Rank 99 (2)

"Get ready," Ah Yin's voice snaps Xiao Bei and Zi Ji out of their thoughts. Quick to bounce away and hide behind a cover of large blue-silver trees, Xiao Bei silently waits for Zi Ji to complete her part, and the Abyss Dragon releases her human-dragon hybrid form to turn into a gigantic beast with length and height dealing in kilometers!

Her ink-purple scales only hold this tone due to a reflective purple sheen or else her entire body would be similar to Di Tian as if her existence devours light itself. Her magnificent horn ends in a pointed edge so sharp that it would carve a fist-sized metal block without any issues but Xiao Bei notes one point of imperfection in Zi Ji's body.

Or rather, a scale of imperfection marring the beauty of this magnificent beast.

One of her scales is lost and has not regrown.

Her reverse scale is not on her.

But unable to muse on this topic, Zi Ji notices a spatial fluctuation around the pitch-black tree growing in front of them and it is soon replaced by a rather spread out pure white tree entangling with a massive Golden Crocodile with a hint of an archaic bloodline of a drake flowing through its essence!

Opposites Trap!

Golden Crocodile takes one look at the Abyss Demon Dragon to have the hint of the dragon in him warn about the massive threat this beast proclaims and nine of his spirit rings emerge in an instant with his eighth spirit ring flickering and a golden aura covering him.

Without needing any words since Zi Ji did not know this man nor did she intend to introduce herself to someone that is likelier to die than live, her domain spreads out and she opens her massive maws to form a pitch-black hole of devouring force.

"Remember, no limbs must be destroyed. He needs to be wounded entirely, including his mental energy but nothing fatal. If you want my help—" Bibi Dong is cut off at this point. As if she would accept anyone else's help!

There is a reason why Bibi Dong wanted Zi Ji alone here. Not only does her existence suppress other reptiles but... she would never accept additional assistance.

Anyway, even if Zi Ji isn't planning to waste time by talking doesn't mean Golden Crocodile wouldn't do the same.

With his defensive measures activated, his loud roar spreads through the entire spatial artifact.

"Ah Yin! This is your doing, right?! Let me speak to Qian Daoliu! Ja Sun's and Blood God's conflict can be easily mediated through!"

But the white tree only works harder to entangle Golden Crocodile as he growls and utilizes his own domain to counter Zi Ji's. It emerges from his ninth ring that forms a wide domain of wind that threatens to slice through everything.

"Uh oh," Xiao Bei clicks her tongue but Ah Yin easily manages to divide her attention and protect Xiao Bei without losing productivity in any manner.

Suppressed by the devouring force that devours most of the attack and breaks it down into pure spirit energy, Golden Crocodile aims to kite the enemy but returning to human form is not an option as any attack then maybe a one-hit-kill moment.

Swiping his tail against the enemy to attack and simultaneously tear out of his bindings alongside turning around, Golden Crocodile has his tail bitten by Zi Ji who grins, 'Humans don't have tails... so this won't be carried to your human form, right?'

*Chlkkk*

With a geyser of blood drenching the ground, Zi Ji bites away half of Golden Crocodile's meaty tail as he clamps his jaws shut to not waste his time screeching in pain and instead tries to retreat. Just this attack showed him that he is outclassed compared to the enemy. After all, he doesn't have a Crimson Ring. He doesn't have an equivalent spirit bone either to contend with these beasts on equal terms and Zi Ji, in this category, is stronger than most not only because she is a dragon but also her cultivation in close to 300000 years.

Yet, Zi Ji does not let Golden Crocodile get away as she breathes out a jet of ink-purple flames that seem to have a velvety flow that easily burns through Golden Crocodile's scales.

Far from this region of conflict are the five sea beasts who have lost it all after meeting Bibi Dong. They even had to accept her mixed poison that needs to be treated regularly. Even Sovereign Sea Python cannot survive the poison of a Death Spider Emperor. Observing this conflict from a distance and realizing how vastly they had underestimated Zi Ji... they give up on any thoughts of trying to aim vengeance at this group.

"Maybe Bibi Dong is right... the world is going to experience a shift soon enough and two sides have major sources of strength. When the time comes, we would not have the ability to stay neutral anyway so... I guess fate picked a choice for us," Flood Dragon sighs.

"If fate picked it then it certainly would be a damning one," Python snorts, "Fate is not particularly fond of us beasts, after all."

Far from their conversation, Golden Crocodile experiences a change in his speed as the flames don't go out but stick to his body like gooeish material that burns through him and Zi Ji does not let go of this moment of sluggishness before having her large claws tear into Crocodile's back.

In reality, the best way to defeat her is not by having a larger size. No matter the case, Zi Ji has experienced thousands of years to make the best use of this body.

The best way to defeat Zi Ji is by having a strength of a beast in a tiny form that can use her large features against her. This, alongside being a sheer badass is why Ja Sun did a short work of her and Di Tian... after experiencing some reluctant losses.

'And now... for mental damage,' Zi Ji narrows her cruel gaze. She isn't that versatile when it comes to more meta-physical aspects but... she has a few tricks up her sleeves.

Before she could attack, however, Golden Crocodile turns into a human to escape Zi Ji's hold.

He chose to remain a beast in the hope to fend off Zi Ji but her strength is vastly superior so the moment he turns into a human, his right arm is covered by a stunning green gauntlet with a head of a goat being apparent.

A spirit bone.

But what is its use?

Zi Ji readies to defend herself when Ah Yin's Yang Node and multiple blue silver emperor variants vines latch onto Golden Crocodile firmly!

In his beast form, he at least had enough physical strength to hold his own against the control spirit master in the hiding but now...

He is stuck.

Being big makes him an easier target for Zi Ji.

Being human makes him an easier target for Ah Yin.

And as much as Zi Ji feels annoyed by this interference, she can't say much. Given Ah Yin's track record of not only stabbing Ja Sun's heart but even Ja Yin's heart multiple times... she is one person Zi Ji likes to avoid most of the time.

A phantom of a tiny Abyss Demon Dragon shoots out from the center of her forehead but this 'tiny' beast is still twice the size of Golden Crocodile who notices the nature of the attack and activates his sixth spirit ring to defend against the mental attack appropriately.

But while Golden Crocodile is being suppressed by two forces of nature, he is soon unable to cope with the pressure and his mental sea collides with the phantom of the Abyss Demon Dragon. When the mental energy of the once prestigious Second Priest of the former Elder's Hall collides with Zi Ji's attack, it is devoured once more to quite a large extent, and noticing this, Ah Yin urges one hidden component.

"Now!"

Xiao Bei blinks past her position as her eighth ring flickers. Her ears grow out to form large rabbit ears with white-pink fur covering her arms and legs before padding her hands and feet as a small bushy tail sprouts from the end of her tailbone. Her brown irides shift to a bright pink hue while a level of charm just beneath the foxy Lana exudes from her very being.

But it is nothing compared to the shower of illusory white fur that forms around Golden Crocodile once Xiao Bei appears in front of him.

Smiling coyly and batting her eyelashes, Xiao Bei holds the end of her long braided hair and speaks, "My skill worked on him. For now. It allows me to be IN the target but as a hidden voice for them... of sorts. The moment he experiences a violent reaction or recovers his mental energy, he will break free from my control."

"How long do you have?" Bibi Dong questions for the sake of confirmation.

"One day," Xiao Bei sighs. Her species is certainly charming but it isn't a specialized one when compared to Hu Lana but...

"It's fine," Bibi Dong hums, "I am sending Hu Lana. Her true spirit avatar has illusionary properties so she will be of assistance now. Violet and Ja Yin are on their way, too."

"What the hell are you doing the entire time then?" Zi Ji questions with a scoff while staying in her true form, for now, to protect Xiao Bei and others if something goes wrong... reluctantly, of course.

"I will rest until this task is done, of course. I have remained seated in the same position for days. My knees are aching a bit."

Of course, the truth is Bibi Dong doesn't find value in her appearance. Not in the same sense as feeling as she is superior to those who she has sent but instead Bibi Dong believes that her appearance at the moment changes nothing.

Hu Lana and Xiao Bei are the ones who will keep control of the illusion until Violet, Ja Yin, and Ah Yin helps the man recover and... breakthrough to the next rank.

"But I think we won't even have less than a day," Bibi Dong admits, "We will need to take some risks to complete my objective."

"You mean OUR objective?" Zi Ji questions.

"It may be so indirectly. But in a direct sense, it is my objective," Bibi Dong narrows her eyes.

Lazing next to the spider, Ah Yin finally mutters, "If you hadn't been clear about helping Golden Crocodile breakthrough, I wouldn't have understood the reason myself..."

"Well, you and Ja Sun are the only ones I spoke about that stuff," Bibi Dong smiles before sighing deeply.

"Master won't be happy once he wakes up," Ah Yin replies.

"Grandmaster should be thanking me that I am not targeting his unconscious self instead..." Bibi Dong chuckles, trying humor to alleviate her own complicated thoughts as Ah Yin chuckles, too, "You would have been setting yourself up for failure then."

***

Alternative Title: Stuck Between a Large and a Small Threat