Chapter 173: Zhu Kun, Forced Into a Corner, Unleashes Endless Killing Intent
"Prepare… Attack!"
Eastern Dragon Island, Periphery of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.
The distance was close enough now that pressing forward would certainly alert the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. Rather than risk being noticed and losing the element of surprise, Huang Min decided to strike first. With the element of surprise, they might catch the dragons off guard and seize an early advantage.
With her sword drawn and pointing toward Eastern Dragon Island, Huang Min led the massive beast army. In response to her command, countless magical beasts roared and charged toward the island, their cries echoing like thunder.
"Roar! Attack!"
True to their reputation as magical beasts and not just any magical beasts, but those of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan and the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan these creatures launched a charge that resembled an unstoppable flood of steel. Their assault toward Eastern Dragon Island was swift and overwhelming.
In no time, the two sides clashed. The Ancient Void Dragons tasked with defending the island quickly noticed the threat and began retaliating.
While the Ancient Void Dragons might not fear one on one combat, even against stronger magical beasts, Huang Min had no intention of engaging them fairly. Instead, she employed sheer numbers to overwhelm them.
Within less than a minute, dozens of Ancient Void Dragons had fallen, their blood staining the ground.
Of course, Huang Min's side also suffered heavy losses. Even with the advantage of numbers, the Ancient Void Dragons fought fiercely, trading lives in nearly a one to one ratio.
Breaking through the outer defenses, Huang Min commanded the beast army to press forward toward the central area of Eastern Dragon Island.
Meanwhile, deep within the island, Zhu Kun opened his eyes. While resting, he had already sensed the slaughter outside, and countless auras of magical beasts ones he despised were now within his perception.
"Hmph, to think they dare come here. They must have a death wish," Zhu Kun snorted coldly. His figure vanished, and the next moment, he appeared in the great hall.
"Greetings, Dragon Emperor!"
The elders of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan present in the hall all bowed respectfully.
Even though Zhu Kun had been absent for many years, his prestige within the Ancient Void Dragon Clan remained unparalleled. Before his return, the four divided Dragon Islands had been in disarray. Upon his return, however, all internal conflicts were silenced.
In fact, the Northern Dragon King had even gone so far as to propose merging the Northern Dragon Island with Eastern Dragon Island in order to gain Zhu Kun's favor. Were it not for Zhu Kun's distaste for unnecessary complications, the four Dragon Islands might already have been unified.
But because of Zhu Kun's aversion to hassle, Eastern Dragon Island's defenses were currently inadequate. Besides Zhu Kun, who was a peak nine star Dou Saint, there wasn't a single Dou Saint present. The strongest figure after him was Zhu Li, the third elder, who was only at the Half Saint level. The first and second elders weren't even on the island.
In short, other than Zhu Kun, Eastern Dragon Island was poorly defended, and there was no way it could withstand the massive beast army Huang Min had brought.
As a result, Huang Min and her forces faced almost no resistance as they pushed deeper into the island, slaughtering the Ancient Void Dragons with brutal efficiency.
If it weren't for Huang Min's strict orders to avoid a massacre, the entire island would likely have been drenched in blood before Zhu Kun had even reacted.
Zhu Kun's cold gaze swept over the room, and he spoke in a deep voice, "Enough with the formalities. The enemy is at our doorstep, and you're still standing around? Follow me we must defend our home!"
"Yes, as you command, Dragon Emperor!"
Zhu Li and the other elders immediately straightened their postures and bowed in acknowledgment.
Moments later, Zhu Kun arrived at the battlefield, bringing reinforcements. His presence alone caused the chaotic fighting to halt. Both sides pulled back, each keeping a wary distance.
Seeing the corpses of countless Ancient Void Dragons strewn across the battlefield, Zhu Kun's expression turned grim. His voice was cold and thunderous as he addressed Huang Min and her forces:
"You've got guts. To dare invade the heart of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan… Do you think I'm so easy to bully?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Kun released his aura. The oppressive force instantly caused the weaker fighters on Huang Min's side those below the Dou Zong level to tremble uncontrollably. Even some of the lower ranked Dou Zun experts began to shudder under the immense pressure of this peak nine star Dou Saint.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort from Zhu Kun swept through the battlefield like a gale.
But Huang Min, undaunted, stepped forward with her sword in hand. Pointing it directly at Zhu Kun, she shouted, "Old man, we're here today for one reason: to kill you. If you know what's good for you, surrender now. Otherwise, I'll ensure that Eastern Dragon Island becomes a Dead Dragon Island by the end of today!"
"Stinking brat from the Sky Phoenix Clan, such insolence! Didn't your teacher ever teach you respect?" Zhu Kun sneered, his voice filled with disdain.
"That matter with the Northern Dragon King was resolved long ago when I had him leave behind an arm. And yet here you are, leading this group of rabble to provoke me again. Do you truly think I don't dare kill you?"
Zhu Kun's face darkened further. As a peak nine star Dou Saint, there were few on the Dou Qi continent who would dare challenge him except, of course, for that wretched Xiao Tiance. Yet here was this upstart, Huang Min, calling him an "old man" to his face. It was utterly intolerable.
Scanning the enemy ranks, Zhu Kun was taken aback. He noticed that there were no nine star Dou Saints among them.
"Has this girl lost her mind? To attack my base without a single nine star Dou Saint accompanying her?" Zhu Kun thought, uncertain and hesitant to make a move.
While many Ancient Void Dragons had died, they were mostly insignificant foot soldiers not enough to justify risking everything.
On the other side, seeing Zhu Kun's hesitation, Huang Min sneered. "Old man, are you scared? The matter may have been resolved before, but the blood feud you owe the Sky Phoenix Clan has only just begun!"
Her mocking tone struck a nerve. Zhu Kun narrowed his eyes, recalling the aura of the Sky Phoenix Clan's previous leader, Huang Quan, who had fought him centuries ago. The resemblance between Huang Min and that old bird struck him now.
"Oh? I see. No wonder your aura feels familiar. You must be a descendant of that mutt, Huang Quan!" Zhu Kun retorted with a cold laugh.
"You're courting death!"
Hearing Zhu Kun refer to her ancestor as a "mutt," Huang Min's rage boiled over. With a fierce step, she shot forward like a bolt of lightning, her sword aimed directly at Zhu Kun's chest.
"Clang!"
The sharp sound of steel meeting impenetrable flesh echoed as Huang Min's eyes widened in shock. Her sword had failed to pierce Zhu Kun's skin.
"Swish! Swish!"
Undeterred, she followed up with two more strikes.
Zhu Kun, however, remained unfazed. Though the attacks carried significant force, breaking through his defenses was simply wishful thinking.
"Hmph, compared to that old mutt Huang Quan, you're far weaker," Zhu Kun mocked, easily deflecting her attacks. He then retaliated with a casual yet powerful slap.
"Clang!"
Anticipating his counterattack, Huang Min quickly shifted into a defensive stance, placing her sword horizontally to block. While she managed to deflect his strike, the sheer force sent her flying backward several hundred meters.
"Whoosh!"
Just as Huang Min was sent flying, Ling Yun sprang into action. With a teleportation skill, he instantly appeared behind her, catching her mid air.
Feeling the lingering force from Zhu Kun's attack on Huang Min's body, Ling Yun's expression grew heavy.
"So strong! As expected of a peak nine star Dou Saint," he thought to himself. He then looked at Huang Min and asked, "Sister Min, are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Huang Min shook her head. The two of them turned their gazes toward Zhu Kun, who remained motionless, their expressions serious.
Although they were both high level Dou Saints and could team up to contend with an eight star Dou Saint, the gap between an eight star Dou Saint and a nine star Dou Saint was akin to an insurmountable chasm.
This time, they had brought along twelve Dou Saints, making a total of fourteen with the two of them. Yet even with their combined strength, they had no confidence in defeating a top tier expert like Zhu Kun.
Suspended in mid air, Zhu Kun surveyed the scene, his sharp gaze finally landing on Huang Min and Ling Yun. His deep voice rang out:
"I promised your teacher that if I encountered you, I would not take your lives. I am a man of my word.
Even though you've stormed the heart of my Ancient Void Dragon Clan and killed many of my clansmen today, I can overlook it.
If you leave now, I will pretend this never happened, and I won't trouble you in the future. What do you say?"
These words shocked many of the magical beasts from the Nine Netherworld Python Clan and the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan. Since when had the Ancient Void Dragon Clan been so forgiving?
After all, they had just slaughtered hundreds of dragons. Though those killed were weaker dragons below the Dou Zun level, the Ancient Void Dragons were notorious for holding grudges. In the past, even injuring a single Ancient Void Dragon let alone killing one usually meant paying with your life.
The magical beasts couldn't help but look at Huang Min and Ling Yun with admiration. This was the privilege of having a powerful backer. Despite killing hundreds of dragons, they could simply walk away unscathed. It was unimaginable.
In truth, Zhu Kun desperately wanted to annihilate all the enemies before him. But he understood that these two from the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan were connected to the Xiao Clan.
Recently, Zhu Kun had gathered information about the Xiao Clan, and the findings had shocked him. The clan boasted hundreds of Dou Saint experts, with nearly twenty of them being high level Dou Saints.
As for nine star Dou Saints, there were Xiao Qing, Tianluo, and even a terrifying Sky Demon Puppet. Yet these weren't the most troublesome aspects. The greatest problem was Xiao Tiance.
Zhu Kun had experienced Xiao Tiance's strength firsthand during their battle outside Jia Ma Imperial City. It wasn't just Xiao Tiance's raw power that was formidable, but also the bizarre and intricate spirit arrays he wielded.
Others might not know, but Zhu Kun did. When Xiao Tiance and Zhu Kun had spent two years together at the entrance to the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion, Xiao Tiance had shared some details about spirit arrays.
What left Zhu Kun the most unsettled was when Xiao Tiance cracked the grandmaster level spirit array on the cave's door and stated that such spirit arrays could rival attacks from a Dou Di (Battle Emperor).
Although Zhu Kun considered himself powerful, he was not confident he could withstand a Dou Di level attack.
At first, Zhu Kun hadn't believed it, so he had gone to Jia Ma Empire and battled Xiao Tiance. The result was clear Xiao Tiance was someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke.
This was why Zhu Kun had repeatedly chosen to endure and compromise.
However, Huang Min completely ignored Zhu Kun's words. Her eyes were cold as she stared at him and said, "Old man, I'll be honest with you. Either I kill you today to avenge my father, or you kill me and let my teacher deal with you!
But no matter the outcome, your death is inevitable.
For a peak nine star Dou Saint, you're surprisingly cowardly. If I were you, I'd save the Ancient Void Dragon Clan the trouble and end my life right now. Otherwise, even if you kill me today, no one on Eastern Dragon Island will be left alive except you!"
Boom!
Before she even finished speaking, Zhu Kun and the members of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan felt their scalps tingle.
Although the lower ranked dragons didn't know who her teacher was, the Dou Zun and above members did. Xiao Tiance the number one powerhouse on the Dou Qi continent.
Zhu Kun himself had once admitted to losing to Xiao Tiance.
The reason Zhu Kun had made this admission was because of the incident where the Northern Dragon King lost an arm in the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan's territory. At the time, Zhu Kun had been forced to withdraw due to the circumstances. Later, the Northern Dragon King had sought revenge, but Zhu Kun, unwilling to deal with the complications, had shared the truth about his defeat.
"Damn it! Are you determined to drag this into a life and death feud?" Zhu Kun's face darkened, his expression twisted with fury.
"Exactly. Either you die, or I die. But no matter what, you'll end up dead in the end. If I can trade my life for that of a peak nine star Dou Saint, why wouldn't I?" Huang Min sneered.
This was her plan to trade her life for Zhu Kun's. She knew Xiao Tiance well. If she died at Zhu Kun's hands or within the territory of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, Xiao Tiance would surely avenge her. Perhaps he would even destroy the entire Ancient Void Dragon Clan.
In the past, Huang Min would never have considered such extreme measures. But after learning that her father had died because of Zhu Kun, her resolve was set.
When the Northern Dragon King appeared in the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan's territory, Huang Min had decided to kill him, knowing it would provoke the Ancient Void Dragon Clan into seeking revenge.
She hadn't expected Zhu Kun to show up so quickly after she trapped the Northern Dragon King. Back then, she had deliberately provoked Zhu Kun, hoping he would severely injure or kill her, thus setting the stage for Xiao Tiance to take action.
"Enough! Do you really think I'm afraid of Xiao Tiance?" Zhu Kun roared, his fury boiling over. Cornered with no way forward or back, he decided to kill this infuriating girl.
"If that's what you want, then I'll send you to the afterlife so you can join your dead father!" Zhu Kun bellowed.
Boom!
Zhu Kun unleashed his full power, his terrifying aura surging outward in waves. The oppressive force rippled through the air, and even his Dou Qi seemed to take on a faint blood red hue, radiating his unrestrained killing intent.
Huang Min and Ling Yun's faces grew grim. The overwhelming pressure bore down on them, and Huang Min's voice softened, tinged with resolve as she turned to Ling Yun.
"I'm sorry, Ling Yun, for dragging you into this. I've already sent a message to our teacher, but I didn't get the chance to tell him I'm sorry in person.
If I die today and you survive, I hope you'll kneel before our teacher on my behalf and beg his forgiveness. Tell him that Min'er was ungrateful and failed to live up to his expectations."
(End of Chapter)
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