Chapter 832, (1): Inevitable Death
What the hell does ‘lending for a bit’ mean? Bi Linglong was so angry she almost fainted. Even wives can be lent out? Even though she didn’t really mind if it was Zu An, it really was too embarrassing in front of all of these people. Before she even had a chance to scold him, however, a streak of light flew at the crown prince’s chest. She cried out in alarm.
Zu An reacted even faster than her. His figure flashed and reappeared by the crown prince’s side as he blocked the attack with the Tai’e Sword. He shook his hand to ease the soreness. The flying sword of a master rank cultivator really was hard to block. His hand was even going numb.
The crown prince clapped his hands and shouted, “Big bro Zu is so awesome! Beat that bad guy to death!”
Zu An forced a bitter smile. How could it be that easy to take out someone at the master rank?
Wei Pingyang roared with laughter. “This is the first time I’ve seen a husband so close to his wife’s boyfriend. You guys have really widened my world view.”
Bi Linglong was so angry her entire body was shuddering. “Wei Pingyang, you’re still a master rank for better or for worse. Why is your mouth so foul? You’re just like a scoundrel from the streets.”
Wei Pingyang coldly replied, “What can I say? I had to lower myself to you juniors’ level. Kill them; leave none alive!”
He gestured for the other two guardians He Li and Mu Ping, as well as their subordinates, to make their move. He stopped attacking the crown prince as well and focused on the shield formation.
The shields were special, with an exquisite protection formation on them. However, under the attacks of a master rank cultivator, they became as weak as paper-mache. The Eastern Palace’s formation cracked apart, and a wide hole instantly opened. King Qi’s deathsworn soldiers roared as they charged at the opening.
The men from both sides engaged each other in combat, and flesh and blood immediately flew in all directions.
Zu An didn’t dare to act carelessly. He quickly rushed over to stop Wei Pingyang’s flying sword in order to stop him from damaging their formation further. If the formation broke down, there really would be no point in continuing this battle.
On the other side, King Qi’s deathsworn soldiers were led by He Li and Mu Ping, two ninth ranked experts. They cleaved through the crown prince’s men like tigers among a flock of sheep.
Zhao Xi roared furiously, “Our King Liang Manor isn’t so easily bullied!” He crushed a jade pendant and his aura became much stronger, actually shooting up to around the eighth rank.
His father King Liang was at the master rank. He had given his son a protection treasure before sending him into the dungeon, telling him to use it in a dire situation. They were now in just such a situation.
The habitually silent Gao Ying roared furiously. His eyes shone with red light and his aura also began to grow stronger.
Pei You laughed indifferently. “Are you going to burn up your blood essence? I know how to do that as well!”
He stretched out his palm in front of him, and then drew his sword across it. His palm became covered in blood. He struck his own chest with his hand, and countless runes flickered. His complexion had been pale to begin with, but now, it was already deathly white like a ghost from the netherworld. However, his aura instead similarly rose to the eighth rank. Even though it was extremely unsteady, he was now at the eighth rank!
With the three of them joining hands, they barely managed to hold off the two powerful cultivators, He Li and Mu Ping.
Zu An watched the events out of the corner of his eye, feeling a great sense of gloom. Back then, in Brightmoon City’s Ursae Dungeon, Chu Chuyan had used similar forbidden arts. These were probably the trump cards of the different clans, which could temporarily raise the users’ strength.
However, the side effects were great too. After Chu Chuyan used her skill, all of her meridians had been destroyed, and she had become a complete cripple. Even though he didn’t know what Zhao Xi and the others’ forbidden arts were, the consequences were probably not much better.
They hadn’t even used those arts when they faced the ninth ranked Jade Moon Serpent. It seemed they had all realized that they were already at the brink of death.
After the two ninth ranked cultivators were stopped, the pressure the Eastern Palace’s warriors faced immediately decreased considerably.
However, King Qi Manor had prepared abundantly. The deathsworn soldiers were all trained well. Furthermore, there were a few at the seventh and eighth rank. The Eastern Palace’s warriors were still at a disadvantage. If not for Bi Linglong giving them commands, playing to their strengths, it might have already been a one-sided massacre.
But tactics could only make up for a bit of the difference in strength. They couldn’t change the huge gap in strength. Soon afterward, the Eastern Palace’s men began to fall one after another.
An Eastern Palace guard’s chest was pierced by a spear. However, he clung bitterly to the spear shaft, enduring the intense pain and continuing to walk forward, allowing it to pass through his body. He tried to close the distance and brandish his blade, wishing to bring down his enemy with him.
The warrior on the other side was alarmed. He couldn’t pull out his spear no matter what he did. However, he was a seasoned soldier as well. When his opponent approached, he kicked at his stomach and sent him flying back.
After suffering two serious blows, the Eastern Palace guard’s life was finally finished. In his final moment before death, his eyes were wide open and filled with reluctance, as if he had died with remaining grievances because he couldn’t drag his opponent down with him.
“Jing Yanbao!” Piao Duandiao felt as if his eye sockets were splitting. This person was his subordinate, and they usually went drinking and whoring together. They were more like intimate friends.
His face was covered in blood, and it was unknown whether it was his or his enemy’s. He charged over with a roar, his blade sending the deathsworn soldier’s head flying. But at the same time, several of King Qi’s warriors cut into his body. If not for the fact he was the Eastern Palace’s guard leader, so his armor was higher quality, he might have already been chopped into pieces.
Jiao Sigun quickly rushed over. The two faced their enemies back to back. However, there were just too many enemies. Their bodies were cut here and stabbed there. They grew weaker and weaker, eventually reaching a point where they almost couldn’t even raise their own weapons anymore.
Just then, one of King Qi’s deathsworn soldiers leapt out. The blade in his hands flickered with radiance and hacked at the pair’s necks. He clearly wished to get revenge for his companion, to let them have a taste of what being beheaded felt like.
Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun saw the blade from the corners of their eyes, but they no longer had the strength to evade. They decided to just not worry about it and use all of their remaining strength on the enemies closest to them.
But at that moment, a flicker of sword light appeared. The warrior had already lost his life in the middle of his leap. Then, a chill spread outward. The dozen or so deathsworn soldiers that surrounded them were turned into frozen sculptures.
“Big bro Zu!” The two of them were shocked and overjoyed. As they looked at Zu An, they felt as if they were looking at a war god. He had said that he would protect them before they entered the dungeon. Now, sure enough, he didn’t go back on his word.
Although… How many times had he protected them already since they had entered the dungeon? Unfortunately, both of them knew that with how things were right now, there wasn’t going to be a next time. The two of them quickly said, “Big bro Zu, don’t waste your strength on protecting us; hurry and save the crown prince and princess.”
Zu An quickly supported them when he saw that they couldn’t even stand steadily anymore. Then, he carried them to Bi Linglong’s side. He used Grandgale to then rush to Zhao Xi and the others, helping them fend off the two ninth ranked experts before bringing all of them back to the center of the formation.
“All of you, bring the crown prince and princess out of here! I’ll hold the rear!”
Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun both shook their heads. “Big bro Zu, you should be the one to bring the crown prince and the others out of here. We’ll hold the rear!”
“Indeed, I definitely don’t want to be a deserter in this mission.” Pei You normally didn’t care much about appearances. Now, he even wiped off the blood from his face using his clothes.
Zhao Xi gasped for breath as he said with a chuckle, “I’m not as cowardly as that damn Meng Pan.”
Even though Gao Ying didn’t say anything, the resolute expression in his eyes explained everything.
Zu An shook his head. “None of you can even stand still anymore. Even if you stay behind, you won’t last much longer. Let me hold the rear, as I can buy you guys more time. You all need to do what you can to run, run as far as you can. If you really can’t escape, just hide in this mountain. As long as you survive, those outside will come inside and investigate.”
“Ah Zu…” Bi Linglong’s face was filled with grief. She knew what holding up the rear meant.
The others wanted to say something, but Zu An barked fiercely, “Stop wasting time! Otherwise, no one will be able to escape!”
Gao Ying said seriously, “I’ll stay behind here with you. You might not be able to stop them alone, and we still need to command these warriors.”
The silent Liu Xian suddenly said, “Cousin, you should leave as well. It’s enough if I stay here.”
“You?” The others were shocked when they saw that it was Liu Xian.
“Why, can’t I?” Liu Xian’s face was entirely red. Being looked down on just then was clearly an extremely uncomfortable feeling. His usual frivolousness was nowhere to be seen, and he said with a serious expression, “I was the one who caused this disaster, so I’ll take responsibility in settling it.”
Afterward, he looked at Gao Ying and said, “I know that in the eyes of the capital’s young masters, I’m a joke, to the extent that they use me as a bad example when educating their kids. I also know I’m not very useful. But cousin, you’re different. Our Liu clan doesn’t have many geniuses in the younger generation, so in the future, we’ll need to rely on you to support the Liu clan. You can’t die here. Cousin, you’ve always taken good care of me all this time. Now, it’s my turn to take care of you.”
Without another word, he charged back into the battlefield. He exclaimed, “As a son of the Liu clan, burning up blood essence is something I can do as well!” His eyes turned entirely red as he spoke. His hair rose on end, and his aura rose as well. Only, it came to a screeching halt halfway. Unlike the others who had reached the eighth rank, his aura stopped at the peak of the sixth rank. It didn’t even reach the seventh rank.
However, no one present laughed at him. Instead, their eyes were brimming with tears as they looked at his back. In this moment, this prodigal young master whom everyone looked down upon before instead seemed strong and mighty.
Wei Pingyang sneered. “There’s no need for you all to feel conflicted. No one will be able to leave today!”
Zu An’s expression changed. He reached out his hand and pushed. A huge wave of strength sent Bi Linglong and the others several dozen li away. He stayed behind to stop Wei Pingyang and the others.
Wei Pingyang sneered. “Mister Zu, you can’t even win against me alone, yet you want to stop all of us? Where do you get your courage from?”
“How would I know that I can’t stop you if I don’t try?” Zu An stood there alone with his sword, facing the three guardians of King Qi Manor, Wei Pingyang, He Li, and Mu Ping.