Chapter 2238: Self-congratulatory

"Zu An, what are you doing!" Seeing this, the remaining four Dukes were greatly alarmed. They retreated a short distance, their hands secretly forming incantations in their sleeves or resting on their weapons, ready to defend at any moment.

Although Prince Yiyang was usually difficult to get along with, they had all been among the Eight Dukes for many years. Seeing an old acquaintance die like this, they couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow and vulnerability.

Moreover, Prince Yiyang had just recently broken through to the Earth Immortal realm. Logically, he should have been able to put up a fight. Why did he die before anyone could even see what happened?

Just how powerful had Zu An become?

In an instant, they all felt a sense of personal danger.

Everyone present was stunned. Earlier, when they saw Prince Yi, Zhao Quan, and Zhao Zhang—members of the imperial family—being killed, they wondered how Zu An would handle the aftermath.

Now, they couldn't believe that even a revered Duke, one of the Eight, had been killed so easily. Their thoughts turned to how the Eight Dukes themselves would deal with this situation.

It seemed the Regent King was truly enraged. Would he rebel on the spot?

Jiang Luofu looked at Zu An with some concern. Although the recent events involving the Jiang family had made her want to kill, Zu An's actions seemed a bit extreme.

Killing Prince Yi was one thing, but Prince Yiyang was a respected Duke and an elder of the Zhao imperial clan. Ever since Zhao Chen's death, the entire imperial family had looked to Zhao Song for leadership. Killing him like this would likely make it very difficult to manage the repercussions.

However, she quickly firmed her resolve. No matter what, she would stand by Zu An. She would also persuade her senior and junior disciples at the academy to support him.

Yun Yuqing, on the other hand, was unconcerned. She was from the Demon Race anyway. If Zu An couldn't remain in the human realm, she would simply take him back to the Northern Demon Race.

Thinking that this would also allow her to distance him from his female confidantes in the human realm, she found the outcome quite satisfactory.

The only concern was that there seemed to be some issues within the Demon Race.

Zu An calmly stated, "I've simply realized I was too kind before. As soon as I'm gone for a while, these people start plotting and scheming against me. I don't want to make the same mistake twice. Since he was so displeased with me, rather than letting him cause more trouble in my absence, it's better to eliminate all potential threats now."

This time, Liu Ning and Gao Ying were in trouble. What about next time?

He had too many people he cared about, and he might not be lucky enough to save them all if something happened again.

Furthermore, and more importantly, the otherworldly demons were eyeing this world covetously. The Apocalypse Specter and the Plague Demon Lord were lurking somewhere, stirring up trouble. Humanity needed to unite and face these external enemies; they couldn't afford to have these people dragging them down from behind.

It was better to suffer a short, sharp pain than a prolonged one. He might as well resolve all problems at once.

At this moment, General Cheng Yuan took a deep breath and asked, "Zu An, are you truly planning a rebellion?"

When Prince Yiyang had asked that earlier, they thought he was too impulsive. But now, Zu An's actions were no different from rebellion.

As one of the Eight Dukes, he felt it was his responsibility to step forward.

Zu An said nothing. With a casual wave of his hand, the clouds in the sky parted, revealing the starry cosmos.

The sight of countless demons gathering outside was revealed to everyone.

Everyone gasped at the sight of the densely packed demons.

Although they had heard of demon invasions before, those were matters typically faced by a select few elites. Most people had no real concept of the danger involved.

But now, seeing the countless demons with their ferocious faces and sharp fangs, it was clear they were man-eaters!

This was far more effective than all the earnest propaganda the court had ever issued.

With another wave of Zu An's hand, the clouds reformed, and the sky returned to its usual appearance.

This scene was not suitable to be shown for too long, as it could easily cause panic among the populace.

"These days, I have been constantly battling these terrifying and cunning otherworldly demons, and it's nearly exhausted all my energy," Zu An said gravely. "I certainly don't want to have to divert any of it to deal with knives in my back."

The remaining four Dukes exchanged glances, all seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Zu An, with a casual wave of his hand, could part the heavens themselves. What immense power was that?

Originally, the Dukes were just cornered and had no choice. No one truly wanted to be an enemy of such a terrifying being. After hearing his words, they all bowed respectfully, saying, "Regent King, you must have worked tirelessly these past days."

As long as there was a legitimate reason, they wouldn't have to openly oppose Zu An.

After all, this man was simply too powerful and disregarded all codes of conduct. Who knew if he wouldn't take their lives the next second?

Although the imperial court had a great demon-suppressing formation in the capital, they weren't entirely without a fighting chance against Zu An if they activated it.

But it would only be a fighting chance. Even if all Eight Dukes were present, they would likely lose against the current Zu An.

What's more, only four of them remained. And Zu An was also the Academy's Dean. Who knew if the academy's people would tamper with the great formation once it was activated?

Zu An nodded. "I'll leave matters here to you all. I'm going to the palace to see what this rebellion by Lord Jiang is all about."

Yu Rui, seeing the others signaling him, had no choice but to brace himself and say, "That is the imperial palace, after all. We hope the Regent King won't... won't act impulsively."

He couldn't find any more appropriate words.

Zu An nodded. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The entire incident was resolved just like that. The soldiers on the field and the people from various prominent families who had rushed over to observe all wore strange expressions.

If anyone else had caused such a major incident, they would likely face slow slicing or even extermination of their entire clan.

But with the Regent King doing it, everyone felt that letting it go was the most reasonable outcome.

Otherwise, it would be uncertain who would be raiding whose home.

Zu An exchanged a few words with Jiang Luofu. Just then, people from the academy arrived after hearing the news, so he asked them to stay and protect the Jiang family.

The teachers from the academy's back mountain readily agreed. As members of the same academy, they should naturally stand united, especially since Jiang Luofu was their junior fellow disciple.

After everything was arranged, Zu An approached Yun Yuqing. "Come with me to the palace."

He had initially intended to have Yun Yuqing stay with Jiang Luofu and the others, but then he remembered she wasn't familiar with the academy's people. She had abandoned everything to choose him, so how could he leave her alone here?

Yun Yuqing had initially felt a little disheartened, seeing Zu An so radiant amidst the crowd, seemingly forgetting her presence.

Before today, she was the respected Princess Consort of Wu, praised by all as a divine couple.

But after today, in the eyes of those who didn't know the full story, she was merely a bad woman who had abandoned her husband and curried favor by choosing a more powerful man.

Not only that, even her Demon Race subordinates had betrayed her. Now, she was truly alone, with a strange sense of loneliness.

Just as she was feeling this sense of uncertainty, she suddenly heard Zu An's voice. She looked up to find him standing before her, smiling gently. There was no trace of the coldness or authority he had just shown to others; his face was filled with warm tenderness.

"Alright," Yun Yuqing replied, reaching out and taking his hand. Feeling his warm, large hand, she instantly felt that everything was worth it.

Seeing the newfound sparkle in Yun Yuqing's eyes, Jiang Luofu was filled with emotion. She thought, *This young man truly has a thoughtful heart. Even in such a chaotic situation, he doesn't disregard the feelings of his female companions. No wonder these women are so devoted to him.*

Recalling Yun Yuqing's resolute decision to leave Prince Wu and come to Zu An's side, Jiang Luofu couldn't help but feel admiration.

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Zhao Ruizhi and Bi Qi were laughing heartily, discussing something unknown. The atmosphere was cheerful and lively.

"This world truly is rich in resources," Zhao Ruizhi suddenly grumbled, displeased. "A bunch of weak ants occupying such a fertile place—it's simply outrageous."

"No matter," Bi Qi chuckled sinisterly. "All of this will soon be ours. The only one we need to watch out for is that Regent King, Zu An. His power is unfathomable; he doesn't seem like a native of this world at all. Many of our comrades have fallen by his hand."

Zhao Ruizhi's eyes gleamed. "Those muscle-brained fools! We were clearly suppressed by this world's barrier, yet they only knew how to meet force with force. It's no wonder they died."

Bi Qi also laughed. "Your method is still superior. Hiding within the body of this foolish emperor, no one will ever find you. And when the time comes, we can openly use the empire's power to make them fight among themselves."

"The only downside is having to pretend to be a fool every day; it's truly stifling," Zhao Ruizhi said, standing up and stretching his corpulent body.

"Just bear with it a little longer," Bi Qi said with a grim smile. "It won't be much longer. Once we plunge this realm into chaos, and war breaks out everywhere, with death rampant, my plague will unleash its full power. Speaking of which, sending the two of us to cooperate this time was a perfect match. You can incite war across the entire world, allowing my abilities to be fully utilized. All we need to do now is keep our identities hidden."

"Don't worry," Zhao Ruizhi said with a triumphant expression. "How could that fellow Zu ever guess I'm hiding in the palace?"