Chapter 817: Sending a Death Sentence

Bilinglong realized that the swirling snowflakes and the beautiful sword technique were none other than Chu Chuyan's signature move, the "Snowflake Divine Sword."

She then recalled that Chu Chuyan had even taught him her most potent skill, which clearly indicated their relationship was far more than just a nominal marriage, as everyone had imagined. For some reason, seeing Zu An wield another woman's unique technique made her feel a little uneasy.

However, this feeling was quickly replaced by shock when she saw Shi Tong's ultimate move instantly frozen. Then, a melancholic sword light flashed, and Shi Tong's head fell off.

At that moment, her thoughts mirrored Shi Tong's: how could Chu Chuyan's Snowflake Divine Sword possess such immense power? Although she had never fought Chu Chuyan, she had seen her in action once and heard about her cultivation level. While the Snowflake Divine Sword was miraculous, it shouldn't have been this powerful. Only Zu An knew the truth: he wasn't just using the Snowflake Divine Sword but also simultaneously summoning the Snow Phoenix. The two skills complemented each other perfectly, unleashing power far exceeding what Chu Chuyan typically achieved.

Suddenly, an alarm blared in her mind, and she quickly tried to dodge to the side, but her body went limp as crucial acupoints on her back were sealed.

"It's you two!" Seeing the Gu brothers, who had grown up with her since childhood, Bilinglong had never felt such disgust.

At that moment, the Gu brothers couldn't spare a glance for her. Instead, they stared at Zu An in horror, their voices trembling, "You, Zu An, don't move!"

They had already felt intimidated when they saw Shi Tong and Zu An evenly matched, so they decided to seize the opportunity to take Bilinglong hostage. They hadn't anticipated Shi Tong's swift defeat, which only confirmed their wisdom in being cautious. Bilinglong, still reeling from the shock, hadn't noticed the two approaching. By the time she reacted, it was too late.

Zu An turned around and saw Bilinglong held hostage by the brothers. He couldn't help but frown, saying, "You two brothers truly embody what it means to be despicable and shameless."

"Less talk," Gu Heng retorted, somewhat exasperated. "If you don't want anything to happen to her, sever your right arm."

Zu An scoffed, "You two claim to adore her, yet you use her safety to threaten someone else. What kind of love is that?"

Gu Xing snorted, "Don't lecture us. When you can't win by force, you naturally resort to strategy. Otherwise, you're just a useless brute."

"Despicable cowards shouldn't try to elevate yourselves," Bilinglong said coldly.

"Shut up!" Gu Heng's face flushed crimson. He tightened the blade against her neck. "Zu An, stop wasting time. If you don't sever your right arm, I'll kill her."

"Don't mind me, kill these two shameless scoundrels!" Bilinglong urged.

Zu An glanced at them. "If you kill her, you won't survive either."

Gu Xing laughed, "Under these circumstances, we can't afford to worry about such things. Besides, with Bilinglong to accompany us in death, even as ghosts, we'll be romantic."

"Shameless!" Bilinglong trembled with rage.

Gu Heng looked at Zu An. "Zu An, our patience is limited. If you don't sever your right arm, my brother and I will die with Bilinglong. It'll be worth it for this lifetime." He knew that even with one hand severed, Zu An could easily kill them. However, it was unrealistic to demand both arms at once. Therefore, this roundabout tactic was designed to pull him into the abyss step by step. Once he severed one arm, they would escalate the demand for the other, banking on the significant sunk cost making him more likely to agree. Once Zu An had severed both arms, the brothers would hold all the cards, whether they chose to fight or flee.

Zu An spread his hands. "She's not my wife. You've got the wrong person if you're threatening me with her. I'm just an employee, earning an honest living. It's not worth sacrificing my life and future for her, is it?"

Gu Heng sneered, "If something happens to her, do you think the Emperor will spare you once you leave the secret realm?"

"Whether he spares me, I don't know," Zu An said indifferently, "but he definitely won't spare your Gu clan's nine generations."

Gu Heng's face fell instantly. He had initially hoped this secret realm expedition would make him a trusted minister of the Emperor, but he never imagined it would end in utter failure, possibly even dragging his entire clan down.

At this point, Gu Xing was calmer. "Do you really think I don't know your relationship? Bilinglong trusts you far more than she would an ordinary subordinate. If you say there's nothing between you two, I genuinely won't believe it." He then looked at Bilinglong. "Bilinglong, Bilinglong, you've shown him so much trust and genuine devotion throughout this journey, and what have you gotten in return? He's unwilling to sacrifice even an arm to save you, let alone his life."

From a distance, Gao Ying and Pei You, who had been watching the drama unfold, immediately turned their heads away, pretending they hadn't heard anything.

Bilinglong scoffed coldly, "Do you take me for an idiot, or him for one? Who would agree to such idiotic terms? Zu An, if you actually agree, I'll despise your intelligence." Despite her words, a flicker of sadness crossed her heart. Reason was one thing, emotion another. She secretly wondered how much he would truly sacrifice for her and how much she mattered to him. However, she quickly snapped back to reality, inwardly scoffing at herself. At a time like this, she was acting like a foolish woman.

Seeing that Zu An remained unresponsive, Gu Xing grew impatient. "I'll count to three. If you don't sever your arm, I'll cut her face. If it's still not done by ten, I'll kill her directly, and we'll all be done with it! One..."

Hearing that they intended to scar her face, Bilinglong finally panicked. She wasn't particularly afraid of death, but what woman didn't cherish her beauty? She certainly didn't want her face disfigured. As the counting began, her heart tightened. Now, her greatest curiosity was how Zu An would respond.

At this moment, Zu An sighed, "I have a friend..."

Everyone was puzzled. What did he mean by bringing up a friend at this point? He continued, "He's always a man of his word; he never goes back on a promise. So, as long as you release Bilinglong, my friend will let bygones be bygones and allow you to leave safely."

Gao Ying and Pei You exchanged glances, both confused about the point of Zu An's words. Even Bilinglong was bewildered, thinking that if the two brothers believed such a thing, they must have lost their minds.

But then, something astonishing happened. After hearing him speak, the Gu brothers actually loosened the blades from Bilinglong's neck and began to retreat step by step. "You said it," they declared, "we're releasing her now."

Gao Ying: "???"Pei You: "???"Bilinglong: "???"

Zu An, with a swift movement, appeared beside Bilinglong, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her behind him. Simultaneously, he lifted a finger, and two streams of finger energy shot out.

How could the Gu brothers dodge the finger energy of a ninth-rank master? Two bursts of blood mist exploded from their chests, and they both collapsed to the ground, a mix of shock and fury on their faces. "You just promised us! You promised to let us go!"

Rage value from Gu Heng: 555,555,555...Rage value from Gu Xing: 555,555,555...

Zu An sighed. "You two are not just evil; you're also incredibly foolish. I only said my friend is a man of his word and would let you go. When did *I* ever promise to let you go?"

"You despicable scoundrel!" The Gu brothers nearly fainted from anger. Only then did they remember that he had indeed mentioned a "friend." How had they been so deluded as to believe he was referring to himself?

Rage value from the Gu brothers: 888,888,888...

It turned out that Zu An had just used his "I Have a Friend" skill, which caused the targets to subconsciously believe that the "friend" he spoke of was himself. The Gu brothers, unaware of such a trick, naturally fell for it easily.

"Speaking of despicableness, how can anyone compare to you two brothers, colluding with outsiders and betraying your master for personal gain?" Zu An said coldly. "Bilinglong, they are yours to deal with."

Only then did Bilinglong realize she was still in his embrace. She hastily pushed him away, her cheeks flushing. This man actually called her by her first name, and with others watching! To mask her embarrassment, she walked towards the Gu brothers, sword in hand. "You two were so smug just now. Clearly, you didn't expect to fall to such a state so quickly, did you?"

Sensing the murderous intent in her eyes, Gu Heng laughed despondently. "Hahaha, my brother and I know we're doomed. But don't celebrate too soon. Do you think you've won? We're just heading to the underworld a step before you. We'll meet again soon enough."

No sooner had he finished speaking than both men simultaneously slit their own throats with their blades. Their swift and decisive action stemmed from knowing their death was inevitable. They preferred a quick end rather than being tortured and tormented by these people.