Chapter 317: Discard The Body!

Wu Haruto’s entire body shook with fury. His eyes were filled with hatred unlike ever before.

Shen Kai and the surrounding elders were no different.

Every single one of them looked at Wu Taeyong as though staring at a monster.

Wu Taeyong merely smiled.

"Haruto."

"The comrades and family you cherish..."

"They’re nothing more than shackles on the path toward greatness."

"The only thing that truly matters..."

"...is one’s own strength."

A trace of unwillingness appeared in his eyes.

"My talent is limited."

"If I wish to reach greater heights..."

"I must resort to unconventional methods."

He calmly looked at Wu Haruto.

"So..."

"Will you support me?"

Before Wu Haruto could even answer, Wu Taeyong continued speaking almost obsessively.

"Family? Friends? Comrades?"

"They may betray you."

His smile widened.

"But my Pishacha Army never will."

"If I order them to kill..."

"They kill."

"If I order them to die..."

"They die."

"They exist solely to obey me."

He slowly pointed toward Shen Kai.

"Take him for example."

"Wasn’t Shen Kai once your closest friend?"

"And yet..."

"He’s standing against you now."

A mocking smile spread across his face.

"If you join me..."

"You’ll also gain the ability to create Pishachas one day."

"Then..."

"You can transform Shen Kai into your most loyal subordinate: a Pishacha."

"He’ll never betray you again."

The surrounding cultivators stared at Wu Taeyong in complete disbelief.

This wasn’t the Ancestor they had respected for decades. This was a complete lunatic!

A monster wearing human skin.

Shen Kai’s expression remained calm. He merely glanced toward Wu Haruto.

There was neither expectation nor pressure in his eyes.

Only quiet observation.

He wanted to know...

What decision the man he had once regarded as his closest friend would make.

The next moment—

Boom!

Wu Haruto’s aura erupted violently.

Dense killing intent swept across the battlefield.

His bloodshot eyes locked firmly onto Wu Taeyong.

"You...are insane."

His voice trembled with rage.

"I don’t want some perfectly obedient army."

"I only want my family."

"My comrades."

"My friends."

His fists clenched tighter.

"But you...took every one of them away."

The hatred in his eyes reached its peak.

"I will never forgive you."

"Today..."

"I’ll kill you with my own hands."

"Oh..." Wu Taeyong softly sighed.

"What a pity..."

His expression remained completely indifferent, as though Wu Haruto’s decision meant absolutely nothing to him.

"Then..."

"I suppose you’ll share the same fate as them."

His smile slowly became increasingly sinister.

He suddenly raised both hands toward the sky.

His voice boomed throughout the prison.

"COME FORTH..."

"MY ARMY!"

"KILL THESE PESTS!"

The ground shook violently.

Rumble...

Rumble...

Rumble...

The stone floor split apart as countless pale-grey, rotten, twisted arms burst from beneath the earth one after another.

They clawed desperately toward the surface.

One of the elders’ expressions changed drastically. "He was buying time!"

Wu Taeyong chuckled.

"Oh? You noticed?"

He laughed mockingly.

"Too bad..."

"You’re already too late."

Every cultivator immediately spread their spiritual senses deep beneath the prison.

The next instant... Their expressions froze.

Thousands—

There were thousands of Pishachas hidden beneath the White Moon Sect.

The underground tunnels had already become their nest.

No matter which direction they fled...

The monsters would surround them before they could escape.

The expressions of every cultivator turned incomparably ugly.

Shen Kai’s expression changed drastically.

"Don’t give him the chance!"

His spiritual energy erupted as he shouted urgently,

"Everyone, attack together!"

"Heh... too late."

Wu Taeyong sneered.

He completely ignored the cultivators preparing to attack him. Instead of dodging or defending, he simply stood there with both arms spread apart, devoting all of his concentration to the technique he was executing.

The elders, Wu Haruto, and the remaining cultivators no longer hesitated.

They attacked simultaneously.

"Moonfall Piercer!"

Wu Haruto and several elders thrust out their weapons together, releasing combined beams of silver light that tore through the air.

"Wild Thunder!"

Shen Kai raised his hand as violent bolts of lightning burst forth, crackling across the battlefield like enraged dragons.

"Fire Storm!"

Dowblis Snake punched forward from afar. Flames spiralled into a raging inferno before surging toward Wu Taeyong like a volcanic eruption.

The remaining cultivators unleashed their own techniques.

Wind blades.

Flames.

Earth spikes.

Every kind of spiritual attack converged upon Wu Taeyong from every direction, illuminating the ruined prison with dazzling brilliance.

Yet...

Wu Taeyong never moved.

He neither guarded nor attempted to evade.

His attention remained entirely focused on completing his technique.

Boom!

Bang!

Sizzle!

Zap!

The countless attacks landed almost simultaneously.

A blinding explosion engulfed the battlefield.

The violent shockwaves shattered what little remained of the surrounding prison, while the earth shook as if unable to withstand the bombardment.

"Did we get him?"

One of the elders asked anxiously.

Shen Kai immediately waved his sleeve, sending out a powerful gust of spiritual energy.

The others followed suit.

The smoke was quickly blown away.

Wu Taeyong still stood where he had been.

There was no miraculous escape.

Nor had he emerged unscathed.

His entire body had been horribly mangled.

His robes had long since turned to ash.

Large portions of his flesh had been charred black, carrying the unmistakable stench of burnt meat. Several muscles had been roasted beyond recognition, while one side of his face was so badly damaged that his original appearance could no longer be identified.

Even so...

Not a single cultivator smiled.

Instead, every expression became increasingly grim.

Because the aura emanating from Wu Taeyong... was growing stronger with each passing moment.

"What..."

An elder unconsciously took a step backwards.

Under everyone’s incredulous gaze, the old man’s body suddenly began losing its vitality at a terrifying speed.

The charred flesh rapidly withered.

His muscles shrank as though every trace of life was being sucked out of them.

His skin clung tightly against his bones before drying into a wrinkled husk.

Then...

One of his eyeballs slipped from its socket.

Plop...

It landed upon the ground.

The dried corpse opened its mouth.

A mass of eerie green soul fire poured out from within.