Directly above the Subterranean Palace, on a slightly bulging mound, Gu Lian exhaled a breath of turbid air mixed with sparks.
With two muffled thuds, her Black Claws pierced into the ground.
The soil began to wither, crack, and weather away. Gray-white flames immediately surged from the cracks in the ground, looking like nether-fire erupting from the depths of the earth.
With Gu Lian as the center, a ring of fire expanded, turning the surrounding area of about 10 meters into a dead zone.
Within the deathly, ash-white space, fine dust drifted down, forming a sharp contrast with the lush green leaves on the periphery.
Located several kilometers away, alarm bells suddenly rang in Ice Duke’s heart.
Among them, Black Skin’s reaction was the most intense; he hugged his shoulders with both hands and began to tremble all over.
“Huff… ha…”
With every breath Gu Lian took, the ashen Fire of Dead Silence spewed onto the already parched ground.
As the swallowed Eldritch Crystal Cores were rapidly digested, the blood-red patterns on the Black Claws gradually turned pale white, spreading along her arms.
Finally, the patterns reached her elbows, and the Eldritch Crystal Cores within her body were completely digested.
The vein-like patterns left along the way allowed Gu Lian to clearly feel her physical strength skyrocketing. It wasn’t just raw power; her speed and body control had also increased significantly.
‘I feel… my physical power is even stronger…’
Controlling the Fire of Dead Silence to fade away, Gu Lian looked up with a cruel grin.
Watching the helicopter that had already flown to about 1 kilometer ahead, she swung her arm to the side.
With a booming explosion, a large tree as thick as a water bucket was snapped by a single slap.
Gu Lian grabbed this giant tree—which was more than ten times larger than her entire body—with both hands, lifted it over her head, and after aiming, threw it forward with force.
*Bang!*
The giant tree was thrown out spinning, kicking up violent wind pressure.
Meanwhile, Ice Duke and the others were already waiting in the helicopter, prepared for battle.
The helicopter was very fast, and in only 10 seconds, it was about to reach the sky above The Sinkhole—Subterranean Palace.
“Where is it?”
Ice Duke stared at the forest below.
He could only feel fluctuations of eldritch energy in this area, but he couldn’t track the specific location of the opponent nearby.
“300 meters straight ahead, estimated arrival at the designated spot in 2 seconds… What the hell?!”
The pilot immediately pulled back on the control stick and lifted it.
The helicopter quickly hovered and climbed upward.
“Crap, what on earth is that? Jump!”
Inside the helicopter, Ice Duke nimbly unbuckled his seatbelt. Almost at the same time, five combatants from this helicopter jumped down.
*Bang!*
A spinning giant tree smashed into the bottom of the helicopter. If the pilot hadn’t reacted fast enough just now, they definitely would have been knocked out of the sky by that giant tree.
As the tree trunk fell from the sky, the helicopter began to rock unsteadily. The two accompanying helicopters flew off to the sides with great unspoken understanding.
*Bang! Bang!*
Two more giant trees were thrown up. The two helicopters also began to climb just like the previous one, while the Lieshou sitting on them leaped down.
Behind a tree about 0.5 meters thick, Ice Duke stood up and put on tight black gloves. After tightening the edge of the glove with his teeth, he spoke.
“Report, Anomaly B-707 is using throwing skills to attack us. To effectively protect the Lieshou, we are temporarily climbing to high altitude and will provide backup at any time!”
“Repeat, Anomaly B-707 is using throwing skills to attack us. To effectively protect the Lieshou, we are temporarily climbing to high altitude and will provide backup at any time! Over!”
“Understood.”
Ice Duke pressed the mini-intercom on his right ear and unzipped his jacket, revealing irregular parts fastened by leather straps inside.
Ice Duke began to take out parts from all over his body and assembled them together.
*Tap, tap, tap…*
Dense footsteps approached. Ice Duke carried an assembled Pitch-black Greatsword on his back.
“Ice Duke, you’re the most tanky one here. You take your people and cut through the center. Feng Nü and I will circle around from behind.”
A somewhat flashy man walked up to Ice Duke. His handsome white hair was slicked back with wax. Despite his slightly effeminate appearance, he exuded a charm unique to mature men.
“Lan, where’s Feng Nü?”
“She’s already rushed over alone. I don’t think she should be called Feng Nü, she should be called Mad Woman instead.”
The facial muscles of the man called Lan twitched. He had heard before that Feng Nü’s fighting style was crazy, but he truly hadn’t expected her to be such a hothead.
“Then stop talking nonsense and go support her!”
Ice Duke didn’t want to waste any more words. He waved his hand to the Lieshou who had already assembled behind him and rushed toward the area where the eldritch energy had erupted.
“Fine, what are you all still standing there for? Let’s go!”
Lan pulled a pistol from behind his waist and ran toward the left side where Ice Duke was heading. The three people behind him also pulled out their long-range weapons in unison.
—
South side of The Sinkhole—Subterranean Palace.
This place originally grew the densest forest near The Sinkhole. In the past, if travelers came for a tour, this would definitely be a place they had to visit.
But now, the trees here were falling in patches. Within a radius of 50 meters, all the trees had been snapped. Looking at the uneven breaks, it was hard to imagine what had happened here.
On a giant tree, Gu Lian lay on the trunk with her legs crossed, chewing on a plump apple. But since this apple was wild, the flesh wasn’t very sweet.
*Crunch—*
Gu Lian tossed the apple into her mouth and chewed a few times. Dense footsteps approached, and she turned her head toward the source of the sound.
“Hahaha, come, face your death!”
Carrying a long spear, a tall black-haired woman rushed over with a somewhat sickly smile. With just one look, Gu Lian labeled this woman in her heart—madwoman!
Feng Nü leaped forward and pounced at Gu Lian with great speed. As the wind blew against Gu Lian’s face, she raised her Black Claws to strike. Mid-air, Feng Nü suddenly accelerated a second time. The moment she accelerated, a spiral of wind appeared around the long spear in her hand.
*Screech—Clang!!*
A cold light brushed past Gu Lian’s cheek, and droplets of blood flew. Gu Lian flipped down from the tree, her body bent in a bizarre posture.
Feng Nü landed with one hand on the ground, the spear shaft pressed against her back and pointing toward the ground. She had already adjusted her body before landing, facing Gu Lian.
“How interesting!”
Feng Nü licked her rosy lips and raised the hand that was supporting her on the ground, brushing it across her chest. There were five claw marks there, and blood could be faintly seen seeping from her chest.
*Drip, drip.*
A bloody gash appeared on Gu Lian’s cheek, spanning half her face. Her finger gently brushed the wound that was bleeding purple blood, and the wound quickly closed and scabbed over.
By the time Gu Lian lowered her hand, the scab on the wound fell off, leaving only a smear of blood at the site.
“Come, entertain me!”
Seeing this, Feng Nü’s eyes widened. She felt as if she was getting a high!
With a *whoosh*, Feng Nü rushed forward again. The long spear in her hand unintentionally severed a branch of a tree. The wind pressure blew her hair, which floated behind her like fire. The corners of Gu Lian’s mouth curved even wider.
‘Black Claws!’
Feng Nü held her spear and dodged to the side, leaping from the spot. Five pitch-black claw marks brushed past her feet, severing a large number of tree trunks behind her.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Gunshots echoed in the cleared space. Three consecutive times, purple blood sprayed as three dark bullet holes appeared on Gu Lian’s shoulder.
First came numbness, followed by a surge of intense pain. Gu Lian let out a muffled grunt while twisting her body to the side. A long spear brushed past her.
*Zheng—*
The spear blade hummed.
Gu Lian’s body quickly leaned to the side, and the power from her waist carried her leg, which snapped into a perfectly straight kick that slammed hard into Feng Nü’s waist.
With a *thud*, Feng Nü was kicked flying. Leaving a trail of smoke in the air, she crashed onto the ground.
“Did you miss me?!”
Lan leaped out of the forest. As he stepped over Feng Nü, the muzzle of his pistol aimed right at Gu Lian’s head, and his index finger pulled the trigger.
*Puff, puff, puff—*
A few more shots rang out. Gu Lian blocked with one hand in front of her. The bullets hit her arm, and sparks splashed several 3 meters high.
*Crack—*
Frost spread beneath Gu Lian’s feet.
The icy chill made her pupils shrink.
A burly figure carrying a giant sword appeared behind her like a flash.
Ice crystals clung to the blade.
As he swung down, even the moisture in the air condensed into ice trails frozen in mid-air.
With a *squelch*, blood splattered.
Amidst the spray of ice crystals and warm blood, an object landed with a *thump*.