Chapter 138: Bone Augmentation

Hearing this, the group’s spirits lifted.

Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao were momentarily stunned, staring at the gray-black mineral surface.

This meant that to destroy the Blood Crystal, they first needed to dig down ten meters from this spot.

“You protect me. Don’t let any monsters bother me. I’ll do the digging,” Su Li roared. He swung the Dragon Rhino Sword repeatedly at the gray-black mineral rock in front of him.

There was no other viable option. Facing this hard, gray-black mineral rock, even Ding Longyun’s “Air Missile” was ineffective. He had used it repeatedly, but it only blasted some surface cracks. Blowing a ten-meter deep pit was impossible.

And while Xu Haishui could control fire, burning a deep hole into the rock was even less likely.

Gong Xiao and Luo Jun were equally helpless. The only way was for Su Li to use the Dragon Rhino Sword to destroy the mineral and dig the pit.

But how long would it take him to dig a ten-meter deep pit using just the Dragon Rhino Sword’s sharpness? The Blood Crystal Beast was constantly closing in on the Purple Wind Building. They didn’t have much time left.

Following Su Li’s roar, he frantically sliced the rock surface.

“No, this is too slow.” Su Li looked at the dozens of intersecting sword marks he had etched into the ground in a flash. If he only needed to dig one or two meters deep, the Dragon Rhino Sword’s sharpness would suffice, but digging a ten-meter deep pit couldn’t be done in a short time.

The Blood Crystal Beast was continuously approaching the Purple Wind Building. By the time he finished digging a ten-meter pit, the Purple Wind Building would have been swallowed by the monster.

Suddenly, Luo Jun sprinted over. He stretched out both hands, and his ten translucent finger bones shot out, sinking into the deep sword marks Su Li had just made. They disappeared inside.

Luo Jun let out a low growl. The next moment, an incredible scene unfolded: the mineral rock below emitted a “crack-crack” sound. Soon, dense, spiderweb-like fissures spread rapidly in all directions.

Su Li watched translucent matter grow out from the sword-etched crevices. This matter expanded violently, squeezing the mineral rock, causing it to shatter and break apart.

Luo Jun reached in and easily cleared out the shattered chunks of mineral, quickly forming a pit nearly a meter deep.

Gong Xiao’s phoenix eyes lit up. “What ability is that?”

Luo Jun explained, “It’s called Bone Augmentation. The ten finger bones I control can violently swell and grow in a short time. As long as there are cracks in the rock below, I can insert the finger bones deep inside. Then, as the finger bones swell, the rock is crushed and shatters.”

Su Li’s eyes brightened. “With that ability, we have a chance to dig a ten-meter deep pit and reach the Blood Crystal before the Blood Crystal Beast hits the Purple Wind Building.”

Su Li immediately plunged the Dragon Rhino Sword fully into the rock at the bottom of the newly dug pit, making the fissures as deep as possible. He then used the sword to trace a large square outline. Luo Jun then plunged his ten finger bones into the cracks forming the large square. He controlled the Bone Augmentation ability, and a rapid, continuous cracking sound erupted from below.

In a short time, Su Li watched as Luo Jun used his power to lift a colossal chunk of rock from the center of the square. The rock was encased on its sides and bottom by the translucent bone matter.

With Luo Jun’s ability, digging the pit was now simplified. Su Li only needed to use the Dragon Rhino Sword’s sharpness to slice four square-shaped fissures below, and Luo Jun could use his bone power to lift and remove the rock from the center of the square.

In just a short time, they had dug a giant pit two meters deep.

A dozen meters away, Ding Longyun and Xu Haishui killed the Slaughter Crocodile and rushed to join them.

Seeing the rock pit, now over two meters deep, Ding Longyun asked in surprise, “What are you doing?”

Xu Haishui, quick-witted, instantly figured it out. “The Blood Crystal is below, right?”

Gong Xiao nodded. She then launched her spikes, coated with Venom Fire, at the increasing number of monsters surrounding them.

Although the Blood Crystal Beast lacked intelligence, its instincts were sharp. It sensed the threat. Realizing that the Common Level 4 and 5 monsters couldn’t stop these enemies, the Corpse Beasts and Purple Rat Beasts suddenly scattered. Following that, several roars erupted, and Ding Longyun looked up, spotting two Slaughter Crocodiles charging toward them.

“Two more?” Ding Longyun yelped. Although he had killed one with Xu Haishui’s help, he hadn’t gained a special ability. Now two more were here, which suited him perfectly.

The “Air Missile” struck one of the Slaughter Crocodiles, instantly flipping it backward. The other Slaughter Crocodile charged head-on.

Su Li and Luo Jun were focused on digging the pit. The task of defending against the surrounding monsters fell to the other four.

Two Slaughter Crocodiles were dangerous, but the four could handle them. Ding Longyun’s missile blasted one monster away. The other charged. Gong Xiao activated “Storm Shield,” meeting the attack head-on.

The Slaughter Crocodile slammed into the “Storm Shield,” creating a loud crash. Gong Xiao seized the opportunity and fired a volley of venom-fire-coated spikes.

A dozen spikes struck the Slaughter Crocodile. The giant crocodile roared in agony as the green poisonous fire ignited inside its body.

After the two Slaughter Crocodiles, a massive python charged toward them at high speed.

The giant python was over ten meters long. A thin layer of frost followed its path on the ground. Its entire body radiated cold air. It had pale blue scales, and icy mist spewed from its open mouth.

Wherever the massive python went, the Common monsters that were already scattering avoided it, clearly terrified.

“This is bad. The Blood Crystal Beast seems to be summoning even more powerful monsters to protect itself,” Gong Xiao murmured, glancing down at the giant pit.

Even with Su Li and Luo Jun working together, the pit was only three meters deep. Ten meters was still far off. The deeper they dug, the slower and harder the work would become.

To successfully dig ten meters deep, the pit had to be large enough to allow for continuous excavation.

The giant python raised its head and violently charged. Gong Xiao used “Storm Shield” to meet the charge head-on. As the massive python opened its mouth and spewed white mist, the mist struck the “Storm Shield.” Gong Xiao instantly shuddered from the cold.

The cold plunged directly into her bones, almost freezing her body.

“What monster is that?” Gong Xiao was shocked.

Immediately after, the giant python’s massive tail swept over, striking the “Storm Shield.” The force sent the shield and Gong Xiao, protected inside it, flying over ten meters away.

Gong Xiao, though uninjured due to the shield’s protection, was internally shocked.

She didn’t have Su Li’s “Peering Rune” to know the giant python’s level, but by its presence, she knew it was far more powerful than the Level 6 Elite Slaughter Crocodile.

Gong Xiao was swept away by the python’s tail. Su Li heard her grunt and knew the danger was imminent. He quickly climbed out of the pit. He saw the giant python and immediately peered into its data.

“Name: Frigid Python (Han Bing Ju Mang). Level: 7 Elite Beast. An extremely cold-bodied Spiritual Source Beast. Its body temperature ranges from -40 to -80 degrees Celsius. Its blood is like antifreeze and does not freeze even at -80 degrees. Its favorite attacks are the death coil and biting. It can spray extremely cold, biting air. Being targeted by it is highly troublesome. The Frigid Python has a certain probability of evolving into the Leader-class Frigid Python King, and a 1% probability of evolving into the Rare-class Ice Python Tyrant. Killing it has a certain probability of acquiring the special ability ‘Cold Breath.'”

This was the first time Su Li had encountered a Level 7 Elite Beast. The Frigid Python was naturally far more powerful than the Level 6 Elite Slaughter Crocodile.

Su Li drew the Dragon Rhino Sword and activated “Spider Walk,” charging forward.

The Blood Crystal Beast was now less than 400 meters from the Purple Wind Building. The sky was raining heavily, and water was collecting in the pit. The situation was growing increasingly difficult. They couldn’t afford to delay. Time was of the essence.

With a low battle cry, Su Li charged toward the Frigid Python. The python opened its mouth and spewed icy breath.

Activating “Spider Walk,” Su Li shifted his body, narrowly avoiding the spewed icy breath. He vaulted sideways, bringing the Dragon Rhino Sword down in a cleaving strike.

The Frigid Python raised its tail high, about to strike Su Li. Suddenly, Xu Xuehui appeared in front of it.

Her eyes shone with a strange light. They were black, like two ink-colored black holes.

The “Aberrant Eye Technique” activated.

The technique could affect monsters as well as humans. The Frigid Python suddenly looked into Xu Xuehui’s eyes. Its body instantly stiffened. The massive tail it had raised froze in mid-air.

Su Li’s Dragon Rhino Sword came down, slicing across the Frigid Python’s neck.

A massive snake head, spewing blood, rolled away.

A Spiritual Source appeared and merged into Su Li’s forehead. A message surfaced.

“Level 5 Spiritual Source Wielder: Spiritual Source 45/70”

Slaying the Level 7 Elite Beast had granted him six Spiritual Sources.

Having killed the Frigid Python, Su Li immediately leaped back into the pit, joining Luo Jun to continue the digging.

In the distance, terrifying roars echoed. More massive monsters appeared, rapidly closing in on their location.

(End of Chapter)