Kurkan's condition was the most severe, practically beyond saving, while the others were slightly better off.
The legendary mage Hailin, who had been living in seclusion, also bore marks of those blue-purple tentacles on his head.
Although he didn't believe he had a problem himself, he would act against his will whenever ordered by the Great Sage.
Seeing him also corrupted, Wen Wen understood how the Nest of Destruction had been lost and how Ye Haimo had fallen victim.
Because Hailin was the primary force behind sealing the Nest of Destruction, with most of the seal being his work, the Great Sage could easily reverse the seal with his assistance, releasing the Nest of Destruction and incidentally trapping Ye Haimo, who guarded the seal.
The other two corrupted individuals were Emperor Weitu of the White Bear District and Vanguard Sixty!
Wen Wen recalled that when he was collecting emotion monsters, Emperor Weitu had been absent from his jurisdiction, presumably for some other engagement.
This was why the wanted criminal representing the emotion of 'joy' who had caused trouble in Weitu's private zoo required Wen Wen's intervention.
Therefore, when Wen Wen captured the old white bear in the White Bear Palace, which was Emperor Weitu's residence, Weitu had not appeared at all. Perhaps this was when Weitu became corrupted.
The opportunity for Vanguard Sixty's corruption likely stemmed from Vanguard One Hundred, whom he had consumed. At that time, no one knew about the Great Sage's issues, so Vanguard Sixty unknowingly ingested the hidden danger.
Thus, four disaster-level powerhouses in the Hunter Association were now corrupted by the Great Sage.
It should be clarified that there were two states of corruption for disaster-level powerhouses.
One was complete corruption, where they became a complete puppet of the Great Sage. This required them to lose all ability to resist and was a relatively prolonged process.
The other was ordinary corruption, which only required a brief period of vulnerability to the Great Sage.
The Great Sage would leave the power of the Nameless King within the corrupted individuals. This power would take root and sprout within them, subtly influencing their thoughts and causing them to act against their true nature.
The Great Sage did not have the time for complete corruption of all disaster-level powerhouses. Furthermore, prolonged disappearances of disaster-level powerhouses from the Hunter Association would alert the association. Therefore, only Kurkan, who relied on faith, was completely corrupted.
The most troublesome aspect of these corrupted individuals was that, until triggered, even they themselves were unaware of their condition.
Apart from these corrupted individuals, all other disaster-level powerhouses received information from Wen Wen and the Night Knight.
Initially, they did not believe it, but after donning the glasses and witnessing everything, they had no choice but to believe what Wen Wen and the other had said.
Originally, the Hunter Association held an absolute advantage in terms of the number of powerful individuals. However, this situation had now placed them at a disadvantage, with the crisis looming over everyone like a dark cloud.
Wen Wen looked at Vice President Sruisin, "In this situation, the President should be able to act now."
"The Great Sage's strength is unknown. Perhaps only the President among us can defeat him. Even if he only acts for an hour, it would be enough to help us turn the tide."
"Under the threat of the Great Sage, even allowing a few disaster-level monsters to enter is acceptable."
Hearing Wen Wen's words, everyone looked at Sruisin. Wen Wen's proposal was sound; it was indeed the only way to guarantee turning the tide.
However, Sruisin shook his head with a wry smile, "No, not only can the President not act, but the other Vice President also cannot descend from the Sky Curtain Giant Whale."
A glint flashed in the Night Knight's eyes. Sruisin's reply confirmed his suspicions about the Hunter Association's President.
As an intelligence master, he had conducted a thorough investigation of the Hunter Association long ago. Many of the association's secrets were fully accessible to him, but the President's identity had always remained a mystery.
Every member of the Hunter Association knew of the President's deeds, and every Punisher knew what the President was doing.
But had anyone truly met this President of the Hunter Association and had intimate conversations with him?
Never!
Ishna, the female war god of Morning Star, frowned and asked, "The President bears a great responsibility and usually does not show himself, which is understandable. But now, when the survival of the association is at stake, if he still doesn't act, the world will be destroyed."
She had seen a younger version of the President in a time silhouette, and in her impression, that person would not turn a blind eye to the current crisis.
The Night Knight walked up to Sruisin and slammed his hand on the table, "I'm afraid it's not that he cannot act, but that he is unable to act, or rather... does the President we have always relied on truly exist?"
Sruisin's expression jolted. He hadn't expected the Night Knight to know so much.
The Night Knight's words seemed to ignite a powder keg, causing an uproar among the other Punishers. What did it mean that the President didn't exist?
"This is a critical juncture of life and death. Don't hold back any longer. Tell us everything about the President."
Sruisin leaned back, his gaze distant. There were things he preferred not to say, but he couldn't remain silent any longer.
"The Night Knight is correct. The President you know is no longer here..."
"But he still exists!"
"When the association was first established a thousand years ago, the President was as powerful and wise as you know him to be, leading the association on the right path."
"Any enemy before him was like straw and mud. At that time, no one was qualified to be his opponent."
"But as the pressure of the entire world bore down on his shoulders, I noticed a change in his state. I could even feel his life force slowly draining away."
"This loss of life force should not occur in a powerhouse like him."
"So, my fellow Vice President and I repeatedly inquired, and we finally got the answer."
"It turns out that not long after the association was founded, the barrier that prevented disaster-level monsters from the Rift from entering reality completely shattered. He had been using his own power to maintain the world's stability."
"But his power was limited, so his life was slowly reaching its end."
"If he had ignored the world, with his strength, he could have existed forever even if the world was destroyed, but he could not simply ignore it."
"So, at the end of his life, he chose to merge with a disaster-level containment object, becoming a new supreme containment called 'Haven'."
"'Haven' became one of the barriers of reality, preventing monsters banished to the Rift from entering reality."
"My fellow Vice President and I must each remain on Hunter Island to constantly patch the loopholes in the barrier."
"However, although he is no longer here, his power has been protecting this world..."