His main concern was that if he attacked while the creature was climbing, he might knock it into the water, losing a Spirit Source. So he preferred to let it reach the rooftop before striking.
This high-level corpse beast’s right leg, covered in a hardened shell, lashed out like a whip, kicking toward the cleaver Su Li swung at it. The cleaver struck the leg, sparks flying, but couldn’t damage the shell.
“Interesting,” Su Li muttered, sensing the creature’s strength. He slashed three times in quick succession, but each blow was blocked by its right leg. For a moment, Su Li couldn’t finish it off quickly.
Among the three high-level corpse beasts, the one Ding Longyun faced was the most powerful and bizarre. As it emerged over the rooftop edge, Ding Longyun swung his axe, aiming to chop down. He hadn’t expected the creature to be so strange—it suddenly opened its mouth, and its teeth shot out.
This beast’s mutation was in its teeth, which had evolved into sharp, fang-like spikes that could detach and launch under its control. Caught off guard, Ding Longyun screamed in pain as countless sharp fangs pierced his face, head, and chest. He stumbled back, and the beast leaped up, reaching for his chest with both hands. Inside its mouth, new fangs were rapidly growing, ready to fire again.
Su Li heard Ding Longyun’s scream and saw what happened. Sensing trouble, he let out a low growl, gripping his cleaver with all his strength and swinging it heavily. The high-level corpse beast he was fighting raised its shell-protected right leg to block again. As the cleaver struck the leg, Su Li suddenly spun, closing in, and thrust his left hand forward. The “Glutton’s Fang” emerged from the back of his hand, stabbing toward the creature’s face.
He moved fast, but the beast reacted just as quickly, jerking its head back to avoid the fang while extending its ten fingers, sharp as spikes, toward Su Li’s ribs. But Su Li’s sweeping “Glutton’s Fang” suddenly halted mid-air, then dropped down, plunging into the creature’s chest. All four ten-centimeter fangs sank in, and he dragged them downward. By the time the beast’s fingers barely touched Su Li’s clothes, its belly had been sliced open.
Su Li changed tactics in an instant, clenching his left fist and shoving it forward. With a thud, his fist struck the creature’s abdomen, sending it flying backward. Like a tiger released from its cage, Su Li lunged after it. The beast had just hit the ground when Su Li grabbed its right ankle. With a burst of thousand-jin strength, he yanked it up, swinging it like a weapon toward the other high-level corpse beast.
That beast was relentlessly attacking Ding Longyun, whose face and chest were embedded with fangs, causing unbearable pain. But Ding Longyun kept his cool, swinging his axe wildly to keep the creature at bay. As the beast’s fangs regrew and it prepared to fire again, Su Li swung the leg-mutated corpse beast like a club, smashing it toward the attacker.
The force was overwhelming, and the beast dared not block it. It leaped back, aiming its open mouth at Su Li, ready to shoot. Without Ding Longyun’s earlier experience, Su Li might have fallen for it, but now he knew the trick and was prepared. He released the corpse beast in his left hand, letting it fly past, while his body closed in, swinging the cleaver horizontally.
He had deliberately hidden the cleaver behind the beast’s body—the creature was the obvious attack, the cleaver the hidden one. Though the high-level beast dodged the visible strike, it couldn’t avoid the cleaver in time. Its mouth gaped wide, fangs detaching, ready to fire. Su Li roared, and the cleaver, carrying a gust of wind, sliced across the beast’s right cheek, through its open mouth, and out the other cheek.
The beast froze, its head split apart at the mouth, the upper half flying off. Its body stood still, most of its head gone, leaving only the lower jaw with rows of sharp fangs that would never be fired. After a half-second pause, blood gushed out, and the corpse toppled backward. A Spirit Source appeared and vanished into Su Li’s forehead.
As the Spirit Source merged, information flooded Su Li’s mind.
“Level 3 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 30/30” “Promotion in progress. Promotion successful.” “Level 4 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 0/50”
He had finally advanced, becoming a Level 4 Spirit Source User like Ding Longyun. His entire body felt as if immersed in a warm spring, a soothing energy strengthening every part of him—skin, muscles, bones, organs, vision, hearing, all senses.
More information followed.
“Vision enhanced, hearing enhanced…” “Base strength increased to 800 jin.” “Lung capacity enhanced, base breath-holding time extended to three minutes.” “Base enhancement: Strong Lungs Type 1, additional breath-holding time of two minutes.” “Base enhancement: Muscle Growth Type 2, additional muscle strength of 300 jin.” “Special skills: Peek Rune (Flawed), Glutton’s Fang (Left).” “One enhancement opportunity available. Options: Strong Lungs Type 1, Muscle Growth Type 2, Tongue, Stomach.”
Reviewing the options, he could enhance four parts: the already-enhanced lungs and muscles, plus two new choices—tongue and stomach. Compared to lungs, tongue, and stomach, Su Li chose to continue strengthening his muscles.
“Muscle enhancement in progress. Muscle Growth Type 2 upgraded to Muscle Growth Type 3, additional muscle strength of 600 jin.” “Talent ‘Blessing of Enhancement’ activated. Granted a divine favor, an additional enhancement opportunity. Options: Strong Lungs Type 1, Muscle Growth Type 3, Nose, Tongue.”
Seeing the new options, Su Li was speechless. The nose might improve smell, but the tongue? It had appeared twice now.
“Enhance muscles again,” Su Li said, taking a deep breath. Without a better choice, he stuck with muscles, his heart pounding with excitement.