Chapter 162: The Terror of Ding Shijie

The origin of this weapon was unknown to the others; only Su Li knew.

Undoubtedly, Ding Shijie, like him, had slain a Rare-class creature and acquired a Spiritual Source Weapon.

Su Li finally understood why Ding Shijie, upon seeing his Dragon Rhino Sword, had referred to it as a Spiritual Source Weapon. He should have realized it sooner.

Gao Shupeng had clearly seen Ding Shijie’s Spiritual Source Weapon before, which was why he knew what the Dragon Rhino Sword was.

Su Li’s face grew serious.

The fact that the opponent also possessed a similar Spiritual Source Weapon meant that his Dragon Rhino Sword had lost its absolute advantage. Furthermore, since his Dragon Rhino Sword had the technique “Dragon Rhino Slash,” the ice sword in Ding Shijie’s hand might also possess a similar, powerful sword technique. He needed to be vigilant against a sudden sword technique attack.

“Everyone retreat! Get out of here—” Su Li shouted sternly. He knew the moment Ding Shijie drew his ice sword that the man was far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. Before his shout ended, Ding Shijie charged forward, ice sword in hand.

Ling Yi and Gu Mingfeng were fearless. They simultaneously moved to attack, sandwiching Ding Shijie.

Gu Mingfeng, relying on his “Rock Skin,” charged forward, using his body as a shield to block Ding Shijie, while bringing his gigantic iron hammer down.

Ling Yi concealed himself behind Gu Mingfeng. While Ding Shijie focused on Gu Mingfeng’s attack, Ling Yi struck from the flank.

Jiang Shuijue also charged in, attacking from the other side of Gu Mingfeng. The three of them had grown and fought together, forging a deep bond and excellent teamwork.

Su Li was blocked behind them, unable to strike. He could only watch as the three surrounded Ding Shijie in a fan formation and launched their attack.

Su Li thought that if Ding Shijie were to unleash his ice sword technique now, he would instantly kill Jiang Shuijue and Ling Yi. Gu Mingfeng, with his “Rock Skin,” might escape.

However, if Ding Shijie were to unleash his sword technique, Su Li would immediately follow up with the “Dragon Rhino Slash.”

Perhaps it was caution regarding Su Li’s potential counterattack, or perhaps Su Li was his main target, and he didn’t want to waste his sword technique on Jiang Shuijue’s group. Ding Shijie did not use his sword technique. He only stomped his foot, swiftly moving to the side, evading Gu Mingfeng’s attack. With a quick flick of his ice sword, Ling Yi felt a jolt in his right arm, and his crystallized longsword bounced back.

The crystallization was his Spiritual Source Technique. Although his sword was ordinary, the crystal coating prevented Ding Shijie’s ice sword from cutting it. However, his raw power was inferior to Ding Shijie’s. The moment the swords clashed, the crystallized sword was repelled. Ding Shijie’s blood-red right fist immediately shot forward.

With a “bang,” Ling Yi groaned. Blood spurted from his mouth as he was sent flying backward. A huge imprint of a fist appeared on his chest, which was charred black.

Ling Yi had activated his “Silver Coating” special ability just in time to shield his chest. Otherwise, Ding Shijie’s punch wouldn’t have just knocked him away; it would have completely penetrated his chest, melting his internal organs, and leaving him the same fate as Old Zhang.

Ding Shijie laughed wildly, having struck Ling Yi away. He circled Gu Mingfeng and charged toward Su Li.

He shouted loudly, “Attack, kill them all—”

With his command, the “Golden Eagle Alliance” members, who had been watching from the rafts behind, finally moved, charging toward Jiang Shuijue and Gu Mingfeng.

Liu Jiande realized the danger and rushed toward the group.

The ice sword in Ding Shijie’s left hand continuously swung. Su Li stood on the raft, refusing to retreat an inch. The Dragon Rhino Sword blocked the ice sword. Both were Spiritual Source Weapons, capable of cutting metal like mud. When the two swords clashed, a tremendous sound erupted. Both swords rebounded. Su Li’s level might be lower than Ding Shijie’s, but his raw strength was equal to his, if not slightly superior.

Ding Shijie sensed this. The moment the ice sword rebounded, his right arm shot out.

Su Li activated “Spider Walk,” his figure blurring as he shifted to the side, evading the attack. The Dragon Rhino Sword sliced horizontally toward Ding Shijie’s lower body. However, fearing the ice sword’s technique, Su Li held back a third of his power in every attack, ready to change his movement and retreat.

Ding Shijie was the same. Both feared the other’s potential sword technique, holding back their full strength to leave room for a counter.

In terms of pure strength, although Ding Shijie was a Level 7 Spiritual Source Wielder, he was still not superior to Su Li. But Ding Shijie’s movement was incredibly bizarre. Both his traveling speed and attack speed were shockingly fast. He clearly possessed at least two top-tier special abilities similar to “Spider Walk” that enhanced movement and attack speed. In terms of sheer speed, he was slightly faster than Su Li, even in his “Demon Muscles” and “Spider Walk” state.

Relying on his fractionally superior speed, the blood-red right arm and the ice sword worked in tandem. Su Li, in his “Demon Muscles” state, felt the pressure and began to retreat, losing the upper hand.

The wooden rafts under their feet couldn’t withstand their immense power, constantly splintering.

“Ding Shijie’s speed is faster than mine, and his ice sword blocks my Dragon Rhino Sword. His right arm attack is too much to handle. Although my strength is superior, I can’t hit him. ‘Demon Muscles’ is powerful but not suitable for long battles. If I can’t severely wound or kill him while in the ‘Demon Muscles’ state, I’ll be in serious trouble.”

Su Li abruptly disengaged from the “Demon Muscles” state.

The terrifying speed, strong defense, and the combination of the blood-red arm and ice sword made Ding Shijie seem nearly perfect in Su Li’s eyes.

Although Su Li had the “Dragon Rhino Slash,” it was like a nuclear deterrent—no one dared to use it unless they had absolute confidence.

If he used it and it failed to kill the target, the consequences would be dire.

“It seems I have no other choice.” Su Li suddenly activated “Spider Walk” again. His figure blurred. He leaped across three rafts, cleared the open water, and plunged into the water.

“Trying to use the water to escape?” Ding Shijie sneered. He did not hesitate, pursuing Su Li into the water. He was determined to kill Su Li today.

Su Li was a formidable opponent. The difference in their strength was not massive. If he let Su Li escape today, who knew what changes would occur in the future? Su Li might even surpass him.

Ding Shijie was unwilling to leave such a dangerous enemy alive.

Su Li dove deeper into the water. Ding Shijie was only three or four meters behind him, pressing the chase.

Fortunately, Ding Shijie’s swimming skills were about the same as Su Li’s—average.

As they descended, Su Li quickly spotted large dark shadows in the water below.

Just as he had guessed, a large number of Spiritual Source Beasts were lurking and resting in the deep water during the day. His dive wasn’t about fleeing; it was about disturbing the resting Spiritual Source Beasts below.

He now had 78 Spiritual Sources and needed only twelve more to advance to Level 7.

If he could disturb and kill the monsters, he would soon break through to Level 7, the same level as Ding Shijie.

According to the message, once he broke through to Level 7, his Spiritual Source Technique would enter its second form, and his strength would increase significantly.

Although Ding Shijie was Level 7 and possessed the ice sword, the gap between them was only slight. If Su Li reached Level 7 and gained a massive boost in strength, he would certainly be able to suppress Ding Shijie.

At the same Level 7, Su Li had the advantage of several basic enhancements. He didn’t believe anyone at the same level could be stronger than him.

The dark shadows below, startled by the sudden intrusion, surged upward. They were all massive, white centipedes.

These were the White Jade Centipedes, a Level 6 Common monster Su Li had seen before.

Su Li plunged into the swarm of White Jade Centipedes. He swung the Dragon Rhino Sword at them.

Although his speed and strength were halved underwater compared to on land, slaying these White Jade Centipedes was still easy. He killed two of them in the first exchange.

He harvested two Spiritual Sources. Messages immediately appeared in his mind.

“Level 6 Spiritual Source Wielder: Spiritual Source 77/90”

“Level 6 Spiritual Source Wielder: Spiritual Source 78/90”

“Only twelve more to go.” Su Li continued to descend. Ding Shijie followed close behind, his ice sword aimed at Su Li’s back.

Ding Shijie had noticed Su Li disturbing the resting White Jade Centipedes below. He seemed to grasp Su Li’s intention.

(End of Chapter)

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