Except for Jiang Fang, several powerful individuals in the innermost battle circle of the Black Tortoise Guild unleashed their transcendent talents.

Perhaps in previous battles, they only seemed slightly stronger than ordinary high-level professionals, but now, they had clearly widened the gap between themselves and the ordinary high-level professionals.

Facing the merman lord in a state of power absorption, these experts launched even more ferocious attacks!

A shield-bearer used his heavy shield to knock away the merman lord's tentacles, and his companion immediately advanced, skillfully dodging the dense tentacles and stabbing a sword into the merman lord's back!

A man wielding a broadsword severed tentacles one by one. Beside him, his companion's eyes glowed silver as he took advantage of the opportunity created by his teammates, swiftly maneuvering to the left side of the merman's leg and slashing at its ankle with a dozen quick strikes!

Jiang Fang's spear clashed repeatedly with the merman lord's trident, while the holy healer behind him continuously waved his staff.

"The strength of the War God Temple's warriors lies not only in their formidable individual combat abilities but also in their seamless teamwork," Jiang Kai remarked.

Unexpectedly, the Black Tortoise Guild managed to inflict significant damage on the merman lord in less than five minutes.

It seemed the Black Tortoise members were well aware that the longer the merman lord remained in a state of power absorption, the more disadvantageous it would be for them!

At this moment, the merman lord's tough scales had been damaged in multiple places, and its entire body was covered in wounds.

Suddenly, the merman lord let out an enraged roar, its back scales vibrating rapidly, emitting a rustling sound.

"It's coming! Extreme Cold Storm!" Hu Yan's eyes widened. "Last time, the Black Tortoise Guild fell to this move."

The merman suddenly raised its trident, sweeping it horizontally to force all opponents back, then held the trident and spun it rapidly in its hands.

The tips of the two protrusions on its forehead glowed red continuously.

As the trident spun at high speed, it formed a whirlwind vortex, and the surrounding fierce winds lifted countless ice flowers once more.

"So cold... brrr..." Jiang Kai immediately felt an intense chill enveloping his entire body.

His usually agile body suddenly became incredibly heavy, his muscles stiffened, and his joints froze.

Meanwhile, the protrusions on the heads of numerous mermen also lit up with red light, and they opened their gills wide, taking deep breaths of the cold air.

Even the merman lord itself greedily inhaled the chill brought by the Extreme Cold Storm.

All the mermen's backs were covered with a layer of frost, as if they were clad in silver armor.

The Third Elder watched this scene silently and asked Huang Tong beside him in a deep voice, "What about the kills of the commanders and generals?"

Huang Tong replied, "Elder, before the merman lord unleashed the Extreme Cold Storm, we had already killed six commanders and thirty-nine generals, completing the pre-battle plan."

"The most troublesome aspect of the Extreme Cold Storm is its enhancement of the commanders and generals, but we were prepared for this. During this hunt, we deliberately aimed to kill more high-level mermen before the lord could unleash the Extreme Cold Storm."

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"It seems this time we should be able to complete the kill."

The Third Elder did not give a definite answer, only staring intently at the battlefield.

After the Extreme Cold Storm, the frenzied mermen became even more valiant, swinging their tridents and tearing through the Black Tortoise Guild's three lines of defense at all costs.

The ice armor on their bodies significantly increased their defense, while the humans' mobility decreased to varying degrees.

With this shift in balance, coupled with the prolonged battle, more and more members of the Black Tortoise Guild fell under the mermen's icy tridents.

Even the warriors of the War God Temple were affected by the Extreme Cold Storm, their movements no longer as agile as before.

Finally, the Third Elder spoke softly, "It's still uncertain whether this is the mermen's last struggle, but it is certainly their fiercest and most dangerous counterattack."

"It's foreseeable that even if we can take down the merman lord, we will have to give it our all to do so."

Huang Tong took a deep breath and nodded heavily, "Yes, I've already given the order to kill the merman lord at all costs!"

...

Jiang Kai squinted slightly.

The Black Tortoise Guild had held on for over half an hour, maintaining a well-organized defense, but when the merman lord unleashed the Extreme Cold Storm, a large number of Black Tortoise Guild members were killed.

The death rate far exceeded that of before.

At the same time, the Black Tortoise Guild was also exhausting its last strength, trying to kill the merman lord!

As the merman lord unleashed the Extreme Cold Storm, they too erupted with their final combat power!

"Kill!"

"This time, we must get the skull! Fight!"

"Even if we die, we can't retreat a single step, hold the line! Jiang Shen, don't let our deaths be in vain, you must kill it!"

Jiang Fang and the others were now heavily affected by the Extreme Cold Storm, their mobility greatly reduced, and coupled with their previous exhaustion, the situation was grim.

The most notable sign was the two holy healers in the team, whose staffs emitted increasingly weaker light!

But they also knew that the merman lord was at the end of its strength.

Both sides had entered a frenzy of attacks, and it was just a matter of who could kill the other first!

"Die!" Jiang Fang didn't take the merman's trident head-on this time, dodging the attack and thrusting his spear towards the merman's gills.

The merman let out a miserable cry and slapped at Jiang Fang with one hand.

Jiang Fang refused to let go, "Die!"

He continued to thrust his spear with all his might, but his body was slammed to the ground by the merman's claw.

At the critical moment, the armor on Jiang Fang's body shimmered with a radiant glow, blocking a significant amount of damage.

After being knocked down, Jiang Fang quickly rolled on the ground to avoid the merman lord's pursuit, shouting, "Focus your attacks on the gills! Quick, the main force can't hold on much longer!"

All the combat professionals from the War God Temple focused their firepower and launched a fierce assault on the merman lord!

One by one, figures charged forward, some getting severely injured by the merman lord, while others succeeded in worsening its injuries.

These top-tier warriors and the merman were giving it their all!

In just a few minutes, the main force of the Black Tortoise Guild was on the brink of collapse, and more than half of the War God Temple's warriors were severely injured.

"It's not dead yet!" Huang Tong's eyes widened in anxiety.

At that moment, the merman lord seized the opportunity as Jiang Fang focused on attacking and relaxed his defense, piercing Jiang Fang's chest armor with a trident!

Jiang Fang's body was impaled on the trident, the flowing light on his armor gradually dimming.

His body slumped weakly, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

"Just a little more, just a bit..."

Jiang Fang fell, and the holy healer behind him could no longer cast any skills, quickly being pierced by two merman generals!

"Damn it, just a bit more!"

In the blink of an eye, the shield-bearing man was the only survivor among the War God Temple's experts, and at this moment, he was surrounded by seven or eight general-level mermen.

If he were at full strength, he might have been able to break free and attack the merman lord again, but the prolonged exhaustion, untreated injuries, and the impact of the Extreme Cold Storm had left him unable to fight any longer.

At this moment, the merman lord collapsed to its knees, its gills heaving violently.

Clearly, it too had reached its limit!

"Damn it!" The shield-bearing man's eyes were bloodshot as he let out a low roar, "I'm taking you all down with me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several ice tridents stabbed into him from behind...

The team on the outskirts of Permafrost Island was also exhausted, staring blankly at the devastation within the island.

Li Biao supported the severely injured Yuan Zhu, his eyes fixed on the direction of Permafrost Island. He let out a long sigh, "I didn't expect the merman lord to be this strong. Normally, a king-level BOSS would have fallen under such fierce attacks by now."

Chen Yueling shook her head, not caring that Nuannuan had just bandaged her wound, "What a pity, just a little more, the merman lord's Extreme Cold Storm had too much of a negative impact on us, and it could even strengthen the mermen, it's just too monstrous! With the Black Tortoise Guild's defeat, it will take at least a month or two just to recover! Our pioneering progress in China will be delayed significantly."

"Indeed," Hua Ziyan said, "There are only a few guilds capable of hunting king-level BOSSes alone, and each guild has its own tasks. Recently, the king-level BOSSes have been getting stronger, and the progress of all major guilds is not looking optimistic. Our speed in opening new areas in China... sigh!"

Nuannuan looked towards Permafrost Island and said softly, "We were so close... If there were experts around, they should step in now. Even if they don't want to snatch the skull, they could help Black Tortoise for the sake of China's overall pioneering speed!"

Li Biao shook his head, "Silly girl, it's not as simple as you think. Permafrost Island has already been occupied by mermen. Do you see anyone who can get in?"

Nuannuan suddenly realized.

The tens of thousands of members of the Black Tortoise Guild had all been sacrificed, and the entire Permafrost Island was controlled by a large number of enhanced mermen!

Even someone like Jiang Fang couldn't enter Permafrost Island now.

Is there really no way?

At that moment, someone around them suddenly exclaimed.

"Look, what are those three people trying to do!"

Nuannuan followed the direction of the person's finger and saw three figures rushing towards Permafrost Island from the ice lake!

Seeing those three, Su Nuannuan was instantly shocked. She stared in horror at the back of one of them, her mouth agape.

"Kai!" Yuan Zhu suddenly shouted!

[Author's Note]: The third update is here!