Chapter 2065: Big Brother, Stop Fighting

The Scorpion King was a powerful entity, though not among the absolute strongest in the universe. It was nevertheless a formidable ruler, especially known for its venomous tail stinger, which even some of the most powerful beings could not disregard.

It had invaded countless worlds, bringing destruction and disaster to an untold number of civilizations. Through these conquests, it had grown increasingly powerful and acquired many unique abilities.

Yet now, with countless potent skills still untapped, it had died just like that.

It had perished in a seemingly weak world, at the hands of a being it had once regarded as mere sustenance.

"I cannot accept this, ahh!"

"That brainless fool tricked me!"

With a face full of disbelief and immense regret, the Scorpion King plummeted from the sky, perishing on the spot.

The Snow Maiden cast a surprised glance at Zu An. She had just engaged the Scorpion King in a lengthy battle and was well aware of its formidable power. Yet, Zu An had defeated it in a single strike?

Beside them, the Thistle Bone Dragon was so stunned that the ghostly flames in its eye sockets seemed about to burst forth.

This creature, with whom it often bickered and fought to a stalemate, had died so effortlessly?

While the Scorpion King frequently insulted its intelligence and it had long wished for its demise, witnessing its death before its very eyes was, for a moment, difficult to process.

If only it had known, it would have warned the Scorpion King that Zu An was the one who had slain the War Priest.

For a fleeting moment, a flicker of regret crossed the Thistle Bone Dragon's mind.

However, this was quickly replaced by exhilaration. The detestable scorpion was dead, meaning no one would oppose it in the future, and there would be one less competitor when it came time to divide this world.

It gazed at the pitch-black dagger in Zu An's hand. "The dagger you wield seems to carry the death curse of the Grim Reaper or some other powerful entity," it remarked. "It is indeed formidable, but regrettably useless against me."

It spoke as if trying to bolster its own courage, and upon finishing, its posture straightened visibly.

*Right, why should I be afraid? This dagger holds no power over me.*

Moreover, if I can just kill him, I can seize this miraculous dagger and fuse it with my own tail. My strength would skyrocket, potentially allowing me to contend for a spot among the top three beings in our circle.

As it contemplated this advantageous outcome, its mouth involuntarily stretched into a wide grin.

Zu An put away "Poison in the Dagger." The creature was indeed correct; as an undead being, the dagger naturally had no effect on it.

"The dagger is useless, but what about this?" As he spoke, a white glow of Primordial Qi began to emanate from his fist.

A flicker of fear crossed the Thistle Bone Dragon's eyes, but it quickly composed itself. "Your cultivation technique does counter me, it's true," it conceded, "but I am protected by my Counter-Armor."

It found it odd; how could this human possess both a token of the Grim Reaper and a light-elemental cultivation technique?

After all, these two were mortal enemies. How could they possibly coexist within a single individual?

It had no time to ponder, however, as its opponent was already charging, fists flying.

The Thistle Bone Dragon couldn't help but grin. "Are you here to torment yourself again?" it mocked. "Should I just stand still and let you hit me?"

Soon, Zu An's fists rained down upon its body, yet the Thistle Bone Dragon remained utterly unmoving. Instead, it was Zu An who repeatedly coughed up blood.

A hint of worry appeared in the Snow Maiden's eyes. If this continued, Zu An would likely be in grave danger...

However, her recent fierce battle with the Scorpion King had aggravated her internal injuries, leaving her unable to intervene even if she wished to help.

She could only secretly gather her strength, preparing to help Zu An escape at a moment's notice.

After a prolonged period of this, the Thistle Bone Dragon suddenly began to panic. "Hey, why aren't you dead yet?" it demanded.

Logically, with so many powerful attacks bouncing back onto him, Zu An should have been reduced to a bloody mist by now. Yet, even though he was clearly injured, there were no signs of him succumbing.

In fact, he seemed to grow bolder with each strike, as if his injuries were miraculously healing.

Zu An wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and chuckled. "How can I die when you're still standing?"

His formidable physique and remarkable regenerative abilities proved crucial. Although he was injured by the rebound of his own attacks, the Primordial Qi and his cultivation technique shared the same origin, naturally mitigating the damage. This, combined with his terrifying recovery rate, allowed him to maintain a delicate balance.

As the battle wore on, he gradually began to understand the mechanics, allowing his recovery rate to surpass the rate at which he sustained damage.

Conversely, the Thistle Bone Dragon's aura steadily weakened, and it began to sway precariously under the relentless barrage of Zu An's fists.

"Madman, you're a madman! I'm not playing with you anymore!" The Thistle Bone Dragon's voice trembled slightly as it suddenly abandoned the fight and fled into the distance.

"Trying to run? I'm afraid it won't be that easy." A knowing smile played on Zu An's lips. He admitted that when he first learned of the creature's ability to reflect three times the damage, he too had initially thought it unbeatable.

However, a second thought had led him to reconsider: the rules of the world would never allow for a perfect ability without any drawbacks.

Furthermore, the Thistle Bone Dragon wasn't invincible among demons, which clearly indicated a weakness in this particular skill.

He had begun by testing various attacks, and after ruling out each possibility, he gradually surmised that the creature had to pay a certain price to utilize this ability.

The nature of this cost could vary, and while Zu An couldn't pinpoint it precisely, one thing was certain: the Thistle Bone Dragon couldn't sustain this cost indefinitely.

Thus, he decided to endure his own injuries and continuously force the creature to pay that price.

The crucial factor in determining victory was simply who could last longer.

Fortunately, Zu An's body had been tempered multiple times by the Primordial Chaos Scripture, making his physique more formidable than even a dragon's. Combined with his exceptional recovery abilities, he was finally able to endure until the end.

The Thistle Bone Dragon desperately fled into the distance, but when it came to speed, Zu An had nothing to fear from it.

Alternating between Great Wind Teleportation and Shadow Shift, he swiftly closed the distance.

His fists, imbued with the purifying power of the Primordial Chaos Scripture, relentlessly pounded the creature's head.

The peculiar markings on the Thistle Bone Dragon's body began to flicker erratically. As Zu An felt its rebound power weaken, his conviction grew, and he increased the force of his punches.

Finally, the unique patterns on the Thistle Bone Dragon's body erupted in a blinding flash of light, only to immediately dim and lose their luster.

At that moment, Zu An's fist landed on its head. Its skull began to sizzle, emitting white smoke, and the creature let out a wail of agony.

The Primordial Qi's destructive power against undead beings was truly immense!

"Big brother, I was wrong, please stop hitting me!"

"Didn't you just invite me to hit you?"

"Big brother, this little dragon was foolish earlier. I hope you, as a great man, won't hold it against a small one."

"But you looked so arrogant just now; I won't feel satisfied unless I hit you."

So the chase continued, one fleeing, one pursuing. The Thistle Bone Dragon's speed dwindled, and its pleas for mercy grew fainter and fainter:

"Big brother, I truly can't endure this any longer. If you keep hitting me, I will surely die."

"Then first, tell me why you were trying to refine that snow mountain earlier?" Zu An slightly eased his attacks but didn't completely let up, wary of the creature regaining its reflective ability.

"Because our leader said these snow mountains are the last barrier," the Thistle Bone Dragon quickly replied. "Once they are refined, he will have a way to completely break the seal."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. So the demons had progressed this far; the seal was about to be completely broken. "Who is your leader?" he pressed.

"The leader is just... the leader."

His response was a fist the size of a sand bowl, striking it so hard that the ghostly flames in its eye sockets nearly flickered out.

"The Snow Maiden has seen him before!" it hastily exclaimed. "The one who glows all over!"

"Oh?" Zu An mused, realizing why even the Snow Maiden couldn't discern the figure's true form beneath its radiant glow. "What is your leader's name? How does his strength compare to yours and that scorpion's?"

"I don't know our leader's name. I joined him relatively recently," the Thistle Bone Dragon explained. "Everyone just calls him 'Leader'; no one dares to use his actual name. As for his power, all of us combined wouldn't be a match for him."

Zu An's heart sank. Could this "Leader" be so powerful that his true name couldn't even be spoken aloud?

He still vividly remembered the oppressive aura of the many powerful entities in the mysterious great tomb where he had met Jing Teng — beings whose very names were forbidden to be known.

"Then what abilities does your leader possess?" Zu An pondered for a moment before pressing for more information.

"If I tell you, will you let me go?" The ghostly flames in the Thistle Bone Dragon's eye sockets swirled.

"As long as the information you provide is truly valuable, I can consider sparing you," Zu An stated gravely.

"Will you swear it?" The Thistle Bone Dragon was skeptical, sensing ambiguity in Zu An's words.

"Very well, I swear," Zu An readily agreed. He was, after all, quite skilled at such wordplay, having tricked many people in the past.

Hearing his oath, the Thistle Bone Dragon breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Can you please stop hitting me for a moment? I'm truly about to be burned to death."

The Primordial Qi exerted a powerful burning and purifying effect on undead beings, and the creature was naturally suffering immensely.

"The faster you speak, the less you will suffer," Zu An replied, not stopping his assault. He knew such a creature couldn't be given any reprieve.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you! His ability is..."