Chapter 1192: Death's Meaning

Sang Hong's face darkened. "Lord Xu, investigations demand evidence. You can't just casually frame someone. Are you trying to shift the blame to Lord Zu simply because you haven't managed to apprehend Yu Yanluo these past few days?"

Xu Yu said sinisterly, "Whether it is or isn't, Lord Sang, you should be perfectly clear. I will report this matter to His Majesty and request his imperial judgment. You claim Lord Zu was dispatched on a secret mission, and the specifics are inconvenient for you to reveal to me. We shall see how you manage to prevaricate when His Majesty questions you."

"You needn't trouble yourself with that, Lord Xu," Sang Hong replied, appearing perfectly unruffled. "Instead, Lord Xu, you should perhaps consider how to explain to His Majesty that you apprehended Lady Yu only to let her escape. Now, even the Yu family's mine has completely collapsed. The losses incurred by our Great Zhou Dynasty are simply immeasurable."

Xu Yu's breath hitched. Toppling the Yu family should have been a great accomplishment, but with Yu Yanluo's escape, most of that credit had already vanished.

Now, even the Yu family's mine had collapsed. The Emperor certainly intended to deal with the Yu family, but he equally relied on that mine.

The entire Yu family mine supplied nearly thirty percent of the empire's required cultivation resources. How could such a gaping hole possibly be filled?

The other officials present were also aware of this, which was why they had previously rallied so closely around Xu Yu, vocally supporting him.

But today, unusually, none of them offered support, merely watching him and Sang Hong engage in their verbal sparring.

Xu Yu secretly cursed those fickle opportunists. The entire meeting ended on a sour note. He still had to continue the search for Yu Yanluo, as well as manage the disaster relief and aftermath of the Yu family mine accident.

Sang Hong maintained a victorious demeanor on the surface, but inwardly, he was filled with deep concern.

Ah Zu, where have you gone?

At this very moment, Zu An was engaged in a fierce battle with the Golden Crow Prince. Upon seeing the sky filled with golden feather-swords emanating from the Golden Crow, he instinctively recalled Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon from a certain anime in his previous life.

It must be said, the visual spectacle was truly overwhelming.

It was much like playing basketball on the school court in his previous life, with female classmates watching: whether the shot went in didn't matter, what truly counted was a stylish pose.

Coincidentally, Zu An possessed the Azure Luan Sword Array skill, so he attempted to launch his own attack in a similar fashion.

To his surprise, it actually worked!

Thus, one by one, azure sword energies deflected the Golden Crow Prince's golden feather-swords.

In the sky, countless azure and golden lights intertwined, emitting a dazzling brilliance.

Many Snake Clan experts rushed to the scene upon hearing the commotion. Each of them watched in awe, having never witnessed such a magnificent display of thousands of swords flying simultaneously in all their years of cultivation.

Countless golden feather-swords shattered, and a good number of azure sword energies likewise broke apart.

The scattered sword energies easily severed distant trees, thick enough for several people to embrace, and large stones on the ground were sliced through as effortlessly as tofu.

The ground was left with countless long, mottled sword marks.

The onlookers felt shivers down their spines. Even from such a distance, they could sense the terrifying killing intent. How much pressure must those directly involved be enduring?

If they were caught within it, they probably wouldn't last a second before being shredded by the sword energies.

They hastily retreated even further, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

At this point, both Zu An and the Golden Crow Prince were struggling. Neither could completely deflect all of the opponent's sword energies, and soon, streaks of blood appeared on their bodies. The sharp, piercing pain of the sword energies entering their flesh sent a chill down both their spines.

The Golden Crow Prince's eyes were practically bulging. Why did his opponent have a comparable counter for every single one of his killing moves?

Typically, he could quickly gain the upper hand with just one skill, then toy with his enemies like a cat with a mouse.

Today, however, he felt a strange sense of role reversal.

Zu An, however, understood that the Golden Crow Prince's sword energies were refined from his own feathers. Unless he could pluck him bare like a featherless crow, the Golden Crow Prince's sword energies would be endless.

His own Azure Luan Sword Array, however, had a limited duration, and continuing the direct clash would be disadvantageous.

Therefore, seizing the precise moment the Golden Crow Prince lost focus, he instantly enveloped himself in countless azure sword energies and charged directly at his opponent.

As the distance closed, the golden sword energies became increasingly dense and terrifying.

They annihilated the intruder with nearly all their might.

The azure sword energies surrounding Zu An's body visibly eroded away.

As the last azure sword energy vanished, he had successfully broken through his opponent's defensive network and landed another powerful punch directly on the Golden Crow Prince's chin.

"Again?" The Golden Crow Prince was simultaneously shocked and enraged. He had developed a form of PTSD from this particular move.

He certainly had no desire to relive the miserable experience of hand-to-hand combat with his opponent and hastily flew backward.

But Zu An would not let him have his way. In the end, he even climbed onto him, raining down punches. The Golden Crow Prince was beaten so severely that blood, snot, and tears flew everywhere, a truly pathetic sight.

The onlookers below winced and instinctively covered their chins, perfectly able to imagine the Golden Crow Prince's agony.

"This posture... isn't it a bit too suggestive?" Yun Jianyue's expression was peculiar; she found the scene somewhat "eye-watering."

Yan Xuehen paused, "What does 'man on man' mean?"

Hailing from White Jade Capital, her temperament was pure, noble, and aloof; she had no exposure to such concepts.

Conversely, Yun Jianyue originated from the Demonic Cult, a place where all sorts of people mingled, and there was nothing she hadn't witnessed.

Yun Jianyue leaned close to her ear and described it with a mischievous smile, causing Yan Xuehen to flush with indignation. Indeed, she was a demoness, privy to all sorts of scandalous details.

Just then, a terrifying pressure emanated from the sky, and a crimson sun slowly began to rise.

No, there were two suns in the sky!

Zu An could no longer restrain the Golden Crow Prince and was thrown back by an enormous force.

He focused his gaze and saw that the Golden Crow Prince had vanished, replaced by a fiery red sun.

The scorching sun blazed intensely, and the surrounding air seemed to ripple like water.

The entire world turned a blood-like crimson.

Within the sun, a crow stood in the very center with outstretched wings, its aura unmistakably that of the Golden Crow Prince.

Zu An let out a laugh. "So, it's just a drab black crow after all, pretending to be golden to show off on normal days."

Rage points from the Golden Crow Prince: +999, +999, +999...

"To force me to this extent, you can die content in the afterlife." The Golden Crow Prince's killing intent was chilling, and his voice became peculiar, seeming to echo, as if a divine being from the heavens was looking down upon mortals.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue gasped in unison, "How is this possible!"

Yu Yanluo also sensed that the situation was amiss and said, somewhat disbelievingly, "Is this a domain?"

Having previously fought Yan Xuehen, she naturally understood the power of a domain.

Yan Xuehen nodded. "Yes, it is indeed a domain, but he clearly hasn't reached the Grandmaster level. How can he have formed a domain?"

Yun Jianyue also said in a deep voice, "Truly worthy of being the next successor to the Demon Emperor; his various secret arts are unfathomable. Ah Zu is in danger."

"Not necessarily; he has a method to resist domains." Though Yan Xuehen said this, her fists unconsciously clenched within her sleeves, clearly indicating she was equally worried.

As she spoke, the leaves on the surrounding mountains quickly withered and curled, then, after their moisture evaporated, they immediately ignited. Even the rocks turned scorching red, gradually showing signs of melting.

Even Zu An, despite his cultivation, felt the hair on his body singe with a burnt smell. Pei Mianman's Flame Pendant had little effect now, as this was the power of a domain, not actual fire.

He swiftly drew the Tai'a Sword and unleashed its Might Domain, temporarily neutralizing the erosion from the surrounding Red Sun Domain.

To sustain the Might Domain for a longer duration, he restricted its range to his immediate surroundings, completely sacrificing its offensive capabilities.

At this moment, the crow's figure within the crimson sun had vanished. Zu An's danger senses sharply escalated; he felt a fatal threat.

Had his opponent already unleashed the Golden Crow Streamer, and would he attack from a hidden corner?

As he focused intently on defense, a series of bell chimes suddenly echoed.

He looked up at the center of the crimson sun; the sound was emanating from within.

At that moment, a pure golden chariot slowly emerged from the center of the crimson sun, drawn astonishingly by six flood dragons!

As the chariot emerged, a sense of death firmly locked onto Zu An, chilling him to the bone, as if a single movement would cause him to vanish into dust.