Su Li frowned slightly as he continuously circled the Tyrant Crab. The crab couldn't keep up with his speed at all. Soon, Su Li was behind it. He extended the iron rod, sliding it under the crab's body, gripped it tightly with both hands, and with all his strength, let out a low grunt as he flipped the Tyrant Crab over with the rod.
With a loud "bang," the massive Tyrant Crab was overturned, its belly facing upward. It struggled incessantly but couldn't right itself for the moment, its soft belly exposed to the sky, leaving it helpless like a flipped-over turtle.
Su Li, holding the iron rod with both hands, immediately struck down at the Tyrant Crab's soft belly.
Although the crab's belly was also protected by a shell, it was very soft. Su Li's blow shattered it, and yellow matter splattered out.
The Tyrant Crab's fatal weakness wasn't its head but the organs inside this soft belly shell. Now, Su Li's iron rod had smashed the shell and crushed the vital organs within.
The Tyrant Crab shuddered all over, and its wildly flailing pincers slowed down.
Su Li struck several more times, completely smashing the crab's abdomen. As a large amount of yellow and white fluid flowed out, the Tyrant Crab's pincers finally stiffened and stopped moving. Soon, a spirit source emerged from its body and vanished into Su Li's forehead.
"Level 3 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 8/30"
Having successfully killed the Tyrant Crab, he had gained two spirit sources.
Looking at the crab's corpse, Su Li let out a long sigh. Though he had managed to kill the Tyrant Crab, it hadn't been easy. Despite his strength reaching a thousand jin, the more power he exerted, the faster his stamina drained.
He had a vague feeling that since his muscle enhancement had reached the second form, allowing him to unleash over a thousand jin of force, his other organs were struggling to keep up.
After all, the human body is like an exquisitely precise machine, with every part interconnected. His muscles, having been strengthened twice, were now far more powerful than the rest of his body, capable of unleashing immense force. But this also placed an increasing burden on his body.
At that moment, the spirit source he had absorbed turned into a warm current, nourishing his body. He felt his severely depleted stamina slowly recovering, and his heart, which had been pounding violently, gradually calmed down.
Su Li stared at the dead Tyrant Crab's corpse, but noticed no new changes. A wave of disappointment washed over him.
According to the information from the "Peeping Rune," killing this elite Tyrant Crab had a certain chance of granting the special ability "Crab Armor." But now, the corpse showed no change, and he hadn't acquired "Crab Armor."
"What a shame," Su Li muttered to himself, shaking his head. He turned and walked toward Ding Longyun and Xu Xuehui.
Killing elite spirit source beasts only gave a certain probability of obtaining a special ability, not a guarantee. He had gained abilities from killing the One-Eyed Frog and the Glutton Dog before, but this time, he hadn't been so lucky.
"Su Li, you're something else," Ding Longyun said, slowly sitting up from the ground, still clutching his chest. He had watched Su Li kill the Tyrant Crab and was full of admiration.
Su Li asked with concern, "How are your injuries?" Seeing Ding Longyun still sitting on the ground, he knew the man must be badly hurt.
"A few broken ribs. It's troublesome," Ding Longyun frowned. Though he was a level 4 spirit source user with a strong recovery ability, several times faster than an ordinary person, the bones wouldn't heal quickly.
Su Li said, "It's fine. Once you absorb a new spirit source, you'll recover soon."
Spirit source users naturally had a healing ability far beyond ordinary people. If they could absorb a new spirit source, their recovery speed would increase dramatically. As long as the injury wasn't fatal, they could recover quickly.
On the rooftop, with the Tyrant Crab dead and no other monsters in sight, Su Li told Xu Xuehui to help Ding Longyun up. "Follow me," he said, heading toward the stairwell.
Ding Longyun, holding the steel shovel with his right hand and leaning on Xu Xuehui with his left arm, slowly stood up. After just a few steps, his face was covered in cold sweat from the pain.
"It's my fault. I should have listened to you earlier," Ding Longyun thought, feeling a mix of regret and frustration. He saw Su Li enter the stairwell and disappear into the darkness.
Soon, a "bang" was heard, and a figure tumbled out of the entrance, landing on the ground—a low-level corpse beast.
"Ding, it's yours," Su Li's voice came from inside.
Ding Longyun understood Su Li's intent. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he swung the steel shovel with his right hand.
With a "crack," he smashed the head of the corpse beast lying before him.
A spirit source appeared and vanished into his forehead.
Though the spirit source from a low-level corpse beast did little to enhance Ding Longyun's strength, it was still absorbed by his body, forming a warm current that concentrated on his injured chest, accelerating his recovery.
Of course, the healing effect of a low-level corpse beast's spirit source was far inferior to that of a higher-level spirit source beast.
Su Li descended the stairs and spotted several corpse beasts. He grabbed them one by one, tossing them onto the rooftop for Ding Longyun to kill and absorb their spirit sources to heal his injuries.
Ding Longyun killed four corpse beasts in a row, absorbing four spirit sources. Though the effect was minimal, after absorbing them, the pain in his injuries lessened significantly.
Ding Longyun let out a long breath, finally catching his breath. His complexion improved, and he followed Su Li into the stairwell.
By then, Su Li, who had descended further, spotted a Water Rat Beast. He swung his iron rod, breaking both of its front legs, then used the rod to flip it into the air, sending it flying toward Ding Longyun, who had just appeared.
Ding Longyun swung his steel shovel, smashing the Water Rat Beast's head with a "crack," and absorbed another spirit source.
The Water Rat Beast's spirit source was much higher-grade than that of a low-level corpse beast. Though it didn't help Ding Longyun's evolution much, absorbing it greatly aided his injury recovery. He immediately felt a change in his chest.
The pain eased further. Ding Longyun quickly followed Su Li down from the rooftop and saw two more Water Rat Beasts charging at them in the corridor. This time, without Su Li's help, he swung his steel shovel and charged forward on his own.