The air was thick with the stench of blood.
Su Wu, already pale from being crushed under Horn's foot, turned even paler after witnessing his uncle Su Yan's brutal demise.
How did it come to this?
Su Yan, the formidable leader of the Tianhai branch of the Hidden Department, was a powerful figure, feared by many. Yet, Horn—a supposed outcast—had reduced him to nothing more than a blood mist. This was the same Horn who had once been stripped of his immortal bones and Infinite Purple Eyes, leaving him without the gifts that defined his former glory.
Su Wu's hatred burned deep.
He had always believed that Horn, after being deprived of his talents, was destined for a life of insignificance. And yet, here they were. Su Wu, humiliated and beneath Horn's boot, was filled with a deep sense of resentment. He had dreamed of crushing Horn today, but instead, it was he who was being crushed.
Suddenly, Su Wu began to laugh. "Hahaha—"
Blood dripped from his lips as he laughed uncontrollably. After a while, his manic laughter subsided.
"Horn, do you know why I'm laughing?" Su Wu asked, gritting his teeth. "The stronger you become, the more glorious I will be in the end. You see, everything you achieve now will only serve as my foundation!"
"When I seize the power you have now, I, Su Wu, will ascend to heights you can't even imagine!" His eyes shifted towards Horne in the distance. "Grandfather! Destroy this b*****d! Now!"
In response, Horn kicked Su Wu in the side with a resounding bang, sending him airborne. Su Wu's body hovered, frozen in place by Horn's overwhelming power, unable to even twitch a finger.
"I told you before: what's not yours must be returned."
Horn reached out with his right hand, and with a sickening squelch, a rib tore itself from Su Wu's body and floated over to him.
It was just an ordinary rib.
"Oops, wrong bone," Horn remarked casually, unfazed. Su Wu's face contorted further, pain twisting his features as groans of agony escaped him.
From the side, Su Xiao erupted with fury. "You ungrateful wretch! You dare kill your own uncle, and now you torment your cousin? Are you even human?"
His aura flared with the might of a cultivator in the early stages of the Star Realm, his fists clenched in rage.
Horne inhaled deeply, his mind racing. Horn had dispatched Su Yan, who was at the peak of the Creation Realm, with terrifying ease. Could it be that Horn was already at half-step Star Realm? Or had he already broken through to the early Star Realm?
For a young man of only 21, possessing such cultivation was nothing short of miraculous. Advancement in the Star Realm was notoriously slow, and each step required immense resources and energy. It seemed almost impossible—yet there Horn stood.
Horn's icy gaze landed on Su Xiao. "You call me rebellious? Inhuman?" His voice was cold as he continued, "When your family tricked me and stole my immortal bones, you laughed. When I awakened the Infinite Purple Eyes, and you hunted me down to rip them from my skull, you were proud of your cruelty. I still remember your mocking laughter."
"And now, when I strike back, you're outraged?"
Horn reached out once again, and with a swift motion, a second rib was ripped from Su Wu's body.
Su Wu howled in agony. "Father! Grandfather! Kill him! Kill this monster!"
But Horn remained indifferent. "Oh, wrong bone again." He casually reduced the ribs he had pulled out to dust with a flick of his hand.
Su Xiao could take no more. Ignoring Horne's unspoken command to hold back, he launched himself toward Horn with blinding speed, but not before Horn tore out a third rib from Su Wu.
As Su Wu's cries echoed through the battlefield, Su Xiao's rage boiled over.
"Shura Soul-Destroying Fist!" Su Xiao roared, channeling his most destructive technique. A looming image of Shura, the God of Death, materialized behind him as his fist shot forward, radiating a power that could decimate the souls of most cultivators in the early Star Realm.
A wave of oppressive energy swept over the battlefield, causing several lesser cultivators to collapse, their souls shattered under the pressure.
Horn remained calm. With a casual sweep of his hand, a gust of wind dispersed the overwhelming energy. Su Xiao, who had been rushing forward with full force, was caught off guard.
A split second later, Horn appeared before him, moving with a speed that defied comprehension. Before Su Xiao could react, Horn struck—again and again.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Each blow from Horn, delivered with one of Su Wu's ribs, landed squarely on Su Xiao's face. Blood splattered, and in moments, Su Xiao's once-proud visage was nearly unrecognizable.
With one final strike to the back of Su Xiao's head, a shockwave of energy surged through his body, forcing his eyes to pop from their sockets.
"Aaaah—!" Su Xiao's scream was hoarse, his body convulsing in agony.
Horn gazed down at him with cold disinterest. "Noisy."
With a flick of his wrist, he sent Su Xiao's mangled body flying back to land next to the bleeding Su Wu.
"How does it feel to lose your eyes?" Horn asked, his tone dripping with mockery. "I remember when you were so eager to take mine."
"Y-you b*****d!" Su Xiao spat, blood and fury in his voice. "You won't leave here alive! I'll make sure you're torn apart!"
Horne watched, deep in thought. His underestimation of Horn had been catastrophic. This young man was no mere cultivator; he was a monster. Far beyond anything Horne had anticipated.
"Horn," Horne said finally, his voice measured. "Enough blood has been shed. We can end this. If you return to the family, I will acknowledge your lineage and allow you back into the fold."
Horn's laughter was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade. "Acknowledge me?" he scoffed. "Old man, the Su family means nothing to me. I'll never return—not even if you beg."
"Today, I'm here for one thing only: revenge."
With that, Horn struck, his punch obliterating Su Xiao's body in a gruesome explosion of blood and flesh, leaving Su Wu drenched in the remains of his cousin.
The killing had only just begun.