Chapter 160: Saying the Harshest Words and Receiving the Harshest Beatings

Shi Kun's reaction vividly demonstrated to Zu An the true meaning of using the harshest tone to say the most cowardly words.

But there was no way he would listen to the other party! So he ran towards Shi Kun, holding Chu Chuyan.

Seeing the spear soldiers surging behind Zu An, Shi Kun was filled with the urge to kill him. But he had no time for anger; he quickly used every trick in his arsenal, knowing he'd be instantly swamped by the spear soldiers otherwise.

"Young Master, be careful!" Qiao Xueying summoned several vines to intercept some spear soldiers rushing towards him. Her wood-element cultivation method was actually more suited for dealing with these highly-defensive undead creatures. This was likely because the wood element contained the power of life, which had a restraining effect on the death element.

While Shi Kun's furious wind blades were powerful, the zombie spear soldiers had little flesh and carried shields, making it difficult for him to fight effectively. He thought if he was struggling this much, Zu An, with far less power, was probably dead beyond recovery by now. Whether Zu An lived or died didn't matter; the critical thing was Chu Chuyan, whom he was holding.

He glanced to the side, and his eyes went wide. Zu An's figure was a blur of afterimages, weaving through the ranks of spear soldiers. Whenever an opportunity arose, he'd strike, and another spear soldier would fall.

"How is this guy's speed and strength comparable to mine now?" Shi Kun was stunned. What surprised him even more was that he had personally experienced the spear soldiers' formidable defense. How could Zu An kill one with a single thrust? That was impossible!

Wait, a spear?

He suddenly noticed that the spear Zu An held was identical to those carried by the spear soldiers. He didn't know where it came from, but an idea suddenly struck him, and he quickly yelled to his other two companions, "Use the zombies' weapons! They're incredibly effective against them!"

With that, he dashed forward, picking up a fallen spear from the ground. Although he wasn't skilled in spearmanship, a single hit from these spears would either kill the zombies instantly or severely cripple their mobility. His overall pressure immediately eased. This spear actually had such a magical effect! Shi Kun mused that he should take a batch of these spears when they left; perhaps they were some kind of divine weapon or artifact.

Qiao Xueying and the other fourth-rank cultivator quickly followed suit, each finding a spear, and the perilous situation was slightly relieved.

Meanwhile, although Zu An had just drawn most of the spear soldiers towards Shi Kun, a few still relentlessly pursued him. Five spear soldiers lined up, encircling the two.

"Put me down," Chu Chuyan said weakly.

Zu An shook his head, silently expressing his stance.

Chu Chuyan, both exasperated and anxious, explained, "With so many zombie spear soldiers, it's inconvenient to carry me. Just put me in a corner for now. Once you've driven them back, you can... you can carry me away then."

"Ah, I misunderstood." Zu An smiled instantly, gently placing her down in the corner where she leaned against the wall. He then turned back to face the five approaching spear soldiers and charged directly at them. His Sunflower Phantoms were pushed to their limit. The dagger in his hand flashed, striking at his opponents. Before they could fully encircle him, he exploited the gaps between their shields, stabbing every single spear soldier in the blink of an eye. However, previous experience had taught him that the dagger's instant-kill ability wouldn't work on these creatures, so he continued his assault relentlessly, striking at their vital points all over their bodies.

"Attack their heads," Chu Chuyan called out from the side. Although she no longer cared about her own life or death, she didn't want Zu An to die because of her. As Brightmoon City's top prodigy, her combat insight and knowledge of the world's various life forms far exceeded Zu An's current understanding.

Zu An grunted in acknowledgment. His dagger, moving with incredible precision, pierced a spear soldier's neck at an impossible angle. Then, his vital energy surged, and with a swift cut, the spear soldier's head flew clean off. The headless body thrashed blindly, wildly swinging its spear around, and coincidentally stabbed a nearby comrade. That comrade howled, striking back with his own spear. It pierced the other's chest, and both fell dead simultaneously.

"Use... spears, use their spears..." Chu Chuyan's beautiful eyes lit up, her voice weak but urgent.

Zu An slapped his forehead. He had been foolish! If the arrows from these soldiers could restrain zombies, then their weapons clearly had the same effect. Compared to other weapons that required destroying their heads, using these spears was much more convenient; a hit to the body was enough to eliminate them.

Just then, another spear soldier thrust at him. He dodged to the side, then grabbed the spear shaft and yanked it towards himself: "Let go!" The spear soldier stumbled but clung stubbornly to its weapon. Man and zombie stared each other down, bizarrely initiating a tug-of-war, which added a touch of unexpected absurdity to the perilous and eerie battlefield.

Just then, two other spear soldiers lunged at him from left and right. Just as Zu An's hand was tied up and he was about to be struck down by a combined attack, he suddenly raised his hand. A sleeve arrow shot directly into the head of the spear soldier he was wrestling with.

Zombie spear soldier: "..."

What about the tug-of-war we agreed on? Are you a quitter? Are you a quitter!

Rage points from the spear soldier +6+6+6...

Zu An was instantly amused. So these spear soldiers had gained some intelligence after all! It looked like he could earn rage points again. The only drawback was their very low intelligence, which meant each one contributed very few rage points. However, if their intelligence were truly high, they likely wouldn't be so easy to deal with.

As he thought, he yanked the zombie's spear away. His figure flashed like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, striking the spear soldiers approaching from both sides with incredible speed.

After eliminating five spear soldiers, Zu An turned around with a delighted expression, intending to share the good news with Chu Chuyan, but was instead terrified. Three axe-wielding warriors had already reached her side and were swinging at her. Chu Chuyan's expression remained incredibly calm; she hadn't made a sound.

He couldn't afford to delay. He snatched one of the zombie's spears and hurled it, pinning one axe warrior. Then he raised a sleeve arrow and shot down another. Finally, he unleashed his full speed, blocking the last axe warrior's descending blow at the very last moment, then skewered the creature with his spear. He quickly checked Chu Chuyan from head to toe: "Are you hurt anywhere? Why didn't you call for help?"

"You were in danger too just now; I didn't want to distract you. Besides, I'm already going to die, so dying a moment sooner or later makes no difference," Chu Chuyan said, a slight blush on her face. "And also, could you please stop touching me?"

Zu An looked abashed and quickly pulled his hand back: "I was just checking for injuries; I wasn't trying to take advantage."

Chu Chuyan grunted in acknowledgment and said nothing more.

Just then, the spear soldiers nearby, witnessing their comrades' gruesome end, all turned their spears and charged towards Zu An. A rough count revealed thirty to forty of them!

Chu Chuyan's beautiful face changed slightly: "Quick, put me down!"

"No, I can't completely block so many rushing at once; I'll have to rely on evasive maneuvers. Leaving you here would mean certain death." Zu An shook his head. Considering how Chu Chuyan didn't even cry for help when she was just in danger, he certainly wasn't comfortable leaving her alone here again.

With that, he wrapped one arm around her delicate body, gripped the spear with the other, and charged towards the spear soldiers. He had to act preemptively, or they'd be in trouble once encircled. His movements were erratic, and the spear in his hand appeared and disappeared like a ghost. Many spear soldiers fell dead before they could even react.

Chu Chuyan grew anxious: "Holding me not only ties up one of your hands but also hinders your speed and movement. Wielding a spear with one hand is awkward and will rapidly deplete your vital energy. You'll certainly die if this continues!"

"It's not like I haven't fought while holding you before. I've always been hard to kill; I won't die that easily," Zu An said with a chuckle. "What I'm most grateful for right now is that my wife isn't a fat pig. Her body is so light and lithe; otherwise, fighting while carrying her wouldn't be this easy."

"You're the fat pig," Chu Chuyan retorted playfully. Yet, a flicker of worry crossed her brow. While the journey so far had been perilous, the enemies they'd faced couldn't compare to these swarming spear soldiers.

However, Zu An's strength truly surprised her. Even while carrying her, he moved like a phantom, and every thrust of his spear killed a zombie. She pondered that his current speed and strength were no less than her own in her normal state. No, combined with his peculiar movement technique, she might not even be his match without resorting to elemental power.

After stabbing twenty-three spear soldiers in quick succession, Zu An's speed gradually decreased. He was panting heavily. Carrying a person with one arm and wielding a spear with the other was indeed a huge drain on his energy. His right hand was already starting to ache, occasionally accompanied by a tingling numbness.

The situation here had clearly caught the attention of the other spear soldiers. More and more began abandoning Shi Kun's side and charging towards Zu An.

Damn it, could even zombies not resist his uncanny ability to draw aggro?

Zu An couldn't help but curse loudly: "Brother Shi Kun, you bragged to high heaven before; now, step up! They're all coming for me!"

Shi Kun couldn't help but curse back, his usual gentle demeanor completely gone: "Damn it, we were clearly holding back most of the spear soldiers! How long has it been, and you're already complaining?" Thinking about how he was doing the hardest, most dangerous work, taking the heaviest blows, while this guy was embracing the goddess of his dreams and flirting, then suddenly claiming all the credit, Shi Kun felt an overwhelming sense of injustice.

Rage points from Shi Kun +999!

Zu An, however, had no time to check the rage points he was receiving. He tightened his left arm, pulling Chu Chuyan even closer, then wielded his spear and charged forward to meet them. However, both the speed of his movement and the power of his spear thrusts had significantly decreased.

He had just skewered a spear soldier and hadn't yet pulled back his spear when another spear, like a venomous snake, lunged at Chu Chuyan. Clearly, these zombies had realized she was his weakness. Zu An gritted his teeth, twisting his body to shield Chu Chuyan from the spear with his own body.

*Thud!*

The spear plunged into flesh. Zu An's vision blurred. He was already critically injured, having deliberately maintained that state to activate his berserk effect, and this new wound nearly made him pass out.

"Ah Zu~" Chu Chuyan exclaimed, her usually cold voice now laced with anxiety.

Zu An forced a smile onto his blood-stained face: "I'm risking my life for you. Have you ever considered marrying me in return?"