Chapter 1525: Arrogance to Deference
The Great Elder remained quiet for a while, saying, “What you say makes a bit of sense. I headed out for a bit yesterday, and my lifespan can’t withstand doing that too often. I’ll just hand this matter to you. However, he is a Regent now, so try to have a talk with him. At the very least, have him leave the Sun Slaying Bow with the Royal Family.”
The Royal Family’s supreme treasure being with a human really was a bit unacceptable. It was just that too many shocking things had happened the previous night, so he hadn’t been able to address that issue.
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me. If he isn’t willing, I’ll overcome him through virtue,” Wu Fan said with a sneer, brandishing his fist. He thought inwardly, How can a single Sun Slaying Bow be enough? He planned to seize the other divine weapon too. Only then would it be worth the use of his lifespan.
As for the chance of defeat, he didn’t even consider it at all. After all, as far as he was concerned, this was just a trifling brat who had just entered the master rank. Even if Zu An had some secrets and could face a grandmaster through the power of a divine weapon, he was still far, far away from a true expert.
If not for the fact that Zu An had become the Fiend races’ Regent, not only would Wu Fan seize the weapon, he would also take the chance to take Zu An’s life. Sparing him was already showing him incredible generosity, so what reason did that brat have to be unhappy?
The Great Elder then added, “Right, I heard him mentioning immortal medicine before. You should go and ask about that too.”
He had asked Zu An the previous night, but Zu An had told him that the immortal medicine had disappeared into the secret dungeon, that he hadn’t seen it himself, and that it was just a rumor. The Fiend Emperor hadn’t obtained it either, so he didn’t have too much hope. However, Wu Fan was probably going to use force this time, so it would be a good chance to see if he could force out some information. That youngster could be hiding something.
“Don’t worry, as long as he knows anything, I promise he’ll pour everything out,” Wu Fan said, laughing confidently. Then, he formed a translucent clone that flew out.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An felt the energy within him become more and more chaotic. For fear of damaging the Imperial Palace, he flew all the way to the great mountains on the outskirts. He wanted to use the Tai’e Sword to release the violent energy inside him, while testing out the power of a deity-grade weapon.
Suddenly, however, he sensed something. He looked up and noticed a figure hiding on a tree a dozen or so meters away.
“Your vigilance isn’t that bad,” a skinny figure said after walking out from behind a branch.
He was dressed in a meticulously tailored, skintight black outfit decorated with tree leaves and flower patterns. Between that and his handsome appearance and sharp ears, he was clearly a Dark Elf.
“Who are you?” Zu An asked. The man staring at him clearly hadn’t come with good intentions.
“I’m someone who has always been merciful enough to let those who die to my sword hear my name. That way, when they go to hell, they won’t die without knowing how they died,” the Dark Elf replied, smiling sinisterly. “Remember, my name is Duan Genggou.”[1]
“Broken like a dog?” Zu An repeated, stunned. Were his parents stupid? Why would you give your kid such a bad name?[2]
However, Duan Genggou sounded extremely proud as he replied, “In this dangerous world… No matter how high your cultivation is, you need to learn about carelessness. Those who don’t know anything about it soon lie within graves overgrown with weeds.”
Zu An was amused, replying, “Judging from your earlier actions, I can’t see any caution from you at all!”
“That’s because I have absolute certainty, so I naturally don’t need to be careful,” Duan Genggou replied with a relaxed expression as he slowly drew a thin sword.
“You’re here to kill me?” Zu An asked, his expression turning cold.
“Congratulations! You’re right. Right, I forgot to introduce myself fully to you. Duan Tianchou can be considered a distant cousin of mine,” Duan Genggou said. His tone sounded as if it were full of praise, but his expression was terrifyingly cold.
“You’re here to get revenge for Duan Tianchou? Did you know I defeated Duan Tianchou last night? Do you think your cultivation is higher than his?” Zu An replied, a bit dumbfounded. He didn’t mind taking the chance to get a bit more information, though. These Dark Elves’ methods were all tricky and sinister.
“That guy Duan Tianchou’s cultivation wasn’t bad.” Duan Genggou replied. His expression became unpleasant, as if he had suffered at the other person’s hands before. He continued, “But that was only because he relied on his status as the Dark Elf King’s younger brother to receive abundant resources. He was always arrogant and ignorant. If he didn’t have all of those resources, he would be nothing compared to me.”
“Judging from your tone, you seem to only be on par with Duan Tianchou at best, and it seems you might even be a bit worse. Just where did you get the courage to come and kill me? Are you Fish Leong[3]?” Zu An asked, finding it a bit strange. Dark Elves were normally cautious and sharp. What was wrong with this one?
“Who is Fish Leong?” Duan Genggou replied, stunned, but he didn’t bother with the details. “I’ve already carefully investigated yesterday’s events. You merely borrowed the power of the divine weapon Sun Slaying Bow, and back then, Duan Tianchou had a grandmaster hindering him.”
He paused for a moment, gauging the distance between them before saying. “If you were more than sixty meters away, I would definitely lose. If it were thirty meters, I would still do my best to avoid conflict with you. But what you absolutely shouldn’t have done was appear so close to me. The Sun Slaying Bow won’t move faster than my sword.”
In truth, the main reason he had spoken so much was to close the distance between them. The Dark Elves had always been good at assassination and close-range combat. Now that both sides were less than five meters from each other, he had absolute confidence. Within such a distance, he was the one who controlled the opponent’s fate.
He had been quite lucky this time. He had only been planning to look around the Fiend King Court and see if he could make his way in somehow. And yet, he had suddenly heard that Duan Tianchou died, and then the main culprit just happened to appear so close to him. Didn’t that mean the Sun Slaying Bow was practically presenting itself before him? It was simply good news after good news!
What was unfortunate was that there seemed to be rumors of a new divine weapon appearing inside the Fiend King Court, but he probably had no chance of getting involved in that. After all, the Fiend King Court was full of powerful individuals, and caution was king.
Suddenly, however, he felt that there was something wrong with Zu An’s expression. It was almost pitying, and yet somehow tyrannical. Still, Duan Genggou couldn't help but sneer.
This kid is probably too young to have heard of my great reputation. Duan Genggou is a name many people hate, but no matter how those people gnash their teeth in anger, what can they do to me?
Then, I’ll let you witness the despair that I, Duan Genggou have brought upon others!
He laughed sinisterly and prepared to thrust his sword. In this world, no sword was faster than those of the Dark Elves!
F*ck! What the hell is this?
Suddenly, his expression froze. He stopped and looked in another direction. Zu An also sensed something and looked in the same direction.
An elder with thick brows and big eyes approached from a distance. He was clearly far away, and yet with just two casual steps, he quickly appeared nearby.
“Earth to Inches?” Duan Genggou muttered, his eyes narrowing. This guy seems to be even faster than my sword!
The elder examined them, and as his gaze landed on Zu An, he remarked, “So you are Zu An?”
Duan Genggou was shocked. This guy didn’t even give me a single look. What is the meaning of this?!
Still, he didn’t get upset. Those who weren’t cautious didn’t live long. He intended to gauge the situation first. The elder gave off a deep and unpredictable air.
Zu An nodded and replied, “That’s right. And you are? Is there something you need from me?”
The one who had arrived was, of course, the Committee of Elders’ Wu Fan. He was about to speak, but he noticed Duan Genggou’s hand movements. With his cultivation, he was naturally able to tell that the Dark Elf was about to attack.
He was startled. Zu An was the new Regent, so as a big shot from the Fiend races’ Committee of Elders, it wouldn’t be good if news got out that he had immediately used force. Instead, he considered exploiting the Dark Elf’s methods to kill Zu An. The Dark Elf also had grandmaster rank cultivation. With so little distance between them, Zu An would be dead for sure.
Then, he would seize the two divine weapons from the Dark Elf, and he could even declare to the world that he had helped Zu An get revenge.
This is what’s called being a wily old fox!
When he thought of that, he felt incredibly proud of himself, his noise practically pointing at the sky with haughtiness. He said, “You should deal with your affairs first. I will talk to you afterward.”
Duan Genggou frowned. This old man was up to no good, trying to reap the rewards after all was said and done.
But he miscalculated! He probably doesn’t know that Dark Elves always deliver a killing blow in a single move. It will be faster than he can imagine. Afterward, I’ll take Zu An’s corpse into a spatial rift. This elder won’t be able to catch me no matter how high his cultivation is.
“Alright,” Zu An said with a nod. Then, he looked at Duan Genggou.
Duan Genggou felt happy. The ignorant truly didn’t know fear! He had no intention to show any mercy. He raised his sword and thrust it forward. In this world, no sword was faster than those of the Dark Elves!
Suddenly, Zu An raised his sword, and a dazzling radiance emanated from it. It was sword energy, as blinding as a sun.
Off to one side, the previously haughty and relaxed Wu Fan’s eyes narrowed.
Duan Genggou was completely dumbstruck. Was he dreaming, or was there something wrong with the world today? Who in this damn world can produce such ridiculous sword energy?
He tried to avoid it, but he discovered that his entire body had been locked down by the terrifying sword energy, so he couldn't dodge at all. He could only watch as his sword was melted by the sun-like radiance. Then, the light entered his body. The heaven-grade armor he bought at an immense prise instantly disintegrated. Then, his body also turned into a bloody mist from the devastating power.
It was the aura of the divine weapon that had just appeared in the city!
Motherf*cker! Who said that this guy used a bow? He clearly uses a freaking sword!
That bastard Duan Tianchou scammed me!
…
After the sword energy swept through Duan Genggou, it didn’t disappear; instead, it continued forward and cleaved an entire mountain in half, forming a giant valley.
Zu An only felt as if the restless energy inside of him had calmed down a little. He looked down at the Tai’e Sword. Was this the power of mountains and rivers?
Then, he suddenly thought of something. He looked at the shocked Wu Fan and asked, “What did you want to say to me just now?”
Wu Fan’s once proud expression was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a flattering smile. He said, “I heard the Great Elder say that an outstanding young man became the new Regent. He talked about your incredible valor, so I had a great longing and wanted to witness his glory myself. Now that I have met you, young master really is just as incredible and amazing as I have heard!”
1. Duan is the surname. Geng means ‘age’ or ‘seventh of the ten heavenly stems’. Gou means ‘careless, negligent’. ☜
2. Same pronunciation, different meaning. ☜
3. Are you Fish Leong’ is slang for ‘Do you not know shame?’, or ‘Where in the world did you get the courage to do that?’ ☜