Chapter 68: Entangling Vine

The corpse of the One-Eyed Frog King indeed disturbed the underwater creatures. Soon, Corpse Beasts began to appear, followed by numerous black and white striped Sea Spiders surfacing on the water.

The One-Eyed Frog King was a Leader-class monster. Although it was only Level 2, the flesh and blood of a Leader-class creature were clearly potent. Throwing it into the water caused a massive disturbance in this area, and a large swarm of Corpse Beasts and Sea Spiders surged out, immediately overwhelming the gigantic corpse of the One-Eyed Frog King.

The Corpse Beasts and Sea Spiders that couldn’t reach the corpse began to climb over the balcony and rush toward the three people.

“The opportunity is here.” Ding Longyun was delighted rather than surprised. He paid no mind to these low-level Corpse Beasts and Sea Spiders.

“Su Li, what level are these big spiders?” Ding Longyun, raising his steel shovel, proactively moved to meet them.

“They’re called Sea Spiders, a common Level 3 monster,” Su Li explained, grabbing his iron rod and following.

“Level 3? Alright!” Ding Longyun was a Level 4 Spiritual Source Wielder. Killing a Level 3 monster would yield him effective Spiritual Sources. He swung his steel shovel, striking an oncoming low-level Corpse Beast and knocking it flying inward.

“Gong Xiao, it’s yours. Kill this Corpse Beast. The Spiritual Source you gain will accelerate the healing of your wound.” Ding Longyun said this as he charged toward another Sea Spider.

“Be careful not to get bitten by the Sea Spiders! They are venomous,” Su Li warned as he also moved up.

Suddenly, a figure flashed past him—it was Gong Xiao. She moved faster than Su Li, enduring the pain of her wound. She didn’t attack the low-level Corpse Beast that Ding Longyun had knocked away but instead charged straight at the Sea Spiders.

She disdained the low-level Corpse Beast and wanted to hunt the Sea Spiders directly.

A basin-sized Sea Spider leaped up, snapping at Gong Xiao. Gong Xiao spread the fingers of her left hand. The vine-like substance instantly shot out from her palm again. It moved like a flexible python, wrapping around the Sea Spider in a flash, binding it. The machete in her right hand immediately chopped down.

With a soft “hiss,” the Sea Spider’s internal fluids splattered as Gong Xiao sliced it in half.

She absorbed a Spiritual Source. The wound on Gong Xiao’s chest immediately contracted and healed at a visible rate. Once fully healed, it wouldn’t leave a single scar. The Spiritual Source from the Sea Spider was far more potent than that of a low-level Corpse Beast. In just a short time, her wound was mostly healed.

“This Gong Xiao is quite formidable,” Su Li thought, watching Gong Xiao kill two Sea Spiders consecutively. The combination of the vine shot from her left hand and the machete in her right made dealing with the Sea Spiders relatively easy.

Although the Sea Spiders were agile, they couldn’t evade the vine shooting from her left hand.

“Gong Xiao, what is that vine shooting from your left hand?” Ding Longyun, who had also just killed his second Sea Spider, asked, his eyes lighting up when he saw Gong Xiao’s technique.

“It’s the ‘Entangling Vine,'” Gong Xiao replied, killing her third Sea Spider.

Su Li also killed a Sea Spider with his iron rod and, while he was at it, kicked two low-level Corpse Beasts back into the water.

By now, the corpse of the One-Eyed Frog King in the water had been completely dragged into the depths. The dense swarm of Sea Spiders had also scattered, leaving only a few low-level Corpse Beasts floating in the water.

“A shame,” Ding Longyun said, feeling disappointed that the Sea Spiders were gone. He felt tempted. “I really want to go down and kill a few more Sea Spiders. Unfortunately, the area below is their nest, and there are too many of them, plus they’re venomous. Rushing down is too dangerous. Getting bitten would be a disaster.”

Su Li felt the same way as Ding Longyun. He needed seventeen more Spiritual Sources to advance again. If there were enough Sea Spiders, advancing to Level 4 wouldn’t be difficult. Unfortunately, the danger was too great. Being surrounded by a swarm of Sea Spiders would be highly perilous, and the Spider Queen, their leader, was an unknown terror.

After all, a mere Level 2 Leader-class One-Eyed Frog King had been hard to deal with, let alone the Spider Queen, which was definitely higher than Level 2.

“Should we go down and try again?” Gong Xiao looked at Ding Longyun, asking for his opinion, but avoided looking at Su Li.

Ding Longyun hastily shook his head. “The water isn’t our territory. It’s too risky. It’ll be dark soon anyway. Let’s rest up. We’ll hunt tonight, luring them to the roof. That’s much safer.”

Gong Xiao considered this and agreed that rushing into the Sea Spider’s nest was too dangerous. She had no choice but to abandon the tempting idea.

“Let’s go back then. Xuehui must be worried waiting for us.” Su Li looked at Gong Xiao’s chest and saw that the wound was already gone.

She had absorbed the Spiritual Sources from three Sea Spiders. The wound’s recovery was astonishing. In a short time, it had completely healed. Her skin was as white as snow, without a single blemish. It was impossible to tell that a severe wound had been there just moments ago.

Seeing Su Li stare at her chest, Gong Xiao immediately covered herself and looked at Su Li with a strange expression.

Su Li felt her look suggested he was a pervert. He quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I was just checking how your wound was healing.”

Gong Xiao ignored his explanation and walked straight toward the stairs.

Ding Longyun immediately whispered, “Su Li, what’s going on? She seems to have an issue with you. Did you try to sneak a move on her?”

Su Li quietly replied, “I have a girlfriend. How could I try to take advantage of her? I think she’s just being overly sensitive.”

Ding Longyun laughed softly, clearly not believing Su Li’s explanation. He patted his shoulder and said, “We’re all the same, no need to explain. I get it. Don’t let her attitude fool you. Sometimes a woman’s feelings and behavior are the opposite. She might actually be developing a liking for you.”

Su Li argued, “I think she has a good impression of you. A liking for me? I certainly don’t see it.”

Ding Longyun shook his head. “Give me a break. Her respect for me isn’t romantic interest. It’s a pity, though. I did have some ideas about her, but it looks like that’s not happening. You might actually have a chance.”

Su Li looked at Ding Longyun speechlessly. “Brother Ding, you’re almost 40 years old. Are you seriously thinking of pursuing a girl in her early twenties? That’s almost a generation gap.”

Ding Longyun gave him a pointed look. “The modern standard says you’re not middle-aged until after 45. I’m still a young man, just like you. What’s wrong with pursuing love? Besides, is age a problem when it comes to love? Are there not plenty of 50 and 60-year-olds marrying women in their 20s these days?”

“Alright, everything you say is true. Then you’d better seize the opportunity.”

Ding Longyun chuckled softly. “I wish I could, but there’s no hope for me. Let’s go. Stop thinking about these unrealistic things. Let’s focus on what we’ll eat next and preparing for the hunt tonight.”

(End of Chapter)