Chapter 1257: Attack to Defend

"Lion Spirit," who had been flying majestically in the sky, gazing down at everyone with a look of disdain as if they were mere ants, stumbled upon hearing these words and almost plummeted from the air.

The other demon clan members standing by were dumbfounded. The men exchanged mysterious, knowing smiles, while the women's faces flushed with shame as they secretly cursed under their breath.

Nearby, Yun Jianyue opened her mouth, and after a moment, spoke four words: "That's just like him!"

Yan Xuehen's cheeks flushed slightly, marveling at how peculiar this man's priorities were.

Yu Yanluo, however, cast a surprised glance at both of them. Based on the rumors she had heard, neither of them was known for being easygoing. Anyone who dared to make such a joke in front of them would surely risk their life. Yet, despite their familiarity, they showed no sign of anger.

At that moment, "Lion Spirit" regained his composure, his eyes turning cold. "The game is over," he declared. "You're clearly unaware of your place, daring to attack the Lion Clan Prince. If you commit suicide now to atone for your sin, I might leave you a complete corpse. Otherwise..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the implied threat was unmistakable.

Zu An sighed, "Both you and your brother may not be skilled with your hands, but your verbal jabs are certainly first-rate."

Princess Soran, Qiao Heng, and the others looked on with peculiar expressions. How could he dare speak to the Western Lion like that?

Yet, recalling how he had just handled Lion Spirit, they realized that this confrontational style was typical of him.

While this man was powerful, he was likely still no match for the long-established Western Lion.

Despite Lion Spirit's excellence, he was young and hadn't cultivated for long. His elder brother, however, had no such weaknesses.

While Lion Spirit was renowned for a fortuitous encounter after falling off a cliff as a child, his elder brother reportedly had a similar one every single year.

The entire demon clan considered him a person of immense destiny. It was widely believed that such an individual would inevitably become a Grandmaster in due time, with a strong possibility of even achieving the level of an Earth Immortal.

The others present clearly didn't hold Zu An in high regard, yet his displayed combat prowess had not been insignificant. Everyone watched intently, hoping to seize the opportunity to observe the Western Lion's techniques, ideally forcing him to reveal more of his hidden skills. This way, the clan's experts would be better prepared if they ever faced the Western Lion in the future.

At that moment, "Lion Spirit" in the air fixed his gaze, now icy. "You have successfully enraged me," he declared. "Very well, I grant you death."

Rage value from Shi Qian: +444, +444, +444...

The moment he finished speaking, he raised a finger, and a streak of golden light shot forth.

Even from a distance, the surrounding demon clan members felt the destructive aura emanating from it, each filled with dread. They realized this was merely a wisp of the Western Lion's divine consciousness; if he could wield such immense power with a mere gesture, they would surely be instantly annihilated if they ever faced him in person.

"Heavenly Primordial Kill Finger!" Princess Soran, whose status afforded her greater insight, immediately recognized this as the supreme technique the Western Lion had acquired during a fortuitous encounter in his youth.

Over the years, this technique had reportedly vanquished countless masters with a single touch, its power truly astonishing.

"Lion Spirit" had chosen his moment of attack with extreme cunning, striking directly at the line formed by Zu An and the women behind him. If Zu An were to dodge, the women would bear the brunt of the attack.

If Zu An chose to meet it head-on, he would be facing a technique that even the other Four Prodigies were unwilling to confront directly. Who was this person to dare?

As expected, Zu An neither dodged nor evaded. He slowly raised his hand, his palm becoming somewhat indistinct as the surrounding air and light appeared to distort. Then, the golden streak of light was directly absorbed into his palm.

Princess Soran and Qiao Heng nearly gasped aloud. To catch such a lethal move bare-handed—not just his hand, but his entire arm might not even remain intact.

To their astonishment, however, the golden light instantly vanished, as if it had never existed at all.

Meanwhile, "Lion Spirit" in the sky reacted as if facing a formidable foe, hastily dodging to the side. Yet, a faint bloody mark still appeared on his face.

He whirled around to face Zu An. "What was that move you just used?" he demanded.

He was not surprised by the subsequent finger attack, as he had witnessed Zu An breaking his younger brother's Tyrant Lion Fist earlier.

He had nearly been struck only because he was so utterly shocked that he momentarily lost focus.

What truly bewildered him was Zu An's bare-handed reception of his Heavenly Primordial Kill Finger; it had left him so utterly astonished that, for a fleeting moment, he even questioned whether something was fundamentally amiss with the world itself.

In the distance, Yan Xuehen's lips curved into a slight smile. Zu An possessed a powerful absorbing force. When she had tried to kill him previously, many of her attacks had been largely nullified by this peculiar suction. Otherwise, how could he have endured a Grandmaster's assault for so long?

If he could even withstand her attacks, what was a mere junior demon clan master in comparison?

Zu An, naturally unwilling to reveal his Gluttonous Heaven-Swallowing Art, grinned playfully. "You want to know?" he teased. "Beg me!"

"Lion Spirit"'s breath hitched. *How could this man be so infuriatingly arrogant?* he thought.

Rage value from Shi Qian: +499, +499, +499...

His expression hardened, and his entire body blazed with brilliant golden light, a terrifying radiance that was impossible to look at directly. The aura he exuded felt as if an apocalyptic catastrophe were imminent.

The young demon clan masters present turned pale. They were all elites from their respective clans, and many had even harbored resentment over not being chosen among the Five Prodigies, believing themselves capable of rivaling them.

It was only then that they finally gave up hope, realizing they couldn't even compare to a mere wisp of the Western Lion's divine consciousness; the gap was simply too vast.

The stout man, Wu Liang, rapidly formed hand seals, seemingly performing a calculation, and a faint smile gradually spread across his face. "It seems someone is about to suffer a great fall this time," he murmured.

At this point, "Lion Spirit" made his move. Since his Heavenly Primordial Kill Finger had just been nullified by the strange vortex on Zu An's hand, launching another long-range attack would be utterly foolish.

He charged directly at Zu An, resembling a meteor plummeting from the heavens. With a raised hand, he unleashed forty-nine phantom lions.

This was the Tyrant Lion Fist, the Lion Clan's signature technique, unparalleled in its fierce power!

Just moments ago, Lion Spirit's nine phantom lions had already astonished everyone. Now, with forty-nine appearing all at once, the surrounding demon clan members were simply dumbfounded.

Under the formidable pressure of his fist winds, the very ground beneath them visibly sank. Trees snapped uniformly, and large boulders disintegrated into dust.

Yun Jianyue frowned. With a wave of her hand, an inexplicable aura enveloped the two women beside her, shielding them.

Although the power of Yu Yanluo's Medusa's Eye was formidable enough to make even Grandmasters wary, her physical body was not known for its resilience and might not be able to endure the assault. Yan Xuehen, on the other hand, was still too severely injured.

At that moment, Yu Yanluo smiled at her. "Sister Yun, you are injured. Allow me."

As she spoke, a scroll imbued with flowing light enveloped the women. In that instant, they appeared to be transported into a special space, completely cut off from the world they had just occupied.

Yun Jianyue's eyes lit up. "A world within a painting! This bears the hallmarks of the Academy's Libationer. So, you are that mysterious disciple, Hua."

Yan Xuehen also gave her a meaningful look, having already known this when they had fought previously.

Yu Yanluo looked a little surprised. "Sister Yun, your insight is truly exceptional. Yes, I do hope you can help me keep this a secret."

Yun Jianyue wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry," she chuckled. "Since you've called me 'sister,' how could I possibly refuse?"

Meanwhile, "Lion Spirit" outside felt his heart skip a beat. What was the deal with those two women? Each of them possessed unfathomable abilities.

However, he had no time to concern himself with them now. He would first subdue this man.

Forty-nine male lions roared, their deafening cries seemingly causing heaven and earth to shift color.

Behind Zu An, concentric circles of cyan ripples appeared, from which streams of sword energy, condensed from the void itself, shot forth.

Initially, the golden phantom lions roared, resisting the cyan sword energy, but they quickly faltered and disintegrated, pierced through by the countless sword strikes and pinned lifelessly in mid-air.

This was, after all, not the Western Lion's true body, so how could it possibly contend with Zu An's Azure Luan Sword Array?

Witnessing this spectacular display, the other demon clan experts were utterly captivated. Could this man truly defeat even the Western Lion?

Even if it was merely a wisp of his divine consciousness, everyone had just clearly witnessed its terrifying power.

Princess Changning's breath hitched. This man was even more powerful than she had imagined; she absolutely could not let this opportunity slip away.

Princess Soran's beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration; the elegance of that last move was truly striking.

Simultaneously, a thought struck her: this technique felt strangely familiar, as if she had heard of it somewhere before.

At this point, "Lion Spirit" instantly warped through the void. He clearly understood that in his current state, he was no match for Zu An. Despite his reluctance, he made the decisive choice to flee.

Zu An naturally wasn't about to let him escape so easily and prepared to give chase. However, he watched as "Lion Spirit" remotely pulled several Lion clan subordinates into the air, throwing some towards Yu Yanluo and the other women, and others towards Princess Soran and Qiao Heng.

When he had been observing from his younger brother's body, he had noticed that not only Yu Yanluo and the other women, but also Princess Soran had offered warnings multiple times, and Qiao Heng had been rescued by him. There was clearly some connection between them. This tactic was known as 'attacking a point they must defend.'

The bodies of those Lion clan subordinates exploded with a deafening bang, transforming into clouds of blood mist, each imbued with immense destructive power.

"Blood Burst Art!" The demon clan members' faces all paled. This was an exceedingly malevolent cultivation technique. The explosive force alone was terrifying, but even if one survived the blast, merely a speck of the blood would cause their body to continuously rot, eventually reducing them to a pool of putrid fluid.