Instead, his eyes were fixed on Lin Li, who wore a faint smile. He said, "Weâve really hit a wall today, but donât get too cocky.
Although our conventional methods are no match for you, that doesnât mean we donât have a way to deal with you."
Hearing Liu Ke say he had a way to deal with him, Lin Li looked at him with great interest and said with a smile, "Is that so? Then hurry up and do it. Donât keep me waiting.
Itâs getting late, and I should be heading home to wash up and go to sleep. If you have a trick up your sleeve, use it now. The sooner I take care of you, the sooner I can go home."
When Tie Qiu Heng and Xiaoli heard the exchange between Liu Ke and Lin Li, their morale was instantly boosted.
If Liu Ke said he had a special way to deal with Lin Li, didnât that mean there was a chance to turn this fight around?
However, Wang Tao, who had partnered with Liu Ke to come to Tashi City and rescue Tie Qiu Heng, was not as optimistic as Tie Qiu Heng and Xiaoli.
A trace of doubt appeared on his face as he thought to himself, âLiu Ke has another special method to deal with this guy? How come I donât know about it?â
Wang Taoâs doubt was completely normal. After all, he knew better than anyone that they had already used their most effective trick to escape from the Prison Director.
What could they possibly have left to handle this enemy who, while not as strong as the Prison Director, was still far more powerful than them?
Wang Taoâs confusion didnât last long, because Liu Ke quickly gave him the answer.
Everyone present saw that after speaking to Lin Li, Liu Ke took a small, red pill the size of a fingernail from his pocket.
When Wang Tao saw the red pill in Liu Keâs hand, his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Liu Ke, are you insane? Youâre actually going to take a Spirit Burst Pill?"
Spirit Burst Pill: A drug currently under development, but not yet perfected, by the Canglan Society. It can cause a Cultivatorâs Spiritual Energy to surge.
Taking this drug allows the userâs cultivation level to skyrocket in a short period, but the side effects are extremely severe.
Currently, according to experimental data released by the researchers, for users of this Spirit Burst Pill,
after the effects wear off, even the mildest side effects involve being severely injured and unconscious for a month. In severe cases, there are no survivors. The probability of death is about thirty percent.
"We have no choice now. The Spirit Burst Pill is our only hope of escape..." Liu Ke said, turning his head to look at Wang Tao.
He knew full well how severe the consequences of using the Spirit Burst Pill were,
but just as heâd said, they stood no chance of escaping an enemy as powerful as Lin Li with conventional methods.
Their only hope of escape was to risk it all with the Spirit Burst Pill.
Just as Liu Ke was speaking to Wang Tao, Wang Taoâs expression suddenly turned to one of alarm, and he yelled anxiously at Liu Ke, "Watch out!"
"Hm?!!!"
Hearing Wang Taoâs sudden shout, Liu Ke froze for a moment before reacting instantly.
At that moment, a soft, amused laugh echoed by his ear.
"So your last resort was to pop a pill!"
âDammit!â Liu Ke cursed inwardly. He quickly pulled back, trying to retreat, while simultaneously raising his right hand, which held the Spirit Burst Pill, preparing to shove it into his mouth.
But it was too late. Lin Li already knew he was going to take the pill; there was no way heâd let him succeed.
As Liu Ke pulled back, he had just raised his right hand holding the Spirit Burst Pill when Lin Li grabbed his wrist.
Liu Ke tried to pull his hand back, but the grip on his wrist was astonishingly strong. He was completely outmatched.
Immediately after, an immense force shot up from his wrist, pulling his entire body flying toward his opponent.
BAM.
Lin Li held the manâs wrist, yanked him forward with his left hand, and simultaneously threw a fierce right punch.
A single, heavy punch landed squarely on Liu Keâs stomach.
Liu Ke, already nursing serious injuries, felt an excruciating pain erupt once more after taking Lin Liâs punch. The agony made his eyes bulge as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
Then, the strength drained rapidly from his body, and he collapsed to his knees, letting out a pained cry.
THUD.
Lin Li showed no mercy to such thugs. After punching him, he raised his left foot and delivered another blow, this time to the manâs chest.
Liu Ke was still screaming in agony from the punch, the pain having only just started to subside, when the follow-up kick sent him flying, instantly worsening his injuries.
Since Lin Li had been holding his wrist the entire time, Liu Ke was kicked into the air but didnât fly backward.
BAM, BAM, BAM...
After taking a punch and a kick, Liu Ke lost all ability to resist, but to be safe, Lin Li lifted him up with his left hand.
Then, he swung his right hand and landed more than a dozen consecutive punches, not stopping until he had beaten Liu Ke unconscious.
"..." Wang Tao, Tie Qiu Heng, and Xiaoli were all stunned into silence at the sight of Liu Keâs miserable state.
From the moment Lin Li rushed Liu Ke while his guard was down to the moment he beat him unconscious, the entire process took less than twenty seconds. It was so fast that the other three couldnât even process it.
Liu Ke was the strongest among them, and yet he had been taken down in just a few moves.
It made them put themselves in his shoes; if they had been the one ambushed instead of Liu Ke, they probably wouldnât have lasted even ten seconds.
"You... you actually launched a sneak attack..." Wang Tao said, his hand trembling as he pointed at Lin Li and berated him.
"Yeah, it was a sneak attack. So what?" Lin Li replied, casually admitting to his actions as he snatched the bright red Spirit Burst Pill from the unconscious Liu Keâs hand.
"You..." Wang Tao, who had been scolding Lin Li for the sneak attack, was rendered speechless by his blatant admission.
He really wanted to say, âYouâre already so strong, how could you launch a sneak attack on someone weaker than you? Itâs utterly shameless.â
But the words caught in his throat. He couldnât say it, because he himself had launched plenty of sneak attacks on weaker enemies in the past.
To condemn ambushing the weak now would feel like slapping his own face.
THWAP.
After snatching the red Spirit Burst Pill, Lin Li casually tossed the unconscious Liu Ke aside, the dismissive gesture like he was throwing out a piece of worthless trash.
In Lin Liâs mind, thugs like these were no different from trash.
This was only because they were in the city, so he had to show some restraint and be mindful of his actions.
If this had been out in the wilds, he wouldnât have held back at all during his sneak attack on Liu Ke.
He would have just enacted justice on heavenâs behalf, rid the world of a menace, and killed him on the spot.
"This thing called a Spirit Burst Pill... it looks like some dangerous drug. I wonder what exactly it does?" Lin Li mumbled, looking at the red pill he had just taken. Then he asked Wang Tao.
"Can you tell me about this thing called the Spirit Burst Pill? What are its effects and side effects after you take it?"
"..." Veins bulged on Wang Taoâs forehead at Lin Liâs question, and he cursed inwardly.
âYou bastard, you beat my partner until he was severely injured and unconscious, and now you have the nerve to ask me for information about the Spirit Burst Pill? Do you have no shame?!â
Lin Li saw that Wang Tao remained silent, merely glaring at him with a face full of fury, and knew the man wasnât going to tell him anything about the Spirit Burst Pill.
Although he was curious about its specific effects, if the man didnât want to talk, then so be it.
"We are from the Canglan Society," Wang Tao said to Lin Li after a few seconds of silence. "If you stop here today, we can write off the grudge between us..."
...