Chapter 1575: Self-Strategy

Xie Daoyun's eyes widened. She rarely saw Zu An fight, but as someone from a distinguished family, her discernment was keen. Yet, she couldn't quite categorize the technique he was using now. She didn't understand it, but she was profoundly struck by it.

Opposite him, Scarred Yang Shen had initially worn a look of disdain. After all, Zu An showed no vital energy fluctuations and looked no different from an ordinary person, except for being a bit handsomer.

However, upon witnessing this scene, his face changed drastically, and he immediately roared, "Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"

At that instant, he felt a shiver run through his entire body. He had roamed across various prefectures for years, and this was the first time he had ever experienced such a sensation.

Unfortunately, his subordinates were excitedly rushing towards the "spoils of war," and they couldn't hear him.

Zu An still found a moment to turn back and ask Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang, "Are these rebels from the Demonic Cult?"

Both men were staring, mouths agape, at the sky as if watching a deity. Hearing his question, they instinctively shook their heads: "No, they are rebels from Twin Dragon Mountain."

Zu An had already been quite displeased. He saw Xie Daoyun and the Imperial Guards, some wounded, some spitting blood, and these rebels were behaving with such ferocity, completely unlike the righteous army he imagined would act on behalf of Heaven.

Now that he heard they had no connection to the Demonic Cult, he didn't have to worry about offending Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei. So, he directly activated the Azure Phoenix Sword Array.

Currently, he used the Divine Rune Diagram to simulate divine weapons. Although their power couldn't compare to true Heaven-grade weapons, they were perfectly suited for mass attacks on the battlefield.

Streaks of golden sword energy shot forth. Each sword, upon landing in the rebel formation, was like an exploding cannonball, causing a blast within a radius of tens of meters.

And there were countless streaking swords.

After a round of devastating attacks, a fan-shaped clearing appeared in the area closest to the Imperial Guards. There was nothing on it: no corpses, no blood, only countless craters of varying depths.

The rebels in the back blinked their eyes. Where were the people who had just charged forward?

It took them a while to realize what had happened, and then they all shrieked and fled backward, even faster than their initial charge.

For these rebels, other skills might not be essential, but escaping quickly was paramount. Those who weren't fast enough in escaping already had tall grass growing on their graves.

For the rebels, military discipline was irrelevant. They were accustomed to dispersing and then regrouping when opportunities arose, which was precisely what had always vexed the government's anti-bandit forces.

Scarred Yang Shen had initially intended to rush over and save his subordinates, but after seeing the power of that sword array, he decisively turned and fled. What a joke! This 'dragon from across the river' appeared out of nowhere; going up against him would be suicide. He saw Monk Luzhi already running far ahead with his two sturdy legs and couldn't help but curse under his breath, "This guy has no loyalty; he didn't even tell me he was running!"

Over the years, he had learned the essence of escape well. He didn't use his Grandmaster ability to fly, as that would clearly invite the enemy to pursue him. After seeing Zu An's incredibly powerful move, he wasn't even confident he could escape by flying.

His strategy was successful. With thousands of rebels scattering across the mountains and fields, each one strangely shaped, the two of them blended in, becoming indistinguishable from the other rebels.

Zu An was not a cruel or bloodthirsty person. Seeing the rebels disperse, he hesitated for a moment and did not wipe them all out.

At this moment, he felt an inexplicable energy flow into his body. His experience bar changed, indicating he had not only broken through level 70 but had also advanced a small segment further.

Though individually these rebels were not top experts, their large numbers and status as 'minor elite' adversaries meant their collective contribution was quite substantial.

Zu An thought to himself, "Fortunately, I am a person with a bottom line. Otherwise, if it were someone else eager to become stronger, wouldn't they have caused mountains of corpses and rivers of blood?"

At this point, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang came back to their senses: "We can't let the lea—"

Mid-sentence, both men stopped. They reasoned that since Master Zu was so powerful, how could he not know that the bandit leader should not be released?

With his abilities, apprehending the leader would have been effortless. Since he had let him go, there must have been a reason for it, perhaps to cast a long line to catch a big fish. Their questioning now would only seem childish.

Thinking of how they had doubted Zu An in various ways and even looked down on him not long ago, both men's faces burned with shame.

Especially since Master Zu had just warned them, but they had completely disregarded it and stubbornly brought only a small force, nearly getting wiped out and needing Master Zu to rush to their rescue.

Such was human nature: the same words, when spoken by Zu An earlier, made them think he was timid and afraid of trouble.

But after witnessing his world-shattering power, they immediately felt that every word he spoke held profound mystery. Any part they didn't understand was due to their own dullness, their failure to grasp the key points.

Zu An had no idea how intensely these two were self-rationalizing. He glanced at the numerous Imperial Guards; although nearly everyone was wounded, thankfully, none were in mortal danger. They took out their personal trauma medicine, which was enough to stabilize their conditions.

After dealing with his subordinates' situation, he finally turned to Xie Daoyun: "How is your condition?"

"My spiritual energy is quite overdrawn, but I'll be fine after some rest," Xie Daoyun replied, her face flushed.

In fact, such spiritual energy overdrawing was the most troublesome for a runemaster; even several years of recuperation might not lead to full recovery. However, she wasn't concerned about that at all right now. Instead, her heart was inexplicably pounding, and her mind was filled with the image of him in mid-air, sword light appearing behind him, and rebels turning to dust with a mere raise of his hand. He was so handsome...

"Spiritual energy overdrawn?" Zu An was startled and immediately said seriously, "You can't take this lightly. A poor recovery could affect your future cultivation progress."

After a moment's thought, he took out a small jade bottle and handed it to her: "Drink this?"

"What is this?" Xie Daoyun asked instinctively, but she had already obediently opened the jade bottle and taken a sip.

It should be noted that as a young lady from an official family, she had been raised with extremely strict discipline. Her elders, having witnessed the sordidness and unscrupulous tactics of officialdom, had warned her never to casually consume anything given by others, especially by men.

Yet, all those years of warnings vanished when she faced Zu An; she felt no trace of caution.

The moment the liquid touched her lips, her eyes instantly brightened. She felt an incredibly potent surge of vital energy flow down her throat, quickly coursing through her entire body. It thoroughly nourished her damaged meridians and physical form, greatly alleviating the throbbing pain, dizziness, and nausea in her head. She felt much more refreshed.

It was as if this was liquefied vital energy, but no, vital energy couldn't possibly possess such quality. It was exactly like the legendary Heaven and Earth spiritual energy from ancient times that her teacher used to mention.

Zu An casually replied, "This is Feather Mountain Spirit Spring, born from the gathered spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. It should nourish your divine soul."

He had previously possessed many miraculous items for treating the divine soul, such as the Five Aggregates Mysterious Ganoderma or Purple Frost Divine Milk, but they had all been used. Now, the only thing he had that might have a similar effect was the Feather Mountain Spirit Spring he obtained last time in the Unknown Land. Although the Feather Mountain Spirit Spring was miraculous, he wasn't sure if it was the right remedy.

Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed. "Master Zu is really going all out to woo her," they thought. "Giving away such a spiritual item so casually?"

Though they coveted it, they also knew their place, especially since they had offended him not long ago.

Sighing, both wished they were women, hoping they might also receive some of his grace.

The two exchanged glances, then looked at each other's faces. The thought of the other as a woman immediately churned their stomachs, and they almost vomited.

Xie Daoyun gazed at Zu An with dreamy eyes. Although she hadn't heard of Feather Mountain Spirit Spring before, the sensation was so strong that it was clearly an unparalleled heaven-and-earth treasure. Big Brother Zu had already given her many precious items before, like Strange Wood Demonic Sand, and now he was giving her such a rare divine object...

"Does he also have feelings for me?" she wondered. "Oh, but he has a wife! No, Miss Chu has publicly divorced him..."