Ding Longyun looked utterly bewildered. Ni Jianrong, who had been thrown off, quickly scrambled back to his feet. Fang You, whose chest had been slashed by Su Li’s “Gluttony Fangs,” let out a muffled, agonized scream. Four deep wounds, nearly ten centimeters deep, were carved into his chest, almost severing him at the waist. Blood gushed out like a fountain, mixed with his entrails, unstoppable. His body swayed and then toppled backward, crashing to the ground. This was a fatal blow. He lay there, limbs twitching, clearly not long for this world.
His face twisted in pain as he felt his life slipping away. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Su Li, like Ding Longyun, had shown no wariness toward them. And he, Fang You, had struck with a sudden ambush—there should have been no chance of failure.
But how had Su Li seemed to foresee it, not only dodging his attack but counterattacking?
Careless.
It suddenly dawned on him: Su Li’s earlier actions were all a ruse to deceive him. He must have been on guard all along. How laughable that he, Fang You, had believed Su Li was unprepared, never anticipating a sudden counterstrike. And now, that one moment of carelessness had cost him his life.
“All together, kill him first!” Ni Jianrong, seeing Fang You on the ground near death, his face darkened. He crouched slightly and lunged at Su Li.
Wang Kaikang had just grabbed Xu Xuehui. Hearing Ni Jianrong’s command, he shoved her hard, sending her sprawling. Then he reached back, unstrapped the weapon slung across his body, and unwrapped the cloth covering it. Inside was a finely crafted cleaver.
Gripping the cleaver, he charged at Su Li from the other side, right behind Ni Jianrong.
Xu Xuehui was no threat. Ding Longyun, with a bone spike lodged in his chest—though not gutted by Ni Jianrong—was gravely wounded. He had collapsed to the side, unable to move, let alone fight. Standing up was already beyond him.
The only one who could challenge them now was Su Li. They wanted to take him down together, to seize full control of the situation.
Ni Jianrong’s bone spike grew from the flesh of his right hand. It wasn’t an ordinary weapon but a special ability similar to Su Li’s “Gluttony Fangs.”
As Su Li dodged the thrust of the bone spike, Wang Kaikang swung his cleaver with both hands, the blade whistling through the air as it came down from behind.
Su Li pulled out the dagger from his chest.
With a sharp *clang*, he blocked Wang Kaikang’s cleaver with the dagger. Su Li could feel his own strength was slightly greater; he deflected the cleaver with the dagger and, in one fluid motion, sent the dagger flying from his hand.
With a *thud*, the dagger embedded itself in Wang Kaikang’s chest, sinking in to the hilt.
“Damn it…” Wang Kaikang’s face drained of color. He tightened his grip on the cleaver, stumbling backward, staring at the dagger’s hilt protruding from his chest, his expression one of utter shock.
He had never seen such a tactic or such a shift in combat before. It had never even crossed his mind. Who could have predicted that Su Li, after blocking his cleaver with the dagger, would hurl it like a throwing knife? At such close range, with the sudden change, how could Wang Kaikang possibly dodge? He was hit instantly.
Fighting two opponents at once, Su Li knew it would be hard to overcome them. He guessed that Ni Jianrong and Wang Kaikang were at least Level 3 spirit sources, possibly even Level 4 like Ding Longyun. In a direct confrontation, he would likely be killed by their combined assault. So, he had to win through surprise.
Su Li’s strike succeeded. On the other side, Ni Jianrong’s bone spike, about a foot long, emerged from the flesh of his right hand and thrust forward. As Su Li threw the dagger, he pushed off with both feet, darting diagonally forward.
Ni Jianrong’s bone spike missed. He let out an angry roar: “Are you really only Level 3?” There was a hint of fear in his voice, but he was already committed and had to press on.
Wang Kaikang, with the dagger lodged in his chest, didn’t fall immediately. Instead, he turned, gritting his teeth, gripping his cleaver with both hands, and charged at Su Li alongside Ni Jianrong.
As a Level 3 spirit source, his body was several times stronger than an ordinary person’s. The dagger in his chest, though painful, wouldn’t bring him down instantly. He could still hold on for a while.
Rage burned in him toward Su Li. The shy look on his face had vanished, replaced by a hint of savagery.
Su Li darted toward the balcony, where an iron rod lay quietly against the wall.
He reached out, grabbed the rod, and swung it around.
With a crisp *clang*, the rod blocked Ni Jianrong’s thrusting bone spike. The “Gluttony Fangs” on the back of his left hand extended, ready to strike, but Wang Kaikang’s cleaver followed closely.
From his current angle, with the balcony behind him, he couldn’t dodge the attack. Su Li had no choice but to raise the “Gluttony Fangs” to block the cleaver.
Using the ten-centimeter-long “Gluttony Fangs” to parry a cleaver required precise timing. Despite his combat experience, Su Li wasn’t entirely confident. His heart tightened as he focused completely.
He raised his left hand horizontally, and the “Gluttony Fangs” caught the descending cleaver perfectly, without a millimeter off.
Ni Jianrong kicked out, landing a heavy blow to Su Li’s stomach.
With his right hand holding the iron rod to block Ni Jianrong’s bone spike and his left hand fully focused on parrying the cleaver, Su Li had no way to avoid or block that kick.
A muffled grunt escaped him as the kick struck his abdomen. The force was immense; Su Li felt as if his internal organs were being turned upside down.
A cruel grin spread across Ni Jianrong’s face. The bone spike in his right hand retracted, disappearing back into the flesh. He dropped his right arm, bypassing the iron rod, and slammed it hard against Su Li’s chest. The bone spike emerged again from the flesh, stabbing toward Su Li’s heart.
Wang Kaikang’s cleaver swung in as well. Together, they cornered Su Li at the balcony, intent on killing him.
Suddenly, Wang Kaikang felt a sharp pain in his back, a chill piercing straight through to his lungs.
Xu Xuehui, whom he had shoved away earlier, had somehow rushed up behind him. Both hands gripped a dagger tightly, only the hilt visible—the blade was fully buried in Wang Kaikang’s back.
She was just a child; none of them had paid her any mind. Now, with her sudden attack from behind, Wang Kaikang was completely caught off guard.
Struck by another dagger, the searing pain twisted Wang Kaikang’s face into a grimace. He let out a sharp cry, spun around, and abandoned his assault on Su Li, swinging the cleaver down at Xu Xuehui.
Xu Xuehui looked up slightly, her pale little face filled with terror.