Chapter 1045: I don't care who you are

A gentle breeze swept by, and the white-robed figure had already appeared in the air.

The yellow-robed figure glanced around but saw no sign of the others.

The white-robed man spoke, "The origin of that villain is unknown, and we don't know how many accomplices he has. Red Robe's identity is sensitive, so I let him leave first. Orange Robe didn't want to get too deeply involved, so he also left."

The yellow-robed figure frowned. He wasn't surprised by Red Robe's departure, as it would be a huge problem if his identity were exposed. However, Orange Robe's quick exit displeased him; he wondered why the fellow left so fast.

The white-robed figure looked down at the battlefield below and asked in a deep voice, "Why didn't you act?"

"That person seems to be Yun Jianyue's disciple, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult," the yellow-robed figure replied, a simple statement that revealed his apprehension.

After hearing him, the white-robed figure also remained silent for a long time. After a while, he said, "What happened today is too significant, and we don't know where that villain escaped to. This woman is setting fires here to attract attention, so she's most likely his accomplice. We should capture her to force him out, just remember not to harm her life."

The yellow-robed figure hesitated. "Attacking her would be somewhat against our principles."

The martial world has its rules: the older generation fights the older generation, and the younger generation fights the younger generation. No one would comment on who wins or loses. However, if the older generation attacks the younger, it's clearly bullying a junior. No matter how talented a junior is, they can't compare to old monsters who have cultivated for decades or even centuries longer. Crucially, if you attack someone else's junior, you also have your own juniors. Others could then retaliate against your juniors without restraint, and people in the martial world would even consider it justified afterwards.

He could only say dismissively, "Let's see what Green Robe does. He should be fine."

They always referred to each other by code names and were unaware of each other's true identities.

At this moment, Qiu Honglei was trapped within the thorny cage, which was rapidly shrinking, preventing her from moving even an inch.

The green-robed elder revealed a slight smile and was about to speak when he suddenly saw the woman pick up a lantern, remove its shade, and then gently blow on it. A stream of fire shot out, instantly igniting the surrounding thorn bushes. In the blink of an eye, the young woman had escaped.

The white-robed figure in the air snorted, clearly displeased that his companion was so incompetent that he couldn't even capture a young girl. He lifted a finger, and a cold gleam shot towards the girl. The cold light was so fast that only a few people on the scene managed to see clearly that it was a thin shard of ice. The yellow-robed figure knew in his heart that although this ice shard looked fragile enough to shatter on impact, its power was immense. If struck, one's vital energy would be severed, instantly freezing them motionless. Of course, this ice shard wasn't lethal, likely out of fear of Yun Jianyue behind the girl. "Hmph," he thought, "talking big just now, but when it comes to action, he's still hesitant."

Qiu Honglei had just escaped the thorny cage and was still affected by the opponent's poison; she felt dizzy and utterly unable to dodge a Grandmaster's strike. "It's over!" she thought, her heart turning cold as she saw the cold gleam instantly appear before her eyes. Her only thought was whether A'Zu had managed to escape successfully.

However, the expected sharp pain didn't come. Instead, there was a crisp clang as the ice shard shattered, and she was enveloped in a warm embrace. "A'Zu!" Qiu Honglei exclaimed, startled and overjoyed. She was so familiar with his scent that she could recognize him even without opening her eyes. Zu An put his arm around her waist, shielding her behind him. "Don't be afraid, I'm here." At the same time, he let out a long sigh of relief, grateful he had arrived in time.

Just then, the green-robed elder burst into laughter. "It seems you really are partners. You almost escaped just now, but it won't be so easy now." With that, he waved both palms, causing the surrounding flowers, plants, and trees to rustle. Soon, all their leaves detached and spun rapidly, shooting towards the two. A few startled birds, flapping frantically, flew into the area and instantly exploded into bloody mist. Each leaf was now like a sharp blade; the sky was filled with them, creating a massive meat grinder.

"Hold your hand!" the yellow-robed figure nearby exclaimed in alarm. If Yun Jianyue's beloved disciple were truly torn apart here, those present would likely face the most horrific retaliation. Unfortunately, the leaves were too fast; they swarmed the two in the center in an instant, making it impossible to stop them.

Zu An snorted coldly, and with a clear phoenix cry, a phoenix-shaped flame rose. The incredibly sharp leaves instantly caught fire, no longer under the green-robed elder's control. Then, Zu An, carrying the burning leaves, transformed into a fiery meteor and charged forward.

The yellow-robed figure had been watching the spectacle, but to his surprise, the opponent charged directly at him. He cursed under his breath, then a golden brick visibly expanded and flew towards the attacker.

At this moment, the white-robed man in the air also saw the opponent approaching with the burning leaves, as if they were fiery feathers. He snorted, "Overestimating yourself." With a wave of his hand, a small blizzard immediately erupted around him, instantly extinguishing all the opponent's flames. However, he wasn't pleased; instead, he let out a surprised "Hm?" because the figure before him seemed to vanish without a trace. His hairs stood on end, and he quickly enveloped himself in the blizzard, guarding against a possible attack from behind. But there was nothing; the opponent seemed to have simply disappeared.

The yellow-robed figure had the same feeling. He sent a brick flying, hitting where the opponent had been, but felt no impact whatsoever. The empty sensation was like hitting nothing. He also thought the opponent had circled around, so he quickly held his breath and concentrated, preparing for an imminent attack.

While the two were on high alert, the green-robed elder's pupils constricted. He felt intense flames rushing towards him. He quickly crossed his arms over his chest, and a large shield rapidly appeared before him. Although the shield was made of wood and was susceptible to fire-element attacks, his defensive skill was extraordinary; it could hold out for a while. By then, his companions would have arrived, and together, the three of them would surely be able to kill the assailant on the spot. However, when his peripheral vision caught sight of his two companions also facing the fiery enemy, a shock ran through him. "Why are there three identical people?"

Just then, a spray of blood burst from his chest, followed by a sharp pain in his back. He immediately realized he had been ambushed. Without time to consider how the opponent had gotten behind him, he quickly reached back and grabbed the hand that had stabbed him. Then, countless vines wrapped around the opponent's body. At the same time, he employed his usual trick, the thorns on the vines piercing the opponent's skin and injecting poison.

"Is that all?" Zu An tilted his head. As his muscles tensed, the vines immediately snapped into pieces. Only a few white marks were left on his skin; the thorns hadn't even pierced it. The green-robed man stared in disbelief.

At this point, the white-robed and yellow-robed figures finally reacted and charged over. Zu An, with a light touch of his foot, was already back beside Qiu Honglei. With one hand clamped on the green-robed elder's shoulder, he said coldly, "Don't move, or I won't be gentle with your companion." He secretly felt fortunate that the other Grandmaster wasn't there, and Han Fengqiu seemed to have left too. He had just used his Sunflower Phantoms to create three indistinguishable figures to attack all three simultaneously, catching them off guard. Sure enough, the white-robed and yellow-robed figures stopped, clearly hesitant to act.

At this point, the green-robed elder finally regained his composure and rebuked, "Brat, if you know what's good for you, release me quickly. We might still spare your life." "What if I don't?" Zu An replied calmly.

The elder burst into laughter. "Hmph, what arrogance! With us here, no one so powerful is allowed in the entire Cloud County. Do you know who I am…?" Before he could finish, Zu An squeezed hard with the hand on his shoulder, and a surge of energy erupted directly from his palm. *Crack! Crack!* "Ah!" the green-robed elder shrieked. Many of his bones instantly shattered, and his meridians were severely damaged; even if he survived, he would likely be crippled. He was both shocked and enraged, utterly astonished that the opponent dared to be so ruthless. "Brat, how dare you, how dare you do this to me! I'll cut you into a thousand... *whimpers*!"

He roared at Zu An, but midway through, his jaw was dislocated, rendering him unable to speak further, only able to whimper. "I don't care who you are!" Zu An said indifferently. This fellow had almost taken advantage of Tang Tian'er earlier, and now he had attacked Qiu Honglei, so Zu An naturally showed no mercy. However, the opponent's identity still surprised him. A member of the Yu family. It seemed the Yu family truly wasn't a benevolent one.