Chapter 2074: You Finally Came Back to Me

At that moment, it saw Zu An grin at it. "I'm sorry," he said, "but my body and soul belong only to my beloved, not to you."

The Shadow Demon King sneered, "That's not up to..."

Suddenly, its eyes widened in shock. It finally realized: how could this guy speak?

Sensing danger, it instinctively retreated several thousand meters, but it was too late. The poised Sun-Slaying Arrow had already been released!

The arrow transcended the concept of speed, hitting the Shadow Demon King the instant it was fired. Only then did its eyes perceive a meteor streaking across the sky.

A dazzling ball of light erupted, its brilliance like the explosion of a star in the universe.

However, the entire process lasted only a second. The next moment, a black hole appeared in the void, swallowing all the light.

The Shadow Demon King had completely vanished, leaving no trace of its existence.

At this point, the Snow Maiden had regained her mobility. She flew directly to Zu An's side and supported his swaying form. "How are you feeling now?" she asked.

Zu An smiled. "I didn't expect you to care about anyone," he said.

His skin was covered in fine cracks, and the smile tugged at his wounds, causing some blood to spurt out directly.

"At a time like this, you're still making jokes," the Snow Maiden said, looking at him. Her usually aloof face was filled with anxiety.

Zu An was stunned. He saw a crystalline glint in her eyes, followed by ice-like beads that slid down her face. Combined with her exquisite features, it made her appear even more tragically beautiful and moving.

She was crying?

And for him?

Had their relationship really deepened to this extent?

Even with his self-absorption, Zu An didn't believe he possessed such immense charm to spark an inter-species romance in such a short time.

Yet, she truly was crying. And for some reason, seeing her tears made his heart ache immensely, as if he had forgotten the most important presence in his life.

He quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, the injuries are severe, but I won't die."

If he had relied solely on the 'Arrow that Shatters All Techniques' from the start, given his current strength, he would likely have been reduced to dust. Fortunately, he later received enlightenment from Mi Li and realized he could use the 'Taotie Devouring Heaven Art' to create a black hole, twisting light and spacetime. This, to some extent, disrupted the opponent's time-seizing ability, thus not requiring the arrow to unleash its full power.

Of course, this skill, improvised by him at the last minute, couldn't completely destroy the Shadow Demon King's divine technique, especially its unique defense. So, the remaining effect still depended on the arrow.

Naturally, all of this came at a cost: he was severely wounded, bleeding profusely from everywhere, and his meridians were completely shattered.

But thankfully, his life was saved. With his extraordinary healing ability, he would recover completely after half a year to a year of rest.

Hearing this, the Snow Maiden excitedly embraced him, her body trembling slightly. She was crying one moment, then laughing the next.

Zu An was bewildered. What was happening?

Her icy body held him, and he could even clearly feel every part of her. For a moment, Zu An didn't know where to put his hands.

A question arose in his mind: What was going on? Her reaction surely wasn't just due to their brief time together. There had to be some reason he didn't know.

Just as he was about to ask, a cold laugh echoed from afar. "What a loving pair of scoundrels! Too bad you're celebrating a bit too soon, aren't you?"

Zu An and the Snow Maiden were startled. They quickly looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a small patch of shadow appear behind a large rock. The shadow then began to twist, slowly growing larger, until it finally took on the form of the Shadow Demon King.

Both stared in disbelief.

This guy isn't dead? Is it an unkillable cockroach?

At this moment, the Shadow Demon King was also gritting its teeth, glaring at Zu An. "I truly underestimated you. I never thought you actually had the ability to kill me. You've made me miserable!"

Anger surged from the Shadow Demon King.

"You couldn't possibly have survived that arrow just now. What happened?" Zu An said gravely. Back then, Hou Yi used that arrow to shoot down even the sun, and he himself had emulated it in the secret realm. There was absolutely no problem with the power of that arrow; the opponent shouldn't have been able to withstand it.

"That's right, to some extent, I was indeed killed by you just now," the Shadow Demon King said, its eyes practically spitting fire. "But unfortunately for you, I've always been meticulous in my actions. I had an extra shadow clone hidden away, allowing me to revive through this body."

Zu An was speechless.

So, after all that, this guy had a backup.

"Aren't you feeling desperate now? If you two hadn't been billing and cooing there just now and had found me immediately, I would have been at my most vulnerable and utterly defenseless. But now? I've fully recovered. Only death awaits you." The Shadow Demon King cackled maliciously.

The Snow Maiden felt a pang of annoyance. It was her fault for getting too emotional recalling certain things just now, otherwise she wouldn't have made this mistake.

They couldn't defeat it at its full strength earlier. Now, with her injured and Zu An so severely wounded, they stood even less of a chance.

Zu An, however, remained calm. "There's no need to bluff," he said. "You absolutely cannot create unlimited clones. If each clone possessed strength equal to your main body, wouldn't you be invincible? I imagine you're feeling quite insecure right now, which is why you're deliberately provoking us with these words, hoping to immerse us in regret and annoyance, making us more prone to mistakes."

The Shadow Demon King paused. "I didn't expect a human like you to be so cunning. You're right, I'm indeed not at my peak strength now. But with you two severely wounded, dealing with you is still more than enough."

As it spoke, it raised a finger, and a laser beam immediately shot out from its fingertip.

Zu An reacted quickly, attempting to dodge instantly, but unfortunately, his body's condition was too poor to keep up with his thoughts.

"Look out!" the Snow Maiden exclaimed, pulling him aside.

"Are you okay?" the Snow Maiden asked, looking at Zu An anxiously.

Zu An shook his head, but his gaze fell on her shoulder. "You're hurt," he said.

A small, incomplete hole had suddenly appeared on her shoulder. Clearly, in that split second, she had been hit by the Shadow Demon King's laser while trying to save him, unable to dodge in time herself.

"It's nothing," the Snow Maiden said with a faint smile. Snowflakes danced around the wound, and it quickly healed back to its original state.

"Why are you... so concerned about me?" This was what puzzled Zu An the most. At first, she had been an ice queen in every sense, resisting even accidental touches when he saved her. Now, she seemed like a completely different person.

She no longer resembled the cold Snow Maiden; she was more like a deeply devoted confidante.

But he wasn't Duan Zhengchun, with so many women around that he couldn't even remember if they were his lovers or not.

The Snow Maiden looked at him with her clear, cool eyes. Instead of answering him, she smiled and murmured to herself, "You did come back for me after all."

Zu An was utterly confused.

At this point, the Shadow Demon King was about to explode. "Shouldn't you two scoundrels show a villain like me a bit more respect?"

Zu An frowned. "Wait, you shouldn't be so talkative. From when you first tried to persuade me to surrender until now, you've said far too much. I don't believe someone at your level would make such a mistake. What exactly are you stalling for?"

Several times, the opponent could have directly attacked, yet it chose to babble on and on with him. A faint feeling of unease stirred in his heart.

The Shadow Demon King chuckled sinisterly. "It took you this long to realize? Should I praise you for not being completely dense, or call you too foolish?"

"You guessed one thing wrong just now. I kept trying to get you to surrender not because I was afraid I couldn't defeat you, but simply because I was worried you'd ruin my plans and needed to stall for time. Now, you needn't worry anymore, because my objective has been achieved."

As it spoke, the snow-capped mountain nearby suddenly rumbled. Then, the entire mountain began to rise, revealing a massive figure that had been suppressed beneath it.