Gong Xiao was held in his arms. From her angle, she could clearly see his handsome profile, striking and captivating. Hearing his words, she bit her cherry lips slightly and said, "I thought killing that scorpion lion monster would grant me a spirit source, and no matter how severe the injury, I’d recover. Who knew I’d have to wait so long for the spirit source to appear? So don’t flatter yourself thinking I risked my life to save you. I’m not that foolish."
Su Li glanced down at her, thinking to himself: That purple-striped beast appeared and attacked out of nowhere, all happening in an instant. Even I could only instinctively try to pull her away, with no time for further thought. Yet she managed to think through all that and then throw herself in front of me to take that fatal blow? But if she could think that much, how could she not have had time to cast a "Storm Shield"? Still, Su Li didn’t press further. He knew Gong Xiao was strong-willed and stubborn; he wouldn’t get anything out of her.
Both Su Li and the pursuing purple-striped beast moved at astonishing speeds. He quickly carried Gong Xiao to the building ahead, stomped his foot, and leaped into the air with her, landing on the balcony of the thirty-first floor before finally setting her down. In that brief time, Gong Xiao had fully recovered. Her back, once a bloody mess, was now smooth as before, flawlessly white without a single scar. But while the spirit source could heal her body, it couldn’t restore her clothes. The back of her upper garment was almost completely shredded, leaving her shoulders and back fully exposed, with only half the top hanging on her, threatening to fall off entirely at any moment.
Yet the situation was dire, with the purple-striped beast closing in. Su Li had no time to admire the view, and Gong Xiao didn’t fuss. As soon as he set her down, they both quickly climbed toward the rooftop. Almost simultaneously, they reached the top, and the purple-striped beast was only a step behind, bursting out of the water with a crash and leaping five or six meters to land on the roof.
The moment the beast landed, before it could steady itself, Su Li had already drawn his twin swords and charged forward to strike. Gong Xiao took a deep breath. From her heaving chest, fiery red energy surged, extending outward, growing longer and longer until it stretched over a meter and kept going. She gripped this red energy with her right hand and yanked it fully from her chest. The energy solidified into a nearly two-meter-long, dark red spear. Holding the spear with both hands, Gong Xiao’s face lit up with joy. Information flooded her mind: "The Unquenchable Spear, containing terrifying unquenchable flames. Activate it with a spirit source to unleash flames that burn everything to ash."
Gong Xiao felt the spear’s fearsome power. At the rooftop’s edge, Su Li was already locked in battle with the purple-striped beast. The beast’s main attack method was ramming. The purple stripes covering its body were impenetrable; even the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword and Ice Python Sword couldn’t damage them. But the black skin without stripes lacked such protection—otherwise, Su Li’s earlier strike wouldn’t have pierced its chest. After a few sword strikes hitting the striped areas, Su Li understood the logic. He re-entered the "Demon Muscle" state, activated "Spider Walk," circled the beast, and attacked from the other side, avoiding the stripes and stabbing into the black skin.
The beast was equally fast. It leaped into the air again, charging at Su Li. Su Li growled, this time not dodging. The demon face on his chest appeared, and his muscles bulged, as if a thick armor had suddenly covered his body. Just as the beast slammed into him, a silver sheen spread across his skin—"Silver Armor Cover" activated. With the threefold boost in strength and defense from the second form of "Demon Muscle," plus "Silver Armor Cover," Su Li met the beast’s charge head-on. Using "Spider Walk," he retreated rapidly with the impact, their bodies pressed together, and stabbed his swords backward in the same moment.
The beast hadn’t expected Su Li to fight with such a mutual-destruction tactic. As it struck him, the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword and Ice Python Sword slipped past its stripes and plunged into the black skin, emerging from its back. Blue-white electric light exploded from the swords. "High-Voltage Shock" activated at full power, using the swords as conductors, unleashing devastation inside the beast’s body. Gong Xiao, holding the Unquenchable Spear, was about to strike but stopped. She knew her help wasn’t needed.
The purple-striped beast was ultimately a rank lower than the scorpion lion ember beast, weaker in combat. Now, on the rooftop instead of in water, the tables had turned. Even if it were the scorpion lion ember beast, fighting on land would shift the balance, and Su Li wouldn’t fear it. The "High-Voltage Shock" erupted inside the beast, filling the air with a burnt stench. Though the beast’s ramming power was immense, Su Li’s dual protection from the demon face and "Silver Armor Cover," combined with "Spider Walk" to absorb the force, left him unscathed. The beast’s charge couldn’t fully connect. Meanwhile, the electric shock had charred its wounds, flesh, and even organs. Su Li twisted his swords and sliced horizontally. The beast, paralyzed by the shock, had no strength to resist. Its body was cut in two—the upper half fell, the lower half collapsed—and it died instantly.
A message appeared in Su Li’s mind: "Level 7 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 100/110." By killing a level 8 rare beast one rank above him, he gained twelve spirit sources at once. Then, the purple stripes on the beast’s body began to change. They peeled off, turning into streams of purple light that converged on Su Li. He knew this rare beast, besides yielding spirit sources, offered a special reward. Killing ordinary monsters only gave spirit sources; elite beasts had a chance for special abilities; leader beasts guaranteed a powerful one. Rare beasts provided spirit source equipment—weapons or armor.
The purple light gathered at Su Li’s waist, lining up and fusing together, forming a ring of purple glow around him. Information flowed into his mind: "The purple stripes merge with the spirit source in your body, enhancing your physique. They offset an additional 500 jin of force in attacks, boost stamina, and extend peak burst time by five minutes." As the light faded, a ten-centimeter-wide purple belt appeared around Su Li’s waist, adorned with intricate patterns, looking quite ornate. A new message emerged: "Name: Purple Stripe Belt. Ability: Increases defense by 500 jin, extends stamina by 5 minutes."
Feeling the energy from the belt merging with his body, Su Li gained greater defensive power. Most impressive was the five-minute stamina extension. In full attack mode, his stamina could sustain him for ten minutes; now it was fifteen—a remarkable boost. Gong Xiao eyed the belt and said, "So there are not only spirit source weapons but also armor. Does this armor have special skills too?" Su Li shook his head. "Armor doesn’t have skills like weapons, but it enhances other aspects, like strength or defense." Gong Xiao glanced at his right wrist and waist, realizing he now had two pieces of armor and two weapons—four spirit source items in total. She had just gotten her first, and the gap dampened her joy over the Unquenchable Spear. She still had a long way to go to catch up.
With the beast dead, they were still several kilometers from the Golden Eagle Alliance. Without a raft, they’d have to swim back. Just then, Su Li noticed a large raft approaching from afar. The people on it were all familiar, and someone was waving to get his attention—Jiang Shuiyu. Besides her, there were Ling Yi and Xu Xuehui. Behind the raft, someone swam in the water—none other than Ding Longyun. "They didn’t leave? How did they know to come here for me?" Su Li was pleasantly surprised. He quickly thought of Xu Xuehui’s exceptional eyesight and understood. "Gong Xiao, they’re here for us." Looking at her, he suddenly had an idea and took off his jacket. Though soaking wet, it could at least cover her. Gong Xiao’s top was too torn, her body barely concealed. With others arriving, Su Li didn’t want her exposed. Gong Xiao didn’t refuse. She took the jacket and draped it over herself. Wet as it was, they’d all grown used to being soaked these past days. Su Li touched his belt and wrist guard. These spirit source items didn’t get wet or absorb water. If he could one day be fully equipped with them, he wouldn’t end up drenched like this. But that was still a distant dream—he only had two pieces of armor for now.