Are the restrictions this strict?

Wang Linchi gazed at the various formations, all useless. It seemed 'God-given World' didn't want Players to come into contact with Extraordinary Power related to the Abyss. So, everything was isolated. Even though he had created them according to the methods in the Demon Suppression Legacy, what he produced were merely empty shells, unrecognized by the Game System and incapable of being used to manually create quest items.

"Mage, do you see any effect?" asked the anxious Village Chief.

"No effect. The influence of this Evil Demon is too strong," Wang Linchi sighed.

This caused everyone's hearts to sink, and the Village Chief grew worried, asking, "What should we do then? Are you confident?"

"I have some confidence, rest assured. These things are just icing on the cake; their presence or absence doesn't truly affect the outcome," Wang Linchi reassured them.

Frankly, his actions were just a shot in the dark. Success would naturally bring great joy, while failure would, at worst, mean a failed attempt to exploit a bug. To create corresponding items like this, he likely needed corresponding professions and Skills for certification; otherwise, he was just creating something superficially impressive but ultimately useless.

Wang Linchi suspected this wasn't a restriction, but rather a form of protection. The power of the Abyss might be able to corrupt Players through certain channels.

"That's good, that's good. We've pretty much done everything. Do you need anything else?" The Village Chief looked at Wang Linchi expectantly, implying that if there were more preparations, they would continue. If not, it was time for the Mage to deal with the Evil Demon.

While they genuinely respected Wang Linchi, it didn't stop them from wanting to hurry him—albeit tactfully—since their lives and property were at stake.

Wang Linchi nodded. "I will start shortly. There will be a battle with the Evil Demon, and the collateral damage could be quite extensive. All of you should evacuate South Ridge Village. The farther away, the better. I will begin in ten minutes."

"You'll be alone, which might be difficult. Why not..." The Village Chief's intention was to leave some people to assist.

Before he could finish, Wang Linchi interrupted, "No need. Anyone who stays will just get in my way."

What if this group of people turns into health packs for the BOSS?

Moreover, he planned to personally break the seal later and assemble the complete Sealing Demon Formation. If they witnessed this, their respect for him could instantly plummet to hatred, and they might even betray him.

"The Mage is magnanimous. We shall follow his wishes." The Village Chief said no more and immediately led the people out of the village in a large procession.

Wang Linchi squatted down and began the channeling process. He didn't actually need to do anything manually; the Game System would handle it. A progress bar simply appeared, indicating 'Unsealing in Progress,' followed by a percentage.

The progress bar required ten minutes to complete, which was why Wang Linchi had told them to evacuate within that timeframe. Ten minutes was sufficient; the old and young were loaded onto carts, which the able-bodied men pushed in relays, moving them swiftly.

The ten-minute channeling process quickly concluded. The seal broke, and countless black clouds instantly billowed out.

Wang Linchi, however, ignored the miasma and immediately checked the properties of the Sealing Demon Formation. After all, the True Magician was the Saint Master's opponent, not his.

[Sealing Demon Formation]

[Type: Quest Item]

[Stored in Item Bar. Releases a Domain with a radius of (Player Level x 10) meters. Within the Domain: Demon-type enemies suffer All Attributes -20%, Health Recovery -50%, Mana Recovery -50%, Skill Cooldown +50%, Casting Speed -50%. Demon-type enemies also have a 10% chance to consume double Mana when casting Skills, and a 10% chance to suffer a Mana Burn effect when attacked.]

Holy shit, this thing is powerful! Seeing the effects of the Sealing Demon Formation, Wang Linchi knew it would make things incredibly difficult for any spellcasting demon-type enemy.

"Damn pests, how dare you..." As soon as the True Magician emerged, he furiously unleashed a barrage of Spells.

Slightly embarrassingly for him, his first wave of attacks all landed on empty ground. Players on the forums had already summarized how to avoid the initial barrage of Mana. The strategy was simple: choose the right spot to initiate the True Magician's unsealing. If done correctly, the Player would appear behind the True Magician, not in front. The moment he appeared, he would unleash a massive number of Spells without checking the Player's location.

The Saint Master struck first with a backstab, directly triggering the Mana Burn effect. Wang Linchi also unleashed all his available Skills at once. His Scholar Skills buffed the Saint Master and debuffed the True Magician. Coupled with the doubled negative effects from the Demon Suppression Legacy, the True Magician was caught completely off guard.

"Good, keep hammering him!" Wang Linchi continued to cast the Literary Warfare Skill at the True Magician, as it was his only high-impact offensive Skill. His other Skills were mostly supportive, offering functional effects rather than direct damage.

Although the True Magician was ambushed and somewhat disoriented, his actual strength was unaffected.

"Damned thief, give me back my..." As the True Magician turned his head, he saw Wang Linchi attacking him from afar. The Saint Master's heavy blows didn't infuriate him, but as his anger rose, he became confused. What exactly was he asking Wang Linchi to return?

Damn it, the Game System failed to completely delete the Abyssal Demon's memory! It's trying to demand its skin back. But with the data erased, it can't articulate that, though the instinct remains. Wang Linchi knew why.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore. Once you're dead, I can naturally retrieve it." The True Magician easily blocked the Saint Master's attack with a hand gesture, his featureless face writhing. His entire body began to stretch like rubber.

His previously somewhat human-like form became increasingly alien, his limbs and neck elongating like a plesiosaur's. His hands morphed, sprouting numerous black, sharp claws resembling those of a centipede.

Wang Linchi checked the True Magician's health. Damn, we haven't even gotten him to half Health Points, and he's already entering his second phase!

In this phase, the True Magician could cast multiple Spells simultaneously, was adept at close combat, and his spellcasting frequency increased nearly tenfold.

A barrage of Spells immediately bombarded them.

Seeing this, Wang Linchi quickly ran to dodge the attacks, while the Saint Master, unfazed, tanked the Spells and relentlessly struck the True Magician. As for Wang Linchi, he focused on healing the Saint Master from a distance using his Green Blood Red Qing recovery Skill.

The Saint Master's Health Points once again went on a roller coaster, plummeting and then soaring. This constant fluctuation seemed to befuddle the True Magician.

Then... the True Magician ran out of steam.

He had run out of Mana, making it impossible to cast Spells.

The reason was simple. The Demon Sealing Field cut his Mana recovery by 50%. Additionally, as a demon-type enemy, he had a 10% chance of double Mana consumption when casting Skills and a 10% chance of suffering Mana Burn equivalent to damage taken when attacked. Combined with the Saint Master's innate Soul Absorption Skill also draining Mana, he was bound to run out.

The primary reasons were the Saint Master's rapid and powerful attacks, which maximized the Mana-burning and -draining effects. Any other Player would likely have struggled to deplete the True Magician's Mana so quickly.

However, even without Mana, the True Magician was not an opponent ordinary Players could handle.

"You... Damn it!!!" Roaring in fury, the True Magician lunged at the Saint Master. Unable to cast Spells, he naturally resorted to physical combat.

Without the threat of Spells, the danger posed by the True Magician to the Saint Master was greatly reduced. Yes, he had extra hands, but more hands didn't guarantee victory. The difference in power between his physical and magical attacks was immense.

At least the Saint Master's Health Points fluctuated less wildly. Previously, a single Spell could inflict damage equivalent to 5% of his maximum Health, potentially triggering Card · Mei's effect. Physical attacks, however, only dealt 1% or even less.

"Why can't you just die peacefully? Why must you oppose me!" The True Magician, seemingly a bit unhinged, bellowed this strange question.

"Why can't you just die and stop getting in my way!" Wang Linchi popped up and shouted back, simultaneously launching another Literary Warfare Skill at the True Magician. This triggered the LV10 Calligraphy's re-cast effect, hitting the True Magician twice.

[BOSS · Abyssal Demon · True Magician LV20, Health Points (2,301,506 / 5,000,000)]

What the hell? This health bar must be mislabeled, right? Five million... Wang Linchi grumbled internally. He hadn't looked closely before and had mistaken it for five hundred thousand; the actual string of zeros left him speechless.

Fortunately, the Saint Master was performing exceptionally. With all Twelve Symbols activated, along with the quest items and Cards designed to counter demonized enemies, they had already depleted over half of the True Magician's Health Points.