Chapter 688: Mindset Explosion

Zu An exclaimed in admiration, "I thought I was shameless enough, but compared to you, I'm just a minor league. To use this method to get revenge on me—that's something else."

The Crown Prince of Qi struggled to sit up. He tried to project his usual calm and collected demeanor, but after being struck by lightning, no matter how he tried to conceal it, his expression remained quite ferocious. "Don't misunderstand," he said, "I'm not retaliating against you. We just made an Oath of the Heavenly Dao; how could I possibly seek revenge?"

Even he dared not underestimate the power of the Oath of the Heavenly Dao, so he wanted to avoid any potential repercussions as much as possible.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'The Heavenly Dao cannot be deceived'?" Zu An asked coldly.

The Crown Prince of Qi chuckled. "That's just something you weaklings tell yourselves to feel better," he scoffed. "You should know that Heaven and Earth are unkind and treat all beings as straw dogs. In the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, there's no distinction between good and evil. As long as you follow its rules, you don't need to worry about anything else."

"He's just twisting words," Chu Youzhao muttered, displeased from nearby. She felt it was utterly shameless that the other party had clearly made an oath yet was still seeking revenge afterwards.

Murong Qinghe also frowned slightly. As a martial arts enthusiast, she believed that a loss was a loss, and the Crown Prince's actions were truly too shameless. However, as a young lady of the Murong clan, she couldn't help but admire his methods. If the Crown Prince of Qi were truly naive and innocent, the influential families surrounding Prince Qi would have cause for concern.

"Weakling?" Zu An sneered at that moment. "Who was just trampled on the ground like a dead dog by me? Who exactly is the weakling?"

The Crown Prince of Qi gasped, his chest heaving violently. Clearly, he regarded the recent incident as a profound humiliation.

Rage points from Zhao Zhi: +999, +999, +999...

At this moment, Han Fengqiu, who was standing by, frowned. "Crown Prince," he said, "why bother arguing with such a minor character?"

The Crown Prince of Qi took a deep breath. After all, he wasn't the kind of dissolute fop who simply loafed around. He quickly regained his composure. "That's right," he said. "A person's strength isn't solely determined by their cultivation; it also depends on the resources they can command. In that regard, compared to me, calling you a weakling is already a compliment."

Zu An chuckled. "Who was just vehemently declaring that capital beyond one's ability is worth zero?"

The Crown Prince of Qi was speechless. Could this guy ever have a normal conversation? Enraged and humiliated, and knowing he couldn't win a war of words, he roared hoarsely, "Uncle Han, cripple him!"

"Alright, Crown Prince, please rest here and watch how I deal with this insignificant ant," Han Fengqiu said, turning to face Zu An. "Young man, for this old man to personally make a move, your life is truly worth it."

Zu An spat, a sneer on his face. "You? A mere ninth-rank?" he scoffed. "Do you know that I usually converse and joke with Earth Immortals and Grandmasters? And the Grandmasters who've died by my hand are not few. You, a ninth-rank, I wonder who gave you such confidence."

Indeed, figures like Mosquito Daoist and Old Man Mi had died by his hand. Moreover, whether it was Mi Li, the remnant soul of Qin Shihuang, or Wu Geng, the last King of Shang, these were all beings no less powerful than the current Emperor. In terms of the sheer number of transcendent beings he had encountered, few in this world could compare to him, so he naturally didn't take a peak ninth-rank seriously. However, others were unaware of these facts, and hearing him, they simply thought he was boasting.

Murong Qinghe scoffed, "Brother Chu, your brother-in-law's cultivation is quite good, but his mouth just loves to brag too much."

Chu Youzhao's pretty face also flushed. While she knew her brother-in-law was formidable, claiming to converse and joke with Earth Immortals and Grandmasters was simply too much. She felt embarrassed for him just listening.

The gap-toothed coachman in the distance also chuckled. "Killed a few Grandmasters?" he scoffed. "Madam, your friend isn't afraid of biting his tongue by boasting like that."

There was still no response from inside the carriage.

Han Fengqiu naturally didn't believe him either. "So young, yet full of nonsense," he scoffed. "Today, this old man will discipline you on behalf of your elders, so you understand that while you can eat whatever you want, you cannot speak carelessly..."

Before he could finish, Zu An interrupted, "Your pants fell down."

Han Fengqiu froze, then felt a sudden chill on his legs. He looked down to see his trousers had slipped to his knees. His shriveled 'little bird' trembled in the cold wind, looking utterly pathetic. The aura of a master he had cultivated from the moment he appeared completely vanished in that instant.

"Oh!"

Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe both covered their eyes and turned away, their faces flushed red like tomatoes. Good heavens, for all their lives, they had never witnessed so many embarrassing things as they had today. Yet, a memory of seeing her brother-in-law back then couldn't help but resurface in Chu Youzhao's mind. She wondered, *How could other men be so much worse than him?* Both the Crown Prince of Qi and this ninth-rank master were like this.

The Crown Prince of Qi, however, didn't see it that way. Even though Han Fengqiu was on his side, he still couldn't help but want to laugh at that moment. He deliberately took another look at the man's legs, his grin stretching almost to his ears. He had finally found his confidence. "Now I can go out and say I'm even more powerful than a ninth-rank master..." he mused. "No, no, Uncle Han would probably beat me to death."

Unlike his efforts to stifle his laughter, the gap-toothed old man in the distance slapped his thigh and burst into uproarious laughter. "This guy actually likes to go commando!" he guffawed. "How old is he and he still has this habit? Haha, I'm dying of laughter!"

The lady in the carriage was speechless. In that instant, she had already lowered the curtain she had partially lifted. It was simply too much to bear.

Han Fengqiu's mind went blank for a moment. Logically, at his age and having cultivated all the way to a peak ninth-rank, what grand spectacle hadn't he witnessed? But this situation—he truly had never seen anything like it! Hearing the surrounding laughter, he finally regained his composure. As he pulled up his trousers, he charged towards Zu An, swinging his sword. "You brat, prepare to die!"

Rage points from Han Fengqiu: +1024, +1024, +1024...

His composure completely shattered. At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked utterly furious and desperate. There was no trace left of the master's composure he had deliberately cultivated just moments before. He didn't believe his trousers falling was Zu An's doing; he simply felt the other man's words were too poisonous, like a jinx. He wanted to rip the fellow's mouth apart and pull out his tongue to feed to dogs, only then could he slightly vent his hatred. As for that gap-toothed old man still laughing merrily over there, he would make sure he wouldn't be laughing for long.

How incredibly fast was a peak ninth-rank master? His figure was like a flash of lightning; Murong Qinghe and Chu Youzhao on the side simply couldn't react in time. But Zu An was already prepared. He instantly activated the Sunflower Phantasm movement technique and dodged to the side. What a joke! He had previously undergone Mi Li's hellish special training; he could even occasionally dodge her attacks a few times. What was a mere ordinary ninth-rank who had simply reached that level through seniority?

"Oh?" The gap-toothed coachman, whose old face had been beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum, looked a bit surprised. He had noticed that Zu An's dodge, both in technique and timing, was absolutely perfect. It wasn't remarkable that he had previously dodged the Crown Prince of Qi's attacks, but a peak ninth-rank was a completely different concept. Their aura could lock onto a target at any time, making ordinary movement technique dodges meaningless. Yet, Zu An had still managed to evade him. Was it mere coincidence, or...?

However, Han Fengqiu, in his extreme rage, didn't notice this detail. He now had only one thought: capture Zu An and then torture him to death.

Zu An also had a bit of a headache. At this moment, Han Fengqiu was likely unleashing 120% of his usual strength, his speed far exceeding that of Zhao Zhi earlier. If not for his Sunflower Phantasm, which excelled at agile maneuvering, he would probably have been caught by now. Even so, he remained in constant peril. He couldn't help but feel a bit tempted. Should he say, "Your pants fell down again?" However, he ultimately suppressed that tempting thought. While the "Key-Come, Words-Become-Law" ability was indeed heaven-defying, it wasn't without its cost. Making his trousers fall once before would likely result in a manageable backlash, but if he used it continuously, he might not be able to withstand the ensuing repercussions.

Han Fengqiu was also growing anxious. He, a dignified peak ninth-rank master, had been giving his all, yet he hadn't managed to take down his opponent for this long. The fellow was as slippery as an eel. He only regretted being in the capital city, where the grand formation prohibited aerial flight. Otherwise, with a ninth-rank's ability to fly, he could attack from the sky, rendering the opponent's movement technique, no matter how swift, utterly useless.