"Whoo! Whoo!"
At Yan Bai's command, the Rogue Cultivators who had followed him cheered with abandon. Far from being angered that anyone dared resist them, they were delighted, their spirits soaring.
They had been confined to the city serving as their fief's administrative seat for far too long.
"Hiss!"
Several Rogue Cultivators who looked like Puppeteers sent their Human-Head Centipedes springing into the air, pouncing like corpse-ghouls.
The Shaman Folk were unarmed, but they had cultivated a hard, forceful energy similar to battle aura. Their fists and feet hammered against the centipedes.
Several metallic clangs rang out. Protected by their shells, the Human-Head Centipedes easily dispersed the force of the blows.
The centipedes, their heads filthy and disheveled, closed in on the crowd. Their humanlike arms extended like mechanical contraptions, seizing their victims.
"Aah!"
Amid the screams, someone's throat was bitten open. A Human-Head Centipede pinned the victim to the ground and sprawled over the windpipe, drinking greedily in great gulps.
The battle was a sudden storm, arriving swiftly and passing just as fast. Those who had come out to resist did not hold out long; soon, every last one was dead.
The villagers could only watch as the Rogue Cultivators laughed, lifted the bodies, and loaded them into the cargo holds of the Mechanism Beasts they had brought.
"What outrageous gall. Your village actually dared to harbor criminals." Even after the killings, Yan Bai remained somewhat dissatisfied. His gaze swept over the crowd before he smiled. "In that case, kill them all."
At these words, not only did the villagers freeze like wooden chickens, but even the Shaman Folk officers and warriors beside him stood stunned.
A Kingdom warrior whose conscience still survived said hoarsely, "My lord, this... isn't this somewhat improper...?"
Yan Bai's face twisted viciously. "What, you