Chapter 1075: Craving My Body

Yu Yanluo had also been keeping an eye on the situation. Seeing Zu An in danger, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Be careful!"

She wanted to rush over and help, but the Night Elf gave her no such chance, attacking with cunning and vicious sword strokes that nearly exploited a momentary opening to severely wound her.

Zu An was also startled. He immediately realized that the Ice Wolf King had used an ice sculpture as a decoy, simultaneously freezing him in place.

As an ice-element beast, the Ice Wolf King was able to unleash 120% of its power within the confines of the icy cave.

Flames erupted in Zu An's hand, quickly melting the ice binding him. However, this took time, and the Ice Wolf King's gaping maw was already dangerously close.

Jian Taiding watched with an excited expression, clenching his fists in anticipation, his eyes wide and neck craned. "Bite that bastard's dog head off!"

At that moment, Zu An's gaze sharpened. The Ice Wolf King suddenly froze, its movements stalled for a brief instant.

Zu An used this brief window to completely melt the ice from his body. The Ice Wolf King then seemed to recover from its momentary daze. The two clashed fiercely, each retreating several yards.

Jian Taiding was furious. "What was that idiotic dog staring at? Couldn't it have just bitten Zu An to death? It missed such a perfect opportunity!"

Kong Qing, however, secretly frowned. In that fleeting moment, he had sensed a strange, yet familiar, spiritual pressure. He recalled how, at the Zhenyuan Trading Post, his eye technique had been repelled by a peculiar method. He surmised that Zu An must be proficient in a soul-based secret skill, which he had just used to interrupt the Ice Wolf King's attack.

Realizing its attacks were all proving ineffective, the Ice Wolf King grew visibly agitated and howled towards the sky. Its howls echoed throughout the cave, shaking the rock walls. Immediately, gusts of cold wind swept through the entire cave. The cave, which had previously been bright due to the light reflected by the shimmering ice crystals, suddenly grew dim.

The icicles hanging from the cave ceiling snapped one by one, plummeting downwards. Jian Taiding cursed under his breath, quickly shrinking into a corner. Being impaled by falling icicles would be truly unfair and would make him a laughingstock. A Grandmaster killed by falling icicles – he couldn't bear such a disgrace.

However, he soon widened his eyes in surprise, as not a single icicle fell in his direction. He knew that these icicles were initially scattered randomly, and some should have fallen near him. Yet, they seemed to have eyes, automatically targeting Zu An. He instantly realized this was likely the Ice Wolf King's skill, remarking to himself that it was no wonder beasts were said to be stronger than human cultivators of the same level; even at his peak, facing it would be extremely tricky. Furthermore, he noticed these falling icicles were no ordinary ice; they contained the Ice Wolf King's chilling killing intent. Being hit would surely result in significant injury.

What made him grit his teeth, however, was that Zu An showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, he moved casually across the arena, with the icicles always landing a second after he had moved from that spot. In this way, the barrage of icicles became nothing more than a backdrop for him. Even though he deeply resented Zu An, he had to admit that the man cut quite a figure.

The Paper Bride, standing nearby, watched with a glint in her eyes, smiling as she turned to Kong Qing. "Mr. Kong, may I play with this man?"

Kong Qing's smile stiffened. He was well aware of the Paper Bride's nature. He cleared his throat and said, "He is someone the Princess values highly."

"He has abundant Yang energy, and I won't break him," the Paper Bride said, licking her lips as if she hadn't heard him. Although nominally under Kong Qing's command, her formidable power meant she wasn't particularly afraid of him.

Kong Qing's expression was odd. He wondered if Zu An was a human aphrodisiac, marveling at how women, one after another, threw themselves at him. This included the usually serene Yu Yanluo, the Princess, and now even the Paper Bride, who had only just met him, was so eager. While he acknowledged Zu An was indeed a handsome young man, he couldn't understand why these women reacted this way. Could his charm only be perceived by women?

Zu An, however, was intently observing his surroundings. Ever since the icicles began to fall, white mist had risen, rapidly reducing visibility. The Ice Wolf King's form was hidden within the thick fog, its running footsteps echoing from all directions. Suddenly, the opponent lunged from an unexpected angle. Zu An shifted his body, dodging the attack. Just as he was about to counter, the Ice Wolf King vanished back into the dense fog.

An ordinary person would have to rely on the footsteps to adjust their defensive position, and with the relentless falling icicles, they would easily become disoriented. Even a momentary lapse in defense would be seized upon by the opponent.

Zu An, however, was no ordinary person. After a moment's thought, he decided against passive defense. Instead, he suddenly spoke, "What are you looking at?"

"What about it?" A moment later, a guttural response came from one direction in the fog, the tone extremely strange, unlike a human voice. High-level beasts already possessed sentience and could communicate with humans. The Ice Wolf King had simply chosen not to speak before out of laziness, but Zu An's "What are you looking at?" skill compelled it to respond.

After saying this, the Ice Wolf King paused, utterly confused as to why it had uttered those words. "Got you!" In that moment of its distraction, Zu An instantly locked onto his target. He unleashed the Grand Wind Teleportation to appear beside it, then delivered a relentless barrage of combination punches to its jaw.

*Thud, thud, thud!* The sound of his fists meeting flesh made many in the arena wince.

"Why is he constantly hitting the Ice Wolf King's head?" Everyone, including Yu Yanluo, shared this question. It was common knowledge that wolves had bronze heads, iron bones, and tofu waists. Yet, instead of targeting the softest spot – the waist – this guy insisted on striking the hardest part – the head.

The Ice Wolf King had initially felt a surge of satisfaction, thinking its skull had been tempered over countless battles and was extraordinarily tough. It believed an ordinary human cultivator's punch would likely shatter their own hand bones. But its calculations were way off. When Zu An's fist connected with its jaw, its entire head instantly buzzed, as if a large bell had been placed over its skull and was being hammered fiercely from the outside. It roared repeatedly, desperately trying to retaliate, but the initiative was lost. Every time it tried to gather its energy, Zu An's large, powerful fists dispersed it.

Seeing the Ice Wolf King pinned to the ground, blood streaming from its mouth, Jian Taiding swallowed hard. "Is this guy even human? His physical strength is greater than a high-level beast's?" He couldn't help but feel a little fortunate that, despite being injured by Zu An twice, he hadn't been beaten so brutally in public.

Eventually, Kong Qing couldn't watch anymore. He cleared his throat and said, "Brother Zu, stop. It surrenders." Crucially, Zu An wasn't using killing blows, so Kong Qing found it difficult to intervene and save the beast directly; he could only speak up.

Upon hearing this, Zu An finally stopped. "My apologies, I might have been a bit heavy-handed just now. Oh dear, have its teeth fallen out?" He held four of the Ice Wolf King's canines in his hand, a seemingly apologetic expression on his face, yet showing no intention of returning them. These four Ice Wolf King teeth were of a much higher quality than any he had collected before; it felt like one of them was worth several others.

The Ice Wolf King gave him a resentful look. Beasts of its level were quite intelligent, and it naturally understood that Zu An had been relentlessly hitting its head precisely for these teeth. "Brother, you should have just said so earlier! I would have pulled them out for you myself."

Kong Qing then patted its head. "I'll give you some spiritual medicine to nourish you when we get back. Your teeth should grow back soon." The Ice Wolf King looked almost tearful, rubbing its head affectionately against Kong Qing's leg and whimpering, like a husky that had been wronged outside, practically wagging its tail.

At this point, the Paper Bride gracefully swayed forward. "It seems those two won't decide a winner anytime soon. It looks like the final outcome will fall to us."

Remembering Yu Yanluo's warning, Zu An's heart filled with caution, yet he maintained a cheerful smile. "Miss, your dress is truly beautiful. Which silk shop made it? I'd like to buy a few for my friends too."

Yu Yanluo, still fighting nearby, couldn't help but glance sideways at him. Such an eerie, ghostly dress was something she would never wear. Jian Taiding was even more exasperated. "That's a wedding dress! And you're asking to buy a few for your friends? He's definitely a philanderer. Why isn't Sister-in-law getting angry when she hears this?" Kong Qing, on the other hand, looked worried. This man clearly wasn't the type to settle down; he would never stay with just one woman. The Princess would likely have many headaches in the future.

The Paper Bride, however, giggled, shaking with amusement. "Little brother, your words are so sweet. Come, let Big Sister have a taste." With that, she let out a string of chilling laughter, then transformed into a red blur, rushing to his side and puckering her lips to kiss Zu An.