Chapter 1170: Taking Control

Boom!

Zu An moved like a streak of light. After several consecutive failures, the Star-Shattering Seal finally activated successfully this time!

The queen worm attempted to dodge and counterattack, confident that this time it wouldn't let the human "ant" evade its strike.

To its horror, it immediately discovered it couldn't keep up with Zu An's speed and watched helplessly as the dark dagger pierced its body.

Waves of visible air fluctuations emanated from its body, attempting to dislodge its assailant.

Given its strength, normally an opponent would have been shaken into a pulpy mess by these terrifying fluctuations before even getting close.

Yet, the human showed no reaction, and its terrifying energy seemed to have no effect on him.

Immediately after, the dagger pierced directly through its protective energy shield, as if the shield were made of paper.

However, it didn't panic. It still had its scale armor, harder than metal, which had successfully stopped its opponent several times before.

But it never expected that its previously impenetrable scales would be instantly sliced open by the dagger this time, followed by a sharp jolt of pain.

It's fine!

Such a small dagger would cause only limited damage to its massive body. "Watch me bite it directly in half!" it thought.

The pain instantly ignited its ferocity, and just as it ferociously lunged towards Zu An, it suddenly shuddered. Its entire scale armor lost its luster, and its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, shaking sand and gravel loose from the entire space and kicking up countless clouds of dust.

Zu An himself, like a kite with a broken string, fell from the sky.

Just then, a white figure flashed past. It was Yan Xuehen, who had flown over and caught him.

Zu An recognized her, and a weak smile touched his lips. "Mission accomplished!" he rasped.

After speaking, his head went slack, twisted to the side, and he fainted, his face buried in her chest.

A faint blush appeared on Yan Xuehen's cheeks. Normally, if anyone dared to be so presumptuous, she would have long since frozen them into ice shards.

But at this moment, looking at his pallid face and shallow, barely-there breathing, she couldn't bring herself to push him away.

Just then, Yun Jianyue slowly walked over. She glanced at Zu An in Yan Xuehen's arms, her expression terribly grim.

She walked directly to the queen worm, picked up the Star-Moon Wheel, and began hacking at its corpse, seemingly venting her anger.

Unfortunately, sparks flew with each strike, but it only left some shallow, uneven white marks on the scales.

She was too weak now to unleash the Star-Moon Wheel's full power, completely unable to breach the queen worm's scale armor defense.

Just then, subtle movements came from the surroundings. She looked back and noticed faint stirrings within the nearby eggs, as if something was about to hatch.

"We can't let them hatch!" Yan Xuehen exclaimed. She tried to muster her power to attack the eggs, but as soon as she lifted her hand, she let out a muffled groan and collapsed weakly.

Even as she fell, she held tightly onto Zu An, using her own body as a cushion for him.

As soon as she landed, her delicate brows furrowed, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. She didn't cry out but instead glanced at Zu An, sighing in relief only when she saw he was unharmed.

She then anxiously looked towards the pile of eggs on the other side, where tiny worms could already be faintly seen wriggling inside, as if about to hatch at any moment.

If another death worm emerged now, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

At this moment, Yun Jianyue grit her teeth, uncovered the shade of the Changxin Palace Lantern, and gently blew with her red lips. A tiny spark floated out, landing on the pile of eggs. It seemed to have found its target, instantly igniting into a raging blaze.

Faint screams seemed to emanate from within, but these death worms hadn't even hatched yet; how could they resist such flames?

They were quickly burned to a pile of charred remains.

Yun Jianyue let out a gasp and spat out another mouthful of blood. Her whole body swayed precariously, clearly having sustained severe internal injuries from forcefully activating the Changxin Palace Lantern in her current weakened state.

"Are you alright?" Yan Xuehen asked anxiously from a short distance away. She never expected that one day she would be concerned about the well-being of her arch-rival.

"I'm afraid to disappoint you, but I'm not dying," Yun Jianyue said, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. Her gaze fell on Zu An in Yan Xuehen's arms. "How is he?"

Originally angered by Yun Jianyue's words, Yan Xuehen was about to retort when she heard the latter part of the question. Her face clouded with worry. "His condition isn't good," she said. "His breathing is faint, as if he could stop at any moment."

"The Star-Shattering Seal can only be activated a maximum of three times a day, but he forcibly used it five times," Yun Jianyue said, walking closer to the two. "Anyone else would have exploded and died by now. However, this guy's physical resilience seems extraordinary; the fact that he's still breathing is proof. Perhaps there's still a chance to save him."

She suddenly frowned. "Ice-Stone Woman, have you found a second spring? Why are you pressing his head hard against your chest?"

Yan Xuehen flinched as if shocked and hastily pushed the man off her. "He just fell into that position! In a crisis, how could I pay attention to such things? Unlike you, temptress, who still has the mind to think of such things right now!"

"Oh no!" Yun Jianyue was startled and hurriedly moved to steady Zu An.

Unfortunately, she was too heavily injured and extremely weak; she couldn't possibly support him and was quickly unbalanced by his weight, tumbling to the ground beside them.

And Zu An's large head also rested heavily on her chest. Luckily, there was enough soft cushioning to prevent him from suffering any additional injuries.

Yan Xuehen, who had just seen herself cause Zu An to fall and was regretting it, about to help him up, paused when she saw this scene. She sneered, "I knew why you were so full of righteous indignation just now. It turns out you wanted your turn!"

Feeling Zu An's heavy weight, and even clearly his scorching body temperature, Yun Jianyue's heart was also pounding wildly.

Although she came from the Demonic Sect and was well-traveled, a personal experience was another matter entirely. With a man's head buried in such a sensitive spot, she was truly both embarrassed and flustered.

But hearing Yan Xuehen's words, she instead calmed down. "He just risked his life and fought to the death to save ours," she said. "According to the plays, we should offer ourselves to him. What does this even count as?"

As long as she wasn't embarrassed, others would be.

Indeed, compared to Yun Jianyue from the Demonic Sect, Yan Xuehen was still much thinner-skinned. Hearing this, her face turned pale with alarm. "If you want to offer yourself, do it yourself, but don't drag me into it!"

Seeing her opponent's flustered appearance, Yun Jianyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her choice was indeed correct.

She snorted and directly ignored Yan Xuehen, pulling a pill from her bosom, intending to feed it to Zu An.

After all, she was the leader of a sect and carried some miraculous healing medicine. Although its efficacy was not as good as Bai Yujing's Ice Heart Creation Pill, its effect was still considerable.

However, to her dismay, she suddenly realized that because Zu An was too severely injured and weak, he couldn't actively swallow the medicine.

Yun Jianyue hesitated for a moment, then placed the pill in her own mouth, leaned down, and with lips touching, transferred the pill to him.

Yan Xuehen, standing by, widened her eyes, her voice trembling slightly. "He... he's your disciple's man! You want to snatch him too? Have you no shame?"

Previously, for her beloved disciple, she had specifically investigated Zu An and naturally knew about his entanglement with Qiu Honglei.

In that instant, her heart was filled with shock, anger, and bewilderment, feeling as if her beloved toy had been snatched away by someone else.

Yun Jianyue lifted her head, feeling as if his warm breath still lingered on her lips. Her already beautiful face became even more enchanting and alluring.

She was also shy at heart, but how could she possibly show it in front of her old rival?

"I'm just saving a life, what are you thinking?" Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes at her. "Speaking of which, you always preach about 'Supreme Detachment from Emotions.' How come you're acting like a jealous little girl now? What, have you fallen for your disciple's man?"

"You're talking nonsense, I didn't!" Yan Xuehen immediately became flustered.

Seeing her panicked expression, Yun Jianyue felt a wave of satisfaction. For so many years, she had never seen Yan Xuehen look so discomfited in front of her. It seemed she had chosen the right approach.

That's how you get the upper hand!