Chapter 1276: Unexpected

Qiao Heng, after firing his full-force arrow, could no longer stand. His legs buckled, and he dropped to one knee.

Witnessing this, both Princess Soren and Princess Changning felt a wave of despair. As members of the demon race, they were intimately familiar with the formidable reputation of the elves' ultimate move, "Tears of the Forest Sprite," and thus their expectations had been incredibly high.

Of course, they also knew that given the black-furred monster's demonstrated combat power, this arrow was unlikely to kill him. However, they expected it to at least inflict some injury or briefly impede him.

Yet, he had caught it with one hand, merely singeing some fur—if that even counted as an injury.

Despair also filled Qiao Heng's eyes. He looked at Zu An with a bitter smile. "Brother, I wanted to be a hero who covered the retreat, but it seems I'm still not capable."

Zu An patted his shoulder. "You've worked hard. Leave the rest to me."

Qiao Heng's eyes were vacant. Clearly, the fact that the elves' great killing move, "Tears of the Forest Sprite," hadn't even scratched the enemy's skin was a tremendous blow to him.

Facing such an absolute disparity in strength, he didn't believe Zu An stepping forward would change anything.

Princess Soren's gaze towards Zu An was filled with complexity. Everyone else was in despair, so why could this man remain so calm and composed?

Some people truly were born for grand occasions. To witness such a heroic man before death, fate had not treated her unfairly.

On the other side, Princess Changning subtly recoiled. She quietly glanced at the San San flower in the center of the blood pool. It looked like it was about to bloom at any moment, meaning it wouldn't need many more people's blood essence. If she died after the others, she might just escape this calamity.

At that moment, Zu An had already flown out on his Wind-Fire Wheels. The people on the stone platform were either injured or weak, and he wasn't confident he could protect them if the battle spilled over.

The black-furred monster seemed somewhat surprised that someone would dare to challenge him head-on.

He glanced at the Wind-Fire Wheels beneath Zu An's feet. Clearly, he was more interested in those than in Zu An himself.

So, he extended a large hand and reached directly for the two Wind-Fire Wheels.

The moment the monster raised his hand, Zu An felt his Wind-Fire Wheels almost pull uncontrollably towards him. Zu An quickly flew towards the San San flower in the center of the blood pool, diverting the monster's attention.

In this environment, where flight was suppressed, if he lost his Wind-Fire Wheels, he wouldn't even have a place to stand, let alone fight the monster.

As expected, the black-furred monster grew anxious when it saw Zu An approach the San San flower. It stopped pursuing the Wind-Fire Wheels and instead lunged directly for Zu An's shoulder.

Everyone on the stone platform felt their hearts leap into their throats. Even from a distance, they could feel the overwhelming power of that colossal grab.

Just moments ago, every young expert from the demon race had been instantly killed by such a grab, without exception.

Yet, Zu An's face showed none of the panic that Duan Tiande, Ma Huang, and the others had displayed. Instead, he was remarkably calm, too calm for someone facing a life-or-death crisis.

He, too, met the attack with a palm. Seeing this, Princess Soren almost cried out in alarm. The monster was a Grandmaster; wouldn't clashing head-on with him be suicide?

In her opinion, the wisest course of action would be to use his ghostly agility and teleportation, comparable to a Night Elf's Shadow Meld, to evade and maneuver.

However, she quickly understood why. If he retreated, the monster's attention would likely shift to them. As this thought crossed her mind, her beautiful eyes welled up slightly.

There was no loud bang as expected, nor did Zu An cough up blood and fly backward. He merely swayed, having actually withstood the invincible grab head-on.

Yu Yanluo's tightly clenched fists finally relaxed. Beside her, Yun Jianyue chuckled, "Didn't I tell you not to worry? Your man is fine."

Yu Yanluo gave a slightly embarrassed smile, then secretly glanced at Yan Xuehen. The memory of them being pursued by Yan Xuehen when they had teamed up still lingered.

Yan Xuehen also explained, "He possesses a miraculous cultivation technique that allows him to dissipate and absorb others' attacks. This prevents him from being instantly crushed when facing top masters."

She recalled their past encounter; it was as if an invisible black hole existed all over his body. A significant portion of her attack's force was always mysteriously absorbed, making it difficult for her to achieve the usual Grandmaster-level suppression she exerted over ordinary cultivators.

However, this technique could at best give him a fighting chance. He hadn't even reached the Master rank, so victory was nearly impossible.

The only fortunate aspect was that the black-furred monster seemed to be mentally unstable and couldn't employ many abilities unique to Grandmasters, acting instead purely on instinct and combat experience.

The black-furred monster was clearly surprised that the "ant" before him could block its attack.

It roared and charged at Zu An again, releasing a terrifying pressure that caused the entire blood pool to begin boiling.

Breathing became difficult for everyone on the stone platform. Princess Changning, whose cultivation was weaker, was directly pressed to the ground, unable to stand.

Zu An, however, roared, "Now!"

Yun Jianyue was already prepared. With a flick of her sleeve, a Changxin Palace Lantern appeared in the air, its soft yellow light shining upon the monster.

In her peak condition, she would have been confident enough to hold the monster in place for a while just by herself, but in her current state, she could only slightly delay it.

Yu Yanluo also moved. Her black hair, without any wind, began to move on its own, transforming into countless small snakes, and her eyes emitted a yellow glow.

Yan Xuehen, standing nearby, felt her cheeks flush slightly. When she had pursued the two of them back then, it was this very move that almost turned her to stone, and her robes were torn, leaving her exposed to Zu An's gaze...

Princess Soren's mouth hung open in shock. This woman was actually the Medusa Queen!

Then, wasn't this man the mysterious individual who had defeated the Golden Crow Crown Prince recently?

Princess Changning's expression was also complex. She had never imagined that this man was the enemy who had defeated her "fiancé."

In recent days, upon hearing of the Golden Crow Crown Prince's defeat, she had cursed that mysterious man daily. Who would have thought she would be saved by him today?

Enveloped by the dual control abilities of the Changxin Palace Lantern and the Eye of Medusa, even the powerful black-furred monster stiffened completely. The black energy around its body ceaselessly resisted the light of the Changxin Palace Lantern and the petrification force.

Zu An dared not relax for a moment. He unleashed the Domain of Might from the Tai'e Sword and even summoned Baiming to deliver a spiritual shock.

At the same time, wielding "Dagger of Poison," he unleashed the Shattered Star Profound Seal with a tenfold burst of power. His entire body transformed into a streaking meteor, and he charged towards the black-furred monster with a resolute expression.

He knew very well that given the vast disparity in their strengths, his other abilities would likely inflict little damage on the black-furred monster. So, he decided to play his trump card right away, catching the monster off guard.

Indeed, assailed by various skills, the black-furred monster, no matter how strong, was momentarily held in check.

Furthermore, Zu An used the "Grand Supreme Scripture of Emotionlessness," taught by Yan Xuehen, to conceal his killing intent. By the time the monster reacted, it was too late.

With a thwock, even a Grandmaster's defense couldn't withstand the attack amplified tenfold by the Shattered Star Profound Seal. "Dagger of Poison" plunged straight into the monster's body.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. Even a dragon would perish if "Dagger of Poison" merely grazed its skin, let alone when the entire blade was plunged in.

However, his expression suddenly changed. He hastily retreated but was still a step too late. The monster unleashed a punch. Zu An hurriedly raised his arms to block, but he was still sent flying backward.

Because he had just activated the Shattered Star Profound Seal, his qi and blood were churning violently, making it difficult to maintain balance on the Wind-Fire Wheels. He swayed precariously, about to fall into the blood pool.

Everyone on the stone platform's face changed drastically. Yun Jianyue reacted fastest, casually snatching Yan Xuehen's belt and, with a flick, lassoing Zu An's arm to pull him back.

After successfully rescuing Zu An, Yan Xuehen, still reeling from fright, immediately realized what had happened. She hastily clutched her robes, blushing with shame and anger. "Demoness, why did you pull off my belt!"

Yun Jianyue snorted. "You've been standing by idly this whole time, truly failing your reputation. I specifically made you contribute. Instead of thanking me, you blame me?"

Yan Xuehen was speechless.

This demoness was talking absolute nonsense with a straight face, yet Yan Xuehen genuinely didn't know how to refute her.

At this moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted. The monster roared repeatedly, clearly enraged by what had just happened.

Seeing it full of vigor, Zu An's expression became solemn. Why had "Dagger of Poison" had no effect on it?

It didn't make sense!