A strange ripple spread out. The bizarre leopard-like body stiffened slightly, its massive tentacles momentarily losing their strength. The Shield covering its body began to fluctuate violently. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

A flicker of Spiritual Light flashed in the nimble Water Dragon’s eyes. Its single horn glimmered as it rammed its head directly into the fluctuating Shield.

"POP..."

With a soft sound, the Water Dragon shattered the blood-red Shield with a single headbutt.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming’s face lit up with joy.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand again, and another orb of light fused into his body.

"Rune Summoning: Spirit Nurturing Summoning - Feng Mingyou!"

"Technique: Enhancement Skill!"

Zhang Deming’s Energy fluctuations grew stronger, but it was only a change in quantity, not quality.

Zhang Deming raised his hand and made a grasping motion. An ethereal wine cup appeared in his left hand, and a nimble stream of water flowed from his right palm into it.

"I have a tea, its name is Augment. I invite you to partake!"

As the Technique activated, the Spirit Water turned to steam and seeped into the Water Dragon’s body.

The Water Dragon, which had been on the very cusp of the Duality Stage, broke through the final barrier thanks to the boost from a kindred source, just barely reaching the Duality Stage.

"ROOOAR..."

The Water Dragon threw its head back and let out a bellow like an ox, then immediately swung its tail at the bizarre leopard body whose Shield it had just shattered.

The leopard body, affected by Zhang Deming’s Oratory, had been in a daze. The moment the Shield shattered, the countless eyes on two of its tentacles snapped back to their senses.

On one tentacle, because the Shield had been forcefully broken, all the eyes began to ooze a yellowish fluid. It was an exceptionally nauseating sight, accompanied by a bizarre smell.

The oozing eyes all shut in unison, making the tentacle look much more normal.

At that moment, the Water Dragon’s transparent tail was already whipping towards it.

Of the two upright, eye-covered tentacles, the one that had remained still now had all of its eyes begin to glow with Spiritual Light.

Countless beams of light, like lasers, shot out from the eyes, scattering in all directions and striking the six tentacles that were currently raising a defense to block the Dragon’s tail.

Many of the light beams even shot directly into the mouths on the tentacles.

The Dragon’s tail then swept across the six defending tentacles. Under the powerful Duality Stage attack, and with no Shield for protection, the tentacles’ countless mouths spewed a nauseating fluid.

The entire leopard body was sent flying.

The Water Dragon in the air didn’t pause. Its medium-sized Light Wings beat with Rapid Speed as it charged after the flying leopard body.

But as the leopard body flew through the air, it began to undergo an even more bizarre transformation.

The six tentacles struck by the Spiritual Light from the other tentacle suddenly fell into chaos. They began to fight amongst themselves, twisting and tangling together.

Their countless mouths bit and devoured each other ceaselessly.

In moments, the six tentacles had torn each other apart, merging into a single, mangled tentacle.

After it formed, the new tentacle opened its maw again—the giant mouth at its tip—and swallowed the two Y-shaped, eye-covered tentacles in one gulp.

Now, only a single tentacle remained on the leopard body’s neck.

The tentacle had grown so enormous that it was even hindering the leopard body’s movement.

When the leopard body crashed to the ground, it was too severely injured to stand properly.

From the mangled surface of the lone tentacle, countless streams of nauseating, pale yellow fluid flowed down the neck. The normal parts of the leopard’s body that the fluid touched began to mutate grotesquely.

Its body went soft, turning into a sludge-like mass.

From a distance, it looked like a giant tentacle growing out of a writhing pile of ooze.

The bizarre transformation even caused the pursuing Water Dragon to hesitate for a moment.

But the tentacle’s transformation wasn’t over. From the wounds left by the other tentacles’ bites, deformed eyeballs of various sizes began to sprout.

The single tentacle had become a massive maw intertwined with eyes, which still streamed the same nauseating, pale yellow fluid, within which a silver light occasionally glinted.

The moment its transformation was complete, the tentacle rapidly elongated, shooting toward the Water Dragon in the air like a bolt of lightning.

Its speed was actually even greater than that of the Water Dragon, which had just barely reached the Duality level.

Sensing the tentacle’s bizarre mutation, Zhang Deming’s Heart Spirit sank.

The instant the tentacle and the Water Dragon collided, Zhang Deming’s brow furrowed even deeper. ’It’s also barely at the Duality level!’

As the tentacle and the Water Dragon battled, sending endless spatters of fluid flying, Zhang Deming suddenly looked around at the environment.

Only then did he discover that the surrounding trees, weeds—anything with a Life Aura—had all begun to mutate grotesquely.

’What the hell is this thing? It’s horrifying beyond belief.’

At that moment, Zhang Deming wanted to run.

But considering the tentacle had inherited the speed of the leopard-type Demon Beast, he extinguished the thought as soon as it appeared.

’Besides, on a bizarre night like this, one of these things is already this ridiculous. If I run into two more while trying to escape, I’ll definitely die here!’

In that short time, as the Water Dragon and tentacle fought, a good amount of the fluid had dripped onto his Dragon Pearl Shield.

It caused the transparent Shield to take on a faint yellow sheen.

If Zhang Deming hadn’t been so vigilant, he might have overlooked it.

’Does this damn thing have a corrupting property too?’

As the thought flashed through his mind, Zhang Deming swiftly raised his hand, and an ethereal teacup appeared.

"I have a tea, its name is Clear Spirit. I invite you to partake."

Steam rose and a Spirit mist flowed into the Water Dragon’s body, making it even more nimble.

At the same time, a flow of light washed over the Shield. The corrupting yellow slime slid right off, leaving the Shield’s surface perfectly smooth.