Zhang Shi unleashed another Shadow Slash, and the mud monster repeated the process of shattering and then restoring itself. However, this time it transformed into Zhang Shi's appearance once again, and even the Black Light Armor and Old Duan were copied. From the appearance alone, they were indistinguishable from Zhang Shi.
The mud monster gave a sinister smile, then unleashed a Shadow Slash as well. Zhang Shi dodged it and moved away from the gate with his companions, changing to an angle where the monster couldn't attack.
Ge Dalong's mind raced, as if he was thinking about something. After a moment, he spoke seriously.
"This thing looks exactly like that three-headed monster. It can even copy and paste. We need to be careful not to let it take advantage of us."
"Moreover, the three of us could also be imposters. We already learned this the hard way back in Huojia Village, and now everyone is trying to find a way to prove their identities."
After hearing what Ge Dalong said, Zhao Feng thought it made sense. He quickly took two steps back, then showed his wristwatch and dumped all the things in the warehouse out.
"See? This is enough to prove my identity."
Seeing this, Ge Dalong also showed the items in his watch. As for Zhang Shi, his identity was already confirmed by Master An alone, so there was no need for further explanation.
Zhang Shi released Pipi again, wanting it to check again using its sense of smell. Unexpectedly, as soon as it came out of the White Tiger space, it looked at the direction of the wall with a wary expression, but it was not a warning. Instead, its eyes were full of doubt.
At first, Zhang Shi thought Pipi had discovered the mud monster and quickly reassured him. But soon he also realized something was wrong. Pipi was staring not at the gate, but at the dry well at the base of the wall.
At this moment, Ge Dalong and Zhao Feng were discussing whether to set a trap. They guessed that the mud monster could transform into Wu Qing's appearance and had probably seen her before. The monster's previous words indicated that it would likely leave the village after dark. Ge Dalong prepared to make some preparations to prevent any unforeseen circumstances and find out Wu Qing's whereabouts by controlling it.
When Zhang Shi encountered a problem, the two of them stopped what they were doing and carefully followed Pipi toward the dry well.
The group was very familiar with the dry well; Zhang Shi had even gone down to explore it himself before. Even the wooden sign on the village gate was retrieved from the well. Pipi lay down at the well's edge and stopped moving. Curious, Zhang Shi peered into the well. Using his ability to focus his senses, he quickly scanned the bottom. Aside from a skeleton, there was nothing unusual. Zhang Shi remembered examining the skeleton closely before, though he didn't know if it was an illusion or something real.
At this moment, Pipi slowly came closer, rubbing its body against Zhang Shi's calf, and making whimpering sounds that sounded particularly sad.
This was the first time Zhang Shi had ever seen Pipi show such emotions, so he squatted down to comfort it. But Pipi couldn't speak, and Zhang Shi couldn't figure out what was going on.
A moment later, the sky suddenly darkened. Zhang Shi looked up and knew that a great battle was imminent. There was no time to worry about the dry well anymore, so he put Pipi away. The three of them went to the gate and prepared to fight.
The mud monster stared intently at the sky. When it was completely dark, it chuckled evilly, then donned a black robe, swaggered open the village gate, and walked out of the village.
"So, are you ready to die?"
Looking at its black robe, Zhang Shi immediately thought of the black-robed figure in the city lord's mansion in Mist City. His experiences in Mist City over the past two days had been utterly bizarre; numerous clues seemed to be piecing together a truth. However, Zhang Shi had no time to deduce further, as the mud monster's blade was already descending towards his head.
Zhang Shi's eyes sharpened, and he instantly shifted to the side, skillfully dodging the mud monster's fatal attack. At the same time, he became secretly vigilant. This mud monster's strength was not to be underestimated, and now that it was dark, its speed seemed to have increased even more, forcing him to go all out.
Ge Dalong and Zhao Feng quickly entered battle mode, standing on either side of Zhang Shi to form an impenetrable defensive line. Ge Dalong condensed ice magic into ice spikes, continuously firing them at the mud monster in an attempt to slow it down; while Zhao Feng wielded his massive battle axe, each attack carrying the force of thunder, trying to break through the mud monster's defenses.
However, the mud monster seemed to possess inexhaustible vitality, able to quickly recover from any damage it suffered. Its form appeared and disappeared in the night, sometimes transforming into a black shadow, sometimes solidifying, making it elusive. When an attack was unavoidable, it would simply withstand it head-on, employing a strategy of exchanging injury for injury. As a result, Zhang Shi and his companions were somewhat hampered in their attacks and were temporarily suppressed by the mud monster.
Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong exchanged glances. Then, Zhang Shi deliberately created an opening, luring the mud monster to attack him. Sure enough, the mud monster fell for it. It flashed forward, transforming into a black shadow and attacking Zhang Shi. Just as it was about to touch Zhang Shi, he suddenly retreated, simultaneously unleashing a Shadow Slash that severed its body. Meanwhile, Ge Dalong and Zhao Feng each took out a golden steel needle—one they had taken from the Black Tiger's body. Ge Dalong guessed that the needle might suppress self-healing abilities, and now that they were entangled by the mud monster, they decided to try it out as a last resort.
The mud monster seemed to sense something; it paused, then abruptly changed direction mid-air while still separated, dodging Zhang Shi's follow-up attack. Ge Dalong and Zhao Feng's steel needles missed their mark. Seeing this, Ge Dalong quickly tried to control it with his ice spikes, but the mud monster's body had already regenerated. With a Shadow Step, it flashed behind Zhao Feng, only to be cleaved in two again by Zhang Shi's blade. Zhao Feng seized the opportunity, took out his last steel needle, turned, and plunged it into the mud monster's body.
This time, the Mud Monster didn't immediately recover. It roared in agony as its flesh melted, turning into clumps of black mud that sloughed off its body. Seeing this, Zhang Shi was overjoyed, knowing this was the crucial moment to defeat the Mud Monster. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, his old sword gleaming coldly, and once again beheaded it.
Ge Dalong arrived shortly after and plunged the golden steel needle into the mud monster's fallen head. The mud monster let out a strange cry and, incredibly, used the Shadow Step to escape back to the village.
At this moment, a large number of zombies had unknowingly gathered at the village entrance, and the Mud Monster had used them as a springboard to escape. It killed a zombie that pounced on it with a single slash, and glared venomously at Zhang Shi and the others.
"Struggle all you want. After you've exhausted all your efforts and schemes only to find it's all in vain, I'll reappear to reap your rewards and then feast on despair."
After speaking, the mud monster turned into a pool of sewage and disappeared into the ground. In its place appeared a large group of withered, skeletal zombies.
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