Chapter 2410: I Can Spare Your Life

"By your tone, you seem unaware of these things, which is quite odd," Mogaard said, utterly perplexed. How could someone so powerful be ignorant of such matters?

Zu'an smiled faintly. "If you can tell me, I'll spare your life today."

Beside them, the Mermaid Queen's face was a picture of shock. She knew Zu'an had hidden depths, but she never imagined he concealed this much. He was actually fighting Mogaard blow for blow! No, it even appeared Mogaard was slightly at a disadvantage! The crucial point was how naturally he spoke; did he truly have such absolute confidence in winning? Yet, his opponent was the renowned King Incest, a figure among the most powerful; perhaps no more than three people in the current age could consistently defeat him.

Mogaard was momentarily stunned, then burst into angry laughter. "Hahaha, how amusing! It's been a very long time since anyone dared to speak to me like that!" He had been greatly annoyed because his most potent 'Spirit Word' ability was utterly nullified by his opponent, and now, in close-quarters combat, he was wary of the other's black-hole-like cultivation technique. But for his opponent to speak of sparing his life? Unthinkable! Mogaard's rage surged, its intensity escalating rapidly.

He extended his hand, and a massive saber materialized from the void into his grasp. With a shout of "Sweeping Through Armies!" he brought the blade down towards his opponent. Since his close-quarters attacks were being absorbed by the opponent's black-hole-like technique, he decided to switch to a weapon. "I refuse to believe he can absorb this too," he thought.

The instant his words fell, a massive, forty-meter-long blade energy cleaved down from above. The various defensive arrays protecting the Mermaid Queen's palace flashed wildly, but they shattered completely after barely a second. The entire palace was sliced in half by this enormous blade energy, as if it were made of tofu.

Witnessing the bottomless chasm carved into the ground by the blade energy, the Mermaid Queen's face was aghast. "Is this the true power of King Incest?" she wondered. It became clear that when she had fought him previously, he had been far from using his full strength. Her heart immediately leaped into her throat. All the objects in the spot where that "foolish" guard had just been standing were now pulverized by the immense blade energy. Was he alright?

Just as she frantically searched for him, a voice descended from above: "You old trickster, why are you like Nie Renwang, shouting 'Sweeping Through Armies' but actually using 'Cleaving Mount Hua'?"

Zu'an was seen standing on the roof of an adjacent palace. Mogaard frowned and snorted coldly. "What Nie Renwang? I've never heard of such a person. Die!" With that, he once again swung the long saber in his hand. This time, the forty-meter blade energy expanded to nearly a hundred meters, directly slashing horizontally towards Zu'an.

Zu'an, with a mere tap of his toe, instantly teleported dozens of meters away. Yet, in the very next second, the blade energy shockingly reappeared directly in front of him. "Energy lock?" Zu'an swiftly deciphered the technique and immediately dodged sideways. Wherever he moved, the hundred-meter-long blade energy followed like a shadow. Trees snapped, rooftops were shorn off, and the entire palace was almost completely demolished in its wake.

Such a massive commotion finally prompted the Mermaid Queen's guard detachment to react. They rushed to her side, forming a protective barrier around her. Many were astonished to see Mogaard return, but even more so by the fact that the person facing him could hold his ground in such a fierce battle. And that person seemed to be the Queen's recently acknowledged lover!

"Alas, I was utterly blind," many thought. "Just moments ago, I considered him plain-looking and weak, thinking I could easily take his place. But now, witnessing this, I truly could not."

The Mermaid Queen anxiously urged, "Quickly, go help him!" A nearby guard pointed to himself, a look of bewilderment on his face. "Me?" Only then did the Mermaid Queen come to her senses, realizing her anxiety had muddled her judgment. Mogaard was clearly fighting with genuine fury, now employing his full twelve-tenths of power. A battle of this magnitude was difficult even for her to intervene in, let alone these guards. To mask her embarrassment, she quickly ordered her guards to escort the other palace maids and servants to a safe location first.

With such an immense commotion erupting in the Dragon Palace, how could the Dragon King remain unaware? Realizing the disturbance originated from the Mermaid Queen's quarters, he couldn't help but curse loudly, "Another assassin? Is my Dragon Palace a public restroom, where people can just come and go as they please?!" He had been absolutely fuming all day. First, there was the assassin incident at the Four Directions Hall, resulting in the demon envoy's death, which left him utterly terrified. Fortunately, King Incest Mogaard was still with the delegation; though he was thoroughly reprimanded by Mogaard, at least the envoy's wrath was appeased. Soon after, he had to accompany them to the Mermaid Queen's palace to apprehend an assassin, which turned out to be Princess Peacock, an envoy from the demon race. And that wasn't even the end of it; later, he had to cooperate with Mogaard again, rushing back to the Mermaid Queen's palace to arrest another person.

"Alas, my image in the Mermaid Queen's eyes, built over many years, has been utterly destroyed," he lamented. "She must be utterly disappointed in me by now." What completely broke his composure was the fact that the goddess he had pursued for years, who had always remained indifferent to his affections, now had a lover! And she had openly acknowledged him in front of everyone! To make matters worse, this individual was merely an ordinary-looking, unremarkable little guard in every aspect. This was absolutely preposterous! He was seething with pent-up rage, a fury that even the gentle clam-girls couldn't fully appease. When he heard the sounds of various palace buildings collapsing again, he finally erupted. "No matter who it is, I will make them pay! I can't afford to offend King Incest, I can't afford to offend the Mermaid Queen, but damn it, I can't even afford to offend *you*?!"

As he arrived at the Mermaid Queen's palace, overflowing with rage and intending to display his draconic might to erase the humiliation he had endured before his goddess that night... however, once he clearly saw that it was King Incest causing all this commotion, his expression instantly froze. "What was I just saying? Never mind, pretend I said nothing." He naturally couldn't afford to offend King Incest, but how could even that insignificant little guard he despised be so formidable?

At that moment, powerful figures from various sea tribes, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, were equally shaken to their cores by the battle unfolding in the sky. "No wonder the Mermaid Queen took a liking to him; this young man is truly extraordinary," they murmured.

At this point, Zu'an moved with lightning speed, his dodging form appearing everywhere, yet the blade energy relentlessly followed him like a shadow. A sinister grin flashed across Mogaard's face. "My blade isn't so easily dodged!" In the next second, the blade shadow pursuing Zu'an vanished, but the sky suddenly brightened. Although it was night, that instant felt like broad daylight. It turned out that every slash he had previously unleashed lingered in the void. Now, these flashing blade lights converged to form a massive, shimmering net. This net enveloped the space for hundreds of meters around Zu'an, leaving him no means of evasion.

"Demonic Blade: Heaven and Earth Net!" Mogaard roared. All the accumulated blade energy burst forth in that instant, raining down entirely upon Zu'an.

"Ah!" the Mermaid Queen gasped, her entire body trembling. Alas, the battle was too distant for her to offer any assistance in time. The young maid, Cherry, also clutched the Queen's arm tightly. However, she was more confident than her mistress, thinking, "The Queen's 'husband' is so capable; he must have a way."

Zu'an was seen spreading his hands, and a shimmering phantom of the Pure Brahma Bell appeared around him, enveloping him completely. The myriad blade lights rained down upon him, but every single one was intercepted by the ethereal bell. However, the power of Mogaard's attack was not to be underestimated. As the blade lights dissipated, the golden phantom of the colossal bell completely shattered.

Mogaard's expression shifted; he had never anticipated his opponent possessing such a formidable defensive skill. At this moment, Zu'an said coldly, "You've had your turn attacking. Now it's mine." The instant his words finished, ripples like water spread through the void behind him, and golden weapons slowly began to emerge and float out from within.