Chapter 2649: Frog in a Well

Zu An observed the assassins’ transformation.

It’s similar to the Devil Sect’s blood ignition, where they ignite their blood essence to temporarily raise their fighting prowess, but it's much more advanced. They've grown two times stronger.

Those from the path of annihilation are troublesome to deal with.

At Zhao Yuan’s order, the assassins formed a sword formation and attacked Zu An. Each of their blades ignited with a peculiar flame that was suffused with violent energy.

Zu An was starting to find the situation a little tricky.

The others in Phoenix Pass could only see shadows flashing across the sky to attack Zu An; the elite assassins had attained a speed beyond what the spectators could follow.

Bi Linglong’s hand was soaked in sweat. She had already reorganized the imperial army by now, and she turned to the Qin clan’s two dukes and asked, “Can the formation masters in our army support the regent?”

The two dukes exchanged looks. Qin Zheng said, “Their strength is beyond our understanding. It’ll be hard for our formation masters to intervene in a duel of this caliber. If we carelessly make a move, we might distract the regent instead.”

Bi Linglong frowned. She thought hard and ordered, “Evacuate our men from Phoenix Pass. Get them away as far as possible.”

“But that would mean leaving brother-in... the regent alone with the rebel army!” Murong Qinghe was worried.

Zhang Zitong said, “General Murong, Her Majesty is right. We aren’t of any help to the regent here, and it’s probably the same for the rebel army. If anything, our presence here might only hinder the regent, as he'd have to protect us.”

Murong Qinghe was no fool. She recalled what Zhao Yuan had said and knew it wasn’t wise to linger here.

Soon, Bi Linglong began arranging for the imperial army to leave the battlefield, while she and a few other commanders scaled a faraway mountain to watch the battle.

The rebel kings wanted to pursue them, but after witnessing what had happened earlier, none of their men were willing to move, except for a few die-hard loyalists. A couple of silver taels per month wasn’t enough for them to lay down their lives.

Even the loyalists realized that the others weren’t going to join the pursuit, and challenging the imperial army with their meager strength would be tantamount to suicide. Thus, they had no choice but to let the imperial army retreat. When the imperial army retreated from Phoenix Pass, they were initially perplexed, but since the goal of this battle was to claim Phoenix Pass, they thought it was a good thing anyway.

Several kings excitedly ordered their subordinates to occupy Phoenix Pass’ vital chokepoints in case the imperial army regretted their decision and returned. They had tasted despair when the regent returned earlier. They were relieved to see Zhao Yuan and his team of assassins turning the tables on the regent.

They weren’t bothered about Zhao Yuan’s identity as the Shadow Group Master, since he was also a member of the Zhao clan. They didn’t think he would mistreat them. In contrast, Zu An would claim their lives if he won! This prompted them to cheer Zhao Yuan on.

In the sky, Zu An defended against the elite assassins’ sword formation as he said, “The people below are cheering hard for you.”

When he saw how light-hearted Zu An was, Zhao Yuan’s expression turned grim—the latter was still in the mood for idle chatter. “How are you still fine despite having so many Marks of Annihilation layered on you?”

He had been confident in his chances of winning this battle after his blood tribute greatly raised his strength. Initially, the battle unfolded the way he'd expected. He and his assassins’ sword formation suppressed Zu An, forcing the latter into a defensive stance.

But he soon noticed something amiss. They had the upper hand, but somehow, it wasn’t translating to victory. Zu An could always find ways to neutralize their offense. Chances were that he was using this as an opportunity to decipher their abilities.

How is this possible? I layered five Marks of Annihilation on him, weakening him by half! On top of that, he killed three of my assassins—that should have cost him 30% of his life force. He was also injured by the earlier explosion. He should be at his limit now!

What’s going on here?

He recalled what Zu An had said when he killed the four dukes: ’

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 advanced your cultivation further, you would have understood the vast difference between us.

’

Zhao Yuan shuddered. He suddenly had a feeling that Zu An was as unfathomable as the sky.

No, that can’t be. I've obtained the power of a true deity. How can a mortal compete with that? He must be blowing his horn. He’s feigning infallibility to erode our fighting spirit.

Thus, he howled, “He’s already at his limit! We just need one last push to bring him down!”

Elite assassins like them had been honed to be unwavering, and Zhao Yuan’s words further raised their morale. They charged at Zu An like shooting stars.

An inferno gushed outward each time Zu An deflected their attacks with his Tai’e Sword, and sparks of flame fell from the sky and landed in the rebel army. These sparks unleashed destructive waves of flames as soon as they touched the ground. Soldiers afflicted with the flames, including experts, tried to put them out, but they couldn’t be extinguished. It didn’t take long for the troops to be reduced to ashes.

Soon, the falling sparks engulfed the entirety of Phoenix Pass in flames.

The imperial army was horrified.

Fortunately, Her Majesty ordered our retreat, or else the consequences could have been dire.

Zu An frowned. “At this rate, your people are going to suffer heavy losses.”

Except for the higher-ups, most soldiers in the rebel army were here because they had no choice but to obey orders.

Zhao Yuan sneered, “You should surrender if you feel sorry for them. Otherwise, there will only be more casualties.”

We might be on the same front now, but in the future, the other kings will become my rivals. If I weaken their armies now, no one will be able to defy me in the future.

The conversation in the sky shocked and horrified the rebel army. Some cursed Zhao Yuan for his heartlessness, while the others begged the regent to save them.

Zhao Yuan laughed even harder. “You hear that? They're begging you to save them. Are you going to leave them in the lurch?”

It’ll be in our favor if Zu An gets distracted trying to save them.

Zu An harrumphed. “I can do that easily.”

The sky suddenly turned dark. A thunderous crackle boomed, and torrential rain fell right away. The flames engulfing Phoenix Pass were swiftly extinguished.

Deafening cheers broke out in across Phoenix Pass. Even several high-ranking officials in the rebel army shouted "Long live the regent!"

Zhao Yuan was dumbstruck. He knew this was no ordinary rainwater—ordinary water couldn’t hope to put out their annihilation flame. More than that, this rainwater didn’t just extinguish the flames in Phoenix Pass; it also put out the ones blazing from them.

The spectating imperial army breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Zitong squealed, “The regent is the strongest!”

Bi Linglong nodded in agreement as a blissful smile formed on her lips.

Murong Qinghe watched the imposing figure and suddenly blushed.

...

“You... can control this world’s weather?” The drenched Zhao Yuan stared at Zu An in disbelief. He sensed inexplicable law power emanating from the rainwater.

“In this world, I am god.” Zu An stood towering in the sky with lightning crackling behind him, outlining his cold expression.

It was at this moment that Zhao Yuan finally understood that he truly was a frog in a well.