No Blood on Weapon . . .
Such an eerie spectacle could have driven even the bravest souls to the brink of insanity had it occurred in broad daylight. Thankfully, the assembled witnesses, including Wan Zhenghao, had grown accustomed to the grim specter of death throughout their martial journeys. Still, fear coursed through their veins, eliciting cold shivers and rendering them virtually speechless.
Complete silence replaced any attempts at conversation. The profound gravity of the situation was etched in their minds. Sixty-three esteemed cultivators, renowned figures in the realm of martial arts, now stood quietly in the courtyard. Their breath had ceased, their hearts stilled, and they had no awareness that their lives had already slipped away, lost in this unsettling silence.
The next moments brought further dread.
—Splash... —
—Splash... —
With the gentle kiss of the wind, their skeletal forms crumbled to the ground. Subsequent gusts scattered the remains to the air, reducing them to ashes.
Their final destination was not skeletal repose; it was to be reduced to a mere whisper of ash.
The notion that a living person could disintegrate into a pile of ashes might have seemed a fanciful tale, but the ghastly spectacle before them validated its chilling reality.
Witnesses struggled to digest this macabre truth. They found it difficult to swallow, their necks twitching with each attempt, as if their hearts might cease to beat.
"Pahhh... Pahh..." Wan Zhenghao's stomach could tolerate no more. He began vomiting profusely, leaving him dizzy and weak. This day's events had truly rattled him. Despite having lived for a thousand years, the relentless emotional turmoil of the day had taken a toll on his usually unshakable demeanor.
"Pah... Pahhhh..." Members of the five clans soon joined him in retching, knowing that their appetites would likely be absent for the coming months. Long Tianyun and his associates, while frightened, couldn't help but admire Cha Eun Xiao.
Even if they had witnessed a literal demon consuming a living being, it couldn't match the sheer horror of this spectacle. Post-event, the five clans would treat Feng Monarch with the same reverence they had shown Bu Jingtian. Even children would refrain from crying for fear of Cha Eun Xiao's terrifying presence.
Throughout these gruesome events, Cha Eun Xiao observed with an icy composure. As he witnessed the transformation of these men from the living to the dead, and then into ashes carried away by the wind, he remained unaffected.
After a period of contemplation, he wore a cold smile. "My dan beads aren't so easily ingested. Did you truly believe I would release you? Did you think I was so naive as to grant you my dan beads? After your extensive experiences in the martial world, you actually entertained such a naive notion. Now, who truly embodies naivety?" He delivered a parting admonishment, "Unqualified! You are unworthy of being villains!"
The living, listening to these words, felt a frigid shiver down their spines. It became evident that Feng Monarch had never harbored intentions of setting these men free. Every action he had taken was designed to obscure his true objectives.
The poison beads were indeed potent, but they lacked the capacity to dispatch these high-level cultivators with the requisite swiftness. Despite operating at a mere fraction of their full potential, their combined might, when unleashed simultaneously, could obliterate any individual on the planet.
Feng Monarch had harbored a grim desire for their demise, but he couldn't bear to face the full force of their desperation. It was the reason behind his charade of mercy and words of reconciliation, making it seem as though he wished for the hatred to dissipate and for friendship to flourish. All of this was a ploy to deceive them into believing that the dan beads were genuine.
The hapless men remained blissfully unaware that these dan beads were, in fact, even more malevolent poison beads. Their insidious effects only manifested when the dreadful poison within the beads was ingested. Hence, Feng Monarch had gone to great lengths to ensure their consumption, leading to their inevitable doom.
What followed was a macabre tableau. Sixty-three Sky Origin cultivators met their demise at their own hands, succumbing to a relentless itch and transforming into piles of ash.
The nature of the poison left witnesses astounded.
"What kind of poison is this? Why is it so overpowering and malevolent? Is Feng Zhiling a master of crafting dan beads or a master of concocting poison? Or is he a master of both?"
Long Tianyun struggled to breathe deeply, yearning for fresh air. However, he realized that the very air he sought was now tainted with the ashes of the deceased. The mere thought of it nearly caused him to retch again, and his face grew pallid in response.
As a man well-versed in strategic thinking, Long Tianyun couldn't help but ponder, "If I were one of those men... If I had been struck by that dreadful poison and was on the brink of death, and if I possessed a dan bead that was purported to be the antidote... Would I consume it or not?"
The answer was unequivocal – he would indeed consume it. He would seize it without hesitation. Even if he were aware that it could be yet another poison bead, he would still swallow it because it represented his sole chance of survival. Refraining would only seal his fate.
However, for those unfortunate men, their fate was far crueler. They perished more rapidly and endured a more agonizing demise.
In their final moments, they had been left with a singular desire – to preserve their own lives. They didn't ponder alternative outcomes.
Feng Monarch had an astute understanding of the human psyche. He had merely uttered a few words, and without lifting a weapon, he had orchestrated the demise of a group of formidable adversaries.
Their ashes littered the ground, and amidst the macabre scene, a glittering object caught Long Tianyun's attention.
As the wind breezed through, it revealed an ethereal sight—a cluster of dan beads suspended in the air, their brilliance shining resplendent.
"Supreme dan beads," Long Tianyun declared upon seeing them, his gaze unwavering.