It wasnât truly fleeingâmerely creating distance to prepare for the next phase of battle.
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Xia Bai and Red Hair charged forward. The low-defense slime monsters, no longer focused on them, couldnât hold the two women back. They quickly closed in on Ye Zhongmingâs position, even using their own bodies to block incoming mud attacks from other directions.
âIâm⊠fine.â
Ye Zhongmingâs slightly hoarse voice rang out behind them. The King of Cloud Peak had already risen to his feet.
âLetâs kill it together. The others can handle their own battles.â
Seeing that the distance to the level nine creature had once again widened to over 400 meters, he spoke to the two women.
Ye Zhongming had no macho pride, especially not now.
As long as the target could be killed, he wouldnât hesitate to attack with three peopleâor thirty thousand.
Thus, the assault on the level nine slime shifted from one person to three.
Sensing the danger, the slime let out a shrill cry and continued its retreat. Though its speed was laughably slow compared to evolved, it persisted stubbornly.
It was buying time.
It was confident its next attack would claim at least one life.
Ye Zhongming remained at the center.
Blood still seeped from his wounds.
The level-nine slimeâs mud had breached his defenses, and the toxins within were inhibiting his regenerative abilities.
For the illustrious King of Cloud Peak, such wretched states were exceedingly rare.
Gasping heavily, his body wracked with pain, Ye Zhongmingâs gaze remained unnervingly steady. He seemed even faster and more agile than in his uninjured state, weaving through the lesser slimes as he closed in on his target.
The presence of Red Hair and Xia Bai halved the attacks directed at him.
400 meters, 300 meters, 200 meters⊠the distance shrank rapidly. Without concentrated fire, Ye Zhongming could cover hundreds of meters in an instant.
Compared to his earlier struggle, the difference between having allies and fighting alone was stark.
The two powerful helpers threw the slime monsters into disarray. Their low intelligence left them unsure how to handle this new threat.
When they focused on one target, the other two would rush their leader. Shifting focus only allowed the first to advance.
Attempting to attack all three simultaneously proved ineffectiveâYe Zhongming and the others maintained steady progress.
The retreating level nine slime noticed this and adjusted its strategy, dividing its forces: half targeting Ye Zhongming, the rest harassing Red Hair and Xia Bai.
The situation stabilized slightly, slowing the trioâs advance. Seizing the opportunity, the level nine slime resumed consuming its kin, preparing its next attack.
Ye Zhongming had survived the last assault thanks to three factors: the lesser slime monsters and Water Bottle Protection absorbing some damage, his purple shield and Black Dirt Shield combined with Earth Armor mitigating more, and his own monstrous physique enduring the rest.
Even so, he had been severely injured.
If Xia Bai or Red Hair were to take such a hit, survival wasnât guaranteed.
The trio intensified their assault, slaughtering swathes of slime monsters to close the distance.
Ye Zhongming, now closest, reached within 100 meters of the level nine creature. Red Hair and Xia Bai werenât far behind.
As the distance shrank, so did the gap between the three humans.
Just as the level nine slime finished devouring its kin and unleashed another devastating spray, Red Hair and Xia Bai suddenly positioned themselves directly behind Ye Zhongming. Though spaced apart, the three humans and the slime monster now formed a straight line.
Ye Zhongming raised the Staff of Natureârecovered despite his injuriesâreactivating Water Bottle Protection to shield himself and the two women behind him.
A mocking glint flickered in the level nine slimeâs eerie eyes. This time, no lesser slime monsters stood between them, and the Staff of Natureâs shield was noticeably dimmerâits super-grade gem exhausted, now relying on an advanced-grade one at best.
It was certain this injured human couldnât withstand the attack.
Oddly, the same mocking expression flashed in Ye Zhongmingâs eyes.
Less than three seconds into the level-nine slime monsterâs spray, something plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing squarely onto its gelatinous body.
The impact flattened the creature into a puddle of ooze.
A level nine life form, no matter how poor its defenses, wouldnât die so easily. Its body began reforming, moments away from full recovery.
But then, a voice it would remember in its final moments rang out:
âStinky mudball, taste Dragon Grandpaâs slap!â