The Xuan-Su Guards were from the Peacock race and had the ability to fly. They had returned in advance to inform the Fiend races about what had happened in the Ocean races’ territory.
The Saintess had quickly gotten to work and built Zu An up as a peerless hero who single-handedly defeated the Incestuous King’s army.
The Fiend races had been oppressed by the monsters for a long time. Even though the Saintess occasionally scored some victories, all that had done was stop the Fiend races from declining further. They had never experienced such a huge victory over the monsters before.
Some had been overjoyed to hear the Saintess’ words, but most took a skeptical attitude. They had fought the monsters for a long time and knew how formidable the Incestuous King was; it was hard to believe a person could single-handedly defeat the Incestuous King and his army.
Despite their skepticism, however, they were tactful enough not to question it in public. The Fiend races were in urgent need of a major victory to boost their morale, and they lauded the Saintess for her wise move. A few did believe that Zu An was a hero, but most were feigning excitement while secretly investigating his background.
Now that they were looking at Zu An in person, they frowned. They knew not to judge a book by its cover, yet he was so dashing that they wondered if he was a moocher; but at the same time, there was an inexplicable aura shrouding him.
Damn, he’s so handsome that even the Peacock Princess is staring holes into him.
Years of warring with the monsters had resulted in the death of the older fiends, and the ones carrying the flag now were the younger generations. Most still had a youthful temperament.
The Peacock Princess was a renowned beauty in the Fiend races, and unlike the Saintess, she didn’t feel out of reach. Countless Fiend race men adored her for that, which was why it irked them to see the Peacock Princess standing so close to Zu An.
Still, even though they were young, they knew their priorities. No one was so foolish as to jump out and antagonize Zu An at a time like this.
A dashing man dressed in golden armor walked over and asked, “Little sister Qingwu, is this the great hero who defeated the Incestuous King? Why don’t you introduce him to us?”
Another man wearing a golden cape voiced his agreement.
These two men appeared to be the leaders of these youths.
Despite their courteous attitudes, Zu An still keenly sensed a faint hostility from the crowd. He noticed the gazes they directed at the Peacock Princess, and the truth became apparent to him. A beautiful lady is bound to have many suitors. That’s perfectly normal. It’d be excessive to make a fuss over this.
But the Peacock Princess frowned in dissatisfaction. “The Saintess is waiting for big brother.”
The words ’big brother’ further fanned the crowd’s jealousy.
The golden-caped man said, “We’re still a fair distance away from the Saintess’ residence. Why don’t we head there together, and you can introduce him to us along the way? We have nothing but admiration for the great hero who single-handedly destroyed the Incestuous King’s army.”
Zu An calmly watched the spectacle. Judging from the other party’s enunciations, he could tell that the latter didn’t believe he could defeat Mojard’s army, but the current Zu An had weathered too many storms to be fazed by something like this. It’s just a bunch of hot-blooded youths.
The Peacock Princess had witnessed Zu An’s prowess in person, and she mistakenly thought others knew about his strength too. That led to the golden-caped man’s sarcasm flying over her head. “This is big brother Necropolis. He might be young, but he is extremely powerful. Even the Incestuous King isn’t his match, let alone you lot.”
Black streaks appeared on Zu An’s face. This young lass speaks her mind. Her words are so candid that it’s drawing hatred for me. But he wasn’t bothered by it. Rather, he was curious to know whether these young fellows would challenge him.
The expressions of the Fiend race youths darkened. “Big brother Necropolis is indeed incredible to have defeated the Incestuous King. May we ask about the details of the battle?”
Zu An looked too young, and he didn’t give off an air of intimidation either. It was hard to think of him as a powerful expert, so it was no wonder they didn’t believe the Peacock Princess’ words.
The Peacock Princess finally sensed the skepticism in the air. “Shoo; my big brother has no time to talk about these things with you.” Fearing that some fools might actually challenge Zu An, she quickly added, “That golden-armored guy who looks like a nouveau riche is the Fiend races’ third prince. That guy with a yellow cloth wrapped around his body is the Golden Peng race’s crown prince...”
She only introduced the important figures around her, and even so, her introduction was extremely brief, as she didn’t think that someone as important as her big brother had time to waste on mere brats.
The Third Prince and the Golden Peng Crown Prince had awful-looking expressions. All of them had grown up together, and the Peacock Princess often talked to them like that. However, they were in the presence of an outsider. It felt as if they were being slighted.
Zu An lamented his ill fate with the Golden Crow race and Golden Peng race. Even now that he had returned to the past, they still viewed each other with hostility.
Fortunately, with the encroachment of the monster army, the only ones left among the Fiend races were the true elites. Despite feeling a little humiliated, they were able to rein themselves in and not cause a fuss.
The crowd escorted Zu An to a palace, though it felt like a stretch to call it a palace, as it only looked marginally better than the houses he saw along the way. The Fiend races had suffered a series of losses, losing even their imperial court. This was the best building they could construct on the spot, since the bulk of their resources would be devoted to fending against the monsters.
A guard at the doorway stopped the crowd. “The Saintess wishes to meet the great hero alone. Please wait outside.”
The crowd was taken aback, but they didn’t dare to defy the highly-esteemed Saintess.
“The Saintess should have personally welcomed you upon your arrival, but for some reason, she called you over instead. Big brother, I hope you don’t mind it. The Saintess must have her reasons for doing so,” the Peacock Princess explained telepathically.
Zu An smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not that narrow-minded.”
He stepped into the palace. A maid brought him to a serene courtyard and said, “The Saintess is waiting for you inside.”
The maid bowed and took her leave.
Zu An was surprised. The Saintess should have met him in a public space, such as her study, but this courtyard appeared to be her personal residence. For a moment, he felt vigilant. Could the Saintess be scheming something to blackmail me?
On second thought, he remembered that the Yumen Beiqing he’d met at the Sealed Land wasn’t an underhanded person. So, he entered the courtyard, though he continued to keep his guard up lest he fall for the other party’s trap.
“You’re finally here,” a voice echoed from the room, sending shudders through Zu An’s body.
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