Chapter 1841: Jointly Fighting the Enemy

"This absolutely won't do. How could I be the Libationer?" Zu An quickly waved his hands in refusal, feeling that the request was simply too preposterous.

"Why not?" the Libationer replied. "When you went to the academy's back mountain before, my disciples were all very impressed with you."

Zu An felt a headache coming on. "Those were just some wild ideas. In terms of true skill in those fields, I'm far inferior to those masters. Besides, I'm so young; how could I possibly win everyone's respect?"

"Whether it's cultivation or scholarship, the most accomplished are always prioritized. Since when has age been a factor? We might as well just pick a few decrepit old men at random then," the Libationer retorted irritably.

"No, no, that won't work. I have too many responsibilities, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle the position. Please, Libationer, find someone more capable," Zu An said, wanting no part of this hot potato.

To Zu An's surprise, the Libationer's gaze fell on his hand. "You've already accepted the ring that symbolizes the Libationer's identity. You can't go back on your word now."

Zu An was dumbfounded.

This old fox had dug a pit for him.

He quickly tried to take off the ring. At that moment, the Libationer sighed. "Given my current state, where else could I find another successor? I can't possibly pass it on to little Dao Yun, can I?"

Zu An knew he was speaking the truth. Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, master and disciple, both had their own sects, and Pei Mianman had no connection to the academy whatsoever.

As for Xie Dao Yun, she was Master Yan's disciple. If Zu An became the Libationer, how would her masters and senior uncles manage their positions?

Furthermore, her strength was insufficient; forcing her to take the position would only harm her.

The Libationer then added, "If you don't like being the Libationer, just help me find a suitable successor in the future and pass it on to them. Are you really going to refuse my last request before I die?"

At this point, Xie Dao Yun also pleaded, "Yes, Brother Zu, please just agree to the Libationer's request, so he doesn't leave with any regrets."

If Brother Zu became the academy's Libationer, wouldn't they be able to see each other more often?

Feeling the Libationer's earnest gaze, Zu An's heart softened. "Alright, I'll temporarily take charge of this ring for you, Senior. Once I leave, I'll definitely find a more suitable successor for you."

Seeing that he had finally agreed to take the position, a look of serene contentment appeared on the Libationer's face. His eyes grew increasingly clouded, and he mumbled to himself, almost inaudibly:

"...as if a light cloud veiled the moon, fluttering as if a swirling wind returned the snow..."

Zu An only vaguely caught one line and knew that the Libationer was likely reminiscing about a past love in his final moments, which made him feel quite sad.

"Libationer!" Xie Dao Yun's cry then rang out, as the Libationer had passed away.

While the Libationer and Zu An were speaking, the battle on the other side showed no signs of stopping.

A red light retreated rapidly, slamming into the mountain wall.

The entire mountain shook, countless rocks tumbled down, and a massive hole appeared directly in the mountain wall.

"Last time I let you escape; this time, you won't get another chance." A golden light pursued, intending to seize the opportunity to finish off the opponent, when suddenly countless snowflakes flew over like arrows.

Zhao Hao snorted coldly, his body radiating a brilliant golden light, causing the seemingly razor-sharp snowflakes to instantly melt away.

Just then, a white figure rushed forward, blocking his path.

A brilliant sword light flared, clashing forcefully with the golden light, sending the figure drifting back dozens of yards.

Qiu Honglei, meanwhile, used this opportunity to rescue Yun Jianyue.

Yan Xuehen breathed slightly heavily, but looked at Yun Jianyue. "Demoness, I saved you once. We're even."

Yun Jianyue snorted, "Clearly, it was my precious disciple who saved me."

Although she said this, she was still grateful to Yan Xuehen in her heart.

"Your moves are indeed exquisite, but they're meaningless in the face of an absolute disparity," Zhao Hao said, his expression displeased. These women were still playing their sisterly bond tricks in front of him.

"There is indeed a gap, but to say it's insurmountable might not be true." Yun Jianyue rubbed her slightly trembling arm. After the recent exchange, her body was nearing its limit, but compared to being slapped away before she even met her opponent years ago, the current situation filled her with confidence.

She said to Yan Xuehen, "Ice-stone woman, be careful not to die."

Yan Xuehen's expression was indifferent. "I won't die even if you do."

As they spoke, their auras continuously surged. Within several yards of Yan Xuehen, it was as if a world of ice and snow had manifested, while around Yun Jianyue, a sea of blood churned, subtly protecting her.

Zhao Hao's brows furrowed slightly. Normally, he could handle these two with ease, but today, he had been severely wounded by the Libationer's counterattack, and now he was fighting them back and forth. It was a humiliation.

However, Earth Immortals possessed astonishing regenerative abilities, so he didn't mind playing with them for a while first.

"How dare you flaunt your low-level domain powers here? I'll give you one last chance: surrender to me, and I'll forgive your past transgressions. Otherwise, only death awaits." Zhao Hao gazed sharply at the two women.

Yan Xuehen's expression remained cold. Yun Jianyue scoffed, "Since when has His Majesty been so accommodating? Could it be that you're too heavily injured now and can only rely on bluster?"

"You're asking for death!" Zhao Hao exploded in rage. The golden light around him transformed into several golden dragons, which immediately surged towards the two women.

The sea of blood around Yun Jianyue instantly surged, directly engulfing one of the golden dragons.

However, the golden dragon roared repeatedly within the sea of blood, struggling desperately. The sea of blood continuously vibrated, clearly indicating it was almost unable to contain the dragon.

Just then, a gleam of moonlight appeared, and a crescent-shaped blade light flashed, directly severing the golden dragon's head.

The entire golden dragon shuddered, then dissipated completely.

Before Yun Jianyue could rejoice, two more golden dragons swept towards her.

Yun Jianyue's expression changed. Her hip-length hair billowed around her, and the Changxin Palace Lantern rose directly into the air. Its light shone upon the golden dragons, noticeably slowing their movements.

On the other side, Yan Xuehen was in a similar predicament. She had just used her Snowflake Divine Sword to freeze one of the golden dragons into fragments, but soon two more golden dragons attacked her.

The jade pendant on her body lit up, and then she quickly conjured several runes, forming a formation around her, which barely managed to block the two golden dragons.

Though long in description, everything happened in a flash.

At this moment, a black butterfly flickered in and out of existence beside Zhao Hao. Immediately after, a toothpick shot out from where the butterfly had been. The toothpick grew rapidly as it flew, transforming into an incomparably sharp sword qi, which then split into thousands of sword shadows, instantly engulfing his body.

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen seized these opportunities to slay the golden dragons whose power had noticeably weakened.

They looked up at the sharp sword qi in the air, wondering if Zu An had made a move.

However, they immediately dismissed this idea. This sword qi was entirely different from Zu An's sword intent, yet its power was immense. If they had been caught off guard, they would likely have been severely wounded.

"This seems to be the sword intent of Xiao Yao, the one who went missing from the academy," Yan Xuehen mused.

When the sword shadows dispersed, Zhao Hao's figure reappeared, showing no visible trace of injury from the sword qi.

"Clink!"

With a crisp sound, a jade pendant at his waist shattered, clearly indicating that his protective magic artifact had blocked the blow.

He frowned slightly, looking at the woman in the red top and black skirt in the distance. "Where did you get that butterfly?"

The sword qi itself was one thing, but the intense aura of death emanating from the butterfly made even him feel a tremor of fear.

Pei Mianman secretly lamented. The toothpick-like small sword Xiao Yao had given her for self-defense contained his full power attack.

Ordinarily, she wouldn't have hoped to contend with Zhao Hao, but given his severe injuries and his focus on Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen, she wanted to take a chance.

At the same time, she also unleashed the power of the Netherworld Butterfly Allure, which the Immortal Lord Baopu had taught her. Yet, to her surprise, it couldn't even break through his protective artifact.

"No answer? Then die!" Zhao Hao's figure flickered, and he appeared directly beside Pei Mianman, his massive fist already closing in on her face.

The speed was so immense that, given the disparity between them, Pei Mianman couldn't react at all.

"It's over!" A chill spread through Pei Mianman's heart. This truly wasn't a battle she could interfere with.

Just then, her entire body suddenly vanished, replaced by a pure white, crystalline lotus.

Zhao Hao punched the lotus, and it exploded violently, causing a layer of frost to spread over his body.

"Huh?" Zhao Hao looked with surprise at the blue-dressed woman on the other side. How could the disciple's ice and snow intent surpass her master's?

"Thank you, Chuuyan," Pei Mianman said, still shaken.

Chuuyan's expression was grave. She had just used the Pure World Ice Lotus to swap places with Pei Mianman, and even so, she had nearly failed.

Zhao Hao once again transformed into a golden light and surged towards the two women. A wall of light appeared before them; it was Qiu Honglei's Wall of Sighs.

Unfortunately, it shattered upon contact with Zhao Hao's fist. At this moment, a lantern lit up.

Zhao Hao sneered. He knew the authentic Changxin Palace Lantern was with Yun Jianyue. Did this fake really think it could affect him?

The next second, his expression stiffened, as he found that his speed had indeed slowed down after being illuminated by the light!

In that brief moment of distraction, Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen had already arrived in front of the three women. "Step back quickly. This isn't a battle you can participate in."

"Too late!" Zhao Hao scoffed. Without moving his body, a giant golden hand suddenly materialized above Chuuyan and the other two, reaching out to grab them.