Splash!
Blood sprayed into the air like petals blooming in vivid splendor.
Yuwen Zhong went rigid, disbelief filling his face. He stared blankly at the hand protruding from his chest, a rattling sound rising in his throat.
The next instant.
Before the scattered blossoms of blood could fall, they swept back even faster, merging into Yuwen Zhong's body.
Yuwen Zhong abruptly swelled, bursting like an enormous bubble.
The hand Hong Yuan had driven through Yuwen Zhong no longer felt the slightest resistance of a fleshly vessel. Only wisps of cool wind slipped between his fingers.
At the same time, a ripple spread behind Hong Yuan, faintly revealing a transparent human outline. The air bowed forward, condensing into an enormous fist that silently hammered toward the back of his head.
Before the fist could land, however, it crumbled inch by inch. The human outline froze where it stood, as though time had stopped.
A cold, keen sensation spread from the transparent figure's brow. Its chilling edge penetrated his entire body, leaving him unable to move.
"A tiger cub certainly has no dog for a father. You have plenty of tricks."
At some point, Hong Yuan had already turned around. He watched with a soft laugh as the transparent figure solidified, revealing the King of Wu-Yue, Yuwen Zhong.
One of his fingers rested lightly against Yuwen Zhong's brow.
"There was once a man, the son of a minor prince, who wandered homeless from childhood. He even lost an arm and suffered every hardship, yet ultimately became a peerless master."
Hong Yuan spoke calmly, bending his finger slightly before flicking it.
Yuwen Zhong could clearly see the movement, but he could not move. He could only watch that finger descend.
Pop!
The crisp sound was like a droplet falling onto a still lake.