Chapter 1262: Attacking Them Means They Must Rescue

The "Lion Spirit," who had been flying imperiously in the sky, looking down at everyone as if they were ants, stumbled upon hearing these words, almost toppling directly from the air.

The surrounding demon clan members were dumbfounded. The men each wore mysterious, knowing smiles, while the women blushed deeply, muttering curses under their breath.

On this side, Yun Jianyue opened her mouth and, after a long pause, uttered four words: "That's just like him!"

A faint blush spread across Yan Xuehen's cheeks, wondering what a peculiar thing it was for him to focus on.

Yu Yanluo, on the other hand, glanced at them in surprise. According to the rumors she had gathered, these two were not known for their amiable temperaments; anyone daring to crack such a joke in front of them would be lucky to escape with half their life. Yet now, despite their familiarity, they showed no trace of anger.

At this moment, the "Lion Spirit" recovered, his gaze turning cold. "The game is over," he declared. "You, utterly unaware of your place, dared to lay a killing hand on a Lion Clan prince. If you atone by taking your own life now, you may yet keep a complete corpse; otherwise..."

He did not finish what "otherwise" entailed, but the threat was palpable.

Zu An sighed. "Your brothers aren't much with their hands, but they're both masters of the tongue."

Princess Soren, Qiao Heng, and the others wore strange expressions. How dare he speak to the West Lion like that?

However, recalling how he had just dealt with the Lion Spirit, they realized this kind of tit-for-tat confrontation was simply his style.

While this man was indeed formidable, he was likely still no match for the long-renowned West Lion.

While the Lion Spirit was exceptional, he was still young and hadn't cultivated for long. His elder brother, on the other hand, had no such weaknesses.

It was well known that the Lion Spirit had been praised for his fortuitous encounter after falling off a cliff as a child; yet, his elder brother experienced a similar serendipitous event every single year.

All the demon clan members considered him a person of great destiny. Barring any accidents, such a person was destined to become a Grandmaster eventually, and even breaking through to an Earth Immortal held great promise.

The others clearly didn't have high hopes for Zu An, but the combat power he had just displayed was undeniably strong. Everyone widened their eyes, eager to seize the opportunity to observe the West Lion's techniques. They hoped he would reveal more of his ultimate skills, allowing their own clan's experts to be better prepared should they face the West Lion in the future.

At this moment, the "Lion Spirit" in the sky's gaze turned cold. "You have successfully enraged me," he stated. "Very well, I grant you death."

Rage points from Shi Qian: 444,444,444...

No sooner had he spoken than he raised a finger, and a beam of golden light shot forth.

The surrounding demon clan members, even from a distance, felt the destructive aura emanating from it, and each was horrified. This was merely a wisp of the West Lion's divine consciousness, yet it effortlessly wielded such immense power. If they were to face him, wouldn't they be instantly annihilated?

"Heavenly Origin Killing Finger!" Princess Soren, whose status afforded her greater insight, immediately recognized this as the unique technique the West Lion had obtained during a fortuitous encounter in his youth.

Over the years, this single finger had suppressed and killed countless masters, its power truly astonishing.

The "Lion Spirit" chose the timing of his attack with great cunning, striking precisely when Zu An and the women behind him were aligned. This way, if Zu An dodged, the women behind him would be imperiled.

If Zu An tried to withstand it directly, this Heavenly Origin Killing Finger would cause even the other Four Greats to suffer significant losses. What, then, was this guy in front of him?

As expected, Zu An neither dodged nor avoided. He simply raised his hand slowly, his palm becoming somewhat blurry as the surrounding air and light seemed to distort. Then, the golden beam of light was directly absorbed into his palm.

Princess Soren and Qiao Heng nearly cried out in alarm. To catch such a killing move with bare hands—not just his hand, but perhaps his entire arm wouldn't be spared.

What surprised them, however, was that the golden light then vanished, as if it had never appeared at all.

Meanwhile, the "Lion Spirit" in the sky reacted as if facing a formidable foe, hastily dodging to the side. Still, a streak of blood appeared on his face.

He suddenly turned and looked at Zu An. "What was that move you just pulled!"

He wasn't surprised by the subsequent finger-wind technique, as he had already witnessed Zu An breaking his younger brother's Mad Lion Hegemonic Fist with it.

The reason he had almost been hit was simply due to his shock, which had caused a momentary lapse in focus.

What truly baffled him, even making him momentarily wonder if something was wrong with the world, was Zu An's bare-handed interception of his Heavenly Origin Killing Finger.

In the distance, Yan Xuehen's lips curved slightly upward. That guy Zu An possessed a powerful absorbing force; when she had originally tried to kill him, most of her attacks had been neutralized by this strange suction. Otherwise, how could he have possibly endured a Grandmaster's assault for so long?

If he could even withstand her attacks, what was a mere younger generation demon clan expert?

Zu An naturally wouldn't expose the Taotie Heaven-Devouring Art. He said with a grin, "Want to know? Beg me!"

The "Lion Spirit"'s breath hitched. "How despicable this person is!"

Rage points from Shi Qian: 499,499,499...

His expression turned cold, and his entire body radiated dazzling golden light. The terrifying brilliance made it impossible to look at directly, and the aura itself seemed to portend a coming doomsday catastrophe.

The group of young demon clan experts turned pale. They were all the cream of the crop in their respective clans, and many had even felt indignant about not being chosen as one of the Five Greats, believing they could contend with them.

Only then did they finally give up hope, realizing they couldn't even compare to a wisp of the West Lion's divine consciousness. The gap was simply too vast.

The stout man, Wu Liang, rapidly formed hand seals, seemingly calculating something. Gradually, a faint smile spread across his face. "Someone is probably going to take a big fall this time," he mused.

At this moment, the "Lion Spirit" moved. His Heavenly Origin Killing Finger had just been neutralized by the strange vortex on Zu An's hand, making further ranged attacks incredibly unwise.

He charged directly towards Zu An like a meteor falling from the heavens, and with a raised hand, unleashed forty-nine lion phantoms.

The Mad Lion Hegemonic Fist—this was the Lion Clan's signature technique, unrivaled in its ferocity!

The Lion Spirit unleashing merely nine phantoms had already astonished everyone; now, with forty-nine, the surrounding demon clan members were utterly numb with shock.

The entire earth visibly sank under the oppressive force of his fist wind. Trees snapped in unison, and even massive boulders were reduced to dust.

Yun Jianyue frowned and, with a wave of her hand, generated an inexplicable aura that shielded the two women beside her.

Although the power of Yu Yanluo's Medusa's Eye made even Grandmasters wary, her physical body was not known for its strength and might not be able to withstand the assault. Yan Xuehen, meanwhile, was too severely injured.

At this moment, Yu Yanluo smiled at her. "Sister Yun, you are injured; let me handle this."

As she spoke, a painting scroll shimmering with light enveloped the women. In that instant, they seemed to be in a special space, isolated from the world they had just occupied.

Yun Jianyue's eyes lit up. "A world within a painting! This seems to have the style of the Academy's Libationer. So you are that mysterious disciple, Hua!"

Yan Xuehen also gave her a knowing look; she had already known this when they fought previously.

Yu Yanluo was a little surprised. "Sister Yun's insight is indeed extraordinary. Yes, I hope you can help keep this a secret."

Yun Jianyue put an arm around her shoulder. "Rest assured, since you call me sister, how could I refuse?"

Meanwhile, the "Lion Spirit" outside felt his heart skip a beat. What was going on with those two women? Each of them possessed unfathomable techniques.

However, he had no time to worry about it now. He needed to suppress this man first.

Forty-nine fierce lions, their ear-splitting roars causing heaven and earth to change color.

Behind Zu An, circle after circle of azure ripples appeared, from which streams of sword qi, condensed from the void, shot forth.

At first, the golden lions roared, resisting the azure sword qi, but they soon crumbled, unable to hold on. Pierced by one sword qi after another, they were directly impaled in mid-air.

After all, this was not the West Lion's true body. How could it possibly contend with Zu An's Azure Luan Sword Array?

Witnessing this dazzling display, the other demon clan experts were mesmerized. This guy could actually defeat the West Lion?

Even if it was just a wisp of divine consciousness, everyone had clearly just witnessed how terrifying its suppressive power was.

Princess Changning's breathing quickened. This man was even more powerful than she had imagined; she absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity.

Princess Soren's beautiful eyes shone with a strange brilliance. The elegance of that last move was truly captivating.

At the same time, her heart stirred. Why did that move feel somewhat familiar, as if she had heard of it somewhere before?

At this moment, the "Lion Spirit" directly warped across the void. He knew clearly that in his current state, he was no match. Although unwilling, he made a decisive decision to escape.

Zu An naturally wasn't willing to let him go like this and was about to give chase when he saw the "Lion Spirit" remotely pull several Lion Clan subordinates into the air. He then hurled some towards Yu Yanluo and the other women, and others towards Princess Soren and Qiao Heng.

He had previously watched indifferently from his younger brother's body. Leaving aside Yu Yanluo and the women, Princess Soren had reminded him several times, and Qiao Heng had also been rescued by him. There clearly had to be some connection between them. This move was a classic "attack where they must rescue."

The bodies of those Lion Clan subordinates exploded with a bang, turning into streams of bloody mist, each containing immense power.

"Blood Explosion Art!" The demon clan members all blanched. This was an incredibly vicious cultivation technique; the explosive power alone was terrifying, but even if one could withstand the blast, merely a trace of the blood would cause the body to continuously rot, eventually dissolving into a pool of putrid blood.