Chapter 1492: Wife, You Don’t Want
The Second Empress was stunned to see a shadow in front of her. Suddenly, there was a man blocking her view. He had a handsome visage and was dressed in silver robes. There was a faint smirk on the corners of his lips, and his demeanor was extremely confident and free.
Is this the hero I imagined back then? the Second Empress thought, her heart beating more quickly. She felt as if she had returned to when she was just a young girl.
However, she quickly snapped out of her daze. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. Those immature fantasies had long been buried at the bottom of her heart.
“Why are you here?” she exclaimed as she finally recognized who it was. She was both surprised and happy.
Zu An replied with a smile, “Does the Second Empress not want to see me?”
When she met his scorching gaze, the usually flirtatious Second Empress felt her cheeks heat up. However, she quickly thought of something and exclaimed in alarm, “Be careful of the blade… Where did the blade go?”
Her shock gradually gave way to confusion. Judging from the speed at which the blade had been traveling, it should have long since arrived! Furthermore, Zu An was facing her and had his back to the blade.
“Are you talking about this?” Zu An asked as he turned around. The Second Empress saw a blade floating in the air, completely still, as if an invisible hand were holding it in place.
“Huh? Um…” The Second Empress murmured, wondering just how he had done such a thing.
If it were a ki barrier, the blade should have clashed fiercely with it, rather than being so calm. The scene before her eyes looked as if the blade had suddenly decided to recognize Zu An as its master, submissively remaining in place.
The deputy general who had launched the blade shouted, “Who are you? You dare meddle in others’ business?!”
He was a part of the crown prince"s faction. He could even holler at Lei Xin and Wu Cheng, so why would he treat Zu An with any respect? Besides, even though the Golden Crow Crown Prince and Zu An shared a grudge, Zu An was still fairly unknown in the Fiend King Court. Not all of the crown prince’s subordinates recognized him.
“Noisy!” Zu An snapped, waving his hand. The floating blade suddenly turned around. Then, it flew backward at several times its previous speed, slicing through the deputy general’s body like a streak of light.
“Ah… Ah…” The deputy general looked down at his chest, an expression of disbelief on his face. After following the crown prince for so many years, now that the crown prince had risen to the throne, it was finally time for him to shine! And yet, he had ended up dying before he could enjoy anything?
The Second Empress also covered her red lips in disbelief when she saw what had happened. Even though she didn’t know what the deputy general’s name was, his attack had been really tricky and vicious. He was a strong individual. Even if his cultivation was weaker than Zu An’s, it shouldn’t have been by that much. And yet, such an expert had been killed instantly?
The Second Empress was briefly dazed. Is there something wrong with the world? Don’t tell me his cultivation increased again in the short time since I last saw him?
But even though his ki aura seems to have become stronger than before, it isn’t anything too substantial!
…
In the distance, several beautiful women stood. When she saw the look of adoration the Second Empress directed toward Zu An, Yun Jianyue said to Yu Yanluo, “That guy is flirting with women again. Why aren’t you doing anything about your man?”
Yu Yanluo didn’t reply, and merely gave Qiao Xueying a look. She thought to herself, If I say something but the Elf Princess doesn’t, won’t I come off as a jealous wife?
Qiao Xueying’s gaze became a bit dangerous. She cursed Zu An ruthlessly inside, but she didn’t say anything either. She was in front of Chuyan’s master at the moment, so she had to appear dignified and reserved, or else she’d be seen as too fierce and lose an opportunity.
Yan Xuehen thought, This guy Zu An’s tastes really are a bit unusual. He’s even going to go after the Fiend Emperor’s wife? Even though she’s pretty, she already has a child!
However, something else quickly took priority. Zu An’s cultivation seemed to have gone through a huge transformation! Could it be that his mentality and temperament had both advanced after he killed the Fiend Emperor? Even though Yan Xuehen couldn"t really tell where exactly the change lay, Zu An now gave off an inexplicable sense of danger.
It was strange; after all, she was a grandmaster! Who would believe her if she said she sensed danger from someone who had only recently broken through into the master rank? And yet, that was exactly what she felt.
Yun Jianyue clearly sensed something and gave Yan Xuehen a look. She quietly asked, “Stone cold woman, do you feel it too?”
“Yes, but it is hard to say just how he has changed. His ki aura clearly has not improved that much,” Yan Xuehen said, also feeling confused.
“It’s probably something to do with his mentality,” Yun Jianyue began. She thought for a bit and said, “He killed the Fiend Emperor in a head-on fight. That must have given him the conviction that he’s unrivaled.”
Yan Xuehen nodded inwardly. One’s mentality could indeed have a huge effect on one’s overall strength. Anyone who could defeat the Fiend Emperor was already unmatched in this world. Zu An’s circ.u.mstances were a bit special, but no matter how special it was, the change in his mentality was real.
The others finally reacted to the situation. Lei Xin and Wu Cheng both raised their weapons, pointing them at Zu An with vigilant expressions. In response, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue exchanged a look and suddenly vanished from their original location.
Lei Xin and Wu Cheng were both master rank cultivators. They were powerful experts in the eyes of most people. However, they were still quite a distance away from the grandmaster rank. Their attention was completely focused on Zu An, so how could they realize that two grandmasters were ambushing them? The major acupoints on their backs suddenly felt numb, and they were restrained instantly.
Both of them scowled miserably when they sensed the terrifying auras of the two women. What the h.e.l.l is this? Grandmasters are ambushing us?
Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue’s expressions remained calm. Seeing as they were outnumbered, they naturally had to take down the leaders first. Why would they slowly play around in one-on-one duels?
The Second Empress’ beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. She had already recognized that these two were Zu An’s companions. Previously, she had mocked this guy for being a skirt chaser, saying he always had pretty women around him. How could she have expected that the two were actually glorious grandmasters?
Zu An supported the Second Empress to her feet, calling out, “You have rebelled against the emperor and attempted to harm the Second Empress and the young prince. Now that the leader has been captured, as long as the rest of you lower your weapons, we will let bygones be bygones!”
He used the Lion’s Roar skill as he spoke. The skill wasn’t that useful against the strongest experts, but it was extremely effective against those who were weaker than him. Sure enough, when they saw their leaders being captured or killed, the Golden Crow Guards were shaken up. When they heard the terrifying roar, they either threw away their weapons and ran for their lives, or kowtowed toward the Second Empress and the others, confessing their crimes.
Zu An looked back at the Second Empress and asked, “How does your highness plan on dealing with them?”
The Second Empress felt a bit dizzy when she saw what had happened. She had been in a critical situation mere moments prior, and yet now, the situation was completely reversed. Moreover, it was all due to the man in front of her.
However, she wasn’t a normal woman and didn’t have time to be a fool. She quickly understood the current situation and replied, “We cannot let those who fled get away!”
Those who had fled were clearly the crown prince’s trusted aides, and the ones who had stayed were ordinary Golden Crow Guards who had no choice but to follow orders. They were still in the dark regarding what had happened. If they let the fleeing guards escape, it would increase the crown prince’s strength and grant the crown prince information. Neither outcome was desirable to the Second Empress.
Yu Yanluo’s eyes shone with a faint blue radiance. A thin layer of rock began to cover the fleeing Golden Crow Guards as their bodies began to petrify. They suddenly looked as if they were moving in slow motion. Yu Yanluo wasn’t willing to kill them, so she only used a bit of her Medusa’s Eye power.
Suddenly, countless vines rushed out of the ground, quickly wrapping the guards up. If the Golden Crow Guards focused on defense, they wouldn’t be that easy to deal with; however, their confidence had already been stolen by Zu An, and their movements had been affected by Medusa"s Eye. As such, Qiao Xueying was able to lock them in place without much difficulty.
She and Yu Yanluo exchanged a look. They hadn’t expected to work together so well even though it was the first time. However, when they recalled their awkward relationship, both of them reflexively looked away.
The remaining soldiers began to become restless. They all worried that they would be next when they saw what had happened. However, the Second Empress immediately spoke up to appease them. Her voice was gentle and pleasant to listen to, with a special charm that calmed their momentary restlessness.
Afterward, she turned to look at Zu An, saying, “Thank you.”
Zu An was still supporting her, and she could feel the heat from his hand. With her status, physical contact with another man was actually taboo; however, he had helped her so much, so how could she tell him to let go? How could she turn on her benefactor like that?
Zu An looked at her beautiful eyes from up close. He said through ki, “Wife, you don’t want… Ahem, sorry. Your highness, you don’t want your son to be killed by his other brother either, right?”
The Second Empress shook her head and said, “Of course not.”
Zu An’s expression turned serious again. He asked, “Do you want your son to become the new Fiend Emperor?”
The Second Empress’ eyes immediately shone with an unusual radiance. She grabbed him and pulled him toward a back room.