A burst of crimson blood-light erupted as the power of two mighty dark-red demon stars collided. Lena Lin’s golden spear flashed with countless afterimages, while Evan Chu pressed his palms together, gathering an even greater force and blasting it forward.
Within that move, the power of Ice and Fire Laws was already contained, and it was the Stellar Arm unleashed at full force.
"How... how can your power be stronger than mine?!"
Whoosh...
Lena Lin was struck back by the overwhelming force, forced to retreat dozens of steps, while Evan Chu still stood there, imposing and unmoved. The victor was obvious at a glance. Although Lena Lin knew she hadn’t used her strongest trump card, Evan Chu hadn’t either!
What’s more, he fought her bare-handed, using the same star, and yet there was still a huge gap in cultivation! Looking at it this way, in terms of potential, talent, comprehension, and mastery of Stellar Power, Lena Lin was at least a full tier below Evan Chu. This wasn’t just about retreating a few steps—only true experts and smart people could grasp how terrifying this was!
First off, is Lena Lin weak? That’s nonsense—if she went all out, she could kill three ordinary late-stage Saint Venerables without breaking a sweat.
But even with such a huge advantage, in a fight she seemed destined to win, Lena Lin lost!
At that moment, Evan Chu shone brilliantly in the nine heavens above, and the crowd below grew curious—who was this heaven-defying genius? Which side did he belong to? If he was a free cultivator, maybe we could recruit him...
Lena Lin looked at Evan Chu, not angry but delighted, and exclaimed, “Strong! So strong! Among my peers, I’ve never submitted to anyone—you're the first! How about it? Join my legion, I’ll make you my deputy commander!”
That simple sentence from Lena Lin might not seem like much, but it made one thing clear: Evan Chu had earned a weighty respect in her heart.
Anyone who knew her understood—even though she was a girl, Lena Lin was extremely proud, never putting anyone in her eyes, not even some Saint Emperor elders in the gang. She always believed that one day, she would surpass all of them!
But today, Evan Chu completely convinced Lena Lin. She never expected that someday, she’d be defeated across realms!
"Join the Savage Brotherhood? That’s probably not going to work…" Evan Chu gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
He wasn’t some lone wanderer—he had over a hundred thousand brothers behind him, and he was a seeded contender from the Frostbane Dynasty’s Trial World. There was no reason for him to join a roaming bandit group.
"Huh? So you’re not giving me face?" Lena Lin frowned, spinning her wrist as the golden spear’s edge flared again.
"Of course not. It’s just that I’m here in the Yellow-Blade Star-Region on orders, and I already have important responsibilities with the dynasty army. There’s really no reason for me to join the Savage Brotherhood."
"Oh, so that’s it? Not coming, huh? You’re such a pain! Fine, we only met because we fought—guess we’re friends now. Let me formally introduce myself: I’m Lena Lin. So, what’s your name?"
Uh...
Evan Chu was stumped. Should he reveal his real name or not? If he did, it would definitely cause trouble now; if he didn’t, once this girl found out later, she’d probably chase him all over the star-region.
"Haha, Miss Lin, you really are fierce! My big brother here almost lost to you!"
Desmond Mansfield’s eyes flickered as he stepped to Evan Chu’s side and spoke.
"He’s your big brother? Is he also from the Mansfield Family?"
"Well, my big brother’s identity is a bit special—can’t be revealed so easily. Hehe, we’ll be off now, the elders at home are looking for us. See you at the auction!"
Desmond helped Evan Chu out of a tight spot, earning his silent praise. Evan Chu couldn’t help but wonder if the Dragon-Chen Legion also needed a strategist like this.
"Farewell, Miss Lin. Next time we meet, I’ll formally introduce myself."
Evan Chu cupped his fists, then left with Desmond Mansfield.
Lena Lin watched Evan Chu’s back, lost in thought. Finally, she broke into a radiant smile—so dazzling that her third uncle was utterly shocked.
"Holy crap! Did I just see that? Xian’er actually smiled? She really smiled? Damn, I must be seeing things... This tiger girl can actually smile?"
Marcus Lin wore a look of disbelief. Strictly speaking, Lena Lin had smiled in front of him before, but those were always mocking, cold, or ruthless smiles. This was the first time he’d seen a smile so full of grievance and charm...
"Uncle Marcus, why are you spacing out? Let’s go!"
"Sigh! Xian’er, look at you—never behaving wherever you go. Before we left, your father warned me a thousand times to keep an eye on you, not to stir up trouble. And look what you’ve done since we arrived!
This time is different from before—the words of the great sage directly concern the future of our Savage Brotherhood. Do you really want us to carry the bandit label forever? How will you ever get married that way?"
"Uncle Marcus! What are you talking about? Who’s getting married? You’re the one who should get married!"
"Uh, cough cough! Of course, that’s not the point. The point is, this trip to the Yellow-Blade Star-Region is absolutely critical for us. We can’t afford any mistakes. Whether the Savage Brotherhood can finally put down roots and rise to greatness all depends on what happens here...
We spent a fortune to get the great sage at Star-Treasure Pavilion’s Star-Gazing Hall to open the Heavenly Eye and peer into heaven’s secrets. Do you know how many Starstones it cost us? Nearly ten thousand years’ worth of the Savage Brotherhood’s total income—all of it, gone! Opening the Heavenly Eye and peering into fate isn’t easy; even if we had many times more Starstones, we might never get another chance!
So, this operation..."
Marcus Lin spoke earnestly, and Lena Lin finally realized just how close she’d come to causing a disaster. She broke out in a cold sweat, grateful that today’s incident hadn’t blown up any further.
Star-Treasure Pavilion has a division called the Star-Gazing Hall. The experts there can observe the movement of the stars and even pierce some locations’ fate—it’s incredibly powerful. The Savage Brotherhood wanted to shed the bandit label and find a true home, so they spent fifty thousand years’ worth of Starstones to get a single directive.
"The one who obtains the Starry Void Sigil will come to rule this Star-River Dominion, helping him rise from insignificance; in the future, he will stand among the Star-River’s apex existences and become the summit among dynasties."
So, the Savage Brotherhood assembled its strongest force and sent the sharpest mind among the brothers—Marcus Lin—carrying the gang’s deepest savings to the Yellow-Blade Star-Region.
Of course, this time they weren’t here to bid or snatch treasures—they were just here to find one person. Someone who could lead them to rise in the Star-River Dominion, shed the bandit label, and become a peak existence.