The head of the monster was dominated by a gaping maw, over two meters in diameter, filled with three rows of sharp teeth!
At the center of this mouth was a grotesque human face!
"Damn it, this thing is here too!"
The monster emerging from the pool was a giant lamprey!
Ling Tian had previously rescued Ah Li from the center of a cold pool in Han Tan Village, and there had been a giant lamprey in that pool. Ling Tian had to use a single-person cluster bomb to eliminate that monster.
This one before him was nearly a third larger than the one Ling Tian had dealt with before, clearly much bigger than the one from Han Tan Village!
Ah Li, standing beside him, was already itching for a fight. If she were to reveal her true form now, her fur would be bristling. This kind of monster had left too deep a psychological scar on her.
Sensing Ah Li's unease, Ling Tian handed her the Crimson Flame Sword he held and patted her shoulder.
"This monster is mine. I have experience dealing with this kind of thing. You go take care of that old hag!"
Ah Li nodded, revealing a pair of adorable little fangs.
"Alright, watch me tear that old bone apart!"
The giant monster in the pool was indeed a lamprey, meticulously cultivated by the old witch. She had stationed it in this pond to guard the items on the small island in its center.
Those items were the old witch's hoard from decades of collection, many of them extremely precious spellcasting materials. In other words, they were her livelihood.
The old witch's primary reason for fleeing to this location was actually this very lamprey.
With this monster blocking their path, it wouldn't be easy for Ling Tian and his companions to deal with it! This creature's combat power far surpassed that of the gargoyles.
Just then, the giant lamprey noticed Ling Tian. It opened its massive mouth and spewed a thick stream of water towards him!
The impact force of this water jet was comparable to a high-pressure water cannon, with a diameter of over half a meter. Ling Tian pushed off the ground and shot out horizontally. The water jet struck the spot where he had been standing, pulverizing the solid rocks with its brute force.
Ling Tian frowned slightly. This thing seemed much more formidable than the one he encountered beneath Han Tan Village. If nothing else, being hit by this water blast would directly shatter a person into pieces!
Immediately after, the monster plunged its head into the water, its terrifying maw beginning to absorb the pool water. If Ling Tian were in the water now, he would surely see the monster's body visibly swell.
After a few tens of seconds, the monster resurfaced, opened its mouth, and fired three consecutive thick water jets directly at Ling Tian.
Ling Tian dodged left and right, narrowly evading the water attacks. At this moment, he pulled out an entire book of Fire Talismans and flung them out.
Over ten fireballs flew through the air and slammed squarely into the lamprey.
The flames converged, engulfing the monster's upper body.
However, in just a few seconds, the flames were extinguished. The giant monster, remarkably, was completely unharmed!
This was not surprising. The monster's body was covered in extremely fine scales. While these scales were small compared to the monster's body, their defensive capabilities were immense.
Furthermore, the monster's surface was coated with a copious amount of mucus, which also held a lot of lake water. When the flames encountered this water, the water evaporated in large quantities, carrying away a significant amount of heat. The high temperatures of over a thousand degrees Celsius failed to inflict fatal damage on the monster, only causing it pain and anger!
The lamprey once again plunged its head into the lake. This time, it remained submerged for a longer period, absorbing more and more lake water into its belly.
Suddenly, the lamprey thrust its head out of the water again, entering a mode of continuous spewing, resembling a high-pressure water pipe that had lost control.
Water jets, like javelins, slammed into the area around Ling Tian. This time, Ling Tian used all his might, even traversing through adjacent spaces multiple times, just barely evading the monster's attacks.
Ling Tian was not one to simply endure attacks without retaliation. While maneuvering, he threw out a book of Vajra Talismans.
Ling Tian's spiritual realm now housed a portable arsenal. Talismans were supplied in abundance. Theoretically, as long as he had enough materials, Ling Tian could have as many talismans as he desired.
Over ten white orbs of light struck the lamprey. Since the lamprey was a creature of evil and malevolence, the Vajra Talismans directly triggered a series of explosions upon hitting the monster. The power and destructive force of these explosions were far greater than those of the Fire Talismans.
Some of the monster's scales were directly blown apart, revealing a greenish-black blood. This blood was clearly not of a righteous nature; it was not only highly toxic but also possessed extreme corrosive properties.
However, the damage was still limited for this thick-skinned monster. According to Ling Tian's calculations, it would likely require hundreds of Vajra Talismans to defeat this creature. This cost seemed too great, and moreover, Ling Tian did not have that many in stock.
While Ling Tian was engaged in a struggle with the lamprey, Ah Li was not idle. The little girl made a series of rapid teleports, instantly appearing thirty meters away. With a light touch on the water's surface, she dashed forward a few meters, then teleported again. When she reappeared, she was another thirty meters away!
The Lich, Serci, noticed this figure constantly jumping. She was greatly alarmed, but it was already too late. Ah Li had already set foot on the shore!
"Old hag, your time has come!"
Ah Li prepared to finish off the Lich. Serci, the Lich, was not one to be easily captured. She reached into her robe and pulled out a cloth bag. Then, she flung the powder from the bag outwards. Instantly, a mixture of brown and greenish powder permeated the surrounding space.
At this moment, the old witch began chanting, and gusts of gentle wind started to swirl around her.
The powder, carried by the wind, continuously circled the old witch. In an instant, within a ten-meter radius centered on the old witch, the entire space was filled with this peculiar powder.
This was no ordinary powder; it was highly toxic, possessing extreme lethality to living organisms. Even a cat demon like Ah Li would likely suffer severe injuries if contaminated by this powder.