Chapter 1892: He Dares

"Don't provoke me. I'm not in a good mood today." Zu An glanced coldly at everyone, finally settling his gaze on Prince Jin.

Those soldiers who were about to charge suddenly felt a shiver down their spines and involuntarily halted.

When Zu An's gaze fell on him, Prince Jin felt a tremor in his heart, instinctively feeling a hint of fear. However, he quickly regained his composure. As the esteemed Prince Jin, favored by his imperial father, and with the current Crown Prince being his elder brother by the same mother, what was there to fear? Instead, he grew angry at having felt a moment of cowardice: "What a joke. Who do you think you are? Not only will I provoke you today, but I'll also have you and everyone with you arrested. What can you do about it?"

Rage points from Zhao Ruiyong: 351,351,351...

"What are you standing around for? Attack!"

"Yes!" The surrounding guards' spirits immediately lifted. With the Prince backing them, what was there to be afraid of? As for Elder Shen's injury, they figured it was merely due to a moment of carelessness. Even if this Zu An genuinely possessed some skill, could he truly defeat so many of them? Besides, they represented Prince Jin, the Emperor's most favored son, while Zu An was merely a marquis. At most, he could defend himself. Would he dare to strike them, or even Prince Jin?

"Quickly surrender!" Thinking this, the group swarmed forward.

"Scram!" Zu An flicked his sleeve, and an invisible wave spread out. The soldiers cried out in agony, directly thrown back by the invisible force. Those with weaker cultivation immediately fainted, while others sustained injuries of varying degrees and couldn't get up for a long time, instantly losing their combat effectiveness.

Chu Youzhao clapped her hands in excitement, exclaiming, "Brother-in-law is amazing!"

Murong Qinghe's beautiful eyes also gleamed with admiration. She had just been fighting these soldiers tooth and nail, yet it seemed Zu An's single flick of a sleeve was more effective. Just how high was his cultivation now?

Zu An didn't even spare a glance for the soldiers sprawled on the ground, walking directly towards Prince Jin.

Prince Jin felt a pang of apprehension and instinctively took a few steps back. At this moment, Elder Shen blocked his path: "Lord Zu, please stop." The bleeding from his hand had stopped. Seeing Zu An press towards Prince Jin, he could only rush forward to intercept him.

"Move aside!" Zu An said gravely.

Seeing Zu An's gaze, Elder Shen felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart. This feeling puzzled him; how could a venerable Grandmaster like himself be made to feel this way by a young junior? This person clearly showed no signs of vital energy fluctuations, as if he were an ordinary individual. However, the strike that had just injured him, and the wave that had sent the many princely guards flying, both indicated that his cultivation was extraordinary. He likely used some secret technique to conceal his aura.

Although he didn't know Zu An's exact cultivation level, Elder Shen mused that even if it was higher than his own, it couldn't be by much. According to intelligence, this young man was only around twenty years old. Even if he had cultivated since birth, how many years could that be? Moreover, he'd heard Zu An only began cultivating in recent years, likely due to some fortuitous encounter that caused his rapid progress. But such a foundation would be unstable. How could he compare to a Grandmaster like himself, who had diligently cultivated step by step?

"Young man, don't be too arrogant. Remember, there's always someone stronger, and always a higher heaven," Elder Shen said, simultaneously summoning a flying sword in the air above his head.

Zu An was somewhat surprised. This opponent was merely a Grandmaster, yet he could already wield a flying sword? Typically, only Great Grandmasters could imbue divine sense into objects, allowing them to take heads from a thousand li away. Grandmasters could only barely use them over short distances, but Elder Shen's flying sword didn't seem to be of that limited kind.

"There's always someone stronger, and always a higher heaven?" A hint of mockery appeared at the corner of Zu An's mouth. "That saying does hold some truth, but coming from your lips, it's quite amusing."

"Insolent brat!" Elder Shen had always been highly respected over the years, even by Prince Jin, who treated him with courtesy. He had never endured such contempt.

Rage points from Shen Xingchao: 404,404,404...

In a furious rage, the flying sword above his head directly attacked Zu An. The sword was as swift as a streaking light; no one else nearby could clearly discern its trajectory. Even Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe, who had immense confidence in him, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Zu An subtly shifted his body, dodging the rapidly approaching flying sword. He murmured to himself, "So that's it, it's a flying sword talisman." Having studied the "Baopu True Scripture," he was well-versed in the seven cultivation arts and immediately recognized the origin of this flying sword.

Shen Xingchao's expression subtly changed. This flying sword talisman had long been lost, a serendipitous discovery from an ancient mystic realm he encountered years ago. He had always believed no one else in the world knew of it, keeping it as his ultimate trump card. He never imagined it would be recognized by his opponent at a glance. He flicked his finger in the air, and the flying sword transformed into a streak of yellow light, piercing towards Zu An's lower back. If this strike connected, Zu An would be crippled, if not dead.

Just then, the yellow light suddenly solidified, and the entire flying sword vanished, replaced by a yellow talisman. And that yellow talisman was now gently held between Zu An's two fingers.

Shen Xingchao was greatly alarmed at the sight and hurriedly urged the flying sword talisman to break free from Zu An's control. The flying sword talisman trembled violently. Zu An let out a cold snort and gently wiped his hand across it, directly erasing the divine sense attached to it. Given his profound mastery of talismans, he naturally knew how to control such a not-so-extraordinary talisman.

"Since you want it so much, you can have it back." As soon as Zu An finished speaking, the yellow talisman transformed back into a flying sword, instantly darting behind Shen Xingchao and piercing straight through his lower back.

"You... you..." Shen Xingchao clutched the large hole in his waist, gasping and gurgling. Before he could utter a complete sentence, his life force extinguished.

In that moment, he was filled with regret. He regretted his usual arrogance and how he had flaunted Prince Jin's power. Only now did he understand that true power reigned supreme in this world. But who could have known that such an unassuming, effeminate young man possessed cultivation so terrifyingly high? All intelligence about him in the capital was wrong. He wondered how many people would suffer greatly at his hands. But why did *he* have to be the one to step on this landmine? He was filled with hatred...

He fell heavily to the ground, his eyes wide open, clearly dying with unfulfilled resentment.

Everyone around was dumbfounded. Originally, Shen Xingchao had majestically summoned a flying sword, and everyone had been wondering how he would torment that effeminate youth. How had the situation reversed in an instant? What had happened? Why had his own flying sword killed him?

Zu An extended his hand, and the yellow talisman flew back into his grasp. On it, a special rune was drawn, with a small sword in the center, subtly glowing. This item was quite interesting. He could make more in the future to give to his close female confidantes for self-defense.

His mood was very bad today. Although he had said he didn't want to be some royal descendant of the former dynasty, the thought of so many relatives having died tragically at the hands of the Zhao imperial family, coupled with Zhao Ruiyong's arrogance just moments ago, made the anger within him surge. To make matters worse, that man named Shen had previously injured Chu Youzhao and many guards from the manor, and his sword strike had been incredibly malicious. Zu An had merely made him suffer the consequences of his own actions.

Seeing Elder Shen, his most trusted aide, die so easily, Prince Jin was both shocked and enraged: "You dared to kill my Elder Shen? Who gave you such audacity?"

Rage points from Zhao Ruiyong: 444,444,444...

Zu An said coldly, "To this extent, you still dare to bark at me here? I'm equally curious who gave *you* the audacity?"

Prince Jin first froze, then burst into fury: "Bark? You dog-slave, how dare you be rude to me! You're nothing but a dog kept in my imperial brother's palace! Even as a marquis, you're just a dog with a slightly higher status!"

Rage points from Zhao Ruiyong: 499,499,499...

As he was cursing, his voice suddenly caught, for he felt an invisible hand gripping his neck, lifting him into the air.

Prince Jin finally began to panic: "What are you doing? Stop! I am the esteemed Prince Jin! How dare you lay a hand on me?"

Zu An looked at the young man before him, whose face was sickly pale, his expression exceptionally calm. He had even killed Zhao Hao himself; why would he fear his little brat? No wonder Zhao Hao had instinctively detested him the moment they met, and he, too, had instinctively detested Zhao Hao. So, it was the grudges from the previous dynasty at play; they truly were fated rivals.

Seeing Zu An remain silent, a sneer flashed across Prince Jin's face: "Now you know fear? Quickly put me down! So many people are watching, and members of other clans are in the distance. Do you really dare to kill me? Tie your own hands, kneel, and respectfully kowtow three times to me in apology, and I might consider letting today's matter go."

Meanwhile, onlookers from other clans in the distance quietly discussed: "The one named Zu is in a difficult position now. Do you think he'll kneel and admit his mistake?"

"How could he? He's a favored figure in the Eastern Palace, a dignified marquis, and rumored to have connections with the demon race. How could he possibly kneel and kowtow?"

"That's true. I reckon he'll most likely let Prince Jin go, at most beating or killing some of his guards to vent his anger. That way, both sides save face."

"But if he does that, the conflict between them will be unending. Given Prince Jin's temperament, he'll never let it rest. If he then gathers the power of more clans to attack, the one named Zu will be in a tough spot."

"The one named Zu has already been in trouble for harboring a wanted criminal and now killing Elder Shen, Prince Jin's subordinate."

At this moment, Zu An slightly tilted his head to look at Prince Jin, muttering softly, "I originally thought that Zhao Ruizhi fellow was foolish enough, but I didn't expect you to be even more foolish than him. At least he knew to fear me."

"Impudent! How dare you utter such treasonous words!" Prince Jin glared at him.

Rage points from Zhao Ruiyong: 288,288,288...

For some reason, a faint unease settled in his heart.

"Treasonous?" Seeing the arrogant and overbearing look on Prince Jin's face even in this situation, Zu An thought of his tragically deceased relatives from the former imperial family. He walked directly to Prince Jin and whispered into his ear, "Haven't you always wanted to avenge your imperial father? Perfect. Let me make it clear to you why you're dying: Zhao Hao was killed by me."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruiyong's pupils instantly constricted. Just as he was about to shout, immense force crushed his neck.

*Crack!*

His neck twisted sideways, his eyeballs almost popping out, as if he couldn't comprehend, even in death, how the other person dared to kill him.