Chapter 811: Who Gave You the Courage

Hearing her words, everyone present was startled. Gao Ying and Pei You's eyes lit up; with Zu An's arrival, everyone felt a greater chance of survival.

However, their eyes quickly dimmed. In their view, even if Zu An had hidden his true strength, he was at best only comparable to them. Facing Shi Tong, who was at the peak of the eighth rank, they still had no chance of winning; he could crush Zu An with one hand.

At this moment, a clear voice sounded: "I didn't expect this play to be so entertaining. Of course, I had to watch it carefully."

"Zu An!" Recognizing the voice, Shi Tong gnashed his teeth, turning his head with eyes that seemed to spit fire.

Rage from Shi Tong +444+444+444...

This was the man who had brought ruin upon his Shi family; how could he not harbor hatred?

Zu An chuckled, "Oh, I didn't expect to be so popular. Women call for me, and men call for me too."

Shi Tong: "..."

Bi Linglong: "..."

Why was this fellow always so provoking?

Zu An seized the opportunity to go to Bi Linglong's side and help her sit down. "How are your injuries?" he asked.

"They're alright, nothing serious," Bi Linglong replied, a warmth spreading through her heart.

Gao Ying and Pei You, standing nearby, wore expressions of resentment, thinking, 'The Crown Princess's injuries are the lightest, yet you don't even bother to ask about our much more serious wounds.'

But it didn't matter; facing someone at the peak of the eighth rank, it was just a matter of dying sooner or later.

Seeing Zu An and Bi Linglong together intimately, the Gu brothers were instantly consumed by jealousy. "You Zu fellow, let go of Linglong!" they shouted.

Rage from Gu Heng +233+233+233...

Rage from Gu Xing +233+233+233...

Zu An scoffed, "Just now, when Shi Tong was about to bully her, you two were timid and compliant, but now you're aggressively confronting me. If you had dared to protect her from Shi Tong just now, I would have had a bit more respect for you."

At these words, both men were instantly mortified. They had indeed cowered earlier when facing Shi Tong's oppressive aura.

Seeing the disdain in Bi Linglong's eyes, Gu Heng became even more agitated. "What are you? How dare you compare yourself to General Shi? Besides, our actions don't need your approval or judgment!"

Rage from Gu Heng +582+582+582...

Zu An sneered, not bothering to waste words on him, and looked directly at Shi Tong. "How exactly did you sneak in? You have to be tested for cultivation before entering the secret realm."

Shi Tong smiled faintly. "Prince Qi has magical artifacts for concealing aura, so sneaking in wasn't difficult. As for the mask, I just killed that Bi family warrior and peeled off his face."

Hearing this, Bi Linglong glared angrily at the Gu brothers. "You two colluded with outsiders and harmed our Bi family warriors!"

The brothers felt a bit awkward, but Gu Xing reacted quickly. "As if you've ever treated us as insiders."

"That's right, it looks like you and Zu An had it planned all along," Gu Heng said bitterly. "Driving him away earlier was just an act to deceive us. As expected, the one you trust most in your heart is still this wretch."

Bi Linglong said coldly, "Fortunately, I trusted him and not you two; otherwise, we would have already met a miserable end."

In the past few days, various scouts in the team had mysteriously disappeared. She and Zu An discussed it privately and concluded that the culprit must be within the team.

Unfortunately, the opponent was too cunning, showing almost no flaws. So, the two devised a plan to "lure the snake out of its hole."

As expected, after Zu An left, the mastermind gradually couldn't hold back and surfaced.

"Are you very proud?" Shi Tong chuckled. "But in my opinion, it doesn't change anything. Originally, I planned to deal with you first, then find Zu An, who knows where he's hiding. Now that he's walked right into my trap, it saves me a lot of trouble. I can just deal with all of you at once."

Bi Linglong's heart sank. Although Zu An had told her before that she could completely trust him, Shi Tong, on the other hand, was at the peak of the eighth rank. Moreover, as one of the empire's six major field army generals, he was definitely not a useless person who relied on family resources; his combat ability was also top-notch.

It seemed today would likely end badly.

She said in a deep voice, "A'Zu, I'll hold him back. You leave quickly. If possible, take the Crown Prince with you. If you absolutely can't, then go alone, and inform the Emperor about what happened here after you leave the secret realm."

Zu An shook his head. "How could I abandon you and escape alone at a critical moment like this?"

Bi Linglong's rationality told her that both of them would die if they stayed, but hearing Zu An's willingness to stay with her, she was deeply moved.

Not far away, Gao Ying and Pei You wore strange expressions. Was it their imagination, or did these two seem like a loving couple?

The Gu brothers were even more enraged by the sight. "That Zu fellow only knows how to speak pretty words," they sneered. "With General Shi here, what difference does it make whether you stay or not?"

Rage from Gu Heng +788+788+788...

Rage from Gu Xing +788+788+788...

Shi Tong was quite pleased with their understanding. Hearing this, he chuckled, "That's right, there's no need for you to keep pushing each other. No one is leaving today."

As he spoke, he took a step forward, and the aura of a peak eighth-rank cultivator burst forth. Everyone nearby turned pale, and even breathing became difficult.

Bi Linglong tightly clutched Zu An's sleeve. She had already prepared herself to face death, to fight alongside Zu An with all their might. If it became hopeless, she would immediately end her own life to avoid being defiled by these disgusting people.

Zu An patted her hand reassuringly, then looked at Shi Tong. "Are all people from your Shi family so mysteriously overconfident? Who gave you the courage to think you've got us cornered?"

Shi Tong's expression remained calm. "I have to admit, you do have some tricks up your sleeve. Even my sixth brother lost to you back then. Honestly, my sixth brother had too smooth a life from childhood, lacking setbacks, which made him incompetent. But unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, all your tricks and cunning are meaningless."

Zu An sighed. "Are fights conducted with words now? I wouldn't mind a war of words with a beautiful girl, but with a grown man like you, I'll have to respectfully decline."

Bi Linglong secretly spat, thinking, 'At a time like this, this guy is still so frivolous.'

"Do you want to provoke me to find an opening?" Shi Tong was unmoved. "Unfortunately, you don't understand what the eighth rank means. Being able to harness the power of heaven and earth makes all your fancy tricks meaningless. Make your move, or you won't have another chance."

He stood there with his hands behind his back, and the oppressive aura emanating from his entire body deeply impressed the Gu brothers behind him.

They thought, 'How majestic it would be if we could reach this realm someday.'

"Then don't you dare regret it!" Zu An smiled, a very bright smile.

Shi Tong cast a faint glance at him. "Stop talking so much nonsense. Cherish the chance I'm giving you..."

He was halfway through his sentence when Zu An moved, appearing in front of him almost instantly.

"How fast!" Shi Tong was startled. He hastily raised his hand to block the opponent, but he was a step too slow, and the opponent's iron fist heavily struck his face.

In that instant, the flesh on his face rippled like water, and his entire face contorted. He let out a shriek and flew backward, a trail of blood and a few shattered teeth lingering in the air.

Zu An withdrew his fist and somewhat disdainfully wiped the blood from it. "That's what you get for showing off. You show off, you get struck by lightning."

Everyone in the field was stunned. What was happening? Was Shi Tong just sent flying by one punch?

In their expectations, it should have been Zu An engaging in various evasive maneuvers while Shi Tong stood still, calmly handling everything, which would be logical.

Even Bi Linglong, who had the most confidence in Zu An, was shocked. Although she knew Zu An had hidden his strength, she thought at best he could contend with Shi Tong. But the scene before her truly challenged her worldview.

The Gu brothers were so astonished their jaws nearly dropped to the ground. They hastily ran out to help Shi Tong up. "General Shi, what happened?" they asked.

"Get lost!" Shi Tong, mortified and enraged, pushed the two away. He then quickly stood up and glared fiercely at Zu An.

However, his nose was now a bit crooked, his face was covered in blood, and his missing teeth made his mouth sag a bit. He looked utterly ridiculous.