Syrissin eyed Galuntan below with apprehension, the beast's power exceeding his expectations.
He was among the most powerful in the Spirit God realm, just a step away from becoming a true Spirit God, and undoubtedly one of the Hunter Association's strongest.
However, stopping Galuntan's attack had also sent some shockwaves through him.
The beast's energy level had reached the Spirit God domain, likely even stronger than Chan Zu in his prime. Its control over energy was slightly weaker, otherwise, none of the seven Inquisitors would have survived before he arrived.
Galuntan did not seem bothered by the failed attack and immediately began to prepare a second assault.
Just then, the sky suddenly became overcast, and raindrops the size of beans began to fall. In mere seconds, the center of the battlefield turned into a muddy mire.
This was a favor from 'Tian Zhu', the vice president of the Huafu District, to Syrissin. A humid environment was more conducive to Syrissin's combat style. While it would be normal against ordinary opponents, against the Great Sage, even a slight environmental advantage was beneficial.
Galuntan paid no mind to the rain and unleashed a golden lightning bolt.
This time, Syrissin did not use his ice shield to block. Instead, he hurled the irregularly shaped crystal in his hand.
As soon as the crystal left Syrissin's palm, it began to deform rapidly, its diameter expanding to five meters. Then, as if sensing something, the crystal fired an energy beam towards Galuntan.
The energy beam collided with the golden lightning, causing the lightning to shatter. Galuntan was sent flying back dozens of meters, his golden chest feathers singed and emitting a foul odor.
Galuntan roared and launched another attack at the crystal, but was repelled by it several times. His injuries also grew increasingly severe.
This crystal, capable of emitting energy beams, was called the 'Endless Box'. The crystal itself was merely a container; its core was a channel connected to another dimension.
The connected dimension was devoid of anything but rampant energy, and this energy was endless.
The Endless Box would 'bestow energy' upon all life forms within its sensory range. Whether the recipients could absorb this energy was not the Endless Box's concern.
This energy bestowal was akin to a powerful attack, and any creature that could not withstand the bestowal would be burned to death by the Endless Box.
The place where the Endless Box was sealed was a no-man's-land in the southern polar region, devoid of any life.
Unsealing the Endless Box was simple; the difficulty lay in evading its attacks. Syrissin spent a week ensuring the Endless Box would only bestow energy upon specific targets.
However, even with these precautions, the Endless Box could only be used for combat for one day. If the Great Sage was not defeated, activating it again would come at a tremendous cost.
The energy level of each Supreme Containment was superior to ordinary Cataclysm-level containment items. Yet, the Endless Box was the only one suitable for combat. Syrissin was confident in defeating Galuntan with the Endless Box's aid.
Beam after beam struck Galuntan relentlessly, its robust force field defense gradually weakening and eventually shattering.
During this time, Galuntan desperately attacked the Endless Box, but every attack was blocked by Syrissin. The torrential rain provided nearly infinite moisture to the area, allowing Syrissin to condense ice for defense without restraint.
The Endless Box naturally had its weaknesses, otherwise, the Hunter Association would not have been able to contain it.
Firstly, the Endless Box possessed no self-will. Most of the time, it remained stationary, with occasional irregular movements.
Secondly, the Endless Box's sensory range was limited; it could not perceive life beyond a certain distance. Moreover, it could only sense life, remaining unresponsive to objects or energy.
Finally, although the Endless Box itself could not be destroyed, it would enter a period of dormancy after sustaining excessive attacks. Therefore, Syrissin had to remain by its side.
Giant beasts like Galuntan, despite their immense power, were not particularly intelligent. Thus, it merely viewed the Endless Box as a powerful adversary and engaged in a war of attrition.
While Galuntan was preoccupied with the Endless Box, the other Inquisitors were not idle. The remaining giant beasts and the sole survivor, Garcia, were annihilated by their combined efforts.
Following that, they cooperated with the Endless Box to attack Galuntan.
The Great Sage, enveloped in a blue-purple sphere, shook its head helplessly.
"This thing, with strength but no brain, is simply not useful. To be cornered by such an inanimate object."
"But it doesn't matter. My original plan to erode those Cataclysm-level entities and release the giant beasts was merely to pass through the initial fragile period. Now that the fragile period is over, it's the same even without Galuntan."
"However, finding such a mount like Galuntan is not easy. I should probably save its life."
"The life force of the entire district has been gathered, fulfilling the minimum requirements. They are beyond saving now."
The Great Sage spread its hands, and the blue-purple tentacled sphere underwent a new transformation...
Under the onslaught of eight Cataclysm-level powerhouses and the Endless Box, the once invincible Galuntan sustained increasingly severe injuries. Its expelled golden lightning grew weaker, and its explosive feather powder was all expended.
A glint flashed in Syrissin's eyes. He pointed his right index finger at the sky. The clouds above Galuntan formed a vortex, with astonishing coldness brewing at its center.
Subsequently, a beam of white light descended from the vortex's center, instantly turning Galuntan into a massive ice sculpture.
Its eyes could still move, but the Endless Box was already brewing a new energy bestowal. After this attack landed, Galuntan's life would be extinguished.
However, just as the beam was about to strike, it stopped in mid-air, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
The massive sphere, over two thousand meters in diameter, suddenly exploded, transforming into a blue-purple cloud that spread outwards. The sky of the entire Ao Dai District turned blue-purple and continued to expand, eventually engulfing the entire world.
Within these clouds were not raindrops, but tiny blue-purple tentacles. The consequences of these tentacles falling were unimaginable.
The Great Sage descended from the sky, landing before Galuntan's ice sculpture. It lightly kicked the ice sculpture, which then bizarrely flew back tens of kilometers, ensuring Galuntan's frozen form would not be affected by the ensuing battle.
Then, the Great Sage smiled at everyone and said, "One, two, three, four... a total of eight people. That kid who inherited the facility isn't here. Once I defeat you, no one will stop me anymore."