Chapter 65: Dark Shadow

The Sea Spiders were about the size of a washbasin. They weren’t strong and didn’t have high defense, but their true threat lay in the neurotoxin in their mouthparts and their speed and agility in the water.

Gong Xiao’s machete missed its target. The Sea Spider circled below and lunged, its mouthparts snapping at her face.

Ding Longyun was right beside her. He had no time to swing his steel shovel, so he shifted it to his left hand and risked slapping out with his right.

The two were close. The Sea Spider clearly hadn’t expected anyone to dare extend a bare hand toward it. Before it could bite Gong Xiao, Ding Longyun’s right hand struck its head.

“Soul Devour” activated. The Sea Spider’s body instantly went rigid. Its eight thin legs contracted, and it flipped over onto its back, dead.

Ding Longyun had saved her. Gong Xiao let out a cold sweat of shock and looked at Ding Longyun with eyes full of gratitude. She thought, Brother Ding truly is a Level 4 Spiritual Source Wielder, the strongest leader among us.

As Ding Longyun killed this Sea Spider, two more shot out from the side, and even more were waking up below, ready to charge out.

Gong Xiao learned from the experience and no longer thrust her machete out rashly. These Sea Spiders were too agile in the water. Trying to stab them from a distance was nearly impossible. She would only be able to kill them when they were close.

Two Sea Spiders charged at Gong Xiao together. Gong Xiao accelerated her ascent while slightly extending her left hand. Just as the two Sea Spiders closed within a meter of her body, she opened the five fingers of her left hand. A green, vine-like substance, about the thickness of a forefinger and growing a few tiny green leaves, shot out from her palm. It moved with the agility of a snake, instantly wrapping around the two Sea Spiders, binding them in the blink of an eye.

Su Li, rushing upward at full speed in case she was in danger, shot past her. Seeing this, his heart stirred. He knew this must be her special ability. It seemed she hadn’t reached Level 3 and survived to make it here on luck alone; she possessed considerable power.

As he thought this, he extended his left hand. The four “Gluttony Fangs” emerged and sliced toward the head of one of the Sea Spiders.

The Sea Spider’s head was severed. A Spiritual Source immediately appeared and merged into Su Li’s forehead. A message surfaced in his mind.

“Level 3 Spiritual Source Wielder: Spiritual Source 12/30”

Gong Xiao plunged the machete in her right hand out, piercing the abdomen of the other bound Sea Spider and slicing it open.

Swinging a machete underwater created a lot of resistance; thrusting was more forceful. Gong Xiao was using the machete like a spear. Fortunately, the machete tip was sharp, and her forceful stab packed a significant punch.

With the two Sea Spiders killed instantly, they surged upward to the 28th floor. They saw that below, in the windows and balconies of the 27th floor, a steady stream of Sea Spiders had been alerted and were swarming out, a dense, dark mass.

There were at least twenty or more. If they were surrounded, the situation would be dire.

As the commotion intensified below, the Sea Spiders on the 28th floor also reacted. A Sea Spider soon appeared on one of the balconies and shot out.

Ding Longyun, the fastest swimmer, had quickly risen to the 28th floor and was rapidly ascending toward the 29th floor, where the water surface was now visible above.

Gong Xiao and Su Li were racing upward at full speed, with the swarm of Sea Spiders closing in from below.

Suddenly, Corpse Beasts appeared at the balconies and windows of the 29th floor. They moved sluggishly, seeming to float in the water.

Ding Longyun surged through them like a fish. He raised one foot and kicked one of the Corpse Beasts, sending it downward.

The Corpse Beast immediately sank, crashing into the ascending Sea Spiders below.

The Sea Spiders instantly pounced on the Corpse Beast and bit it, while the Corpse Beast fought back desperately.

The Sea Spiders’ most potent weapon was the paralyzing neurotoxin in their mouthparts. However, their neurotoxin was ineffective against Corpse Beasts. Without their most powerful weapon, their attacks struggled to inflict fatal damage on the Corpse Beast.

The Corpse Beast seemed to naturally counter the Sea Spiders. Though its level was far lower than the Sea Spiders’, it was fearless. It swung its arms, knocking the Sea Spiders away.

Su Li and Gong Xiao shot up in succession. Su Li’s aquatic ability was not as good as Gong Xiao’s, so he lagged behind. A Sea Spider caught up to him and snapped its mouthparts at his left leg.

Su Li quickly retracted his legs. He thrust his right arm out, stabbing the Sea Spider with the iron rod in his right hand. He then used his legs to push off the monster, propelling his body upward, following Gong Xiao into the swarm of low-level Corpse Beasts above.

The startled Corpse Beasts began drifting out from the 29th floor balconies and windows. The ascending Sea Spiders clashed and began fighting the Corpse Beasts below. The area beneath them was chaotic.

Although there were many low-level Corpse Beasts around, they were weak. Su Li paid them no mind. Furthermore, the Spiritual Sources gained from killing these low-level monsters were ineffective for him, so Su Li was reluctant to waste energy fighting them. He was about to ascend to the surface when he suddenly felt a disturbance below. His heart stirred, and he looked down.

He saw the dense swarm of Sea Spiders suddenly scatter. A huge dark shape appeared among the spiders, causing panic in the swarm. A gigantic dark shadow was moving through the assembled Sea Spiders, rushing upward at a terrifying speed.

“This is bad!” Su Li was alarmed. He immediately shot upward at full speed, swinging his iron rod to smash a low-level Corpse Beast blocking his path. He burst out of the water, seeing Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao already surfaced and slowly climbing onto the balcony. He immediately let out a loud shout: “Danger below! Get up quickly!” He kicked his feet for propulsion, reached out with his left hand, grabbed the balcony edge, and prepared to vault over.

Startled by Su Li’s urgent warning, Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao quickly used their hands to vault themselves over the balcony railing.

At that exact moment, Su Li felt the water flow surge beneath his feet. A massive dark shadow emerged from the water below. Several Corpse Beasts were violently thrown aside by the colossal undercurrent.

This was an extremely terrifying force. Su Li knew he was in danger. He let out a low growl, gripping the balcony railing with both hands. He pulled his entire lower body out of the water, splashing a great deal of water. He executed a mid-air somersault and vaulted over the balcony railing.

(End of Chapter)