Zhao Yue's breath hitched as Bai Zihan's shadow fell over her.
Her pride—once towering—was now shattered.
Her limbs trembled, strength gone, her cultivation suppressed by the brutal blow she'd taken earlier.
She couldn't fight. She couldn't flee.
Only beg.
"No—please, Bai Zihan… please…"
Her voice cracked, barely audible.
"I was wrong. I-I shouldn't have…"
Bai Zihan looked down at her. His expression wasn't cruel.
It was detached.
Like he was passing judgment, not vengeance.
"Like I care. You should ask your father to do a better job protecting you."
He raised his foot again.
Zhao Yue shrieked and covered her face on instinct, her body curling inward.
But the strike didn't come.
Instead, Bai Zihan halted mid-motion. Not out of pity, of course.
His eyes narrowed.
He was gazing toward the horizon.
As if something... terrible was coming.
BOOM!
The heavens shuddered.
A shimmering ripple tore through the space above the battlefield.
