Chapter 2068: Shameless

Even Xue Nu wondered if she could withstand such a powerful move. However, at that moment, she was not shocked by its immense power, but by something else entirely. Her brow was furrowed, and a trace of confusion flickered in her eyes, as if she were trying to recall something.

Meanwhile, Zu An showed no sign of joy; instead, he frowned as he looked at the scattered stones. The stones suddenly began to stir, then rapidly drew together, quickly reassembling themselves. To their astonishment, a stone giant reformed before their eyes.

Witnessing this, Xue Nu forgot her previous thoughts and gasped, "It can regenerate itself?"

"Regenerate?" Zu An subconsciously reached for the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger in his possession, knowing it was perfect for countering creatures with powerful regenerative abilities. However, upon observing the massive, rock-hard body of his opponent, he put the dagger back. The Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger required an initial wound to be effective, but this behemoth's defenses were too formidable, being entirely composed of stone, making it nearly impenetrable for the dagger.

"I didn't realize your paramour possessed such skill. I underestimated you just now," the stone giant rumbled, pounding its chest as its massive eyes fixed on Xue Nu and Zu An.

Rage points from Iron Fist Locke: +358,358,358.

Zu An was somewhat surprised to learn the stone golem's name was Iron Fist Locke, noting that its punches were indeed incredibly powerful.

"But fighting me means certain defeat!" Iron Fist Locke roared, twisting its waist and unleashing a punch directly at the two of them.

Despite the distance of over a thousand meters separating them, Zu An's expression changed instantly. "Watch out!" he cried. Without hesitation, he grabbed Xue Nu's hand and instantly warped several thousand meters to the side. A transparent, phantom fist smashed directly into the spot where they had been standing moments before. A massive ripple spread across the sky in that area, as if space itself had been compressed and shattered.

Zu An's heart jumped. For a fleeting moment, he had seen the normally bright sky turn pitch black, with faint stars visible through the void. This creature had shattered space with a single punch? No wonder it was called Iron Fist Locke! Although Zu An's body was incredibly resilient, a direct hit from a punch capable of tearing through space would surely result in severe injury, if not death.

"Not bad speed," Iron Fist Locke remarked, pausing only a moment before sending another punch hurtling towards them. After the previous display, Zu An naturally avoided a direct confrontation, instantly warping to a different position.

Iron Fist Locke swung its fist repeatedly, but its speed was no match for Zu An's. It missed several times in a row, bellowing in frustration: "Little rat, if you have the courage, stop running and fight me fair and square!"

Rage points from Iron Fist Locke: +599,599,599.

At that moment, Zu An's figure suddenly reappeared in mid-air. "Alright," he called out, "I won't run. Let's have a fair fight."

From a distance, Xue Nu saw this and quickly warned, "Don't fall for his taunts!" In her view, directly confronting such a behemoth was extremely unwise.

Iron Fist Locke, however, laughed aloud. "Haha, excellent! You've got guts. Take this punch!" This time, its punch was heavier than ever, with double the force. It watched with eager anticipation, but to its disappointment, the human had not stayed put as promised; instead, he had vanished from the air.

It was about to roar when a sudden disorientation struck it. By the time it recovered, it found itself suspended in mid-air, while the human now occupied the spot where it had just been standing. As it reeled in confusion, a terrifying yet familiar surge of raw force slammed into it. Its eyes widened instantly. Even its own formidable armor couldn't withstand its own full-force punch; its entire body was ripped apart, exploding into fragments.

Xue Nu finally exhaled in relief. She had seen him use his "Shifting Shadows" skill during their previous joint battles. *Hmph*, she thought, *humans really are the most cunning*.

Zu An, meanwhile, fixed his gaze intently on the stone remnants that had fallen to the ground. As expected, the fragments quickly began to tremble and draw together. In a matter of mere breaths, they reformed into a new stone giant.

"You deceitful bug! You broke your word, you despicable scoundrel!" Iron Fist Locke bellowed, its bell-sized eyes seeming to spit fire.

Rage points from Iron Fist Locke: +999,999,999.

Sensing its fury, Zu An remained unfazed. "Why can't you be killed?" he asked. "How are we supposed to fight then?"

"I am inherently immortal, as long as..." Iron Fist Locke abruptly stopped, realizing its mistake. "You vile human! You were trying to trick me into revealing my secrets. Good thing I'm not that dim-witted dragon with a walnut-sized brain, or I actually would have fallen for your scheme."

Zu An was somewhat speechless. Was the Thorned Bone Dragon truly at the bottom of the pecking order in this place? He couldn't help but feel that these creatures' intelligence wasn't much higher either. It seemed those who lacked something most were always the quickest to compare it.

"Too bad for you," Zu An said with a slight smile. "I've already obtained the information I needed."

Iron Fist Locke's expression shifted. "Impossible! How could you know my..." It caught itself mid-sentence and sneered, "I almost fell for your trick again. Enough talk; let's settle this with our fists." With that, it swung its fist and attacked again, unwilling to give Zu An another opportunity to set a verbal trap.

Unfortunately, its speed was no match for Zu An's elusive movements. It could only watch as Zu An gracefully dodged its attacks in the sky. "In my homeland, there's a myth about a giant of immense strength," Zu An began, "whose mother was the earth. As long as he remained connected to the earth, he possessed boundless, never-ending power, making him invincible. However, a strongman eventually discovered his weakness. During a wrestling match, he found an opportunity to lift the giant into the sky, preventing him from touching the ground. Deprived of his source of power, the giant grew weak and was ultimately choked to death by the strongman…"

At first, Iron Fist Locke paid little attention to the story, but as Zu An continued, its expression suddenly contorted. With a furious roar, it unleashed dozens of punches, causing a large section of the surrounding space to collapse. It then seized the opportunity to turn and flee. Though not known for its speed, its sheer power allowed it to quickly disappear into the distance, leaving only a blurry silhouette.

Zu An dodged the collapsing space, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I can't believe my guess was actually right," he mused. He drew out the Sun-Shooting Bow, nocked an arrow, and unleashed a dazzling projectile that streaked across the sky like a meteor. It struck Iron Fist Locke directly in the back, causing its entire body to explode.

Xue Nu, without needing a command from Zu An, had already anticipated his next move. She simultaneously conjured a blizzard on the ground, sweeping up the scattered stone fragments and sending them spiraling skyward, ensuring they couldn't land. Xue Nu's blizzard was no ordinary storm; each snowflake within it was as sharp as a razor blade. The entire blizzard acted like a colossal shredder, grinding the stone fragments to dust high in the sky before carrying them further upward, beyond the atmosphere and into outer space.

As expected, Iron Fist Locke never regenerated again.

Xue Nu descended to land beside Zu An, asking with some curiosity, "How did you know it needed to touch the ground to regenerate?"

Zu An smiled. "There's no such thing as true immortality in this world," he explained. "If something seems unkillable, it must have a weakness. During our previous attacks, I specifically made sure to detonate its body while it was airborne once. It didn't regenerate immediately in the air; instead, it only reassembled itself after falling to the ground. That's what led me to my hypothesis."

"Of course, it was just a guess," he added. "I simply used a random story to bluff it. I didn't expect it to be so impatient as to confirm my suspicions."

Xue Nu was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Are all humans as cunning as you?" she asked.

"You're using the wrong word," Zu An corrected her. "This is called intelligence. And among humans, there likely aren't many as handsome, charming, and intelligent as myself."

Xue Nu stared at him for a long moment. "You truly are shameless," she declared.

Zu An was speechless.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "The next opponent will likely be their leader. You're too gravely injured. I'll go alone from here." As he considered the shimmering, luminous entity, a sense of foreboding settled in his heart. What exactly were its abilities?