“Take a guess.” Willard didn’t answer. Instead, he took another sip from his flask.
His cultivation had been sealed, but his strength came from the wine in his hand. The wine was refined with valuable herbs and contained dense spiritual energy, which he could absorb and convert into combat power.
In short, every sip made him stronger. Even with his cultivation sealed, he could still execute powerful techniques.
“It’s the wine, isn’t it?” Garrett’s gaze landed on the flask, and a quick realization set in. Willard drank before and after every attack, which hinted at something suspicious.
“Bingo. But no prize for you.” Willard smirked and launched forward with a palm strike aimed at Garrett. Though his strength wasn’t at its peak, the attack remained a deadly threat to the already injured Garrett.
“Mr. Styles, save me.” Garrett knew he had no chance of blocking it and cried for help.
“Go to hell, traitor!” Hank saw the internal commotion unfold and threw a powerful punch at Willard without hesitation.
His cultivation had been sealed, but he had taken a valuable herb earlier. This herb granted him a temporary combat boost, but only for ten strikes. Once the effects wore off, he would be as vulnerable as the others.
He had intended to use it at a critical moment, either to defend himself or to turn the battle’s outcome. But with Garrett’s desperate cry drawing everyone’s attention, he couldn’t just stand idly by.
Willard didn’t flinch even when Hank intervened. He swiftly turned to face him and countered with a decisive palm strike.
The clash of fists and palms sent a shockwave rippling outward. Martial artists within a 30-feet radius were sent flying through the air by the sheer force of the impact.
Hank staggered back more than ten steps as his internal energy surged chaotically inside him. In contrast, Willard stood his ground and remained calm.
“That’s impossible?” Hank’s expression changed, and his composure wavered. He hadn’t expected Willard’s palm strike to be so powerful that he couldn’t block it.
Even in his sealed state, Willard could still unleash incredible strength. If he were at his peak, he would be an unstoppable force. Being called the Wein Sage in the martial world proved he wasn’t just an ordinary opponent.
“Willard! The Hall of Gods has rewarded you generously. Why are you betraying us?” Hank growled.
Dustin’s betrayal halfway through the mission had already thrown him off guard. With Willard also turning against them in the middle of the battle, the situation had become even more tense.
“Betrayal?” Willard laughed and took a sip from his flask. “I hate to break it to you, but someone paid me a fortune to infiltrate your Hall of Gods and sabotage your plans at a crucial moment. Technically, I’m not a traitor. I’m more like an undercover agent.”
He couldn’t use his internal energy at the moment. Instead, he had to draw on the spiritual energy in the wine to power his techniques. It temporarily boosted his strength, but things would get ugly fast once his wine ran out. So, he needed a quick, decisive fight to eliminate as many enemies as possible.
“So, you’re a spy!” Hank gritted his teeth, and his face twisted with fury. Willard, don’t forget-you drank poison before this mission. Without my antidote, you’re as good as dead!”
“If I kill you, that antidote is mine, right?” Willard smiled faintly.
“You…” Hank’s expression faltered for a split second before he snarled. “Fine. Since you’re so stubborn, you leave me with no choice!”
With a wave of his hand, Hank ordered, “Everyone, listen up! Anyone who kills him will get double the reward!”
More than half of the martial artists immediately changed targets and charged at Willard. In their eyes, he would be an easier opponent than Dustin. If they had a choice, they would rather avoid a difficult fight.
“Come on, then!” Willard’s laughter rang out, wild and taunting, as the martial artists charged at him from every direction. Without hesitation, he drained his wine flask in one gulp. Instantly, his face flushed red, and his entire presence became more formidable.
“Today, you’ll witness a long-lost technique-the Infinite Spirit Manifestation!” He took a deep breath, then clapped both hands sharply to the sides.
From his body, countless illusory images shot out in dense, unending waves. The number of these illusions was staggering-hundreds, then thousands-emerging without pause in a torrent of nearly uncountable shadows.
Willard’s eyes shut tight as he remained still. The illusory images, as if possessing their own consciousness, launched various attacks against the surrounding martial artists.
Though the illusory images looked unreal, their strikes landed with devastating force. The martial artists felt like Willard had struck them as they collapsed onto the ground and screamed in agony.
The most terrifying part was that even if the martial artists managed to destroy them, the illusory images instantly regenerated to continue their relentless assault.
Their sheer numbers and unyielding regeneration turned the battle into a slaughter with no defense possible. In a few seconds, more than half of the attacking martial artists had already fallen.
Hank, Garrett, and the others stood frozen in stunned disbelief. They hadn’t imagined that Willard would have such a formidable skill. He had wiped out most of their elite martial artists in just one move. To them, Willard’s sheer power was terrifying.
