Su Li had just charged down at full speed, and now it was too late to dodge. He immediately activated the "Demon Muscle" defensive state, his entire body's muscles violently expanding and contracting, turning as hard as iron, while crossing his arms to protect his head and face, initiating "Silver Armor Coverage."
It all happened too fast, leaving Su Li little time to think. The Seven-Star Ghost Shark's smooth head, marked with seven white star spots, slammed heavily into his crossed arms and chest.
With a thunderous boom, water splashed everywhere. Su Li was knocked out of the water, flying into the air. The people who had fled into the Jinhui Center building widened their eyes in terror.
The force of this impact was terrifying.
Fortunately, being in the water and so close, the shark's ramming power was only half-effective. Su Li had already entered the "Demon Muscle" defensive state, reinforced by "Silver Armor Coverage," preventing him from being crushed to death.
Even so, Su Li was far from comfortable. His internal energy churned, and he tasted blood in his mouth as it seeped out. This impact had injured him badly.
Su Li tumbled midair, falling back down.
The Seven-Star Ghost Shark leaped out of the water, opening its massive jaws to bite at the descending Su Li.
With no escape in midair, Su Li was about to fall straight into the shark's gaping mouth.
"Beast!" Su Li suddenly roared in anger, pulling another Ice Serpent Sword from his chest with his left hand. Crossing both swords, he slashed downward at the open maw.
With a sharp tearing sound, a torrent of blood sprayed out, accompanied by the shark's earth-shattering roar. The Dragon Rhinoceros Sword and Ice Serpent Sword cut through its open mouth like a hot knife through butter, slicing it into a cross-shaped four-part split.
Su Li continued falling, his swords never stopping. After cutting through its mouth, he pressed on, quickly slicing into its head. Blood gushed out like a fountain from the split mouth.
Su Li's face and head were drenched in blood as he plunged into the water. The Seven-Star Ghost Shark let out a final, despairing wail, its leaping body crashing down heavily like a collapsing mountain.
It slammed into the water with a loud splash, sending up a massive wave.
This scene stunned the crowd gathered on the building, their eyes filled with shock.
The sight of Su Li instantly killing the Seven-Star Ghost Shark was too overwhelming. After all, it was a terrifying giant shark seven to eight meters long.
Compared to the shark, Su Li seemed insignificant, yet he had slain it.
Su Li fell into the water, spat out a mouthful of blood, and watched as a spirit source flew out of the shark's split head, embedding itself into his forehead.
"Level 7 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 23/110"
By killing the level 8 rare beast Seven-Star Ghost Shark, Su Li gained twelve spirit sources at once. This was expected, as it was a level 8 rare beast, stronger even than a same-level leader monster.
Among all the spirit source beasts he had encountered so far, aside from the mysterious Corpse Mother, this rare beast was the most powerful.
Even the Nightmare Beast was only strong due to its high level, but it was still a leader beast, not a rare type.
With the Seven-Star Ghost Shark dead, Su Li gained twelve spirit sources in one go. He felt a surge of heat flowing through his body, and his injuries quickly healed completely.
Su Li slowly climbed onto a nearby raft, his eyes fixed on the shark's floating corpse.
Earlier, when he killed the rare Dragon Rhinoceros Fish, he obtained the spirit source weapon Dragon Rhinoceros Sword. Killing the rare Blood Crystal Beast gave him the mysterious Blood Crystal, which required level 8 to unlock—he couldn't yet access it. Now, killing this Seven-Star Ghost Shark, he wondered if there would be any unexpected gains.
Under Su Li's gaze, the seven white star spots on the shark's head began to emit a faint white glow. They then peeled off, transforming into seven beams of starlight that flew toward him.
Su Li took a deep breath. Indeed, killing rare beasts always yielded special items. He just didn't know if this would be a special ability or a spirit source weapon like the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword or Ice Serpent Sword.
The seven beams of starlight didn't fly to his chest as he expected but headed toward his right wrist. They quickly entered his right wrist, one by one, forming a circle around it.
Su Li was slightly surprised, watching the seven white star spots appear on his right wrist before sinking into his skin and vanishing. At the same time, he felt a strange energy surging within his right wrist, and information surfaced in his mind.
"The star spots are merging with the spirit source, forming a guard for the right wrist. It can protect the right wrist from harm, offsetting an additional 500 jin of force. The power within the seven star spots can add an extra 500 jin of strength."
Su Li looked at his right wrist in amazement, processing the information in his mind. With a thought, seven streams of energy emerged from his wrist, and the vanished star spots reappeared, rising to the surface. The spots interwove with energy, forming a wrist guard.
The guard was black, adorned with seven white star patterns, releasing a subtle, strange energy that nourished Su Li's right wrist and spread through his body, making him feel stronger.
He activated his "Inspect Rune" to examine the wrist guard.
"Name: Seven-Star Wrist Guard (Right). Ability: Increases strength by 500 jin, increases defense by 500 jin."
Su Li gently touched the Seven-Star Wrist Guard. It felt soft and light on his wrist, almost weightless. Yet this small guard boosted his strength by 500 jin—more than a basic muscle enhancement—and added 500 jin of defense, meaning he could offset an additional 500 jin of attack power.
With this wrist guard's boost, his maximum strength now reached 4000 jin, and his defensive offset capacity increased to 1300 jin.
Any attack below 1300 jin would leave him unharmed, even if he stood still and let it hit him.
"So killing rare beasts doesn't just yield spirit source weapons. Is this wrist guard considered armor? If there are wrist guards, are there clothes and helmets too? This single boost is stronger than two or three basic enhancements. Unbelievable."
After all, one muscle enhancement only gave him 300 jin of strength, while this wrist guard added 500 jin and 500 defense points.
Su Li was both surprised and delighted.
"It seems I need to find more rare beasts to hunt. If I get a few more items like this wrist guard, my strength could skyrocket."
"But since they're called rare beasts, they're naturally hard to find. Tracking them down won't be easy."
Su Li looked into the distance. The Golden Eagle Alliance members had either been eaten by the Seven-Star Ghost Shark in the water or had taken the chance to flee, disappearing without a trace.
He had no interest in chasing them and wasn't worried about future revenge. After all, their leader, Ding Shijie, was dead. Without a leader, the Golden Eagle Alliance was likely finished.
He turned and headed toward the Jinhui Center building. He needed to ask about Jiang Shuijue and the others, as well as Liu Jiande.
The three rescued women were deeply grateful. When Su Li asked, they eagerly answered, all trying to impress him.
Poor Su Li was overwhelmed by their chatter. Finally, he designated the most articulate one to answer and told the other two to stay quiet.
After listening, he understood. When he and Ding Shijie entered the water, the Jinhui Center side had the upper hand, surrounding several Golden Eagle Alliance members, injuring two and killing one.
But suddenly, a large group of Golden Eagle Alliance experts arrived as reinforcements, turning the tide. The Jinhui Center couldn't hold out.
Jiang Shuijue and the others were trapped inside, in danger, when a thick fog suddenly enveloped the area. When it cleared, they had vanished.
Su Li immediately realized Jiang Shuijue had used her "Fog Maze."
"So she escaped with the Fog Maze. Gu Mingfeng and Ling Yi probably went with her."
Su Li pondered. Given Jiang Shuijue's personality, she hadn't tried to flee even against the powerful Ding Shijie, preferring to fight to the death. That she escaped now surprised him.
He asked about Liu Jiande, but the women didn't know. They hadn't paid much attention to him, so they had no idea where he ended up.
After Jiang Shuijue and the others fled, the Jinhui Center collapsed and was taken over by the Golden Eagle Alliance. They started capturing people and moving supplies. Fortunately, Su Li showed up and routed them.
Confirming Liu Jiande wasn't in the Jinhui Center building, Su Li said goodbye to the group. The three women were reluctant to part ways. In this world, everyone wanted to follow a strong protector, and in their eyes, Su Li was that kind of person.
Though Su Li understood their thoughts, he couldn't take them in. The Jinhui Center building belonged to Jiang Shuijue and her group. Though they had fled temporarily, they might return soon. For now, he decided to head back to the Purple Wind Building to see if Liu Jiande had escaped back alone. He needed Liu Jiande to find the Flower Pavilion neighborhood and hoped nothing had happened to him.