Chapter 1200: Equalized

Although the Sun-shooting Arrow has a tracking effect, Zu An was so close to him that if Zu An were shot dead, he would likely die too.

Left with no choice, he hastily activated the Golden Crow Chariot's defenses. A translucent, golden shield rose around the entire chariot.

Just then, the Sun-shooting Arrow, imbued with terrifying power, shot forth.

There was no thunderous explosion as expected; instead, everything fell silent.

No sound whatsoever, as if everything had been annihilated.

Immediately after, a blinding light erupted across the sky, and the entire sky seemed to turn golden.

Everyone hastily covered their eyes; those who were even a bit slower screamed repeatedly, their eyes seemingly burned.

Right after that, a shadow rapidly plunged from mid-air, landing on a mountaintop.

With a loud crash, half the mountaintop was sheared off.

“That’s the Golden Chariot!” a sharp-eyed cultivator exclaimed.

However, the Golden Chariot was now dull and dim, and the Golden Crow Crown Prince inside was held by Zu An, limp as a noodle, completely devoid of his previous arrogance and dominance.

Looking at the Golden Chariot beside him, he thought to himself, “This is a good item! With this, wouldn’t I have my own private plane?”

“I could return to human society in no time!”

He then tried to store it using the Lapis Lazuli Orb, but found it wouldn't budge.

“Could it be that the divine artifact has chosen its master?”

Zu An glanced at the Golden Crow Crown Prince in his hand, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. This birdman had tried to kill him multiple times; he might as well take this opportunity to finish him off.

Just as he was about to make his move, a terrifying aura swept over him. Startled, he quickly dodged aside.

When he looked closely again, he saw the Golden Crow Crown Prince was already in the hands of an old man.

“A Great Grandmaster?” Zu An’s heart sank as he sensed the opponent’s aura.

“Young man, it’s best to be merciful when possible,” the old man said, looking at Zu An calmly, clearly having seen his intent to kill just moments ago.

Zu An snorted coldly. “When this birdman was using his divine artifact to try and kill me, why didn’t you come out to stop him? Now that he’s lost, you pop out to take his side. Isn’t that disgusting!”

The old man’s expression turned cold. “Young man, being too arrogant often leads to a bad end. It would do you no good to offend me now.”

“Just a Great Grandmaster, so what? It’s not like I haven’t fought one before. If you want to fight, stop talking nonsense.” Although Zu An had many injuries at this moment, the recent battle had boosted his confidence and fighting spirit to their peak; he was currently in a state of absolute fearlessness, ready to challenge anything and everything.

Of course, he wasn’t completely reckless; he had Key Come, the Dagger of Inevitable Death, and many life-saving skills. If he truly fought the old man, he wasn’t without a fighting chance.

The old man looked at him in surprise. “Indeed, you possess the heart of a true strong cultivator. Your future achievements are limitless.”

At this moment, the Golden Crow Crown Prince recovered his breath and hastily said, “Elder, quickly kill this arrogant brat!”

Zu An’s heart tightened, and he became secretly wary.

At this moment, Yu Yanluo and the others also reacted. “Their duel just now was fair, and they should bear the consequences themselves. There’s no reason for an elder generation to interfere!”

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen also prepared themselves. If this old man truly disregarded his status and attacked Zu An, they would intervene to help, even with their injuries.

The old man looked at Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen strangely. These two women clearly looked frail, yet they gave him a somewhat unfathomable feeling.

He collected his thoughts and said calmly, “Queen Medusa, there is no need to worry. The demon race respects strength above all else. I would not intervene in a duel between juniors.”

Hearing him say this, the Golden Crow Crown Prince immediately grew anxious. “Elder, this person offended me and disrespected our demon royal family! If we let him go, he will surely become a grave threat to us in the future!”

Unfortunately, the other party had a special status, and he could not command him as the Crown Prince.

The old man shook his head. “He possesses the bloodline of an ancient phoenix; he is an ally, not an enemy, to our demon race. There’s no need to worry too much.”

Hearing his words, everyone was greatly surprised. The legendary phoenix bloodline?

Even Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue looked at him with strange expressions. After all this, was this brat half-demon too?

Zu An naturally knew that the old man had misunderstood; he was able to unleash flames with a phoenix aura because he cultivated the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, not because of a bloodline power.

The Golden Crow Crown Prince was about to say more, but the old man directly interrupted him. “The Demon Emperor sent you out this time to temper your character. Things have been too smooth for you over the years; a bit of a setback is good. Remember this humiliation, use it as motivation, and personally avenge yourself in the future; only then will you be a true strong cultivator. If you keep thinking of relying on others, you will never reach the realm of past Demon Emperors or become a qualified Demon Emperor.”

The Golden Crow Crown Prince was startled and said in a deep voice, “Elder, your lesson is well-taken.”

Although he was arrogant, he was indeed a strong cultivator on the path of cultivation. Now enlightened, he felt a sudden realization.

The old man nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Zu An and said, “Young friend, for this royal court assembly, you should come along with Queen Medusa.”

No sooner had he spoken than a golden light appeared before Zu An.

Zu An took it and found it was a golden token, engraved with a sun and a golden crow in its center.

“This is the Golden Crow Token,” the old man reminded him. “With this token, you can pass through all checkpoints in the demon race’s territory without hindrance, and it also serves as qualification to enter the royal court.”

“Thank you.” The other party’s attitude was good, so Zu An saw no need to be cold towards him.

“We shall meet again.” The old man nodded, and with a wave of his sleeve, the Golden Chariot and all the golden-armored warriors were stored within his sleeve. Of course, considering the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s status, he did not store him along with them; instead, he grabbed his shoulder and flew off into the distance.

Zu An hastily called out, “Birdman, you lost the contest just now, you still haven’t given me your wager!”

Everyone’s expression turned strange, only then remembering that both of them had wagered their women, and the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s wager was presumably his Crown Princess.

The Golden Crow Crown Prince in the sky stumbled, his recently stabilized Dao Heart nearly crumbled again. “This despicable human, how could he be so shameless!”

Rage points from the Golden Crow Crown Prince +999,999,999…

He was so angry he wanted to go back and fight Zu An to the death, but the old man held him firmly. “You don’t even have a Crown Princess, what are you worried about?”

Only then did the Golden Crow Crown Prince realize, “Oh right, my status is special, and I haven’t actually chosen a Crown Princess yet.”

If there isn’t one, then there’s naturally no one to lose.

Wasn’t that precisely why he had agreed earlier?

As soon as he thought of this, his mood immediately became peaceful.

“Stupid human, you’ve been fooled by me, the Crown Prince, haven’t you?”

Soon, the two disappeared into the sky.

Zu An couldn’t help but curse loudly, “This birdman, actually planning to get something for nothing! He infuriates me!”

At this moment, Yu Yanluo rushed over, her face flushed, wrapping a coat around him, its loose fit looking quite alarming.

At the same time, she took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the bloodstains from his face, while also taking out medicine to bandage his wounds.

Zu An held her hand and gave her a sunny smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not seriously hurt; I’ll recover in a while.”

The snake clan subjects in the distance were all astonished to see this scene. Their clan leader looked like such a gentle and caring little wife, completely unlike her usual attitude towards her male consorts.

However, this human was so powerful that he probably couldn’t be regarded as an ordinary male consort.

Moreover, a certain scene had just been deeply imprinted in everyone’s minds; the clan leader had probably been conquered by him, both in body and mind…

As the snake clan members were lost in thought, Yun Jianyue walked up to Zu An. “Stinky brat, what’s your hurry? That birdman doesn’t have a Crown Princess now, but what about in the future?”

If a human could abduct the demon race’s Crown Princess, that would certainly be quite amusing.

Zu An chuckled, “I was just deliberately provoking that guy, to disrupt his Dao Heart. Do I really covet some Crown Princess? Am I really that kind of person?”

Yun Jianyue looked at him with disdain. “What’s the use of just talking? If you really have the ability to win over the demon race’s Crown Princess, then I, your elder sister, would genuinely admire you.”

Yan Xuehen, standing nearby, said unhappily, “What kind of terrible ideas do you come up with all day? If you’re going to win, win honorably. What does it have to do with other people’s women?”

For some reason, hearing about Zu An seducing other women made her feel uncomfortable.

Yun Jianyue snorted. “Oh, you’re so great, so pure. The struggle against the demon race is a life-and-death war. Naturally, you use every means necessary. Someone as pedantic as you is practically a sinner against humanity.”

“You!” Yan Xuehen was somewhat taken aback by her sarcastic tone and turned away, fuming silently.

Rage points from Yan Xuehen +555,555…

Zu An thought to himself, “You two are bickering, why are you getting angry at me?”

After thinking for a moment, he decided to comfort her, so he leaned close to Yan Xuehen and whispered through spiritual energy, “I saw you naked before, and today you saw me naked. I guess we’re even now, right?”

Yan Xuehen: “???”