"Audacious beast, stop this instant?!"
A blast of wind struck, shattering Hong Yu's sure-kill punch and sending him flying.
Fortunately, the blast of wind was only meant to save Hong Lin at the critical moment and lacked lethal force. Hong Yu tumbled through the air several times before managing to land on his feet. Still, the force of the blast sent a violent tremor through him, churning his blood and nearly causing him to spit up a mouthful of it.
Hong Yu steadied himself and looked coldly toward Hong Lin.
Hong Lin had lost all of his earlier swagger and composure. His handsome face was ghastly pale, and his flickering eyes betrayed the sheer terror of his near-death experience.
WHOOSH!
A whistling sound descended from the sky, and a purple-robed elder landed in front of Hong Lin.
The purple-robed elder quickly steadied Hong Lin. With a flip of his hand, he produced a Pill and had Hong Lin swallow it. A faint purple light enveloped his palm as he gently patted Hong Lin's chest. A bit of color slowly returned to Hong Lin's face, but his chest was still heaving violently, a clear sign that he hadn't recovered from his terror.
The elder sighed in relief and revealed his true appearance.
He had a gaunt face, and his eyebrows forked at the ends like a pair of daggers poised above his eyes. His black eyes gleamed with a coldness that surpassed a venomous snake's. Hong Yu recognized this man. His name was Hong Tiande, Hong Lin's grandfather, the esteemed Seventh Elder of the Hong Family!
A dignified Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm Powerhouse!
"Lin'Er, are you okay?" Hong Tiande asked with concern.
"Grand... Grandfather?"
Hong Lin snapped back to his senses, his eyes reddening as he choked out the words.
Hong Tiande dotingly ruffled Hong Lin's hair, his voice tinged with reprimand. "I've told you before, when you face an enemy, you cannot show the slightest mercy. If you get even a sliver of an opportunity, you must deliver a killing blow. You had already knocked him down, so why didn't you press your advantage and kill him to secure your victory?"
"I was wrong, Grandfather."
Hong Lin nodded.
His gaze was no longer filled with terror, and his smile was gone. He was calm again, but the viciousness and venom that now filled his eyes made him seem like a completely different person.
He slowly raised his head to look at Hong Yu, their gazes meeting across the distance. But Hong Lin quickly looked away, turning to Hong Tiande. "Grandfather, I want that bastard to suffer a fate worse than death."
"Good!"
Hong Tiande nodded.
He slowly turned his head, seemingly glancing casually at Hong Yu.
With that one glance—though he didn't even use his Earth Soul Realm cultivation—his sheer power was enough to make the air hum. The atmosphere in the small courtyard solidified, and the wind fell silent. His gaze was like a sharp sword, thrusting straight toward Hong Yu.
Hong Yu's face fell. The glance alone sent a violent tremor through him, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
In that instant, he felt as if he were trapped in a thousand-year-old ice cellar. An intense sense of mortal danger, stronger than anything he had ever felt, flooded his mind. Hong Yu's head buzzed, and he felt his consciousness slipping, his ability to think dissolving, leaving him utterly fragile and vulnerable.
He felt the threat of death like never before. His body was a sapling in a storm, without Shelter, about to be uprooted at any moment. It felt as if his Soul Fire would be extinguished in the next instant. Two gruesome trails of blood streamed from his eyes.
Loneliness, helplessness, powerlessness, and death became a giant hand pressing down on Hong Yu, slowly squeezing, threatening to crush him to dust and cast him into eternal damnation.
BUZZ!
A clear stream flowed from the Profound Celestial Tower inside Hong Yu's body, and his dazed expression suddenly cleared as he regained consciousness.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Hong Tiande's cold face. He had been confident that even if Hong Yu wasn't left a drooling idiot, he would at least be severely injured. He never imagined Hong Yu would recover so quickly.
He gave a sinister smile and muttered, 'No wonder Lin'Er lost to you. You do have a few tricks up your sleeve. Let's see if you can escape this next attack!'
Hong Tiande raised his hand and gave a light wave.
A faint glimmer of light shot from his palm. It was as sharp as a blade, yet it moved so slowly even a toddler could have dodged it. But Hong Yu felt as if something was holding him fast. He was completely immobilized, forced to watch as the blade-like light flew toward him.
Hong Yu's heart trembled. 'This is a technique of a Celestial Soul Realm powerhouse,' he thought, a wave of bitter grief washing over him.
He knew that without a miracle, his life would end here.
An intense unwillingness flooded his heart.
Just then, a cold snort suddenly echoed throughout the entire West Garden.
"A Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm Cultivation, the dignified Seventh Elder of the family, and you're bullying a junior like this? Hong Tiande, you've really grown some backbone!" A figure in green suddenly appeared in front of Hong Yu.
The newcomer was none other than the Tiger Instructor who had always looked after Hong Yu!
He gently raised his right hand, and immediately a deafening, earth-shattering roar erupted.
In that instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. The ray of light that could have easily taken Hong Yu's life dissolved into rapidly spreading ripples, then scattered into a shower of countless motes of light. An indescribably powerful aura erupted from the Tiger Instructor. He stood there as if he were the only being in the entire world.
As domineering as a tiger, supreme in all the world!
The Tiger Instructor easily broke the light's attack and looked coldly at Hong Tiande.
"Ah, it's the Tiger Instructor. You've caught me in an embarrassing moment. I had my reasons for acting. This Hong Yu dared to ruthlessly attack a fellow clan member without mercy. His crime is unforgivable. However..." Hong Tiande offered a faint smile, but his eyes revealed a deep-seated fear of the Tiger Instructor. "Since you have intervened, I trust you will handle this justly."
"Hmph. I already know what happened today. You don't need to stand here arguing about who was right or wrong. Take your boy and get the hell out!" The Tiger Instructor couldn't be bothered to argue, simply pointing domineeringly toward the gate.
"You..."
Hong Tiande's gaze turned cold, but he suppressed his anger as he recalled the Tiger Instructor's background. 'This Tiger Instructor has a mysterious origin. Even the Patriarch treats him with great respect. I can't afford to offend him.'
Hong Tiande snorted coldly. Sweeping Hong Lin up in his arm, he soared into the air. They transformed into a streak of light and instantly vanished from Hong Yu's small courtyard, leaving only the echo of his piercing, sinister laughter behind.
Hong Yu spat out another mouthful of blood, but he raised his head and stared fixedly in the direction Hong Tiande had left, an extreme cold glint in his eyes.
The Tiger Instructor turned to look at Hong Yu, sighed, and gently patted his shoulder. "I was too late."
The Tiger Instructor's cultivation was profound, already at the Peak of Earth Soul Realm.
An expert of his caliber was a top-tier powerhouse, not just in the Hong Family but in all of Upper Water City. He was a hot commodity that countless factions would fight over.
It was said that there were many secrets behind why he came to the Hong Family, but these secrets were not known to outsiders. In any case, the Tiger Instructor's status in the Hong Family was in no way inferior to that of the Elders!
Normally, aside from guiding the Hong Family juniors' cultivation at the Martial Arts Hall, he spent most of his time in a Quiet Chamber in closed-door cultivation, pursuing a higher realm of the Martial Dao and ignoring worldly affairs.
But today, his Heart Spirit was restless during his cultivation, so he left the Quiet Chamber for a walk. He hadn't expected to arrive just in time to see Hong Tiande making a move against Hong Yu, which was why he had revealed himself. Looking at Hong Yu, pale yet with eyes shining with resolve, the Tiger Instructor felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. 'Master, you just up and left... and in doing so, you've made things so hard for Yu'Er!'
But Hong Yu did not know the Tiger Instructor's inner thoughts.
His gaze was still fixed on the direction where Hong Tiande had disappeared...
'So this is the power of the Earth Soul Realm? A single glance nearly shattered my consciousness? And this is just the Earth Soul Realm... Above that are the Celestial Soul Realm, the Primordial Core Realm, and even stronger experts... Hong Lin, Hong Tiande, one day I, Hong Yu, will possess supreme power and grind you under my heel.' A fire was burning in Hong Yu's eyes.
'This is a world where the strong devour the weak. If you don't have enough strength, you're destined to be trampled underfoot. If you're not strong enough, you have no right to survive. If you're not strong enough, you're just a lamb for the slaughter, your fate a plaything in another's hands... I refuse to live like that. I won't accept it.'
A storm raged in Hong Yu's heart.
Hong Tiande's glance—that seemingly casual display of power that had nearly cost him his life—was now branded into his mind, into his heart, into his very bones and every inch of his flesh. It was a memory he could never erase.
'I won't accept this...'
Hong Yu clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly.
'I won't accept being trampled underfoot!'
'I won't accept having to rely on others just to survive!'
'I won't accept my fate being a plaything in someone else's hands, for them to do with as they please!'
'I will get stronger. Stronger than ever. I will seize control of my own destiny... No one will ever harm my family again!'
The day's events had made Hong Yu understand the importance of strength on a profound level. They had also shown him the true Law of survival in this world.
Without strength, you are destined to have nothing!
He gritted his teeth, the indignation in his heart slowly forging itself into an eternal obsession within his soul. He had to get stronger. He would become powerful, no matter the cost. It was a near-maniacal obsession, an infinite craving for immense power. In that moment, he seemed to be the very embodiment of an ancient saying...
An unwilling heart forges a thousand obsessions!
A youth with such an unyielding obsession was destined for an extraordinary life.
Watching the vacant look in the young man's eyes slowly clear and become firm, the Tiger Instructor was momentarily dazed. He knew that the day's events had dealt the boy a heavy blow, and he could see that this blow had changed Hong Yu profoundly.
But he didn't know whether this change was for the better or for the worse, whether it was right or wrong...
His myriad thoughts coalesced into a single sigh. "Hong Yu, are you alright?"
"Thank you for your concern, Instructor, I'm fine!" Hong Yu shook his head, giving the Tiger Instructor a slight smile. "Don't worry, Instructor. A small setback like this won't break me!"
Looking at the determination and smile on the young man's face, the Tiger Instructor didn't know what to say for a moment. He just looked deeply at Hong Yu as an inexplicable glint flashed in his eyes, his profound gaze turning towards the endless sky...
'Late Eight Layers of the Essence Realm? To think he was hiding such strength... If Master were still here, he would be so proud of the Young Master. But alas...'