“But if you stay, you might really die.” Mi Li understood what he meant, and her tone was extremely heavy.

Zuan laughed and said, "Everyone has to die eventually, but some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai and some are lighter than a feather... Besides, I'm a lucky man with a long life, so I might not die."

Sensing his strong fighting spirit and will to live, Mi Li was somewhat surprised. She had originally thought he was acting impulsively and wanted to sacrifice himself as a hero, but she didn't expect him to be so clear-headed.

This guy wants to be cool and a hero, but doesn't want to sacrifice himself. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

At this moment, Zu An had already started fighting with two guest elders, He Li and Mu Ping. One was at the peak of the ninth rank, and the other was at the middle stage of the ninth rank. They originally did not take Zu An seriously.

They thought anyone could suppress him, but who knew that Zuan was unpredictable, with all sorts of unexpected moves and skills, leaving the two of them running for their lives, and even having to join forces to barely stabilize the situation.

The two were shocked. How old was this person? How could his cultivation be so powerful?

Even if he cultivated from the womb, it wouldn't be possible!

Wei Pingyang originally planned to chase after Bi Linglong and the others, but after taking a few glances, he realized that his two companions seemed to have some difficulty in taking down Zu An.

He stopped in his tracks, shocked: "You all go after the Crown Prince and the others, I'll take care of this guy."

He was worried that leaving these two to deal with Zu'an might cause some unforeseen problems, so he decided to handle it himself. The Crown Prince's group was already badly injured, and two ninth-rank experts were more than enough to chase after them.

The two guest advisors blushed; having worked together for so long without being able to defeat a young junior was truly a disgrace to them.

However, this matter was of great importance, and they dared not cause any trouble. Moreover, capturing and killing the Crown Prince and Crown Princess would be an immense achievement.

So the two hesitated only slightly before agreeing to Wei Pingyang's arrangement and chasing after the direction in which the Crown Prince and his entourage had left.

"Your opponent is me!" Zuan unleashed a powerful gust of wind, blocking the way for the two.

Wei Pingyang's face darkened: "Your opponent is me!"

The flying sword in front of him transformed into a streak of light, almost invisible, and kept attacking Zu'an from all angles.

Zuan hurriedly used his Sunflower Illusion to dodge to the side, but unfortunately he was a fraction too slow. Blood blossomed all over his body as he was struck by several swords.

Wei Pingyang said calmly, "You dare to compete with the moon for the light of a firefly? You have no idea what a Grandmaster is. You dare to dream of fighting me with your meager cultivation."

Although the opponent's cultivation level was indeed quite good, what did it matter? Without reaching the Grandmaster realm, they posed no threat whatsoever; they were merely a slightly stronger ant.

Zu Anxin remained calm and composed: "A Grandmaster is so arrogant. I've even fought against Great Grandmasters, and I've never seen them act so cocky."

Whether it's Mi Li or Yun Jianyue, their cultivation levels are far above this guy's. It's just that they couldn't unleash their true strength at the time due to various reasons. But they are genuine grandmasters, especially Mi Li. Zu An even suspects that her realm is higher.

"Grandmaster?" Wei Pingyang seemed to have heard something amusing. "You can't even beat me, yet you dare to fight a Grandmaster? You brat, you really don't know your own limitations."

Anger from Wei Pingyang 222+222+222...

As soon as he finished speaking, a streak of light shot over. Zu An hurriedly held his sword horizontally in front of his chest. With a loud clang, Zu An's tiger's mouth went numb, and Tai'a in his hand almost slipped out of his grasp.

Mi Li sighed: "The further a cultivator progresses, the greater the gap between realms becomes, like an insurmountable chasm. If you were to reach the mid-to-late stage of the ninth rank, with your abundant Yuan Qi, you would have a chance to fight him. Unfortunately, you are only at the early stage of the ninth rank now."

"Although there is a gap, it's not to the point of despair." He gritted his teeth and charged towards the other side.

The opponent's flying sword attack was too powerful, and simply defending was too passive. He thought about fighting in close combat to see if he could find an opportunity to deliver a poisoned dagger.

Wei Pingyang stood with his hands behind his back, looking relaxed. His flying sword returned and wove a huge, impenetrable net around him, leaving him completely unmoved no matter how Zu An attacked him.

He even had time to glance at his two companions on the other side: "What are you two standing here for? Hurry up and go after the Crown Prince and the others!"

As the two men awoke from their reverie and were about to leave, a fragrant breeze suddenly blew by, and a stunningly beautiful woman appeared before them.

The fierce battle paused briefly because of her appearance. She was so beautiful, possessing both pure innocence and alluring charm. Every man in the arena felt their bodies go weak at the mere glance of her eyes.

"What an absolute beauty!" Lu Xiao, who was healing his wounds in the distance, couldn't help but exclaim. He was already quite old and had long passed the stage of being obsessed with women, but at this moment, his usually calm heart was suddenly stirred.

Wei Pingyang was in the same boat. His flying sword paused briefly, and Zu An seized the opportunity to rush to his side and summon "Poison in Dagger" to slash him. Even a small wound would be enough to turn the tide of the battle.

He deliberately summoned Daji at this time, firstly to restrain the other worshipper, and secondly to create such an opportunity.

His plan was successful; the poisoned dagger successfully cut a wound in Wei Pingyang's body.

However, Zuan didn't smile at all, because he heard a crisp "ding" sound.

Wei Pingyang pulled out a shattered jade pendant from his robes, his face gradually contorting into a ferocious grimace: "You actually destroyed my life-saving treasure! I will tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!"

Anger from Wei Pingyang: +444 +444 +444...

Zu An secretly lamented his misfortune. As a grandmaster, his opponent indeed possessed some trump cards for self-preservation. If he missed his first strike, he would probably never have another chance to use this trick to ambush him.

As expected, Wei Pingyang's gaze fell on the dagger in his hand: "This pitch-black dagger was able to break through my defenses in an instant and make me feel the threat of death. It seems to be a divine weapon. It's perfect for making up for the loss of my jade pendant."

After he finished speaking, a terrifying aura enveloped Zu An, making him feel as if he were in a swamp, making it extremely difficult for him to even move.

---

The two chapters have been combined. The minor character Jing Yanbao in this chapter was provided by reader Ma Shengxuan.

I watched the synchronized swimming team final today, and it was a screen full of long legs—long, white, and straight! Most importantly, many of the girls were also very beautiful, especially several from the Chinese team. The girls were both beautiful and incredibly talented, and their hard work earned them a silver medal, second only to the Russian synchronized swimming dream team. Having watched so many competitions at the Olympics, this one was truly a visual feast.