Chapter 2457: A Great Battle

“Royal brother!” Princess Ni Huang cried out in shock, but it was too late for her to stop him.

Zu An chose not to dodge the devastating attack, however. He stood his ground as a golden bell projection formed around him. The attack struck the bell, and the two canceled out each other.

Princess Ni Huang quickly stood in front of Zu An and exclaimed, “Royal brother, how can you attack my friend?!”

Zu An interjected with a smile, saying, “Princess, it’s a misunderstanding. Your brother held back. He was merely testing me.”

The other party’s attack had carried no killing intent.

The Asura King nodded in satisfaction. “Indeed. That explains how you defeated Ox Head, Horse Face, Golden Cangue, and Silver Chain. I was worried that my royal sister had been deceived by an outsider due to her lack of experience, but I now see that I was overthinking it.”

Princess Ni Huang was displeased. “Royal brother, do I look that gullible to you?”

The Asura King merely smiled. He knew his little sister was no fool, but as a king, he was carrying too much on his shoulders, so much so that he didn’t have the luxury of unconditional trust. Kings could only trust themselves.

He'd only used 60 to 70% of his strength earlier, but it was enough to prove that the other party was an expert.

Zu An nodded as well.

I think I managed to pull it off.

It would be awkward if the Asura King, under the watchful eyes of his army, couldn’t even shatter his defensive layer. On top of that, the Asura race was known to be warlike. It would be terrible if he inadvertently provoked the Asura King to continue the battle. To avoid such a situation, he'd made sure that the Asura King’s attack would perfectly offset the Tranquility Bell.

“Royal sister, bring our guest up here for further conversation,” the Asura King said. It would be a breach of hospitality if his guest had to talk to him while craning his neck upward, after all.

“Come with me.” Princess Ni Huang grabbed Zu An’s hand and leaped onto the white elephant’s back.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It would be more apt to call the platform atop the Asura King’s mount a massive tent. It was very spacious, with several seats neatly laid out in front of his royal throne.

The Asura King gestured for them to take a seat before eyeing Zu An. “You are a human, no?”

Zu An nodded. “Yes, I am a human.”

“What a surprise. I didn’t expect such huge changes to have happened outside while we were trapped in the underworld. To think that the weak humans would have an expert as powerful as you,” the Asura King said.

Most legends depicted humans to be one of the weaker races, sometimes even being reduced to food for other races, though they eventually prospered later on.

The Asura King didn’t spend too much time ruminating, however. “Did you just defeat Ox Head, Horse Face, and the others?”

“We crossed blows, but they suddenly fled shortly after. It would be a stretch to say I defeated them.” Zu An didn’t want to go into detail about his battle with them.

The Asura King burst into laughter. “The lot of them have fiery tempers. That old ox, in particular, has his head in the clouds. He wouldn’t have escaped if he thought he could beat you. I was wondering why the Shaman races were acting as if they had just lost a huge battle. So you are the reason! Well done!”

That compliment brought a beaming smile to Princess Ni Huang’s face. “Royal brother, aren’t I incredible to have found such a friend?”

“Yes, you are incredible indeed.” The Asura King guffawed. “With your friend’s help, our victory would be assured.”

Zu An took this opportunity to ask, “May I know what battle you are referring to?” He had been wanting to ask this since laying his eyes on the Asura army.

“We’re invading the Shaman races' territory, of course. We should take full advantage of their defeat to drive them out of here!” the Asura King said with an excited gleam in his eyes.

The two races had fought for many years now, but neither side had been able to best the other. This was a chance to overcome the stalemate.

Zu An fell silent. Even though the Asura race appeared to have the upper hand, he knew how things happened afterward. The future underworld still had Ox Head and Horse Face, but the Asura race was nowhere to be seen. That made him worried.

Did the Asura race suffer a tragic defeat in this battle? But I don’t see how the powerful Asura race could have lost here.

Princess Ni Huang had treated him decently. It would be excessive to call them close friends, but he wouldn’t want to see anything happening to her.

“I was still a little worried, but with your help, I’m sure this battle won’t be an issue!” The Asura King was extremely optimistic about this battle. “If you contribute greatly to this battle, I’ll confer the title of 'Marshal’ onto you and betroth my royal sister to you!”

The smiling Princess Ni Huang’s face immediately turned red. “What are you saying, royal brother? He’s just a friend!” She glanced at Zu An with awkward and apologetic eyes.

The Asura King responded with an annoying ‘I get it’ smile. “Of course, of course. You’re only friends. Hahaha.”

Zu An was stunned. He was only here to investigate what happened to the underworld. He hadn’t expected to suddenly become the Asura King’s brother-in-law.

Worried that his intervention could cause unwanted outcomes, he tried to explain his situation, only for the sounds of battle to suddenly break out ahead. The Asura army had just bumped into the Shaman army, and both sides immediately came to blows.

The Asura King quickly stood up to observe the battle. From time to time, he ordered his guards to signal instructions to the commanders using a flag.

Zu An had fought in a war before, so he was able to follow what was happening.

The Asura King would have been a first-class general even in human history. His commanding skill is an art in itself. He’s luring the enemies into their formation before pulling off a divide-and-conquer tactic…

On top of that, the Asura race was a valiant warrior race. Their soldiers were the most outstanding war machines in the world, capable of navigating the battlefield like fish in water. It didn’t take long for the Shaman army’s formation to fall into disarray.

Zu An thus verified that an Asura’s strength could indeed be determined by their number of hands. Most Asuras had three to five hands; very few had six or more. Meanwhile, most Asura generals, like Princess Ni Huang, had eight hands. The Asura King, as the strongest expert of the Asura race, was likely the only one with nine hands.

Just then, a roar echoed. “Qumodo, what do you mean by this sudden assault?”

The world shook. Ox Face, Horse Head, Golden Cangue, and Silver Chain’s massive figures were visible as they rushed over from afar with weapons in their hands. The Asura soldiers standing in their path collapsed like trampled vegetables.

The Asura King harrumphed. “Ox Head, what’s the point of venting on the soldiers? I dare you to fight me instead!”

He rose above the battlefield, and a humongous Asura avatar with nine hands, each one wielding a weapon, manifested behind him. He stood there with an air that overpowered even the humongous Ox Head, Horse Face, Golden Cangue, and Silver Chain combined.

Four marshals emerged from the Asura army and took their places next to the Asura King. Similar Asura avatars manifested behind them, but theirs had eight arms and were half the size of the Asura King’s avatar.

Princess Ni Huang took control of the battlefield and continued commanding the troops from the white elephant. Amid this cruel battlefield, her valiant stature was the most beautiful sight.