Chapter 471: Nemesis

Everyone was startled and looked back to see a figure slowly emerge from the woods.

The figure was not tall, with white hair and leaning on a walking stick. He appeared to be an ordinary old man, but no one would believe he was truly ordinary, appearing so deep in the mountains.

Two subtle horns, barely visible through the hair at his temples, made everyone present change their expressions, as they now remembered who this person was.

It was he who, with a single word, rendered the Embroidered Uniform Envoys' ultimate killing move useless, forcing them to be defeated one by one until the renowned Embroidered Uniform Envoys were completely annihilated.

"That elder from the Dragon Clan!" Zu An felt a pang of frustration. *Damn it, wasn't this guy supposed to be someone who claimed the Dragon Clan didn't interfere in worldly affairs, only showing off some Spirit Word magic before leaving?*

*Why was he still around?*

*It looked like he must have seen the red dragon's corpse I just released, and had come over to investigate.*

*When you're down on your luck, everything goes wrong.*

His mind was in turmoil, yet a smile appeared on his face. "Senior, you must be joking. How could your kin be here?"

The Dragon Clan elder glanced at him, then at the others, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "So, it's you all."

As he spoke, he looked around, clearly searching for the Night Elves, but there was no sign of them anywhere.

Zu An chuckled. "What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here again. How should I address you, venerable senior?"

The Dragon Clan elder replied, "This old man is Ao Quan."

Zu An was momentarily stunned. His surname was Ao? It was similar to the surnames of dragons in myths from his previous life. Was it a coincidence?

He quickly recovered, cupped his hands, and said, "So it's Senior Ao. Didn't you just leave, senior?"

Ao Quan smiled. "This old man found the spiritual energy abundant here, so I stayed in the mountains to cultivate for a while. I just didn't expect to suddenly sense the aura of one of my kin, and an aura of death at that."

*I'll believe you when pigs fly,* Zu An thought. *Out of all places, he chose to cultivate here in these mountains. It seems his claim of not interfering in worldly affairs was just a facade. Most likely, he was hiding in the dark, waiting to reap the benefits.*

"Senior Ao, if I'm not mistaken, you are from the Dragon Clan, correct? How could your kin be here?" Pei Mianman asked, having moved to stand beside Zu An.

Even Zheng Dan got up and stood on his other side, clearly guarding against any sudden moves from the elder.

"Is that so? Did I truly misinterpret?" Ao Quan said, but he didn't leave. His eyes continued to sweep over everyone present.

Just then, a discordant voice suddenly spoke up. "Are the kin you're talking about a red dragon?"

At his words, everyone's gaze turned to Sang Qian. A dangerous glint appeared in Pei Mianman's eyes.

"Indeed. Does this young man know something?" Ao Quan asked with a benevolent expression.

Sang Hong frowned and sent a discreet spiritual message: "Qian'er, don't speak carelessly."

But Sang Qian seemed not to have heard him, pointing directly at Zu An. "It's with him. He just used a set of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, and then that red dragon appeared."

Seeing Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan standing on either side of him, as if he were embracing both, drove him wild with jealousy.

Previously, he had looked down on this street ruffian, believing he couldn't be compared to himself. But having just witnessed Zu An's battle with Ding Run, he realized that Zu An had already far surpassed him.

That huge disparity was unbearable for him. The thought that the gap between them would only widen in the future made it even more intolerable.

At the same time, the matter with Zheng Dan ensured that they were irreconcilable enemies. His only thought was to eliminate Zu An!

Now was the perfect opportunity to use this Dragon Clan elder!

Sang Hong's brows were tightly furrowed. A certain thought lingered in his mind, making him wish his son and Zu An could coexist peacefully. However, seeing Zheng Dan's intimacy with Zu An, he knew it was probably impossible.

Even so, his son's choice was far from wise. If he wanted to turn hostile, he should at least wait until Sang Hong recovered from his injuries. This Dragon Clan elder's intentions were unclear; who knew how he would deal with them after killing Zu An?

Sang Qian also bit her lip tightly. To be honest, she didn't approve of her elder brother's choice either. After all, they had just fought side by side, and Zu An had even given the father and two daughters three precious healing pills. To turn hostile immediately afterward seemed too unseemly.

Unfortunately, he was her biological elder brother, so she couldn't say much now.

Zu An narrowed his eyes, glancing at Sang Qian. He fully understood what that guy was thinking. It seemed he really couldn't show mercy anymore.

"Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?" Hearing that name, Ao Quan's expression instantly turned cold. He turned directly to Zu An. "You speak with great arrogance, sir!"

Zu An hastily cupped his hands. "It was just a random phrase I made up to scare someone, not to be taken seriously. I'm truly sorry if I offended the Dragon Clan."

Ao Quan sneered. "Made up casually? Was that red dragon also made up casually?"

"Red dragon? What red dragon? How big was it?" Zu An feigned ignorance.

Ao Quan said calmly, "Although it was a low-ranking dragon, it must have cultivated for many years, possessing considerable strength, with a body nearly a hundred zhang long."

"A hundred zhang?" Zu An laughed. "As you can see for yourself, looking around here, let alone a hundred-zhang dragon, even a one-zhang snake couldn't hide."

"I assume you must have hidden it in some spatial artifact," Ao Quan snorted.

"A spatial artifact?" Zu An chuckled. "Where would one find a spatial artifact large enough to hold a hundred-zhang long dragon?"

Everyone pondered this; indeed, an ordinary spatial artifact with a few cubic feet of space was already considered large. How could it possibly hold a giant dragon?

Yet, they had just witnessed that scene with their own eyes. What exactly had happened?

Ao Quan frowned, clearly not believing there was such a large spatial artifact in the world either.

"Don't listen to that guy's nonsense. I just used an illusion earlier; he saw it incorrectly," Zu An said.

Sang Qian blurted out, "How could I have seen it incorrectly..."

He was interrupted by Ao Quan before he could finish. "Whether he saw it incorrectly, I don't know, but I'm certain I did not. Moreover, that aura of my kin from earlier cannot be concealed from me."

Zu An's smile faded. "I've explained so much, and you still don't believe me. So, what exactly do you want?"

Ao Quan said flatly, "Hand over the corpse of my kin to me, and come back with me to the Dragon Clan to be dealt with by the patriarch."

Zu An burst into laughter. "After all that talk, aren't you just coveting a possible spatial artifact on me, and also trying to get the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture from me? And you talk about the Dragon Clan not interfering in worldly affairs? You want to be a harlot and still have a monument built in your honor? Pah!"

Ao Quan erupted in fury. "You brazen young man, how dare you insult our Dragon Clan!"

Rage from Ao Quan +999!

Zu An sneered. "Don't flatter yourself. I clearly insulted *you*; you don't represent the entire Dragon Clan."

Ao Quan, enraged, laughed instead. "Very well. It's been many years since anyone dared to speak to this old man like that, let alone a human with such low cultivation."

Sang Qian, standing by, was so delighted he almost jumped up and cheered "666!" *Fight! Hurry up and fight! Zu An really is someone who climbed up from the bottom. With a few lucky encounters, his strength grew, and now he's getting too big for his britches, forgetting who he is.*

Zu An scoffed, "Didn't the Dragon Clan get defeated by humans and retreat to the desolate Arctic? Why are you putting on airs? If you're so capable, go to the imperial palace and say that to our Emperor!"

Ao Quan's breath hitched. He naturally knew the Human Emperor's capabilities; not to mention him, even the Dragon Clan patriarch couldn't defeat the Emperor. How could he dare cause trouble in the imperial palace?

He snorted, "You arrogant young whelp, I will make you regret your insolence."

Pei Mianman quickly warned, "Be careful!"

She knew the elder was about to act, so she struck first, sending a fierce burst of black flames surging towards him.

Ao Quan remained motionless, calmly watching the incoming black flames. He slowly uttered, "Dragon Spirit Word: Extinguish!"

The moment he finished speaking, the surging flames instantly vanished.

Pei Mianman's expression changed drastically. She raised her hand multiple times, but only a few sporadic sparks appeared; she couldn't summon any more flames.

Ao Quan then looked at Zu An. "Young man, this old man greatly dislikes your mouth. So, slap yourself a hundred times to spare this old man the trouble of dirtying my hands. Dragon Spirit Word: Slap..."

He hadn't finished speaking when he heard a mocking voice: "What are you looking at?"