Rahul never dreamed of this.
The first to attack him weren't the hot-tempered Pantheon father and daughter, but that spineless, fawning, and compromising "softie," Alan Panthes!
Rahul's eyes mingled with anger and horror.
His mouth dropped open, and he wailed.
He desperately clawed at the bone whip wrapped around his neck.
Tanya suddenly lunged.
Hound gait!
Her right hand, imbued with "bone-penetrating power," her fingers clasped together like a knife.
The palm, a shade of blue with a hint of black, shone with a metallic sheen!
Steel Dragon Broken!
Puff!
Tanya's knife-like hand stabbed deep into Rahul's heart!
The palm, imbued with the 4th-tier martial art "Steel Dragon Smash," was as hard as the hardest substance in nature, "Adamantine," and possessed a 3rd-tier enchantment!
Rahul's heart was pierced by her palm, killing him instantly!
The corpse slumped in the chair, its face etched with disbelief.
An elder of the Ganesha family, a dignified 4th-tier violent sorcerer.
Without a chance to resist, he died in such a miserable state.
Pantheon's face was filled with astonishment.
He stared blankly at his daughter and Alan, recovering from his shock for a moment.
"Did you two...already plan to assassinate Rahul?"
"Why would we even need to discuss this?"
Tanya smiled faintly.
"I know my junior brother too well. Seeing him deliberately trying to curry favor with Rahul, I knew he had murderous intentions!"
"So be prepared. The moment he strikes, I'll be right there!"
"Let's team up, brother and sister. Killing Rahul is like killing a chicken!"
Before she finished her words, Tanya pulled her hand away from Rahul's chest.
She took the handkerchief Alan offered her and wiped the blood off her hand.
"Oh, you two, what can I say..."
Pantheon looked at Rahul's body, shook his head and sighed.
"Killing Rahul is a relief for you two, brother and sister, but what next?"
"If this gets out, the Ganesha family won't let it go!"
"Teacher, don't worry, I'll clean up the mess."
Alan calmly approached the corpse and implanted the parasitic spores.
The spores rapidly multiplied, forming a colony inside the corpse. Alan used telepathy to strengthen his spiritual connection with the parasitic colony, remotely controlling the mycelium to fill the corpse's wound.
Dense mycelium, like surgical sutures, closed the corpse's chest wound.
Using parasitic spores, Alan transformed Rahul into a fungus beast.
Using telepathy, Alan could also meticulously manipulate the mycelium in the corpse's throat, stretching the vocal cord muscles and inhaling and exhaling air, mimicking Rahul's voice with uncanny fidelity!
"Pantheon, Tanya, step aside for a moment."
Alan controlled the fungus beast, speaking in Rahul's voice.
"I will clean the blood from my body, change my clothes, and then gather all the sorcerers. I will personally lead the team out to exterminate the remaining cult members!"
The father and daughter exchanged a look of disbelief.
If they hadn't witnessed Rahul's death, they would have believed he had returned from the dead! ...
The next day.
"Rahul" led all his sorcerers back to Quint Town and launched a fierce attack on the Beast Cult's Wolf Clan headquarters!
After a day of fierce fighting, the South Island Sorcerer Corps emerged victorious!
Over half of the Wolf Clan's sorcerers were killed or wounded!
Wolf girl Beiting fled in panic with a group of her closest followers.
Sadly...
The brave Lord Rahul, who led the charge in battle, was tragically grievously wounded and died a heroic death...
Before his death, Lord Rahul entrusted the command of the Sorcerer Corps to his deputy, Pansen, and passed away with a smile on his face.
Pansen, Tanya, and Allen led their comrades in a moment of silence.
Finally, everyone cremated Lord Rahul's body in accordance with his wishes.
The hero's ashes were scattered in the town of Quint, where he had fought.
The sorcerers of the South Island Federation naturally understood Lord Rahul's good intentions.
Scattering the ashes here was intended to inspire the living to carry on his legacy and rise up to resist the cult's oppression until all of Quint Island is liberated!
This solemn funeral purified hearts and unified minds.
The South Island sorcerers, swept away their decline, united in their hatred of the enemy, and their fighting spirit soared!
…
The pale moonlight, like a shroud, enveloped the forest.
Deep in the dense forest, a group of beast worshippers fled.
The leading sorcerer was a petite girl with twintails.
She wore a black robe embroidered with a red moon and a wolf's head emblem.
Her delicate face was dotted with freckles.
A pair of black-framed glasses perched on her nose.
She looked like a well-behaved and academically accomplished student.
Those who didn't know her well might never imagine that this petite, quiet woman with glasses was actually the daughter of Humayun, the werewolf archbishop of the Beast Cult, and an early-stage fourth-level beastman!
The wolf girl, Beiting, led her remaining men in a nighttime retreat, intending to reach the insect-type warlock stronghold and join her friend, Spanner.
While fleeing, Beiting racked her brains, plotting how to escape the pursuers.
The South Island Warlock Group is led by Pansen and his daughter.
Pansen, who succeeded Rahul as group leader, recently broke through a bottleneck and ascended to the fourth-level warlock, greatly increasing his strength!
Pansen's daughter, Tanya, was even more formidable, possessing a late-stage fourth-level cultivation!
During the daytime battle, Beiting and Tanya had clashed.
Although reluctant, she had to admit that the other party was indeed superior in skill.
Besides Panson and his daughter, the South Island Warlock Group also had a young man named Allen, who was also quite powerful, reaching the late Third Stage.
This Allen was a native of Quint Island and was very familiar with the island's geography.
With him leading the way, Beiting and her group would have a hard time escaping the pursuit.
"We must find a way to kill those followers!"
Beiting gritted her teeth and raged.
The daytime battle had left the Beast Worshipers with heavy casualties.
Beiting was left with only twelve subordinates, most of whom were injured.
Tony, the strongest subordinate, was only at the early Third Stage.
Next, it was the turn of the recently subdued Tuffman.
This bald, burly man, whose cultivation was only at the late Second Stage, was not considered a formidable figure.
But he was lucky. After contracting the beast disease, his bloodline awakened a second time.
The werewolf bloodline perfectly blended with Taffman's inherent minotaur bloodline.
This helped him break through the bottleneck and advance to the early stage of the third level!
This was truly rare!
Beiting felt that Taffman was worth cultivating.
However, he was Pantheon's student, and his loyalty remained to be tested.
Besides Tony and Taffman, the rest of Beiting's men were useless.
Turning back to fight the aggressive pursuers with this group of stray dogs would be tantamount to suicide.
What else could they do?
The dim forest gave her inspiration.
This was a perfect place to set a trap.
Beiting stopped and gestured.
Instructing her men to hide in the trees and remain silent.
She looked back, her eyes flashing a faint green light.
Werewolves are born with night vision.
A werewolf's sense of smell is sharper than their eyesight.
Beiting had already detected the pursuers; they were less than half a mile away.
"Time to give you a little surprise!"
Beiting nudged the bridge of her glasses with her middle finger, a sinister smile curling her lips.
The Wolf King's second daughter was the Beast Cult's second-most-renowned potion master, second only to Pope Caroline.
Rather than healing, she was even more skilled at poisoning, killing without a trace!
Beiting opened her storage bag and pulled out a small bottle of her hand-crafted "Sleeping Incense."
This Level 5 toxin was colorless, odorless, and incredibly potent!
Inhaling even a small amount could cause a person to fall into a prolonged coma, leaving them vulnerable to her devastation.
Beiting first distributed the antidote to her men, then turned to face the dense forest, whispering the incantation symbolizing "Mist."
"Lumbor!"
A faint mist drifted through the trees, rich in a high concentration of sleeping incense.
Beiting spared no effort, casting spells repeatedly.
Soon, the woodland was completely shrouded in a mist of sleeping incense.
If pursuers passed by and accidentally inhaled the mist, they would inevitably doze off.
At that moment, Beiting would lead her hidden men and charge out for a surprise attack!
Beiting was confident in her ambush tactics.
But she was a very cautious person, always considering the consequences of each move.
She often asked herself, what if something unexpected happened? Beiting felt the need to prepare for the worst. She turned and waved to a sorcerer with a golden ponytail.
This handsome young man was Tony, Beiting's most favored male sorcerer.
Beiting opened her storage bag and pulled out a bone-carved werewolf statue.
This was a statue of Darragh, the "God of War," the chief deity worshipped by the werewolves of the Beast Cult.
"Tony, you take the statue and leave first."
"Rush to the Spider's Nest as soon as possible and personally hand this statue to my best friend, Spanna."
"If I unfortunately die in battle tonight, have Spanna return the statue to Red Moon Island. It must not fall into enemy hands!"
"No! Your Highness Beiting, I'm sorry I can't do that!"
Tony's handsome face was filled with grief, and his eyes were slightly red.
"I'd rather die with you than leave you in this critical moment and live in vain!"
"You should ask someone else to take on the task of escorting the statue!"
"Alas! You fool, don't you understand?"
Beiting glared at her male lover with a stern look.
"I entrust the statue to you not only out of trust, but also because you are a talent worth cultivating!"
"I've already spread a poisonous fog in the forest. If the pursuers are poisoned, they're just lambs to the slaughter. With or without you, we can both achieve victory."
"On the other hand, if the pursuers aren't poisoned, your sacrifice here would be in vain and would not change the overall situation!"
"Rather than that, it's better to live well and plan for the future!"
"Your Highness, I understand your good intentions..."
Tony squeezed out two tears, solemnly took the statue, and prepared to flee. "Wait!" Beiting suddenly called out to him again.
"Your Highness, what are you doing...?"
Tony's expression changed slightly, his eyes flickering, fearing Beiting would change her mind and keep him to fight alongside her.
"Tafman, come here!"
Beiting turned and looked at the tall, bald, muscular man.
"Besides Tony, you're the only one I have who can be considered a promising talent. It would be a shame to see you die here. Follow Tony and go first!"
Tafman wasn't as good at acting like a pathos as Tony.
His expression was dull, and without a word, he turned and followed Tony's steps.
Outwardly, he didn't resist Beiting's order, but a fierce struggle was brewing within him!
Tafman's decision to join the Beast Cult wasn't purely out of fear of death, as Pansen accused him of.
It was precisely because he was fearless, enduring torture without a flicker of a wavering expression, that he caught Beiting's attention.
The Wolf King's daughter took an interest in this tough guy.
She could use her charm magic to force Taffman into submission.
However, that would be too boring.
Betting enjoyed toying with tough guys, gradually breaking their will until their stubbornness finally gave way.
This gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
She bit Taffman on the arm.
He contracted lycanthropy, which would flare up on full-moon nights, subjecting him to insane torture.
Until Taffman was tortured to the point of dying, Beiting told him frankly:
"With your bloodline and aptitude, your cultivation is stuck at the late second stage, which is already the limit."
"No matter how strong you are, no matter how hard you work, you will never break through this bottleneck in your lifetime."
"Unless you can integrate werewolf blood and find another path."
"If you can do that, join our Beast Worship Cult and offer your faith to the great God of War, Darrag..."
"Through devout worship, you can improve the purity of your bloodline and transform into a superior aptitude."
"With a stronger bloodline and superior aptitude, your future is bright!"
"Isn't such a future ten thousand times better than dying here in vain?!"
...
Taffman was lucky, yet also unfortunate.
If he couldn't integrate werewolf bloodline, gave up all hope, and faced death with equanimity, what difficulty would there be? However, fate played a trick...
The beastiality virus Beiting had infected him with happened to fuse with his minotaur bloodline, transforming him into a complete new person.
The barefoot aren't afraid of the shod.
But what if he wore shoes too?
When Taffman had nothing, his resolve was unwavering, fearless!
After all, he had nothing to lose.
I'd die, so why fear?!
However, when his bloodline awakened a second time, breaking through the ceiling above him and glimpsing the path to a higher level...
This tough guy finally gave way.
Convinced by Beiting, he joined the Beast Cult.
Betting was delighted with Taffman's transformation.
She considered him her future love, second only to Tony.
Taffman had complicated feelings for Beiting.
He hated her for threatening and luring him into the cult, yet at the same time, he was grateful for her respect.
That night, Taffman's heart was in turmoil.
If Beiting's evil plan succeeded, Pansen and his daughter, along with Junior Brother Allen, would likely be ambushed and sacrificed in the dense forest...
If he hadn't known about Beiting's plan, it would have been fine.
But he knew.
If he remained indifferent, allowing his teacher, his senior sister, and his junior brother to step into a death trap, his conscience would be unbearable.
On one side was the mistress who respected him, and on the other was the master who had done him a favor.
After a fierce struggle, Taffman's inner balance finally tilted towards the latter.
So he quietly cast a spell and sent a warning message to Junior Brother Allen.
"I hope it's not too late!"
Taffman prayed silently.
...
Outskirts of the woods.
Alan held a red ball of light in his hand.
Even if Taffman hadn't warned him, he'd already sensed something was amiss in the forest.
"Toxin Detection" and the "Gluttony System" were both alerting him.
"Poison Cloud Technique... Level 5 Hypnotic Toxin?"
Alan muttered to himself, a faint smile on his face.
"Wolf cubs, you're quite the game!"
Raising his left hand, a bone spur protruded from his palm.
Absorbing the hypnotic toxin drifting through the forest.
Storing it in his venom glands, enriching his toxin list.
Playing with poison, huh?
Okay, let's have some fun!
Alan narrowed his eyes and activated "Qi Sensing."
Threads of magic flowed out, like a giant, invisible spider web.
Detecting the slightest movement, breathing, and heartbeats deep in the dense forest.
Alan smiled faintly.
He directed his attack towards the area where the enemy was lurking, and cast another "Poison Cloud" spell.
Spell material: Level 6 poison "Queen's Nectar."
A faint sweet fragrance
, permeating the forest.
The werewolf warlock, lurking in the shadows, caught the scent of the nectar and was lost in thought, lost in thought.
He had completely forgotten his duties.
"Junior brother, why aren't you leaving?" Tanya asked.
"The enemy is trying to play hide-and-seek with us."
Alan smiled calmly, took out the medicine bottle, and handed it to Tanya.
"Senior Sister, give everyone an antidote pill."
"After taking the medicine, go into the forest and search for the enemy."
"If you see anyone dazed and absent-minded, just kill them."
"Be careful."
"There might be some enemies who haven't been poisoned and can still resist."
Tanya nodded and took note. She asked, "Junior Brother, aren't you coming with us?"
"I just received a message from Second Senior Brother. I'm going to talk to him."
Alan shook Senior Sister's hand, then turned and went into the forest alone.
...
Deep in the dense forest.
"Who were you messaging just now?"
Tony stared at Tuffman, his eyes cold.
"Just a friend," Tuffman said expressionlessly.
"Haha...what friends do you have on the island?"
Tony sneered and took a step closer.
"Could it be those pursuers behind us?"
"Tafman, I heard the leader of the pursuers was your instructor at South Island College?"
"I can't help but suspect you're an undercover agent sent by the enemy!"
"I'm not!" Tafman angrily denied.
"Haha! Beiting might believe that, but it can't fool me!"
Tony pulled a red pill from his storage bag.
"If you're truly not a spy, take this pill to prove your loyalty to the Beast Cult!"
"Tafman, I won't hide it from you. This is a slow-acting poison. As long as you take the antidote within three days, it will be harmless."
Tony slowed his tone, his face sincere.
"This is just a safety net. If you escort me safely to my destination, I promise to give you the antidote."
"Don't worry. You're a talent Beiting values. How could I dare to poison you without her permission?"
Tafman seemed persuaded, hesitantly taking the pill.
A strange smile crossed Tony's eyes.
What slow-acting poison?
It was just a rhetoric designed to paralyze Tufman.
The poison pill, once taken, sealed the throat. There's no cure!
Tony wasn't content to simply be Beiting's male lover.
He wanted to be Beiting's husband, the Wolf King's son-in-law!
To achieve this ambition, he couldn't allow Beiting to have anyone more capable than him around her, anyone who could potentially replace her.
Unfortunately, Tufman had made such a threat.
As for who Tufman had just sent the message to, Tony didn't really care. Just a random excuse to get rid of him.
Afterwards, they'd destroy the body and claim that Taffman died at the hands of the enemy, making it impossible for Beiting to trace him.
Tony had done similar things more than once, and was well versed in them.
Taffman, a simple-minded, big, muscular guy, was just another loser in the harem struggle!
Taffman's hand trembled slightly as he held the poison pill.
As if he were hesitating whether to accept Tony's coercion.
At that moment, he seemed to realize something.
He suddenly looked up, glancing behind Tony, his eyes filled with surprise.
Tony was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Brother Taffman, has anyone ever told you that your acting is truly appalling?"
"There's not even a ghost behind me, what are you pretending to be?"
"You're trying to trick me into turning around and stabbing me in the back?"
"You're pulling this old trick, and you think I'm—"
A powerful hand suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed Tony's neck.
Poof!
A sharp bone spur penetrated the gap between his cervical vertebrae, injecting a deadly toxin!