Of the many people gathered at the foot of the mountain, fewer than half ultimately escaped. And that was only because the Medicine King Sect had deliberately gone easy on them, leaving many exits weakly defended.
Most of those who had come from the major factions could be said to have escaped. In particular, their important disciples had all left thanks to the protection they received. Probably only the Vast Earth Empire and the Cinnabar Glow Sect had substantial numbers left behind. With only two major factions involved, the Medicine King Sect no longer had much to worry about.
After the Exotic Beasts killed a third of those left behind, almost all the survivors surrendered. Some still wanted to resist or escape, but under the watch of so many high-level Exotic Beasts, anyone who stirred up trouble would be killed immediately.
"Excellent. I never imagined we would capture so many test subjects at once. Now our research can take another rapid step forward." In the past, the Medicine King Sect had never dared act recklessly for fear of damaging its image.
But things were different now. The Medicine King Sect had gained enough strength that it no longer feared retaliation from the other sects. Unless they joined forces, they could do nothing to it. Besides, now that all pretense had been torn away, the Medicine King Sect no longer cared.
Overnight, the Medicine King Sect had gone from a noble sect to something resembling an evil cult. Openly capturing these people and using them for experiments no longer mattered. After all, the captives were mostly rogue cultivators. Very few important disciples of the major sects remained.
"No, we must not provoke the other sects too much. Our strength is still insufficient, after all. Question them. Release anyone who can prove