Chapter 2493: Pit Them Against Each Other

Something seemed to have surfaced in Zu An’s mind, but it slipped past his clutches, and no matter how he racked his brains, he simply couldn’t remember what it was anymore. Still, he knew there was no point panicking at a time like this; he could only wait for the epiphany to arrive once more later on.

He headed off in the same direction as Pei Mianman when she left the town. Along the way, he tried gathering information about her, but it was to no avail. Pei Mianman’s appearance and distinctive physique were bound to leave a deep impression on anyone who saw her, similar to what had happened in the town. However, the monster invasion had left most areas desolate and barren. He didn’t meet a single person along the way, so there was no way to gather information.

Quite some time had passed since Pei Mianman left the town, and there was no guarantee that she would drop by the other towns along the road to the Fiend races’ Imperial Tomb. With that in mind, Zu An thought it would be best to first head to the imperial tomb to take a look.The intelligence he had received suggested that Pei Mianman had likely changed course because she received information about the Brilliant Pinflower.

Earlier, he'd received intel from the Saintess that the monsters could be broadly divided into four groups.

The first group was stationed in the imperial tomb with the Lord of Slaughter; it was likely the Lord of Slaughter’s army. The second group was under the Incestuous King; most of its troops were veterans, but the bulk of them had been obliterated from the face of the world. The third group consisted of powerful and influential military commanders who waged war and conquered new lands. The last group was the Monster Lord’s army; it was the strongest of the four groups, and it was tasked with the mission of conquering the Cultivation World. It had the power to mobilize other armies, except for the Lord of Slaughter’s army stationed at the Fiend races’ Imperial Tomb.

The Monster Lord’s army was stationed 100,000 kilometers away from the Fiend races’ resistance army, sandwiched between the Fiend races’ Imperial Tomb and the resistance army. That would have been a long distance in Zu An’s previous world, but in this world full of cultivators, it was no big deal.

Zu An decided to first pay a visit to the Monster Lord.

Even though he had once defeated the Monster Lord, it was largely because the other party’s cultivation had been suppressed by the world’s barrier, and Zu An had communed with the world using the World Law Beacon. In this ki-rich world, the monsters’ cultivation wouldn’t be suppressed, and he didn’t have the World Law Beacon here. Facing off against the Monster Lord would be dangerous to him.

However, the strongest entity in this era was still the Lord of Slaughter, or else the Monster Lord would have long since revolted. Even in the future, despite the Lord of Slaughter having been suppressed for millennia, they were only able to vanquish him when Qiu Honglei carried out a Dance Offering to the Universe to summon an unfathomable being. She'd had to pay a heavy price for that.

The Monster Lord wouldn’t be a match for the Lord of Slaughter now that the latter was at his peak. Zu An had to find a way to turn them against each other.

The high concentration of ki in this world and his unique cultivation technique allowed Zu An to maintain his peak condition even when traveling without rest. Along the way, he occasionally entered the pendant’s cave paradise to visit Qiu Honglei and the Jing Teng sisters and tell them what was happening outside.

Qiu Honglei was amazed when he told her that he had gone back thousands of years in time, but once she learned that he could have to face off against the terrifying Lord of Slaughter again, she quickly became nervous.

Zu An embraced her tightly. “Don’t worry, Honglei. Things are different now. I won’t put myself in a desperate situation, and I won’t endanger anyone around me either.”

Qiu Honglei lay on his chest. “You've been through so much in recent days. With your capabilities, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

While exchanging sweet nothings, Qiu Honglei slowly drifted off to sleep. Her complexion looked much better than before, though she remained weak from having just recovered. Even a short conversation could invoke her drowsiness. Zu An knew that it would be unwise to rush things; they would have to slowly condition her body with spirit medicine over time.

With Qiu Honglei and the Jing Teng sisters’ company, the journey wasn’t boring. Time passed in a flash, and Zu An soon arrived at the monster army’s camp. He calmly surveyed the barracks that stretched for thousands of kilometers.

There are indeed a lot of monsters. The Fiend races’ troop count was one of the reasons they were so difficult to deal with in the future, and the monsters outnumber even that. On top of that, I can sense the auras of countless experts even from a distance away. I’ll be dead meat if they discover me.

Now that he didn’t have the World Law Beacon, Zu An didn’t dare to let his guard down. He first constructed a formation at the barracks’ outer perimeter before making his way in. He continued to construct dozens more teleportation formations to ensure his safety along the way.

“Hold it right there. Who are you?” Two patrolling monster soldiers discovered him.

Zu An brought out Daji, who immediately took control of the two monster soldiers with her Charming Voice. He eliminated the two monster soldiers, put on a set of their attire, and continued advancing into the barracks. As he walked, he began transforming into a monster soldier.

Most military barracks were protected by defensive formations and sentry posts, making it difficult for a cultivator, no matter how powerful, to sneak in. However, Zu An, with his Myriad Transformations, could turn into a monster while concealing his aura. He kept changing his appearance along the way, making it nigh impossible for anyone to see through him.

In a majestic tent deep in the barracks, the Monster Lord sat on a tall throne made out of white bones. A bizarre three-headed bird lay at his feet as a plump servant made a report to him.

“Master, the Ocean races have wiped out the Incestuous King and his army. No one can hold you back anymore. We should march eastward to destroy the Fiend races and make that Saintess or something your maid!”

If Zu An were here, he would recognize the servant as the underground city’s Manager Pi.

“Mojard has truly disappointed me! How could he and his elites be destroyed by a nobody? Others might think I’m of the same caliber as him!” the Monster Lord spat through gritted teeth.

“Master, how could Mojard be worthy of being your rival? He was only able to tie you down because of the one above,” another servant said.

If Zu An were there, he would recognize this servant to be the War Priest. He was highly respected among the monsters, and he participated in most large-scale wars. That was why his downfall in the Cultivation World in the future was a huge shock to the Monster Lord, prompting the latter to send blood pool clones to invade the Cultivation World.

The Monster Lord stopped the War Priest with a raised hand. “It’s not over yet. We should practice utmost prudence. Hmph! Now that Mojard is finally gone, I can go all out. Conquering the Fiend races and capturing their Saintess should grant me enough prestige to do it.”

Just then, a voice echoed outside. “I disagree. Now is the best time to do it.”

“Who is it?!” The monsters in the tent were horrified. It could bring them endless trouble if outsiders were to learn about what they had said.

The Monster Lord thrust his palm forth, unleashing a formidable force that decimated a section of the tent.