The others watched the scene before them in shock. They saw a scorched black figure standing behind Sun En. While all of his attention was on Zu An, the figure had launched a fatal attack.
Shockingly, the black figure belonged to Zang Ao, who had been blasted to death by lightning earlier. How was that possible?
It wasn’t just Zu An’s group; even Sun En was confused. He exclaimed, “How can this be? I already checked your corpse. You clearly already died! No false-death skills can fool my eyes!”
Zu An nodded. It was precisely because Sun En had checked the body that the others believed Zang Ao was already dead. After all, with Sun En’s cultivation, he wouldn’t have made any mistake in judging whether Zang Ao was dead or alive. Not even Wei Suo’s Turtle Breath Technique could evade such a focused inspection.
Zang Ao smirked. His teeth looked even whiter against his scorched face as he replied, “Everyone has secrets, no?” He clearly had no intention of explaining the real reason.
Sun En had an expression of regret. He slowly moved his fingers, as if he were casting some spell.
Zang Ao didn’t really mind despite noticing that. He said, “Sun En, oh Sun En. You dominated an entire generation, and yet you fell in the past because of me, and now, you’re once more defeated because of me. You’re destined to never win against me.”
As soon as he said that, he clenched his palm. With a spurt, the throbbing heart was crushed.
Sun En vomited a mouthful of blood. He struggled a bit, but in the end, his head drooped and he completely lost his life.
The others were all stupefied. They had never expected that a powerful hero would die so tragically.
Yun Jianyue and Xie Daoyun couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental. Even though they were his hostages, he hadn’t troubled them too much. Rather, their conversations had gone quite smoothly. If they hadn’t been on opposite sides, perhaps they would even have been able to become friends after some time passed.
Zang Ao tossed the crushed heart into his mouth and chewed loudly. He sighed in satisfaction, saying, “The hearts of the strong are a delicacy, as always.”
The others’ expressions changed. Zu An stared at him vigilantly. At the same time, he couldn't help but give Jing Teng a look. There was no one who was more familiar with Zang Ao than her. Just what was going on here?
Jing Teng was also confused. She looked at Zang Ao in disgust and exclaimed, “Just what kind of thing are you?”
Zang Ao laughed and said, “I am Zang Ao, of course. Tengteng, have you forgotten about me so quickly?”
Perhaps because he had just eaten Sun En’s heart and consumed its blood essence, the charred black skin covering his body gradually peeled off as he spoke. New flesh grew at a visible rate. Soon after, all of the burnt flesh on his body completely disappeared, restoring his previous appearance. No, he even seemed to look a bit younger.
He looked at Zu An and said, “I should actually be thanking you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a chance to kill him that easily.”
Sun En had been powerful. If they fought in a frontal clash, it would have been hard to say who would come out on top.
In that instant, Zu An felt an intense burst of emotion. He had been planning to reap the benefits after they took each other out, and yet now, he had become part of the harvest?
However, he didn’t show it; instead, he said with a smile, “That means we’re comrades who have fought side by side, right? Since the great enemy has already been dealt with, let's all carry on with our own business and return home.” He moved toward the women as he spoke, thinking, This guy is way too strange.
Zang Ao snickered and replied, “No, no, no. My great enemy Sun En has indeed been eliminated, but there is still another great enemy… You.”
The women’s expression changed, but Zu An remained calm, as if he had already expected the response. He said, “You saw that Sun En was seriously injured because of me, and that was why you were able to finish him. If you really fought against me, it’s hard to say who would win in the end. Why is there any need to fight to the death?”
“Your sword strike was brilliant. No wonder that Zhao Han and the Ghost King felt such reservations toward you,” Zang Ao said. He stood with his hands behind his back and wasn’t in a rush to attack. It was as if everything remained within his calculations. “But if my suspicions aren’t mistaken, you can’t use that sword strike a second time, right?”
Zu An’s expression darkened. As expected of one of this world’s most powerful individuals. This was a level of insight not many could reach.
As Zu An didn’t reply, Zang Ao said mockingly, “And you only know how to hide behind a pile of women, for them to protect you?”
Zu An smiled and said, “Mooching is an ability in its own right. If you have the ability, why don’t you try?”
This time, Zang Ao didn’t get angry; instead, he said to Jing Teng, “I’ll give you one last chance. Tell me where the inner manual is, and I might just spare your lives. Otherwise, things will get ugly if I have to torture someone to threaten you.”
The others had strange expressions. Why did these words sound so familiar?
Jing Teng frowned. Before she could say anything, however, Zu An asked, “Is that someone me?”
“Who else would it be?” Zang Ao replied with a sneer. “I was previously pretty upset that Jing Teng ended up liking another. Now, though, I think it’s actually a good thing. With the presence of a loved one, many secrets become easier to extract.”
Zu An replied, “Actually, I was interested in those secrets of hers too. But unlike you, I never forced her, let alone threatened her with such despicable methods.”
“Is there any meaning in saying these pretty words in front of her?” Zang Ao remarked with a sigh. “It seems I have to make you submit first, or else your lips will continue to remain tight.”
Afterward, he arrived in front of Zu An with a single step, unleashing a punch toward his face.
Just then, however, a crescent moon hacked at his wrist. Yun Jianyue, who had the highest cultivation among the women, was the first to react. She immediately used her Crescent Ring to try to save Zu An. After what she had gone through in the Fiend races’ secret dungeon, her cultivation had increased substantially. Now that she was attacking at full strength, not even Zang Ao dared to let his wrist take the attack directly.
Zang Ao’s other hand formed a fist and struck the Crescent Ring from the side. The weapon was forced to change its trajectory, flying away.
This came from the insight of one of the world’s most powerful individuals. He didn’t need to face his opponent directly. He was able to use the minimum amount of power to strike his opponent’s weakest point, thus neutralizing the attack.
But of course, this was something only he could do. If it were another individual with even slightly lower cultivation, they wouldn’t have been able to seize that fleeting weakness, and their hand would likely have been diced into mincemeat upon making contact with the Crescent Ring.
However, even though Yun Jianyue’s attack was neutralized, the other women reacted quickly too. They all attacked. A snow lotus and a red spider lily appeared in front of them at the same time.
Zang Ao could vaguely sense danger behind the attacks. He quickly thrust his finger toward those two flowers in an attempt to scatter them before they fully formed.
Suddenly, a lantern appeared. The yellow light that engulfed him noticeably reduced his speed. Additionally, he suddenly sensed that there was something off beneath his feet. A rune formation appeared below him, and he suddenly felt as if he were trapped in a pool of quicksand.
Just then, the two flowers finally blossomed. Not even Zang Ao with his cultivation dared to take their attacks directly. Two blasts of mist surged from his palm, wrapping around the flowers and flinging them into the distance. They just happened to land on the ghost generals’ corpses, instantly destroying the bodies without a trace. Only then did the flower petals gradually wilt and disappear.
Zang Ao secretly sighed in relief. These two women weren’t able to bring out the true power of their attacks yet, or else things would have really been tricky.
He prepared to continue attacking, but Xie Daoyun used another formation. Blue runes flashed beneath the others, and then they reappeared a hundred meters away, creating a bit of distance from Zang Ao.
Zang Ao couldn't help but ask with a sneer, “Mister Zu, do you only know how to hide behind women?”
With that breather, Zu An had also gradually recovered. When he heard that, he said with a smile, “The joy of having comrades in battle is something a loner like you will never understand.”
Zang Ao was a bit speechless. Friends? How are you all just friends?!
None of these women’s cultivations could be looked down upon. If they really fought, it really would be a bit difficult to fight while trying not to kill them.
“I don’t have time to waste on you anymore. You have one last chance. Hand over the inner manual, or else you’ll quickly wish you were dead instead,” Zang Ao said, looking at the group with a darkened expression.
They were a bit confused. This Zang Ao was clearly a bit weaker than Sun En. If they worked together, they should have had a good chance of beating him. Where did he get the confidence to make such a threat? However, their divine senses continuously warned them about danger. It was clear that he wasn’t just boasting, but where did the danger come from, then?
Suddenly, a beautiful white figure quickly rushed over from afar. She called out as she rushed over, “Ah Zu, be careful! Zang Ao is the Ghost King!”
The others had goosebumps when they heard this information.
Zang Ao is the Ghost King? How is this possible?!
Yun Jianyue had good eyes and instantly recognized that the woman was Yan Xuehen. She found something quite strange.
Hm? Why did she call him Ah Zu?
Chu Chuyan was also confused. Wasn’t her master addressing Ah Zu a bit too intimately? However, she quickly assumed it was an elder addressing a junior, so it was understandable.
Yan Xuehen hadn’t expected there to be so many women here. She had thought that it would just be Qiu Honglei and Jing Teng. Between that and her nervousness, she had blurted out the nickname without thinking. She immediately became embarrassed. She froze in midair, and her face became completely red. She really wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear right now.
Fortunately, the women’s attention had been drawn to Zang Ao. They didn’t have time to look at her at all.
“I initially planned to interact properly with you using my human identity, but who would have thought that you wouldn’t appreciate it at all? In that case, this king won’t keep up the act anymore either,” Zang Ao said, and his voice became harsh and ear-piercing. Waves of thick black mist surged around him.