Zhang Shi's heart tightened, and he quickly dodged to the side, simultaneously swinging Lao Duan's knife to counterattack. The monster lunged at Zhang Shi menacingly, but its claws were severed at the root the moment they collided with Zhang Shi's cleaver, causing it to let out a sharp, piercing roar in pain.

On the other side, Zhao Feng reacted quickly, swinging his battle axe at the monster. The monster nimbly slithered across the ground, dodging Zhao Feng's attacks, while simultaneously emitting blue energy waves from its cane in an attempt to repel them.

Zhang Shi noticed that the monster's severed hand was rapidly regenerating, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"How can these weird things keep regenerating?"

While dodging the monster's attacks, he looked for an opportunity to approach the cane, intending to destroy it and weaken the monster's fighting power. However, the monster seemed very alert, always protecting the cane in front of it, preventing Zhang Shi from getting close. Zhang Shi tried to use Shadow Step to flank it, but the monster saw through his plan. The monster's two giant snake arms surrounded Zhang Shi from two different angles, and its gaping maw spewed out two balls of fire. Startled, Zhang Shi quickly used Shadow Step again to create distance.

At this moment, the monster turned its attention to Zhao Feng, and its two snake heads began to burn him relentlessly.

However, Zhao Feng's Golden Essence Stone Heavy Armor had excellent heat resistance, and he even broke through the monster's inner perimeter while braving the flames, leaving a deep wound on the monster's chest with a single axe strike.

The monster, in pain, tried to retaliate, but was interrupted by Wu Qing's punishment. Taking advantage of the monster's depleted strength, Ge Dalong quickly condensed an ice spike more than a person's thickness and shot it towards the monster's body.

Seeing this, the monster hurriedly raised its cane to try to cast a spell to block, but Zhang Shi used the light of Shadow Slash to cut off its arm and send it to the ground. The next second, the giant ice spike pierced into the monster's body, pinning it to the ground at an angle.

At the same time, Zhang Dazhuang, who was already in position, stood on the eaves and pulled the trigger, aiming the gun at the giant icicle.

"Bang!"

The projectile shattered the outer end of the icicle, and the sparks ignited the explosives inside.

"Scatter!"

Even without Ge Dalong's reminder, the crowd had seen this move before and were already prepared, scattering and fleeing in all directions.

"boom!"

The deafening explosion, accompanied by a powerful shockwave, engulfed the monster's location in flames and smoke. Amidst the billowing dust, the monster's form seemed completely buried, leaving only a ravaged battlefield and the hurried breathing of the onlookers.

Zhang Shi coughed a few times, wiped the dust off his face, and stared intently at the center of the explosion, feeling both relieved and wary. He knew that such monsters were rarely defeated so easily, and he had to confirm whether they were truly eliminated.

Zhao Feng patted the gold-stone heavy armor on his body; the scorch marks on it recorded the fierce battle that had just taken place. He looked at Zhang Shi, nodded, and indicated that he was also ready to fight again.

Wu Qing and Ge Dalong quickly surveyed their surroundings to guard against any unknown dangers lurking nearby. Ge Dalong's palms still held the chill of the ice spikes he had condensed; he frowned slightly, seemingly contemplating how to more effectively handle the upcoming battle.

Just then, as the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, an unsettling fact began to emerge—the monster had not been completely destroyed. Although its body had been pierced by ice spikes and suffered severe damage from the explosion, it was slowly crawling out of the ruins thanks to its astonishing regenerative abilities. Although it looked much weaker, its snake-like eyes still gleamed with ferocity.

"It seems we underestimated its resilience," Zhang Shi said in a deep voice, gripping the old Duan sword in his hand again, preparing to face a new challenge.

Zhao Feng took a deep breath, his battle axe in hand, his eyes even more determined: "No matter how many times, we will fight it back!"

Wu Qing and Ge Dalong quickly adjusted their stance, and the four of them surrounded the monster, which had not yet fully recovered, preparing to launch a final offensive.

On the roof, Zhang Dazhuang, who was keeping watch, suddenly shouted loudly.

"My lord, the earth beasts are here!"

Zhang Shi quickly teleported in front of Zhang Dazhuang and looked towards the street in the distance. Sure enough, the ground was twisting and deforming, spreading towards the City Lord's Mansion. Zhang Shi quickly pulled Zhang Dazhuang down, preparing to finish the battle quickly and take down the monster while it was weakened.

The monster below sensed the earth beast as well. The head belonging to Chen Beipan suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of mist, covering the entire courtyard. Zhao Feng coughed repeatedly, choked by the thick fog, and could only frantically swing his battle axe to create a gust of wind, trying to blow the weapon away. However, by the time the mist dissipated, the monster had already vanished.

Everyone looked at Zhang Shi, awaiting his decision. After a moment's thought, Zhang Shi decided to delve deeper into the city lord's mansion to investigate. Based on Chen Beipan's contractual connection, he deduced that the old woman and he were not dead, but rather controlled by the monster in some way. If they could defeat the monster, they might be able to save them. The worst outcome would be nothing more than finding nothing. They had already unlocked the free teleportation function within the Fog City; if danger arose, they could simply teleport away.

Zhang Shi waved his hand, signaling everyone to follow closely. They quickly crossed the courtyard and stepped into the dark and ancient corridor of the City Lord's Mansion. Inside the City Lord's Mansion, the candlelight was dim, and shadows were heavy, as if every corner concealed unknown dangers.

"Everyone be careful, this place might be full of traps," Zhang Shi whispered a warning. His senses were sharper in the darkness, and he was constantly alert to any movement around him.

Zhao Feng led the way, his golden gemstone heavy armor reflecting a cold light in the dim light, clearing a path for the group. Wu Qing followed closely behind, holding a blue staff dropped by a monster; the gems on it emitted a soft blue glow, providing illumination for the group and keeping them ready to deal with any enemies that might appear.

Ge Dalong was responsible for keeping watch at the rear of the group, his hands constantly gathering cold air in preparation for any eventuality. Zhang Dazhuang stayed close to Zhang Shi, observing the surroundings at all times and providing early warnings for the group.

They walked deeper into the winding corridor and finally arrived at a spacious hall. In the center of the hall stood a huge stone table, covered with intricate runes, and above it hung a massive crystal chandelier, emitting a soft glow.

Suddenly, a low hiss echoed from the shadows of the hall. Then, a familiar figure slowly emerged from the darkness—the monster with astonishing regenerative abilities. Its body appeared even weaker than before, and even its three heads had turned somewhat pale. However, the two snake heads on its arms still spewed flames, seemingly threatening Zhang Shi and the others to stay away.

"Looks like we've found it." Zhao Feng gripped his battle axe tightly, preparing to launch an attack.

However, at that moment, thick fog suddenly billowed up from all around the hall, and countless black hands reached out from within the fog, grabbing at them. Zhang Shi and the others quickly dodged and launched a counterattack.