Chapter 1055: Breaking

"Why are you so sure I'm not your husband? Is it because you saw me die?" Zu An asked calmly, as if the tsunami hundreds of meters away didn't exist.

"You're beyond redemption!" Yu Yanluo frowned, and with a wave of her hand, the sky-obscuring tsunami surged towards Zu An.

However, she hesitated, then with a flick of her brush, she canceled the continuous waves that would have followed.

Even so, after the terrifying tsunami swept past, the man's figure was gone, leaving only the vast and magnificent ocean.

Looking at the sea, Yu Yanluo was startled: "Is he dead?"

She had just seen him fighting the monster and knew his cultivation was extremely high, so she hadn't dared to hold back too much.

In her opinion, since he was a fire-attribute cultivator, he would naturally be countered by water.

That's why she created the ocean. However, given the combat power he displayed, though the tsunami was terrifying, it should at most have gravely wounded him and incapacitated him, not taken his life. How could there be no trace of him left now?

She thought for a moment, then picked up her brush and waved it. The ocean immediately parted in two, gradually revealing the seabed.

At this moment, Zu An stood on the seabed, gazing up at the sky with a bewildered expression, completely surprised that the other party had parted the ocean so easily.

This was a capability straight out of ancient myths.

At the same time, the ethereal figure of Yu Yanluo in the sky also looked somewhat bewildered. She had considered many outcomes; her biggest fears were accidentally killing him with an overly powerful tsunami, or leaving him gravely wounded and unconscious, making interrogation difficult. But she had never expected him to be sitting on the seabed, unharmed, as if on vacation!

He was surrounded by a thin, transparent blue sphere. Was that water elemental energy?

But how was that possible? Wasn't he a fire-element cultivator?

Yu Yanluo was somewhat stunned, feeling as if her common sense of many years had been severely challenged.

"Is that a skill or some kind of artifact? You're not cultivating both water and fire, are you?" Yu Yanluo couldn't help but ask.

Zu An naturally wouldn't tell her he had used the Blue Duck's water element affinity skill. He stared at the ethereal figure in the sky, lost in thought for a moment, then asked, "I'm in your painting, aren't I?"

Yu Yanluo was even more astonished: "You guessed that?"

How many enemies had she trapped in her paintings? They spent their entire lives unable to leave the world within the painting, eventually dying there without ever knowing why, believing they had been teleported to some secret realm or desperate land.

To be within the situation and still realize it's a painting—this was a first.

Zu An thought to himself that abilities like this appeared in his previous life's "Investiture of the Gods" with Nüwa's "Map of Mountains and Rivers," and were common in various films and TV shows.

He hadn't initially considered this possibility, but it clicked when he saw her abilities becoming increasingly absurd within this world.

Zu An stated directly, "Although you've trapped me in your painting, limited by your own cultivation, you can't create anything too exaggerated to deal with me."

Yu Yanluo fell silent, then spoke after a long pause: "That's true. While I can still paint some things into existence, with the strength you just displayed, it would indeed be difficult to deal with you. But what of it? Without my permission, you can't leave this world; you'll be trapped in the painting forever. So tell me your identity and the purpose of your visit, and then I'll consider whether or not to release you."

Zu An frowned. Begging for mercy was out of the question. He had come to investigate Yu Yanluo, but instead of finding anything, he had been found out by her. How could he preserve his handsome face?

More importantly, although they had a good relationship before, they didn't know each other's true backgrounds. Now that he had stumbled upon her secret, he wasn't sure if she would turn hostile and disavow him.

"Your painting might not be that formidable. There must be a way out, otherwise, wouldn't you be invincible?" His mind worked quickly, and he soon realized the crucial point.

"That's right, many powerful individuals can violently break open my paintings; the world within them cannot withstand their strength," Yu Yanluo admitted frankly, then quickly added, "But clearly, you haven't reached that level yet."

Zu An: "..."

Did this woman have to be so blunt?

"Call me when you've come to your senses," Yu Yanluo said, observing his expression. She knew he wouldn't resign himself to his fate anytime soon and that he needed to suffer a bit before giving up his fantasies.

She left her desk and returned to the bed, letting out an involuntary yawn.

Anyone woken up from a deep sleep in the middle of the night would be a bit grumpy. She thought that even if he begged for mercy later, she would keep him trapped for a few more days to teach him a good lesson.

Once in bed, she removed her clothes and snuggled back under the covers. The warmth from the underground fire permeated through the bed board. She hummed contentedly, stretched, and shifted into a more comfortable position.

While she was comfortable, Zu An on the other side was not.

Seeing Yu Yanluo's figure disappear into the horizon, the parted ocean on both sides seemed to lose its supporting power and converged once more.

Zu An tapped his toes and shot out of the water.

He walked directly on the sea, quickly advancing tens of miles, trying to find the boundaries of this world.

How big could a painting be?

However, he soon realized he was gravely mistaken. No matter which direction he moved, there was only an endless ocean, and the horizon stretched infinitely.

It was as if the entire world extended with his movements.

Next, Zu An summoned the Tai'a Sword and unleashed various powerful attack skills into the air and the ocean.

Unfortunately, no matter how fierce his attacks were, the sky and ocean were simply too vast, and his power quickly dissipated.

"It seems my cultivation indeed hasn't reached the limits of this world," Zu An muttered, his brows furrowed.

Continuing like this would be truly troublesome. Although he still had many resources in his Glazed Pearl, they weren't infinite. Even if they could last for half a year or a year, he couldn't stay in the painting for that long; there were so many people waiting for him outside.

However, he didn't continue to waste energy aimlessly. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the sea surface, beginning to ponder all the skills and items he possessed, wondering if any could transcend space.

With the Blue Duck's ability, he wouldn't sink while floating on the surface of the sea. As the waves rose and fell, his thoughts raced.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He remembered that back in Brightmoon City, when Wei Dan came to apprehend Old Man Mi, the two had used a strange footwork during their great battle: "Steps of Blooming Lotuses."

At the time, it was supposedly capable of breaking through spatial seals.

Later, Wei Dan died, and Old Man Mi's attempt at possession failed, inadvertently benefiting Zu An. "Steps of Blooming Lotuses" naturally fell into his hands.

When he first became interested, his cultivation was insufficient to perform it.

Later, his cultivation was sufficient, but he had learned so many other skills that he rarely needed this one.

In his current predicament, trapped in a painted world, wasn't breaking out precisely what "Steps of Blooming Lotuses" excelled at?

He began to recall the details of "Steps of Blooming Lotuses" in his mind, and with his current understanding, he gained a deeper insight and comprehension of it.

After about half an hour, Zu An opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. The anxiety that had previously been on his face disappeared, replaced by a confident smile.

He slowly raised his foot and began to walk towards the sky, step by step.

With each step, a blooming lotus imprint appeared beneath his foot. The surrounding sky, which had remained unchanged no matter how he attacked it before, now gradually became somewhat chaotic and illusory.

Zu An knew this was the sign of space beginning to collapse, and he continued to ascend.

Powerful pulling forces gradually emerged around him, as if the world was desperately trying to restrain him.

His expression remained calm as he continued to ascend. When he took the sixth step, he felt a thin, film-like barrier ahead of him.

This must be the last layer of defense in Yu Yanluo's world.

With the seventh step, that film finally broke!

Zu An felt his body lighten, and the next moment, he reappeared in the boudoir.

On the table lay a painting, but it looked as if something had torn a hole through it, lying there in disarray.

So, it was this painting that had trapped him for so long.

Zu An felt immense gratitude; thankfully, he had "Steps of Blooming Lotuses," otherwise, he truly would have been defeated this time.

He turned his gaze to the bed beside him and saw Yu Yanluo sleeping soundly. He couldn't help but feel a surge of irritation.

This woman really could sleep through anything.

He walked to the bedside. Yu Yanluo seemed to sense his presence and groggily opened her eyes.

However, she only felt a numbness in her shoulder, and her pressure points were already sealed.

Zu An retracted his finger and sat down by the bed. "Oh, you've even taken off your clothes. Are you that trusting?"

As she had been about to get up, the quilt had slipped, revealing large expanses of her fair, almost dazzlingly white skin.

Her inner *dudou* was made of black silk, looking smooth and soft; one could tell even without touching that it would feel comfortable against the skin.

It had no embroidered patterns, only some intricate cut-out designs along the edges.

Zu An thought to himself: On the surface, this woman appears so pure and dignified, yet underneath, she wears something so... subtly provocative?

He had to admit, seeing her conservative attire during the day, he hadn't expected such an impressive figure beneath her clothes.

Clearly sensing his gaze, a hint of anger flashed in Yu Yanluo's eyes: "How did you get out?"

(Yu Yanluo's rage soared to 444,444,444...)

"My L-… cough, cough," Zu An's heart skipped a beat; he almost blurted it out. "Madam's painting isn't invincible. I told you I could get out, and naturally, I did."

Yu Yanluo was confused. Why did this man call her "My Lady"?

Her surname was Yu.

But that wasn't the point. Seeing him sitting so close by her bed, her eyes gradually changed color, and her hair began to stir without a breeze.

Zu An, however, noticed the fine goosebumps on her skin from the cold, and reached out to pull the quilt back over her.

Sensing his movement, Yu Yanluo had initially assumed he was about to be disrespectful, and the killing intent in her eyes intensified.

But when she realized he was covering her up, she paused, and the color in her eyes gradually faded. "Who exactly are you?"

Zu An didn't notice this subtle change. "Madam, you've got one thing wrong. Now I'm asking you, not the other way around. When you and Jian Taiding conspired to harm me, did you feel even a sliver of guilt?"

Yu Yanluo snorted, "Stop pretending. I know you're not Jian Yanyou."

Zu An fell silent, giving up his final probe. "I thought my disguise was flawless. Where exactly did I give myself away?"

The perfect combination of "Thousand Faces" and the "Cute Girl Voice Changer" had surprisingly failed in its first battle. He had to know where the problem lay so he could avoid it in the future.