Chapter 264: The Abyss Earthshaker's Failed Escape
However, Hu Tao's daze lasted only for a moment.
A thought immediately surfaced: the Chat Group calculated points based on contribution. If she just stood by and watched, wouldn't this entire trip be a waste? Besides, her previous battle had consumed very little of her stamina; she was still brimming with vigor.
"Teacher Iansan, you're far too kind! As they say, when you see injustice on the road, you draw your spear to help!" Hu Tao responded with a cheerful grin. With a flick of her wrist, the Dragon's Bane in her grasp once again erupted in fierce flames. "I'll help too! Let's work together and deal with this big lug quickly!"
Before her words had even faded, Hu Tao was already charging forward, forming a pincer attack with Iansan.
At that same moment, Iansan finally ended her hit-and-run tactics. She took a deep breath, and the lightning crackling around her body suddenly converged, yet the aura it emitted grew even more dangerous.
She pushed off with her feet, the ground denting slightly under the force. Her petite frame shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bowstring, actively charging toward the Abyss Earthshaker.
Unlike Varesa's wild, overbearing, and power-focused fighting style, Iansan's combat skills were clearly more refined and efficient.
Every one of her movements precisely found the blind spots in the monster's attacks. The long spear in her hand was like the very embodiment of divine judgment, sometimes striking like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, swiftly stabbing at the monster's joints and the gaps in its carapace. Other times, it was like the wrath of a thunderstorm, unleashing a wide fan of lightning-infused spear shadows that forced the monster back again and again.
Her strength seemed immense, and her speed was so great that she left behind trails of afterimages. With just herself and her spear, she actually managed to completely suppress the ferocious beast, preventing it from advancing a single step, let alone interfering with Varesa, who was still busy eating.
Hu Tao cooperated with a flanking assault, and the more she fought, the more startled she became.
Iansan's control over the Electro element had reached an extraordinary level. Not only did she use it to strengthen her own body, but she could also condense it to an extreme degree at the tip of her spear, generating terrifying penetrative power. The few stabs that connected left distinct white chisel marks and scorched imprints on the monster's hardened armguards.
'This teacher is definitely not just your average powerhouse!' Hu Tao thought to herself, not holding back her own attacks in the slightest. The Dragon's Bane specifically targeted the weak points the monster exposed while dealing with Iansan, and her fiery butterflies adhered to its body, burning it relentlessly.
Soon, Varesa swallowed the last bite of her food. She patted her chest, let out a small burp, and then her eyes narrowed as the lightning around her body reignited. "Teacher! I've recovered!"
With Varesa rejoining the fray, the battlefield situation instantly turned into a three-on-one assault.
Iansan led the main attack, containing the beast head-on, her long spear moving like a coiling dragon amidst a web of crisscrossing lightning. Varesa launched a furious assault from the flank, her fists and feet landing with the force of thunderclaps. Hu Tao weaved around the battlefield providing support, her flames surging like an unpredictable tide that was impossible to guard against.
Three warriors, two distinct fighting styles, yet their cooperation grew more synergistic with every passing second.
The Abyss Earthshaker was immediately thrown into a state of absolute passivity. It was completely overwhelmed, its massive body now serving as the perfect target.
Iansan's piercing lightning spear, Varesa's heavy punches and flying kicks, and Hu Tao's scorching flames rained down upon it like a torrential downpour.
Its thick carapace began to show large areas of charring, deep cracks, and ugly dents. Dark purple energy continuously seeped from its wounds like blood, and its movements became noticeably sluggish.
The scales of victory had tilted completely in their favor. It seemed only a matter of time before they defeated it for good.
However, as a product of highly condensed Abyssal energy, this Abyss Earthshaker was clearly not some mindless beast.
After barely blocking another well-coordinated attack from Hu Tao and Varesa, its burning purple eyes suddenly locked onto Iansan, the one who had been exerting the most pressure on it.
Facing Iansan's subsequent spear thrust—which was condensing even stronger lightning and aimed directly at its face—it made an unexpected move. It didn't dodge or evade. Instead, it slightly adjusted its body, taking the full force of the blow on its relatively tough shoulder armor.
The lightning-infused spear exploded on impact, completely shattering its shoulder plate and leaving behind a deep, charred hole.
The monster let out a pained howl, but at the same time, it used the immense impact of the blow. Its massive body, as if struck by a colossal hammer, was sent flying violently backward.
This was no simple retreat, but a premeditated escape.
Its legs kicked violently backward in mid-air, erupting in dark purple energy vortexes. It forcibly twisted its trajectory before landing, turning its backward flight into a desperate dash toward the valley exit.
Its speed was incredible, completely at odds with its cumbersome appearance. It was clear now that from the very beginning, after witnessing Zhongli's attack that had so easily destroyed the world gate, it had never intended to fight to the death. It had been secretly accumulating strength all along, waiting for an opportunity to break through their encirclement.
"Oh no! It's trying to escape!" Iansan instantly saw through its intention, her expression shifting. She was about to activate her Electro element to give chase with everything she had.
However, just as the Abyss Earthshaker was about to burst out of the valley entrance—
A low hum connected from deep within the earth.
The flat ground at the mouth of the valley abruptly rose without any warning. A thick Stone Stele, shining with a brilliant golden light, broke through the earth with irresistible force. Like a dormant giant dragon suddenly raising its head, it precisely slammed into the chest of the fleeing monster.
Thump!
A dull, heavy thud echoed through the valley, as if a giant war drum had been struck.
The Abyss Earthshaker's frantic dash came to an abrupt halt. Its massive body was forcefully thrown upward by the seemingly simple Stone Stele, as if it had received an impossibly heavy uppercut. It traced a clumsy arc through the air before crashing heavily back onto the ground in the center of the valley, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
It struggled to get up, but Hu Tao, Iansan, and Varesa had already closed in, once again forming a tighter, more vigilant encirclement that sealed off all possible escape routes.
Hu Tao pointed her long spear forward and snorted, "Want to run? Did you ask for this Director's permission?!"
Varesa also assumed a fighting stance, huffing, "Bad guy, no running!"
Iansan's gaze was cold, her long spear pointed diagonally at the ground, lightning flickering ominously at its tip.
The Abyss Earthshaker swayed as it pushed itself back to its feet. It looked at the three individuals standing at the ready, then felt the faint, yet vast and sea-like, pressure of the Geo element at the valley entrance. The last shred of hope in its two burning purple eyes finally extinguished completely.
It understood. There was nowhere left to run.
Desperation often ignites the most furious counterattacks.
Under the watchful eyes of the trio, the monster made a strange movement.
It no longer tried to charge or defend. Instead, it slowly squatted down. Its unusually thick arms were no longer clenched into fists; its five fingers spread wide, embedding themselves deep into the black earth tainted by the Abyssal aura.
The next moment, the violent, dark purple Abyssal energy that had been continuously leaking from its body began to rapidly contract, condensing inward at a speed visible to the naked eye.
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