"We should head down and give it a try first. If we can't beat it, we'll just run," Jiang Bai suggested.
Trying to figure out how Elemental Resonance worked right now was unrealistic—he didn't even know where to begin.
For now, they'd just have to take things step by step. There might be other ways to handle it.
"Guess that's our only option," Hu Tao agreed.
The two descended from the mountain peak, cautiously making their way to the platform's edge.
Jiang Bai glanced at the intricate carvings on the ground and smacked his lips. "Why is the Geo Hypostasis stationed here? Does this place serve some kind of purpose? Or… were elemental lifeforms like this artificially created?"
He found the second possibility more likely. Otherwise, why would this creature stay here instead of anywhere else?
"No idea." Hu Tao shrugged.
She was busy maintaining the balance between life and death every day—who had time to research things like this?
"Be careful—it noticed us!"
Sensing intruders in its domain, the Geo Hypostasis unfurled its protective shell and locked onto the two outsiders.
Just as they split up to gauge their approach, its hardened elemental casing formed into a massive stone hand, aiming straight for Hu Tao in a crushing strike.
If that attack landed, an ordinary person would be flattened into paste.
With a flash of red light, Hu Tao phased into the spirit realm, avoiding the attack with ease. When she reappeared, she had already dodged to safety.
Missing its mark, the Geo Hypostasis ascended into the air. Its protective shell shifted, forming the Geo element's symbol, and from it, stone projectiles shot out like bullets.
Each impact left deep craters in the ground—getting hit even once would be disastrous.
Dodging frantically, Hu Tao shouted in frustration, "Why is this thing only targeting me?!"
Meanwhile, Jiang Bai hadn't been attacked at all, making it feel like the Geo Hypostasis was deliberately singling her out.
"Jiang Bai! Use your Geo pillars to get up there and hit it!"
Fed up with being the sole target, Hu Tao was growing impatient. She didn't have long-range attacks, so even though the Geo Hypostasis had exposed its core, she couldn't reach it. Instead, she was stuck dodging an endless barrage of Geo projectiles.
"It probably sensed that you're stronger, so it's trying to take out the bigger threat first…" Jiang Bai responded while summoning a Geo wall to block some of the attacks for her. At the same time, he used a Geo pillar to launch himself into the air.
With the temporary cover, Hu Tao finally caught a break. Hearing Jiang Bai's reasoning, she felt much better.
At least this creature had good judgment—recognizing her as the real powerhouse.
Jiang Bai had just reached the Geo Hypostasis's core and was about to strike when it suddenly retracted its shell and relocated, evading his attack entirely.
Unlike a game, where enemy patterns were rigid, real-world monsters were much more dangerous—and much more adaptable.
Now that the Geo Hypostasis had shifted away and was targeting him instead, Jiang Bai found himself in a tough spot.
Its outer shell was impervious to damage, and its core could fly. How the hell am I supposed to hit it?
He quickly dropped back to the ground, raising a Geo wall to block the incoming attack.
"Jiang Bai! A Geo pillar—now!" Hu Tao's voice rang out—she had maneuvered beneath the Geo Hypostasis.
As Jiang Bai dodged away from his crumbling wall, he summoned a Geo pillar directly beneath Hu Tao's feet at the perfect moment.
Despite their lack of training together, their coordination was seamless.
The tip of Hu Tao's spear ignited with blazing flames as she was launched into the air. Without hesitation, she drove it straight into the Geo Hypostasis's core.
The core, unable to dodge in time, took a direct hit.
A sharp, shrieking wail erupted from the creature, as if in pain.
Just as Hu Tao was about to strike again, the core suddenly teleported to the center of the platform. Its shell transformed into thick stone pillars, spreading across the battlefield, while the core hovered above them, drawing energy from the ley lines.
Jiang Bai immediately sensed the disturbance in Geo energy. His instincts screamed at him—it's about to unleash something big.
Sure enough, waves of violent Geo energy surged through the pillars, sending out massive shockwaves in every direction.
If they got caught in this, they'd be either dead or gravely injured.
Jiang Bai sprinted toward the edge of the attack radius, generating Geo pillars beneath his feet as platforms. But the moment he stepped off one, it was shattered by the shockwave, dissolving into particles.
"Director Hu, fall back!"
This attack was too powerful—they had no way to endure it!
"Split up!"
Hu Tao dashed through the spirit realm at high speed, her body flickering in and out of existence.
She couldn't stay in the spirit realm for too long, so she had to phase rapidly to avoid the shockwaves. But this method was draining—her face quickly turned pale from the effort.
After narrowly escaping the danger zone, both of them collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath like fish out of water.
Thankfully, the Geo Hypostasis remained within its territory and didn't chase after them. Otherwise, they would've had to keep running.
"That thing is ridiculously strong. Its wide-area attacks are impossible to withstand…" Jiang Bai panted.
Trying to manipulate Geo energy while inside such a volatile elemental field was exhausting.
Against a creature born from pure elemental energy, his connection to the elements simply wasn't strong enough.
Hiding behind a fallen stone spear, the two slumped to the ground, relieved to be alive.
It can move, it can fly, and it has massive area-wide attacks… This thing is unbeatable.
"If only we could contact Director Zhongli…"
If they could reach him and ask about Elemental Resonance, Jiang Bai might have a chance at making it work.
"I'm thinking the same thing…" Hu Tao sighed, completely drained. She lay sprawled on the ground like a lifeless salted fish.
"We should've just brought him along. If he had activated his shield, we could've just stood back and let him watch us fight…"
"Shield?" Jiang Bai caught onto something unfamiliar.
"Yeah, Director Zhongli's Geo shield—it's like the Crystallize barrier, but way stronger and lasts much longer. If we had it just now, a Crystallize shield would've shattered instantly, but his shield could've held up through the entire attack."
Hu Tao had traveled with Zhongli when she was younger. Back then, she couldn't handle stronger monsters, but as long as Zhongli's shield was active, she never had anything to fear.
The sense of absolute security that shield provided was something she would never forget.
"That powerful?" Jiang Bai had never seen Zhongli fight before, nor did he realize that his specialty was shields.
"Of course! Why do you think he's the strongest consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
And that strength wasn't just in his knowledge—it was in his combat ability, too.