Chapter Forty-Four: The Savage First Note

The first to bear the brunt was a Silver-rank Berserker Blade. His speed was impressive—but only by Silver standards. Against a Gold-rank opponent, even one whose strength wasn’t speed, he had no advantage at all. Lin Chuyin’s furious blade swept across with savage force. The exposed eyes of the Silver Berserker widened in utter terror as he desperately retreated, raising his sword horizontally in an attempt to block the strike.

But with a thunderous crash, he felt as if a train had slammed into him. He spat a mouthful of blood, the brutal sweep shattering the bones in his arm and sending a shockwave that cracked several of his ribs. He was flung more than ten meters, landing in a heap and coughing up blood once more—utterly incapacitated.

Lin Chuyin’s wrath had not subsided. Amid the white glow that enveloped her, a trace of golden light began to flicker—she was truly enraged now, unleashing the full power of her Gold-rank genetic energy. Having dispatched one enemy with a single blow, she didn’t pause for an instant. Charging forward, she brought her blade down upon another Silver-rank Heavy Blade wielder.

Utterly panicked, the Heavy Blade had even less speed than the Berserker. There was no way he could withstand such an assault. In desperation, he braced his massive sword to absorb the attack.

A deafening boom sounded.

His heavy blade was sent flying. At the same moment, Lin Chuyin’s overwhelming force cleaved him cleanly in two.

Blood sprayed in all directions—the scene was unspeakably gruesome.

Despite her slender, almost slight frame, Lin Chuyin’s two brutal, decisive strikes had felled two men in an instant. Her aura was terrifying; the assailants were shocked and dared not approach.

Without lingering, Lin Chuyin’s keen eyes swept the surroundings like lightning.

Behind her, the Golden Predator Bird, now lacking her suppression, had already taken flight. Golden-tier beasts were as intelligent as humans. Seeing the humans fighting one another, it naturally chose not to intervene—for it cared little which side perished. But it also understood that whoever emerged victorious might turn their blade upon it in the end. Why meddle, then? Watching from a safe distance was the wisest course.

After all, the recent battle had already drained much of its genetic energy—it was exhausted. In its nest, its injured mate and their young awaited; it needed to recover as quickly as possible.

The departure of the Golden Predator Bird marked Lin Chuyin’s utter defeat. She had invested countless resources and effort, come to the brink of success—only to have everything ruined by a sudden interference. Her fury was easily imagined.

Now, all that rage was directed at the group of enemies who had launched this deadly ambush.

Even after killing one in a brutal fashion, Lin Chuyin felt no satisfaction. She charged on, determined to slaughter them all.

A Gold-rank Heavy Blade was a tank to any Evolutionary below Gold-rank—no matter how slender and beautiful that tank might appear.

But just then, Lin Chuyin’s vision blurred—a blade shadow slashed down at her from above.

A Golden-rank Berserker Blade!

Lin Chuyin was startled, and without hesitation, she swung her heavy blade horizontally to block the attack.

Clang!

With a sharp metallic clang, she intercepted the blade. The attacker flipped away with nimble grace.

Lin Chuyin’s gaze turned icy, locking onto the foe.

Suddenly, a killing wind rushed from behind.

“Chuyin, look out!”

Fu Hui’s voice rang out. He was the Golden Berserker of Celestial Palace, but he was currently entangled with another Gold-rank Berserker and could only shout a warning as he caught sight of Lin Chuyin’s predicament.

Lin Chuyin’s face paled. Without a second thought, she raised her blade in another horizontal block.

Bang!

This strike was unexpectedly ferocious. The terrifying force numbed her arms. Though she barely managed to block the blow, she staggered back several steps, blood surging in her chest before she could steady herself.

A Golden Heavy Blade!

A figure as massive as a hill now stood before Lin Chuyin, hefting a heavy blade nearly two meters long as if it were a mere toy. With a casual swing, he slung the enormous blade onto his shoulder. His hulking form radiated oppressive power, and his eyes bored into Lin Chuyin with a sinister glint.

“Lin Chuyin from Celestial Palace… The battlefield’s number one female Heavy Blade—your reputation is well deserved…”

His voice was hoarse and grating.

The battle with the Golden Predator Bird had already drained Lin Chuyin. Now, with two Gold-rank foes targeting her at once, her expression grew grim.

“Who are you?” she demanded through gritted teeth.

Four Gold-rank Evolutionaries—a Heavy Blade, a Pugilist, and two Berserkers—plus dozens of Silver-rank Evolutionaries. Such an array showed how thoroughly they had prepared.

It also meant—they had come with the intent to kill.

But who could muster such force? Who would go to these lengths?

“Heh, want to know? Ask the King of Hell yourself.”

The giant laughed coldly, then swung his heavy blade at Lin Chuyin. Behind him, the Gold-rank Berserker smirked coldly, body blurring into a shadow as he lunged at her.

Two Gold-ranks attacking in unison—Lin Chuyin’s face went pale, but she gritted her teeth and stood her ground, gripping her heavy blade and meeting them head-on.

In an instant, a fierce battle erupted.

…

The explosion of combat here was entirely within Fang Mu’s expectations.

He had fired that shot; with so many from Celestial Palace present, as long as one glanced back, the men from Greed Wolf would not remain hidden. Furthermore, once Greed Wolf’s people saw the fiery energy around Lin Chuyin, they would also realize Celestial Palace would turn to look back.

A battle was inevitable.

But as a mere Black Iron rank, Fang Mu had already done all he could by warning the Celestial Palace of an impending attack. He could do nothing more now.

There was only one thing left for him to do—prevent the Gunfighters hidden within the glacier crevice from having time to intervene.

If he managed even that, it would be an extraordinary feat.

Carefully, he bound a lens to his shovel, just as he had when he hid behind the Storm Tiger’s corpse. He sent the lens out to observe the situation near the glacier crevice.

His position had not been revealed—this little ice hill was large enough that, at best, the enemy could guess he was somewhere on it. But exactly where—halfway up, or on the summit—was impossible to determine at a distance of over eight hundred meters.

In theory, even poking his head out wouldn’t be a big risk.

But Fang Mu was cautious.

No detection was best.

But what if they had already pinpointed his location? If he stuck his head out recklessly, he might take a bullet to the head.

Those were three Gunfighters on par with Chang Le.

No matter how prudent, caution was always justified.