Chapter 1931: Would I Still Be a Young Man If I Weren’t Hot-Headed?
Zu An turned around and looked at Meng Jing. He asked, “Doesn’t your Meng clan always flaunt your deep backing? What other things are you hiding? You can bring them all out now.”
Meng Jing and the others were already completely overwhelmed. The series of events so far had already left them so shocked their minds went blank.
What other trump cards could the Meng clan have? Those trump cards were already enough to wipe out countless powerful individuals, and yet not a single one of them was effective against you!
Noticing the other side's silence, Zu An waved his hand, pulling Meng Jing into the air. He clenched his hand, raising Meng Jing into the air by the neck. He said indifferently, “Since you don’t have anything else, the two of us can now properly settle our debts.”
As he spoke, the Bonewater Cleaver moved around a bit in the sky, as if it were deciding which angle it wanted to take to remove Meng Jing's head.
Meng Jing’s face turned ashen.
Do you have to torment me like this…
What was more frightening than death itself? The waiting for impending death.
Suddenly, several voices shouted from afar, “Lower the blade and spare that man!”
Five elders flew over from different directions; they all had white hair, but their complexions were healthy. They wore gorgeous clothing that symbolized extraordinary statuses. What left the different powers shocked was that every single one of them was at the peak of the grandmaster rank. They seemed to only be a step away from becoming earth immortals.
…
“Since when did the capital have so many powerful experts?” a certain rogue cultivator in a distant tavern wondered absentmindedly.
“Are you stupid? Those are the legendary eight dukes! They normally cultivate in seclusion inside their respective clans' homes, but now that such a huge thing has happened in the capital, it’d only be weirder if they just ignored it!” one of the more ‘knowledgeable’ people nearby explained.
“Then if they’re all members of the eight dukes, does that mean they're going to help the Meng clan?” another asked.
“It’s hard to say. That Zu guy’s strength seems to be a bit ridiculous. The eight dukes aren’t so rigid and inflexible, so they might not help.”
…
Similar discussions were taking place all over the capital. The different powers all speculated about what would happen.
Zu An looked at the five elders, asking, “And you are?” Even though he could more or less guess based on their strength, he had never seen these people before.
“This old one is Zhuang He,” the elder to the east said proudly while stroking his beard. When he saw that Zu An didn’t react in the slightest to his name, his expression stiffened. He had no choice but to add, “The court’s Grand Tutor, Zhuang He.”
If it were any other time, he would have had subordinates to introduce him. Why would he ever have to do something like that himself? This time, however, a great battle had just taken place, and terrifying power still lingered nearby. Those with lower cultivations couldn't even come near. Worried that there could be some misunderstandings leading to a conflict, he'd decided that it would be better to state his identity first. After all, the strength this youngster had displayed was a bit… excessive.
Zu An voiced an ‘oh’. He looked at the others and asked, “And you guys?”
The other elders raised their brows. However, they still controlled their emotions and introduced themselves one after another.
“Yu Rui, Taibao Minister,” the elder who was clearly the most handsome said.
Zu An couldn't help but give him a look.
Your surname is also Yu?
Thinking back, he had once looked up available intelligence on the Yu clan. Going back a few generations, Yu Rui and Yu Yanluo were from the same family. Strictly speaking, he was of the same generation as Yu Yanluo’s great-grandfather. However, there were already many generations between them, so they technically belonged to different clans. That was why, when Zhao Han had dealt with the Yu clan, this man hadn't said much.
Regardless, Zhao Han had to show him some respect, and had thus chosen not to completely eradicate the Yu clan. A large portion of the ki stone mines and businesses remained under the Yu clan’s control as a result.
“This old one is the Grand Officer, Zhao Song!” a white-faced, beardless elder said.
Zu An thought back to some of the information he had received before. This person was of the same generation as Zhao Han’s grandfather. He was one of the oldest members of the Zhou Dynasty’s imperial family. However, his bloodline had always been lacking in number. Some of his children had died even before him, without even leaving many sons. His lineage could very well end soon.
“This old one is the Minister of Education, Du Jian,” an elder with an especially round face said.
Zu An nodded. Du Jian's son had previously served as the Eastern Palace Chamberlain as well, so they had some connection to each other.
“I am the Grand General of the present court, Cheng Yuan!” the last elder said; his voice was full of confidence and echoed like a great bell.
They hadn't noticed the battles at first. After all, at their level, cultivators were interested in matters of the secular world. What they sought out was heavenly dao, to make further progress in cultivation. However, Meng Jing had made an appearance and his familiar aura woke them up. That had made them wonder whether something major was happening, important enough for that old thing to have suddenly emerged.
Even so, they hadn’t intended to make an appearance. After all, at their age, every bit of energy used would exhaust quite a bit of their limited lifespans. Cultivation breakthroughs were still more important. Additionally, with Meng Jing’s strength and the Meng clan's backing, most problems weren’t problems at all.
But how could they have anticipated things would take a different turn? Meng Jing’s aura had actually weakened, almost as if he'd died. Then, the giant gold dragon had appeared, and after that, even the presence of the Dragon King had manifested. After that, they could no longer sit still and emerged from seclusion one after another. By the time they arrived, they had seen that Zu An was about to kill Meng Jing and reflexively cried out for him to stop.
For the capital’s ordinary cultivators, they only felt that the reappearance of the eight dukes was an incredible occasion that left them incredibly moved. Ever since they started cultivating, they had already heard much about the legends and prestige of the eight dukes. Even so, they knew the dukes normally pursued heavenly dao and usually remained in seclusion. They had never expected to be able to see the dukes in person today!
However, the current situation seemed a bit awkward somehow…
Meng Jing’s eyes shone brightly when he saw them. Unfortunately, his throat was being gripped by an invisible hand and he couldn't say anything. He could only look at these old friends of his with a pleading expression. After all, they had already been famous for many years, and they had shared many drinks together, so they were at least friends. They wouldn’t just watch as he died, right?
Compared to Meng Jing, who was full of hope, Meng Chan was filled with despair as she sat next to a tree stump.
Great ancestor doesn’t seem to even understand the situation as well as I do. Forget about whether or not these people will help us, even if they were willing, would that bloodthirsty demon really just let things end like that?
Even though this was their first meeting, the impression he had left on her was already impossible to erase. From her experience as a member of the Meng clan and King Dai Manor over the years, Zu An seemed to be the type who was amenable to coaxing but not coercion. The more one threatened him, the more one would be courting death. But did the Meng clan still even have a chance to coax him…
The elder named Zhuang He said, “Young friend, you have already destroyed most of the Meng clan, and the Meng clan’s experts have almost all died. Surely you must have vented out enough of your anger already…”
Before he even finished, he was interrupted by Zu An, who said, “My anger has not been appeased yet.”
Zhuang He choked. With his status, when had he ever been rudely cut off by another before? He was about to lash out, but when he saw Meng Jing dangling like a dead dog, he held himself back.
You have successfully trolled Zhuang He for +222 +222 +222…
He was also a bit bewildered. He understood Meng Jing’s cultivation better than most, so how could the other man have lost so bitterly? Could this brat be an earth immortal?
But how is that possible?
Zhuang He had already asked his clansmen about the situation before departing, and found out that this kid had only risen to prominence in the past few years. At most, Zu An could only have been cultivating for three years. If he could become an earth immortal, what the hell were old things like them still trying to cultivate for?
Still, the strength this youngster displayed was a bit absurd. The dukes hadn’t understood too well when they were still far away, but after arriving right in front of Zu An, Zhuang He had secretly released some energy to test him out. However, he hadn't sensed the slightest bit of ki from Zu An, as if he were just an ordinary person. That was something that left him puzzled. After seeing the Meng clan’s bitter situation, if he still treated this youngster as an ordinary person, he would have lived all the way to his age for nothing.
“Little friend, regardless of what the Meng clan did, surely they have learned their lesson by now. It is time for you to let go,” Grand Officer Zhao Song said with a light cough, intending to mediate.
“Do you intend to ignore the facts and not even talk about them, then?” Zu An retorted, looking at him coldly.
Zhao Song was speechless.
I’m an honorable imperial clan elder, and even Zhao Han has to greet me respectfully and call me grandfather. Why isn’t this youngster giving me any face?
You have successfully trolled Zhao Song for +222 +222 +222…
The other dukes had different expressions too. They nearly flared up with anger, but when they gave Meng Jing a look, they also felt apprehensive.
Just then, another voice slowly said, “Youngster, release Meng Jing, and this old one can take responsibility for you. The court can let bygones be bygones.”
The voice seemed to come from the distant horizon, and yet a moment later, a figure took a step forward and appeared in front of the others. He was dressed in black robes that had a four-clawed golden dragon embroidered on them. He was clearly someone from the royal family.
The other five were all shocked when they saw him. They exclaimed, “Brother Zhao, you’ve already taken that step?”
The man was the leader of the eight dukes, Imperial Tutor Zhao Chen. He was also someone from Zhao Han’s grandfather’s generation. Unlike Zhao Song, whose lineage was close to ending, he had many descendants. His sons, Zhao Quan and Zhao Zhang, were generals of the north and east standard armies. They were in charge of the defenses of the empire’s north and east, and had a lot of authority in the military. Meanwhile, his grandson Zhao Zai, King Hexi, had territory adjacent to King Yan’s. He had interacted with Zu An before in Yi Commandery.
Zhao Chen said proudly, “That’s right. This old one fully grasped the mysteries recently and became an earth immortal.” Even though his voice wasn’t loud, it reached every corner of the entire capital.
Those words ignited an uproar, as the explosive piece of news began to be discussed. The human race actually had another earth immortal now!
Many people had been full of misgivings after Zhao Han, King Qi, and the libationer died one after another. They had been wondering what would happen if the Fiend races took the chance to invade. Now that they had another earth immortal, they felt more at ease.
Inside a wooden building at Scarlet Invitation, Nan Xun said to herself with a worried expression, “Oh no, an earth immortal has appeared. Together with the other five of the eight dukes, young master might be in danger.”
She wasn’t the only one with such thoughts. Many people looked toward Zu An with sympathy.
This youngster's strength may be rather heaven-defying, but after all this time, he's finally ended up kicking a steel plate.
No matter how strong he is, how could he be a match for an earth immortal?
In the eyes of most people, the earth immortal rank was the ceiling of this world’s power. After all, to an earth immortal, everyone else was an ant.
Forget about ordinary cultivators, even the other five dukes were full of envy when they looked at Zhao Chen. They had previously been equal, but now, he alone had managed to make the crucial step. As the saying went, they didn’t want their friends to not do well, but they didn’t want those friends to do too well either.
Zu An calmly replied, “What if I don’t want to let him go?”
Zhao Chen’s eyes narrowed. His expression became a bit dangerous as he said, “Young man, do not be too hot-headed.”
“Would I still be a young man if I weren't hot-headed?” Zu An replied; at the same time, the Bonewater Cleaver seemed to have received a command. It sliced off Meng Jing’s head right before Zhao Chen’s eyes.
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