Chapter 878: Interlinked

He had drawn the Gaze of Conception three times previously, having used it twice already. He had always been reluctant to use the last one, saving it for a life-threatening, unmanageable predicament.

Clearly, now was that very moment; if he didn't use it now, he likely wouldn't get another chance.

At the same time, he didn't hesitate for a moment, wielding the Tai'a Sword as he charged towards Zhao Ruizhi.

Seeing him charge forward, Zhao Ruizhi was startled at first, then sneered repeatedly. This fellow usually seemed quite smart, yet at this moment, he was running to his own death?

What good was mere passion in the face of such an absolute disparity in power?

He slowly raised his foot. He utterly detested Zu An and didn't even want to use his hands. Instead, he wanted to use his foot to stomp this fellow down like a dead dog in front of everyone, then smear him across the ground like a wad of phlegm to fully vent his hatred.

But just as he raised his foot, his brows suddenly furrowed. "Hm?"

He felt waves of pain coming from his stomach.

With his cultivation level, he was long immune to cold, heat, and illness. It had been many years since he had experienced abdominal pain.

"Could this be an after-effect from the scythe-wielding fellow before?" Zhao Ruizhi wondered. The pain in his abdomen was initially faint, but it quickly turned into excruciating agony, forcing him to lower his foot and clutch his stomach.

He Li and the others nearby were also dumbfounded. What was happening? Why did the emperor look so pained? Had he been injured to such an extent?

At this moment, Zu An's sword had reached its target. Just as it was about to pierce Zhao Ruizhi's body, two plump fingers suddenly appeared, gripping the Tai'a Sword perfectly. No matter how much Zu An pushed, it was difficult for the blade to advance even an inch.

Zhao Ruizhi slowly straightened his body and said through gritted teeth, "Do you really think this bit of pain can defeat me? Back when I was conquering the world and battling powerful demon lords, I suffered countless severe injuries without even a grunt... Ouch..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden, violent cramp seized his abdomen. Even with his formidable willpower, he almost couldn't bear it and cried out.

He had just thought he had grown accustomed to the pain, little did he know that the pain of pregnancy and childbirth was not a continuous kind of suffering. Instead, it would ease for a moment, then come in waves of contractions, each more intense than the last. Just when he thought he had successfully endured it, an even more terrifying wave was about to hit.

Zu An seized the opportunity and forcefully thrust the Tai'a Sword forward. Due to the intense pain, Zhao Ruizhi's grip loosened slightly, and he immediately lost his grip on the blade.

However, he was, after all, an emperor who had risen through blood and fire. Despite an unknown pain in his abdomen, at this crucial moment, even as pea-sized beads of sweat trickled from his forehead, he still clamped down on the blade with all his might. At this point, the sword tip was only a hair's breadth from his body.

Zu An naturally didn't expect this one sword strike to kill him. Seeing the situation, he decisively let go of the Tai'a Sword and directly slapped a palm towards his forehead.

He Li, who had been watching the two's exchange with wide eyes, couldn't help but secretly admire Zu An's decisive abandonment of his sword. No wonder he and his companions had fallen into Zu An's hands multiple times; this fellow's combat instincts were simply too formidable, and every move he made was always unexpected.

He knew very well that if it were their guest retainers, who were just fully contending with an opponent's longsword a second ago, they would absolutely be unable to dodge this palm strike.

But Zhao Ruizhi had been the world's strongest for so many years; how could their combat experience compare to his?

His hand moved unpredictably, appearing later but arriving sooner, directly meeting the strike.

With a cracking sound, Zu An's arm was clearly broken. He Li, standing by, saw the abnormal twisted angle of the joint and felt pain even though it wasn't his own injury.

Zu An flew backward like a tattered sandbag. Bi Linglong rushed to support him, her voice filled with panic and a touch of a sob, "A'Zu!"

Mi Li had also intended to say something, but seeing the situation, she remained silent.

At this moment, Zhao Ruizhi sneered, "Linglong, I used to think you were very clever, but now I find you incredibly foolish. To fall for such a boor, and even foolishly dream of clashing palms with me?"

After all, he was unrivaled in the world. By now, he had gradually adapted to the sensation of pregnancy and childbirth. Although contractions still came from his belly occasionally, he forcibly suppressed them with his qi, and they were within tolerable limits.

Bi Linglong glared at him fiercely. "Unlike a cold-hearted person like you, who only treats people as pawns, he would give everything for me, even his life. That's something a selfish person like you will never be able to compare to."

Seeing his intended woman speak up for another man at this crucial moment, Zhao Ruizhi flew into a rage. "You're simply courting death!"

He Li nodded in strong agreement, thinking, "This adulterous couple have reached such a point that I'm somewhat impressed."

Who knew that at this moment, Zu An's wild laughter rang out? He spat out a mouthful of blood and, with a cracking sound, straightened his twisted arm. This made everyone else break out in a cold sweat, yet there was no sign of pain on his face.

Zu An activated the Primordial Chaos Scripture. His extensively tempered body possessed astonishing regenerative abilities; the severe injury to his arm had by now almost completely recovered.

"Do you think I clashed palms with you just for fun?" Zu An's face was full of mockery.

Zhao Ruizhi was startled. He suddenly felt waves of bone-chilling cold targeting his soul. He raised his hand to look, seeing his palm completely white, and the whiteness was gradually creeping up his wrist.

"Ice Heart Snow Soul!" he exclaimed.

Having traversed the four seas for so many years, he naturally immediately recognized this poison.

Normally, while this poison was remarkable, it would be difficult to harm him. But now, he was suppressed by the rules of this world, his full power compromised. Furthermore, he had sustained considerable injuries from his previous battle with the heroic spirits of Bai Qi and Wang Jian, exchanged a blow with Mi Li, and was also afflicted by the Gaze of Conception. At this moment, his condition was arguably worse than ever before, allowing this potent poison to exploit his weakened state.

However, with his cultivation level, while this potent poison was somewhat troublesome, it was merely troublesome.

He channeled his elemental energy, and a golden glow emanated, forcibly suppressing the white line on his arm.

At this moment, Zu An moved; he would certainly not give his opponent a chance to slowly force out the poison.

Since the Tai'a Sword was no longer in his hand, a black gleam flashed, and the Dagger of Poison was already clutched in his grip as he thrust it directly towards Zhao Ruizhi.

He pushed the Sunflower Phantasm to its limit, his entire body splitting into several afterimages, attacking continuously from various directions.

With Zhao Ruizhi's cultivation level, the opponent's illusory afterimages naturally couldn't deceive his eyes. However, his current situation was truly dire. Severely wounded and under the dual debuff effects of the Gaze of Conception and Ice Heart Snow Soul, his movements were considerably slower than usual.

Furthermore, Zu An had changed his usual strategy, not engaging him in head-on clashes but rather striking and retreating instantly, leaving him somewhat helpless for a while.

He Li and the others were stunned. Zu An could actually exchange more than ten blows with the emperor without being at a disadvantage?

If this got out, he would surely become world-famous within a month!

The emperor had been invincible for many years, barely making a move in recent years. Every indirect move he made could shock the world, and many top experts wondered if they could even withstand one move from him. Yet this Zu An fellow was fighting him to a standstill?

On the other side, Bi Linglong gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to rush over to help, Mi Li stopped her. "Your cultivation is too low; rushing over would only cause trouble. Zu An would then have to look after you, which would be even more troublesome."

Bi Linglong was not a big-breasted, brainless woman after all; she knew that Mi Li's words were true. But seeing how fierce the battle was, she still couldn't help but bite her lip. "But we can't just stand by and watch, can we?"

"Just watch," Mi Li paused, then added, "Trust him."

Just then, the battle nearby changed.

Zhao Ruizhi grinned sinisterly, "Got you!"

Amidst the opponent's butterfly-like afterimages, he accurately grabbed Zu An's hand. But Zu An didn't panic at all. He flicked his finger, and the Dagger of Poison in his hand flew straight towards Zhao Ruizhi's chest.