Chapter 2079: Life and Death Together

Qiu Honglei's face flushed slightly as she pushed Zu'an away. She glanced curiously at the Snow Maiden, equally stunned by her beauty. She had never imagined a snow spirit could be so beautiful. But why did the Snow Maiden's words sound a little jealous? Could there be something between her and A'Zu as well?

Qiu Honglei's expression immediately turned incredibly odd. *No way,* she thought. *How long has it been since I parted ways with Zu'an? Has he already found another woman so quickly? And is she even human? A'Zu's taste is always so unique—he's definitely a heartbreaker!*

Anger +311,311,311 from Qiu Honglei...

On the front lines, fighting the enemy, Zu'an felt this surge of anger points and was utterly perplexed. Why had she suddenly become angry? Was it about her master, or because he was fighting alongside the Snow Maiden? However, facing the Lord of Slaughter's attack, he had no time to ponder. After pulling the Snow Maiden to evade a lethal strike, he solemnly retrieved a drop of murky yellow liquid from his Glazed Orb.

This was a trophy he had acquired from the War Priest—Oblivion River Water. It had the power to cleanse the memories and will of any living creature that touched it, effectively formatting their minds like a hard drive and turning them into witless idiots. Though not yet fully refined, he could barely utilize it, thanks to Lan Fu's water manipulation skills.

The murky yellow liquid, suspended in the air, suddenly began to churn, slowly extending a thread of water that shot towards the sky. As it ascended, the water thread grew thicker and longer, eventually transforming into a vast river that surged directly towards the Lord of Slaughter. Zu'an had timed it perfectly, precisely anticipating when the Lord of Slaughter would charge, giving it no chance to dodge. The Lord of Slaughter was quickly engulfed by the overwhelming deluge.

"Oblivion River Water?" The Lord of Slaughter sounded surprised, clearly recognizing its origin. From a distance, Qiu Honglei felt a pang of worry; the Lord of Slaughter didn't appear to be affected by the Oblivion River Water in the slightest. Just as she suspected, the Lord of Slaughter suddenly burst halfway out of the Oblivion River, roaring with laughter. "How could you be so foolish? I told you that no laws or principles can affect me!" The power of the Oblivion River Water was, in essence, a high-level law.

The Lord of Slaughter's laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a piercing shriek. In that very instant, Zu'an, enveloped in a pale blue bubble, had leaped out of the Oblivion River. He held a curved, hook-shaped weapon and plunged it into the Lord of Slaughter's mouth. The Lord of Slaughter thrashed wildly, as if driven mad, leaving utter devastation in its path. A nearby snow mountain was snapped in half by its wildly flailing tail.

"What in the blazes did you stab me with? It hurts like hell!" The Lord of Slaughter clutched its mouth, tears welling in its eyes. Its mouth was visibly swollen, resembling an exaggerated Crayon Shin-chan.

Zu'an brandished the Scorpion King's tail hook in his hand, a faint smile finally gracing his lips. He had, of course, known that Oblivion River Water couldn't affect the Lord of Slaughter, who was impervious to laws. The previous grand attack had merely been a diversion. It was designed to strike when the Lord of Slaughter was at its most complacent. The Scorpion King's tail hook wielded a potent venom, not a power derived from laws, and as expected, it proved effective. Even Zu'an, usually immune to all poisons, had felt a pang of trepidation when he first encountered the Scorpion King's tail hook. Clearly, this venom was among the most potent in the entire universe. He just didn't know if it would be enough to poison the Lord of Slaughter to death.

At that moment, the Lord of Slaughter clawed at its mouth, and deep wounds quickly appeared. Streams of green blood mixed with black oozed out, clearly indicating poisoned blood. The blood dripped onto the snow, quickly staining a wide area black. Simultaneously, the ground appeared to be corroded, revealing large holes.

"So, it's the Scorpion King's venom," the Lord of Slaughter remarked, eyeing the tail hook in Zu'an's hand. "This poison might be remarkably effective against other powerful beings. Unfortunately, my own blood possesses a similar, powerful corrosive and assimilating property, which renders poisons largely ineffective against me."

As it spoke, the swelling around its mouth rapidly receded. The last few wounds now only oozed green blood, showing no trace of poison. Despite its words, the initial pain had been very real. To be so thoroughly discomfited by a mere human—this was simply intolerable!

Anger +998,998,998 from the Lord of Slaughter...

Zu'an's heart sank. He hadn't expected even that attack to fail against it. Interestingly, the Lord of Slaughter's abilities didn't feel as oppressive as those of the previous Shadow Demon King, making it seem easier to handle. Yet, in a real fight, its immunity to all laws, coupled with its ability to dissolve even potent venom with its own blood, meant it truly had no weaknesses. No wonder it was hailed as the perfect killing machine.

The Lord of Slaughter granted him no further time to think. The recent blow had utterly enraged it, and now it charged furiously at the group. It had only one thought: it would tear these individuals to shreds to sate its burning hatred!

Zu'an's Tai'a Sword blazed with light. Just as he was about to engage the enemy head-on, he suddenly realized the Lord of Slaughter had vanished. The next second, it reappeared directly in front of Qiu Honglei, lunging at her with an open maw, as she watched in horrified disbelief. Its innate predatory instinct, even in its fury, clearly identified the weakest link on the battlefield. Thus, it had feigned an attack before suddenly aiming directly for Qiu Honglei. Although Qiu Honglei desperately tried to defend and counterattack, the power disparity between them was too vast. Only death awaited her.

Zu'an was too late to reach her. He hastily activated his 'Shifting Shadow' technique, swapping places with Qiu Honglei, thus putting himself in the path of the Lord of Slaughter's full assault. "I knew you'd come back!" The Lord of Slaughter sneered. This one was too elusive when flying around, but if it attacked what he was bound to protect, he would have no choice but to take the hit.

The shockwaves from their clash caused the ground to quake for a thousand miles around, sending snowflakes swirling into the air. Amidst the swirling white, a large cloud of crimson mist was vaguely discernible!

"A'Zu!" Qiu Honglei's heart instantly clenched. The monster's blood wouldn't be red, so it was clear Zu'an had been wounded. At that moment, she had no thought for jealousy or anger over past events. Only one thought consumed her: as long as A'Zu was safe, nothing else mattered.

As the wind and snow gradually subsided, Zu'an stood in the expanse of white, propped on his sword. His body was covered in hideous wounds, and he swayed precariously, clearly having taken a heavy blow from that last attack. At that moment, the Lord of Slaughter slowly emerged from the swirling snow, approaching him step by step. "Run," it taunted, "why aren't you running now?"

Zu'an's expression was grim. In his current condition, even using teleportation wouldn't last long. Furthermore, the enemy was once again targeting what he was bound to protect, rendering his speed advantage meaningless.

"A'Zu, it's all my fault for dragging you down." Qiu Honglei understood clearly. A flash of determination appeared in her eyes, and she brought her scimitar to her neck, intending to take her own life rather than be a constant restraint on her beloved. Zu'an was horrified by her action, but at that moment, he was utterly unable to stop her.

Fortunately, an ice shard from the side knocked the scimitar from Qiu Honglei's hand. The Snow Maiden was already by her side, looking at her with a cold expression. "Don't do anything so foolish," she stated.

"But I..." Qiu Honglei's eyes instantly welled up. At this moment, she felt not only useless but also responsible for her beloved's peril.

"Who said you couldn't help?" Zu'an smiled gently at her. "If you hadn't arrived just now, I might have died. Isn't saving my life considered helping?"

Qiu Honglei bit her lip tightly. A'Zu was still so gentle, comforting her and considering her feelings even in such a dire situation. If only she had known, she wouldn't have impulsively left him back then. How much better it would have been to spend that time happily together, instead of facing a reunion that might lead to eternal separation by life and death. Her eyes suddenly hardened with resolve. She would never leave him again. If he died, she would take her own life and follow him, refusing to let him walk the path to the underworld alone.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a pair of devoted lovers," the Lord of Slaughter gloated, a smug grin spreading across its face. "Too bad my greatest pleasure is destroying such beautiful things." It was clear that the more beautiful something was, the more satisfaction it derived from its ruin.

Zu'an's expression turned stern. He raised his sword once more. In this situation, there was no other option...