Chapter Seventy-Two: The Battle Begins

“So what?” Pojun shrugged his shoulders and said, “Although I’ve lost quite a bit, I’m actually happy. At least I haven’t suffered any crippling injuries. But you, Greed Wolf, and Seven Kill are different—the whole mercenary corps has lost half its strength. From now on, in the War Heaven County, I alone reign supreme.”

Originally, the four most powerful mercenary corps in War Heaven County were Shadow, Seven Kill, Greed Wolf, and his own Pojun.

But after the Liu family issued their mission, he received the news a bit late and didn’t have time to send out men. In a hurry, he used a transmission talisman to contact the members of his corps who were carrying out missions in the Azure Python Forest, ordering them to intercept Lin Fan.

Afterwards, he dispatched ten more Qi Pulse experts. But just as these experts set off, he learned that the forces sent to kill Lin Fan had been wiped out, and the elite teams from the other three corps had also all been slain.

Seeing this, he immediately called off the dispatched teams and hurriedly investigated Lin Fan, only to be shocked by what he discovered.

Later, sharing the same thoughts as Shadow, he personally rushed to the Azure Python Forest, determined to kill Lin Fan.

Fortunately, he had only lost two Qi Pulse experts and ten Qi Gathering rank fighters—less than a tenth of his corps’ strength.

But the other three corps—Shadow, Seven Kill, and Greed Wolf—had collectively lost over thirty Qi Pulse experts and more than a hundred Qi Gathering fighters. Nearly half of their corps had been wiped out, a severe blow that would take a long time to recover from.

So, if Lin Fan could be eradicated, he’d actually come out ahead. As long as the bounty for killing Lin Fan didn’t fall into anyone else’s hands, his power in War Heaven County would completely surpass the other three corps.

Naturally, seeing Shadow now, he couldn’t resist mocking them.

“You’re celebrating too soon. If we don’t kill that brat, we’ll all have to flee to other counties. No matter how much power you’ve preserved, it won’t be enough to withstand the Jiang family!” Shadow’s heart simmered with anger and he was about to retort when a voice sounded, drawing his gaze. Five figures slowly emerged from the snowy distance.

“Seven Kill, you’re still as obnoxious as ever. Makes me want to tear you apart!” Pojun silently unstrapped his greatsword and turned to look at the five approaching figures.

All five wore black combat attire, with a large blood-red “Kill” character emblazoned on their chests. Four were masked, Seven Kill was not.

Seven Kill’s appearance was unremarkable, but his face was unnaturally pale, his figure tall and somewhat slender, both hands gripping two sharp short blades that gleamed coldly in the snow.

“You can try,” Seven Kill smirked, a hint of provocation in his eyes.

Pojun seemed tempted by the words, but ultimately shook his head. “Forget it, I’ll let you keep your head for now. After Lin Fan’s death, I’ll settle things with you.”

“He’s escaped?” Suddenly, Seven Kill uttered something cryptic. The four behind him and the men behind Pojun and Shadow were puzzled.

“No. The men I sent shouted as they died, all in an instant. I arrived right away. Shadow here also doubled back and was very close, arriving in a flash. Lin Fan didn’t have time to escape,” Pojun shook his head, a savage grin spreading across his face. “Besides, I’ve got men guarding every direction, not far away. No one saw him flee.”

“Moreover, there are two of my snow eagles overhead!” Pojun pointed skyward. Two snow eagles circled above, each carrying a Qi Pulse expert on their backs just like before.

“I envy your remaining strength. If our Qi Pulse experts hadn’t died, we could search closely like you do. Even if attacked, we could react instantly and would have caught that brat long ago.” Seven Kill smiled faintly.

Suddenly, a chilling light appeared in his eyes and he said coldly, “So, the boy is still here, just hiding under the snow. He must have cultivated some powerful concealment technique, sealing his aura to evade our search!”

Seven Kill’s words were resolute. Shadow, Pojun, and the viper nodded, savage grins spreading across their faces—they shared the same deduction.

Bang!

Just as Seven Kill finished speaking, the snow behind Pojun exploded, and a figure shot out like lightning. At the same time, a fierce blade flashed, slicing through the air.

In the blink of an eye, two of Pojun’s men were decapitated before they could react. Blood had yet to spurt before the figure retreated, turning to flee into the distance.

“Now that you’re caught, how could you escape?” Pojun laughed wildly, his voice arrogant as he charged after Lin Fan.

He’d guessed Lin Fan was hiding in the snow but didn’t know where. Shadow had realized the same. Neither acted immediately, wary that if they moved first, the other would ambush them and claim the prize.

A sneak attack from an equal rival could be fatal, especially with the hefty bounty and the power struggle for supremacy in War Heaven County. The temptation was too great; not attacking would be impossible.

While they mocked each other, both were scanning the snow, using soul power to probe, but found nothing.

Luckily, Seven Kill arrived!

With three present, they formed a stalemate. Anyone trying to profit from the chaos would face the third’s attack. Mutual caution was the safest choice.

Thus, all three would focus on killing Lin Fan first, then fight for the reward.

Lin Fan had used Breath Suppression to hide his aura in the snow, but the trio’s cunning had revealed his method of escape.

As soon as Seven Kill finished speaking, Lin Fan realized the danger—they’d formed a loose encirclement. He acted immediately, tearing open the weakest point and fleeing at full speed.

Yet after running only a few miles, a figure blocked his path tens of meters ahead. A giant blade like a door panel barred the way—it was Pojun.

Attempting to turn back, he found Shadow on one side, Seven Kill on the other, a cruel smile on his face, slowly closing in...

The three formed a triangle, locking Lin Fan tightly in the center.

“Damn!” Lin Fan clenched his fists. He’d wanted to escape into the territory of fourth-tier fierce beasts, but didn’t expect to be cornered so quickly.

Swish, swish, swish!

Pojun’s men, Shadow’s men, and Seven Kill’s men all arrived, forming a dense blockade outside the trio—airtight, impossible to penetrate.

At that moment, it was as if a net had closed in, trapping Lin Fan completely.

Bang!

Snow sprayed as Pojun plunged his greatsword into the ground, grinning fiendishly at Lin Fan.

“Run, why aren’t you running now?”

Lin Fan pondered for two seconds. “You seem like an idiot—how could I possibly escape right now?”

Pojun: “???”

“Negative emotion value from Pojun, +999....”

Pojun’s mind went blank. He couldn’t believe Lin Fan had retorted so sharply. In the face of mortal danger, he still had the nerve to curse? Shouldn’t he be looking for a way out?

Pojun expected Lin Fan to struggle or beg for mercy. Never did he imagine Lin Fan would insult his opponent at a time like this—so foolish.

It would only hasten his demise!

Though Pojun thought as much, it didn’t lessen his anger one bit.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Seven Kill’s cruel smile twitch, and Shadow’s shoulders quiver.

“You’re courting death!” A Pulse Realm expert’s fury darkened the skies.

Pojun’s aura erupted violently, surging like an ocean toward Lin Fan. Somehow, his greatsword was already raised, sweeping toward Lin Fan like a door panel.

The sword moved with lightning speed!

The massive blade, nearly as wide as Lin Fan’s waist, carried immense force, aiming to cut Lin Fan in half.

Shadow and Seven Kill watched with smiling faces, not intervening. Though they knew from reports Lin Fan was strong—a rare talent who, as a Qi Gathering rank, could slay Qi Pulse experts—this didn’t mean he could withstand a Pulse Realm attack. The gap between Pulse Realm and Qi Pulse was vast, like earth and sky.

Just the difference in physical strength was nine million pounds. That wasn’t simple addition, but a geometric chasm.

Their only task was to block Lin Fan’s escape. Once Lin Fan died, they’d fight for the bounty.

Now, the three were evenly matched. Whoever struck first wouldn’t risk being ambushed.

Still, none wanted to be the first to act. Once Lin Fan was dead, the battle among the three would ignite, and the first to strike would suffer a slight disadvantage.

Yet Lin Fan had provoked Pojun into attacking first—something they were happy to see. All three secretly gathered power, waiting for Lin Fan’s death.

As Pojun’s greatsword neared Lin Fan—barely an inch away—he was about to slice him in half. Pojun’s savage grin grew wider.

At the same time, Pojun tensed, ready for anything.

He knew that once he killed Lin Fan, Shadow and Seven Kill would attack with thunderous force.

Thus, he held back, using less than thirty percent of his power.

But even so, a peak Qi Pulse expert would be killed instantly!

The Age of Gods latest chapter address:
The Age of Gods full text reading address: /66613/
The Age of Gods txt download address:
The Age of Gods mobile reading: /66613/

For easier reading next time, you can click “Bookmark” on the right to save your progress (Chapter 72: The Slaughter Begins). Next time you open your bookshelf, you’ll see it!

If you enjoy “The Age of Gods,” please recommend Green Bean () to your friends via QQ, blogs, WeChat, etc. Thank you for your support!!