Chapter 1072: Heartless and Ruthless

What truly moved the pirate leader, something truly rare, was the final glimmer of loyalty in the eyes of his disciples. "My disciples, there's truly no other way. I've endured too much hardship to reach my current level of cultivation. I cannot easily give up my life. If, in this battle, you can secure even a glimmer of hope for me, I swear here and now to the heavens, I will do everything in my power to fulfill your dying wishes."

As expected, hearing the pirate leader's words, the hearts of his direct disciples immediately sank.

After exchanging glances, they all bowed in unison to the pirate leader before them, finally calling him "Master."

Immediately afterward, the pirate leader soared into the air, forming his immensely powerful protective aura. Simultaneously, he sent a wisp of energy to each disciple below, guiding them to surrender their accumulated cultivation resources to him, to invest in the creation of a powerful protective technique.

It was at this very moment that every individual who received the pirate leader's energy guidance simultaneously unleashed their strongest power, aiming to critically wound their master through a sudden attack.

As expected, the scene the pirate leader feared most ultimately unfolded.

He had betrayed too many people in his life, only to be betrayed by his own disciples in the end.

Indeed, like master, like disciples. The unwavering resolve in their eyes was nothing but a facade. They had long since conspired in secret, agreeing that if they were ever to be abandoned by their leader, they must all unite to overthrow his control over the entire legion.

And this day, following the failure of the island-destruction plan, finally came to pass!

The pirate leader was furious. It was the first time he had experienced the feeling of betrayal so profoundly.

For a moment, he felt a desperate sense of being besieged on all sides, as he quickly realized that his physical strength alone was insufficient to forcibly absorb the power essences of so many individuals around him.

Even if he managed to channel all their power into his own meridians, his veins would undoubtedly shatter completely, leading to his demise.

Even if he somehow survived, he would no longer possess the formidable power of a Purple-tier cultivator, leaving him vulnerable and at the mercy of others.

"Master, it's a travesty how my fellow disciples and I have served you with such unwavering loyalty! You always had the first pick of any top-tier magical artifacts. For years, the vast majority of spirit stone resources acquired by our entire legion went to you alone. When did we, your disciples, ever get our fair share? It seems now, it's time for you to step down."

Sure enough, dozens of peak Blue-tier experts surrounding the pirate leader attacked him simultaneously, utilizing the immense energy network he had meticulously woven for himself in advance.

All the external forces surged through this intricate network of meridians, assaulting the pirate leader and finally sealing the immense power of his physical body.

He was now like a giant cocoon, every inch of his skin being torn apart by the terrifying power fluctuations surrounding him. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't change his impending fate.

"You fools, how can an egg remain whole when the nest is overturned? Can't you understand such a simple truth? When did I ever say I would abandon you? If I truly intended to do that, why wouldn't I just gather a few of your heads and offer them to the Diamond Colossus to cleanse my own sins? But now, before even being suppressed by the enemy's power, I've been betrayed by my own disciples. You have truly disappointed me!"

The pirate leader spoke, yet no sorrowful expression appeared on his face as one might expect. Instead, he subtly revealed a chillingly deep smile.

Immediately after, all the peak Blue-tier pirate disciples suddenly felt their endless life force silently and rapidly converging towards the pirate leader's body.

Originally, their plan was to collectively unleash their strongest power, believing that even their master, a top-tier human cultivator at the mid-Purple tier, would be unable to instantly absorb and digest such a concentrated life essence.

However, the moment the pirate leader revealed his true trump card, all his disciples were utterly stunned.

This was a trump card the pirate leader had never used in front of them for centuries.

"I have long taught you: no matter what level of strength you achieve, no matter whom you meet whom you trust, never reveal your full power. Always keep a trump card for yourself; only then can you turn the tide beautifully at a critical moment. It seems, you unruly disciples are not only impure in heart, but your cultivation hasn't even met the standard I hoped for. You can die now. All the resources you've accumulated over the years have been absorbed into my body; consider it your satisfactory assignment submitted to me in advance, hahahaha!"

It must be said, the pirate leader's words were truly shameless.

It was bad enough to discard them after they had served their purpose, but he managed to portray it so self-righteously, as if his disciples should thank him for personally slaughtering them.

Before long, all dozens of peak Blue-tier experts surrounding him were completely drained by the pirate leader.

And precisely because of this maneuver, the pirate leader rapidly achieved a breakthrough in a very short time, finally shattering hundreds of years of stagnant cultivation and entering a major stage of his later cultivation.

It turned out that the most crucial trump card this individual had always kept hidden was his highly unique bodily meridian circulation system!

On the surface, the pirate leader's cultivation efficiency did not seem very high, and the limit of power his physical body could withstand appeared quite limited.

The reason he gave off an impression of great strength was partly because his cultivation level had reached the prescribed standard, and partly because he rarely used extremely powerful, energy-draining techniques. This created an illusion among his disciples that their master was not exceptionally strong and that, if they united, they could certainly inflict heavy damage upon him and usurp his leadership.

Unfortunately, it ultimately proved the old adage true: "The older the ginger, the spicier it is." When it came to schemes, how could these disciples possibly outwit their master, the pirate leader?

Almost instantly, under his watchful gaze, the disciples he had personally trained for centuries were completely consumed and turned into dried corpses by the pirate leader within a mere few seconds.