Ye Zhongming dodged an attack from the level nine slime but failed to account for several level-eight ones. Struck by the viscous yet immensely powerful mud clumps, his body briefly lost balance, sending him sliding far across the swamp.
A tingling numbness spread through him but quickly faded.
Looking down, he saw that his armor was damaged in multiple places, allowing the toxic mud to make contact with his skin.
Without overthinking it—his physical constitution made such toxicity negligible—he rolled with the momentum, evading subsequent attacks, and continued charging toward the level nine slime.
Not only did Ye Zhongming know that getting close to the level nine slime would secure victory, but the slime monster itself was also aware. Once this human closed the distance, it would mean its demise. Thus, the moment Ye Zhongming entered a 500-meter radius, it began consciously summoning its subordinates for assistance.
Originally, the battlefield had revolved around the Cloud Peak forces, with slime monsters encircling and attacking the humans. Even after the Cloud Peak members dispersed their assaults, the focal point had scattered but never concentrated on a single individual.
Until now.
Ye Zhongming became the sole target worthy of attack in the eyes of all the slime. Despite the Cloud Peak’s near-thousand-strong force slaughtering them, the slime showed no fear, all rushing toward Ye Zhongming. The moment the King of Cloud Peak entered their range, they would unleash their attacks on him.
The Cloud Peak fighters quickly noticed this shift and pursued, hacking and slashing at the slime monsters. But the sheer number of enemies made it impossible to eliminate them all in a short time, no matter how fiercely they fought.
No matter how powerful Ye Zhongming was, he couldn’t withstand the combined assault of so many monsters.The Cloud Peak warriors grew frantic, unleashing their most devastating techniques.
Though the slimes’ numbers dwindled rapidly, the attacks on Ye Zhongming couldn’t be immediately halted.
As he charged forward, Ye Zhongming relied on speed to evade, resorting to the teleportation skill from his spatial equipment when dodging became impossible. By the time he closed to within 300 meters of the level nine slime, all his teleportation skills had entered cooldown.
During this time, he had even stopped bothering to evade attacks from level-five or six slime.
After advancing another 30 meters, Ye Zhongming suddenly sensed something amiss.
The level nine monster hadn’t attacked for a long while. Based on its earlier frequency, it should have struck about two minutes ago.
While continuing to dodge, Ye Zhongming glanced at his primary foe and saw that the slime monster was… eating.
Its meal? The smaller slime monsters around it.
A foreboding feeling surged within him. Ye Zhongming knew this behavior meant the level nine creature was either enhancing its strength or preparing a special attack.
Sure enough, after devouring an unknown number of its kin, the level nine slime’s body swelled considerably. It bloated grotesquely before spewing a torrent of mud straight at Ye Zhongming.
Between it and Ye Zhongming stood many other slime monsters. The attack was a horizontal spray, and the first victims were its own kind.
Against the assault of their king, the lesser slime monsters stood no chance—instantly annihilated. Some of the mud dissipated, but the remainder hurtled toward Ye Zhongming with terrifying speed.
Faced with the overwhelming area of effect, Ye Zhongming knew evasion was impossible. Instead, he pulled out the Staff of Nature, slotting in a top-grade water-element gem to summon Water Bottle Protection, hoping the energy shield would block the attack.
Countless mud projectiles slammed into the barrier. The incredibly resilient shield dimmed rapidly, signaling its impending collapse.
The level nine creature’s mud spray lasted at least ten seconds. The lesser slime monsters had endured only a second of it, while Water Bottle Protection held for a mere three seconds before shattering.
Ye Zhongming had no time to replace the gem in the Staff of Nature. He could only dodge as best he could while activating his shield’s defensive ability to protect himself.
His speed was exceptional, and he had begun moving sideways even before Water Bottle Protection failed. For an evolved, this timing should have been sufficient.
Yet, despite his efforts, the sheer breadth and speed of the mud spray meant some of it still grazed him.
His body was sent flying as if struck by a massive hammer.
Bright, startling streaks of crimson marked the trajectory of his flight.
Instances where the King of Cloud Peak was injured were rare, and bleeding even rarer. This level nine creature’s attack was horrifyingly potent.
After unleashing this devastating strike, the level nine slime monster was visibly drained. It glanced in Ye Zhongming’s direction before slowly retreating, its kin forming a protective circle around it.