A trace of guilt flashed in Lin Zixuan's beautiful eyes. "Horn, I shouldn't have called you here. I owe you a life, and I'll repay you in the next one."
Horn leaned against the wall, his expression calm. "You don't owe me anything. Even if I hadn't come today, would they have let me go later?"
Yan Chuan sneered. "How touching. It seems your relationship with her is deeper than I thought."
He stared coldly at Horn. "You haven't had a taste of Lin Zixuan yet, have you? Later, when you're being sliced apart, you'll watch her roll her eyes in pleasure. Looking forward to it?"
Yan Jie's face twisted with a wicked grin. "Grandpa, let me go first. You all can help me later and make Lin Zixuan sit on me. My limbs might be useless, but my waist isn't!"
Yan Chuan nodded. "Alright, you'll go first."
Lin Zixuan's beautiful face burned with rage. As the dean of Linzhou Immortal Martial Academy, to be reduced to this—these shameless men deserved to die!
Zhang Hongshun's aura in the middle stage of the Sea Transformation Realm grew more intense. He activated the spirit Qi Sea in his Dantian, advancing toward Horn. "You've been gone for two years, and your cultivation has advanced so quickly into the Innate Realm. Impressive! But what does it matter? Even at the peak of Innate Great Perfection, you're just a speck of dust in front of me!"
With that, he suddenly accelerated, appearing instantly before Horn. His withered right palm struck out. "Extreme Ice Palm!"
This was a Rank Two combat skill. At that moment, the spiritual energy in Zhang Hongshun's body became icy cold. Frost formed on his right hand, causing the temperature around them to plummet, making Zhang Wenxiong and the others shiver.
Horn casually raised his right palm to meet the attack. Seeing this, Yan Chuan and Zhang Wenxiong smirked mockingly. The power of Zhang Hongshun's icy palm was enough to freeze and shatter the arm of any Innate Dzogchen monk. Horn was foolishly trying to counter it.
Lin Zixuan sighed inwardly. This was the end. Once Horn was defeated, Yan Chuan and the others would turn their attention to her. She couldn't bear the thought of being humiliated, but she no longer had the strength to take her own life.
"You fool, scream all you want!" Zhang Hongshun shouted as their palms collided.
To his shock, as soon as his palm touched Horn's, the icy power dissipated completely. At the same time, an overwhelming force surged from Horn's hand, a power far beyond what Zhang Hongshun could withstand.
How could this be? Why was this bastard so strong?
Because Zhang Hongshun's back was to everyone else in the office, they didn't see the alarm on his face. Yan Chuan and Zhang Wenxiong waited eagerly for Horn to scream in agony. Lin Zixuan couldn't bear to watch, expecting Horn to be horribly injured.
Zhang Hongshun tried to retreat, but it was too late. With a sickening "pfft," his entire right arm exploded into a cloud of blood, hanging in the air.
Everyone in the office initially thought it was Horn's arm that had exploded. Yan Chuan and Zhang Wenxiong smiled in triumph. But then, a hoarse scream tore through the room—Zhang Hongshun's scream.
Yan Chuan and the others realized something was wrong. Zhang Hongshun turned around, his right arm gone, his face twisted in agony.
The sight stunned Yan Chuan and the others, their eyes wide in disbelief.
"My grandfather couldn't have lost to this loser!" Zhang Ya shook her head in denial, losing control and rushing toward Zhang Hongshun.
Zhang Hongshun wanted to tell her to stop, but before he could, Horn's voice echoed in his ears. "What happened back then should end today."
In truth, Horn's earlier strike could have reduced Zhang Hongshun to a blood mist. But he wanted this old dog to suffer. Horn pointed at Zhang Hongshun's forehead, and cracks appeared, causing his eyeballs to pop out and fall to the ground.
"Ah!" Blood gushed from Zhang Hongshun's empty eye sockets as he screamed even louder. The dean's office was filled with his anguished cries.
Lin Zixuan stared in shock, her mouth slightly open. Horn had actually overpowered Zhang Hongshun, who was in the middle stage of the Sea Transformation Realm. Could it be that Horn's cultivation was far beyond Innate?
Horn didn't stop. He grabbed Zhang Hongshun by the forehead, lifting him off the ground. Zhang Ya, seeing her grandfather's miserable state, was filled with fear instead of anger.
Horn waved his right arm, and a terrifying force condensed around Zhang Ya. She was torn apart as if thrown into a meat grinder, her body shredded before she could even scream.
Horn's expression remained indifferent. Spiritual energy flowed from his left hand into Zhang Hongshun's body. "You helped the Su family dig out my eyes. Did you think I was just a worm you could crush?"
His energy shattered Zhang Hongshun's meridians, leaving the old man unable to move.
"You're looking for death!" Zhang Hongshun snarled. "Yan Chuan is a senior teacher at the Immortal Martial Academy in the Imperial Capital. Do you want to go against the entire academy? Turn back now, and I might spare you!"
Zhang Hongshun had seen many storms, but even now, he tried to use the academy's power to intimidate Horn.
After seeing Zhang Ya killed, Zhang Wenxiong and Sun Mei were consumed by rage.
"Let my father go, you bastard!" Zhang Wenxiong's eyes burned with fury.
Yan Chuan frowned and released his full strength, the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm. He didn't believe Horn could surpass that level. Horn might be in the late stage or peak of the Sea Transformation Realm, but not beyond it. Besides, Yan Chuan still had a trump card.
Horn casually flung Zhang Hongshun aside. Zhang Wenxiong tried to catch his father, but Horn struck the air, and with a "bang," Zhang Hongshun's body exploded, showering Zhang Wenxiong in blood.