Seeing how exhausted Gong Xiao and Ling Yi were, it was clear this wasn’t their first fight. Who knew how many battles they’d been through to drain every ounce of their energy? Were these people trying to tire them to death?
“Who’s going first?” The old man in his sixties, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
The moment he spoke, the chatter and arguments ceased. Everyone turned to look at Su Li. The man with the bone swords, who had just fought Gong Xiao, stepped forward and said, “I’ll go. Let me test him first, then you can take turns.”
“Aser, you just went. Now you’re cutting in line again? Let me have a turn—I’ve been itching for this.” On the other side, a burly, rough-looking man rubbed his hands together with an excited grin as he stepped out.
Su Li silently assessed them. Through his “Peek Rune,” he could see that Aser was a Level 9 Warrior, while the burly man was a Level 8 Warrior.
“No need to argue. Come at me together.” Su Li coldly stared at the group, then spoke slowly, word by word: “Today, none of you are leaving alive.”
The group froze at his words, then burst into laughter. A few women in particular doubled over, clutching their stomachs, as if they’d heard the funniest joke in the world.
“That’s hilarious! Just because you killed Bog, you think you’re invincible? Bog was careless, and you got a cheap shot in,” said the woman named Wu Yunfang, still laughing. “I actually liked you at first, with that handsome face. I thought I’d be the last to kill you myself. But now you disgust me—you’re not worthy of dying by my hand. Aser, Duan Mingguang, both of you go. Finish him off quickly. I can’t stand such arrogant old humans.”
“Fine!” The burly Duan Mingguang let out a sinister laugh, reaching into his chest. A bone handle emerged, and he gripped it, pulling out a broad bone blade as wide as a palm.
Aser raised his bone swords slightly, ready to pounce.
At almost the same moment, Su Li stepped into a walking state. His chest muscles swelled as he entered the first form of “Demon Muscle.” Reaching into his chest, he drew out the Ice Python Sword.
With a sharp *whoosh*, Su Li spread his arms like an eagle unfurling its wings and shot forward.
No one present could describe Su Li’s speed.
The doubled speed boost from “Demon Muscle,” plus the 5% speed increase from the Thunder Boots, and “Spider Walk”—
When Su Li charged, Aser and Duan Mingguang only saw a blur before their eyes. A chill of dread struck their hearts. They roared, thinking to dodge, but it was too late.
Two heads, still dripping blood, flew from their necks, hit the ground, and rolled. Su Li had already lunged at the woman named Wu Yunfang, driving the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword into her heaving chest without resistance.
“Ahh—” Her pretty face twisted in terror and agony as she opened her mouth to scream.
The Dragon Rhinoceros Sword sliced upward with a *shiiing*, trailing a vivid streak of red. It cut through her chest, up her pale neck, past her cherry-red lips, her straight nose, her full forehead—splitting her entire head cleanly in two, perfectly symmetrical.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye, within two seconds. Su Li had killed three in an instant, and messages flashed through his mind.
“Level 8 Source User: Source 116/130” “Level 8 Source User: Source 119/130” “Level 8 Source User: Source 122/130”
Aser was a Level 9 Warrior, worth six Source Crystals. Duan Mingguang was a Level 8 Warrior, worth three. Wu Yunfang was a Level 8 Warrior, worth three.
In an instant, he’d gained twelve Source Crystals. He needed just eight more to break through.
“All together!” The only Level 10 Source Master, the old man in his sixties, trembled, his eyes wide, and finally bellowed. He sensed something was wrong—this old human was terrifying.
He didn’t even need to give the order. The remaining Forgotten Humans frantically drew their bone weapons and launched a counterattack.
*Shiiing*—Another head rolled away.
“Thirteen left.” Su Li swept the Ice Python Sword horizontally, killing another Level 8 Forgotten Warrior. He scanned the remaining crowd—thirteen Forgotten Humans left. His Source count had climbed to 125.
The old man roared, pulling a bone staff from his chest. He muttered something under his breath, and suddenly, a barrage of ice spikes shot from the staff.
Each spike was two feet long, as thick as an arm, crystal clear, sharp and deadly. Under his control, they flew like arrows, converging on Su Li.
The ice spikes covered a wide area, instantly enveloping him.
Su Li accelerated again. The muscles on his back swelled and gathered, forming another demonic face.
“Demon Muscle” Second Form.
With a fourfold drain on stamina, he gained a threefold boost in strength and speed. Su Li entered his strongest state, instantly dodging the surrounding ice spikes. His figure turned into a phantom as the Forgotten Humans roared and screamed, unable to track him.
*Shiiing, shiiing, shiiing*—Three more heads flew.
Two Level 8 Warriors and one Level 9 Warrior fell. The Forgotten Humans were down to ten.
Messages flashed in his mind.
“Level 8 Source User: Source 128/130” “Level 8 Source User: Source 130/130” “Beginning Ascension” “Muscles strengthening, power increasing, defense improving” “Base power increased to 1800 jin” “Base defense increased to 1000 jin” “Stamina enhanced, sustained burst extended to 17 minutes” “Lung capacity increased, breath-holding extended to 10 minutes” “Speed improved, vision enhanced, hearing sharpened” “...” “Ascension Complete” “Level 9 Source User: Source 0/150” “Talent: Enhanced Favor” “Basic Enhancements: Strong Lungs Type 1, Muscle Boost Type 8, Super Heart Type 2, Steel Bones Type 1, Explosive Liver Type 1” “Special Skills: Peek Rune (Flawed), Glutton’s Fang (Left), Spider Walk, Silver Armor, Demon Hunter’s Claw, High-Voltage Shock” “Source Art: Demon Muscle Second Form” “Basic Enhancement Options: Strong Lungs Type 1, Muscle Boost Type 8, Super Heart Type 2, Steel Bones Type 1, Explosive Liver Type 1, Stomach, Tongue” “Demon Muscle Third Form beginning to comprehend...” “Ascending to Level 10 will unlock a second Source Art”
Then another message appeared.
“Level 9 Source User: Source 3/150”
It was from the Level 9 Forgotten he’d killed, yielding three Source Crystals. Now that he’d broken through to Level 9, killing Level 9 Forgotten gave him half the Source.
Su Li felt the constant stream of messages in his mind as he moved, weaving through the Forgotten Humans. The Level 10 Source Master, the old man, kept summoning ice spikes, but he was always a step too slow, missing Su Li.
Most of these Forgotten were Warriors, with only one Source Master and two female archers.
The two archers, holding bone bows, tried to lock onto Su Li, but their faces were full of panic. To them, Su Li was a blur—they couldn’t even see him clearly, let alone shoot.
In terms of strength, these Forgotten weren’t weak. Any one of them could match Gong Xiao or Ling Yi. That’s why they’d toyed with them, taking turns in a rotating battle, both to hone their skills and to slowly exhaust Gong Xiao and the others, treating it like a game.
But they’d run into Su Li, a freak.
Now, with seven Source Equipment pieces, eight muscle enhancements, two heart enhancements, plus reinforced bones, liver, and lungs, along with “Demon Muscle” and the top-tier “Spider Walk,” Su Li’s speed and power were nearly inhuman.
The two archers tried to track his high-speed movements, but wherever he went, heads fell. In an instant, three more died.
Two were Level 9, one Level 8. Killing Level 8 Forgotten no longer yielded Source, but the two Level 9 gave him six Source Crystals.
The remaining Forgotten numbered seven.
Finally, someone thought to flee. The two archers spun around, heading for the rooftop’s edge.
A long howl rang out as Su Li shot over like lightning. The archers felt a chill wind and knew they were doomed.
The Level 10 Source Master seized the chance, roaring as he hurled his bone staff. With a *boom*, the staff exploded into a dense mass of ice spikes, covering Su Li and the two archers.
To kill Su Li, he didn’t care about the archers’ lives. He unleashed his strongest attack, hoping to take all three out in one blow.
Su Li wasn’t fazed. He let go of his swords, letting them fall, and stepped forward, grabbing the archers by their backs. He lifted them like shields, swinging them to protect himself.
*Shiiing, shiiing, shiiing*—The rain of ice spikes pierced the archers, turning them into pincushions in seconds, their bodies bristling with spikes.
Their eyes wide, they stared at the old man, filled with pain and hatred, dying with their eyes open.
Su Li hurled the two pincushion-like corpses at the old man.
Now, only five people were left alive, including the old man.
Gong Xiao and Ling Yi, sprawled on the ground, stared in disbelief. All they saw was Su Li, a phantom weaving through the crowd, while the heads of these so-called new humans fell like dumplings into a pot.