Lin Zixuan and the others had just stepped out of the villa when Horn stood up and walked out as well.
Passing through the front yard, Horn noticed the crude one-star Spirit Gathering array Lin Zixuan had set up. It was poorly arranged, and he couldn't tolerate it. With a casual gesture, he altered the formation.
As he finished, the doorbell rang incessantly.
Ding dong, ding dong—
Horn approached the door and pressed the switch. The door slowly opened to reveal Hornan, the eldest son of the head of a branch of the Su family.
"Horn, do you think you can hide safely in Lin Zixuan's house?" Hornan's face was flushed with anger, and his eyes burned with murderous intent. "If you dare to kill my brother publicly, you're destined to meet a terrible end. Come with me now."
Beside Hornan stood Su Yao, a middle-aged man with a cold demeanor. Su Yao had been practicing outside and returned specifically for the funeral of his nephew, Su Cheng.
Seeing Horn unmoved, Su Yao's anger flared. A powerful aura from the mid-stage of the Sea Transformation Realm erupted from him.
"I heard about what happened with Su Cheng. You killed him on the stage of life and death. Even if you took advantage of the situation, you must pay the price. Do you want me to handle it, or will you go alone?"
Su Yao's indifference was palpable. Based on the information he and Hornan had, Horn's cultivation level was in the Innate Realm, which he dismissed as insignificant.
Lin Zixuan had just left, and Hornan and Su Yao had arrived, seemingly to lure him into a trap. Horn noticed their ploy with a slight smile. He was already planning to deal with the Su family branch's accounts, and now the opportunity had presented itself.
Horn's eyes locked coldly on Hornan. Years ago, on New Year's Eve, Hornan had pursued his heart's desire and, upon being rejected publicly, vented his anger on Horn. In the ice and snow, Hornan had beaten Horn mercilessly and left him unconscious, only to be later tormented by a vicious dog.
Recalling the humiliation from that time, Horn took a deep breath. The torment from two thousand years ago still festered in his heart.
Hornan, growing impatient, slapped Horn. "You bastard, are you deaf? Are you so scared that you can't even speak? Wake up!"
Hornan's slap was sharp, but Horn simply reached out with his left hand and grabbed Hornan's wrist with ease. For someone like Hornan, Horn could have killed him with a mere glance, but he preferred to exact revenge in a more tangible way.
Hornan felt an overwhelming force restrain his right hand. Despite his struggles, he couldn't move it or break free. His momentum, fueled by his peak Innate Realm cultivation, surged as he kicked at Horn.
The stone tiles cracked under the force of the kick. Horn responded with a kick of his own.
With a sickening "pfft" sound, Hornan's right leg was reduced to blood mist.
A piercing scream erupted from Hornan's throat as disbelief crossed his face. Horn's strength was beyond anything he had anticipated.
This all happened in mere seconds. When Su Yao finally reacted, it was too late.
"You're seeking death!" Su Yao roared, his murderous intent boiling over. He tried to destroy Horn, but found himself immobilized, his body seized by an intense, painful force as if hit by an Immobilization Technique.
Sweat beads appeared on Su Yao's face as fear replaced his anger. He couldn't comprehend why Horn's mere gaze had rendered him unable to move. The pain felt like thousands of needles stabbing into his brain.
Horn, having had minimal contact with Su Yao before, now faced him with an indifferent expression. The words Su Yao had spoken earlier made it clear he was doomed.
Horn applied pressure to Hornan's wrist, causing bones to snap audibly. Then, he kicked Hornan in the stomach, sending him several meters away. Hornan's stomach erupted in a burst of blood mist, and he screamed in agony.
"Uncle, do it quickly! Destroy this bastard!" Hornan pleaded, still unaware of Su Yao's predicament. When Su Yao remained unresponsive, Hornan's panic grew. "Uncle, what's wrong with you?"
Horn casually patted Su Yao on the shoulder. "Are you going to do something, or should I take care of it?"
Su Yao, now too weak to respond, was entirely under Horn's control. Hornan finally realized something was terribly wrong. His uncle, a powerful figure in the mid-stage of the Sea Transformation Realm, was being controlled by someone with only Innate Realm cultivation.
This realization left Hornan trembling with fear.
As Horn approached him, Hornan feigned calmness. "I advise you not to act recklessly. Mr. Meng is with us. Even if you have reached the perfect level of Sea Transformation Realm, you cannot match him."
Horn remembered Mr. Meng, the old dog who had provided his brother-in-law's family with bone extraction methods.
"Su Cheng was your brother. The two of you should be buried together."
Horn grabbed Hornan and lifted him. As Hornan fell, Horn delivered a series of controlled punches, each one precise and vengeful.
"Didn't you enjoy beating me back then? I'm returning the favor today!"
Horn's expression remained cold as he pummeled Hornan.
Bang, bang, bang—
The sounds of flesh and blood splattering filled the air. Hornan's hoarse screams echoed as Horn vented his long-held anger.
"Horn, I was wrong! Please spare me!" Hornan begged desperately.
Horn ignored him, continuing until his anger was finally released. With one final, forceful punch, Hornan's body exploded into a bloody mist, leaving only his head behind, which rolled silently to the ground.
The blood mist looked like a blooming flower or a dazzling firework.