Having witnessed the new tactic’s brutality, Han Wu immediately ordered the Origin of Mutation to bring more concentrated spinal fluid. He intended to drop it directly onto the Butcher’s command room.

The Origin of Mutation returned to the divine realm at once to retrieve it. It had a substantial stockpile of over 100 bottles. It wasn’t enough to blanket the entire Slaughter Faction, but it was sufficient to strike key positions. Besides, spinal fluid wasn’t hard to obtain. Kokkai Hanwu was sealed within Han Wu’s divine realm, so it could produce more whenever needed. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

While waiting for the Origin of Mutation to return, Han Wu assigned tasks to his units. Many contested sectors were already under his control. Without him, the Wisdom Faction would have lost at least half its territory.

After issuing his orders, Han Wu contacted Jing Jing to check her progress. She had been sweeping across the entire front line between the two sides, gathering vast quantities of skeletal cannon fodder. In anyone else’s hands, those skeletons were worthless fodder. In Jing Jing’s hands, they became a decisive advantage.

She used her Soul Jurisdiction to strengthen their souls and built thousand-meter-tall skeleton vanguards. Layers of soul power coated their surfaces, allowing them to deflect most attacks directed at the undead. Her skeletal tide was on the verge of becoming truly self-sustaining.

With everything looking stable, Han Wu let out a breath of relief. This Wisdom Faction would’ve fallen apart without me.

He was still considering that when footsteps reached his ears. He turned and saw Huang Shengjun walking toward him across still-molten ground with a wide smile as though greeting an old friend.

Han Wu’s senses sharpened. He noticed nine differently shaped evil eyes within Huang Shengjun’s pupils.

“Senior Huang, I didn’t expect to see you here. The Butcher actually gave you the Nine-Eyed Evil God’s power?” Han Wu greeted him as if they were meeting on friendly terms.

Huang Shengjun’s smile turned bitter. “You aren’t my junior anymore. Not since I was expelled. Han Wu, your growth is so fast that it makes me want to give up. Fortunately, my mentor didn’t abandon me. He gave me this chance for revenge.”

“Revenge? Are you sure this won’t rub salt in old wounds?” Han Wu shot back.

“I came fully prepared,” Huang Shengjun said.

In the next instant, a strange ring with nine evil eyes carved onto its surface manifested behind him. All nine snapped open at once, and evil energy flooded the surroundings, enclosing Han Wu. A barrier formed at visible speed, shaping itself into a hall the size of a football field. Dense, intricate runes covered the walls, and the ceiling bore nine carved evil eyes that stared downward.[1] Han Wu felt no immediate discomfort, but the nine eyes above fixed on him made him feel uneasy.

Huang Shengjun continued, “To defeat you, I analyzed you in detail. You are extremely strong on your own, have powerful units, and control an enormous number of your core race, the locusts.

“Your self-detonation tactic looks simple but is difficult to replicate, and your skeletal tide is a nightmare for anyone who relies on numbers. I’ve investigated your abilities, your skills, and even the Divine Weapons you obtained from the Divine Weapon Civilization through various channels.

“Han Wu, I have to admit that you’re the strongest all-rounder I’ve ever seen. Even the Butcher wasn’t as accomplished as you when he was still a Major God.”

Han Wu grew more uneasy as Huang Shengjun kept talking. He cut him off, “Save the compliments. Get to the point. Why are you here? If you think that the Nine-Eyed Evil God’s power can trap me, you’re underestimating me. I killed Hei Qi, the one the Nine-Eyed Evil God possessed.”

Huang Shengjun laughed. “Hei Qi? He was useless. He had the Nine-Eyed Evil God’s power but didn’t understand how to wield it. The backlash overwhelmed him and turned him into a monster. A weakling like that didn’t deserve to keep living.

“He had one use, though. He served as bait. The Butcher used him to bind the Nine-Eyed Evil God. You killed him, but that power was sealed within his corpse. The Butcher then used that corpse to draw on the sealed power, ascended into a God King, and obtained the powerful Slaughter Jurisdiction.

“By the way, you said that the Nine-Eyed Evil God’s power can’t contain you? Try connecting to your divine realm.”

Han Wu tried and was astonished. Just as Huang Shengjun had said, he couldn’t connect to his divine realm or any of his Microcosms. In other words, he could no longer summon his units to fight for him or draw on their energy to fuel his Divine Skills.

“Huang Shengjun, my power doesn’t solely rely on my divine realm!” Han Wu said. The World Ring appeared behind him, and his aura surged to the World rank.

Huang Shengjun smiled broadly. “Your power really is impressive. But what if it doesn’t work?”

As he spoke, something unsettling occurred. One of the nine evil eyes within Huang Shengjun’s pupils dimmed. In the next instant, Han Wu felt his power plummet, and the World Ring behind him disappeared. No matter how he called for it, it wouldn’t return.

“A seal!” Han Wu understood at once. He looked up at the ceiling. One of the nine carved evil eyes had closed. He concluded that his World Ring had been sealed within it.

“What else do you have? Show everything!” Huang Shengjun laughed and flicked the black blade in his hand, sending out a razor-sharp blade aura with enormous force.

Han Wu knew that he couldn’t dodge in time. He drew the Divine Weapon Atlas and pulled out the Abyss Armor to shield himself. The black blade aura failed to penetrate the armor and dissipated on impact.

Before Han Wu could catch his breath, the Abyss Armor was forcibly pulled back into the Divine Weapon Atlas. The atlas flashed and was absorbed into the second evil eye on the ceiling. It was sealed too!

Han Wu nearly lost his composure. Seven more eyes remained open, which meant seven more abilities would be sealed. He narrowed his eyes and considered his options for a second, then activated his Light Aspect. Two spheres of light formed in his hands as they absorbed the surrounding Light Energy. He was ready to fire them at Huang Shengjun at any moment.

1. Domain Expansion ☜