Jin pointed his sword at the covering man. The hundreds of small spears moved as one. The sound of flesh and bones being pierced went on for only a few seconds. They left behind the silence and a puddle of mashed remains of human body.

Liao Hu was dead.

Jin looked at his arms pensively for a second.

Fear...

Corruption...

They were powerful. Incredibly so. Especially in this continent where such rare elements were close to unheard of.

Jin glanced at the disgusting puddle in front of him and pointed his arm towards it. His arm distorted as its flesh swirled and went straight at the remains. It absorbed them all in a few seconds. As he retracted the Corruption, the corner was now devoid of the slightest hint of a corpse having been there.

It was not much but it was still some 'Mass' to be added. He would need to absorb a few trees on the way back... Or not... He looked up as he recalled that all the captured people were now dead. He could use their bodies to replenish some 'Mass' on the way up.

He was starting to make his way back towards the way back when he could not help but glance at the pool. The liquid was still boiling within it. He had yet to uncover what this was.

However, he merely took a glance before leaving. He would check it out later. He needed to go up now and check the situation. Ame would not have been defeated in such a short time. Depending on the situation, he would take her away with him.

If they could not defeat those guys, he would probably be able to escape at least.

Judging from how Liao Hu tried so hard to flee... They would likely not chase them if they tried to escape.

As he made his way up, he had his corrupted limb stretch and absorb all the dried corpses.

Once he reached the outside, he began to hear the sounds of the fight. All kinds of explosions and screams. He rushed silently and covertly. A moment later, he had his eyes on the situation...

It looked so-so.

Ame was fighting alone against the Sect Master while the others were entangled in a messy brawl. Jin spotted the corpses of dozens of kids and a few of his own team members. It seemed like the woman with a burnt face and the young soldier from the south were dead already... A shame.

Jin turned his eyes back to the fight.

There was not too much he could do if he joined in overtly. However, if he managed to remain concealed...Jin acted decisively. Fear began to escape his arm.

Guerilla warfare and ambushing tactics were no strangers to him. Especially after he experienced so many lives.

He covered himself within the corruption, making himself appear as if a fat corpse on top of a house.

From one side, Fear escaped and spread through the battleground. From another side, small needle-sized spears made of Corruption and supplemented with his spiritual energy were sent out. He was sniping the many enemies from his vantage point. He did not dare go after the three powerhouses for now. But there were many disciples still alive or only injured. Those were his targets.

They were kids? Yes.

They were forced or brainwashed? Maybe.

But then so what? The situation did not give him much options. Sure, he could try to incapacitate them instead. After all, maybe they could be saved... However, it would be harder. It would not be as efficient.

And the situation was pressing.

Two of those he recruited were already dead. And most of the people still alive were not in the best of shape. Also, aside from the two old geezers, it seemed like everyone else was trying to spare the kids...

He sighed as his needles flew, each taking a life.

It was not the end however. After all, it was a needle made of his Corruption. It began to devour the corpse and make it its own. A monstrosity was born with each of his shot. However, they were still linked to him.

He was 'them' and they were 'him'.

It was a weird sensation. As if he was no longer just 'one' but 'many'.

"Is that what cloning techniques are truly like?" he wondered.

It did not have the same results in the fake lives... He would need to study this too later. But for now, he needed to slaughter.

...

At the same time, at the lowest level of the sect, a pair of blazing red eyes opened.

The creature pinned to the cross was never dead. It had been kept in a half-death state by the sect members. However, now that the array finished its work, he was free. He could heal its wound. And that he did.

A mere instant was enough for his herbal body to grow new skin over his stomach, effectively sealing the wounds.

Then, he proceeded to bite hard on the funnel, completely shattering it.

After that, he broke free from the cross while making sure not to jump into the pool but aside from it. He glanced at the pool and sighed. He could not make use of it while it was being boiled... His own spiritual energy revolved within his soul sea before he exerted it outside in the reality. He destroyed the formations surrounding the pool.

Considering the state of the liquid, he estimated that he had some time before it cooled down to a suitable temperature... And his gaze moved upwards as he began to roar in laughter.

Since he had time, it was time for revenge.

His energy activated through his limbs and he pushed. A deep crack was created as he went through all the ceilings before he ended up breaking through the entire building and landing on the outside ground.

It had been a few years since he saw the moon. He roared in laughter as his arms spread.

His eyes then landed on the people fighting.