Aside from throwing a few stones earlier and deliberately luring Poison Elvis, he had not committed any unforgivable act.
Yet now, the Bloodthirsty Cat Demons did not need provocation at all. They chased him relentlessly, their scarlet eyes filled with pure killing intent.
The taunt effect was dozens of times stronger than before.
In just over an hour, the number of monsters behind him had surged into the thousands.
Under Poison Elvis's command, they moved with astonishing discipline, forming a square-like formation as they pursued Ryan.
Despite their overwhelming numbers, there was no chaos, no collisions, no infighting. This was nothing like the first time Ryan had gathered monsters, when the crowd had been messy and unruly.
Only then did Ryan truly understand the difference a king made.
"So it's all because of you," Ryan muttered inwardly, glancing back at Poison Elvis while maintaining his speed. A knowing smile crept onto his face.
With Poison Elvis acting as commander, everything had become much easier. Ryan no longer needed to actively lure monsters.
They followed automatically. Even better, the Bloodthirsty Cat Demons were arranged neatly, with just the right spacing between them, neither too dense nor too scattered, moving like a trained army.
This was exactly what Ryan wanted.
The lower the density, the more monsters he could cover in a single devastating strike.
From this perspective, Poison Elvis was practically helping him.
Although the king possessed a trace of intelligence, it was far from enough to see through Ryan's intentions. It could not understand that this human was deliberately gathering them together for slaughter, nor could it interpret the faint smile Ryan occasionally revealed when he glanced back.
Unfortunately for Poison Elvis, that smile was precisely what ignited its fury.
It instinctively felt that its dignity had been insulted, that this human was mocking it and its kin.
*Graaaa*
With a sharp, ear-piercing roar, Poison Elvis lifted its head. Its eyes deepened from bright red to a dark, blood-soaked crimson, its killing intent surging violently.
The Bloodthirsty Cat Demons behind it responded in unison, letting out shrill cries as their eyes glowed brighter. Their speed increased once more, the ground trembling beneath the synchronized charge.
If Ryan had not been using the Sky Eye Technique, the sight alone would have been enough to chill one's soul. Thousands of blood-red eyes streaked through the darkness like moving stars, all fixed on a single target.
Even imagining such a scene was terrifying, let alone witnessing it firsthand.
Yet Ryan was not satisfied.
He glanced back briefly, judging the size and formation of the horde. Although the number was already enormous, the area they occupied was still too small. It had not yet reached the optimal range for his finishing move.
"Not enough," he murmured.
He continued running, deliberately circling the Bloodthirsty Cat Demons' territory.
With every loop, several hundred more monsters joined the chase. Only after completing a full circuit did Ryan finally slow down, wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead as he came to a stop.
"Now," he said softly.
In the next instant, his expression sharpened.
With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved the newly acquired Remnant Sword from his system inventory.
The reason he chose this moment was simple.
Every time he used his mountain-splitting finisher, his hands instinctively formed a gripping motion, as though he were holding a weapon. That subtle detail had sparked a question in his mind.
What would happen if he truly used a weapon while executing the ultimate technique?
Would the power increase?
There was only one way to find out.
Ryan tightened his grip on the heavy Remnant Sword and leapt into the air.
Jumping while wielding a massive blade weighing over a hundred pounds was no easy feat.
If he were not already a nine-star Upper Elite and reinforced by countless strength pills, he might have fallen flat on his face the moment he tried. For Ryan now, however, the weight was merely a slight drag.
As his body reached its peak height, Ryan's eyes flashed with resolve.
"Mountain Splitting!"
He descended like a falling meteor, the Remnant Sword raised high, and smashed it down toward the surging tide of Bloodthirsty Cat Demons below.
***
Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps Headquarters, Blue Moon City;
Inside a lavish conference hall paved with black crystal tiles and adorned with towering stone pillars, a tense atmosphere hung in the air like an invisible blade.
At the head of the long table sat an old man dressed in a purple warrior robe.
His posture was relaxed, almost casual, as if he were merely attending a family gathering rather than presiding over the fate of countless lives.
His face was kind and weathered, lined with deep wrinkles that gave him the appearance of a benevolent elder nearing the twilight of his years.
Yet, a faint scar across his neck betrayed a past soaked in blood, silently warning anyone who underestimated him that this "kind old man" had once carved his way through corpses to reach his current height.
On either side of him sat two middle-aged men clad in golden warrior robes.
Their auras were restrained but oppressive, like volcanoes hidden beneath calm earth.
Even without releasing their momentum, they radiated authority.
Further down the table, more than a dozen figures sat upright, each wearing silver warrior robes. Not a single person dared to slouch or whisper. These were the core elites of the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps.
Breaking the silence, the old man in purple spoke in an unhurried voice, as though discussing the weather. "Fengxi, I heard you have something to report."
"Yes." A golden-robed warrior named Song Fengxi stepped forward slightly and bowed.
"I just received urgent news from the dark department. A silver-robed commander under our command was killed in the Forest of Death. I deemed the matter serious and reported it immediately."
"Oh?" The old man's tone barely changed. "Someone dared to kill a core member of our dark department? Are they tired of living?"
Before Song Fengxi could respond, the other golden-robed warrior let out a cold laugh. "A silver-robed commander, killed by a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy. Fengxi, are your people made of mud? Even trash shouldn't die that easily."
Song Fengxi's expression darkened. "Shen Yu, watch your mouth."
"Am I wrong?" Shen Yu sneered. "Six members went out, including a silver-robed commander. All died. Only one peripheral member escaped by pretending to be dead. And the culprit is a teenager. If this isn't incompetence, what is?"
The old man in purple finally frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the two gold-robed warriors. "Enough. Explain clearly. What exactly happened?"
Song Fengxi took a breath and spoke carefully, recounting everything he had learned. "That squad was operating in the Forest of Death, conducting… resource acquisition. The prey had already been guided to the designated location. But during the final stage, they encountered a strange teenager wandering alone in the forest at night. According to the surviving peripheral member, the boy was surrounded by monster corpses and flying ash, as if a large-scale battle had just taken place."
"At first, the squad avoided provoking him, suspecting the boy had unusual strength. However, during the operation, the teenager intervened. What happened next was completely beyond expectations. Ordinary Upper Elite experts were no match for him. Even Captain Zhang, who possessed the strength of a nine-star Upper Elite and wielded a Sky rank martial art, was killed."
"The entire squad was wiped out. Only one peripheral member survived by playing dead."
When Song Fengxi finished, the conference hall fell silent.
Then, the old man in purple smiled.
"A teenager, sixteen or seventeen years old, killing a nine-star Upper Elite." His eyes glinted with interest. "How fascinating."
His smile soon turned cold. "Talent like this is rare, but anyone who dares provoke the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps must be erased, no matter who they are or what background they have."
He looked at Song Fengxi and Shen Yu. "You two know what to do."
The moment their eyes met his, both golden-robed warriors felt a chill crawl up their spines. Beneath that gentle gaze was bottomless killing intent.
"We understand," they replied in unison.
"Good." The old man nodded slowly. "This boy has strength, which means someone stands behind him. That means we must act decisively. The two of you will go together. Make it clean."
He leaned back slightly, his voice calm but absolute. "Send a message to the Western Regions. Anyone who offends the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps has only one ending: death. No exceptions. If we allow a silver robe to be killed today, tomorrow it will be gold robes, and one day they'll come for me. That will never be allowed."
"Yes." Song Fengxi and Shen Yu bowed deeply.
Moments later, the two golden-robed warriors led dozens of silver-robed elites out of the conference hall, their footsteps echoing ominously.