Chapter 295 - 274: Annihilation

Chapter 295: Chapter 274: Annihilation

BOOM!

At that moment, a sudden roar echoed, as if the very earth were shaking. The grand hall itself seemed to tremble, and its roof was torn away by the surging blast wave.

Zhao Hong’s frenzied laughter came to an abrupt halt. He looked up at the fiery red sky, his madness completely vanishing.

Shock... Disbelief... Despair...

In a brief moment, a tangle of complex emotions intertwined...

At this moment, it wasn’t just Zhao Hong. Everyone in this Longevity Sect outpost, from the Foundation Establishment Cultivators down to the Qi Cultivation Cultivators, was experiencing the same whirlwind of emotions.

The mere Tier Two Array was shattered in an instant by the combined Attack of nineteen Foundation Establishment Powerhouses.

Nineteen hostile Foundation Establishment Powerhouses hovered in the air, appearing above this small outpost...

Who wouldn’t be shocked? Who would dare to believe it? And who could not fall into despair...?

In this moment, before the nineteen Foundation Establishment Powerhouses, Zhao Hong’s preparations—the gathering of eight Foundation Establishment Powerhouses—seemed utterly insignificant.

Perhaps it wasn’t just nineteen. There were also four Cyan Wolf Puppets, each comparable to an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment cultivator, already wreaking havoc within the camp.

The attacks of the Qi Cultivation Cultivators landed on the Cyan Wolf Puppets like trying to scratch an itch—they posed no threat whatsoever.

But a casual swipe from a Cyan Wolf Puppet was a fatal Attack, sending severed limbs flying and splattering blood everywhere.

A Longevity Sect Foundation Establishment Powerhouse tried to flee, but in the next second, several enemy Foundation Establishment Powerhouses moved to intercept and surround him!

With a nearly three-to-one disadvantage in numbers and no overwhelming advantage in Cultivation, they obviously stood little chance of resisting.

And in a small outpost like this, there was clearly no chance of a Golden Core True Master appearing.

Besides, according to the unspoken rules of war between the Righteous Alliance and the Longevity Sect—king against king, general against general—Golden Core True Masters were not to interfere in the battles of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Unless one side had overwhelming power, breaking these unspoken rules of war would lead to losses for both sides far greater than a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators and a single outpost.

"Eight Foundation Establishment cultivators... all to kill me?"

Surrounded by several Foundation Establishment cultivators and flanked by four Cyan Wolf Puppets that had ceased their slaughter, Chu Mu descended into the center of the camp’s main hall.

As he spoke, his gaze didn’t fall on Zhao Hong, who still seemed slow to react, but instead fixed on Xu Yuan, who looked as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

’His injuries are severe, but thank god... he’s still alive...’

The worry clutching Chu Mu’s heart finally eased. ’As long as he’s alive, it’s fine. As long as he’s alive, everything will be okay.’

If Xu Yuan had died because of his feuds and the trouble he’d caused, Chu Mu would likely never find peace in his life.

At this moment, hearing Chu Mu’s words, Zhao Hong seemed to snap back to reality. He stared intently at Chu Mu, his eyes filled with nothing but profound killing intent.

The next second, without a single word, he raised his hand and struck at Xu Yuan, who lay collapsed to the side.

This move was like tipping the scales; a turbulent wave of Magical Power instantly surged through the hall.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators, along with the four Cyan Wolf Puppets, all rushed to attack Zhao Hong with lightning speed.

Chu Mu gripped his saber, its blade already raised high. In the unseen world, the Divine Soul Saber had, in that instant, merged with reality.

Whether this saber would fall depended entirely on the Zhao Hong before him.

Surrounded by several Foundation Establishment cultivators and four Cyan Wolf Puppets comparable to the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, if he insisted on killing Xu Yuan, this combined Attack would be enough to take his life in an instant.

If he dodged, he might still have a chance to live.

Faced with such a life-or-death crisis, Zhao Hong ultimately hesitated. Recalling his palm strike, he redirected his Magical Power, his body twisting and shifting to evade the fatal attacks coming from all directions.

Chu Mu sheathed his saber and reached out. As if caught by an invisible giant claw, Xu Yuan, who was lying on the ground, suddenly levitated and was pulled before him in the blink of an eye.

"Brother... Brother Mu..."

Xu Yuan said weakly.

"It’s okay now. Don’t worry, I’ll take you back."

Chu Mu, relieved, patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder. With a thought, two of the Cyan Wolf Puppets flew back to stand guard on either side of Xu Yuan.

Only then did he turn his gaze to Zhao Hong, who was now surrounded and in a precarious situation.

The coldness hidden deep in his eyes was, at this moment, completely unconcealed.

He gripped the hilt of his saber, but then, as if remembering something, he tossed the Minghong Saber directly into his Storage Ring.

He leaped into the air and, finding an opening in the ongoing assault, threw a punch!

He didn’t imbue this punch with any Magical Power, nor did he use any other techniques.

It was pure, unadulterated Physical Strength!

But with him already in a perilous state from the siege, this punch was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Several more attacks followed, landing one after another.

Zhao Hong only had an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivation. Against such a siege, the result was obvious.

Before long, like a kite with a broken string, Zhao Hong plummeted from the sky, crashing through a large section of walls and buildings, sending dust and rubble flying.

Chu Mu descended from the sky, instinctively preparing to deliver a killing blow. But at the last moment, he held back slightly, imbuing his fist with Magical Power and striking Zhao Hong’s Dantian directly.

Zhao Hong let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of blood. His surging Magical Power dissipated like air from a punctured balloon.

With that one punch, his Cultivation was crippled!

Chu Mu grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up like a sack of rags.

"Go deal with the others."

Without even glancing at them, Chu Mu pulled several Storage Talismans from Zhao Hong’s body and tossed them to the few Foundation Establishment cultivators who had followed him.

The cultivators took the Storage Talismans, somewhat surprised, but were tactful enough not to say anything. They leaped away, joining the other battles.

Only then did he look at Zhao Hong in his grasp. His eyes, venomous as a viper’s yet filled with despair, were jarring. His voice was shrill as he cried out:

"You little bastard, you’ll die a dog’s death!"

A faint smile touched Chu Mu’s lips. "I don’t know if I’ll die a dog’s death, but you, Zhao Hong, probably will."

"Back when I slaughtered that idiot Zhao Tang, I’ve regretted it ever since."

"For such a stupid and vicious person, I should have ripped out his soul and properly tortured it."

"You’ll die a dog’s death! You’ll die a horrible death..."

"I hate it! Why didn’t I just slaughter you back then, you little bastard! I hate it!"

Zhao Hong was so enraged he coughed up blood again, cursing in despair as he struggled helplessly.

Chu Mu’s expression didn’t flicker in the face of his curses. He then cast several techniques, completely immobilizing Zhao Hong’s struggling body.

He formed a hand seal and chanted, and a fluctuation originating from his Divine Soul descended.

"Little bastard, what are you doing?"

Zhao Hong seemed to realize something and shrieked a curse.

Chu Mu’s smile was brilliant, but his eyes were ice-cold. Without another word, and before Zhao Hong could speak again, the Technique in his hand fell.

In that instant, the look of despair and hatred in Zhao Hong’s eyes turned vacant.

Under the effect of the Technique, the Divine Soul of an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment cultivator was visibly extracted, bit by bit.

Finally, a twisted black mist hovered in Chu Mu’s palm. Within his Divine Sense Perception, he could tell that Zhao Hong, now in his Divine Soul state, was still cursing with despair and hatred.

Chu Mu paid it no mind. He slightly curled his fingers and chanted silently, activating the Soul Searching Secret Technique. In that moment, it was as if an invisible hand had reached directly into Zhao Hong’s Divine Soul, violently snatching at the memories of his life.

He had no reservations, no hesitation.

’After all, a Puppet’s core requires a Blank Divine Soul, not a conscious entity.’

Having his consciousness erased, becoming a mindless Blank Divine Soul—this was Zhao Hong’s only possible fate.

As the Soul Searching Secret Technique continued, countless memories flowed past. The most profound among them, surprisingly, was Chu Mu’s name.

He saw Zhao Hong painstakingly staking out the Memory Vault in Jade Emperor Valley, reviewing surveillance recordings day and night, searching for any clue about him.

One by one, he had seen through all of Chu Mu’s disguised identities.

He also saw Zhao Hong searching for him like a madman, even selling his possessions to post a massive bounty for his whereabouts.

Since the war began, he had pulled all sorts of strings to post a huge bounty for him within the Longevity Sect’s mercenary mission system.

He saw even more: Zhao Hong’s despair and madness upon hearing that Chu Mu had reached Foundation Establishment and become an Artifact Refining Master.

This Attack on the Righteous Alliance’s rear camp was almost single-handedly orchestrated by him, all to capture Xu Yuan and force Chu Mu to come from the rear to the front lines.

To that end, he had even gathered seven other Foundation Establishment cultivators just to ambush and kill him...

To kill him and get his revenge, this Zhao Hong had schemed tirelessly and spared no expense...

After a moment, Chu Mu, holding Zhao Hong’s now-muddled Divine Soul, had a flicker of wistfulness in his cold eyes.

Chu Mu knew that he had almost succeeded.

Zhao Hong had overestimated his abilities as much as possible, understood his methods well, and did everything he could to summon eight Foundation Establishment cultivators just to surround and kill him alone.

Clearly, based on his past behavior, the possibility of him coming alone, disguised to observe, was very, very high.

Against such a force, if he had come alone, he would have undoubtedly died.

With a wipe of his hand, a Soul Condensing Pearl appeared. He chanted one last time, and the Soul Condensing Pearl in his palm emitted a faint light, drawing in the disordered Divine Soul.

In the span of a few breaths, the Divine Soul merged into the Soul Condensing Pearl. The originally pitch-black Round Pearl instantly gained a gentle, jade-like luster.

He flipped his hand, placed the Soul Condensing Pearl into his Storage Ring, and then leaped up to stand in the sky.

What greeted his eyes was a scene of a living Purgatory.

Every casual strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator was a terrifying Attack that devastated an area several dozen feet wide.

Buildings were obliterated, fires raged, severed limbs flew through the air, and blood stained the ground.

Countless Cultivators fled in a frenzy, but under the absolute difference in Cultivation, even if they weren’t the targets of the high-and-mighty Foundation Establishment cultivators, they could not escape the aftershocks of the battle.

Without much of a struggle, under Chu Mu’s indifferent gaze, the Longevity Sect’s Foundation Establishment Powerhouses fell one after another.

In just a short time, this Longevity Sect outpost was transformed from a place of grim clamor to one of dead silence and bloodshed amidst the ruins.

An outpost with eight Foundation Establishment Powerhouses and several hundred Qi Cultivators was thus annihilated...

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