Gong Xiao and Luo Jun also heard this, both stunned for a moment before staring together at the gray-black ore on the ground. This meant that to destroy the Blood Crystal, they first had to dig ten meters down from here just to see it.
"Protect me—don't let any monsters disturb me. I'll dig." Su Li let out a low growl, and the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword in his right hand slashed down repeatedly at the gray-black ore before him. There was no other option now. Against this hard gray-black ore, even Ding Longyun's "Air Missile" was useless; he had just used it repeatedly, only managing to crack the surface, and digging a ten-meter-deep pit was simply impossible. Xu Haishui could control flames to burn, but burning a large hole in this ore was even more out of the question. Gong Xiao and Luo Jun were also at a loss. The only way was Su Li's Dragon Rhinoceros Sword, which could break the ore and dig downward. But relying on a single sword, how long would it take to carve a ten-meter-deep pit in this ore ground? And the Blood Crystal Beast was steadily approaching the Purple Wind Building—time was running out.
With a sharp shout, Su Li's right hand slashed wildly downward. "No, this is too slow." Su Li looked at the dozen or so sword marks he had crisscrossed across the ground in an instant. Digging a meter or two deep was easy with the sword's sharpness, but a ten-meter pit was far from a quick task. The Blood Crystal Beast was closing in on the Purple Wind Building; by the time he actually dug ten meters, the building would already be devoured.
Suddenly, Luo Jun rushed over, extending both hands. Ten translucent finger bones shot out swiftly, plunging into the deep sword marks Su Li had just carved, then disappearing inside. Luo Jun let out a low roar, and the next moment, an incredible scene unfolded. The ore beneath the ground emitted a "crackling" sound, and soon, countless cracks spread like a spiderweb in all directions. Su Li saw a translucent substance growing from the fissures he had carved. This substance expanded violently, squeezing the ore until it fractured. Luo Jun reached down, easily clearing the broken ore, quickly forming a pit nearly a meter deep.
Gong Xiao's phoenix eyes lit up. "What ability is that?" Luo Jun explained, "It's called Bone Hyperplasia. These ten finger bones I control can rapidly expand and grow in a short time. As long as there are cracks in the rock below, I can insert the bones deep into them, then trigger the hyperplasia to make them swell. The rock breaks and crumbles from the expansion." Su Li's eyes brightened. "With this ability, we might dig a ten-meter pit and find the Blood Crystal before the Blood Crystal Beast hits the Purple Wind Building."
As he spoke, Su Li raised the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword again, driving it fully into the rock at the bottom of the pit, deepening the cracks as much as possible. He carved a large square shape with the sword, and Luo Jun drove the ten finger bones into the cracks around this square, activating the "Bone Hyperplasia" ability. A rapid series of "crackling" sounds came from below. Soon, Su Li watched as Luo Jun, using his special ability, extracted a massive rock from the square he had just carved. The rock was encased in translucent bone matter on all sides and below, and Luo Jun lifted it directly. With Luo Jun's help, digging deeper became simpler. Su Li only needed to use the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword's sharpness to carve four square cracks below, and Luo Jun would control the bone power to remove the rock at the center. In a short time, they had dug a two-meter-deep giant stone pit.
A dozen meters away, Ding Longyun and Xu Haishui teamed up to kill a Slaughter Crocodile and headed toward them. Seeing the two-meter-deep pit, Ding Longyun asked in surprise, "What's this for?" Xu Haishui, quicker on the uptake, immediately thought, "The Blood Crystal is down there?" Gong Xiao hummed in agreement, then controlled her Alien Spikes to shoot at the increasing number of monsters around them.
Though the Blood Crystal Beast lacked intelligence, it still had instincts. Perhaps sensing the threat, realizing that these level-four and level-five ordinary monsters couldn't oppose these enemies, the Corpse Beasts and Purple Rat Beasts suddenly retreated. Then, several roars rang out. Ding Longyun looked up and saw two Slaughter Crocodiles appear. "Two more?" Ding Longyun yelped as he fired another "Air Missile." With Xu Haishui's help, he had killed one earlier but hadn't gained a special ability. Now two more came—just what he wanted. The "Air Missile" hit one Slaughter Crocodile, flipping it heavily, while the other charged straight at them.
Su Li and Luo Jun were focused on digging, leaving the defense against the surrounding monsters to the other four. Though two Slaughter Crocodiles were fearsome, they weren't too much for the group. Ding Longyun's missile blew one away, and as the other charged, Gong Xiao activated "Storm Shield" to block it head-on. The Slaughter Crocodile slammed into the "Storm Shield" with a thunderous crash, and Gong Xiao seized the chance to fire her Alien Spikes, coated in Poison Armor Fire. A dozen spikes struck the crocodile, which roared in frenzy as green toxic flames rose from its wounds.
After the two Slaughter Crocodiles, a massive python shot forward at incredible speed. This python was over ten meters long, leaving a thin layer of frost on the ground as it passed. Its body faintly radiated cold, covered in pale blue scales, and its open mouth emitted icy mist. Wherever it went, the retreating ordinary monsters scattered in fear. "This isn't good. The Blood Crystal Beast seems to be summoning stronger monsters to protect it," Gong Xiao muttered, glancing down at the giant stone pit. Though Su Li and Luo Jun were working together, the pit was only three meters deep so far—far from ten meters, and it would only get slower and harder the deeper they went. To reach ten meters, the pit had to be wide enough to keep shrinking downward, making it easier to dig and remove rock.
The python raised its head and lunged. Gong Xiao used "Storm Shield" to block, but the python spat a white mist that hit the shield, and she shuddered violently. The cold seeped straight into her bones, nearly freezing her solid. "What kind of monster is this?" Gong Xiao was shocked. Then, the python's massive tail swept in, slamming into the "Storm Shield" and sending both the shield and Gong Xiao flying. She tumbled over a dozen meters away, unharmed thanks to the shield's protection, but filled with shock. Without Su Li's "Peep Rune," she didn't know the python's level, but it was clearly far stronger than the level-six elite Slaughter Crocodile.
Gong Xiao was knocked away by the python's tail. Su Li, hearing her grunt from below, knew something was wrong. He quickly climbed out of the pit and saw the massive python. Ding Longyun and Xu Haishui were each fighting a Slaughter Crocodile, while Xu Xuehui stood by the pit's edge, looking panicked. The python was about to attack the pit when Su Li climbed up and immediately scanned its data.
"Name: Frost Python, Level: Level 7 Elite Beast. The Frost Python's body temperature is extremely low, ranging from -40 to -80 degrees Celsius. Its blood is like antifreeze, not freezing even at -80 degrees. Its favorite moves are constriction and biting. It can spray a freezing, extreme-cold breath. Being targeted by it is very troublesome. The Frost Python has a certain chance of evolving into a leader-class Frost Python King, and a one percent chance of evolving into a rare Ice Python King Beast. Killing it has a certain chance of granting the special ability 'Frost Breath.'"
Su Li had never seen a level-seven elite beast before. The Frost Python was naturally far stronger than the level-six elite Slaughter Crocodile. Gripping the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword, he activated "Spider Walk" and charged forward. The Blood Crystal Beast was now less than four hundred meters from the Purple Wind Building, and heavy rain was still falling. The pit they had dug was filling with water, making things more complicated. They had no time to waste—every second counted.
With a low shout, Su Li rushed at the Frost Python. The python opened its mouth and sprayed its freezing breath. Using "Spider Walk," Su Li twisted aside, dodging the icy blast, then leaped diagonally, slashing with the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword. The python's tail rose high, about to strike him, when suddenly Xu Xuehui appeared before it. Her eyes glowed with a strange light, pitch black like two black holes. She activated "Heterochromatic Eye Technique." This ability could affect not only humans but also monsters. The Frost Python froze as it met her gaze, its raised tail halting mid-air. Su Li's Dragon Rhinoceros Sword came down, slicing through the python's neck. A massive snake head, spraying blood, rolled away. A Spirit Source appeared and merged into Su Li's forehead, and information flashed in his mind.
"Level 5 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 45/70"
The level-seven elite beast, two levels above Su Li, yielded six Spirit Sources. After killing the Frost Python, Su Li jumped back into the pit and continued digging with Luo Jun. In the distance, terrifying roars echoed one after another, and with each roar, a large monster appeared, rapidly approaching them.