Su Li was in a good mood after killing a Spitter with his Demon-Slaying Claws and harvesting three Spirit Sources.
The battle on the rooftop had already reached a fever pitch, and as he had guessed, it was nearly a one-sided fight. Those who came to witness the duel between Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong were all close associates of theirs, or rather, the elites of Financial City and Maple View Central Tower—hardly any weaklings among them.
Although these high-level undead were not low in rank, most reaching level eight, while their side was a level lower, with the majority at level seven, in terms of actual strength, the humans, wielding powerful Spirit Source techniques and various other special abilities, were far stronger than these undead that were a level above them.
A level-seven Spirit Source user’s techniques had already entered their second form, greatly boosting their power. Coupled with the fact that most of them had killed some elite beasts or even leader beasts, mastering one or two special abilities, their combined strength was formidable, easily overpowering these level-eight high-level undead.
Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong were naturally the strongest among them. Both were frantically killing more undead to outdo each other, and soon each encountered a level-eight Bloodthirster.
A Bloodthirster of the same level had melee combat abilities far surpassing those of Spitters, Throwers, and Corroders. They possessed impenetrable bone armor, swift movement, and devastating iron fists. As they charged into the group, two people were immediately overwhelmed and sent flying.
They let out cruel, savage roars and were about to pounce on others when Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong blocked them.
“Leave these two to us!” Wang Xu roared. He and Jiang Xiaodong engaged the Bloodthirsters, quickly suppressing them. The two level-eight Bloodthirsters struggled, retreating step by step.
With a thunderous boom, Jiang Xiaodong struck first. His “Blood Cannon” attack flashed with crimson light, hitting the head of the Bloodthirster in front of him. Though protected by its bone armor, the head wasn’t blown off, but the immense impact sent it staggering, crashing to the ground. Its head slammed into the concrete floor, cracking it.
Among the high-level undead closing in, the most formidable was undoubtedly the level-nine Bloodthirster.
It was covered in even more exaggerated bone armor, like a suit of ancient general’s armor. With a single charge, it sent two level-seven Spirit Source users flying. Its right fist swung out, striking a man who couldn’t dodge in time, hitting him square in the chest.
Blood gushed from the man’s mouth, his ribs shattered, and he flew back like a broken kite. The Bloodthirster didn’t stop, charging straight into the group.
Qin Xin and You Zhenghao were nearby, and the level-nine Bloodthirster lunged directly at Qin Xin.
Qin Xin snorted, raising both hands as a massive whirlwind formed in his palms.
He had the ability to control cyclones and was a formidable fighter in Financial City, highly valued by Wang Xu.
The level-nine Bloodthirster’s display shocked many. Just as Jiang Xiaodong had sent the level-eight Bloodthirster flying with a “Blood Cannon,” he saw this and roared, turning to charge over and block the level-nine Bloodthirster.
Zhao Haoyang from Eastern Tower had been standing with his hands behind his back, not intervening. Perhaps he trusted the group, feeling his help wasn’t needed, or maybe he held himself in high regard, thinking these undead weren’t worth his effort.
It wasn’t until the level-nine Bloodthirster knocked two people flying, severely injured another, and charged toward him that his brows finally shot up.
“Get out of the way!” He barked, shoving Qin Xin, who was blocking his path, aside with his left hand.
Qin Xin, controlling the cyclone, hadn’t expected Zhao Haoyang to push him from behind. Caught off guard, and with Zhao Haoyang’s immense strength, he stumbled sideways, nearly falling.
Furious, Qin Xin’s face flushed red as he turned to curse, but then he saw Zhao Haoyang pull a red light from his chest, forming a weapon about a meter long, entirely crimson, with a curved blade like a crescent moon.
Zhao Haoyang let out a long cry, drawing everyone’s attention. Gripping the crescent-bladed weapon in his right hand, he swung it down at the charging level-nine Bloodthirster.
A terrifying power erupted from the red blade. From a distance, it looked like a massive red crescent moon rose up, crushing the pouncing Bloodthirster.
The level-nine Bloodthirster’s impenetrable bone armor shattered like tofu under the onslaught of the red blade, utterly defenseless.
Su Li, who had just killed a Thrower with his Demon-Slaying Claws, stopped and turned back, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The blade in Zhao Haoyang’s hand was a Spirit Source weapon, and against the level-nine Bloodthirster, he had activated its skill, unleashing such terrifying power to instantly crush it.
The level-nine Bloodthirster had the ability “Overheat Frenzy,” but it was too late to use it now.
Zhao Haoyang’s slash sent a massive red moon flying, cleaving the level-nine Bloodthirster in two. The rooftop floor was split open, revealing the rooms below, with a deep trench four to five meters long carved into the solid concrete.
The power of this strike stunned everyone present.
Qin Xin, who had been about to curse, swallowed his words and instinctively gulped.
This Zhao Haoyang from Eastern Tower was terrifying.
Seeing the shock, awe, and fear on everyone’s faces, Zhao Haoyang was satisfied. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
He had come to see Wang Xu with an important mission: to merge Financial City and Maple View Central Tower into “Eastern Tower.”
But it hadn’t gone well. After a brief chat, Wang Xu was noncommittal, neither agreeing nor refusing, then brought up his duel with Jiang Xiaodong and invited Zhao Haoyang to be the referee.
Zhao Haoyang couldn’t refuse, so he followed them.
He had already decided he needed an opportunity to show his strength, to intimidate these people thoroughly, making Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong understand that opposing him or Eastern Tower meant certain death, and that joining them was the only way to survive.
So when he saw that powerful level-nine Bloodthirster charging in, Zhao Haoyang knew his chance had come.
Without hesitation, he shoved Qin Xin, who was in his way, and drew his Spirit Source weapon, the Red Moon Blade, from his chest. He unleashed the most powerful “Red Moon Slash” to awe the crowd and create a sensational effect.
The “Red Moon Slash” was devastating. Not only did it instantly kill the powerful level-nine Bloodthirster, but it also tore a massive hole in the sturdy rooftop. Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu gasped in shock.
Zhao Haoyang inwardly gloated, thinking these country bumpkins wouldn’t know that the “Red Moon Slash” could only be used once in a while. They’d think he could unleash such power at will, and after seeing that terrifying slash, they’d be scared out of their wits. When he brought up the merger next, no one would dare object.
The shocking “Red Moon Slash” not only killed the level-nine Bloodthirster but also intimidated everyone, even the surrounding high-level undead, who seemed cowed, stopping their attacks and slowly retreating, showing signs of fleeing.
Zhao Haoyang acted as if it were nothing, sheathing the Red Moon Blade back into his chest. He clapped his hands, looked at Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong, and said with a smile, “Are you two still continuing your match?”
Wang Xu saw his smile and eyes, felt a surge of fear, and suddenly understood this was a show of force, even a hint that if he didn’t comply and merge Financial City into Eastern Tower, his fate might be the same as the monster split in two on the ground.
Though Wang Xu thought highly of himself, he knew he couldn’t withstand that slash, and his end wouldn’t be much better than the bisected monster.
Qin Xin broke out in a cold sweat, thinking he had almost scolded the guy. Good thing he swallowed his words; if he had spoken out, would he still be alive?
Jiang Xiaodong felt his mouth go dry. After witnessing Zhao Haoyang’s incredible slash, he lost interest in the duel with Wang Xu, even feeling like they were both clowns. How could Zhao Haoyang be so powerful? Could he use that slash repeatedly, or was it a one-time thing?
Jiang Xiaodong doubted it. The power of that slash far exceeded what their current level should allow. He didn’t believe Zhao Haoyang could use it continuously.
If it could only be used once in a while, it wasn’t that scary. But if it had no limits, it would be unstoppable.
Seeing Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong standing there dumbfounded, Zhao Haoyang smiled faintly, knowing he had scared them. He was about to speak again, pressing his advantage to invite them to join Eastern Tower, when a low, muffled roar came from the rooftop’s edge.
With that roar came a thud, and the entire rooftop seemed to tremble slightly. The sudden change drew everyone’s attention, and they turned or looked up.
Even Zhao Haoyang, about to speak, paused and looked up.
A claw gripped the rooftop’s edge, followed by a mass of writhing flesh surging up.
Then, everyone saw a grotesque, deformed monster slowly crawling onto the rooftop.
Almost everyone widened their eyes, thinking, What kind of monster is this?
Su Li, among the crowd, frowned slightly as he looked at the climbing monster, feeling a sense of familiarity.
This massive creature was enormous, covered in writhing flesh like a small mountain of meat. He felt familiar because part of this meat mountain resembled the level-nine rare beast, the Lion Scorpion Ember Beast, and another part looked like the level-eight leader, the Demon-Faced Electric Eel.
The whole form seemed to be a fusion of the Lion Scorpion Ember Beast and the Demon-Faced Electric Eel, mixed with other unrecognizable monster parts, a chaotic amalgamation.
On the right side was a lion’s head identical to the Lion Scorpion Ember Beast, and on the left was the Demon-Faced Electric Eel’s head, with blurry facial features vaguely resembling a human face. The body was a mix of countless unknown corpses and flesh, moving like a writhing mass of meat, with claws, feet, and tails protruding from it, indescribably hideous.
“What is that thing?” someone finally exclaimed in shock.
The high-level undead all around were retreating, and those near the massive monster fled in terror, as if afraid to touch it.
Su Li immediately activated his “Peeking Rune” to observe the massive creature crawling toward them.
Instantly, information appeared in his mind.
“Name: Fuser, Level: Nine, Race: Undead. A high-level undead evolved from common undead with a special title. The Fuser is an anomaly among the undead, despised and feared by other high-level undead. It has no fixed appearance, possessing the ability to fuse genes with other organisms, gaining their abilities. This fusion has limits; infinite fusion could cause it to collapse. Because of different fusions, Fusers vary greatly in strength—some are strong, others weak. Fusers are hard to kill; only destroying the organ controlling gene fusion inside them can truly kill them.”
Taking in this information, Su Li took a deep breath. So this thing was called a Fuser, capable of fusing with various creatures and gaining their abilities. It seemed this Fuser had at least fused the bodies of the Lion Scorpion Ember Beast and the Demon-Faced Electric Eel, plus some other unrecognizable monsters.
If the Fuser truly had the abilities of the Lion Scorpion Ember Beast and the Demon-Faced Electric Eel, it would be incredibly powerful. Su Li understood why the surrounding high-level undead feared it so much.
But after the initial shock, the group quickly calmed down. After all, there were nearly forty human elites here, including big shots like Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong, and the super-strong Zhao Haoyang from Eastern Tower.
“What an ugly monster. You guys try attacking it,” Wang Xu said to a few nearby, who had ranged attacks. They’d test it from a distance first.
Everyone was seeing such a deformed meat-mountain monster for the first time. Though not scared, they were cautious, not rushing in for close combat.
These people immediately unleashed their ranged attacks. One raised his hand, conjuring a fireball and hurling it at the Fuser. Another summoned an ice pillar from afar, smashing it toward the Fuser.
Someone else clasped their hands together, shooting a beam of light like a laser at the Fuser.
Jiang Xiaodong raised his right arm, morphing it into a bloody giant spear. He flicked his fingers, firing five bone bullets at the Fuser’s left face, where the blurry features were.
Just as these attacks were about to hit the massive Fuser, it raised its left face, letting out a deep, muffled roar, while its right lion head opened its jaws wide, spewing flames.
“Inextinguishable Fire,” Su Li thought with a jolt.
This was the Lion Scorpion Ember Beast’s ability. The Fuser, having fused with its body, truly possessed control over Inextinguishable Fire. This was trouble.
The terror of Inextinguishable Fire was still fresh in Su Li’s memory.
With the flames erupting, all the fireballs, ice pillars, light beams, and Jiang Xiaodong’s five bone bullets were instantly obliterated.
The Inextinguishable Fire turned into a massive dragon of flame, like a fire hose, shooting straight at the group.
No one expected the deformed monster to breathe fire, and from such a distance. In shock, those focused on melee combat dodged, while those with defensive abilities raised shields or light barriers to block the flames.
As it spewed fire, the Fuser charged forward.
Despite its deformed, ugly, bloated appearance, it wasn’t slow. Claws, feet, legs, and tails protruded from its meat-mountain body, all pushing against the ground to propel it forward.
A man at the front, hands clasped together, formed a wind shield. He was from Maple View Central Tower, with a defensive special ability, and his wind shield was extremely strong.
He blocked the flames, standing at the front, but he never expected his powerful wind shield to last only a second before being burned away. Before he could react, the Inextinguishable Fire consumed him.
“Ahhh—” He screamed in agony, rolling on the ground as the Fuser closed in.
Seeing this, some gasped, some roared, some shouted. Several people rushed in from the sides, trying to attack.
But then, blue-white lightning exploded from the Fuser’s surface.
The lightning was powerful, instantly enveloping three Spirit Source users who tried to get close, crackling loudly.
They screamed in agony, their bodies convulsing violently, skin quickly turning black, with green smoke rising from their orifices.
Su Li recognized this as the Demon-Faced Electric Eel’s electric shock.
The Fuser not only had Inextinguishable Fire but also the Demon-Faced Electric Eel’s lightning, and it was even stronger than the one Su Li had encountered.
The three electrocuted people were soon charred to a crisp. In a single exchange, the Fuser had killed four. Panic spread, and everyone retreated.
Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong roared, charging in from opposite sides.
As leaders of their buildings, seeing their men die, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and attack.