Chapter 1931: One Move Is Enough

What the f***?!

This was the first reaction of everyone present.

Had this kid gone mad? He wasn't even showing respect to an Earth Immortal?

Zhao Chen was also a bit dumbfounded. He had thought the normal procedure would be for Zu An to accuse the Meng family and Prince Dai of conspiring against the Qin and Murong families, detailing how badly they were harmed, which would then justify his angry intervention. At that point, he would emerge as the arbiter, state that the Meng family was indeed in the wrong, but had now received their just deserts. While consoling Zu An, he would mete out equal blame to both parties, thereby closing the case. After all, his esteemed position within the imperial family, coupled with his Earth Immortal power, meant no one would dare disobey his words.

To his utter surprise, the kid completely disregarded expectations! He had just finished boasting about becoming an Earth Immortal a second ago, and now this youth was showing him such disrespect. If he ignored it, where would his dignity be in the future?

"Very well," Zhao Chen's face immediately darkened. "Do you truly believe that a few youthful fortuitous encounters make you invincible?" This kid's combat power reaching such an exaggerated level clearly indicated numerous fortuitous encounters. But he was surely too dismissive of the world's heroes. Did he really think winning against a mere Meng Jing meant he could dictate terms in the capital?

Rage value from Zhao Chen: 666,666,666...

Zu An calmly stated, "Now that the Human Emperor and Demon Emperor are both gone, I am indeed invincible under heaven."

The Eight Dukes: "..."

Experts from various clans observing from afar: "..."

Everyone thought he would say some conciliatory words, and the Eight Dukes would give him an out, allowing the matter to pass. Who knew he would be so unyielding, refusing to budge an inch? Many young people felt a surge of excitement, thinking, "A true man should be like this! When will I be able to show off like this?" However, the older generation from various families shook their heads, deeming it too impulsive. If he made Zhao Chen lose face like this, how could Zhao Chen possibly let him go?

Sure enough, Zhao Chen threw his head back and laughed. "Good! It's been many years since this old man has seen such an arrogant young man! Today, I must properly teach you a lesson. Don't blame this old man for bullying the young. You make the first move; I'll let you have three attacks."

Zu An was somewhat surprised. "If I make a move, you probably won't get a chance to."

"What?" Zhao Chen froze for a moment, thinking he had misheard, then laughed in extreme anger. "Kid, are you joking?"

Rage value from Zhao Chen: 444,444,444...

Zu An hesitated for a moment before saying, "What if I accidentally injure or even kill you later? How will that be accounted for?"

"If you can injure me within three moves, that would prove that my Great Zhou Dynasty has produced a genius unprecedented and unparalleled in history. That would be a blessing for the nation, so why would I blame you?" A hint of coldness entered Zhao Chen's laughter. What was this fellow thinking? Did he actually believe he could challenge an Earth Immortal? Actually, he couldn't be blamed. In the past, he himself had similar delusions, always feeling that a Grandmaster of the Life Soul realm was only half a step away from an Earth Immortal, believing that with his peerless talent and countless methods, he could even fight an Earth Immortal. But only after truly becoming an Earth Immortal did he realize how preposterous his previous thoughts were. "Below Earth Immortal, all are ants" was not just a saying; it was truly the case. A Grandmaster, no matter how powerful, even if invincible within the Grandmaster realm, was merely a pitiful worm in the eyes of an Earth Immortal. This kid had clearly had things too easy all his life, without ever facing a setback, which was why he was so arrogant.

Zu An frowned. "What if I accidentally kill you?"

The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar; this kid was simply too reckless.

Zhao Chen's expression also turned cold. "If you can kill this old man, it means this old man's skills are lacking. Everyone, listen well: should that happen, no one needs to seek revenge for me, neither the court, the imperial family, nor my descendants. You all bear witness." The other Eight Dukes around them secretly sighed upon hearing this, discerning that he had indeed been provoked to kill.

At this moment, Grand Protector Yu Rui stepped forward to persuade him. "Grand Tutor, there's no need to take it this far."

Zhao Chen ignored him, looking instead at Zu An. "And what if you fall by my hand, young man?"

"Naturally, the same," Zu An replied calmly.

"Actually, it doesn't matter," Zhao Chen sneered coldly. "If anyone wants to avenge you, let them come. What does this old Earth Immortal have to fear? Make your move. Since I said I'd let you have three moves, it will be three moves." He had already made up his mind to take Zu An's life immediately after the three moves, to show everyone in the capital what happens when one offends an Earth Immortal. This was his first battle after becoming an Earth Immortal. Frankly, fighting a junior wasn't very glorious, but thankfully the opponent kept provoking him to his doom. This was a perfect opportunity to kill and establish his authority, leaving others with nothing to say.

Just then, the Empress flew in from afar. "Grand Tutor, please show mercy!" Upon learning of the situation here, she immediately rushed over, but hadn't expected things to unfold so quickly. Moreover, with the appearance of the golden giant dragon, the Dragon King, and Zhao Chen, the strange pressures radiating from them made it impossible for her to approach for a while. Now, hearing the wager between Zhao Chen and Zu An, she finally couldn't help but speak up to plead. In her eyes, no matter how powerful Zu An was, how could he possibly be a match for an Earth Immortal like Zhao Chen?

Zhao Chen didn't even spare her a glance. Even Zhao Hao was polite when he met him; what significance did a mere woman from the harem hold? A formidable aura spread out. The Empress, having only just entered the Grandmaster realm, couldn't get any closer and could only anxiously watch the familiar figure in the field. *Zu An, how could you be so impulsive? If there's anything, tell me, and I'll find a way to help you resolve it. How could this situation be resolved now that it had escalated to this point, especially after offending the Grand Tutor, who was already an Earth Immortal?*

At this moment, Zu An chuckled. "Actually, three moves won't be necessary. One will be enough."

*You Lookin' At Me?* activated;*Yiku Experience Card* activated;*Star-Shattering Profound Seal* activated;*Great Wind Teleportation* activated;

A sword light, as brilliant as a galaxy, illuminated the entire sky over the capital. Zhao Chen's pupils contracted violently into pinpricks. It was already too late for him to react. A head shot straight into the sky. The remaining body still glowed with golden light, seemingly preparing to defend itself, and retaining the Earth Immortal's pressure. However, having lost its head, even an Earth Immortal could not recover. His body finally fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

Zu An was stunned. "Why so weak?" He had initially thought the opponent was an Earth Immortal, so he didn't dare to be careless in the slightest. Unlike his casual approach with others before, he activated many skills at once. Who knew the opponent would be instantly killed without even a single reaction? He was far inferior to the Demon Emperor and Zhao Hao, with whom Zu An had previously fought, and couldn't even compare to Prince Qi back then. It seemed he had only recently become an Earth Immortal, and his combat awareness and experience were still at the Grandmaster level; he hadn't fully stabilized yet.

Everyone in the capital was petrified, their mouths agape as they watched the scene before them. For a moment, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the slaughter of all the Meng family's experts, the Meng ancestor being beaten like a dead dog, and the killing of the golden giant dragon combined did not produce as much shock as this moment. What had they just witnessed? A revered Earth Immortal, a generation's pride, killed by a single sword? An Earth Immortal! The very embodiment of power in this world. In the past, the Emperor, Demon Emperor, Grand Sacrificial Libation, Prince Qi... which of them wasn't a figure renowned for suppressing the world? Countless cultivators yearned day and night to one day become an Earth Immortal, but almost everyone knew this was merely a pipe dream, as there were so few Earth Immortals in the world. But now, the myth of the Earth Immortal had suddenly been shattered. Killed by a mere youth? This Earth Immortal couldn't have been fake, could he?!

At this moment, an enraged roar echoed: "How dare you assassinate the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, the clan head of the Imperial Clan! Demon Suppressing Grand Array, activate!" Grand Tutor Zhuang He roared, and a sudden burst of brilliant light erupted from his body, soaring straight into the sky. The remaining Eight Dukes also looked terrified at this moment, hastily chanting incantations and activating spells, as streaks of light rose into the air. Their actions seemed to trigger some mechanism, and a rumbling sound echoed throughout the capital. Immediately after, lines of formation runes began to appear across the entire sky, as if some world-shaking grand array was about to awaken. The mere destructive intent currently radiating from it sent shivers down the spines of all cultivators in the capital. For a moment, everyone even had the feeling that even an Earth Immortal, if trapped within this array, would likely face utter annihilation of body and spirit. It must be known that this was the ultimate array built by the prosperous Great Zhou Dynasty in the capital, gathering the nation's entire strength. It was the empire's last resort to protect against an imagined invasion by countless demon experts and armies. This was a clash on an army scale; how could a mere individual possibly contend with it?

Seeing this, the Empress was both shocked and enraged. "Who permitted you to activate this Demon Extermination Grand Array!" But those Eight Dukes paid no heed to her words, instead urging the array to awaken as quickly as possible, as if only then would they feel secure.

Zu An observed the grand array in the sky, a strange glint in his eyes. Even though he had mastered the formations in the *Baopu True Scripture*, he had to admit that this grand array was remarkably sophisticated. It could be said to have merged with heaven and earth; to some extent, the array's attacks represented the might of heaven and earth.

Just then, another streak of green light shot into the sky, followed by a gaunt figure floating into the air. In his palm was a formation plate. As he operated on the plate with both hands, the Demon Extermination Grand Array in the sky gradually faded away.

"Yan Xianggu, what are you doing?" Zhuang He was both shocked and enraged, glaring at the man, yet helpless. He had participated in the construction of this array back then, but in terms of control over the formation, the other party was still superior to him.

People from various families in the capital whispered among themselves:"Master Yan is here.""More than that, all the teachers from the academy's back mountain are here too!""It looks like they're on Zu An's side, aren't they?""Of course, Zu An is the Grand Sacrificial Libation of the Imperial Academy!""Didn't they say these teachers were all proud and arrogant, looking down on everyone? This kid Zu An truly has skill to have subdued such an unruly group so quickly."

At this moment, Yan Xianggu, along with his senior and junior disciples, quietly watched Zhuang He. "I'd like to ask what the Grand Tutor means by this. The Demon Extermination Grand Array is for dealing with external enemies. Why is it being used against our academy's Grand Sacrificial Libation?"

Zhuang He hastily replied, "He just killed the Grand Tutor, the elder leader of the Imperial Clan!"

At this moment, Jiang Luofu's voice rang out: "If I recall correctly, the Grand Tutor stated beforehand that this was a fair duel, and if he lost, it would simply mean his skills were lacking, with no need for others to seek revenge, right? While I personally don't approve of such life-and-death wagers, I must admit that with so many witnesses, it does indeed have legal effect." Zhuang He's expression changed. He never imagined that Zhao Chen's casual words would become the boy's golden ticket to impunity.

Then Grand Protector Yu Rui said, "That's right. Since a fair duel was agreed upon, he should indeed not be punished afterwards." The other several Dukes also reacted quickly, stepping forward to agree. At the same time, they secretly wiped cold sweat from their brows. In their panic just now, they had almost been led astray by old Zhuang He. What did it have to do with them that Zu An had killed Meng Jing and Zhao Chen? On the contrary, if a real fight broke out, with the terrifying combat power Zu An had displayed, even if they managed to kill him with the array, who knew how many of them would die? That would be a true loss.

At this moment, the Empress finally found an opportunity to fly over and declared in a clear voice: "The Meng family incited Prince Dai to covet the throne, conspired against the Crown Prince, and simultaneously harmed loyal court officials and veteran generals. Lord Zu received my decree to investigate this case. Unexpectedly, the traitors, cornered like desperate dogs, even committed acts of rebellion. Lord Zu decisively executed the relevant individuals, thereby safeguarding national unity and stability and performing an unparalleled service to the state! Furthermore, having previously brought back news from His Majesty and received His Majesty's dying instructions for him to assist in governance, he is hereby specially conferred the title of Prince Regent!"

Prince Dai immediately cried out, "This is an injustice! This Zu fellow massacres the imperial family and gets off scot-free, even being granted a princely title! Whereas I'm accused of rebellion? My vying for the throne wasn't you people tacitly..." He hadn't finished speaking when Eunuch Lü, not far away, flicked his sleeve, sending an invisible burst of energy that dislocated his jaw, rendering him unable to utter another sound.

Meng Chan's face also turned deathly pale. This time, the Meng family was truly doomed beyond redemption. The crime of rebellion might involve the extermination of nine generations of relatives. Originally, even if all of the Meng family's top experts were wiped out, with the family's deep roots, new powerful figures would eventually emerge after some time. But in the current situation, the entire Meng family was to be utterly eradicated.

What can I do? I must save the Meng family. What possible method could I use?