Chapter 818: Concern Breeds Confusion

Those who had been freed thanked Zu'an one after another, while cheers erupted from the crowd:“Lord Zu has made his move!”“We’re saved!”“Lord Zu is amazing!”…and so on.

Bi Linglong gazed deeply at his retreating figure. She didn't know when it started, but the impression of him as a frivolous and unprincipled person had faded from her mind. Instead, he now seemed reliable and reassuring, even though his manner of speaking was still much the same as before.

Just then, the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon in mid-air let out an angry roar.

Anger points from the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon: +444, +444, +444…

Hearing that it intended to turn Zu'an into a puppet, Bi Linglong's heart instantly tightened. She wanted to help, but her cultivation level was far too low to participate in a battle of this caliber.

Her only hope was to command her troops, using their numerical and formation advantages, to see if they could provide some auxiliary support from the side.

Thinking of this, she immediately collected herself and sternly ordered her subordinates not to be distracted, but to deal with the four puppets first.

If not for the appearance of the Azure Sky Profound Feather Eagle just now, her reassembled archers would have already delivered a fatal blow to the four puppets with their ice arrows. Unfortunately, due to the Azure Sky Profound Feather Eagle's sudden attack, her archers had suffered heavy casualties.

However, thankfully, the large amount of cold air generated by Zu'an's Snowfall Divine Sword technique had a suppressing effect on the four water-elemental puppets. Furthermore, there had been an inexplicable surge of pressure just now, and now the four water-elemental puppets seemed significantly weaker.

She was unaware of Mi Li's existence and merely assumed it was one of Zu'an's techniques. Her confidence grew even stronger.

Mi Li was currently speaking to Zu'an: “That little girl isn't bad at all. She can maintain composure and command effectively in critical moments, making the most suitable choices when faced with complex situations. She truly is a born leader.”

“Do you like her so much because you see yourself in her?” Zu'an asked with a smile.

“That girl is just decent, that's all. To catch up to me, she's still far from it,” Mi Li snorted, clearly displeased that he was comparing her to other women.

Just then, the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon's angry voice echoed in the air again: “Arrogant human, how dare you ignore this King’s words! You will pay a heavy price!”

Anger points from the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon: +745, +745, +745…

Zu'an rolled his eyes: “You’re just spouting nonsense. Why should I bother with you? And you, a mere worm, keep calling yourself ‘this King.’ Who crowned you king? Aren’t you ashamed to address yourself like that?”

“This King will kill you!” The Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon had only recently broken through to the ninth rank due to a fortuitous encounter and had only just learned to use human language. It was no match for Zu'an in a debate and was so enraged that it shrieked.

Anger points from the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon: +728, +728, +728…

It swayed its long body, and the mist-like water vapor in the air instantly condensed into countless water arrows, which shot towards Zu'an.

Seeing the spectacle on that side, everyone in the main force was astonished. If the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon were to use this move on them, it was feared that after just one volley of arrows, at least half of them would die, and the remaining half, even if they survived, would be without any combat effectiveness.

The power of a ninth-rank fierce beast was truly terrifying.

Thinking of this, they grew even more grateful to Zu'an. If not for his presence, their entire group would surely have been annihilated.

At this moment, Zu'an had no time to notice their admiring gazes. With such a dense and terrifying rain of arrows, any attempt at evasion would be meaningless, not even with Sunflower Phantom.

He unleashed the Snowfall Divine Sword, and an area several zhang around him instantly transformed into a world of ice and snow.

An energy shield, resembling an ice sphere, materialized around him, forcefully blocking the water arrows' attacks.

The Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon sneered: “Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

It swayed its body again, and countless more water arrows condensed and shot forth.

Zu'an's expression grew grim. The pressure he felt was growing increasingly intense. The surrounding ice and snow space was becoming harder and harder to maintain under the continuous, 360-degree, all-encompassing attack of the water arrows.

The outermost ice element shield began to crack, and gradually, more and more cracks appeared, like tempered glass just before it shatters.

Zu'an changed his strategy, actively retracting his defenses. The ice element shield gradually shrank, becoming only a few feet in diameter. This significantly eased the pressure on him.

However, the opponent’s water arrows seemed to be inexhaustible, maintaining a constant, saturated, and dense bombardment.

“This won’t do. This is that wretched dragon’s home turf. The massive waterfall and the bottomless pool below provide it with an endless supply of water elements. If you keep this up, you’ll only exhaust your vital energy and be worn to death by it,” Mi Li’s voice rang out.

Zu'an felt a warmth in his heart. Although she often claimed she wouldn't bother with him and would let him fend for himself, she sometimes couldn't help but offer advice.

He responded with a smile: “It’s fine. I’ve roughly figured out the force of the opponent’s water arrows by now. I plan to take a few hits head-on with my body, then use the Great Wind technique to get close to its side and engage in melee combat.”

“You know the strength of my body. Taking a few arrows shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Several rounds of tempering from the Primordial Chaos Sutra had forged his incredibly tough physique. At the same time, his powerful regenerative ability gave him more confidence to wage a war of attrition against his opponent.

“You’re already at the ninth rank, yet you only know how to use such a crude and simple brute-force fighting style?” Mi Li spoke with a look of disdain. “While this fighting style is fierce, it will make you reliant on it and create unnecessary illusions. Yes, your physical strength is indeed formidable, allowing you to use an attrition strategy against most enemies. But what if you encounter an enemy with overwhelmingly powerful attacks, where a single blow instantly exceeds your recovery ability? Wouldn’t you just perish?”

Zu'an's heart seized up. What she said was indeed very plausible. When his cultivation was lower, the enemies he encountered, though stronger than him, were only stronger to a limited extent.

Now that he himself had reached the ninth rank, he truly understood how powerful the forces that genuine top masters could wield were. The ninth rank was already like this; what about Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters?

No matter how strong his body was, it couldn't compare to heaven and earth. And which of these powerful individuals wouldn't borrow the power of heaven and earth? If someone's attack method was particularly overbearing, combined with the power of heaven and earth, his body might indeed not be able to withstand it.

“What should I do then?” Zu'an had a headache. He was used to being reckless, and for a moment, he couldn't think of any other solutions.

“After reaching the ninth rank, you should focus more on mastering the use of techniques,” Mi Li said, knowing his situation best. Although he had consolidated his understanding of the power of heaven and earth in the eighth rank through his battle with Shi Tong, his experience in the ninth rank was still too lacking. That’s why she specifically took this opportunity to give him pointers. “Don’t you have a skill that can summon the Azure Duck? It seems to have an affinity for water elements.”

Zu'an hummed in acknowledgment: “It allows me to breathe freely like a fish in water and can control water to a certain extent. You’re not going to tell me to use this skill to fight against a water-elemental powerhouse like that, are you?”

All along, the Azure Duck’s skill had been more geared towards support, and its power was significantly weaker compared to the other divine birds. Presumably, its full power could only be unleashed once he obtained and cultivated a water-elemental combat technique.

He had never considered using the Azure Duck to deal with the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon.

Because the Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon was a ninth-rank water-elemental fierce beast, its control over water elements would certainly surpass the effects he could achieve through the Azure Duck.

“Of course, I know you can’t control the opponent’s water-elemental attacks,” Mi Li snorted. “However, while you can’t directly counter-control their water-elemental attacks, you can at least subtly influence them through the Azure Duck, right? For example, making these arrows slightly... change direction?”

Zu'an’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, why didn’t I think of that?”

So he slowly weakened the ice element shield, deliberately letting some water arrows in.

Then, through the Azure Duck, he connected with the water elements within the arrows, influencing their direction.

At first, he was unfamiliar with the technique. Almost instantly, several water arrows pierced him, and blood streamed from his body.

The Azure Moon Sky-Measuring Dragon laughed heartily: “Ant, you finally can’t hold on, can you? I will make you suffer a thousand arrows through your heart. Only then will your dying soul be filled with pain and resentment, making it the perfect material for a puppet.”

Hearing its triumphant laughter, the people in the main force on the other side looked over. Seeing Zu'an’s current miserable state, their expressions changed drastically, and they plunged into despair.

“Ah Zu!” Seeing blood streaming from Zu'an’s entire body, Bi Linglong’s face turned pale, and her heart felt as if it was being twisted by a pair of invisible hands.

She reached up and pressed her finger to the beautiful, crimson *huadian* pattern on her brow, a look of determination flashing in her eyes.