Ye Shen's world shattered as he watched his mother's life drain away in the Witch Spawn's grip. Her body convulsed once, twice, then went limp as her heart stopped beating in the monster's bloodied hand.
For a moment, his mind went blank. He couldn't understand what was happening, seeing his own father clawing out his mother's heart. He felt his world collapse around him. Then came the horrifying transformation as his father's figure changed into a hideous creature with blue skin, blackish eyes, and dark scars wrapped around his neck like a twisted necklace.
"MOTHER!"
Ye Shen screamed, his voice cracking with anguish and rage.
Wind ki erupted around him like a hurricane as he prepared to attack the Witch Spawn. But the monster's aura pressure alone made him stop mid-attack.
The crushing force pushed him to his knees as cracks appeared in the ground beneath him. He tried to get up but couldn't, the WitchSpawn pressure was so immense that he could barely breathe.
With a casual swipe of his hand, the Witch Spawn struck Ye Shen like a freight truck.
His ribcage shattered as he was sent flying across the chamber, spewing arrows of blood from the impact as he crashed into a stone pillar.
Ye Ling'er watched the scene in utter shock. She couldn't believe it. The man she had known as Uncle Ye Feng, Ye Xian's father, was actually the Witch Spawn.
No, it wasn't him. The Witch Spawn had been impersonating Ye Feng all along, deceiving them and spreading terror from within.
Her earlier battle with Ru Hei had drained much of her profound ki reserves, and she had been using what remained to stabilize her father's condition. His state had just begun to improve, and she couldn't risk moving him or engaging in battle with the Witch Spawn. If she stopped channeling her profound ki into him now, he might not survive. She felt trapped, not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, several figures arrived wearing moonlight sect robes. Following them was a grumbling Patriarch Lu, who was being dragged here by a Moonlight Sect outer court elder. He had wanted to leave when he saw the white dome barrier disappear, but the sect members had been stubborn.
They had taken his son and promised treatment, so he had no choice but to come along for safety of his son.
When the Witch Spawn saw the new arrivals, he couldn't help but smile. He began eatingSheng Qinhua's heart with disturbing delicacy, savoring each bite.
Seeing this grotesque scene, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. A dying woman lay on the ground in a pool of blood while a blue-skinned, black-eyed monster ate her heart like a delicacy.
The present Moonlight Sect members were all at the Elemental Master Realm, but the Witch Spawn had already broken through to the Sentinel Realm.
The power gap was overwhelming, and they all knew they were facing something far beyond their capabilities. But they had numbers on their side, so they felt reassured.
The monster that had been hiding among them for years, wearing the face of a respected clan member, had finally revealed its true nature. And now, with fresh blood on its hands and a twisted smile on its lips, it seemed ready to finish what it had started.
The chamber erupted into chaos as the Moonlight Sect disciples spread into formation, their weapons gleaming with elemental energy.
Elder Zhao Wei, at the peak of Elemental Master Realm, raised his silver sword that crackled with lightning ki.
"Attack!" he commanded.
The five senior disciples moved with practiced precision. Disciple Chen summoned pillars of earth that shot up around the Witch Spawn, while Disciple Liu sent torrents of water spiraling through the air. Fire bloomed from Disciple Wang's palms as Disciple Zhang called forth howling winds to fuel the flames.
Patriarch Lu cracked his fire coated whip, leaving molten trails in the air as it carved through stone like butter.
"You monster! You'll pay for your deception!"
The Witch Spawn's laughter echoed through the chamber as he effortlessly leaped over the earth pillars, his wind-enhanced speed making him blur between attacks. His claws sliced through the water torrents, turning them to steam, while his Sentinel Realm aura deflected the coordinated assault.
"Pathetic insects," he snarled, drawing in the surrounding ki to amplify his power.
"You think numbers can bridge the gap between realms?"
Elder Zhao Wei's lightning sword descended in a brilliant arc, but the Witch Spawn twisted away using wind currents, the blade missing by inches.
In the same motion, his clawed hand shot forward, wind-enhanced speed making his strike appear as a dark blur.
Disciple Chen barely managed to raise an earth barrier before the Witch Spawn's palm struck.
Boom!
The barrier exploded into fragments, and Chen was hurled across the chamber, his ribs caving in as he crashed into the wall with a sickening crunch.
"Chen!" Disciple Liu roared, launching pressurized water spears that whistled through the air.
The Witch Spawn spun gracefully, wind spiraling around him as the water spears passed harmlessly by.
Swish~
Witchspawn counterattack came swift and merciless, a wind blade that caught Liu across the chest, sending him tumbling with blood spraying from the deep gash.
Patriarch Lu's whip cracked again, the fire-coated weapon seeking to ensnare the monster's legs. The Witch Spawn leaped high, but Lu was ready, snapping the whip upward in a blazing arc that forced the creature to twist mid-air.
"Now!" Elder Zhao Wei shouted.
Disciple Wang and Zhang attacked in unison, a tornado of fire that engulfed the airborne Witch Spawn. For a moment, the chamber filled with roaring flames and the acrid smell of burning air.
But the fire dispersed as the Witch Spawn emerged unscathed, his wind ki having formed a protective barrier. His blackish eyes gleamed with malevolent pleasure as he landed gracefully.
"My turn," he whispered.
The Witch Spawn's form blurred as he moved with terrifying speed, appearing before Disciple Wang in an instant. His clawed hand pierced through the young man's fire defense like paper, fingers closing around his heart.
Wang's eyes widened in horror as he felt his life being drained away. He vomited blood mixed with organ fragments before collapsing, his body twitching once before going still.
"WANG!" The remaining disciples cried out in anguish.
The chamber had become a hellscape. Cracks spider webbed across the ground from the intense ki exchanges.
Fires raged in scattered pockets while howling winds carried the metallic scent of blood. Stone pillars lay shattered, and the very air seemed to vibrate with residual energy.
Patriarch Lu gritted his teeth, sweat streaming down his face as he coordinated his attacks with Elder Zhao Wei.
Every time the Witch Spawn moved to eliminate another disciple, Lu's fire whip would lash out, forcing the creature to dodge or parry. But each exchange cost them dearly, they were slowly being overwhelmed.
The Witch Spawn's smile grew wider as he realized the pattern. "Annoying old man," he hissed, his gaze focusing on Patriarch Lu.
"Always interfering at the worst moments."
Using his wind-enhanced speed, the Witch Spawn feinted toward Disciple Zhang, then suddenly pivoted, appearing before Patriarch Lu in a heartbeat.
His claws extended, wind blades forming at his fingertips like deadly crescents.
"Time to remove the thorn in my side," the creature snarled, his attack aimed directly at patriarch Lu's throat.
Patriarch Lu saw death approaching but held his ground, his eyes gleaming with unexpected determination. This was the moment they had planned for. His lips curved into a grim smile even as the wind blades descended.
The Witch Spawn's instincts suddenly screamed danger. Something was wrong - the gleam in the old man's eyes spoke of trap, not desperation. He tried to abort his attack, wind ki surging to boost his speed as he threw himself sideways.
Too late.
A streak of black fire cut through the air like divine judgment. The blade sliced clean through the Witch Spawn's extended arm, severing it at the shoulder in a spray of dark blood that sizzled against the chamber walls.
The creature landed hard, rolling to absorb the impact as his severed limb hit the ground with a wet thud. Black blood pooled beneath him as he stared in shock at his missing arm.
Standing where his attack had been intercepted was a young woman with brown skin and fierce hazel eyes. Her sword danced with black flames that seemed to devour the very air around them, the fire moving with an intelligence all its own.
"So you were able to escape from the trap," the Witch Spawn said, his voice a mixture of pain and grudging respect as he recognized Ahmose Tiaa.
Ahmose's eyes burned with fury as she raised her black fire-wreathed blade. The unique flames that had saved her life when all her companions perished now hungered for vengeance. The chamber fell silent except for the crackling of her otherworldly fire and the Witch Spawn's labored breathing.