Proofreader & Editor : Howard Wong
"One, two, three, four…"
Lin Qiye's psychic power swept through the surroundings. To his left and right, two figures in white camouflaged helmets with headsets were rapidly approaching, their bodies bristling with concealed weapons.
Despite their snow camouflage, they were clearly exposed within the range of Lin Qiye's psychic senses.
Squeak, squeak…
Their footsteps crunched softly on the thick snow as they drew guns from behind with a flip of their palms.
Da da da da da—!
The muzzles of all the guns had been silenced, and with the sound-absorbing effect of the falling snow, not a whisper escaped, leaving only the spitting of flames. The lethal intent was hidden among the drifting snowflakes, whistling past!
Bullets flew from all directions. Lin Qiye's eyes darkened with a shade of night, as extreme darkness radiated from him, spreading like an ink stain on the pristine snow, starkly conspicuous.
With the enhancement of the night, Lin Qiye's speed increased manifold. His figure flickered, dodging the barrage of bullets. Using the momentum, he skidded half a circle in the snow, his wrists trembling as he simultaneously spun out two black sheaths!
Click—!
With a light sound, two straight blades shot out.
Lin Qiye stood his ground, the darkness in his eyes deepening. With a light flick of his finger in the air—
Clang—!
In mid-air, the blades unsheathed!
The pale blue edges sliced through the crystalline snowflakes, clearly reflecting the figures of the four Mad Scorpions. They spun in the air, flying towards Scorpion Four, the closest to Lin Qiye!
Lin Qiye's Divine Ruin range was only 20 meters, meaning he could only control the Starry Night Blades within this distance once they left his hands. It wasn't a long range, but it wasn't short either.
Scorpion Four, seeing the Starry Night Blades flying towards him, decisively dropped his gun and drew two short blades from his thighs.
Clang—!
The Mad Scorpion was indeed battle-hardened; Scorpion Four's short blades steadily blocked one of the Starry Night Blades, then with a roll, he dodged the other blade's attack.
He sneered coldly, flinging one of the short blades in his hand straight at Lin Qiye's face.
Lin Qiye, ghost-like in his movements, dodged the bullets in mid-air while beckoning with his hand. The short blade, caught in the darkness, suddenly reversed direction, flying back even faster!
At the same time, the two Starry Night Blades that had been blocked by Scorpion Four also turned back!
Three blades encircled!
Scorpion Four's pupils shrank, and he swung his other short blade to block one, but then another Starry Night Blade flew in from behind, effortlessly piercing his chest!
Scorpion Four grunted and fell backward to the ground.
Although Lin Qiye had swiftly killed one with two Starry Night Blades, his situation was still perilous. The other three seemed to realize that firearms were ineffective against him and closed in for hand-to-hand combat.
Scorpion Five and Scorpion Six, gripping their short blades in reverse, engaged in close-quarters combat with the unarmed Lin Qiye. Blade tips, blades, fists, elbows, knees, shoulders—every joint became a terrifying weapon!
They were seasoned mercenaries, with close combat as their forte, striking ruthlessly and lethally!
Lin Qiye, unarmed, was forced to retreat step by step under their relentless assault.
Although Lin Qiye's close combat skills were not lacking, having only trained for half a year, he struggled against these mercenaries who had clawed their way out of life-and-death situations.
If not for the speed and strength enhancements from the Starry Night Dancer and the terrifying dynamic vision from the Mortal Divine Realm, he would have been overwhelmed long ago.
Just then, the Starry Night Blades flew back into Lin Qiye's hands.
With the blades in hand, Lin Qiye's momentum changed instantly. The Starry Night Blades whirled in his hands, blurring with motion, easily blocking the attacks from Scorpion Five and Scorpion Six, even gaining a slight upper hand.
Since finding his own path, Lin Qiye had devoted himself to dual-wielding, and it was clear his talent in this area was exceptional. Now, in the Training Camp, when it came to cold weapon combat, although he wasn't on par with the top experts from martial arts families, he wasn't far behind.
Lin Qiye vibrated the blades, repelling Scorpion Five and Scorpion Six, only to have two more assailants flank him from behind and join the fray.
Up to now, of the nine-member Mad Scorpion squad, only four had fallen—two to Leng Xuan and two to Lin Qiye. The remaining five, with one still unseen, were enough to entangle Lin Qiye with their relentless attacks.
Lin Qiye realized their strategy was to wear him down with their numbers, but unfortunately for them… they were doomed to be disappointed.
With the boost from the Starry Night Dancer, Lin Qiye alone could exhaust the four of them!
The only uncertainty now was the last person who had yet to appear — Scorpion One.
While Lin Qiye was engaged with the Mad Scorpion squad, unnoticed by all, a blurry shadow quietly drifted across the snowy battlefield and settled in the corridor of a low building.
As the shadow faded, the figure of a middle-aged man appeared.
He stood by the window in the corridor, lighting a cigarette as he watched the distant battlefield, sneering.
"A bunch of fools… With such skill, they dare to be followers of Miss Serpent Woman? Embarrassing."
He took a deep drag, exhaled a smoke ring, then flicked the ash, "To subdue that guy, just grab the woman and child. Such a simple task, and yet so many have died… Hmph."
He dropped the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out, hands in his pockets, and began ascending the dilapidated staircase.
He was Lu Liang, the sixteenth seat among the Devotees, a "River" realm powerhouse, just half a step from the "Sea" realm.
He was strong, but he was cautious.
Rising from an unknown pawn to his current status, he relied not on brute force but on strategy and caution. He would never engage in direct combat unless necessary, even if the enemy was just a "Pond" realm youth.
A mysterious and unpredictable dual Agent, and two ordinary people without the strength to truss a chicken, Lu Liang knew how to choose.
Experience had taught him that caution never led astray. Over the years, those so-called "Strong" who had relied on their power and looked down on everything else had long been buried, while he, still alive and well, had become the sixteenth seat among the Devotees.
Lu Liang ascended the stairs, imagining the scene where the kid's relatives would kneel before him, begging for mercy…
He relished such scenes!
A smile crept across his face, but just one floor from his destination, he paused, a look of surprise crossing his face.
Above him on the staircase, a small, black, mangy dog had appeared at some point.
The mangy dog yawned lazily upon seeing Lu Liang.
Lu Liang's brows raised slightly as he studied the dog for a moment, then laughed heartily.
"This dog, truly ugly…"