Both the human features atop his head and his crane face were contorted in a ferocious, twisted mask of agony.
If he could just hold on for a single moment, he would have a chance to escape.
As long as a shred of his flesh and blood could get away—even a single drop of blood—he could one day recover.
And to do that, he had to use the power of the Earth Spirit Stele!
In the throes of extreme pain, Elder Life Crane suddenly opened his crane beak, spewing a massive cloud of black smoke.
The black smoke billowed out, rapidly spreading to envelop his entire body.
Invisible barriers manifested in the space around him, forcibly expelling all the tentacles that had already burrowed into his body.
But at the same time, clearly visible cracks began to appear on the barriers.
The Earth Spirit Stele was already damaged and not yet fully repaired, but Elder Life Crane could no longer afford to worry about that.
