Chapter 1
The lock-chained figure and female phantoms that Li Ang had seen outside the manor were likely created by that witch.

The only question was how much self-awareness she retained, how much influence she could exert on the embryo, and how big of a role she could play in this battle.

"You were stalling for time, hoping that the witch could interfere with me at a crucial moment, weren't you?"

Facing the player who had drawn his weapon and was full of fighting spirit, Williams said calmly, "Unfortunately, she has been immersed in the divine essence for too long, and has lost her self-awareness. She can no longer respond to any external stimuli.

"Besides, even if she were still alive, it wouldn't affect my ability to obliterate you."

"Really?"

Li Ang wasn't annoyed at having his thoughts exposed. He pointed to the ceiling and said with a smile, "If it were as easy as you say, why would you bother making these little moves behind my back?"

When the vines from the crossbow struck the wall, causing tiles to fall, Li Ang had noticed that the walls of the basement were filled with unknown, withered ivy-like plants.

He had instructed Chai Da Xiaojie to burrow into the soil from under his feet and fly along these ivy plants within the walls to investigate.

Stalling for time was both to determine the extent of the witch's remaining self-awareness and to wait for Chai Da Xiaojie to return.

Now, Chai Da Xiaojie had returned through the soles of his feet, and told Li Ang everything she had seen in the walls—those withered, grayish ivy plants were scattered throughout the manor, buried deep within the walls. As time passed, these dead vines were constantly recovering, becoming verdant and translucent, full of vitality.

Without a doubt, those vines were Williams's doing.

The magic array was rooted in the manor. The reason he hadn't actively destroyed the array all these years was probably because destroying it would irreversibly damage the manor.

A damaged manor could no longer nurture the organs. To complete the resurrection ritual, the magic array had to continue to exist.

But now Williams had a more suitable embryo for resurrection. He didn't need the abnormal organs anymore, so he could naturally destroy the array, allowing the Senmin (forest people), who were originally his followers, to enter the manor and help him besiege Li Ang and the other players.

"Interesting. You know I'm trying to destroy the magic array," Williams said calmly. "Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what? Afraid of the manor collapsing, the magic array breaking down, and countless Senmin rushing in?"

Li Ang shook his head. "I just need to kill you before that happens."

"Kill me?"

Williams chuckled as if he had heard a ridiculous joke. "Let me show you the difference between a god and a mortal."

Before he finished speaking, a series of loud booms echoed throughout the hall as countless dark green vines pierced through the walls, twisting together like thousands of whips, lashing down at Li Ang and the others.

Dong Fengpo and E Wunian, looking up, narrowed their eyes. The vines blotted out the sky and were extremely terrifying.

"Re Lie Wan Dun!"

E Wunian roared, bending down and striking the ground with his hands, palms turned into blades.

The griffin emblem on the back of his hand burst out with a dazzling crimson light, and six blazing pillars of fire instantly rose from the ground around them.

These pillars of fire rapidly merged together, bending and shaping into a spherical barrier that penetrated deep into the earth, enclosing everyone within.

Some of the wildly flailing, unconsciously whipping vines touched the fire barrier and were instantly burned into segments of ash, drifting away.

"What kind of witchcraft is this?"

Williams, hiding in the mud sphere and not showing his face at all, asked with considerable curiosity, "I didn't sense any energy fluctuations. Has the study of mysticism advanced to this extent?

"Or do you possess some kind of bloodline power?"

After the battle began, Williams had completely sealed himself within the mud sphere, relying solely on his exquisite energy manipulation skills to vibrate the surrounding air and communicate with Li Ang and the others.

"Well, whatever. I'll leave you with a complete corpse as research material to analyze your bloodline power."

Williams sighed and said indifferently, "After all, I don't need other organs for the resurrection ritual anymore.

"Perhaps I can even preserve your souls and allow you to continue to exist in this world."

As he spoke, the countless green vines dancing in the air suddenly paused, as if receiving a command, and twisted into several clusters, weaving into seven giant tentacles, each as thick as a large truck.

Even more terrifying, the bluestone-paved ground was rapidly softening.

Countless grains of sand seeped out from the cracks between the bluestone bricks, driven by an invisible force, and adhered to the vine tentacles, coating them with a layer of earthen armor.

The giant tentacles were clearly not something that a mere fire barrier could stop. Dong Fengpo unhesitatingly retrieved a tattered iron box from his backpack, covered in seaweed and reeking of the sea.

He quickly opened the iron box, revealing a dense array of extremely intricate metal gears inside.

At this moment, the tentacles, fully charged and ready, slammed down on the fire barrier.

This time, the fire barrier couldn't offer any substantial resistance, only scorching the earthen shell of the tentacles, turning them black and charred.

It didn't stop the tentacles from easily penetrating the barrier and crushing down on the group.

At the last moment, Dong Fengpo rotated the internal button of the iron box, and tens of thousands of deep-sea fish phantoms, emitting a soft light, appeared in the air, adorning the hall like an aquarium.

This high-quality item could create phantoms of deep-sea fish that would absorb the moisture of any enemies who entered their midst.

The larger the enemy and the higher its water content, the better the effect.

Once the vine tentacles touched the fish phantoms, they would suddenly shrivel and wither, and the dust attached to them would constantly peel off.

Combined with E Wunian's fire barrier, the two of them barely managed to maintain the defense once again.

"Can't hold on much longer."

E Wunian glanced at the giant tentacles, poised and ready to strike, and kept his arms plunged into the ground. He turned his head and said to his teammates, "Use any trump cards you have. If we keep holding back, we're going to be finished."

"Hoo."

Senlin Mao (Forest Cat) tightened his face, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and silently took out an unremarkable hourglass from his backpack.

The hourglass consisted of two connected glass bulbs. Instead of sand, a small, upward-slanting knife blade was installed on the wall of the upper bulb.

Senlin Mao placed the hourglass on the ground, opened the top cover, and pressed his fist inside, allowing the blade to cut his hand.

Trickling blood slid down the wall of the glass bulb, dripping into the glass bulb below.

"Thirty seconds later, his thinking speed will slow down significantly, lasting for one minute."

Senlin Mao watched his blood drip down, gritted his teeth, and said, "Surprise attack. It's up to you guys."