Chapter 2188: United in Hatred

His opponent's eyes were bloodshot, clearly consumed by rage. Zu An knew that nothing he said would likely make a difference, so a sudden idea struck him. "The Carefree Powder was secretly given by the Flayed Ghost King," he stated, "I was only trying to save Hong Yu."

Sure enough, this counter-ploy worked. The Dragon King halted, turning to glare at the Flayed Ghost King. So *he* was the true culprit!

He recalled that this same individual had conspired with the Lord of Myriad Transformations to ambush him previously. New and old grudges surged within him.

With a roar, he charged roaring towards the Flayed Ghost King.

The Flayed Ghost King: "..."

He casually waved his hand, and monsters formed from spectral energy surged forward to intercept the Dragon King. Only then did he continue, "Dragon King, ultimately, it wasn't I who abused and toyed with the Mermaid Queen. Our quarrel can be settled later."

At that moment, Zu An's voice rang out as well: "Dragon King, why don't we first join forces to eliminate this Ghost King? After your vengeance is secured, then you can settle accounts with me."

The Dragon King gnashed his teeth. "You're both going to die anyway!"

He immediately opened his mouth, and lumps of dragon's breath shot towards Zu An.

Zu An: "..."

This fellow was truly stubborn. Did he really think he could fight them both at once? Did he even possess such ability?

The Flayed Ghost King chuckled. "Regent, since this dragon is courting death, why don't we join forces to finish him off first? Then we can settle our own scores."

Zu An smiled faintly. "Alright!"

Unlike the obstinate Dragon King, the two of them reached an agreement almost instantly.

However, as they defended against the Dragon King's assault, they suddenly and simultaneously unleashed an attack on each other.

The two surges of energy collided and dissipated in mid-air; even the Dragon King had to temporarily retreat a considerable distance.

Zu An sighed. "Didn't we agree to an alliance? Why the sudden sneak attack?"

The Flayed Ghost King grimly chuckled. "The feeling is mutual!"

At the same time, he felt greatly assured. It seemed that the individual's extraordinary combat power in the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons was due to the dense dragon veins and abundant dragon energy present there.

Here in the Underworld, there weren't such exaggerated dragon veins. Moreover, this was his home turf; he no longer needed to fear Zu An.

Hmph, he had almost forgotten Zu An's ability to manipulate dragon veins.

Watching the trio fight, the Old Demon Emperor in the distance was delighted. "Let them fight," he thought, "the best outcome would be for all three to suffer heavy losses." He could then seize the opportune moment to eliminate them, which would secure his ultimate victory and grant him authority over the Underworld.

Though he had initially resented being killed by Zu An, now, in retrospect, it seemed like a blessing in disguise. If he couldn't be the Demon Emperor, wouldn't being the supreme ruler of the Underworld be even more magnificent?

At that moment, the Flayed Ghost King's voice suddenly rang out: "Demon Emperor, why are you still just watching? While I was among the Sea Race, I heard some interesting rumors. This Zu fellow became the Regent of the Demon Race. Nominally, your young son is the emperor, but in reality, Zu An makes all the decisions."

"The Little Demon Queen is stunningly beautiful and alluring. Which man in the world do you think could resist the temptation of such a widow?"

"There are countless scandalous tales about Zu An and the Little Demon Queen circulating."

"They've even been turned into plays, like 'Secret History of the Little Demon Queen' or 'The Regent and the Little Demon Queen's Affairs,' and so on."

"Initially, I dismissed these as mere rumors and even dispatched spies to investigate. And guess what? My spies reported that Zu An spends every night on the Dragon Bed, leaving the Little Demon Queen unable to get out of bed!"

The Flayed Ghost King's voice rose and fell rhythmically; each word was carefully chosen to manipulate emotions.

At first, the Old Demon Emperor was thoroughly enjoying the gossip, a delighted spectator. But his smile quickly froze. How had the 'melon' become about him?

The Flayed Ghost King was especially detestable. He had described certain events with such vividness that the images replayed in his mind, refusing to vanish.

"Shut up! Stop talking!" The Old Demon Emperor's teeth gnashed in fury.

Rage value from the Old Demon Emperor: 446,446,446...

Seeing his reaction, the Flayed Ghost King became even more confident. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," he taunted, "It wasn't *I* who wronged your Little Demon Queen, so why are you angry at me? The real culprit is standing right here."

Zu An: "..."

What was this? One crisis hadn't passed before another emerged?

The Old Demon Emperor stared intently at him, like a fierce tiger ready to pounce. "Zu An, did you really wrong my Little Demon Queen?"

Zu An flatly denied it. "Of course not."

This wasn't a lie. The Little Demon Queen had always thoroughly enjoyed herself; even if asked, she wouldn't claim to have been bullied in the slightest.

The Old Demon Emperor let out a cold laugh, his expression exceptionally ferocious. "You still dare to lie to me? Do you remember what you said in that secret realm? You admitted it yourself back then! I remember that phrase, 'Your wife is amazing,' perfectly!"

He had initially thought Zu An said that to disrupt his concentration, deliberately provoking him and preventing him from escaping immediately.

Looking back at the entire sequence of events after his death, he felt some regret. He shouldn't have let his pride get the better of him; if he had retreated promptly, he could have saved his life. Then, once his injuries healed, killing his opponent would have been effortless.

But now, after hearing the Flayed Ghost King's words, it seemed that the matter was indeed true.

The Dragon King, who had been pursuing Zu An, involuntarily stopped upon hearing this. His face twitched. If there were a phrase in the world most insulting to a man, this one would surely rank among the top three.

Compared to the other two phrases—"The joy I shared with him for one day surpasses years spent with you!" and "Yes means yes, no means no, what does 'take a break' even mean?"—which one inflicted greater damage was a matter of opinion.

Initially, as the wronged party, he felt utterly humiliated. In his fury, he wanted to flay Zu An alive.

But now, having shifted from being the target of ridicule to merely observing it, his mood seemed to have improved considerably.

The Flayed Ghost King continued to fan the flames: "Indeed, this Zu fellow is truly detestable. He not only harmed you but also seized your domain and toyed with your woman. Can you truly tolerate such a thing?"

Predictably, the Old Demon Emperor's eyes blazed with fury as he stared at Zu An. A terrifying aura began to emanate from his entire body, and he was ready to strike at any moment.

Zu An looked at the Flayed Ghost King. "Who exactly are you?"

"Of course I am the Flayed Ghost King," the Flayed Ghost King sneered. "What, have you become so terrified that you've lost your wits, to ask such an idiotic question?"

Zu An shook his head. "No, you know our world too well. And me too intimately. An ordinary Ghost King could never achieve this level of understanding."

The Flayed Ghost King's expression remained calm. "When I infiltrated your world, of course I had to investigate everything about it."

Zu An smiled. "To participate in this trial, each of us must be a king of a certain region in the Underworld. I am the king of the Styx Ferrymen. I presume the Demon Emperor and the Dragon King are also regional kings. You, of course, are the king of Flaying Hell. But this is merely your identity within the Underworld. Who were you in your former life?"

Hearing him say this, both the Old Demon Emperor and the Dragon King looked curiously at the Flayed Ghost King. They were all supreme figures of their age. They had merely been momentarily overcome with anger from being 'cuckolded', but now they quickly came to their senses. *Yes*, who exactly was this Flayed Ghost King?

From beginning to end, he had been deliberately provoking them, clearly harboring ill intentions.

The Flayed Ghost King sighed. "Your tongue is indeed silver. I imagine both of you have experienced the downside of that, haven't you? Is who I am truly that important?"

The Old Demon Emperor nodded in profound agreement. When he first met Zu An, he thought the young man was a smooth talker; he had merely considered him a jester. He had never imagined he would eventually die by Zu An's hand, and that even the Little Demon Queen had been 'defiled' by him.

Rage value from the Old Demon Emperor: 444,444,444...

The Dragon King thought, *I haven't suffered any losses in that particular aspect. My interactions with this Zu fellow haven't been extensive. Of course, if he used his silver tongue on Hong Yu...*

As certain images flashed through his mind, his expression instantly soured.

Rage value from Dragon King Ao Zhan: 233,233,233...