limited herself.

Moreover, even without expanding her domain, Zijin cannot use high-powered spells that distort the laws—this would bring severe backlash.

Zijin reinforced her shield again, a provocative smile playing on her lips. "You're at a disadvantage with this kind of exchange, old lady!"

Actually, that's not the case.

Although Zijin traded less Magic Power for Abigai's greater output, the opponent was far more experienced in control.

Given Abigai's advantage in Magic Power reserves, even with this strategy, Zijin will be the first to run out of mana!

"No rush, little girl, you're very pretty." Abigai's eyes gleamed with a disgusting greed. "I've decided to turn you into a doll and keep you as a permanent possession!"

As the "Ice Blade Tornado" ended, Abigai raised her hand again, and a new incantation quickly formed in her mouth:

"Sigh of Eternal Winter!"

The biting wind transformed into countless ice blades, once again enveloping the Zijin. The extreme cold caused the moisture in the air to instantly condense into tiny ice crystals, shimmering dangerously in the sunlight.

****

On the distant mountaintop, Su Ming and Yise cleanly and efficiently dealt with the second wave of bear-men. This time, even with the temptation of the Heavenly Mother Bear, no bear-men dared to step forward and risk their lives.

The two moved quickly in this direction, looking for an opportunity to join the battle.

Just then, Abigai suddenly stopped attacking and slowly landed on a nearby hilltop. Zijin, seeing this, also stopped moving.

They stood ready on the opposite hilltop.

"What's wrong, Grandma? Is your arthritis acting up again?"

Zijin flexed her fingers; the down jacket was very effective, as the simple icy wind couldn't penetrate it. Combined with the protection of her robes, she was even slightly sweaty after this fight.

"Little brat," Abigai's murky eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, "After I turn you into a collectible, the first thing I'll do is tear your arrogant mouth apart!"

"Oh dear, we're very friendly to Yexiya's household," Zijin tilted her head innocently. "Would you like to take a look?"

The mere mention of Yexiya ignited Abigai's fury.

About two months ago, it was Chestnut Pigeon, who, together with Bone King, launched a surprise attack on Snail Island, brutally murdering Ice Beauty Yexiya, who was still recovering from her injuries. At that time, Abigai was on her way to provide support, but she missed the enemy!

Subsequently, the organization faced simultaneous investigations and crackdowns from various parties, suffering heavy losses on the periphery—this was absolutely inextricably linked to the two of them.

Today is the perfect day to settle both old and new scores!

The domain transmitted a message of success, Abigai's wrinkled face broke into a sinister smile. "Little girl, have you forgotten something?" A chilling light gleamed in her cloudy eyes. "We've been fighting for so long, and I haven't even used my domain yet!"

Abigai suddenly clenched his five fingers, making a grasping motion.

In Zijin's sea of consciousness, countless translucent threads suddenly materialized, enveloping her consciousness as if they were living things. These threads tightened more and more, almost squeezing into the depths of her soul.

"What is this!" Zijin exclaimed, cupping her face in her hands.

"Puppet Silk Thread! How does my domain [Silk Shame Prison] taste?!" Seeing the horrified expression on Zijin, Abigai laughed triumphantly, "You, a Holy Maiden of the Temple, have such a weak mental defense!"

"Damn it!" Zijin's consciousness struggled desperately against the binding threads, only to find that the more she resisted, the tighter the threads became.

In the seemingly evenly matched battle just now, Abigai unleashed his domain, silently eroding Zijin's mental defenses. And mental defense, unfortunately, was the scholar's weak point!

"How does it feel to be tricked, you brat!" Bigai's smile was sinister and terrifying. She focused her mind, and her spiritual power began to invade along the threads.

Zijin immediately felt a brute force pushing her away from her body, bit by bit. In this mental confrontation, she was defeated step by step, and finally her legs gave way, and she knelt on the snow.

"Die!" Yise suddenly appeared from the side, raising his greatsword to slash at Abigai.

Abigai frowned. Although Yise's strength was outstanding among the younger generation, it was still not enough in the eyes of a powerhouse of her caliber.

However, she is currently focused on invading Zijin, so she needs to be distracted to maintain her defenses. Furthermore, Zijin's mental defenses are only relatively weak, not truly without resistance!

She raised her staff, creating a shield to block Yise's attack, then a spell orb knocked it back.

"Don't rush, little girl, you're next!" Abigai said coldly.

****

"Call!"

Ge'enda'er and Ruogejin clashed fists again. Rock fragments flew everywhere, and the two figures, one large and one small, were separated by the impact.

Ge'enda'er was breathing heavily; his Light Warrior robe was torn, and the blood he had coughed up had soaked through the front of his garment.

On the other hand, the battle mage Ruogejin was also in dire straits. His once solid rock armor was now covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and his repair speed was noticeably slower.

Silver Mask seized the opportunity, his figure flashing like a ghost in front of Ruogejin. His dagger precisely pierced the crack in the rock armor, drawing out a line of crimson blood.

He deftly withdrew before Ge'enda'er's heavy punch landed.

Ruogejin didn't pursue in vain. He took a deep breath, and his earth-yellow Magic Power surged around him. The shattered rock armor reformed, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate once again.

In just a few minutes of intense fighting, Ruogejin's Magic Power had been depleted by nearly half. But he had no choice—if he didn't maintain this clumsy posture and high-intensity exertion, he simply couldn't simultaneously restrain the paladin and healer on the other side, and also have to guard against the elusive Silver Mask assassin.

Ruogejin felt a pang of regret. He had thought Silver Mask would go after the bear-man Aiwanbei'er, but he hadn't expected the other party to decisively choose to attack him with all his might.