Chapter 2584: 发狂

"Becoming a Saint?" The other women's faces instantly showed understanding. His reminder had dispelled their doubts.

Even the Lord of Slaughter and Peng Meng nodded secretly. They had only known that their master was planning something big, but they didn't understand what it was.

Emperor Yao showed a hint of admiration on his face. "You truly are clever, to have guessed my intentions. No wonder you were able to disrupt Di Jun's plan and even win his wife's complete devotion."

Compared to the former, he seemed to appreciate the latter more.

Thinking of his mother's past suffering, the matter between Zu An and Xi He gave him a sense of vengeful satisfaction.

Upon hearing this, the women all looked at Zu An with strange expressions.

Zu An was speechless.

"Please don't speak nonsense, Your Excellency. Xi He and I have a pure and honorable relationship, not as sordid as you make it sound."

"Pure and honorable..." Emperor Yao scoffed, not bothering to argue the point with him. "Indeed, I do intend to become a Saint by fostering humanity's prosperity. Everyone's path and method to sainthood are different, and there's nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, you should be grateful to me."

"I should thank you?" Zu An laughed in exasperation.

"Of course!" Emperor Yao said proudly. "Look at humanity now: weak, ignorant, and backward. But look at you, and your friends beside you – you are all humans, each radiant and incredibly powerful. This proves that my path is correct, and humanity's future is indeed one of great prosperity. As beneficiaries, shouldn't you be grateful to me?"

Zu An frowned, forced to admit there was some truth to the other's words.

If not for him, humanity would not have prospered, and he and his friends might not even exist.

"But for your own selfish desires, you caused the death of countless beings across the land."

Hearing his words, Emperor Yao wagged a finger. "Your statement has two errors. Firstly, it was Di Jun who caused the death of countless beings, not me. Secondly, this is not for my personal gain, but for great love. Furthermore, if it weren't for me, Di Jun would have killed even more beings."

Zu An and the others exchanged glances. Although they knew he was equivocating, his logic was self-consistent, making it genuinely difficult to refute.

"So we were never enemies," Emperor Yao said, smiling at their expressions. "I'm not saying this because I'm afraid of you, but because there's truly no need for us to fight. Even if you were to win and kill me, it might affect your future, and then the very foundation of your existence would be gone."

Zu An took a deep breath. Recalling the historical records of Yao among humanity, he knew that harming the other party could indeed easily alter the entire course of history.

Moreover, the other party was a crucial historical figure. Even if he tried his utmost, he might not be able to stop him, just as Xi He had exerted herself in vain, ultimately unable to change the outcome of ten suns appearing and nine being shot down.

So he pointed to Peng Meng, who was standing nearby. "Since you say we are not enemies, why did you send him to harm Chang'e!"

Emperor Yao frowned slightly. "I merely sent him to find the elixir of immortality. I didn't expect him to take matters into his own hands and harbor ill intentions towards Chang'e."

Hearing this, Peng Meng immediately became anxious. "Master, I have served you diligently all these years! You must save me!"

Emperor Yao, however, looked indifferent. "You acted recklessly in my name; you should have anticipated this day. Besides, I've already saved you several times before. Not counting just now, you nearly perished entirely, and it was I who helped you recover."

Seeing him speak thus, Peng Meng knew he couldn't rely on him. He simply transformed into countless tiny black piglets and scattered in all directions.

This was his life-saving skill; he had successfully escaped with it last time.

While it would result in heavy losses and take a very long time to recover, at least it would preserve his life.

Seeing this, even the Lord of Slaughter was startled, and Emperor Yao was somewhat surprised, having never expected such decisiveness from him.

But Zu An reacted swiftly. The opponent had forced the Mermaid Queen and him to be "separated forever," and Zu An's aura had been locked onto him the entire time.

So he struck almost instantly, firing a Sun-shooting Arrow directly. In mid-air, it suddenly exploded into a shower of countless golden arrows, covering an area of several miles.

Countless tiny black piglets shrieked as they were pinned down by the arrow rain. A crater dozens of meters deep appeared in that space, and a corner of the city wall of nearby Taoqiu City directly collapsed and was obliterated.

Fortunately, Emperor Yao had previously ordered the city's inhabitants to evacuate, otherwise, they would likely have been caught in the crossfire.

Sensing that Peng Meng's soul had been annihilated by this attack, the Lord of Slaughter couldn't help but swallow, instinctively stepping back a few paces.

That Sun-shooting Bow was simply too terrifying; he might not be able to withstand it himself.

Seeing Zu An's gaze shift to him, he quickly returned to Emperor Yao's side. "Master!"

In the past, calling him "Master" had filled him with shame and anger, but now he uttered it sincerely, knowing that only Emperor Yao could preserve his life.

Emperor Yao's face showed hesitation, as if contemplating whether to protect him.

At this moment, Salame's voice rang out: "Hmph, release my father and me, or this girl will lose her life."

It turned out she had used the chaos to return to the city and emerged, holding Soloncia hostage.

Seeing Soloncia still alive, Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. "It's wonderful that you're alright."

"Brother Zu..." Soloncia's face was flushed with shame. The other party had entrusted her with guarding a prisoner, but she had been bewitched, and now she was herself a captive.

"Whether she's alright depends on your choice," Salame said, tightening the blade against Soloncia's throat. "Do you know how she let us go before?"

"Why?" Zu An and the others were very curious how they had escaped.

"Don't say it!" Soloncia exclaimed, her face scarlet. She even tried to throw her neck against the blade in front of her.

Fortunately, Salame was prepared and quickly restrained her vital points, causing her to lose strength. Seeing this, Salame felt a surge of satisfaction. "Of course, it's because she desired your affection. Unfortunately, she couldn't compare to the beautiful confidantes around you. With that emotional vulnerability, it was easy for us to persuade her with a little bit of cunning."

Soloncia's face turned ashen, wishing only to die. She hung her head, not daring to meet their gazes.

At this moment, Zu An's gentle voice spoke. "Lady Soloncia is beautiful and kind-hearted, and of noble birth; what man wouldn't like her? To be fair, she's simply inexperienced, which is why she was tricked by cunning and malicious individuals like yourselves."

Hearing these words, a spark of brilliance ignited in Soloncia's dim eyes. She understood that he wasn't saying this because he truly liked her, but it offered comfort and saved her face, and that thoughtfulness was enough to move her.

The Wushan Goddess looked at Zu An with a strange expression, thinking to herself, 'No wonder this guy has so many women around him. With such a sweet tongue, what woman wouldn't be tempted?'

Who knew that Salame, upon hearing this, would be greatly provoked? "Fine, fine! So she's inexperienced, and I'm cunning and malicious. If that's the case, then you'll regret it!"

As she spoke, a look of madness appeared on her face. She knew the best course of action was to control Soloncia as a hostage, but her emotions were completely out of control at this moment.

A surge of rage and murderous intent erupted from within her. If that was the case, then let everything be destroyed!

Immediately, she drew the knife across Soloncia's throat.

"No!" the Lord of Slaughter cried out, panicked. If the hostage died, wouldn't he and his daughter have no leverage?

What was wrong with his usually shrewd daughter?

Zu An also never expected her to suddenly go mad; there was simply no time to stop her.

Just then, Salame's movements suddenly froze. She coughed a few times, a gush of blood spilling from her mouth. She looked down at the long spear of flame piercing her chest, then painstakingly turned her gaze to the man behind her, who was engulfed in flames.