Coiled up leisurely near Blue Moon City, Atticus was smiling in satisfaction as four Nascent Soul Cultivators fanned him simultaneously with large leaves made from the Plant Element.
After the last few Beast Tides, Atticus had been labeled as the Guardian Beast of Blue Moon City, even though many acknowledged that Atticus was one of William's Companions. His feats were so widespread that many Cultivators would travel from the other Regions just to peer at this Mythical Rat Snake in all his glory.
"Master Snake, Master Snake. Won't you let us fight the Beasts this time? We need contributions..." one of the Players fanning Atticus asked. They had missed out on quite a few Potential Points since Atticus took over this Region's Beast Tides and had fallen behind the other Players.
The only thing keeping them loyal to Atticus was their current System Quest, which asked them to take care of the snake's needs in exchange for a chance at some of his scales. If they could earn even a single scale from a Mythical Beast at the peak of the Soul Formation Realm, they could recover all of what they lost and much more.
Atticus turned his head and looked at the Cultivator that spoke, "But of course. If you wish to fight, then fight. I won't get involved this time; you kids have grown up well." he finished as he conjured a pipe using the Illusion Element and stuck it in his mouth.
As a Soul Formation Beast, Atticus' maturity had increased by leaps and bounds. He even learned how to smoke a pipe from a Blue Moon City Cultivator that he had befriended during his most recent battle.
"Thank you, Master Snake!" the Cultivators shouted in unison. Not only could they complete their Quest, but they could earn Potential Points at the same time. There was no loss at all!
Atticus curled back up and lazily watched the other Cultivators prepare for a battle against the next Beast Tide. The standards of the Players had increased greatly in the last month, many reaching the early to middle stages of the Nascent Soul Realm in combat power, while the more devoted Players were approaching the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Those on the same level as Fria already had Soul Formation Realm combat power, their differences only separated by the number of Talents they had learned. If Fria and the others at her level were to battle with the peak Cultivators of the World, the battle's outcome would be decided by who could counter whose abilities, not their overall strength.
Magical Beasts at Atticus' level no longer needed their hearts to continue functioning properly, but losing one's heart would always result in decreased combat power. For Atticus to readily accept such an unfair offer would be to label him at his Master's level.
"My heart? You're inssane. How about you let me eat you up and I'll forgive you for targeting me." Atticus counteroffered.
The two Region Leaders responded by allowing two more beams of Light to target Atticus from different directions. They had made additional preparations beforehand, rigging up three separate Light Cannons at the same time and fueling them with six times the number of Cultivators.
If one peered into the distance about a hundred kilometers in each direction, they could see the group of Retribution members consolidated in one location and feeding their Mana to the Light Cannons.
Tasked to be the distraction, Masters Blue and Green were only meant to corral Atticus into the Light Beams' paths as they fought, which worked wonderfully so far. Atticus was forced to switch to the defensive after being hit over forty times by the Light Cannons, even retreating a little to catch his breath.
Atticus managed to easily counter the false Domains with his Illusion Territory each time, but his combat experience was still too low. Every time his Territory opened and he tried to phase into the World, the two Cultivators would reopen their false Domain and cancel just the phasing ability.
If their efforts were focused on only one portion of the Territory, even a false Domain could reign victorious for a short period of time. They consumed countless Mana Regeneration Pills to keep up during the fight, exhausting Atticus little by little and keeping him near Blue Moon City.
Their battle ended up affecting the Beast Tides slightly, but the Players quickly made preparations and rose multiple defensive barriers that could withstand the shockwaves for a few rounds. As long as they continued refreshing the barriers, no outsiders would be injured by this battle between Atticus and Retribution.
Multiple scales were knocked loose by the Light Beams, while dozens of liters of blood rained down from above, soaking any Cultivators unlucky enough to pass underneath their battle. Atticus hissed in pain and frustration as his Mana reserves were quickly exhausted, the Region Leaders countering every move he made and avoiding those that were too strong for them.
"Cowardss! Fight me like a man! Or... ssnake!" Atticus hissed as he coiled into the sky, trying to gain enough distance so that he could open his Territory unimpeded.