Monsters Die When Killed

BOOM!

The first shot from the Electromagnetic Cannon didn't actually hit the camp. It landed on a hill two kilometers to the camp's left. Then came a flash as bright as lightning and a roar loud enough to shatter eardrums!

BANG! A searing gale erupted, carving a massive crater into the hill. Shards of black rock and clouds of dust shot out in all directions like bullets, accompanied by a tremor like a small earthquake. Many members of the Spirit Summoning Association in the camp cried out in terror and threw themselves flat on the ground.

The average member of the Spirit Summoning Association mostly came from the dregs of society, street thugs who had nowhere else to turn and had to sell themselves to the Association. Others had actively sought it out, hoping to obtain mysterious powers that would set them above others.

Setting aside the former group, one might wonder if the latter would dwindle with the Spiritual Energy Revival and the worldwide popularization of Cultivation Techniques.

The answer is no—in fact, their numbers have grown.

Not every national power could be like the forces of the three Central regions, who could have a team of masters analyze and produce the best, most universal, and gentlest Cultivation Methods for the common person to practice. For those in fringe nations, the publicly available Cultivation Techniques they offered were far less appealing than the legacies provided by an organization like the Spirit Summoning Association.

Besides, why become a lapdog for the state when you could live a life of freedom and become a local Emperor, dominating your own territory?

And the members willing to follow the Spirit Summoning Association's Leaders into the Otherworld were the most die-hard of loyalists. Most of them were also suitable candidates for the Celestial God's legacy—they believed that in this Otherworld, free from major powers, their organization could develop without restraint and become a true superpower on equal footing with the world's great nations.

But this fragile dream was shattered by the orange-red stars that fell one after another from a great distance.

"Block those things!"

The Controller shrieked. She had sensed something was wrong the moment the first Electromagnetic Cannon shell fell, and had used her power to shift the trajectory of the first two shells, making them land 'coincidentally' in the area next to the camp.

But that was her limit. While her reaction speed was fast enough to continue tracking the trajectories of the other shells, her Spiritual Power couldn't keep up.

"What is this?! Is it an attack from the Harmony Bureau?"

Blocking a single Electromagnetic Cannon shot was actually no big deal for an Extraordinary Peak Cultivator. Soon, Reborn also stepped forward. The grayish-white wings on his back began to turn red, emitting a golden-red radiance. In the next instant, he seemed to transform into a flaming bird, becoming a streak of fire that swallowed an entire shell.

However, they were the only two who could react in time. The others were a step too slow.

The Planter immediately summoned their strongest defense: Rock Iron Spirit Trees, whose bark was as hard as stone, and used them to protect several key areas in the camp. But even so, faced with the immense kinetic energy of the incoming Electromagnetic Cannon shells, the Rock Iron Spirit Trees were fragile things, destroyed in a single hit.

Meanwhile, the Spirit Summoner and the Exchanger joined forces. One used a Law Shield, while the other paid a price in Soul to exchange for a buff, Enhancing the Spirit Summoner's power. This transformed her shield into a dozen translucent layers that blocked six Electromagnetic Cannon shells before finally being pierced.

Even so, a few shells that were neither blocked nor diverted still rained down on the Spirit Summoning Association's camp.

The roaring explosions continued.

Amidst the violent blasts, the vast majority of ordinary Spirit Summoning Association members lost consciousness. A Gale of several hundred degrees swept through, enough to instantly kill anyone whose strength had not reached the Awakening Tier. The lucky ones died in an instant. The less fortunate suffered massive burns all over their bodies but couldn't die right away.

Buildings collapsed. Although the permanent fortifications built from high-strength concrete didn't fall, the ground itself had shifted slightly from the continuous vibrations, causing the structures to tilt.

The scorched smell of roasting flesh and melting metal filled the air. The wails and screams made it sound like a warzone after a saturation bombing.

In the blink of an eye, the Spirit Summoning Association camp, which hadn't even suffered heavy losses when ambushed by tens of thousands of Magical Beasts, was blown to pieces.

"Bornev, why are you just watching!? Have you betrayed us?!"

Watching all this unfold, Reborn was both anxious and furious. Even for the Leaders, these core members of the Spirit Summoning Association were valuable. After all, they could all cultivate the Celestial Secret Technique. At the very least, these people could serve as cultivation fodder for their own advancement. For them to die so easily was a waste of their assets.

But from start to finish, the Silent had not moved an inch.

With his Commander Tier strength, he could have blocked all the Electromagnetic Cannon shells if he had acted. But he remained where he was, watching everything with indifference.

In response to his comrade's accusation, Bornev was silent for a long time before finally uttering his first words.

"It's all the same."

His tone wasn't one of indifference, but of deep sorrow. The Silent was actually shedding tears. This Red-haired Slavic Khan had started crying without any warning. "What's the difference between dying now and dying a few hours from now?"

"No matter what, the End is just as painful. Leaving this world sooner might be a release for them."

Large teardrops fell one after another, but his expression never changed. This bizarre, eerie scene was enough to make even the crazed Leaders of the Spirit Summoning Association subconsciously shut their mouths.

"I am just grieving, just sorrowful. Why, in this world of suffering, does someone who feels no pain at all even exist... He's too dazzling. He's hurting my eyes."

As he said this, the Silent looked into the distance. Just as abruptly as he had started crying, he suddenly returned to a normal expression. "We can't stay here. He can wear us down and kill us with ranged attacks alone."

"Let's use all our strength to take him out. I have a feeling that as long as we kill that guy, the Harmony Bureau's forces alone will no longer be a threat to us."

"...If you're willing to make a move, then we'll follow your lead."

The Leaders of the Spirit Summoning Association exchanged glances. Although the Silent's behavior was incredibly bizarre—perhaps he had gone mad long ago while listening to Tianqi, or perhaps he had been mad from the start—they all knew after so many years that he did what he said he would do.

At the very least, after working together for decades, they were willing to trust his strength.

And their previous victory over the Harmony Bureau's top fighters had indeed given them considerable confidence. The Electromagnetic Cannon was just a surprise attack, taking advantage of the fact that they had just been ambushed by Magical Beasts. If they faced him head-on, they would never give him the chance to use such a tactic!

「Ten minutes later.」

The elite armed forces of the Spirit Summoning Association, fully armed and even equipped with Exoskeleton Armor, transformed into phantoms and disappeared into the dense forest.

Meanwhile, Su Zhou, who had returned to the surface of the earth, smiled at the dumbfounded Steward beside him and said, "So? What do you think?"

"I didn't move a single step, did I?"