Chapter 1287: Misentered the Center

After unleashing his full-force arrow, Qiao Heng could no longer stand. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to one knee.

Seeing this, despair flickered in the eyes of Sorun and Changning. As members of the Demon Clan, they were well aware of the elven race's renowned ultimate technique, "Fairy Tears of the Green Wild," which had raised their expectations even higher.

They knew, of course, that given the black-furred monster's demonstrated power, this arrow would likely not kill him. Still, they expected it to at least inflict some injury or slow him down.

Yet, he caught it with a single hand, only singeing some of his fur—if that could even be called an injury.

Despair also filled Qiao Heng's eyes. He looked at Zu An with a bitter smile and said, "Brother, I intended to be the hero who held the line, but it seems I can't."

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

Qiao Heng's eyes were vacant. Clearly, the elven race's ultimate killing move, "Fairy Tears of the Green Wild," failing to even scratch the enemy, had dealt him a significant blow.

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

Princess Sorun's expression as she looked at Zu An was complex. Everyone else was in despair, so why could this man remain so calm and composed?

Some people truly are born for grand moments. To see such a heroic man before death, fate has not treated me poorly.

On the other side, Princess Changning subtly recoiled. She secretly glanced at the Triple-Petal Flower in the center of the blood pool. It looked ready to bloom at any moment, suggesting it would not need much more essence blood. If she died after them, she might just escape.

At this 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 they were caught in the crossfire.

The black-furred monster was clearly surprised that someone dared to approach him proactively.

He glanced at the Wind-Fire Wheels beneath Zu An's feet, clearly more interested in them than in Zu An himself.

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

The moment he raised his hand, Zu An felt the Wind-Fire Wheels beneath his feet seemingly lose control, pulling him towards the monster. He quickly veered towards the Triple-Petal Flower in the center of the blood pool, diverting the monster's attention.

In an environment where flight was suppressed, without his Wind-Fire Wheels, he wouldn't even have a place to stand. How could he fight then?

As expected, the black-furred monster became agitated when it saw Zu An approaching the Triple-Petal Flower. It stopped pursuing the Wind-Fire Wheels and instead lunged directly at Zu An's shoulder.

The hearts of everyone on the stone platform leaped. Even from afar, they could feel the immense power of that sky-darkening grab.

Just moments ago, the young experts of the Demon Clan had been killed instantly, one by one, by this very attack, 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 met the monster's attack with a palm strike of his own. Seeing this, Princess Sorun nearly cried out in alarm. The monster was a Grandmaster; wasn't clashing head-on with it simply suicidal?

In her opinion, the wisest course of action would have been to use his phantom-like movement technique and his teleportation, comparable to a Night Elf's Shadowmeld, to evade and maneuver.

However, she quickly understood why. If he retreated, the monster's attention would likely shift to them. Thinking of this, her beautiful eyes became a little moist.

There was no colossal sound as expected, nor did Zu An cough up blood and fly backward. He merely swayed a little, having surprisingly withstood that invincible grab head-on.

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

Yu Yanluo gave an embarrassed smile, then secretly glanced at Yan Xuehen. The memory of them being hunted down by Yan Xuehen when they teamed up still lingered.

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

She recalled when she had fought him; it was as if an invisible black hole enveloped his entire body. A significant portion of her attack's force was always strangely absorbed, making it difficult for her to achieve the usual Grandmaster-level dominance over ordinary cultivators.

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

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

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

It roared and charged at Zu An again, an terrifying pressure causing the entire blood pool to begin boiling.

Those on the stone platform found it difficult to even breathe. Princess Changning, being weaker, was pressed directly to the ground, unable to stand.

Zu An, however, bellowed, "Now!"

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

In her prime, she was confident she could restrain the opponent for a while by herself, but in her current state, she could only slightly delay it.

Yu Yanluo also made her move. Her dark hair, without any wind, moved on its own, transforming into countless small snakes, and then her eyes began to emit a yellow light.

Beside them, Yan Xuehen's cheeks flushed slightly. She remembered how, when she was hunting the two of them, this very move had nearly petrified her, and her clothes had been torn then, leaving her exposed to Zu An's gaze...

Princess Sorun's mouth gaped in shock. This woman was actually the Medusa Queen!

Then this man must be the mysterious person who recently defeated the Golden Crow Crown Prince, mustn't he?

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

These past days, ever since hearing about the Golden Crow Crown Prince's defeat, she had cursed that mysterious person daily. Who would have thought she would be saved by him today?

At this moment, enveloped by the dual control abilities of the Changxin Palace Lantern and Medusa's Gaze, even the formidable black-furred monster stiffened. The black mist around its body vigorously resisted the light of the Changxin Palace Lantern and the petrifying force.

Zu An dared not relax. He unleashed the Way of Authority domain of the Tai'a Sword and even summoned Hundred Cries to launch a mental assault on the monster.

Simultaneously, holding the Poisoned Dagger, he executed the Shattered Star Arcane Seal with a ten-fold burst of power, transforming into a meteor. With a determined expression, he charged towards the black-furred monster.

He knew clearly that given the vast disparity in their strengths, his other abilities would cause little damage to the black-furred monster. So, he decided to play his trump card immediately, catching the opponent off guard.

As expected, with various skills assailing it, the black-furred monster, no matter how powerful, was momentarily stalemated.

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

With a soft thud, even a Grandmaster's defense couldn't withstand the attack amplified ten-fold by the Shattered Star Arcane Seal. The Poisoned Dagger plunged directly into the monster's body.

Zu An let out a sigh of relief. Even a dragon would die if the Poisoned Dagger merely grazed its skin, let alone when the entire blade was inserted?

However, his expression suddenly changed. He hastily retreated but was still a step too slow. The monster unleashed a punch. Zu An, in a rush, brought his arms up to shield himself, but he was still sent flying backward.

Because he had just activated the Shattered Star Arcane Seal, his internal energy was surging 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 turned pale. Yun Jianyue reacted the quickest, swiftly snatching Yan Xuehen's belt. With a flick, she lassoed Zu An's arm and pulled him back.

Having successfully rescued Zu An, Yan Xuehen, still startled, immediately realized what had happened. She quickly clutched her dress, both embarrassed and annoyed. "You demoness, why did you pull off my belt!"

Yun Jianyue scoffed, "You stood by idly the entire time, truly failing your great reputation. I specifically made you contribute, and now you blame me instead of thanking me?"

Yan Xuehen was speechless.

The demoness was spouting nonsense with a straight face, but Yan Xuehen truly didn't know how to refute her.

At that moment, an earth-shattering roar echoed. The monster bellowed repeatedly, clearly enraged by what had just happened.

Watching the monster appear full of vigor, Zu An's expression grew serious. Why had the Poisoned Dagger had no effect on it?

It made no sense!

***

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked, he greeted or nodded to acquaintances he met along the way.

But no matter who it was, everyone's face was devoid of extra expression, as if they were indifferent to everything.

To this, Shen Changqing had grown accustomed.

This was the Demon Suppression Division, an organization responsible for maintaining the stability of Great Qin. Its primary duty was to slay demons and strange entities, though it also had other secondary tasks.

One could say that, within the Demon Suppression Division, every person had much blood on their hands.

When one had witnessed life and death often, they became indifferent to many things.

When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing was somewhat unaccustomed, but he eventually grew used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who remained in the Demon Suppression Division were either powerful experts or individuals with the potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

The Demon Suppression Division had two main professions: Suppressor and Exorcist.

Anyone entering the Demon Suppression Division began as an Exorcist, the lowest rank.

They would then gradually advance, with the ultimate hope of becoming a Suppressor.

Shen Changqing's predecessor was a probationary Exorcist within the Demon Suppression Division, the lowest level among Exorcists.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor, he was very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

It didn't take long for Shen Changqing to stop in front of a pavilion.

Unlike the other austere places in the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, exuding a different kind of tranquility amidst the blood-soaked division.

The pavilion's main door was open, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

Shen Changqing hesitated only for a moment before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion, the environment abruptly changed.

A scent of ink mixed with a faint smell of blood wafted over him, causing his brows to instinctively furrow, but they quickly relaxed again.

The scent of blood on everyone in the Demon Suppression Division was almost impossible to wash away completely.