However, Hua Ren was no match for her. He acted decisively, deftly dislocating her wrist, causing the dagger to fall from her grip.
She screamed from the pain and he seized the opportunity, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her forcefully into the wall. The collision reverberated through the room, momentarily stunning everyone.
"Did you think I'd go easy on you because you're an omega?" Hua Ren gritted, watching as blood oozed down her nose. "Anyone that can fight is equal to me, no matter the gender. Not to forget that you're a rebel too."
Jade's body succumbed to the overwhelming pain, and her vision blurred. With a gasp, she crumpled to the ground, fainting from the intensity of the hit.
The room suddenly reverberated with the sound of the door bursting open. Two figures stormed in, a man and a woman, their expressions fierce when they saw their comrade passed out on the floor. They moved to attack Hua Ren but the village Chief stood in front of them, blocking them with his body.
"Blaze, Rina, wait!" He urged then turned to face Hua Ren who was glaring at them all. He couldn't believe he had killed his own soldiers to protect villagers that were rebels. No wonder Hei Long said to kill them right away. But he wondered, how did Hei Long know when they hadn't even investigated? What was really going on?
"General, I can explain." The village Chief said. "My name is Qin Zhen and I am truly a descendant of Qi Tianyuan. The Emperor wants our Celestial weapon and wanted to kill our entire village for it. Everything I told you is true."
"But you missed the part where you're all rebels!" Hua Ren shouted angrily. "You hid the truth from me! You made me kill my own soldiers, brothers who have faced countless battles with me! You made us fight each other and it cost me Liara!"
The village Chief went silent, knowing everything was true. But he just needed Hua Ren to calm down and understand. They needed him by their side.
"I am sorry for your loss, General." He said. "She didn't deserve to die-"
"No she didn't!" Hua Ren snapped. The gravity of what he had committed, the blood on his hands, Liara's death, all weighed down on him and tears welled in his eyes, threatening to fall. "They all didn't! You're the wrong ones! You're the ones going against the Emperor!"
He suddenly gasped. The Emperor!!!!
How would he face him? What would he tell him? The Emperor would be so disappointed in him. He would lose everything. His status, his wealth, but those weren't what bothered him the most.
What bothered him was how the Emperor was going to see him.
A traitor? A murderer?
He would never have the chance to gaze upon the Emperor ever again.
The thought crushed him so much that he couldn't breathe.
Blaze, the man in blue, saw the General falter and took it as an opportunity to attack. In a calculated move, swift and decisive, he lunged forward, throwing a kunai with precision at Hua Ren.
However, he had underestimated Hua Ren's keen instincts. Hua Ren dodged the attack with a fluid grace that defied expectation.
Unleashing his flash step technique, he closed the distance between them with startling speed. In a blink, he delivered a swift hand chop to the back of Blaze's neck, rendering him unconscious. The man in blue crumpled to the ground, incapacitated by the unexpected counterattack.
Undeterred, Rina, armed with cat claws, launched her assault. Yet, Hua Ren adeptly dodged each strike. In a retaliatory move, he delivered a powerful punch to her chest, the impact resonating with a sickening crack.
Rina coughed up blood, collapsing to the floor, the force of the blow having effectively broken two ribs.
With a chilling calmness, Hua Ren seized Qi Zhen, the village chief, by the collar. "You, are coming with me."
His plan was to deliver the village Chief to the Emperor, confess his crimes, and accept whatever punishment that would be bestowed on him.
Qi Zhen could already deduce what Hua Ren was thinking. He quickly shouted to Huifang, who had been frozen at the display of violence; "Sound the alarm!! Alert the-"
Hua Ren slapped his palm over the village Chief's mouth and squeezed. "If you try to speak again, I will crush your jaw." He threatened then turned to Huifang and bowed. "You took care of me and nursed me back to health. I will not harm you but I would advice you to pack up and leave. The next time I come here, all of you rebels will die."
With that, Hua Ren forcefully escorted the village Chief out of the room, maintaining a firm grip on his jaw. He was pissed. Because of them, Liara was dead and he had committed an act against the Emperor.
The Emperor whom his heart belonged to. He could take any punishment. Anyone at all. Be it a thousand strikes from spiked whips or his joints being nailed to concrete. He would take it so long as the Emperor doesn't turn him away.
The clash in the room had alerted nearby guards who rushed at Hua Ren, weapons in hand. Hua Ren swiftly dispatched them as he made his way through the underground passages but the more he beat, the more emerged. Realizing the dire situation, he quickly navigated his way out, more guards hot on his trail.
Under the cover of night, Hua Ren moved stealthily through the village with the village Chief, Qi Zhen, evading detection. Qi Zhen didn't dare to speak in fear that Hua Ren would really crush his jaw. He could see that Hua Ren was unbelievably angry.
Still, he noticed that despite how angry Hua Ren was, he hadn't killed a single rebel. Not one since he escaped. He only rendered them unconscious. It was evident that Hua Ren could be ruthless but he had a kind heart. No wonder the ring chose him.
"I'm going to release your mouth." Hua Ren whispered, hiding by the wall of a building as guards rushed past. "I want you to tell me where the tunnel is. The one you mentioned to me that day. We're going to leave quietly. I'm using this medium to spare the lives of all these rebels here. Do you understand?"
Qi Zhen nodded instantly. He knew Hua Ren could easily kill everyone so he decided to comply. He just hoped the leader would come in time to save him. He was the only one that knew who the other Celestial weapon descendants were. If he was to be taken to the Emperor, he was afraid he'd be tortured to death. As an old man, he'd rather have a quick death. Torture would just make him divulge all their secrets.