Chapter 1196: Cover Blown

Yu Yanluo looked at the two grandmasters beside her in disbelief, mumbling, “Ah Zu won?”

She had every reason to be completely stunned. She had long heard about the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s achievements, all earned through repeated battles. The fiend races had always viewed the strong as supreme. There was no way he would have such a great reputation if he were actually weak.

But someone who was unrivaled at his rank had actually been defeated by Zu An just like that?

“It is not that simple. The Golden Crow Crown Prince has not lost yet,” Yan Xuehen said, shaking her head.

The golden-armored warriors rushed to save their master, but a second later, a golden streak rushed into the sky. The Golden Crow Crown Prince’s entire body blazed with golden flames; his injuries had healed once more.

“He used the Golden Crow Sacred Fire’s regeneration art again,” Yun Jianyue said with a smile. “This guy cares too much about appearances. Earlier, he wasn’t actually wounded that badly. It was just a slightly swollen face and bloody nose. He wasted a precious chance to recover.”

Yan Xuehen nodded and said, “Perhaps because of his pride, he has always looked down on Zu An. He was beaten so badly by a human cultivator that his pride could not take it.”

“Is that brat Zu An so formidable now? Or is this Golden Crow Crown Prince just trash?” Yun Jianyue remarked, a bit stunned. Just how long had it been since they last met? Wasn’t this kid growing a bit too quickly?

This Golden Crow Crown Prince is a master rank cultivator, and one of the best at that rank, at that! And yet he keeps getting beaten down like this?

Yan Xuehen had fought a bitter battle against Zu An before, so she understood his current level a bit better. She explained, “Zu An is indeed very strong, but not to the point that he can crush master rank opponents. The first reason he can do so is because he seems to have already condensed a soul, making master rank experts lose their greatest advantage. The second reason is that, regarding the methods the Golden Crow Crown Prince seems to be good at..”

She paused for a moment when she said that, her expression growing strange. She then continued, “...They also seem to be what Zu An is good at. That is why Golden Crow Crown Prince’s methods have constantly been restrained, and why this battle looks so bad for him.”

The Golden Crow Crown Prince’s body was tough, but Zu An’s body was even tougher. The Golden Crow Radiant Flow was fast, but Zu An wasn’t slow either. The Golden Crow Sacred Fire had tremendous destructive power and was the bane of normal flames, but Zu An had the Divine Phoenix Flame, so he wasn’t scared of that fire.

With all of those factors in place, how could the Golden Crow Crown Prince not feel sullen? If it were anyone else, any one of his skills would grant him a tremendous advantage!

..

The Golden Crow Crown Prince called out again, “Despicable human, why do you keep hitting me in the same place?!”

You have successfully trolled the Golden Crow Crown Prince for +444 +444 +444..

If not for the fact that Zu An kept hitting his mouth, he wouldn’t have had to use Golden Crow Sacred Fire twice to recover. After all, if he won with a badly damaged face, that would cost him way too much dignity!

Zu An said calmly, “My big sis told me to smash your mouth, so of course I need to listen to her well.”

The onlookers subconsciously looked toward Yun Jianyue. Even though she usually showed disdain for all things, her face still heated up a bit. She grumbled, “This damn brat actually dares to tease me?”

Yan Xuehen ruthlessly exposed her rival’s real thoughts, though. She remarked, “Then why does it look as if the corners of your lips are about to crack from grinning?”

Yun Jianyue was about to flip out, but the Golden Crow Crown Prince erupted into a rage first. He yelled, “You insect! This battle hasn’t ended yet!”

You have successfully trolled the Golden Crow Crown Prince for +555 +555 +555..

He’s still in the mood to flirt with women? Unforgivable!

A massive Golden Crow projection appeared behind him. When it spread its wings, it seemed to block out the sky and cover the earth itself. Killing intent raged, filling the heavens and the earth.

The spectators below couldn't endure such almost tangible killing intent. Many of them began to vomit blood. They quickly backed up in horror, staying far away from the battlefield.

Yan Xuehen frowned and said, “I sense an overpowering sword ki.”

Yun Jianyue’s expression also became grave. She replied, “This might be the Golden Crow Race’s Ardent Sun Sword Formation!”

..

The Golden Crow Crown Prince spread his hands just as Yun Jianyue spoke. Golden sword ki appeared around him out of thin air. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t sword ki at all, but rather an array of golden feathers!

The Golden Crow’s Ardent Sun Sword Formation had originally been refined from the Fiend Emperor’s own feathers piece by piece. Every single feather was comparable to an incredibly sharp, precious sword. It was rumored that every single one of the Fiend Emperor’s feathers was equivalent to a heaven-grade divine weapon. On top of that, there were far more than ten thousand of those feathers. If he had so many heaven grade divine weapons, what kind of power did that represent?

The Golden Crow Crown Prince naturally hadn’t reached a level where his feathers had been refined to that point, but they were still comparable to earth-grade weapons. His hands moved and the feather swords blotted out the sky, interweaving into an inescapable net that could crush all those trapped within into mincemeat.

Their surging, majestic brilliance even made the onlookers’ personal swords ring loudly, as if they were being summoned themselves. They were horrified. The Golden Crow Crown Prince’s sword intent was actually so terrifying!historical

Elders White and Blue looked at Yu Yanluo with great regret. Elder White said, “Clan leader, this friend of yours is indeed formidable, but he is a bit too arrogant. This was originally intended to just be a spar, and a loss would just be a loss. However, he insisted on provoking the Golden Crow Crown Prince again and again, thus making it into a battle of life and death. I fear that before this terrifying sword formation, he only has death awaiting him, and furthermore a death that will not leave a complete corpse.”

Elder Blue added, “Indeed. Originally, our clan would have had another strong backer, but now, not only have we lost him, we have offended the Golden Crow Crown Prince, which is the same as offending the future Fiend Emperor. The future of our Snake race seems bleak.”

“It was clearly the Golden Crow Crown Prince who was acting overbearing first.” Little White couldn't keep listening and protested quietly.

Elder White scolded her. “What does a little girl like you understand? What kind of status does the Golden Crow Crown Prince have? Of course he has the right to be arrogant! He is the next Fiend Emperor, and he has endless trump cards. How can a human possibly be his match?”

Elder Blue followed suit, saying, “Indeed. He should have quit while he was ahead, and yet he just insists on continuing..”

“Enough!” Yu Yanluo snapped, her expression ashen. “He has not lost yet; there is no need for you to voice such conclusions already.”

“Clan leader, I know that you are sentimental and cannot accept this, but you need to remain rational..” Elder White began, intending to advise her.

However, his granddaughter spoke up excitedly, exclaiming, “Hurry and look, everyone!”

Those present looked up. Swirling, rippling circles appeared behind Zu An, and blue sword ki slowly emerged from them. Soon afterward, endless sword ki floated in the skies above.

Zu An’s voice reverberated through the entire mountain valley as he called out, “A competition of swords? That just happens to be my strongest suit!”

As soon as he said that, the endless blue sword ki flew outward, colliding incessantly with the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s golden sword feathers. Their brilliance was so blinding that the spectators couldn't even look straight at the scene.

“So handsome~” Little White and Little Blue were completely starstruck.

Elder White and Elder Blue were stupefied. They exclaimed, “How.. How is this possible?!”

Zu An floated in midair. Behind him, the entire world flickered with great luster. A boundless stream of sword ki fired endlessly at his opponent, making him look like an indomitable immortal.

Yu Yanluo’s expression was full of tenderness. Even Yan Xuehen’s heart pounded crazily, her usually icy cold skin covered in a faint layer of pink. She tried to shift her gaze away, but she still couldn't stop herself in the end and looked up again. She felt as if she might never be able to forget the scene playing out right before her eyes for the rest of her life.

“Why didn’t I know this brat had such a move too?” Yun Jianyue remarked. Her face suddenly turned red as she watched. She continued, “This damn kid is pretty cool, isn’t he? It’s a good thing that Honglei isn’t seeing this right now, or else she might not be able to stop herself anymore.”

..

Meanwhile, in Cloudcenter City, Sang Hong was discussing matters with the city’s officials. He asked, “Is there any news regarding the criminal Yu Yanluo?”

“We have searched for a long time, but it seems she has disappeared into thin air,” Xu Yu replied. His gaze almost seemed to be burning as he looked at Sang Hong. “By the way, why have I not seen Sir Zu for so long?”

Sang Hong used his cup’s lid to gently brush some tea leaves inside. He was also extremely worried about that matter, but he didn’t show it on the surface at all. He replied, “Sir Zu has been carrying out a secret mission.”

“Wasn’t Sir Zu still recovering in seclusion not too long ago? Why was he suddenly sent on a secret mission?” Xu Yu sneered. “Everyone knows about his close relationship with Yu Yanluo, and he just happened to go missing at such a crucial juncture. There is no way he could be involved in Yu Yanluo’s jailbreak, right?”