Chapter 2644: A Frog In the Well

Bi Linglong was startled.

Did something happen to Ah Zu? Is that why I'm seeing him now that I’m dead?

But the warm embrace and familiar aura snapped her out of her daze. She murmured incredulously, “Ah Zu, is it really you?”

“It’s me. I came late.” Zu An hugged her trembling body with a fearful heart. He had felt unnerved while he was in the capital, which was why he rushed here right away. Had he been a second later, he would have lost her.

“Regent!” The imperial guards were moved.

When they saw the empress preparing to slit her own throat, they'd felt so indignant that they had followed suit, only for their blades to be knocked away. By the time they recovered, the regent was already standing in front of them.

On the other hand, King Yan and the others turned ghastly pale.

Didn’t they say that this accursed man died in the other world? How did he return?

“It's been a while, King Yan. Why are you leaving without greeting me?” After consoling Bi Linglong, Zu An turned to the old man who was planning to slip away.

King Yan’s body stiffened up. He awkwardly turned around and said, “You have become more spirited over the last few years.”

Zu An laughed. “You must be wondering why I didn’t die in the other world.”

King Yan laughed sheepishly. “Regent, you are as humorous as ever.”

Zu An’s expression suddenly darkened. “I’m not in the mood to joke with you.”

He wasn’t planning to waste his breath arguing with King Yan here. Countless soldiers were dying due to the ongoing war below. So, he flew into the air and roared, “STOP!”

His thunderous voice could be heard clearly by every soldier despite the chaotic battlefield.

“It’s the regent! The regent is back!”

Many in the imperial army cheered in delight when they saw Zu An. In contrast, the rebel soldiers exchanged frightened looks. The meat grinder that was the battlefield abruptly stalled to a halt.

Zhang Xitong wiped off the blood on her face as she looked at the glowing figure in the sky, who resembled a deity descending to the mortal world.

Ah, the regent is so dashing.

Even Murong Qinghe’s eyes twinkled as well. Soldiers respected the strong, and her brother-in-law was the strongest expert out there. However, she soon remembered something that made her face redden, and her expression became conflicted.

Bi Linglong lost her usual air of majesty, displaying the pure joy of a woman in love. Whenever Zu An was with her, all problems faded away.

After stopping the battle, Zu An turned his attention back to the four members of the Eight Dukes. “As the foundation of the empire, why didn’t you aid the empress earlier?”

The four of them opened their mouths, but they didn’t know what to say.

Bi Linglong was worried that the others would take advantage of his ignorance, since he had just arrived and was oblivious to the situation, so she said, “Ah Zu, they have defected to the rebel army.”

Zu An nodded. “I see. How perplexing. You have already reached the pinnacle of wealth and power within the empire, so how did King Yan convince you to join his side?”

He didn’t look at Zhuang He and Cheng Yuan, as it wasn’t surprising for those two to rebel. Rather, he was baffled that Du Jian and Yu Rui had betrayed Bi Linglong as well.

Yu Rui and Du Jian fell silent.

It was Zhuang He who spoke up. He knew that given their past history and this incident, Zu An wouldn’t let him off, so he said, “What other reason could I have? You disappeared for so many years that everyone thought you were dead. I have a huge clan behind me. It’s only normal for me to find another way out.”

“Is that all?” Zu An frowned. He looked at Yu Rui in disappointment. He had always treated the Yu clan well because of his relationship with Yu Yanluo. He hadn’t expected Yu Rui to backstab him at a time like this.

Yu Rui took a deep breath and said, “It’s too late for words.” His aura suddenly surged.

Bi Linglong was startled. She sensed Yu Rui’s cultivation rising beyond the might he had displayed thus far. His aura was even more intense than Zhao Han’s.

The other members of the Eight Dukes were startled before chuckling. “So you made a breakthrough too.”

Their auras also surged, rising all the way up to the pinnacle of Earth Immortal as they spread out to encircle Zu An. They had hidden their cultivation earlier to use it as a trump card to catch their opponent off guard, but now that Yu Rui had shown his hand, there was no reason for them to continue concealing their strength.

King Yan was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected there to be such a twist in the situation, though he couldn’t help but wonder how these fellows had grown so fast as to even surpass his cultivation. The Eight Dukes had always been formidable, but times had changed. As a feudal king, King Yan had access to far more cultivation resources and cultivation manuals. He'd thought that he had become the most influential figure, beneath only Zu An.

The rebel soldiers cheered in delight. In contrast, the imperial soldiers looked grim.

Can the regent overcome this crisis?

Zu An’s eyebrows shot up as he assessed the four people. “Is this the basis of your confidence? I must say that your growth has been abnormally fast.”

Fusing the worlds together had greatly enriched this world’s ki, but the resources these four had were nowhere on par with Zhao Han's. It didn’t make sense for them to have surpassed Zhao Han.

Zhuang He gleefully replied, “Regent, you might have easily crushed the Earth Immortal Imperial Tutor Zhao back then, but times have changed. Within the last three years, our cultivation has grown by leaps and bounds. We have surpassed not just Zhao Chen but the former emperor too. It’s no longer your world!”

Clearly, no one recognized that fool, Zhao Ruizhi, as a legitimate emperor. By former emperor, they meant Zhao Han.

Cheng Yuan warned, “Don’t let your guard down. The strength he displayed when he quelled the Doomsday Spirit and the Plague Monarch is not to be underestimated.”

Despite their vigilance, they weren’t worried. Zu An was formidable, but the four of them had already surpassed Zhao Han. On top of that, they had the massive armies of the eighteen rebel kings backing them. Losing this battle was unthinkable to them.

Du Jian finally spoke up. “Regent, the empire belongs to the Zhao clan. You have gone overboard with your actions. Why don’t I propose a deal? If you leave right now, we will ensure your safety and not pursue your crimes. On top of that, you can retain your king title too. This way, we can avoid meaningless casualties. Won’t that be for the best?”

He figured it would still be ideal to avoid a fight, or else they would have to pay a hefty price. Considering how he had betrayed Zu An, there was a chance that Zu An, when cornered, could choose to drag him down to hell with him.

King Yan didn’t like that suggestion. He wanted to overturn it, but he was worried that if he pushed too far, Zu An would go after him first.

It’s better to concede for now and slowly erode his influence over time. I can use the strength of the entire empire to settle the scores with him later on.

“The empire belongs to the Zhao clan?” Zu An acted as if he had heard the most hilarious thing in the world. His expression turned cold as he scoffed, “The world belongs to me.”

Cheng Yuan harrumphed. “Aren’t you being too arrogant, regent?”

Zu An suddenly sighed. “Your world is too small. You’re frogs in a well, gazing upon the moon. Your ignorance is what gave you the courage to oppose me. If you had further advanced your cultivation, you would have understood the vast difference between us.”

He gently waved his hand. A massive golden palm suddenly appeared in the sky and instantly crushed the four dukes into dust.