Chapter 1142: Desperation

Yan Xuehen’s first reaction was to think she had misheard, but then she quickly realized that with her Grandmaster cultivation, it was impossible.

Her face immediately turned cold. "Are you mocking me?"

Yan Xuehen's anger escalated rapidly.

Zu An sighed. "Isn't the Temple Master mocking me as well? You won't agree to a single request I make, yet you propose so many conditions that I could never possibly accept." He could never agree to separate from Chu Chuyan, nor could he abandon Yu Yanluo in this situation. The only thing he found manageable was calling her 'Master'...

Yan Xuehen's face darkened. "It seems you are incorrigible. In that case, don't blame me for what comes next."

Yan Xuehen's anger continued to rise.

She told herself that she had shown him more than enough benevolence, giving him several chances. Yet, he hadn't cherished any of them and even tried to verbally disrespect her. With that, she directly struck him with a palm. Her body remained still; with a mere flick of her hand, a faint palm of condensed energy shot towards him with such speed that even Yu Yanluo had no time to react.

At this point, Yan Xuehen showed no mercy. A Grandmaster's strike was far beyond what his current cultivation could withstand, easily enough to end his life. It was a pity that such a cultivation genius had gone astray. Since he was mesmerized by Medusa's beauty and expressed sympathy for the demon race, if he were to be lured into their ranks in the future, his talent, once fully developed, would undoubtedly become a grave threat to humanity. Therefore, it was better to nip this threat in the bud.

However, her expression quickly changed. She noticed Zu An raise his hands, and what appeared to be a black hole seemed to form in front of him. Her terrifying palm strike reached it and was continuously absorbed into the black hole, quickly dissipating without a trace.

"Oh?" Yan Xuehen looked puzzled. It was difficult to judge from such a distance, so she flickered, instantly appearing beside him to attack and probe further.

Zu An hastily employed "Sunflower Phantasm," splitting into several figures that darted in different directions to dodge. Yan Xuehen remarked, "This movement technique is indeed wondrous. Each clone's aura is identical to the main body's. Even a Master would find it difficult to distinguish them in a short time. It's just a pity you ran into me." No sooner had she spoken than her longsword touched his blade.

Zu An felt a tremendous force surge through his hand, nearly causing him to lose his grip on his weapon. He hurriedly employed the "Taotie Devouring Heaven Art" to dissipate the opponent's powerful energy into nothingness. A Grandmaster's vital energy was not easily absorbed; every strand carried the imprint of her spiritual essence, and absorbing it into one's body could easily lead to problems.

However, Zu An was clever. He recalled reading in his previous life's *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer* how Xiang Wentian hadn't mastered the true "Star Devouring Grand Art" but had learned a lesser "Energy Draining into Earth Art," which involved absorbing others' internal energy and transferring it into the ground. So he imitated it, absorbing Yan Xuehen's energy without truly taking it in, which to some extent leveled the playing field regarding the power of their strikes.

Yan Xuehen was greatly alarmed. A Grandmaster could utterly crush a Master, let alone Zu An, who hadn't even reached the Master realm yet. Normally, a direct clash of weapons or a head-on exchange of blows would instantly inflict severe injury on the opponent. No matter how strong an ant, how could it withstand a casual kick from an elephant? Yet, Zu An showed her such a miracle.

Zu An seized the opportunity to attack her. Unfortunately, a Grandmaster's realm allowed for effortless multitasking, and she easily blocked his offensive. "Snowflake Divine Sword? Where did you secretly learn that?"

"My wife taught me, of course," Zu An replied, simultaneously pondering his various special abilities to see if any could resolve the immediate crisis. Unfortunately, no matter how much he thought, he couldn't come up with a good solution. A Grandmaster was simply too powerful, and Yan Xuehen was no ordinary Grandmaster. It was a pity he no longer had the "Rich Lady's Pleasure Ball." Otherwise, he could have shown her that even a gigolo has his dignity.

"Chu Chuyan's sword techniques were all taught by me. For you to use them against me is truly showing off before an expert." Yan Xuehen, however, felt a pang of annoyance. That girl Chu Chuyan, to actually teach the secret sword techniques of their sect to someone else! When she got back, she would definitely give her a good spanking.

At this moment, Yu Yanluo, not far away, called out, "Temple Master Yan, as an elder, striking a junior once or twice might be excusable. But how many moves have passed now? Moreover, Zu An is still heavily wounded, yet you're taking advantage of his weakened state. Is this how you self-proclaimed righteous sects behave?" After using the Medusa's Eye twice consecutively, she was now also close to utter exhaustion. All she could do was constantly draw various patterns in the void with her brush, applying support auras to Zu An. Unfortunately, she knew that against a Grandmaster, these were merely drops in the bucket. The thought of Zu An's chest being pierced by her sword earlier filled her with intense anxiety. Being stabbed through the chest by an ordinary person's sword was already dangerous, let alone a Grandmaster's.

Yan Xuehen's gaze fell on his chest, and she was secretly astonished. After taking a sword strike from her, this fellow was still fighting as if nothing had happened. Was this even a human body? However, her expression quickly turned cold. "You don't need to provoke me with words. This is not a duel; it's about eradicating evil and defending the righteous path. Before, I thought Zu An was merely mesmerized by your beauty, but now I see he has long since fallen into the demonic path, practicing such an evil art that absorbs others' cultivation." She was experienced and knowledgeable, and after this exchange, she had already determined that the way he dispelled her energy was through some unknown evil art. In the cultivation world, such methods of absorbing others' power were universally condemned as evil practices. No wonder his cultivation was so high at such a young age; it turned out he had practiced this evil art. To reach this level in such a short time, he must have harmed and absorbed the cultivation of countless masters. The more this was the case, the sooner he had to be eliminated. Otherwise, if he grew stronger in the future, he would likely become a great demon in the world, beyond anyone's control.

Thinking this, she no longer held back and directly unleashed her domain.

Absolute Frost!

The air temperature instantly plummeted. The surrounding cave walls visibly froze, and snowflakes even began to drift in mid-air. Yu Yanluo, who was naturally sensitive to cold, now trembled uncontrollably. But she had no time to consider anything else; instead, she nervously looked towards Zu An. She felt it so clearly from a distance; how could Zu An, who directly bore the brunt of the domain's pressure, possibly endure it?

Zu An's entire body instantly turned ice-cold, and his hands and feet began to visibly freeze. He hastily activated the Fire Phoenix, causing layers of fierce flames to surge around his body, which melted the ice that had formed on him. But that was all it could do. He found that the Fire Phoenix's power could only prevent him from being frozen solid, but the immense pressure of the domain rendered him completely immobile.

"Oh?" Yan Xuehen was a bit surprised. She had previously seen him use techniques that seemed to be ice-elemental abilities, such as the Snowflake Divine Sword. Now he actually possessed fire-elemental abilities as well—dual cultivation of ice and fire! She was experienced and knowledgeable, knowing that throughout history, a few exceptionally talented individuals could cultivate two elemental abilities simultaneously. The thought filled her with both admiration for his talent and heartache. Since such a person had already fallen into the demonic path, he had to be eliminated as soon as possible; she absolutely could not let him escape. Thinking this, the sword in her hand flew out, intending to return with his head.

Sensing the impending killing intent, Zu An's heart suddenly stirred. He hastily summoned the Might Domain of the Tai'a Sword. The Tai'a Sword's pressure probably wouldn't have much effect on a Grandmaster. However, since this thing was called a domain, it might also operate by its own rules. Sure enough, the Tai'a Sword let out a dragon's roar, and its Might Domain spread out, pushing back the surrounding Absolute Frost by several feet. He finally regained his mobility. With an awkward roll, he dodged the oncoming killing intent.

"Oh, a domain?" Yan Xuehen had cultivated for so many years and had long considered herself as calm and unshakable as an ancient well, but this boy kept giving her one surprise after another today. What was his cultivation level, to have actually comprehended a domain? After her shock, her gaze fell upon the longsword in his hand. The domain's aura seemed to emanate from this sword. Recalling that she couldn't break it with her bare hands just now, this was clearly a top-tier divine weapon, and she had previously underestimated its grade.

Her Flying Snow Sword flew back to her side, and Yan Xuehen gently grasped it. She would not give him any more chances. Her entire being transformed into a streak of light, shooting directly towards Zu An. Every cell in his body screamed in warning. Zu An knew that even with his powerful body, he probably couldn't withstand this attack; his opponent was truly out to kill. He wanted to dodge, but he felt his spiritual sense was already locked on. He knew that no matter how he dodged, he would be directly pierced through the next moment.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

Feeling the aura of death completely envelop him, Zu An's mind raced like lightning. He quickly ran through all the skills he knew, only to find that none could save him. Just now, he had secretly called out to Mi Li, but she remained unresponsive. Clearly, she was at a critical moment in repairing her spiritual essence and was unaware of external changes. Was he truly going to die here today?