The operatives, driven by desperation and fear, launched a final, all-out assault.

But Zhuge was relentless. His eyes gleamed with a sadistic pleasure as he decimated the ranks, his power seemingly limitless.

He toyed with them, his strikes meticulous and devastating.

Each touch of his hands brought a different kind of annihilation, leaving behind only eyes filled with the horror of their futile resistance.

One by one, the operatives fell before Zhuge's merciless onslaught. His eyes gleamed with a chilling satisfaction as he observed the chaos he wrought.

When everyone has been killed, he singled out the leader, Seung Jin-Ho, who dared to attack him stealthily earlier.

With a predatory smile, Zhuge closed the distance between them in an instant, his movements fluid and deadly.

Seung Jin-Ho, who was now standing from his initial pitiful position, attempted to strike back with his iron claws.

But Zhuge effortlessly dodged the attacks with a grace that mocked his opponent's efforts.

After several strikes from Seung Jin-Ho missed, Zhuge seized Seung Jin-Ho's arm in a swift motion, his grip like a vice of steel.

"You thought you could stand against me?" Zhuge's voice was a cold whisper, barely audible over the chaos.

His grip tightened, and Seung Jin-Ho behind the mask grimaced in pain, feeling his bones creak under Zhuge's inhuman strength.

Blood trickled from the corner of Seung Jin-Ho’s mouth. “You… you won’t win,” he gasped, his voice weak but defiant.

Zhuge stared at him, a playful smile curving his lips. “Oh, but I already have,” he casually replied.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhuge unleashed a pulse of energy that sent Seung Jin-Ho hurtling backward, his body crashing into the ground, the impact reverberating through the battlefield.

Zhuge walked to Seung Jin-Ho, looming slowly over his fallen adversary, a dark shadow against the moonlit sky.

In a final act of defiance, Seung Jin-Ho used all his strength to lunge at Zhuge with his iron claws, desperation driving him to confront this living nightmare.

But Zhuge merely dodged his attack with effortless grace, his movements fluid and precise.

As he evaded, Zhuge's hand shot out with lightning speed, grasping Seung Jin-Ho's neck in a vice-like grip.

He effortlessly lifted the Deputy Clan Leader off the ground, holding him aloft as if he weighed nothing.

Seung Jin-Ho's eyes widened in shock and pain, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Zhuge's grip tightened, and he immobilized Seung Jin-Ho's limbs. The solidified space around his arms and legs locked them in place, rendering him utterly helpless.

His body dangled in the air, muscles straining futilely against the invisible bonds.

Seung Jin-Ho's face contorted in a mix of rage and desperation, but he could do nothing.

Zhuge's expression remained impassive, a stark contrast to the suffering he was inflicting.

The air around them seemed to hum with the raw power of the Qi of Nothingness, heightening the aura of impending doom.

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Zhuge's fingers dug into Seung Jin-Ho's neck, his grip unrelenting and merciless.

The Deputy Clan Leader's eyes widened in terror and pain as he struggled futilely against the vice-like hold.

His legs kicked weakly, and his hands tried clawing at Zhuge's arm, but it was no use. The solidified space around him locked his limbs in place, rendering him completely helpless.

"You are nothing," Zhuge declared, his voice carrying a mocking edge. "Just a fleeting speck in the vast expanse of my power."

With a final, crushing squeeze, Zhuge's grip tightened to an unbearable degree.

The sickening sound of bones cracking filled the air as Seung Jin-Ho's neck shattered under the pressure. His body convulsed violently before going limp, all life extinguished in an instant.

Zhuge held the lifeless body aloft for a moment, allowing Minseo to fully absorb the horror of what had just occurred.

The silence was palpable, filled only with the faint, echoing crackles of spatial energy lingering in the air.

Tianfeng, still reeling from his injuries and Zhuge’s harsh words, could only watch in a mixture of awe and horror.

He had now witnessed more of Zhuge’s power, and it was a sight he would never forget.

And even so, it looked like his master never even tried a quarter of his best.

Minseo, who was trapped in a spatial lock from her feet to neck by Zhuge before the fight even began, watched in horror as her carefully laid plans crumbled before Zhuge's might.

She had orchestrated this trap, and her betrayal had led them to this catastrophic outcome, and now she could only bear witness to the consequences of her treachery.

"This is a warning to the Evil Society," Zhuge said while staring at Seung Jin-Ho's lifeless body, his voice cold and resonant.

"Know the true extent of the power you face. Your insurrection will only lead to your annihilation."

With a dismissive flick of his wrist, Zhuge let Seung Jin-Ho's body fall to the ground, crumpling into a heap of broken flesh and bone.

He turned his gaze to Minseo, his eyes filled with a malicious gleam.

"You sent them to challenge me, but all you have done is deliver them into their doom," he said, his tone dripping with disdain.

Minseo, filled with more fear and horror, could only watch as Zhuge began to advance towards her once more.

His aura of invincibility seemed to grow with each step, a tangible force that pressed down on her, suffocating her immensely.

Zhuge stopped in front of her, his expression unreadable.

With a casual wave of his hand, he lifted her off the ground using his spatial abilities.

She floated helplessly in the air, her body rigid within the confines of his power.

Zhuge studied her with cold detachment, as if she were nothing more than a bug beneath his heel.

"Consider this a lesson," he intoned, his voice low and menacing. "Your schemes and plots are insignificant against true power."

Without another word, Zhuge nonchalantly threw Minseo through the air. She sailed across the clearing, landing in front of Tianfeng with a bone-jarring thud.

Tianfeng, who had been observing the carnage with grim satisfaction, looked down at her with a mixture of pity and contempt. No one knew what he was thinking.

Zhuge's cold gaze shifted to Tianfeng. "Do whatever you want with her," he commanded, his tone devoid of any emotion.

Tianfeng's eyes gleamed with a new fierce, savage light. His mindset was now renewed as he found many lessons from Zhuge's words in the hard way.

He stepped closer to Minseo, who lay trembling at his feet.

He crouched down, his face inches from hers, a twisted smile spreading across his bloodied lips.

"Run back to the Evil Society," he said, his voice a cruel whisper. "Tell them that their doom is imminent and that I will be the one to bring it right to their doors."

Minseo, filled with terror, scrambled to her feet and turned to flee.

But before she could take more than a few steps, Tianfeng's hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her back violently.

She screamed in pain as she was held in place, Tianfeng's smile growing even more barbaric. The sight of his scarred and bloodied, dirty face and glowing red eyes behind her made Minseo shudder.

What kind of monstrosity did she create?

"Not so fast," he snarled. With a swift, brutal motion, he drew his halberd and sliced through her arm, severing it cleanly at the shoulder.

"AHHH!" Minseo's scream echoed through the clearing as she collapsed to the ground, clutching the bleeding stump.

"This," Tianfeng said, his voice dripping with malice, "is to signify the start of the war between me and the Evil Society."

He released her, and she fell to the ground, sobbing and gasping for breath.

Tianfeng's eyes never left her as she struggled to stand, her face pale with shock and pain. "Go," he spat, "and remember this pain. It is only the beginning."

Minseo stumbled away, her severed arm lying forgotten on the ground.

As she disappeared into the trees, Tianfeng turned back to Zhuge, his expression one of grim satisfaction and evident gratefulness toward his master.

He knelt before Zhuge, his voice filled with reverence. "Thank you, master, for saving me. Now, they will know fear."

Zhuge nodded slightly, his eyes reflecting approval. "Good," he said. "Let them know that defiance against us is nothing but a path to their own destruction."

He waved his sleeves dismissively, and Tianfeng rose, understanding that his master's acknowledgment was all the reward he needed.

With a final glance at the dead bodies littered around, Zhuge turned and strolled away from him, his expression one of bored indifference.

"The Evil Society shall remember this day," he said to no one in particular, his voice carrying over the clearing.

His footsteps echoed ominously in the silence that followed, a testament to the fear and awe he inspired in those who witnessed his merciless display.

As Zhuge vanished into the night, his presence lingered like a dark specter, a reminder to all who crossed his path of the merciless cruelty that lay beneath his calm exterior.

The air, heavy with the aftermath of their brutal confrontation, seemed to hold its breath, awaiting the next move.

Just as Tianfeng rose to his feet, Zhuge's voice resounded through the clearing, as if carried by the wind itself.

It was a voice that brooked no defiance, a command that penetrated the very marrow of one's bones.

"Tianfeng," Zhuge's voice echoed, cold and commanding. " Your trial for now has been finished. You can now follow me to Chang'an."

Tianfeng nodded, though his master was no longer in sight. "Yes, master," he murmured to the empty air, feeling the weight of the journey ahead.

The path to Chang'an would be one fraught with fortuitous opportunity, and Tianfeng knew that under Zhuge's tutelage, he would grow stronger, more ruthless, and more capable of instilling fear in their enemies.

With a final glance at the direction Minseo had fled, Tianfeng steeled himself. He began his trek to Chang'an, his mind filled with the lessons of the night's events.

Each step he took was a promise to his master and to himself: he would become a harbinger of doom, a force of terror that would make the Evil Society tremble.

As he moved through the darkened landscape, the memory of Zhuge's voice guided him, a beacon of cold resolve that drove him forward.

The night swallowed his form, but his purpose burned brighter than ever, leading him inexorably towards the next chapter of their unstoppable campaign.