Chapter 2453: Temptation

The Mermaid Queen's face changed dramatically. The Aurora Poison Dragon was known for its potent venom, and now the toxins in its body seemed almost tangible. Even from a distance, just catching a faint whiff of the foul odor had left her completely weak, making it impossible to even take out her Deep Sea Lyre and play a detoxifying melody.

She secretly regretted that everyone had focused on guarding against the Soul-Shattering Bell, forgetting that the Aurora Poison Dragon's skill with poison was unmatched among the sea tribes. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to so easily poison so many masters in the Dragon Palace.

Zu An, being so close and enveloped by the opponent's poisonous mist, was likely in danger. As she worried, she suddenly heard Zu An chuckle, "Is this your confidence?"

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, sending the Mermaid Queen, Peacock Princess, and others away from the range of the poisonous mist. Seeing his composure and natural demeanor, the Mermaid Queen and Peacock Princess were both surprised and delighted. Of course, with his immense power, how could he be poisoned by the Aurora Poison Dragon?

However, while Zu An smiled outwardly, he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared. Even with the Primordial Chaos Sutra making his body immune to a hundred poisons, how could there be only a hundred types of poison in all the worlds? Enveloped by the black mist, he felt his mind wavering, and he was dizzy, as if intoxicated. He now understood that the Primordial Chaos Sutra didn't make him completely immune to poisons, but rather gave him extremely high resistance to most of them. The Aurora Poison Dragon's venom was truly potent; even his current cultivation was somewhat affected.

Nevertheless, the Aurora Poison Dragon was so terrified that its hairs stood on end. It had never imagined that someone could remain unaffected even after being subjected to its full poisonous assault. In fear, it quickly darted backward, attempting to create distance from Zu An. But Zu An's hand was like an iron clamp; it couldn't break free!

"What poison formation are you using? Hand over the antidote!" Zu An said, staring coldly.

When Zu An woke up in the Dragon Palace, he noticed flags planted at regular intervals, each emitting a strange poisonous energy. Although he had destroyed some of them, there were clearly many more flags throughout the Dragon Palace. Moreover, even if the entire poison formation was destroyed, those who had already been poisoned among the sea tribes couldn't be saved immediately.

"Antidote? There's no antidote! Once poisoned by me, death is certain!" The Aurora Poison Dragon sneered, then swung a blade, severing its own trapped arm. It used this opportunity to quickly distance itself from Zu An. In the blink of an eye, it revealed its true form, transforming into a massive black dragon. It bared its fangs and claws at Zu An, roaring, "You are indeed powerful, but you cannot save the entire sea tribe! You can only watch everyone die, hahahaha!"

Amidst its wild, arrogant laughter, its form began to fade, as if it would vanish at any moment.

Zu An's expression turned cold. "Trying to escape? Do you think you can?"

As he spoke, he extended his hand and drew towards the dragon's location from afar. The black dragon instantly felt a powerful suction, and even the surrounding space seemed to solidify. It was horrified. "How is this possible!" It had just activated a life-saving artifact, intending to teleport to a safe location, never imagining that its opponent could even manipulate space.

Zu An secretly rejoiced that he had learned the "Mysteries of Spatial Transformation" in the Demon World; otherwise, his understanding of space wouldn't be so profound. The black dragon struggled desperately in mid-air, but it was as if an invisible giant hand held it firmly, preventing it from escaping in the slightest, no matter how much it thrashed. Fearing that the opponent might have other tricks, Zu An simply used the Gluttonous Devouring Art to drain all its cultivation, then continued, "Where is the antidote?"

The Aurora Poison Dragon, moments ago full of vitality, now felt its cultivation drain away like a collapsing mountain. In an instant, the great dragon transformed into a shriveled python, looking utterly withered. Its heart turned cold. "There is no antidote; they will all be buried with me, hahahaha."

Seeing its twisted smile, Zu An frowned. He was about to hand it over to the Mermaid Queen, hoping she could use her enchantment spell again to extract useful information.

The Mermaid Queen secretly told Zu An, "I wouldn't use that enchantment spell unless it was absolutely necessary. Moreover, his cultivation is very high; I might not succeed."

"It's fine, he's a cripple now," Zu An said calmly.

The Mermaid Queen was startled. She had indeed seen the dragon shrivel into a long snake, but she hadn't realized its cultivation had truly been completely drained. Nevertheless, she quickly composed herself and began questioning it.

The Aurora Poison Dragon's expression became vacant. "My poison formation truly has no antidote. The only possible way to resolve it is through the inheritor of the Fire Cloud Cave, among the human race..."

Hearing this, Zu An's heart stirred. Fire Cloud Cave? He was already planning to search for a token of authority among humans; perhaps he could visit Fire Cloud Cave. Wait, could the token of humanity's authority be his Human Emperor Seal?

As he pondered, a sinister voice suddenly echoed from afar: "You are indeed formidable, Lord. Not even a seal could hold you."

Hearing the voice, the Aurora Poison Dragon finally regained consciousness and frantically cried out, "King Wulun, save me!"

Zu An and the others looked in the direction of the voice, and outside the palace, a figure slowly appeared. It was Mogade. He now wore a grim expression, and unlike before, he was accompanied by numerous demon masters. Zu An's heart sank. Spreading his divine sense, he found that the entire Dragon Palace was now filled with demon soldiers. They were surrounded!

After entering, Mogade glanced at the Aurora Poison Dragon and said coldly, "You are completely crippled now. Is there any need to save you?"

The Aurora Poison Dragon was stunned, then its face filled with terror. "I can still help you control the sea tribe! You personally promised I would be the next King of the Sea Tribe!"

Mogade didn't even spare him a glance. "In your current state, what ability do you have to control the sea tribe? What right do you have to be any King of the Sea Tribe?"

Hearing his words, everyone present clicked their tongues, thinking how heartless the demons truly were to abandon him so quickly. The Aurora Poison Dragon realized that it was now useless to Mogade and couldn't help but exclaim, "King Wulun, if not for my assistance all this time, how would you have killed the North Sea Crown Prince and incited conflict between the sea and demon tribes? How would you have had the chance to poison everyone in the Dragon Palace so quickly? Are you abandoning me now that you've crossed the river?"

The expressions of the remaining sea tribes in the hall turned cold. It was indeed Mogade who had orchestrated all these events. Everyone also understood why he had achieved all this so easily: the Aurora Poison Dragon had been his insider.

Mogade smiled faintly. "What's the point of saying all this now? If you still had any value, I would naturally uphold my promise to make you King of the Sea Tribe. Unfortunately, you have none, and I can't force you into power." He finished speaking, his gaze finally settling on Zu An. "My lord, perhaps you would consider an alliance with our demon race? You could be the next King of the Sea Tribe. I can arrange for the Mermaid Queen and Peacock Princess to become your consorts. I can even promise to look after the interests of their respective tribes. All you need to do is nod, and everything the East Sea Dragon King and the Aurora Poison Dragon once coveted will be yours."