"He's coming." Bai Ningbing's eyes sharpened as her expression turned tense, and she quickly mobilized the dog pack.
The once-stationary dog pack formation began to flow, like a great millstone. And these Gu Masters who charged in became nothing more than green beans and soybeans. In mere moments, they were ground to pulp—most died, and those few who recognized the danger hastily retreated.
The Demonic Path allied forces suffered a crushing defeat. Over a thousand had been thrown in, and only a few hundred battered survivors returned.
"Young Master Wutian, did you actually see clearly or not?" Li Qiang was the first to speak up. "I followed your orders and charged in. The first wave did encounter Iron Shield Dogs. I fought while retreating, shifting left, but then I was caught in a pincer attack by Electric Dogs and Chrysanthemum Akita Dogs. There were simply too many—we couldn't kill them all. After a bloody fight that got us nowhere, I had no choice but to withdraw!"
Bao Tong's temper was even more volatile: "I took eight hundred men, but I never heard any fighting from the northwest. Instead, the sounds of battle came from the southeast. I led my troops that way and immediately ran into an ambush—Electric Dogs, Hedgehog Dogs, and Corpse-eating Dogs swarmed us!"
Hu Mei'er's expression was none too pleasant either: "Young Master Wutian, I did as you said and prepared for a forced assault. We charged in eight hundred paces without encountering a single dog. Just as I was growing suspicious, the dog pack suddenly surrounded us from every direction. Thank heavens I turned back in time and fought our way out, or my life would have been lost right there."
Li Xian stood off to the side with an impassive expression. His unit had been prepared to protect the scattered Gu Masters and intercept any pursuing dogs.
The routed soldiers did come, but not a single dog pursued them, leaving him standing around for a long time.
Mo Wutian's expression was grim and somber. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "I can see the situation more clearly than any of you. This dog pack is being commanded by someone. It's not a static formation but a living one. That is why you all returned in defeat."
The crowd was stunned: "Someone is commanding them? Who could it possibly be?"
Mo Wutian shook his head: "The fog is too thick. I can only catch glimpses, nothing more. But there is definitely a mastermind behind this—only human intelligence could produce such exquisite reactions. No matter. I have deep expertise in the Slave Path. Next time, if you simply attack as I instruct, you'll break through the encirclement and seize the Gu Immortal's hidden treasure!"
The crowd's faces were caked with blood. They exchanged glances for a while, but constrained by Mo Wutian's Fifth Transformation strength and the lure of the Gu Immortal's treasure, they reluctantly nodded.
But this charge, too, ended in failure. The losses were even heavier than before.
"The person behind this has profound mastery of the Slave Path. I underestimated them." Mo Wutian furrowed his brow deeply. His plan had been meticulous, with four routes coordinating seamlessly, yet the opponent's response had been astonishingly swift—as if they had seen through his intentions in an instant. Troop movements were unhurried yet precise, dismantling all four routes one after another. There was even a subtle aura of mastery in their actions.
"Mo Wutian, you owe me an explanation! We've been fighting to the death and lost so many people. We haven't even seen a hair of the Gu Immortal's treasure. Was it fun just standing there watching the show? You're a Fifth Transformation Gu Master now—it's about time you contributed!" Bao Tong raged, clutching his wounds as he shouted.
"Oh? You want an explanation? Heh heh. Then let me give you a satisfying one." Mo Wutian let out a sinister laugh, and suddenly his purple pupils flashed bright.
"You—" Bao Tong was caught completely off guard. He stared desperately at Mo Wutian, unable to move.
After a moment, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Dead.
The Demonic Path Gu Masters erupted in panicked cries.
Blazing Mars Bao Tong—a renowned Fourth Transformation Flame Path Gu Master. Mo Wutian hadn't even raised a hand; a single glare was all it took to kill him!
"You wanted an explanation, so I gave you one. Are you satisfied with this explanation? If not, you can say so." Mo Wutian looked down at Bao Tong's corpse and leaned forward as if listening.
"You're not speaking—looks like you're satisfied." Mo Wutian laughed, turning to survey those around him. "Heh heh heh, Bao Tong is satisfied. What about the rest of you? Would you like me to give you an explanation too?"
The surroundings fell deathly silent.
Mo Wutian had killed a man while laughing and chatting. Bao Tong had been at the High Stage of the Fourth Transformation, yet he couldn't withstand even a single move—his death was utterly clean.
The Demonic Path Gu Masters were filled with terror and dread, all beginning to regret how they had been bewitched into following Mo Wutian.
Now that they had boarded the pirate ship, did they think they could get off? Hah—too late!
Hu Mei'er and the others all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Mo Wutian's eyes. The killing method he had displayed left them terrified to the core.
They had originally thought that since Mo Wutian had just advanced to the Fifth Transformation, his combat strength might not truly match. They never imagined his power would be far beyond imagination, on par with Wu Gui and the like!
How old was he even?
The number one genius of the Demonic Path—without question!
After successfully establishing his authority through killing, Mo Wutian let out another wicked smile: "Bao Tong's Gu are still here. Divide them among yourselves. Consider it compensation for your losses."
At these words, the eyes of every Gu Master lit up.
Li Xian was the first to react. With a whoosh, quick as a rabbit, he pounced on Bao Tong's body and collected his Gu Insects.
Almost in the next instant, Hu Mei'er and Li Qiang reacted as well, rushing forward together.
The others could only watch from the sidelines, not daring to compete.
The three scraped every last bit of Bao Tong's wealth clean. The haul was substantial, and the resentment in their hearts dissipated entirely, transforming instead into awe and reverence for Mo Wutian.
Mo Wutian's ability to kill with his gaze was nothing surprising—it was the Gaze Kill, a soul-type killing technique.
This kind of technique involved a direct contest of souls. The loser's soul would scatter, not even given the chance to self-detonate their Gu Insects.
Mo Wutian was a Soul Path Gu Master whose soul was strong enough to tower above all others. If he could do this to Bao Tong, dealing with them would be just as effortless.
"Ahem." Li Xian coughed twice and spoke up: "Since there are heavy defenses of dog beasts guarding this place, it must be the central hall—most likely hiding the Gu Immortal's wealth. But how are we supposed to break in?"
He was cunning as a ghost; having obtained the largest share of Bao Tong's belongings, he immediately voiced his support for Mo Wutian.
As the topic of the Gu Immortal's hidden treasure came up, Hu Mei'er's and Li Qiang's attention was drawn to it as well.