I was so scared that I put all my points into health.

The Time Guardian named Castio's expression began to twist and contort. Joy turned into an indescribable agony, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating turbulent waves. At the same time, another cold and malicious low voice suddenly resounded from within him: "Damn it, all of you damned, the damned goddess betrayed you, and you deserve to die too."

In an instant, a dense demonic energy, like black smoke, slowly seeped out of his body. The demonic energy seemed alive, rapidly swirling and coiling around him. His eyes widened, filled with disbelief and desperate struggle. He tried to control the surging demonic energy, but it grew stronger and stronger like a raging tide. Gradually, he began to lose control of his body, and his reason, like a flickering candle in the wind, was gradually extinguished by the erosion of the demonic energy.

The light that once shone in his eyes was gradually swallowed by darkness. What began as struggle and resentment slowly turned into a sinister ruthlessness, until his eyes became completely black, like endless black holes. At this moment, he had completely lost his mind, leaving only a shell controlled by demonic energy.

The system notification sounded in my ear again without warning: "Ding, limited-time mission: Survive under the clutches of the corrupted Time Guardian."

Hearing this mission, Wang Xiaoyi felt a wave of helplessness. It seemed that as long as he could hold out until the time ran out, someone would come to rescue him, right? But who would come? Faced with this unexpected situation, Wang Xiaoyi's last shred of hope vanished. He had initially thought that as long as his cowardice skill hadn't triggered, he might not be in too much danger. But reality was like a bucket of cold water, mercilessly extinguishing his faint flame of hope. He realized then how naive he had been. Now he was truly in a bind, frowning and anxiously thinking, "What should I do?"

He glanced around anxiously. Then, looking at his novice priest's staff and the nail clippers he had just pulled out, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What kind of junk is this? Using these to deal with the enemy in front of me is a joke."

He began to carefully recall all the previous details. When he drew the Pointer Fragment and the second piece of the Time Guardian equipment, his Cowardice skill activated when he chose to exchange for them. At the time, he simply thought it was a trap to make the system eliminate him, but now, thinking back, could it be because such a thing was about to happen?

His mind was filled with all sorts of terrible scenarios. If this corrupted Time Guardian really got the two pieces of Guardian equipment, he would really hope to survive.

There's no time to think too much now. He needs to quickly assess his surroundings. There's not much space here; where can he run? Wang Xiaoyi glanced at the floating wreckage. Should he escape to those? His eyes were fixed on Castio, who emanated a terrifying aura. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he swiftly activated his Eye of Insight. A soft light shone from his eyes, enveloping the other. A moment later, he saw the situation clearly: level 80, Paladin class. This corrupted Time Guardian possessed terrifying strength at level 80, making him like a mobile fortress. Although he wasn't wielding a traditional weapon, the large shield in his hands seemed to have come alive, becoming his most lethal weapon. The demonic energy had finished its corruption; Castio's eyes were now pitch black. He hurled his shield at Wang Xiaoyi with a burst of power—Dark Shield Strike! Wang Xiaoyi instinctively picked up his nail clippers to defend himself, but to his surprise, the nail clippers emitted a faint holy light and with a clang, blocked the attack of the great shield. Wang Xiaoyi was overjoyed; there was hope.

However, Castio's shield attacks were varied, each one enough to terrify Wang Xiaoyi. Castio suddenly raised his shield, and with his increased strength, the heavy shield hurtled towards Wang Xiaoyi like a cannonball – Dark Shield Bash! Although Wang Xiaoyi knew his nail clippers could block the attack, he instinctively dodged, hoping not to be hit. He quickly hid behind a large rock, hoping to use its sturdiness to withstand Castio's attack. However, he forgot that Castio was level 80, and the power of that shield bash was no joke. The shield easily shattered the large rock, sending fragments flying. Wang Xiaoyi's hiding place instantly crumbled. He quickly raised his nail clippers to shield himself from the shockwave, crawling and kneeling to the side.

Castio's offensive remained fierce, as he relentlessly swung his shield, launching a barrage of attacks at Wang Xiaoyi. However, each attack struck the protective barrier as if hitting an invisible wall, dissipating most of its force. Although Wang Xiaoyi could still feel the powerful impact, the aftershocks causing his internal organs to tremble and resulting in slight damage, his passive skills—Auto-Heal, Auto-Cure, Auto-Holy Light, and others—activated, firing Holy Light Bolts at Castio. However, Castio's resistance was too high, and all the attacks missed.

The "Absolutely a Good Guy" effect activated, and in a flash of light, several NPCs suddenly appeared beside Wang Xiaoyi. Without a word, they immediately attacked the corrupted Castio. However, their attacks were utterly insignificant before Castio, like a light drizzle, unable to cause him any real damage. These NPCs were quickly annihilated by Castio's Dark Shockwave and Whirlwind Slash, dissipating into starlight.

Perhaps enraged at not being able to kill Wang Xiaoyi for so long, Castio was furious. This time, he briefly chanted before his shield blazed with black light, creating multiple afterimages that attacked Wang Xiaoyi simultaneously. Wang Xiaoyi used his nail clippers to defend as usual, but the shockwave still violently shook his body. Wang Xiaoyi felt like a leaf swaying in a gale, almost being thrown off his feet. His hand, gripping the nail clippers tightly, trembled uncontrollably from the force, nearly causing the clippers to slip from his grasp.

He didn't know how long he had held out, but at this tense moment, a beautiful figure suddenly appeared not far away. The figure seemed somewhat ethereal, as if emerging from layers of mist, and her voice carried a hint of helplessness: "You always manage to surprise people." Hearing the familiar voice, Wang Xiaoyi was overjoyed. It was President Winnie who had come to rescue him! He wondered how she had gotten here, but he didn't have the time or energy to think about that right now. Now that his reinforcements had arrived, the mission should be complete, right? Sure enough, the system notification sounded. To Wang Xiaoyi's dismay, the system notification was: defeat the corrupted Time Guardian before him. Wang Xiaoyi was somewhat surprised. Defeat the Time Guardian? Did President Winnie have that kind of power? However, the ensuing battle clearly showed that Wang Xiaoyi had been overthinking things.

The corrupted Castio stood expressionless, holding a large, corrupted black shield, staring at President Vinnie with a questioning gaze. Suddenly, he muttered to himself, as if stimulated by something, "Goddess?" But then he shook his head, as if denying the absurd idea, and said, "No."

Upon seeing the corrupted Castio, Guild Master Winnie's previously peaceful demeanor instantly became chaotic. Her emotions were like tangled threads, a thousand thoughts swirling and intertwining in her mind. She herself was a level 70 Archmage, a ranged attacker, and facing an level 80 Paladin, the disparity in strength made her acutely aware of the immense danger she faced. Archmages are typically not adept at close combat, usually relying on warrior-type classes to protect them in front while they safely cast spells from the rear.

However, to Wang Xiaoyi's surprise, President Winnie was like a battle mage, incredibly agile. Her hands constantly flashed with various elemental lights, and many spells could be launched directly at the corrupted paladin youth without needing to be chanted.

First, she swung the staff in her hand, which radiated magical energy, and quickly chanted a short incantation. A flame shot out from the tip of the staff, burning towards the corrupted Castio. The flame drew a bright trail in the air, distorting the surrounding atmosphere. Then, she lightly stomped her foot, instantly freezing the ground beneath her feet into a layer of ice. The ice spread rapidly towards the corrupted Castio, forming a layer of crystal-clear ice wherever it touched. However, these attacks were like tickling the corrupted Castio; they couldn't inflict any fatal damage.

The shield wielded by the corrupted Castio possesses strong elemental resistance; neither fire nor ice can inflict significant damage on it. Furthermore, this shield has an even more troublesome phantom shield effect: a sudden, ethereal glow emanates from its surface, followed by the release of multiple phantoms. These phantoms are almost identical to the real shield, swirling and dancing in the air, deceiving President Vinnie's vision.

President Winnie knew that these spells, which required no incantation, wouldn't be able to inflict fatal damage on him. She knew she had to unleash her strongest move, the large-scale spell. She glanced at the artifact (nail clippers) in Wang Xiaoyi's hand that could withstand attacks, and as if making a firm decision, she forcefully planted her staff into the ground. Then, she clasped her hands together and began chanting a long incantation.

As she chanted, the magic staff seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, slowly floating from the ground into the air. Then, a complex and mysterious magic circle gradually appeared around the staff, slowly growing larger as it drifted towards the sky. The sky seemed to be ignited, gradually turning a blinding red. Several enormous meteorites gradually formed in the red sky, radiating an aura of destruction, about to launch an attack in this area. This was clearly a prelude to a large-scale spell.

The corrupted Castio clearly sensed the powerful danger approaching him, a flicker of wariness crossing his eyes. He knew the power of this magic; if he took it head-on, he would surely be severely injured. Therefore, he abandoned his attempt to continue using illusions to confuse Guild Master Winnie, instead pressing his large shield tightly against his chest and beginning a brief incantation, attempting to unleash a spell to defend against the impending magical attack.

Just then, the Meteor Spell was successfully activated, and several massive meteors, like angry thunderbolts, slammed violently into the shield. Several loud booms resounded. Although the meteor attack severely damaged the corrupted Castio and the shield, it wasn't fatal. Cracks appeared on the shield's surface, but the Starry Sky Shield activated its effect. The cracks on the Starry Sky Shield slowly healed at a visible speed, as if time itself had reversed on the shield.

At this critical moment, a majestic roar suddenly echoed from the sky, and a nimble parrot appeared. To Wang Xiaoyi, its body was enormous, so vast it blotted out the sky, so dazzlingly beautiful—it was indeed the parrot. Its appearance was like a ray of dawn, bringing hope to President Winnie, who was in dire straits, and Wang Xiaoyi, who was on the verge of despair. Rescue had finally arrived.