# Blood sacrifice and upheaval in the heavens Ling Yue lowered her head in disbelief, her gaze settling on her chest. An arm had pierced straight through her chest from left to right, as though tearing through thin paper.
It had happened unimaginably fast, so fast that even she had no time to react. Her vision merely blurred, and a horrifying hole appeared in her chest. At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Ling Yue felt no pain. The world grew hazy and unreal in her eyes, everything around her seemingly veiled in mist, as insubstantial as a dream.
Only after a full second did she abruptly snap out of her stupor. The terrifying scene that had just unfolded flooded her mind. What... just happened? Why... did he want to kill me? Did I... say something wrong? Am I... going to die?
Countless thoughts tangled wildly in her mind like snarled threads. Before she could think any further, warm blood burst from her chest like floodwater breaching a dam.
In half a second, blood soaked half her body. Her once-plain clothes were instantly dyed a glaring crimson. In the silent chamber, the drip, drip of falling blood rang out with chilling clarity. Agony crashed over her like raging waves, and Ling Yue's body trembled violently beyond her control, an instinctive response to unbearable pain.
She slowly raised her head, her eyes full of bewilderment, fear, and confusion as she looked at Zhang Xin's ice-cold face. He was expressionless, his gaze as cold as a poison-tempered blade, without a trace of warmth. "Why..."
Ling Yue mustered every ounce of strength to force out that single word, her voice as faint as a gossamer thread.
Zhang Xin did not answer. He simply withdrew his arm without expression, casually shook off the blood,