Chapter 1232: Cold Sigh

"This young man's cultivation is growing stronger and stronger!" Yun Jianyue exclaimed from a distance.

"His combat power is quite unique; it's much higher than his apparent cultivation level," Yan Xuehen commented. "However, what he's learned is very diverse. Fortunately, his battle with the Golden Crow Crown Prince greatly benefited him, allowing him to integrate his various abilities. Dealing with someone who has just broken through to the Grandmaster level is naturally not a big problem for him."

Yu Yanluo originally wanted to praise Zu An, but realizing that two Grandmasters were already commenting, she felt too embarrassed to join in. So, she simply closed her mouth, though her ears were perked up, hoping they would praise him more.

"Not only that," Yun Jianyue chuckled, "it's also thanks to a certain Grandmaster's pursuit that he grew so rapidly."

Yan Xuehen was speechless.

"Can you stop bringing that up all the time?"

"I'm just speaking the truth," Yun Jianyue said smugly. "Someone does something, and then they don't want it mentioned? If you don't like it, come fight me."

Yan Xuehen compared their current states and wisely decided to hold her tongue, ignoring Yun Jianyue and sulking by herself.

Meanwhile, inside the water vortex, Tu Shan Yu's heart pounded. She wasn't usually so flustered; after all, she was a renowned vixen. However, last night's encounter had left her too mortified, and she hadn't fully recovered yet.

At this moment, Zu An felt the power of the surrounding water vortex diminishing, so he used the Blue Duck's ability to return the water to the nearby small lake.

Chiwu, watching from the opposite side, stared wide-eyed. "Are you also from the Sea Clan?"

He felt as if Zu An's water manipulation was even more impressive than his own.

Zu An smiled. "I am quite fond of seafood, actually."

Chiwu's face darkened. "You're asking for death!"

As he spoke, the entire palace seemed to be enveloped by a dense aura of malice. The fox maidens turned pale, feeling a chill deep in their souls. Those with lower cultivation levels were so terrified they immediately fell to their knees.

What was just a clear sky was now covered in dark clouds, as if a primeval beast had been summoned into the world, an intense killing intent swirling everywhere.

From a distance, Yan Xuehen was somewhat surprised. "It's almost comparable to your domain."

Yun Jianyue's expression also grew serious. "This killing aura is almost tangible, as if it has drunk the blood of countless beings. Does Chiwu possess such power?"

"It's the weapon in his hand." Yu Yanluo noticed a sudden appearance of a green weapon in Chiwu's hand, its cold light captivating and chilling. It had three spikes at its tip, with faint dark red patterns interwoven with the metallic texture.

Yun Jianyue's gaze sharpened. "Those are traces left by blood. For it to merge with the weapon like that, who knows how many beings must have been slain to achieve such an effect."

"That seems to be the legendary Dragon King's weapon—the Trident!" Yu Yanluo's face was equally solemn.

At this moment, Zu An also got a clear look at the weapon and blurted out, "Maserati?"

"What does 'Maserati' mean?" Tu Shan Yu, beside him, looked puzzled. "Young Master, be careful. Chiwu holds a weapon used by a previous Dragon King. When the sea realm was chaotic and divided, countless Sea Clan experts met their end under that trident during the Dragon King's unification of the Sea Clan."

Zu An was startled. "Is it a divine artifact?"

The Golden Crow Crown Prince's divine artifact, the Sun-Shooting Bow, still left him with lingering fears.

Tu Shan Yu shook her head. "It was originally a divine artifact, but legend has it that when the Dragon King killed a very powerful sea demon, that demon cursed the trident with its blood, causing its rank to degrade. Now, it only has the quality of an Immortal-grade artifact."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, then. Also, you're still calling me 'Young Master'? Do you need to be so formal?"

If it were truly a divine artifact, it would be quite troublesome, but an Immortal-grade weapon was still within an acceptable range.

Tu Shan Yu immediately blushed crimson. After their intimate encounter last night, addressing him as "Young Master" certainly felt distant.

Yet, they had only met for the first time yesterday; to call them 'familiar' was entirely inaccurate.

Chiwu, observing her shy demeanor, couldn't help but seethe with rage. This fellow was actually trying to flirt with the woman he fancied, right in front of him.

Rage value from Chiwu: +399, +399, +399...

"Even if it's just an Immortal-grade weapon, it's more than enough to suppress you!" he said in a cold voice, sweeping his hand. A visible blue light shot towards Zu An.

No matter how sturdy Zu An's body was, he wasn't foolish enough to take the blow head-on. He instantly dodged, his arm around Tu Shan Yu's waist.

The blue light pierced through their previous position and struck a palace behind them.

With a deafening crash, the entire palace was sliced in half and collapsed spectacularly!

Everyone's eyes narrowed. An Immortal-grade weapon truly lived up to its name; its power was beyond what any human could withstand.

Zu An gently pushed, sending Tu Shan Yu with a soft force towards Yan Xuehen and the other women, ensuring she wouldn't be harmed in the impending battle.

Tu Shan Yu, smiling, originally intended to get acquainted with the other women. But just as she was about to speak, she felt three surges of killing intent emanating precisely from the three women.

Her heart skipped a beat. Had they discovered what happened last night?

Just then, Chiwu's arrogant laughter echoed from a distance. "I'll give you one last chance. Kneel and kowtow to this prince to admit your mistake. If I'm in a good mood, I might just let you go."

Zu An looked at him with an idiotic gaze. "Are you an idiot, still spouting such nonsense at a time like this?"

Chiwu's smile froze, and he gnashed his teeth. "Watch as this prince chops you into mincemeat!"

Rage value from Chiwu: +444, +444, +444...

Before he even finished speaking, Zu An had already moved.

He waved his hand, and a flame blade dozens of meters long appeared. The intense heat forced everyone to recoil, and a smell of scorching filled the entire palace, as if it were about to ignite.

"Why is it fire-elemental?" Chiwu had just seen the opponent easily break his water vortex and assumed he was also a water-elemental practitioner.

However, that scorching power couldn't harm him at all. Under the protection of the trident, the flames couldn't even get within a meter of him.

At that moment, Zu An swung the long flame blade, executing a direct, powerful cleave that resembled the "Splitting Mount Hua" technique.

Chiwu sneered, "Let me show you the power of an Immortal-grade weapon!"

He raised the trident to meet the attack, and with his movement, the space around the trident seemed to begin collapsing, and light became extremely distorted.

The trident formed a conical shape of green light in front of him, interspersed with an eerie, bloody red hue, emitting an extremely brutal killing aura.

With a deafening crash, the dozens-of-meters-long flame blade was shattered.

A sinister grin flashed across Chiwu's face. "How can a weapon formed by elemental power compete with an Immortal-grade weapon..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his smile suddenly freezing, as a fist the size of a sand bowl appeared before him.

*Thud!*

A direct punch landed on his nose. In that instant, tears mixed with nosebleed splattered everywhere.

Zu An had formulated this plan the moment he saw the trident. His Tai'e Sword had cracks, so he dared not risk bringing it out to take a direct hit.

Other weapons would be at a significant disadvantage against a long-handled trident.

So, he used the flame blade as a feint: first, to disperse the trident's protective killing aura; second, to use the scattered flames to obscure Chiwu's vision when the blade was shattered; and then, to use the Great Wind ability to instantly appear before him.

Chiwu screamed and desperately tried to create distance, but Zu An wouldn't give him the chance. He capitalized on the momentum, straddling Chiwu and unleashing a flurry of punches.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Each punch seemed to carry the force of a mountain. Even Chiwu, as a Grandmaster with the sturdy physique of a dragon, couldn't withstand such a barrage.

Initially, he continued to curse and threaten, but the more fiercely he cursed, the heavier Zu An's punches became.

Later, he dared not resist, pleading for mercy incessantly. Eventually, he didn't even have the strength to beg, just grunting as if he might expire at any moment.

From afar, seeing his face battered beyond recognition, with even one of his horns broken, Tu Shan Yu opened her mouth. After all, Chiwu was the Ninth Prince of the Dragon Clan. If he died here, the powerful Dragon King would never let it go, and the Azure Hill Kingdom might face utter destruction.

However, Zu An had acted to save them, so she found herself unable to say anything.

Just then, a clear, cold sigh suddenly came from a distance. "Can you let him go, for my sake?"