After all, the more powerful the monster you slay, the greater the reward—not only a massive influx of spirit essence, but also the chance to gain a formidable special ability or spirit essence equipment. Either one would boost their strength.
So when they saw the giant serpent approaching, instead of panicking, they grew excited. They gathered at the edge of the floating island, with those who had ranged attacks lining up in a row, ready to unleash their long-range strikes as soon as the serpent entered their range.
Ahead of the serpent, the fleeing Crocodile-Toothed Turtle carried Su Li and the two women. Though they were noticed, most people’s attention was fixed on the serpent behind, and the distance was too great to make out Su Li and his companions clearly. It wasn’t until the turtle charged within a kilometer that someone finally recognized Su Li and couldn’t help but cry out in shock.
“It’s them! The ones who killed Brother Ye and Sister Yin yesterday!” The person who recognized Su Li screamed involuntarily.
The “Brother Ye” and “Sister Yin” he referred to were the Spirit Swordsman and Holy Archer Su Li had killed the day before.
At these words, the crowd erupted in uproar. Many of the Forgotten Humans showed expressions of shock and anger.
“It’s actually this guy?” “What nerve! Does he dare come back here?” “Wait—could he be deliberately luring that serpent here?” “That’s it! He can’t handle the serpent himself, so he’s trying to lead it to us!” “How naive. Does he think a mere serpent can take us on?” A Forgotten Human sneered. “He’s walking right into our trap and bringing us a rare monster. We’ll kill him and avenge Brother Ye and Sister Yin!”
As they murmured among themselves, a short, grim-faced man said darkly, “Since he’s asking for death, we’ll oblige him.”
As he spoke, he raised his right hand to his chest. Soon, energy light surged from his chest, coalescing into a glossy black crossbow.
This was a spirit essence weapon.
Around him, many other Forgotten Humans also drew various bone weapons from their chests—mostly bone blades and bone swords, with a few bone bows and bone staves.
Clearly, among these Forgotten Humans, the majority were Forgotten Warriors, while Forgotten Archers and Forgotten Spirit Masters were fewer in number.
The archers drew their bone bows, nocking bone arrows, ready to fire as soon as Su Li and the serpent entered their range.
The spirit masters, holding their bone staves, began preparing as well. They possessed powerful spirit techniques, most of which were ranged attacks, but their range was far shorter than the archers’, so they had to wait.
Finally, there were the ranks of Forgotten Warriors, who only had melee capabilities.
The short man with the black crossbow raised it, aiming at Su Li atop the approaching Crocodile-Toothed Turtle. Suddenly, a dark light shimmered on the crossbow, and a beam of black light shot out like a streak of lightning.
At that moment, the turtle had carried Su Li and the others within five hundred meters. The short man’s black crossbow was attacking from that distance.
Many Forgotten Humans watched in astonishment.
“Impressive, Brother Fan! Attacking from five hundred meters away!” “What do you know? Brother Fan’s class is Sniper—the one with the longest range among the six professions. Even the Holy Archer can’t match it in pure distance.” “I see.”
Amid their chatter, Su Li, now within five hundred meters of the floating island, spotted the gathered Forgotten Humans and saw the black light flash in the distance.
The light came incredibly fast, covering five hundred meters in an instant, appearing before him and the turtle. Not only was its range astonishing, but its aim was flawless—it was heading straight for his chest.
“This guy…” Su Li frowned. By the time the black light reached him at five hundred meters, its power had weakened. He swung his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword and easily sliced it apart.
He knew the man wasn’t trying to wound him with that shot—it was a provocation, a display of power. If he could land such a strike from five hundred meters, what would it be like at three hundred, two hundred, a hundred, or even fifty meters? How devastating would that attack become?
“At this distance, we can’t hit him, but he can hit us freely.”
Su Li glanced back. The pseudo-dragon had closed to within a hundred meters, hissing as it swung its tail hammer, smashing the water, sending up waves, and leaping dozens of meters into the air, cutting the distance by another ten meters. Now, it was only seventy or eighty meters away.
At this rate, it would take just three or four more leaps to reach them.
In the distance, a second black light shot toward him, again targeting Su Li.
On the entire floating island, only the short man, Brother Fan, had such extreme range. He might not be the strongest in “Forgotten City,” but in terms of attack range, he was unmatched.
The turtle had now closed to within four hundred meters of the island. The second black light was noticeably stronger. Su Li again used his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword to cut it down, but his expression grew serious. He knew that the final four hundred meters would be the most critical to completing his plan and escaping safely with the two women.
“Shui Jue, is ‘Mist Maze’ ready?”
Jiang Shui Jue nervously kept glancing back at the approaching pseudo-dragon. “Almost. About ten more seconds before I can use it again.”
“Good, but don’t use it yet. Wait until I tell you. If we go underwater and can’t speak, I’ll touch you. When you feel it, activate ‘Mist Maze’ immediately.”
Su Li watched the third black light streak toward him, slashing it with his sword as he spoke, his tone serious.
“Okay, I understand.” Jiang Shui Jue nodded quickly, watching the pseudo-dragon leap again and crash into the water, closing the distance to just fifty meters. Its hissing grew deafening, sending chills down her spine.
The closer it got, the more terrifying the pseudo-dragon seemed.
Behind it, the water was dark with countless black snakes surging like a tide.
The Crocodile-Toothed Turtle continued its desperate charge toward the floating island. Su Li gripped his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword and Ice Python Sword tightly, the Blood Ring on his left thumb glowing. He kept his eyes fixed on the three to four hundred Forgotten Humans gathered on the island.
Soon, they closed to within three hundred meters.
The sniper, Brother Fan, raised his black crossbow, this time targeting the turtle.
A black light shot out like lightning, reaching the turtle in an instant.
The turtle retracted its head into its shell. Su Li shouted, swinging both swords to cut the black light. It dissipated, but he felt his swords tremble—the attack was two to three times stronger than before.
Behind them, the pseudo-dragon slapped its tail, leaped forward, and crashed into the water, its gaping maw stretching toward them. The distance shrank to just thirty meters.
Jiang Shui Jue, riding at the back of the turtle, turned pale. She could already smell the foul breath from the pseudo-dragon’s mouth, as if it could swallow them whole with one stretch of its neck.
“Should I use ‘Mist Maze’ now?” she cried, her heart pounding. She was ready to activate it, but the pseudo-dragon was almost upon them.
“Wait!” Su Li commanded, staying calm. The turtle had now entered within two hundred meters of the island. Finally, the Forgotten Archers on the edge, who had been waiting with drawn bows, began firing.
At two hundred meters, they were within range. Though the bone arrows’ power would weaken, they couldn’t hold back any longer and let loose a volley.
Arrows rained down like a storm, some aimed at Su Li, others at the pursuing pseudo-dragon.
The pseudo-dragon’s charge was intimidating, but the Forgotten Humans were numerous and confident. They had killed powerful creatures before and remained composed, many eager to hunt the pseudo-dragon for its rewards.
The bone arrows struck the pseudo-dragon but failed to penetrate its defenses. It simply closed the fleshy frills around its neck to protect its head, its scales as hard as steel. The arrows clattered off and fell into the water.
Su Li swung his swords, cutting down the arrows aimed at him.
The turtle charged within a hundred and fifty meters. More arrows flew, and the sniper’s black light doubled in power. Su Li felt his arms shake as he cut it down, nearly losing his grip on his sword.
His muscles rippled, and his chest swelled into a demonic face. He entered the first form of “Demon Muscle,” doubling his strength and speed. With his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword, he slashed the next black light without feeling the vibration. His left hand wielded the Ice Python Sword like a wheel, forming a shield that effortlessly blocked the rain of arrows.
Behind them, the pseudo-dragon roared, its tail smashing the water and sending up massive waves.
“Dive!” Su Li slapped the turtle without hesitation. It obeyed, carrying them underwater.
The pseudo-dragon leaped into the air, meeting the storm of arrows, then crashed into the water where the turtle had been, creating a thunderous splash.
Now underwater, the turtle carried Su Li and the others toward the island, closing to within a hundred meters.
On the island, most of the Forgotten Humans refused to enter the water. Their attention shifted to the pseudo-dragon, now just a hundred meters away.
Compared to Su Li, they were more interested in the powerful serpent before them.
Su Li might have killed two of their own yesterday, but he was just an old human—not a real threat. The Forgotten City had stronger fighters than the Spirit Swordsman and Holy Archer he had killed.
So when the turtle submerged, only a few Forgotten Humans jumped into the water to intercept them. The majority quickly formed ranks, ready to fight the pseudo-dragon.
Even the sniper, Brother Fan, abandoned Su Li, raising his crossbow to target the approaching serpent. He fired a black light at its head.
At a hundred meters, his crossbow was at full power. The black light was devastating in speed and force.
Alongside it, the archers released their arrows, and dozens of spirit masters raised their staves, preparing their strongest techniques.
When the serpent entered effective range, they unleashed everything.
Dozens of spirit techniques combined could destroy even a building.
The arrows clattered against the pseudo-dragon’s scales, annoying it but not wounding it. Brother Fan’s black light, however, struck its neck frill, enraging it.
It hissed, raised its tail, and slammed the water, splitting the surface. Using the momentum, it leaped again, landing just forty to fifty meters from the island.
“Attack!” a spirit master shouted. The gathered spirit masters released their techniques.
Fireballs shot out, blue-white lightning crackled, a massive whirlwind roared, rocks flew from the island like catapult shots, and beams of light flashed.
Each attack was powerful. The spirit masters on the island were all at least level nine, some even level ten.
The pseudo-dragon, still recovering from its leap, took the full brunt of the assault.
Explosions rang out. Fireballs detonated on its body, lightning struck with sharp cracks, and rocks pounded it, leaving craters.
Though powerful, the pseudo-dragon couldn’t withstand such a barrage. Its raised head and upper body crashed into the water with a roar, sending up a huge splash.
Brother Fan seized the opportunity. His crossbow flared with spirit essence energy as he fired his strongest shot, aiming to kill the serpent.
A massive black light shot out like a laser, hitting the pseudo-dragon’s head.
Blood splattered. The pseudo-dragon howled in pain as the black light left a gaping wound.
But Brother Fan gasped. His strongest attack had only created a surface wound on its head, not pierced through. How tough was this serpent’s skull?
The pseudo-dragon, now enraged, was far more hurt than when Xu Xuehui had struck it. The wound exposed white bone with cracks—its skull had barely held, but the pain was excruciating.
Meanwhile, the Crocodile-Toothed Turtle carried Su Li and the others underwater, nearing the island. Su Li saw figures jumping into the water to intercept them.
Though most Forgotten Humans stayed on the island to fight the pseudo-dragon, a few had come to stop them.
Su Li signaled the turtle to charge at the interceptors, then touched Jiang Shui Jue.
It was the signal: she could activate “Mist Maze.”