Ji Nanhong spotted the Shituo King and immediately reined in her steed, leveling her spear to block its path while shouting commands: "All elite team members, break through northeast at full force!"
At her command, the elite team members swiftly turned toward the opposite direction of the Shituo King. Their full-powered assault tore a gap through the horde of Shituos as they gathered into a formidable formation, charging outward with unstoppable momentum.
Chen Guan and Qin Ziyu found themselves in an awkward position. Separated from the elite team by a sea of Shituos, rejoining them now seemed nearly impossible. By the time they fought their way back, the elite team would likely have already broken free, leaving them to face the entire Shituo horde alone.
Complex emotions flashed across Chen Guan's face. He never imagined someone would truly sacrifice themselves to create escape opportunities for teammates. Old Bird had described Ji Nanhong as selfish, and while Chen Guan hadn't fully believed it, he never expected such noble character from her.
What worried Chen Guan most was if Ji Nanhong could escape after the elite team broke through, leaving him and Qin Ziyu as sacrificial decoys. Ji Nanhong would sacrifice for her elite team - they were her responsibility. But Chen Guan's group weren't elite team members; their survival wasn't her concern.
Black mist swirled around the Shituo King as it raised its massive bone club, smashing downward toward Ji Nanhong.
Rather than dodging, Ji Nanhong gripped her spear with both hands, blocking the descending club head-on. The impact forced her body downward violently. Her Ghost-Headed Bull mount couldn't withstand the tremendous force - its legs twisted with a pained cry as it collapsed.
Ji Nanhong's feet hit the ground and immediately sank halfway up her shins, yet she still maintained her grip on the spear, miraculously stopping the club's momentum.
The Shituo King's other hand shot toward Ji Nanhong's face, bony fingers stabbing at her eyes. A red flush spread across her cheeks as she angled her spear, sliding the club aside while wrenching her legs free from the ground. She lunged forward, twisting her waist to whip the Red-Tasseled Spear in a full circle before thrusting toward the Shituo King's heart.
The Shituo King made no attempt to dodge, instead catching the spearhead barehanded. Despite Ji Nanhong's powerful thrust, the weapon advanced no further.
Ji Nanhong's expression remained unchanged as she suddenly twisted her hands along the shaft, setting the spear spinning violently. The rapidly rotating tip forced the Shituo King to release its grip.
Pivoting backward, Ji Nanhong kicked the spear's butt, sending it drilling into the Shituo King's chest with tremendous rotational force.
"Beautiful!" Qin Ziyu exclaimed in admiration.
Even Chen Guan had to admit this woman's combat skills and timing were exceptional - his own fighting techniques probably couldn't compare.
Sparks flew as the spinning spear tip ground against the Shituo King's chest, failing to pierce even the jade-like skin covering it. The Shituo King grabbed the spearhead again, stopping its rotation instantly. Get full chapters from NovєlFіre.net
Before Ji Nanhong could repeat her twisting technique, the Shituo King yanked violently, lifting both woman and weapon into the air. Wisely abandoning the spear mid-air, Ji Nanhong kicked off the shaft to flip backward gracefully, landing lightly some distance away like a solitary crane.
The now-armed Shituo King hurled the spear back at Ji Nanhong, who evaded with serpentine agility while drawing paired Mandarin Duck Phoenix Blades from her sleeves. Dancing like a butterfly through flowers, she closed in for close-quarters combat.
The battle shifted from ranged to melee, rendering long weapons useless. Ji Nanhong flitted around the Shituo King like a dancing butterfly, landing multiple cuts within moments. Yet the creature's terrifying durability meant even these expert strikes failed to break its skin.
Suddenly the Shituo King's other arm struck - its boneless hand extending like a skeletal snake to pierce Ji Nanhong's chest. She arched backward shrimp-like to avoid the thrust but lost her blades when the Shituo King grabbed them.
Without hesitation, Ji Nanhong abandoned the weapons, backflipping while producing a Nineteen-Section Bone Whip - yet another treasure weapon. This flexible-yet-rigid weapon required years of specialized training to master, yet in Ji Nanhong's hands it alternated between dragon-like ferocity and snake-like precision, moving as if alive.
"No wonder Ji Nanhong could form the elite team and lead here. Regardless of other factors, her combat abilities alone surpass ordinary people," Chen Guan thought.
"She's strong, but can't defeat the Shituo King alone," Qin Ziyu said, glancing meaningfully at Chen Guan.
Their eyes met in silent understanding. As Qin Ziyu charged forward, he called out: "Give me the necklace!"
Chen Guan produced the Evil Buddha Necklace and tossed it to Qin Ziyu while directing Rouge the rabbit to attack simultaneously.
Their assistance slightly relieved Ji Nanhong's pressure, but the Shituo King still dominated all three opponents, its impervious body even resisting Rouge's Bloodsucking Blade, which left only white marks on its skin.
Qin Ziyu repeatedly attempted to loop the necklace around the Shituo King's neck without success.
"Escape while you still can. Our group can't kill it," Ji Nanhong advised.
Chen Guan longed to flee, but with the elite team nearly clear, attempting escape now would only trap them in the Shituo horde for certain death.
"No escape remains. Killing it together is our only hope," Qin Ziyu said, his sword flashing like lightning as he pushed his Purple-Green Dual Qi Profound Skill to its limits, yet still failing to penetrate the Shituo King's defenses.
Ji Nanhong responded: "Have you mastered Qi-to-Light conversion with your Purple-Green Dual Qi? If so, we might have a chance. Otherwise, I'll retreat when my team escapes - staying here serves no purpose."
"One attempt possible," Qin Ziyu confirmed.
Ji Nanhong's eyes gleamed. The Purple-Green Dual Qi Profound Skill's fearsome reputation was universally known - if Qin Ziyu truly achieved Qi-to-Light conversion, they might actually slay the Shituo King.
"The Shituo King isn't one Mystical Spirit but two - a cultivated husband-wife pair representing yin-yang unity," Ji Nanhong explained between attacks. "To kill it, we must first separate the yin-yang, destroy their connection point to split them..." Her words trailed off as she noticed movement among the Shituo horde, her brow furrowing.