Chapter 2232: Those Present Are All Trash

For a moment, she felt utterly hopeless, even contemplating death. The thought of ultimately becoming a tool for men to flaunt and undermine each other made her feel as if the entire world had lost its color.

But now, she felt the colors of the world seemed to have returned. She had indeed not misjudged him; his actions were also for her protection. However, she quickly realized the meaning behind his words: Was he preparing to deal with Prince Wu's Estate?

Seeing his consort nestled in another man's arms in front of everyone, and their gazes seemingly filled with tenderness and affection, Prince Wu truly exploded. "Zu, you're going too far!"

"Prince Wu must have heard that phrase quite often recently," Zu An said, his expression turning cold. This man had been stirring up trouble in the capital lately, causing many families to be ruined and broken. When those families accused and cursed him, had he ever shown any mercy?

Thinking of Gao Ying's fate, Liu Ning's unknown whereabouts, and now the Jiang family nearly being wiped out, he was extremely displeased. Dealing with the man himself was actually quite easy, but to truly make such a person suffer, one had to strike at what he cared about most.

With that thought, he simply lifted Yun Yuqing's smooth, delicate chin and lowered his head to kiss her. "Weren't you always cultivating an image of a loving couple, like celestial companions, using that to build your reputation? Then today, I'll shatter all of that. Let's see how you become emperor once you're the laughingstock of the world."

"Mmm..." Yun Yuqing let out a soft moan, her mind going utterly blank with a rush. She merely responded to him instinctively. "Oh well," she thought, "Prince Wu and I are only husband and wife in name anyway. This is a good time to openly become Zu's woman..."

Witnessing this scene, Prince Wu's eyes bulged like copper bells, and he was practically biting his lips until they bled. Yet, to his utter shame, he found himself somewhat aroused. Feeling his body's reaction, he grew even more furious and roared, "Kill him! Kill him for me! Whoever strikes him once will be rewarded a thousand taels of gold and promoted three ranks! Whoever kills him will be granted a marquisate, inheritable through generations!"

"I don't care what you two do in private," he fumed, "but in public, where do I put my face?"

The surrounding onlookers were equally dumbfounded by the scene. Everything that happened today was simply too astonishing. The key was that the consort, whom they had always considered beautiful and noble, showed no intention of resisting at all. From her expression, it seemed she even actively responded and extended her tongue.

Prince Wu's soldiers quickly roared and charged at Zu An, brandishing their weapons. Being low-ranking, their access to information was limited. Although they had heard that the Regent King was formidable, they wondered, no matter how strong he was alone, could he truly overpower an entire army?

Now that their lord was humiliated, his direct subordinates naturally had to share his burden, especially since the rewards were so tempting. If they could indeed kill Zu An, they would have the chance to become hereditary marquises, leaping from low-ranking soldiers to established noble families. Many of the honored noble families in the Great Zhou Dynasty had ancestors who were once mere soldiers or low-ranking officers. By killing an important enemy figure, they had instantly "leapt over the dragon gate."

Although Zu An's cultivation was high, he was only one person. How could he possibly contend with an entire army? This was common knowledge!

Especially since the opponent was still leaning down to kiss the consort, seemingly not noticing them at all. Such an arrogant and careless attitude was an even greater opportunity. "Hmm," they thought, "it seems we misunderstood the consort earlier. She's using her beauty to make the Regent King completely infatuated, leaving him no time to resist, thereby creating an opportunity for us!"

Numerous soldiers formed small formations together. Soon, the formations between squads also activated, creating a larger formation. Faint, mysterious blue spiritual light shimmered from the array patterns as the soldiers charged forward excitedly. Their gazes were not fixed on a master, but on a stepping stone to promotion and wealth.

Zu An didn't move at all, still leaning down to kiss Yun Yuqing.

As the soldiers charged forward, they suddenly felt a vast and immense pressure descend from above. Everyone felt an innate sense of fear and reverence. Clang-clang-clang! Weapons clattered to the ground from the soldiers' hands. All of them prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. As for the army's formations, originally designed to counter the pressure of high-level cultivators, they only glowed for a second before instantly shattering into pieces. Many soldiers' bodies exploded directly, losing their lives on the spot. The surrounding soldiers grew even more terrified, ceaselessly kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Only Jiang Luofu saw clearly that Zu An was not killing indiscriminately. All those who died had committed murder, had just brutally harmed the Jiang family members, and had been disrespectful towards the Jiang family's female relatives. She was filled with emotion, marveling that Zu had been so thoughtful, taking such thorough action to avenge her. If it were any other time, she would probably have been overwhelmed with gratitude. But now...

Seeing the two passionately kissing nearby, Jiang Luofu's face darkened with exasperation. "Can you please not be kissing another woman while you're trying to move me?" she thought.

Jiang Boyang was equally stunned, first by the relationship between the man and Prince Wu's consort, and second by his unfathomable strength. Having served as a general in the army previously, he knew very well the immense advantage an army held over an individual. The troops Prince Wu brought were all elites. Although the location limited the use of large-scale battlefield formations, they still had various portable military formations. Even a peak Grandmaster would only be able to flee if they encountered them. Yet Zu An hadn't even lifted a hand, and he had actually suppressed the entire army?

Prince Wu and his entourage were almost petrified. He knew Zu An was very strong and hadn't expected his army to defeat him. But there should have been a fierce battle, consuming a good deal of Zu An's power, right? Yet now, he didn't even have to lift a hand, and all his elite troops had knelt. And as if to deliberately provoke him, Zu An kept holding and kissing Yuqing. "Yuqing, do you need to be so enraptured?" he fumed. "You've never shown such a shy expression in front of me!"

"Don't panic, Your Highness, I am here!" the long-bearded old man beside him offered reassurance. Although the pressure just now was formidable, the surrounding masters were all able to withstand it. He didn't realize that the pressure just now was only directed at the soldiers. He still thought Zu An's strength was somewhat exaggerated. Although he didn't know how Zu An had so easily dealt with the army, he figured it must be some ability targeting lower-level cultivators, which wouldn't affect them.

Hearing his calm tone and seeing his composed demeanor, Prince Wu was overjoyed. "Elder Lin!" This Elder Lin was a master he had recruited with heavy funds in his early years. Prince Wu had always been quite ambitious, and over the years, his estate had accumulated many masters. However, these martial artists were all arrogant, each proclaiming themselves the best in the world. Later, after a series of competitions, four masters in the estate rose to prominence. None of the four could overpower the others, and they eventually acknowledged each other's strength, leading Prince Wu to honor them as his Four Grand Guests. The one who had just forced Jiang Boyang back with a single palm strike was one of these Four Grand Guests, showing how high their cultivation was.

Later, when Elder Lin joined Prince Wu's Estate, his arrogant demeanor angered the Four Grand Guests. One of them decided to teach him a lesson, but to his surprise, he was defeated in a single move. Elder Lin then scoffed, saying, "I'm not targeting you; everyone present here is trash." This instantly caused an uproar. The other three Grand Guests were enraged. They, along with other masters from the estate, ganged up on him. But before long, all of them were defeated, and many masters even died from his heavy blows. That battle established Elder Lin's position as the foremost master in Prince Wu's Estate. From then on, no one dared to provoke him again. Many privately rumored him to be the strongest master below the Earth Immortals. Some even speculated that he might have already broken through to the Earth Immortal realm. So, seeing him speak, Prince Wu's heart immediately settled. It seemed Elder Lin had some confidence to speak like that.

At this point, Elder Lin looked towards Zu An. "For you to publicly claim the consort in such a manner, it seems you have no regard for this old man."

Zu An and Yun Yuqing parted lips. Seeing the consort's rosy lips with traces of saliva, Prince Wu's eyebrows twitched wildly.

Rage from Zhao Yan: 444,444,444...

"We are a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman, deeply in love. What right do you, an ugly old man, have to object?" Zu An released Yun Yuqing, not because of the old man, of course, but because if he kept kissing her, she might suffocate. Hearing the words "deeply in love," Yun Yuqing's pretty face couldn't help but blush. Seeing his wife's shy expression, like a startled deer, Prince Wu felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.

Rage from Zhao Yan: 577,577,577...

Elder Lin's breath hitched. Rage from Lin Duanshui: 499,499,499...

It took him a while to recover. "Young man, don't be so arro—"

Before he could finish speaking, Zu An suddenly raised his hand. The next second, Elder Lin suddenly lost his balance and was instantly drawn into Zu An's grasp. With a crisp snap, his neck slumped. His limbs, which had been poised to resist, all went limp like noodles.

"What was he trying to say just now?" Zu An casually tossed Elder Lin's corpse aside and looked directly at Prince Wu, who was not far away. As the current Underworld Emperor, and wielding the authority of the world, he could see at a glance that this Elder Lin's body surged with bloodlust and was entangled with vengeful spirits. His death was well-deserved.

Prince Wu, caught by his gaze, felt all the hairs on his body stand on end.