A shrill cry suddenly burst forth.

From Huai Shi's hand, the Spear of Compassion thrust forward, its cross-shaped head unexpectedly blocking the trajectory of the descending sword blade. However, he soon saw the sword's blade abruptly shorten, retracting by a meter with an unreasonable swiftness. Unhindered, it circumvented the Long Spear's interception and shot out like a venomous snake.

Huai Shi leaned back, watching the sharp edge sweep past his nose. When he forcefully propped himself up, he saw the blade shorten again, its already astonishing speed climbing even further. From within Amber's rotation, the blade elegantly traced an arc, descending from above to strike!

This time, as the blade descended, not only did its length rapidly increase, but its very weight also surged tenfold, then twentyfold!

The sound of it tearing through the air boomed.

CRASH!

The Axe of Anger swept upward, colliding harshly with the blade. Huai Shi even felt his hand go numb. But Amber's movements didn't cease. Her feet crossed as she stepped forward, using the light rotation to build momentum for another sweeping strike.

The force on the blade was even more formidable than before!

The sound of clashing metal erupted ceaselessly. Huai Shi retreated in disarray, while Li Jian Amber pursued him step by step, her movements like a dance as she wielded her sword amidst intertwining steps.

This was a sword dance, brought to perfection by masterful Sword Technique and augmented by her Soul Ability, endlessly compounding and converting this power!

The sword dance continued.

Once, twice, three times... the more he evaded, the more terrifying the power carried by the sword dance became.

A devastating power, capable of sweeping away all obstacles, was forged in the maelstrom of the heavens and earth.

From the very beginning of the sword dance, she held the initiative.

The moment Huai Shi realized this, a cyan hue spread across his arm. With a vigorous slash of his Axe Blade, he tore open a negligible gap in the sword dance.

Huai Shi charged straight in!

Ignoring the sword blade that was rapidly shortening and doubling in weight, the Drummer's power erupted, striking her abdomen with the force of a pile driver.

BOOM!

Blood-colored Armor materialized on her body without warning, forcibly absorbing Huai Shi's pile-driver punch. Li Jian Amber roared, drawing another Tachi from its sheath.

Draw Sword Technique!

The power gathered in the sword dance flowed along her arm, pouring into the Tachi's blade, transforming long-accumulated power into invincible speed as it burst from the sheath in a fleeting flash of brilliant light.

Huai Shi took a step back, cracks appearing on his Sacrificial Knife.

Not only was his defensive stance shattered, but he was also close to losing his grip on the hilt.

"It's over, Huai Shi!" Li Jian Amber bellowed, her twin blades sweeping out.

"Yeah, it's over."

At the last possible fraction of a second, Huai Shi exhaled, forcibly raising the Sword of Virtue.

The mighty strike was blocked by the Sword of Virtue. Effortlessly.

Only a faint snap was heard.

SNAP.

The twin blades flew from her hands.

Li Jian Amber stumbled back, falling to the ground, gasping for breath.

Only now did she see the iris flowers that had grown at her feet unbeknownst to her, so pure white, so beautiful.

She removed her helmet, struggling to raise her head. "You're despicable... To use poison!"

Huai Shi casually applied a layer of Silver Blood Potion to the cut on the web of his thumb and shrugged slightly, looking at her with pity. "Miss, times have changed."

With that, he raised his hand and tapped the back of her neck.

It was over.

Huai Shi turned, intending to get his horse, only to feel a sudden premonition of Death Perception from behind.

He spun around quickly, his hand shooting out, fingers clenching tight.

He snatched the whistling arrow, its arrowhead still humming between his fingers, a mere hair's breadth from his pupil.

Deep in the forest, the Man in Grey, having missed his shot, immediately pulled another arrow from the quiver at his feet, nocked it, and fired again. The arrow's path was erratic and eerie, like a ghost flitting stealthily through the dense woods, rapidly closing in.

But for some reason, Huai Shi felt the man's actions were so childish... almost comical.

Even though he had never touched such a weapon, he instinctively felt that wasn't how a bow was meant to be used.

CRASH!

The Sword of Virtue swept out, splitting the arrow that had stealthily appeared behind him clean in two.

In the next instant, Huai Shi vanished, plunging into the dense forest.

The Mountain Ghost's green fire instantly erupted from him.

The Man in Grey hesitated for a moment, then slung his bow onto his back and turned to flee, clearly intending to draw Huai Shi into a protracted guerilla battle. But unfortunately, fighting a guerilla war with the Mountain Ghost in this forest? Are you mistaken about something?

In the blink of an eye, Huai Shi leaped from the thorny undergrowth and, with a fierce strike, pinned him to a tree trunk.

Then, he heard a crackling sound beside him.

From the darkness, a seemingly empty space suddenly shattered, revealing more than a dozen figures hidden in ambush, automatic weapons in hand, safeties already off.

Huai Shi was startled for a moment. He looked back at the archer twitching on the tree trunk, and then realization dawned.

An ambush, huh?

In the next moment, the Roaring Outburst of gunfire from the Border Mercenaries erupted.

Continuous explosions thundered from the depths of the dense forest, as if bombs were being detonated one after another.

Atop the White Horse, Ai Qing quietly gazed at the thick smoke rising from the distant woods. Soon, she tilted her head slightly to look behind her, her slender eyebrows raised. "Didn't we agree to come one by one?"

"Originally... Heh heh... that was the plan..." A hunched old man dragged a heavy electric saw. As Ai Qing looked over, from beneath overgrown, sparse white hair, an ugly face squeezed out a writhing smile as he cackled strangely. "But I... disagree..."

The electric saw he dragged still reeked of plasma and shattered bone, as if countless screams were entwined around it. Its handle, wrapped in layers of suspicious leather, emanated a palpable aura of resentment and malice.

Without a doubt, it was an almost demonic Border Relic. Though recently sated with fresh blood, it still hummed with thirst.

The White Horse turned slightly, letting out a low, protesting whinny, its eyes wary.

Its iron-shod hooves tapped restlessly against the rocks, striking sparks.

It exhaled hot breaths. It seemed ready to charge at any moment.

"Ah, it looks like... he really is gone," the hunched, electric saw-dragging old man cackled, his face twitching, his pinhole pupils fixed on Ai Qing. He panted heavily. "Four hundred million, four hundred million... Dead or alive, it doesn't matter... Such fine flesh, child, so fine..."

In his hands, the electric saw suddenly let out a ravenous roar.

Spinning wildly, blood-red light sprayed from the chainsaw.

"Electric Saw Ghoul—Hogus?" the woman on horseback raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised at her own allure. "Are you truly certain I have no power to resist?"

"If you can, feel free to resist..." Hogus laughed sharply, baring a mouth full of sharp teeth still flecked with food remnants. "This child of mine particularly enjoys prey that struggles..."

The electric saw roared.

Ai Qing nodded. "Very well."

In that instant, the White Horse neighed. Under Ai Qing's equestrian skills, which clearly surpassed Huai Shi's by an unknown degree, it charged forward to meet the spinning chainsaw, raising its iron-shod hooves.

Its large eyes filled with disdain. I'll kick an old pervert like you to death!

Instantly, Hogus collapsed into a foul-smelling mist that erupted violently, soaring past the White Horse. He reconstituted in mid-air, swinging the electric saw down at Ai Qing's face.

Ai Qing, expressionless, drew the shotgun Huai Shi had left from the saddle and aimed it at the old man's hideous face.

The trigger was pulled.

Deep purple light erupted from the unassuming shotgun, instantly tearing thousands of slashes through the air. It formed a devastating storm that obliterated Hogus, forcing him to retreat as smoke in disarray.

When he reappeared, his face was marred with pockmark-like scars.

"You must be wondering what that was," Ai Qing stated, her expression unchanged. "Telling you doesn't really make a difference. My Soul is known as the Eye of Liberation. It allows me to trigger and use my Source Substance and any Source Crystals in the most violent manner. The simplest method is an explosion. If I constrain the release while simultaneously triggering it, I can create effects similar to a firearm."

She paused for a moment, then asked seriously, "You must have felt my 'disdain' just now, right?"

The young woman cycled the shotgun's action, aiming once more at his face. "Honestly, just looking at an old pervert like you, who probably hasn't bathed in who knows how long, makes me so disgusted I'm about to vomit."

Hogus's face twitched, the electric saw in his hand roaring with hunger, seething with uncontrollable rage.

Then, he heard footsteps behind him.

He turned in astonishment.

From within the burning forest, amidst countless plumes of rising smoke, the returning Mountain Ghost emerged step by step from the blaze, dragging his axe.

He offered the old man a fierce smile.

"I was only gone for a moment, and another guest has arrived?"

"Yes, a rare and unwelcome guest, with a bounty of at least seventy million US Dollars on his head," Ai Qing sighed deeply and lowered the gun, her face pale. "I've used up all my strength just posturing..."

The shot she had just fired had exhausted all her Source Substance.

"No worries." The Mountain Ghost in his Overload State twisted his neck slightly, joints popping crisply. "I'll entertain our guest."

Sensing the volcanic Source Fluctuation erupting from the newcomer's chest, even Hogus, who had been at the Third Stage Peak for decades, his expression changed.

His disbelief grew stronger. Why is he so powerful? And why was he so fast? An entire Border Mercenary Group... Even if not all of them were Sublimators, even if they were nineteen pigs armed to the teeth, just standing there to be slaughtered, they should have lasted at least a quarter of an hour!

"It's quite simple." Huai Shi held the Sword of Virtue and Sacrificial Knife in a reverse grip, steadying himself.

He settled into a sprinter's stance. When he looked up, a grin spread across his face—an expression of joy so intense it would terrify even a Ghoul.

"The reason, of course, is…"

"—because I am far stronger than trash like you!"

In that instant, the electric saw trembled sharply, letting out a scream of terror and agony.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.