Chapter 2443: Great Battle

"Brother King!" Princess Ni Huang exclaimed in alarm. Unfortunately, it was too late for her to stop it.

Faced with this destructive blow, Zu An did not dodge. He stood his ground, and a faint, enormous golden bell phantom vaguely appeared around him.

The destructive black light collided with the giant bell phantom, and both vanished simultaneously.

Princess Ni Huang quickly seized the opportunity to step in front of Zu An. "Brother King, why did you strike my friend with such force?"

Zu An smiled slightly. "Princess, you misunderstand. Your brother held back considerably; he was merely testing me."

Indeed, the opponent's move just now possessed great power but no killing intent.

The Asura King nodded in satisfaction. "Impressive. No wonder you could defeat Ox-Head, Horse-Face, Gold-Chain, and Silver-Lock. I was worried my royal sister, unfamiliar with the outside world, might be deceived by evildoers. It seems I worried for nothing."

Princess Ni Huang couldn't help but feel a little displeased. "Brother King, do you truly think I'm so easily deceived?"

The Asura King smiled but said nothing. Of course, he knew his sister wasn't like that, but as the king of his clan, he bore too many heavy responsibilities to believe everything he was told.

A king only trusts himself.

He had only used sixty to seventy percent of his strength earlier, and the fact that the opponent could withstand that move was enough proof of his power.

At this moment, Zu An also nodded inwardly, relieved that his earlier actions had not revealed any flaws.

He knew that as the Asura King, and in front of thousands of his troops, it would be awkward and humiliating for him if his strike couldn't even break through Zu An's protective bell phantom.

Furthermore, the Asuras were naturally belligerent. If he provoked the Asura King into continuous attacks, it would be troublesome. Therefore, he perfectly timed the dissipation of his protective bell phantom and the king's attack simultaneously. As expected, the king did not suspect a thing.

"Royal sister, bring our guest up so we can speak properly," the Asura King's voice came. Clearly, his mount, the white elephant, was simply too tall, making it impolite for a guest to constantly crane their neck to speak from below.

"Come with me," Princess Ni Huang said, taking Zu An's hand and flying directly onto the white elephant's back.

The Asura King's "seat" was less of a chair and more like a vast, spacious tent. Besides his throne, several other seats were neatly arranged at the front.

The Asura King gestured for them to sit, then scrutinized Zu An. "Are you human?"

Zu An nodded slightly. "Indeed, I am human."

"This truly surprises me," the Asura King said with a sigh. "We've been trapped in this Underworld for countless years, and I never imagined such earth-shattering changes had occurred outside. To think that the frail human race now boasts such a powerful being as yourself."

Zu An mused to himself that in various legends, humans were often depicted as weak at first, even serving as food for some races, but eventually, humanity always prospered and grew strong.

The Asura King did not dwell long on his melancholic thoughts. "Did you defeat Ox-Head and Horse-Face earlier?"

"We did exchange blows, but after a while, they suddenly fled, so I wouldn't call it a defeat," Zu An replied, not wanting to elaborate too much on the previous battle.

The Asura King burst into laughter. "Those few have always been short-tempered, especially that stubborn Ox-Head with his nose in the air. If they weren't outmatched, why would they flee? I was just wondering why the Witch tribe seemed to have suffered a major defeat recently. So, it was your doing! You've done well!"

Hearing her brother praise him, Princess Ni Huang immediately beamed. "Brother King, aren't I amazing for finding such a friend?"

"Truly remarkable," the Asura King chuckled. "With this friend's help, I'm confident that our upcoming battles will be nothing but victories."

Zu An seized the opportunity to ask, "May I ask what battle Your Majesty is referring to?"

In fact, he had wanted to ask the moment he first saw the magnificent Asura army.

"To attack the Witch tribe, of course!" The Asura King's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Now is the perfect chance, while they're freshly defeated and on unstable footing, to completely drive those fellows out of here!"

For countless ages, the two tribes had been locked in conflict, neither ever gaining a decisive advantage. Now, it seemed the opportunity to break that stalemate had arrived.

Zu An fell silent at this. While the Asura army certainly seemed poised for victory, he knew how history unfolded.

In the future, Ox-Head and Horse-Face would still be present in the Underworld, but the Asura clan themselves were nowhere to be seen.

This thought made him subtly uneasy. Could this battle be a crushing defeat for the Asura clan?

Yet, given the current circumstances, it was hard to see how the powerful and well-equipped Asura clan could possibly lose.

Princess Ni Huang had been quite kind to him. Though they weren't deeply close friends, he naturally didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

"Initially, I had some reservations, but now with your assistance, I am certain this battle will be victorious," the Asura King said, far more optimistic than Zu An. "If you make significant contributions in this battle, I shall appoint you as a Grand Commander of the Asura clan, and then I will offer you my sister's hand in marriage!"

Princess Ni Huang, who had been smiling brightly, instantly blushed upon hearing this. "Brother King, he's just my friend! What are you talking about?"

As she spoke, she kept glancing at Zu An, her gaze full of apology and embarrassment.

The Asura King gave him an understanding smile. "Yes, yes, yes, just friends, hahaha."

Zu An was speechless.

He hadn't expected to merely investigate what was happening in the Underworld, only to end up as the Asura clan's royal brother-in-law.

He was about to explain the situation, as given his current status, he really couldn't afford to get too entangled with historical events.

Just then, sounds of battle suddenly erupted from the front. It turned out the Asura vanguard had encountered the Witch tribe's army. As sworn enemies, they flushed with anger upon seeing each other and immediately plunged into battle without much probing.

The Asura King no longer bothered speaking with Zu An. He rose and moved to the front, constantly observing the distant battle. He then signaled to his guards, who relayed various flag signals, continuously directing his various divisions.

Having experienced wars himself, Zu An quickly discerned the intricacies of the combat. He couldn't help but marvel that the Asura King would be considered a top-tier strategist even in human history.

His command was nothing short of artistry: luring the enemy deep, dividing and encircling them, and having various units continuously charge the flanks of the enemy's formation in turns.

Furthermore, the Asura clan was inherently fierce and courageous. Each of them was a peerless weapon of war, thriving on the battlefield, and soon, the Witch tribe's army formation began to crumble.

Zu An noticed that throughout the Asura forces, the more arms an individual possessed, the stronger they generally were.

Most Asura soldiers had three to five arms, while those with six or more arms gradually became rarer, with their numbers decreasing significantly at higher counts.

Several Asura generals each had eight arms. Recalling that Princess Ni Huang had also displayed eight arms at her peak, Zu An wondered if the Asura King, as the strongest in his clan, was the only one with nine arms.

Just then, roars resonated. "Khamoda, what is the meaning of you suddenly launching a sneak attack with your subordinates?"

As they spoke, the ground trembled violently. Ox-Head, Horse-Face, Gold-Chain, and Silver-Lock could be seen approaching from afar with their massive bodies, wielding their weapons. Wherever they passed, ordinary Asura soldiers fell in swathes, like mown leeks.

The Asura King let out a cold scoff. "Ox-Head, what kind of act is striking down common soldiers? If you've got the guts, fight me, your King, in a proper battle!"

Even as he spoke, he had already flown above the battlefield. Behind him, a colossal Asura phantom suddenly appeared, so vast it seemed to blot out the sky. This phantom indeed possessed a total of nine arms, each holding a terrifying weapon. Standing there alone, his might eclipsed even the combined presence of the four behemoths: Ox-Head, Horse-Face, Gold-Chain, and Silver-Lock.

From the Asura formation, four Grand Commanders also quickly soared forth. Behind them, similarly colossal Asura phantoms appeared, each brandishing eight arms. They stood guard on either side of the Asura King, their forms roughly half the size of the King's.

Princess Ni Huang took over her brother's battlefield command. Standing atop the white elephant, she continued directing the army. Her valiant and heroic demeanor was truly the most beautiful sight on the cruel battlefield.