There Are Not Ten Thousand, But There Are Eight Thousand

Xia Qingying's eyes turned blood red as she opened the palm of her right hand, letting blood pour from the wound.

"Horn, even now, after everything, you remain stubborn?" she sneered. "You'll soon understand how foolish it is to oppose me."

She raised her right arm and pointed her bleeding hand toward the sky.

"By the blood of gods and demons, I summon the power of my past life!"

As she chanted, the expression on her face twisted with madness. The blood from her palm began to float, ascending into the sky in thin streams. Xia Qingying drained herself of so much blood that her face grew pale, and when the blood finally ceased to flow, a massive, shadowy figure appeared in the sky.

In that moment, the very sky seemed to darken, and the enormous figure loomed above her, casting its gaze down upon her.

Then, everything changed.

Xia Qingying's aura grew cold and strange, her bloodshot eyes now eerily calm as a faint black veil covered the sky.

A chilling smile crept onto her lips. "Horn, have you ever heard of reincarnation?" she asked, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Some souls carry the memories of their past lives. I am one of them!"

"In my past life, I was revered! Thousands knelt before me, desperate for even the slightest gesture of favor," she boasted, her sneer widening. "And now, do you realize the opportunity you've thrown away?"

The shadowy figure above faded into the clouds, and Xia Qingying's red eyes gleamed as she waved her hand. Time around them froze.

Leaves, which had been falling from nearby trees, stopped midair. The ants crawling across the ground were frozen in place. Even Mr. Jiang and the others stood motionless, their breath halted, as though turned to statues.

The entire scene was unnervingly still.

"This is my Saint's Domain," she said, her voice full of malice. "Here, I control time. I am its master."

Her eyes flickered with disdain as she gazed at Horn. "Ah, but I forgot, you likely don't even know what a Saint is, do you?"

"In my past life, I ascended to the rank of Saint. And though it cost me dearly, I sacrificed my blood to force open the time domain from that life. Because of you, I won't be able to break through in cultivation for a hundred years."

Her voice was venomous as she continued, "But it doesn't matter, Horn. I will make your life worse than death."

She stepped toward him slowly, a glint of madness in her eyes. "I can stop you anytime within this domain. Didn't you dare strike me before? Now, I'll carve your face piece by piece!"

She lifted a sharp dagger and pointed at him, her murderous intent clear. But before she could act, Horn moved—swiftly and decisively.

There was a loud crack as he slapped her, the force of it splitting the skin of her other cheek. Xia Qingying staggered back, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"How… how can you move in my domain?" she stammered, shaking her head as if denying the reality before her. "Impossible! This is my Saint's Domain!"

Horn towered over her as she lay on the ground, her face now bloodied. "Is a Saint's Domain supposed to be that impressive?" he asked coldly. "I've killed at least eight thousand Saints. What's one more?"

A chilling silence followed his words.

When he first became a Saint in the Immortal World, Horn had been betrayed, hunted by nearly every Saint across the realms. Yet, through his sheer strength and cunning, he had defeated and slaughtered most of them in a single sweep. Since then, no Saint dared to provoke him.

Xia Qingying's face turned ashen. "Who… who are you?" she whispered. "Are you from the Immortal World too?"

Horn smiled darkly. "Indeed, I spent two years away, but in the Immortal World, that was two thousand years. I've only recently returned to Earth."

With a flick of his fingers, four nails of pure spiritual energy materialized and shot into Xia Qingying's body, piercing her hands and feet, pinning her to the ground.

"Ahhh!" she screamed, her agony echoing around them.

Horn watched her with cold indifference. "You guessed right, so here's your reward," he said. "I'll make sure not a piece of your body remains intact."

Fear overtook her expression. This was no idle threat. Xia Qingying understood now—Horn was far more terrifying than anything she had ever encountered.

"Please, no…" she whispered, her defiance finally crumbling. She trembled, realizing that the creature standing before her had slain thousands like her without hesitation.

She had sent word to the Xia family, just as Meng Yan had alerted the Meng family. She thought they would come to her aid, but now, the terrifying truth hit her—anyone who came for revenge would suffer the same fate.

"I beg you," Xia Qingying pleaded, her voice cracking. "Spare the Xia family. They've done nothing wrong. I was blind…"

But Horn wasn't interested in her pleas. With a flick of his arm, sharp spiritual energy sliced through the air, tearing Xia Qingying apart. Her body was shredded into unrecognizable pieces, her blood soaking the ground.

Horn remained emotionless. He had no mercy for his enemies, especially those who would have killed not only him but everyone else here had they won.

As the saying goes, those who are pitiable are often hateful.