This was a face without features, with a small portion of its skull torn off. Now surfacing, that flat face was facing the water qilin, as if observing something.
Su Li had kept the "Peep Rune" activated. When he noticed it, a message suddenly popped into his mind.
"Name: Lord of Termination, a monarch among the undead race. Insufficient level to view other data."
Sensing this message, Su Li's heart jolted violently.
This faceless humanoid monster was actually a monarch of the undead race. No wonder it could command so many high-level undead to recklessly besiege the water qilin.
Earlier, the Lord of Termination had fought the water qilin, both suffering heavy losses. It hadn't gained any advantage but had instead taken a major hit. Now, taking advantage of the water qilin's severe injuries, it was commanding hordes of undead to surround and exhaust it, while soaking in the water to slowly recover its own strength.
Previously, the undead race's attack on the Golden Eagle Alliance had caused heavy casualties on their side. In Su Li's mind, the undead race stood as enemies of humanity. Compared to this eerie Lord of Termination, Su Li sided with the water qilin, hoping it would win.
The besieged water qilin was visibly weakening, with a large amount of blood gushing from behind. Su Li watched anxiously, not only worried for the water qilin but also troubled by the thought that if it died, the Lord of Termination might kill them all too—or perhaps, in its eyes, humans were mere ants, not worth bothering with. After all, the Lord of Termination hadn't appeared during the undead attack on the Golden Eagle Alliance that night; otherwise, the alliance might have ceased to exist.
But now, high-level undead surrounded the building on all sides. It was too late to escape.
Suddenly, the water qilin, with blood still pouring from behind, opened its mouth and let out a faint, clear roar, vaguely resembling a dragon's cry. Its lower body sank slightly, and from the torrent of blood, a cyan egg emerged, dropping from the water qilin's body into the water.
This egg was sizable—a giant egg about forty to fifty centimeters in diameter and seventy to eighty centimeters long. Its entire surface was a shimmering cyan, faintly glowing.
Su Li saw this and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Mo Xingxuan, who had just killed a white jade centipede climbing onto the balcony, also saw it. His expression mirrored Su Li's—both showed disbelief.
Was the water qilin actually giving birth to a cyan giant egg mid-battle?
Su Li finally understood why it had been bleeding continuously from behind. This water qilin was a pregnant mother beast about to deliver.
After laying the egg, the water qilin seemed relieved, no longer appearing on the verge of collapse. It opened its mouth, gently took the floating cyan egg, and sent it into the thirtieth-floor building. Then it emerged again, letting out a dragon-like roar. A whirlpool formed on the water before it, sucking in high-level undead and rising into a massive water tornado, moving toward the Lord of Termination hiding in the back.
The Lord of Termination fully surfaced, raised its hands, and crackling sounds came from its palms as two energy balls sparking with lightning appeared.
It hurled these energy balls at the water qilin.
The water qilin leaped, almost airborne, charging at the floating Lord of Termination.
A water curtain rose, shielding the water qilin as it moved. The two energy balls pierced the curtain and struck the water qilin.
A piercing sound rang out. The cyan scales on the water qilin's body shattered, and the struck areas turned charred black, emitting smoke.
Su Li realized the water qilin hadn't dodged the energy balls because they were too fast—so fast that it could only rely on the water curtain for protection, unable to evade.
These two energy balls were nearly instantaneous. How could they be dodged?
After taking two hits, the Lord of Termination fared no better. It had just avoided the incoming water tornado when another whirlpool erupted from the water beneath it, dragging it in.
As it struggled free from the whirlpool, the water qilin rammed into it, hitting it squarely.
The Lord of Termination was sent flying sideways.
The water qilin didn't slow down, chasing after the airborne Lord of Termination.
The Lord of Termination crashed heavily into the water, raising waves dozens of meters high. It sank quickly and didn't resurface.
The water qilin followed it into the depths, clearly filled with hatred for the Lord of Termination, pursuing it to the death.
With the Lord of Termination's escape, the remaining undead around seemed to heed its call, sinking into the water and vanishing, as if to aid their monarch.
A few stray undead lingered, eyeing the cyan egg from a distance, hesitant and afraid to approach.
Su Li and Mo Xingxuan also stared at the egg from afar, both knowing it belonged to the water qilin beast. It might be incubating a water qilin cub—a priceless treasure.
But neither dared to approach recklessly. Who knew if the water qilin might suddenly return and think they were after the egg? That would be trouble.
The high-level undead surrounding the building gradually dispersed, and the rain began to ease. This was the perfect time to flee, but neither Su Li nor Mo Xingxuan took the chance to leave. Instead, they waited for the water qilin to reappear.
Though each had their own plans, curiosity also drove them to see the final outcome of this battle.
The black-scaled mermaid's corpse had set the hall ablaze, thick smoke billowing, making it impossible to stay on the balcony.
Su Li quickly vaulted over the balcony, climbing diagonally up to a balcony on the thirty-second floor, farther from the chaos below. He found a corner to hide in, peering through the window to observe the situation below.
Mo Xingxuan, as if by unspoken agreement, climbed to another balcony on the same floor and concealed himself.
They waited for nearly ten minutes before the water qilin finally reappeared.
It was in worse shape than before—covered in wounds, many patches of flesh turned to charcoal. No blood flowed from these horrifying injuries, as if all its blood had been drained.
The few remaining high-level undead saw the water qilin but not the Lord of Termination. Like startled birds, they immediately sank into the water and vanished.
The water qilin returned, but the Lord of Termination was gone. The outcome of this battle was clear.
The undead monarch, the Lord of Termination, had lost—perhaps even died.
But the victorious water qilin was in terrible condition, barely able to stay afloat. It swam like an ordinary spirit beast, approaching the thirtieth floor below, then slowly crawled inside.
Su Li and Mo Xingxuan, hidden on separate balconies, dared not make a sound. They silently watched the water qilin crawl into the thirtieth floor, then lost sight of it.
Soon, they saw it emerge again, holding the cyan egg in its mouth.
It seemed intent on leaving with the egg.
But as soon as it entered the water, the water qilin suddenly convulsed, as if struck by immense pain. Then, with a loud bang, blood splattered. Its belly exploded, emitting a scorched smell—an energy ball had detonated inside it.
This was residual energy from the Lord of Termination, lingering in its body, finally erupting.
With the explosion, the water qilin could no longer hold on. Sensing its end was near, it used its last strength to return the egg to the thirtieth-floor building.
This simple act seemed to drain all its remaining power.
"Boom—"
Another explosion erupted from within, flesh flying. This time, its neck was hit, nearly severed, exposing white cervical bones.
After this blast, the water qilin stopped struggling. A blazing white orb slowly emerged from its body, shot into the distance, plunged into the water, and vanished.
Su Li's heart sank. This was the water qilin's spirit source, signaling its death. But it had flown into the deep water and disappeared. Could it be that the Lord of Termination hadn't died? Was the spirit source heading toward it?
This guess darkened Su Li's expression, weighing on his mood.
He hoped he was wrong.
Suddenly, Mo Xingxuan leaped from his hiding spot on the balcony, diving toward the water below.
Without hesitation, Su Li also vaulted over.
The water qilin was dead, leaving behind the cyan egg. Such a priceless treasure was not something Su Li would pass up.
"If I can hatch the water qilin cub inside this egg, it'll be an enormous asset. This water qilin, once grown, would be incredibly powerful."
Su Li recalled that many creatures imprint on the first being they see after hatching, treating them as parents. If he obtained and hatched the egg, the cub might see him as its parent—a huge win.
He even imagined riding the water qilin, striding across waves, far more impressive than riding the Crocodile-Toothed Turtle, not to mention the water qilin's formidable combat strength.
Mo Xingxuan shared the same thought. He jumped down, landed in the water, and rushed toward the thirtieth floor to snatch the cyan egg.
Su Li followed suit, drawing the Ice Python Sword from his left hand without hesitation.