Chapter 1047: I Am the Master of My Fate, Not Heaven's

Zhuang Hetong, who was standing by, was greatly alarmed. Just a second ago, he had seen his companion, a Grandmaster, bullying a junior and clearly having the upper hand. How could the situation suddenly reverse in the blink of an eye? And it seemed Bai Wen was in mortal danger. He had no time to think and immediately launched a brick, aiming it at Zu An's back. He couldn't just stand by and watch his companion die here.

Feeling the golden brick whistling and growing larger, Zu An gritted his teeth and took the blow directly on his back. Then, with a wave of his hand, he summoned a Qingluan directly above Zhuang Hetong's head. This golden brick was incredibly powerful; he could endure one or two hits, but constant blows would severely injure him, if not kill him. Therefore, he had to severely injure his opponent in an extremely short time so he could focus on Jian Taiding. Otherwise, if the two of them recovered and joined forces, he would be in danger.

Zhuang Hetong was about to control the golden brick to continue its pursuit when suddenly, his hair stood on end. In that instant, he felt the fear of death. He quickly recalled the golden brick and simultaneously pulled out various protective magical artifacts, holding them above his head. At that moment, countless sharp sword energies rained down from above, truly like arrows. His defensive artifacts lasted only a few breaths before being completely pierced, and many sword energies penetrated his body. "Puh!" Blood burst from all over Zhuang Hetong's body. Fortunately, at that moment, the golden brick finally returned to his aid, blocking in front of him and deflecting the remaining sword energies. Even so, he was still severely wounded. He swayed and directly collapsed to the ground. A figure quickly flew over and pulled him back. Zu An, glancing sideways, recognized the person as Tang Tian'er. After a slight hesitation, he did not attack Zhuang Hetong again, but instead focused all his efforts on Jian Taiding.

Jian Taiding gritted his teeth, and a white light emanated from his body. Immediately, ice and snow swirled around him, and almost instantly, a thick layer of ice formed around him. Normally, he would use this move to freeze his enemies into ice sculptures. He never expected to have to freeze himself into an ice sculpture for defense today. The frustration and terror he felt were immense. Zu An frowned. This guy had retreated into a shell, which was quite troublesome. However, he dared not give his opponent a moment to breathe. Phoenix Flames ignited on the Tai'a Sword, and with a flick of his wrist, the Tai'a Sword spun rapidly, drilling into the ice shell like a drill. Under the blessing of several enhancements, the ice, originally as hard as profound iron, began to crack, and the Tai'a Sword slowly penetrated inch by inch. Jian Taiding's pupils contracted sharply. He hadn't expected that the strongest defense he had learned from his sect couldn't stop the opponent's sword! Ordinary fire-element cultivators' flames would extinguish almost instantly upon touching such ice, unable to cause any damage. Yet, the opponent's sword was slowly advancing, little by little. Although the speed was slow, it would eventually break through the ice layer. What kind of flames were these? At this point, he had no retreat. He could only continuously channel his elemental energy to reinforce his defense, waiting to see who would outlast whom. Unfortunately, the injuries from that previous sword strike were too severe. The flesh was ripped open, revealing bones. Several bones were severed by the sword energy, and even his internal organs were heavily damaged. His robes were now soaked in blood, and because he was desperately channeling his elemental energy, his wounds continued to bleed profusely. For an ordinary cultivator, such severe injuries would have already been fatal. As a Grandmaster, his physical strength and recovery abilities were naturally extraordinary. However, a cultivator's recovery speed is limited and typically requires quiet recuperation in seclusion for half a year or more to recover from such injuries. But now he was in battle, resisting desperately. In this situation, his wound recovery speed couldn't even keep up with the rate of blood loss. He felt waves of dizziness in his head, and for the first time, he felt the fear of death. "I, the dignified new Duke of Yunzhong, the Grand Governor of the Governor-General's Mansion, holding military power in the Northwest, a powerful figure who can control the fate of Yunzhong Commandery, am actually going to die at the hands of an unknown rogue?" And the opponent wasn't even a Grandmaster! Thinking of this, he felt both shame and bewilderment. Had something gone wrong with this world? Yet, his survival instinct made him desperately gather his remaining elemental energy to defend himself. But seeing the fiery red sword tip drawing closer, he ultimately fell into despair. He wanted to open his mouth to negotiate with his opponent, to tell him his identity, to use his power to make the opponent hesitate, and to offer any price to buy his life. Unfortunately, at this point, he was growing weaker and weaker, without even the slightest strength to speak. Because once he opened his mouth, his energy would dissipate, his defenses would crumble, and the opponent's longsword would instantly pierce his heart. What would be the point of begging for mercy then?

Just as Zu An was about to push the sword through in one go, a crystal of ice suddenly shot from the side, striking the blade of the Tai'a Sword. Its speed was so great that he had no time to react. A sharp clang, mixed with the dragon's cry of the precious sword, made everyone else present cover their ears, feeling their Qi and blood churn violently. Jian Taiding's hard ice shell was also completely shattered by this high-frequency sound. Zu An, who bore the brunt of the attack, almost lost his grip on his longsword and was sent retreating violently. He felt his elemental energy surging within him and only felt better after spitting out a mouthful of blood. Because he hadn't let go of his sword, the web between his thumb and forefinger was bleeding profusely from the impact.

"A'Zu!" Qiu Honglei rushed to Zu An's side, checking his injuries from head to toe. She held his hand and continuously transferred her elemental energy into him to heal his wounds. "I'm fine," Zu An reassured her. With his physical strength and recovery ability, although he was not lightly wounded, his life was not in danger. At this moment, he turned his head to look at the adjacent rooftop, where he saw a woman in white Taoist robes. The woman had graceful eyebrows, delicate eyes, fair skin, and crimson lips. Her figure was slender, and she stood lightly on the tip of the eaves, as if floating. Her Taoist robes fluttered, making her seem like she had stepped out from beyond the mundane world, without a trace of worldly dust; her presence was so pure it felt almost sacrilegious to behold her. Her crystal-clear, jade-like face was without a single blemish, but her eyes were too deep and cold, carrying an awe-inspiring presence that needed no anger to command respect.

"Who is this woman?" Zu An was somewhat horrified, because the elemental energy fluctuations emanating from her seemed to indicate she was a Great Grandmaster. Seeing the woman, Jian Taiding was visibly excited: "Senior Sister!" "Senior Sister?" Zu An's expression was strange. This woman was actually Jian Taiding's Senior Sister? This might be the end today. He had already given his all against one Grandmaster and a few ninth-rank experts. If a Great Grandmaster showed up, how could he possibly fight?

"Silence! You're an embarrassment!" The Taoist nun-like woman coldly snorted, clearly not holding Jian Taiding in high regard. Jian Taiding lowered his head, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, but he dared not retort in the slightest. Zu An, however, had a very strange feeling at this moment. This Taoist nun in front of him gave him a strong sense of familiarity. It wasn't that her appearance was familiar, but rather her aura, which carried an indescribable sense of familiarity and closeness. What the hell? Why did he feel this way?

At this point, Jian Taiding spoke again: "Senior Sister, this person stole our confidential information. I trouble Senior Sister to help me deal with him." The stunning Taoist nun said indifferently, "You, a Grandmaster, were almost defeated by someone of a lower rank, and now you have the nerve to ask me to step in?" Jian Taiding's old face flushed. He quickly said, "I know I have shamed the sect, but this matter is of great importance. If it is leaked, the sect will suffer unbearable losses. I beg Senior Sister to prioritize the bigger picture." Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Was there a massive power behind Jian Taiding?

The stunning Taoist nun was silent for a moment, then looked at Zu An: "Young man, I will only make one move. Whether you live or die depends on fate." As soon as her words fell, Zu An felt a powerful surge of energy lock onto him, making his hair stand on end. What was the concept of a Great Grandmaster? Even if she only made one move, that move would surely be earth-shattering. However, he showed no fear, raising his sword in front of him and laughing heartily: "My fate is mine to control, not heaven's. Old Taoist nun, you're still too green to kill me." No matter how powerful the opponent was, she was still just a Great Grandmaster. He had personally fought against an Earth Immortal and had even seen several figures on par with or even stronger than the Emperor. How could he be intimidated by a mere Great Grandmaster? Moreover, he deliberately spoke this way, intending to provoke her and probe her true abilities. As expected, even a woman as serene as she was slightly thrown off balance upon hearing the words "old Taoist nun." "What an arrogant young man!" she retorted. "One must know that things come to fruition when like meets like, and the Dao merges with nature in the void. Who in this world dares to say their fate is theirs to control, not heaven's? You truly don't know your place!" Zu An frowned slightly. Yan Xuehen. He had never heard that name before. He'd have to ask Xiao Jianren later; Xiao Jianren, having long frequented the Embroidery Chamber's archives, should know. Seeing the Taoist nun about to make her move, Qiu Honglei quickly spread her arms, blocking Zu An, and exclaimed: "Abbot Yan, you are a revered senior. How can you attack a junior?!"