As for where this weapon came from, no one knew—only Su Li understood clearly. Without a doubt, Ding Shijie, like him, had slain rare-class creatures and obtained a spirit-source weapon. He finally understood why Ding Shijie had once remarked upon seeing his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword that it was a spirit-source weapon. He should have realized it sooner. Gao Shupeng had evidently seen Ding Shijie’s spirit-source weapon as well, which was why he knew what Su Li’s Dragon Rhinoceros Sword was. Su Li’s expression grew slightly serious. Since the other party also possessed a similar spirit-source weapon, it meant his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword had lost its advantage. Moreover, since his own sword had the sword technique “Dragon Rhinoceros Slash,” the ice sword in Ding Shijie’s hand likely had a similarly powerful technique. He would need to stay on guard against a potential sword technique attack at any moment.
“All of you, fall back—get away from here—” Su Li barked, realizing as soon as Ding Shijie drew the ice sword that this man was far tougher than he had imagined. Before his shout even faded, Ding Shijie charged forward, ice sword in his left hand. Ling Yi and Gu Mingfeng showed no fear, attacking simultaneously to flank Ding Shijie. Relying on his “Rock Skin,” Gu Mingfeng used his body as a shield, charging ahead to block Ding Shijie while swinging his massive iron hammer downward. Ling Yi stayed behind Gu Mingfeng, waiting for Ding Shijie to strike at him before lunging in from the side with his sword. Jiang Shuijue followed closely, attacking from the other side of Gu Mingfeng. The three of them had grown together through days of combat, not only sharing a strong bond but also fighting with seamless coordination. Su Li was blocked behind them, unable to strike even if he wanted to, forced to watch as the three surrounded Ding Shijie in a fan formation and launched their assault. Su Li thought that if Ding Shijie unleashed the ice sword’s technique at this moment, he could likely kill Jiang Shuijue and Ling Yi instantly. As for Gu Mingfeng, protected by his “Rock Skin,” he might survive. But if Ding Shijie did unleash the ice sword’s technique in that instant, Su Li would follow up with “Dragon Rhinoceros Slash.” Perhaps wary of Su Li’s potential sword technique, or because his main target was Su Li and he didn’t want to waste the technique on Jiang Shuijue and the others, Ding Shijie didn’t use the ice sword’s power. Instead, he stomped his foot, suddenly veering sideways to dodge Gu Mingfeng’s attack. His left hand flicked the ice sword upward, and Ling Yi felt a jolt in his right arm as the crystalline sword rebounded. This crystallization ability was his spirit-source technique. Though he wielded only an ordinary sword, once coated in crystal, even Ding Shijie’s ice sword couldn’t cut through it. But his strength couldn’t match Ding Shijie’s; the moment the swords clashed, the crystalline sword was knocked back. Ding Shijie followed up with a thrust of his blood-red right fist. With a “bang,” Ling Yi grunted, blood spraying from his mouth as he flipped backward through the air. The cloth over his chest was scorched black, revealing a massive fist imprint. Ling Yi possessed a special ability similar to Su Li’s “Silver Coating,” which he activated instantly to protect his chest. Otherwise, Ding Shijie’s punch wouldn’t just have sent him flying—it would have pierced straight through his chest, melting his organs and leaving him with the same fate as Old Zhang earlier.
After sending Ling Yi flying with one blow, Ding Shijie laughed wildly, sidestepping Gu Mingfeng and lunging toward Su Li. He shouted, “Move! Kill them all—” At his command, the members of the “Golden Eagle Alliance” who had been watching from the raft behind finally acted, charging at Jiang Shuijue and Gu Mingfeng. Liu Jiande sensed the danger and hurried over as well. Ding Shijie swung his ice sword repeatedly. Su Li stood firm on the raft, refusing to yield, blocking the ice sword with his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword. Both were spirit-source weapons, capable of cutting through iron like mud. As they clashed, a deafening sound erupted, and both swords rebounded. Though Su Li’s level was lower than Ding Shijie’s, his strength was no less—perhaps even greater. Ding Shijie sensed this. The moment his ice sword bounced back, he thrust his right arm forward. Su Li activated “Spider Walk,” sidestepping to avoid the attack, and swept his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword low. But wary of the ice sword’s technique, he held back in every strike, ready to change tactics and create distance. Ding Shijie was in a similar position. Both feared the other’s sword technique, each attack leaving some reserve for adaptation. In pure strength, Ding Shijie, a 7th-level spirit-source user, was still inferior to Su Li. But his movement was bizarre—both his speed and attack speed were astonishingly fast. He clearly possessed at least two top-tier special abilities like “Spider Walk” that enhanced movement and attack speed. In terms of speed, he was even slightly faster than Su Li in his “Demon Muscle” and “Spider Walk” state. That was his true terror. With that slight edge in speed, his blood-red right arm and left-hand ice sword struck together. Even in his “Demon Muscle” state, Su Li felt the pressure, retreating step by step as he fell into a disadvantage.
The members of the “Golden Eagle Alliance” attacked Jiang Shuijue and Gu Mingfeng. People from the 31-story Jinhui Center building also jumped down to join the fight. In numbers, the Jinhui Center group had the advantage. Though the “Golden Eagle Alliance” members were all 6th-level spirit-source users, none were as formidable as Ding Shijie or Su Li. They were instead surrounded by Jiang Shuijue and the others, struggling to hold their ground. Ding Shijie ignored his allies’ predicament. His full focus was on killing Su Li first. Once Su Li was dead, no one else on the field could match him. “This guy is talented—can’t underestimate him. If he can’t be a strong ally, he’ll be a terrifying enemy. I have to seize this chance to kill him.” Ding Shijie’s attacks grew even more ferocious, especially the rising heat from his right arm. Each time he struck Su Li, even though Su Li blocked with “Silver Coating,” the force still churned his blood, nearly making him spit it out. Su Li kept retreating. The raft beneath their feet couldn’t withstand their power, cracking apart repeatedly. “Ding Shijie is faster than me. My Dragon Rhinoceros Sword is blocked by his ice sword, and his right arm attacks are hard to handle. I have greater strength, but landing a hit is tough. ‘Demon Muscle’ is powerful, but it can’t sustain long battles. If I can’t severely wound or kill him in this state, I’m in trouble.” Su Li activated “Demon Muscle,” boosting his speed and strength. Though he landed several hits on Ding Shijie, the latter had a special ability to form gaseous shields with immense defensive power, blocking all his attacks. Seeing this, Su Li immediately deactivated “Demon Muscle.” The Ding Shijie before him possessed terrifying speed, strong defense, and the blood-red right arm and ice sword—a nearly perfect opponent in Su Li’s eyes. Though Su Li had “Dragon Rhinoceros Slash,” it was like a nuclear deterrent. Without sufficient certainty, neither dared to use it lightly. If it failed, the consequences would be dire.
“Looks like this is the only way.” Su Li activated “Spider Walk” again, his figure flickering as he leaped across three rafts, launching himself into the water. “Trying to escape through the water?” Ding Shijie sneered, chasing after him without hesitation and diving in. Once in the water, Su Li sank rapidly downward. Ding Shijie followed closely, clearly determined to kill Su Li today. This was a powerful opponent; the gap between them wasn’t vast. If Su Li escaped today, no one knew how things would change—he might even surpass Ding Shijie in strength. Ding Shijie had no intention of leaving such a threat alive. Su Li kept sinking deeper, with Ding Shijie only three or four meters behind, in hot pursuit. Fortunately, Ding Shijie’s swimming skills were on par with Su Li’s—both were average. As they descended, Su Li soon spotted dark shapes in the depths below. Just as he had guessed, the deep water harbored a large number of spirit-source beasts resting during the day. He hadn’t jumped in to flee but to dive down and disturb these dormant creatures. He now had 76 spirit sources, needing 14 more to reach the 90 required for 7th level. If there were monsters, he could break through to the same 7th level as Ding Shijie at any moment. According to the information, breaking into 7th level would evolve his spirit-source technique into its second form, greatly boosting his power. Though Ding Shijie was 7th level with an ice sword, he was only slightly stronger than Su Li now. If Su Li reached 7th level and his power truly surged, he could turn the tables and suppress Ding Shijie. At the same 7th level, Su Li had undergone several more basic enhancements. He didn’t believe anyone at the same rank could be stronger than him.
The dark shapes below, disturbed by the sudden intruders, surged upward—revealing massive white centipedes. Su Li recognized these as 6th-level common-type White Jade Centipedes. Without hesitation, he charged into the swarm, swinging his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword. Though underwater halved his speed and power compared to on land, cutting down these centipedes was still easy. In one exchange, he killed two in front of him. He gained two spirit sources, and two messages flashed in his mind. “6th-level Spirit Source User: Spirit Sources 77/90” “6th-level Spirit Source User: Spirit Sources 78/90” “Twelve more to go.” Su Li continued sinking, with Ding Shijie closing in from behind, ice sword thrusting at his back. Seeing Su Li dive down and disturb the resting centipedes, Ding Shijie had a dawning realization.