All of the suicidal squid Sentient Fiends were laced with Aksai's high-quality Second Order talismans.
These talismans were among Aksai's failed talisman-creation experiments, but he had put them to use anyway.
They were based on Heretic Dao principles, making them highly volatile and destructive in nature. Once activated, they had to be detonated within a day—otherwise, they would explode on their own without a trigger.
No sane Spirit Cultivator would ever use such talismans, as they could just as easily harm the user as the enemy. That was why only Aksai's suicidal puppets could make proper use of them.
Before Heebyuk could fully rise, the other three Fiends descended on him.
He cut another one in half, but it exploded again, ripping apart his defenses. The last two pinned him down, their vines tightening around his limbs before detonating together.
Shuan walked toward the billowing smoke, calm and unfazed.
