Chapter 164: The Tables Turn

The Dragon Rhino Sword pierced the shield, but then stopped, unable to destroy it completely. Su Li was blocked by the shield. Ding Shijie seized the opportunity to accelerate his dive, caught the sinking ice sword, and grabbed it with his left hand. He immediately swung the sword, beheading a Bloody Giant Earthworm below.

Seeing Su Li’s sudden, massive surge in power, he assumed the only explanation was that Level 7 to Level 8 resulted in a huge leap in strength. Given this, he abandoned the direct fight, resolving to level up to Level 8 first to gain that significant power boost, then return to face Su Li.

He never once considered that Su Li had previously only been a Level 6 Spiritual Source Wielder.

When Su Li pursued him again, Ding Shijie had already killed several Bloody Giant Earthworms, absorbing their Spiritual Sources. He then activated his special speed ability, shooting diagonally through the water to put distance between himself and Su Li.

The roles were now reversed: Su Li was the hunter, and Ding Shijie was the prey.

Su Li chased and attacked several times. Ding Shijie, relying on his special ability, continuously formed an invisible shield to ward off Su Li’s attacks. He then sped away to kill more Bloody Giant Earthworms. Soon, he had absorbed enough Spiritual Sources, successfully breaking through and advancing to Level 8, becoming a Level 8 Spiritual Source Wielder.

Having reached Level 8, Ding Shijie paused, a look of surprise on his face.

His strength had increased, but the leap was not massive; it was far less than the qualitative surge he had imagined.

“It seems my previous guess was wrong. Advancing from Level 7 to Level 8 only brings a minor increase. So why did Su Li gain such a massive power boost? It makes no sense.”

Ding Shijie was utterly confused. Su Li reappeared in front of him, swinging the Dragon Rhino Sword repeatedly.

Su Li was in the “Demon Muscles” Second Form. His speed and strength were continuously increasing. Now, not only was his strength suppressing Ding Shijie, but his speed was beginning to as well.

Ding Shijie dared not use his sword to block. Su Li’s current strength was too immense for him to withstand.

Ding Shijie once again deployed his invisible shield to block Su Li’s attack.

This time, Su Li did not use the Dragon Rhino Sword to pierce the invisible shield. Instead, he clenched his left hand into a fist and slammed it toward the shield.

His body’s muscles swelled and burned his stamina. His power grew even stronger. The punch exploded in the deep water, and the invisible shield couldn’t withstand the force. It shattered immediately.

Ding Shijie’s face changed drastically. Su Li’s Dragon Rhino Sword cleaved down at his head.

Ding Shijie had no time to dodge. He gripped the ice sword with his left hand, and used his right hand to grasp the other end, holding the ice sword horizontally.

The Dragon Rhino Sword struck the ice sword.

Su Li’s power was monstrous. Ding Shijie, gripping the ice sword tightly, did not let it fly out this time. However, the immense force sent Ding Shijie plunging heavily downward.

Since the water couldn’t fully transmit the force, Ding Shijie’s body sank, dissipating most of the impact. His body could barely withstand the remaining force.

Ding Shijie sank, then quickly shot upward and diagonally away.

Su Li followed closely, pursuing him upward. Ding Shijie continuously created the invisible shields behind him to block Su Li’s attacks.

Su Li’s current strength was simply too immense for Ding Shijie to block directly.

Every punch Su Li threw shattered the invisible shield. Although the blows didn’t directly strike Ding Shijie, the repeated impacts severely shocked him internally. His internal organs lurched violently. Blood slowly seeped from his lips.

Su Li saw this and knew that with continuous attacks, the internal shock would worsen, leading to a decline in Ding Shijie’s physical condition and eventual exhaustion.

However, Su Li always held back a portion of his strength in every attack, just in case Ding Shijie, in a desperate final move, unleashed the sword technique within his ice sword.

The two men chased and fled, continuously ascending. Su Li shattered Ding Shijie’s shields three more times. Blood now seeped from Ding Shijie’s mouth and nostrils.

His mental state was clearly deteriorating.

Finally, he surfaced, sticking his head out of the water, gasping for air.

Su Li also immediately surfaced, breathing deeply.

The prolonged fight underwater had pushed both men to the limit of their breath-holding capacity.

Although Su Li could hold his breath for a maximum of eight minutes, the constant fighting underwater meant he couldn’t sustain it for that long.

Su Li surfaced and realized the Golden Convergence Center Building was now two or three hundred meters away. The long underwater fight had carried them far away from their original location.

Ding Shijie caught his breath, then immediately began swimming away rapidly, fleeing into the distance.

Su Li activated “Spider Walk.” Combined with the “Demon Muscles” Second Form, his speed was superior. He instantly closed the distance. The Dragon Rhino Sword thrust out.

Ding Shijie quickly deployed a shield to block.

Su Li retracted his sword and slammed his left fist into the shield.

This time, Ding Shijie unexpectedly dropped the shield prematurely. He extended his right arm, and his blood-red right fist shot out to meet Su Li’s left fist.

He was gambling on an injury trade, hoping the heat from his blood-red fist would melt Su Li’s left hand. If he melted Su Li’s hand, he would break half of Su Li’s combat power.

Ding Shijie’s reaction was instantaneous and clearly premeditated. Su Li was surprised but instantly activated “Silver Armor Coating.”

With a “sizzle,” Su Li’s left fist met Ding Shijie’s blood-red right fist. The heat melted the “Silver Armor Coating” on Su Li’s left fist, releasing a plume of smoke. Without “Silver Armor Coating,” his fist would have been melted instantly.

He narrowly protected his left fist with “Silver Armor Coating,” but the impact of his punch caused severe damage to Ding Shijie. Ding Shijie groaned. His blood-red right hand instantly released its grip. His five fingers splayed, and the surface of his fist was visibly twisted. At least several finger bones were instantly broken.

The force of the impact was so great that even with the power augmentation of his blood-red right arm, he only suffered broken bones. Without the power of his Level 7 Spiritual Source Technique, Su Li’s punch, which now exceeded 5,000 jin of force, would have instantly shattered his entire right arm.

Ding Shijie’s right hand was agonizingly painful, and his face twisted. The ice sword in his left hand thrust out almost simultaneously, unleashing a massive plume of icy mist.

Enveloped in the icy mist, the scales engraved on the ice sword suddenly writhed. The ice sword seemed to come alive, transforming into a massive, translucent ice python that lunged fiercely at Su Li. The extreme coldness emanating from the ice sword was bone-chilling. The surrounding water began to freeze instantly. Su Li felt his blood almost stop.

What kind of terrifying move was this?

In that split second, he felt a bone-deep coldness and a profound fear of death.

He finally understood. Ding Shijie had finally activated the sword technique within his ice sword.

Ding Shijie knew that the longer he delayed, the worse his situation became. He risked wounding his right hand not only to melt Su Li’s left hand but also to seize the opportunity to unleash his sword technique and kill Su Li with one strike.

This was his last and only chance. If he delayed further, he would be overwhelmed.

Su Li always held back a portion of his strength in every attack, keeping part of his mind vigilant against Ding Shijie’s desperate, sudden sword technique. Now, Ding Shijie had finally deployed it.

Although he was mentally prepared, the terrifying ice sword technique still filled him with dread and fear of death. He was unable to dodge.

Underwater, even in the “Demon Muscles” state, Su Li couldn’t evade the attack. His only option was to simultaneously unleash the sword technique of the Dragon Rhino Sword in his right hand.

The “Dragon Rhino Slash” struck out, meeting the ice sword technique head-on. The water around them surged with terrifying waves. With a thunderous “BOOM,” the Dragon Rhino Slash slammed into the freezing water surface, colliding with the translucent giant ice python.

Su Li felt a heavy blow to his chest. His head violently shook. An invisible force propelled his body backward several meters.

A vacuum fissure, a meter or two long, momentarily appeared on the water surface.

Ding Shijie, caught in the center of the vacuum fissure, let out a piercing shriek. Blood spurted from his mouth and nostrils. He was sent tumbling backward.

His ice sword technique was almost as powerful as the Dragon Rhino Slash, but his raw power was inferior to Su Li’s, who was in the “Demon Muscles” Second Form.

Su Li’s full-power strike, combined with the terrifying force of the “Dragon Rhino Slash,” overwhelmed the ice python and struck Ding Shijie.

Although Ding Shijie instantly created a shield to protect his chest, the immense power of the “Dragon Rhino Slash” shattered the invisible shield and sliced across his chest.

A massive gash opened on Ding Shijie’s chest. Blood and internal organs gushed out.

Had it not been for the protection of the translucent ice python and the invisible shield, the Dragon Rhino Slash would have instantly sliced his body in half.

Seeing Ding Shijie disemboweled, his internal organs spilling out and floating in the water, clearly beyond saving, Su Li quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly lowered his Dragon Rhino Sword.

The power of the single strike had been immense, but the stamina drain was equally astonishing.

Ding Shijie floated in the water, his eyes losing focus. He barely managed to stick his head out of the water and whispered weakly, “Did you… advance to Level 9 just now?”

He couldn’t understand why Su Li’s strength had surged so much during the fight. He felt the only rational explanation was that Su Li was Level 8 before and had just broken through to Level 9.

(End of Chapter)

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