"That hit the mark, didn't it?" Verde raised his head, looked at He Ao, and laughed hoarsely and tremblingly. "Y-you're afraid."
He twisted his body, trying to climb back to his feet, but the intense pain struck him again, leaving him almost unable to gather his strength. Every time he was about to get up, he fell back down.
At last, after five consecutive attempts, he finally managed to stand. He raised his head and looked at the figure wrapped in flames ahead.
"You're afraid?" he repeated. Looking at He Ao, his body trembling, his voice carried a hint of suppressed mockery. "Are you afraid to see your son? Afraid to face the fact that your son is dead?"
He lifted his feet step by step and slowly moved forward, continuing to approach He Ao. "You may be pursuing revenge, but in truth, you're afraid to face the reality of losing your son in your old age."
He raised his head to look at He Ao, his neck tilted back, his expression filled with ridicule and derision. "If that's the case, just kill me."
He advanced slowly. The raging flames still burned, yet everything was strangely quiet, so quiet that it seemed as though the entire world had fallen silent.
"Hahaha." Verde sneered at the figure before him as excruciating pain tortured his body. "You don't dare kill me! You still don't dare kill me!"
Smack—
He reached the spot where he had been struck before, and the flaming whip swung over on cue, lashing his body.
"Ah—"
He rolled over and fell to the ground again.
This time, the whip tore through his clothes, revealing the smooth skin beneath, as though it had been calculated precisely not to injure his body in the slightest.
But this time, Verde could