Su Li had just lunged forward when three people attacked him simultaneously—one wielding an iron rod, another a knife, and the third a long axe. Activating his "Peep Rune," Su Li discovered that the men with the iron rod and knife were both Level 6, while the one with the long axe was a Level 5 spirit source user.
Worried about the whereabouts of Jiang Shuijue and Liu Jiande, he felt a surge of anxiety. Letting out a low howl, he suddenly activated "Spider Walk," took a stride, and his muscles bulged as he entered the "Demon Muscle" state. In the second form of "Demon Muscle," not only did a demonic face appear on his chest, but the muscles on his back also swelled, faintly revealing another demonic visage.
With the second form of "Demon Muscle" combined with "Spider Walk," Su Li's speed became terrifyingly fast. The three attackers had just made their move when they felt a blur before their eyes, heard a whistling wind, and then the world spun around them before everything went black, and they knew no more.
Most people had dismissed Su Li as insignificant, thinking his solo charge was akin to suicide, especially since the "Golden Eagle Alliance" present boasted several strong fighters, including seven Level 6 individuals. But what happened next sent a chill through everyone present.
In a single instant, Su Li's figure turned into a blur, circling the three attackers, and three bloodied heads flew into the air. These three—two Level 6 and one Level 5—had their heads severed almost simultaneously, dying instantly.
As the three headless bodies crashed heavily into the water, devoured by the surging white centipedes and bloody giant earthworms, the remaining crowd finally reacted with shouts and cries of alarm. Meanwhile, Su Li had already dashed toward the raft where the three captured women were held.
The men who had been groping the women were startled when Su Li charged at them like a ghost, and they panicked. Some quick-thinking ones jumped into the water, others grabbed the women to use as hostages, and a few, refusing to believe his prowess, attacked him directly.
The man who had first recognized Su Li turned pale as death. Su Li's feat of killing three in one blow was something even Ding Shijie might not have managed. Now Su Li appeared, but Ding Shijie was nowhere to be seen. Could it be...?
He thought of a terrifying possibility. If it were true, then this Su Li was too fearsome.
Su Li didn't stop. The second form of "Demon Muscle" was terrifying, with both strength and speed continuously rising. He had entered a near-superhuman state, and compared to these Level 5 and Level 6 spirit source users, his current state was overwhelmingly dominant.
With a leap, the attacker lunging at him missed as Su Li vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword in his hand lightly swept across, severing the neck of the man who had grabbed a woman as a hostage. With a backhand stroke, he cut through another man and his cleaver in one go.
The remaining survivors jumped into the water. They finally realized that no matter how many of them there were, they were no match for this terrifying man. In the blink of an eye, he had killed five of them. If they didn't flee, they would all die here today.
"I was right—maybe even Boss Ding was killed by him. This guy is too terrifying. Was he pretending to be weak earlier to lure Boss Ding into the water?" The man who recognized Su Li had already fled into the water, swimming desperately away, wishing he had more limbs to escape faster.
But the area was swarming with white centipedes and bloody giant earthworms, making it no easy task to break through the horde and swim away.
Seeing the remaining men flee into the water, Su Li didn't give chase. Instead, he used his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword to cut the ropes binding the three women, freeing them. Then he prepared to hunt the bloody giant earthworms in the water.
A Level 7 bloody giant earthworm would yield effective spirit sources if killed—a rare opportunity not to be missed.
Just then, a loud crash rang out. Two rafts ahead were smashed from below, flipping into the air and shattering into pieces. The white centipedes and bloody giant earthworms suddenly scattered in all directions, as if frightened.
"Hmm?" Su Li frowned, stepping back and signaling the three freed women to leave quickly.
The people fleeing in the water suddenly screamed in terror. Su Li saw something burst out from beneath the surface, its gaping maw instantly clamping down on two of them. Before they could react, it bit down, spraying blood, and swallowed them.
Su Li finally got a clear look: it was a black shark, seven to eight meters long, with seven star-shaped white spots on its head that stood out vividly. The rafts had been shattered by its impact, the bloody giant earthworms and white centipedes had been scared off, and it had just killed two fairly strong spirit source users in an instant.
Such strength was formidable. The fleeing members of the Golden Eagle Alliance were terrified out of their wits. The giant shark leaped again, breaking the surface, and its massive jaws caught another person.
Su Li watched as the man struggled desperately in its mouth, but with a snap of those jaws, the tons of crushing force reduced his body to pulp. Su Li then noticed the giant shark had six short, thick legs under its belly, indicating it was amphibious—able to move both in water and on land.
On the rafts, the people from the Golden Central Building who had been captured were now freed by Su Li, fleeing back toward the building. Su Li, holding the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword, observed the rampaging giant black shark in the water while slowly retreating toward the Golden Central Building.
Activating his "Peep Rune," information about the giant black shark appeared in his mind.
"Name: Seven-Star Ghost Shark, Level: 8, Rare Spirit Source Beast. This beast has seven star spots on its head, formed from crystallized spirit sources within its body. It can absorb moonlight energy through these spots to evolve. In water, it moves like a ghost, nearly impossible to catch; on land, it's slightly slower. It prefers to attack by ramming, tail-slapping, and biting. A very rare and fearsome spirit source beast."
Reading this, Su Li stopped, his mind stirring.
"Seven-Star Ghost Shark, a rare spirit source beast?" The Dragon Rhinoceros Sword in his hand came from killing the rare Dragon Rhinoceros Fish, while the Ice Python Sword was obtained by Ding Shijie from killing the rare Ice Python King Beast. If this Seven-Star Ghost Shark was also a rare beast, killing it might yield a spirit source weapon.
He already had two spirit source weapons, but more were always welcome—each weapon meant an additional powerful sword technique, and since techniques had cooldowns, more weapons allowed more techniques to be used in the same time.
In the water, the Golden Eagle Alliance members were fleeing in all directions. The Seven-Star Ghost Shark opened its maw again, biting and swallowing another person. It moved through the water with ghostly speed, making escape impossible for the swimmers.
"As expected of a Level 8 rare beast—truly powerful." Su Li took a deep breath. If he hadn't just reached Level 7 and gained the Ice Python Sword, he might not have been a match for this Seven-Star Ghost Shark. But now, he felt no fear.
Seeing that the shark hadn't attacked him yet, and knowing it could dive and escape quickly in the water, Su Li didn't hesitate. He leaped into the water, activated "Spider Walk," and shot forward like a torpedo, closing in on the Seven-Star Ghost Shark.
His rapid approach caught the shark's attention. It swung its massive body, fixing one large eye on him, then slapped its tail and surged through the water, charging at him with its maw wide open, ready to crush him like the others.
Su Li, having drawn its attention, immediately used "Spider Walk" again to change direction, heading toward another raft. "This thing moves like a ghost in water but slows down on land. Fighting it in the water is too risky—better to lure it ashore."
He climbed onto the raft, and right behind him, the Seven-Star Ghost Shark burst from the water, only a step behind. This time, Su Li didn't dodge. Gripping the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword tightly, his chest and back muscles swelled, faintly revealing demonic faces. Activating the second form of "Demon Muscle," his strength and speed doubled. He stomped hard on the raft.
The raft couldn't withstand his force and shattered. At the same moment, the Seven-Star Ghost Shark crashed into it.
"Boom!" The raft flew into the air, exploding into countless fragments mid-flight. The shark's speed and power were astonishing, but Su Li sidestepped at the last instant, almost brushing past it. His Dragon Rhinoceros Sword traced a line from the shark's smooth head all the way back, carving a massive wound three to four meters long.
Blood gushed from the wound, staining the water red. The Seven-Star Ghost Shark let out a pained roar, thrashed its tail, twisted its body, and began to sink.
"Damn, it's trying to escape." Su Li saw this and quickly activated "Spider Walk," diving after it.
He shot downward, catching up to the sinking shark. But just then, the shark flipped its body and surged upward, charging at him from below.