Chapter 1474: Rescue and Relief Gatling

The three women, including Yan Xuehen, had fought alongside him for so long that they were naturally familiar with some of his signature techniques. What they saw before them was clearly his Azure Phoenix Sword Array.

However, they had previously noticed that while this sword array was incredibly powerful, it possessed a fatal flaw. This flaw stemmed from Zuan's insufficient cultivation level; while the skill could overwhelm opponents of similar age or lower cultivation, it struggled against stronger adversaries. But once he encountered someone with significantly higher cultivation, the sword array's offensive power became somewhat feeble.

At that time, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue had even offered him suggestions for improvement. Their advice was to refine a large number of Heaven-grade or higher quality weapons to replace the sword qi condensed from his vital energy, which would significantly enhance its power.

However, Heaven-grade weapons were incredibly rare; any single one appearing in the martial world would incite fierce competition among numerous sects. Even for powerful organizations like the Demonic Cult or White Jade Capital, while not unheard of, Heaven-grade weapons were exceptionally precious, typically owned only by individuals of significant status and power. To replace the sword qi in the Azure Phoenix Sword Array would require an unknown, but likely immense, number of Heaven-grade weapons, making it almost impossible, not to mention Immortal-grade or God-grade armaments.

Everyone had been together recently, and Zuan hadn't acquired any new weapons, nor had he had time to refine any. So, where had all these Heaven-grade weapons come from?

Wait, why did they look so familiar?

The Tai'e Sword, Black Dagger, Fiery Spear, Qiankun Ring, Golden Brick, Wind Fire Wheels...

Huh, how were the Crescent Wheel and Flying Snow Sword here as well?

Both women began to doubt reality. They subconsciously looked down to check, but their two weapons were clearly still with them, ready to be summoned at any moment.

The Demon Emperor's expression also changed. Staring at the various weapons suspended in the sky, he was both shocked and enraged. "Yan Xuehen, Yun Jianyue," he thundered, "have you two also gotten involved with him? You've actually given him your personal weapons!"

[Anger value from the Demon Emperor +444 +444 +444...]

He couldn't help but think this way. For cultivators, a suitable weapon was typically nurtured with their vital essence and bound to their divine soul; it was essentially an extension of their very being. If anything happened to the weapon, its owner would suffer a severe backlash. Therefore, such weapons were generally never lent to others, as any malicious intent from the borrower could easily inflict severe damage to the owner's divine soul.

Yet, at this moment, the two women's renowned weapons had apparently been given to Zuan, proving their utmost trust in him, and suggesting a relationship even closer than that of a married couple.

How could this be possible?! Even though they belonged to different factions, the Demon Emperor had certainly heard of Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen. How could two such proud women possibly have that kind of relationship with Zuan?

Although he was now old and no longer particularly cared for women, he was still a man. No man could remain calm seeing several peerless beauties simultaneously in another man's embrace.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue's hearts skipped a beat, and they both spat, "Pah, what nonsense are you spouting!" However, neither woman took out their own weapons to prove their innocence, fearing that the scene before them was merely an illusion Zuan had conjured through unknown means, and it would be detrimental if the Demon Emperor saw through the trick.

At this moment, the Heaven-grade weapons behind Zuan were already shooting towards the Demon Emperor, one by one. Each one carried terrifying force and might!

These were naturally illusions conjured by Zuan using the *Divine Rune Armament Chart*. He had never had the chance to refine the actual Heaven-grade weapons he possessed into the Azure Phoenix Sword Array. However, this time, he discovered that the weapons conjured through the *Divine Rune Armament Chart* could directly integrate into the sword array, so he naturally didn't hold back.

Facing these rapidly shooting weapons, the Demon Emperor's feet moved subtly, as if he were merely strolling in place, yet he effortlessly dodged each and every weapon. Even the closest ones came within less than an inch of his body, yet they still couldn't touch him.

Witnessing this, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were profoundly shaken, thinking, *What an exquisite movement technique! Is the gap between us and him truly so despairingly vast?* They mentally simulated the scenario: even if they employed their most exquisite techniques, it would still be difficult to even graze the Demon Emperor's clothes.

Zuan frowned slightly, commanding the weapons to interweave into dense nets and encircle the Demon Emperor. Since it was called the Azure Phoenix Sword Array, it naturally couldn't merely project sword qi; it could also arrange the qi into intricate formations.

Facing this dense strangulation, the Demon Emperor was finally a fraction of a second too slow in his dodge, and a strand of his hair was cut off. However, he showed no panic. Instead, he nodded approvingly. "At your young age," he stated, "to be able to harm even a single strand of my hair is enough to make you famous throughout the world."

The three women nodded in profound agreement. The Demon Emperor and Zhao Hao were known as the pinnacles of martial power in the world, synonymous with invincibility; in the past century or so, few had even witnessed them make a move. Yun Jianyue felt it even more acutely. Despite her cultivation being higher than Zuan's, she had been severely wounded in the Human Emperor's palace without even seeing Zhao Hao's face, let alone harming a single strand of his hair.

"Unfortunately, the power of these weapons of yours seems to be slightly weaker than true Heaven-grade weapons," the Demon Emperor remarked. After the previous exchange, he had already grasped the essence of the technique. He had previously seen the Flying Snow Sword and Crescent Wheel wielded by Yan and Yun, and these two illusions clearly lacked the original power. "Of course, even so," he continued, "if there were thousands upon thousands of them, perhaps they could truly pose a threat to me, but now... it's far from enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a Golden Crow avatar suddenly manifested around his entire body, directly crashing into the surrounding weapon net and shattering all the conjured armaments into pieces.

Watching the fragments dissipate into specks of starlight, the Demon Emperor's expression confirmed his suspicions. "It seems these were all conjured by you through some means," he stated. "I didn't expect you to possess such a trump card. My son's defeat at your hands was not unjust." He didn't suspect this was the technique passed down by Yu the Great, because in his opinion, no one could learn it that quickly.

Zuan had to admire the Demon Emperor's divine cultivation; he had grasped the essence of this move in such a short amount of time. He sighed inwardly with regret, lamenting that he had personally witnessed too few Heaven-grade or higher weapons, making it difficult to form a complete sword array.

"You have made your move, now it's my turn," the Demon Emperor said. As soon as his voice fell, he vanished from his spot.

Immediately after, Zuan and his group felt a terrifying pressure, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end. They all understood that in the next second, their opponent would attack from the void. However, because Earth Immortals, to a certain extent, transcended the limitations of space, they were utterly unable to predict the direction of the attack, left only to await the "judgment" to descend.

Yan Xuehen's heart hardened, and she decided she might as well use this opportunity to block the Demon Emperor's attack with her body, buying Zuan time to use the Sun-shooting Bow. In any case, given what had happened between her and him, she didn't know how she would face Chu Yan in the future...

She summoned her Flying Snow Sword, and just as she was about to unleash a forbidden move, Zuan suddenly pulled her into his embrace. Yan Xuehen was startled, wondering what he intended to do. She didn't suspect he was using her as a shield; rather, she wondered if he was trying to say a final farewell before death. However, when she saw him also embracing Yu Yanluo and Yun Jianyue, all romantic notions in her heart immediately vanished.

Just then, the Demon Emperor suddenly appeared above them, and a massive golden handprint slammed down. If it connected, the group would instantly be flattened into a bloody pulp. Just then, with a loud bang, the phantom of a great cauldron suddenly appeared around them, forcefully deflecting the attack.

"The Nine Cauldrons?" the Demon Emperor exclaimed. Seeing this, he quickly distanced himself from the group, his eyes filled with inexplicable dread. Not long ago, he had witnessed Yu the Great use this very item to suppress and kill Gonggong. How could he not be afraid? Could Yu the Great still be alive? He released his divine sense to scan the surroundings but found no trace of Yu the Great.

Moreover, the phantom of the great cauldron had already shattered and dissipated after taking that blow. He immediately realized, "So, it was formed by your mysterious skill, hahaha! Even the Nine Cauldrons couldn't harm me. Let's see what other weapons you can conjure."

"Is that so?" Zuan said nothing. A flash of light passed, and he suddenly held a black tubular object in his hand. Its rear end was a large, clumsy-looking mass, while the middle consisted of many long circular tubes bound together to form a large cylinder. The dense black circular openings at the very front emanated a strange, unsettling killing intent.