A massive ice serpent phantom emerged from the blade, coiling around Su Li's entire body as a chilling, frigid aura surged outward. The giant fireballs shooting in from all directions met this overwhelming cold, and with a series of "puff puff puff" sounds, they burst like bubbles, instantly extinguishing without a trace.
All seventeen or eighteen of those giant fireballs were devoured and snuffed out by the cold breath of the ice serpent phantom.
Seeing that Su Li had blocked it without a scratch, Gong Xiao let out a light sigh and halted his advance, though his gaze toward Wu Feng turned icy and sharp.
As for Jiang Shuijue, Ding Longyun, and the others, even if they saw Su Li in danger and wanted to intervene, they were all a step too late—none of them were as fast as Gong Xiao. By the time they reacted, Su Li had already used "Ice Serpent King's Devour" to block the sky full of fireballs.
Having activated "Ice Serpent King's Devour" to protect himself and extinguish those about-to-explode fireballs, Su Li shot forward like an arrow, thrusting the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword in his right hand out like lightning.
"I'm done fighting!" Wu Feng shouted, hastily raising the burning wooden oar in his right hand to block in front of him. But how could that wooden oar withstand the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword? With a *shiiing* sound, it was sliced through, and the sword drove straight into his chest, emerging from his back.
Wu Feng stood still, his face slightly twisted, cold sweat pouring from his forehead as he said with difficulty, "I surrender, I admit defeat, I'm willing to submit."
"Feng-ge—" "Boss—"
The young woman screamed, and the group that came with Wu Feng immediately tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to rush over and save him.
Wu Feng shook his head at them with difficulty, signaling them not to come. He held great authority among these people, and seeing him shake his head, they stopped, tense and rigid, clearly ready to act at his command.
Su Li's Dragon Rhinoceros Sword had pierced through his chest and didn't move further. At this moment, if he wanted to kill him, a simple flick of the sword would split him open.
"Wu Feng, you're quite cunning. If I didn't have this Ice Serpent Sword, I might have fallen for your trick just now," Su Li said, staring at Wu Feng with a far from friendly expression.
Wu Feng didn't dare move an inch, his face ashen with pain, beads of sweat the size of beans covering his forehead.
"I fought Ding Shijie before... he used this move to block my attack too. If you really had his sword, you'd know this move, so I just wanted to test if it was truly his sword..."
Su Li said coldly, "And now? Have you tested it?"
"Yes, it's really his sword. You didn't lie. Ding Shijie did lose to you. I'm willing to submit," Wu Feng quickly declared.
Hearing this, Su Li slowly began to pull the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword out. He pulled it very slowly, and Wu Feng's face twisted in pain, but he still didn't dare move, afraid that if Su Li exerted a bit more force, the wound in his chest would grow larger.
"Your strength is no less than Ding Shijie's, so why are you willing to recognize him as the alliance leader?" Su Li asked as he fully withdrew the sword. Wu Feng finally relaxed and quickly controlled his muscles to contract the wound and stop the bleeding.
At his level of strength, though he couldn't enhance his muscles seven times like Su Li, he had at least enhanced them a few times, so he could easily control the muscles around a wound once injured.
"I didn't want to either, but I don't have a spirit-source weapon," Wu Feng said with a bitter smile, clearly admitting that his strength was on par with Ding Shijie's, only lacking a spirit-source weapon.
As he said this, he glanced at Su Li and continued, "Unlike you, who has two spirit-source weapons..."
His tone couldn't help but reveal envy.
"Oh?" Su Li caught a hint of meaning in his words and said, "Do you think I beat you because I have these two spirit-source weapons?"
Wu Feng's face showed a hint of embarrassment as he said, "No, no, don't misunderstand."
Though he said that, the look in his eyes was somewhat dismissive.
Su Li could see that Wu Feng was proud at heart. He hadn't truly submitted to Ding Shijie either, only believing that Ding Shijie's Ice Serpent Sword gave him the edge. And now, his surrender to Su Li was merely because he thought Su Li had two spirit-source weapons. Deep down, he had never truly respected either Su Li or Ding Shijie.
Suddenly, Su Li reversed his grip on both swords, raised them, and stabbed them into his own chest.
The swords sank into his chest and disappeared. Su Li stared at Wu Feng and said, "How about we have another match, bare-handed this time? Same deal as before—whoever wins becomes the alliance leader."
Wu Feng's eyes lit up, but then he frowned and said, "I'm badly injured now, how can I fight?"
Su Li said calmly, "Don't be dramatic. Have someone catch a few monsters, kill them, and absorb their spirit source. The wound will heal quickly. I'll wait until you're fully recovered before we start."
"Really?" This time, Wu Feng straightened up, staring at Su Li with some doubt.
Bare-handed, with no spirit-source weapons, Wu Feng wasn't afraid of Su Li. Not just Su Li—even Ding Shijie, without his Ice Serpent Sword, wouldn't have impressed Wu Feng. But with a spirit-source weapon in hand, he had to admit defeat.
"Stop dawdling. I, Su Li, mean what I say."
"Fine." Wu Feng looked at his subordinates, clutching his chest, and said, "Brothers, go down and catch me a few monsters."
"Got it, boss." "Understood."
These people clearly respected Wu Feng and jumped into the water one after another to find spirit-source beasts.
Wu Feng's eyes shifted as he thought for a moment, then said, "Su Li, is it? Regardless of the outcome, I admire your guts. Since we're going bare-handed, let's have a real fight. Fighting on these rafts won't show our full strength and isn't fair to you. How about we change the venue?"
Su Li thought to himself that this guy's abilities clearly weren't suited for close combat. These narrow rafts were disadvantageous for him. He wanted an open space to keep his distance, control fireballs for ranged attacks, and stay unbeatable.
Knowing Wu Feng's intent, Su Li still nodded and said, "Where do you suggest?"
Wu Feng pointed to a thirty-story building protruding from the water a few hundred meters away and said, "How about up there?"
That building had thirty stories, now submerged at least half a meter above the thirtieth floor, with only most of that floor above water. But the rooftop was spacious enough for a group to fight.
"Fine." Su Li agreed again.
Seeing Su Li so readily agree to all his requests, Wu Feng felt a bit embarrassed.
"If I lose to you this time too, I, Wu Feng, will be completely convinced. From now on, whatever you say goes... but if you lose..."
Su Li laughed heartily and said, "If I lose, same thing. From now on, you're the alliance leader."
Both he and Wu Feng were level 7 spirit-source users, but starting from level 4, Su Li had an extra enhancement opportunity each time. By level 7, that meant four more basic enhancements than Wu Feng, plus the Seven Star Wristband, which was worth two or three enhancements. If he still lost to Wu Feng under these conditions, it would only prove that he was far inferior, and making Wu Feng the alliance leader would be deserved.
Wu Feng nodded and said nothing more.
Soon, those who had submerged into the water came ashore, bringing back various spirit-source beasts.
These beasts were low-level, either with limbs severed or severely wounded, unable to resist.
Wu Feng killed them, and though the spirit sources he absorbed were ineffective, taking in so much at once allowed the wounds on his chest and back to heal at an astonishing rate.
"Let's go to that building." Su Li and Wu Feng gave the order, and everyone boarded rafts, heading toward the thirty-story building a few hundred meters away.
Besides them, a crowd from the Golden Eagle No. 1 Building A also came down, including the elderly, women, and children. Hearing about the spectacle, they boarded rafts to watch.
Only the eagle-nosed man stayed behind, hesitating and pondering for a long time before finally letting out a faint sigh. Alone, he paddled a raft away.
He didn't know where he was going, only that he didn't want to stay at these three buildings, the Golden Eagle Alliance, anymore.
No matter who won between Su Li and Wu Feng, as long as Ding Shijie was gone, this place held no meaning for him.
He didn't believe Ding Shijie was dead. He wanted to search for him, and one day, he would find him.
...
...
...
The group reached the thirty-story building. Wu Feng's injuries had fully healed, and with a loud laugh, he leaped up first.
Right behind him, the young woman and his group of subordinates followed.
On the other side, Su Li, Jiang Shuijue, Long Dingyun, and Gong Xiao's group of eleven also climbed up.
Among Wu Feng's followers, two lifted a raft and tossed it up.
The raft landed heavily on the rooftop with a loud crash.
"Boss, is this enough for you?" one of them asked Wu Feng.
Wu Feng nodded with a smile and said, "Enough." As he spoke, he grabbed the raft, and with a series of crackling sounds, flames burst out, quickly igniting it despite the damp wood.
Su Li began to understand. Wu Feng's ability required a combustible material to produce flames first, unlike Xu Haishui's fire control, which could conjure flames out of thin air.
"Brother Su, shall we start?" Wu Feng stood by the raft, now engulfed in flames. From the blazing fire, football-sized fireballs began to separate.
The longer this went on, the more fireballs he produced, and the more terrifying his power became.
"It seems with enough fire, this guy's strength is indeed formidable," Su Li thought to himself, then nodded at Wu Feng and said, "Let's begin."
Everyone else stepped back, clearing a spacious area.
As soon as Su Li finished speaking, Wu Feng quickly waved both hands, and two floating giant fireballs shot toward Su Li.