Chapter 1814: Doubting Life

Chu Chuyan's swordplay was truly masterful, with every move exquisitely beautiful, like a fairy gracefully dancing on an icy mountain. She was indeed a beauty like jade, her sword a flashing rainbow.

Pei Mianman, on the other hand, was wreathed in blooming black roses, and the surging black flames she unleashed with every swing seemed incredibly mystical. Even a single wisp of these flames could corrode and burn the Celestial Soldiers and Generals.

Qiu Honglei, with her graceful movements, launched attacks that were exceptionally ruthless, yet to onlookers, it appeared as if she were performing a beautiful dance. Opponents found themselves unable to resist, desiring only to see her complete her performance, but by the time they realized it, her weapon had already struck their vital points.

Furthermore, for some unknown reason, the lantern in her hand, when shone upon the Celestial Soldiers and Generals, significantly slowed their movement speed.

Yun Jianyue was like a god of slaughter; a faint, ominous vision of mountains of corpses and seas of blood flickered behind her. With every attack, she would inevitably cut down a swathe of enemies, causing even the Celestial Soldiers and Generals to instinctively avoid her.

Jing Teng, needless to say, wielded a high-level spell. The materialized white tiger she summoned was incredibly mighty and formidable, practically serving as the main force in this battle. Had her own strength not been a limiting factor, Sun En strongly suspected that the white tiger she summoned alone could have annihilated all the Celestial Soldiers and Generals he had conjured.

*It's even more advanced than my 'Northern Emperor Demonic Suppression Talisman'?*

As for Xie Daoyun, she did not engage in direct combat on the front lines. Instead, she remained behind, continuously casting various formations. Waves of shimmering light emanated across the battlefield, appearing on the women, helping them to accelerate their spiritual energy recovery, bolster their defenses, and neutralize negative effects. This made the other women look at her with eyes full of goodwill; after all, who wouldn't appreciate a reliable healer and support in their team? Furthermore, their current relationship appeared to be purely platonic, like siblings, with nothing more involved.

Watching his once formidable Celestial Soldiers and Generals steadily retreating, Sun En couldn't help but wonder what was happening to this world. Most of these women were merely at the Grandmaster realm, but were they *truly* Grandmasters? Compared to ordinary Grandmasters, each of them could take on several opponents! Every single one was a genius capable of fighting above their cultivation level. How could this pretty boy assemble so many exceptional women? And more importantly, why were they all so utterly devoted to him? Each of them was breathtakingly beautiful. *Seriously, you're all so exceptional; what kind of man couldn't you find? Why insist on fixating on just one?* The thought of them fighting over one man made him feel a throbbing frustration, recalling the scene from moments ago.

Throughout the battle with the Celestial Soldiers and Generals, Zu An hadn't made a single move, simply letting the women handle it. Sun En felt a momentary lapse, as if he were observing a lazy male lion on the savannah, whose daily tasks were all performed by the lionesses, leaving him only to open his mouth for food. *He's truly living the life of a kept man... it's enviable.*

Sun En looked at Zu An and declared, "Kid, I've suddenly taken an interest in you."

Zu An's hair stood on end. He instinctively took a step back, looking at Sun En with an expression of intense caution. "I'm not interested in men!"

Sun En looked utterly bewildered. "*I'm not interested either! What the hell made you think that?!*"

Sun En's rage surged, registering +444444444...

Sensing Sun En's surging rage, Zu An became even more vigilant, assuming his rejection had simply enraged the man.

Sun En forcefully suppressed his anger. "How about we make a deal? Tell me the location of the inner chapter of the *Baopuzi True Scripture*, and I'll overlook the recent killing of my subordinates. Furthermore, I'll allow you to leave with your lives." He didn't even need to negotiate with Jing Teng; seeing her affectionate embrace with Zu An just now, it was clear she would follow his lead.

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. "It seems you won't have to sacrifice anything from start to finish, yet you expect to gain the most precious item. Don't you think this deal is a bit too unfair?"

"I just helped Miss Jing avenge herself by killing Zang Ao, so how can you say I've paid nothing?" Sun En retorted, his tone shifting. "Besides, aren't your lives the most precious thing? Do you not cherish them yourselves?" He made no mention of Wang Youjun's life, clearly considering it no sacrifice at all.

Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "You really know how to conjure leverage out of thin air! How did our own lives become your bargaining chips?"

Sun En calmly stated, "It seems I was too lenient with you earlier, leading you to entertain some unrealistic delusions." With the women currently restrained by his Northern Emperor Demonic Suppression Talisman, he had the perfect opportunity to deal with this pretty boy. With a thought, he pointed a finger directly at Zu An from a distance.

Almost instantly, a vision appeared in Zu An's mind: a bolt of lightning striking directly above his head. He instantly dodged several dozen feet to the side, and indeed, a lightning bolt as thick as an arm struck the exact spot he had just vacated. Evidently, Sun En was still holding back, concerned that outright killing Zu An would cause Jing Teng to turn completely against him.

Just as Zu An was about to speak, the scene of his entire surroundings transforming into a sea of lightning reappeared in his mind. His expression shifted. Knowing this was a warning of impending danger from the *Records of the Book*, he hurriedly summoned Great Wind, then instantly teleported several dozen feet away. The moment he vanished, the area within a dozen yards of where he had just stood transformed entirely into a sea of lightning. Furious bolts of electricity lashed down like whips, completely sealing off every corner of that space. It was identical to the sea of lightning that had just killed Zang Ao, albeit on a smaller scale.

Zu An's expression changed. He had just been thinking Sun En was holding back, never imagining his attack would be so ruthless. That initial lightning bolt seemed designed to deliberately force him away from Jing Teng and Xie Daoyun, setting him up for a subsequent trap. Zang Ao had just fallen into the exact same trap. Zu An wondered when Sun En had laid down the lightning field, and how he could possibly have known which direction Zu An would dodge.

Sun En was even more astonished. "You actually dodged that?" One had to understand, he had wielded the High-Ranking Divine Lightning Talismans for so many years that he had long since mastered every conceivable trick with them. In truth, he had secretly planted lightning 'seeds' in every part of this space. With a mere thought, these seeds would attract one another, instantly generating a destructive lightning field. Of course, only one such field could be triggered within a short timeframe. Such an attack was virtually impossible to guard against. Unless an opponent was of the same cultivation level, capable of sensing a subtle anomaly with their divine sense, they could easily be caught off guard, just as Zang Ao had been. But what was Zu An's cultivation level? How could he possibly possess divine sense equivalent to his own and coincidentally evade his ultimate attack?

*Could it have just been a coincidence?* So he unleashed another bolt of lightning. Once again, Zu An dodged aside, as if gifted with precognition.

*This fellow really can sense danger in advance.* Sun En snorted coldly. This kind of precognition had its limits, after all. *Let's see how many times you can dodge.* He then continuously sent several more lightning bolts toward Zu An. This time, he refrained from directly deploying his large-scale lightning field attack, so as not to miss completely. He intended to use such rapid-frequency lightning to wear Zu An down, knowing there would eventually be a moment when he couldn't defend himself.

As expected, Zu An's flickering movements soon began to stiffen. Firstly, his spiritual strength wasn't yet sufficient to fully sustain the high-intensity operation of the *Records of the Book*, causing him to feel waves of exhaustion. Additionally, there was a cooldown period between each summoning of Great Wind. While this was typically not an issue against other masters, an entity like Sun En immediately pinpointed this vulnerability, increasing his attack frequency to make evasion impossible for Zu An. Fortunately, Zu An wasn't foolish enough to simply endure the attacks. Every now and then, he'd blurt out, "What are you staring at?" forcibly interrupting Sun En's spellcasting and creating brief moments for himself to catch his breath.

"So what if I am?!"

Having his attacks forcibly interrupted multiple times, Sun En grew increasingly irritated. Despite Zu An's low cultivation, he seemed to possess peculiar, even wondrous, abilities that piqued Sun En's own interest.

"These are ultimately minor tricks. Let's see how long you can last," Sun En sneered, then ceased speaking and instead unleashed a series of instant-cast abilities. The phrase "What are you staring at?" had a miraculous effect against 'speech-spirit' type abilities, but Sun En's powers were clearly not of that nature. As long as he was prepared, even if interrupted by the phrase, it would not hinder the execution of his skills.

Seeing Zu An in constant peril, the other women attempted to rush to his aid, but Sun En was prepared. He activated the Northern Emperor Demonic Suppression Talisman once more, summoning additional Celestial Soldiers and Generals to ensnare them. Sun En sneered repeatedly. *Relying on women to be a kept man is ultimately unreliable. Let's see who can save you now.*

Finally, Zu An failed to dodge in time and was struck by a lightning bolt, followed immediately by several more. With a few cries of pain, he collapsed to the ground, completely losing the ability to resist.

"Ah Zu!" The women gasped in dismay, their faces paling, as they desperately tried to rush to his rescue.

Sun En, while directing the Celestial Soldiers and Generals to keep the women trapped, said to Jing Teng, "Quickly tell me the whereabouts of the 'Inner Chapter,' or I'll cut off one of his hands. By then, it'll be too late for regrets." Jing Teng's expression shifted, revealing intense internal struggle.

She was about to speak when Zu An, who had been lying prone on the ground, suddenly stirred.

Sun En frowned. *Stubborn resistance? What's the point?* Just as he was about to make his move, he suddenly began to tremble all over, involuntarily exclaiming, "Yi Ku, Yi Ku!"

The 'Yi Ku' experience card has been activated!