CHAPTER 113: FUCK OFF!

Xu Tao had lived over 10,000 years, facing every kind of trouble imaginable. But right now might be the trickiest situation he’d ever faced.

On one hand stood an ancient "queen" who knew not the word defeat—living her entire life until she disappeared with nothing but victories under her name.

On the other, a playful bunny saint, clinging to his neck like a jealous lover. Her eyes were vicious, as if trying to protect her child from a molester.

But more than that, her touch was making his head feel fluffy.

"...!"

Thankfully, he managed to snap back to reality.

As he did, he immediately felt chills all over his skin. It felt like he was thrown into the middle of an Extreme Yin Blizzard with no clothes on!

"Ah! The monsters...!" he gasped.

Seeing that the flying humanoid-bugs were getting close to the civilians, he panicked. If nothing was done, then casualties would—!

"Enough!"

Right then, Wu Zetian growled.

The air shook, and everything came to a stop—almost as if the atmosphere turned solid. None were allowed to move, not even the air itself. The pressure was so intense that Xu Tao even forgot to breathe!

"Little girl, you dare call my emperor—my better half—your husband?" she mouthed the words with a glare sharp enough to cut anything. "You’d better back off before I make you!"

"That’s my line!" Jehanne fired back without flinching.

Despite feeling the pressure Wu Zetian released—enough to send her hair flapping like in a storm, and her cheek bleeding from a phantom cut—she kept her gaze honed forward.

"God said to not covet thy neighbor’s wife—that means you shan’t covet their husbands either!" she growled back.

"God?" Zetian smiled, chuckling like she just heard a joke. "I am the Black Phoenix! I mocked the gods you dare worship! You think I care what they say?!"

BOOM!

The pressure she released started mixing with her Qi... causing the nearby monsters to explode without reason. Even those close to landing suddenly died, their bodies popping like balloons!

"In the first place, you’re calling him the wrong name! How can you say you love him if you don’t even call him properly!"

"Blind girl. Can’t you see his soul? I can’t be mistaken—he’s no doubt my Emperor! The one who taught me love, and made me who I am now!"

"I don’t care who he was in his past life! I’m here for him in this life already, so fuck off!"

"Jehanne?!"

Xu Tao blinked. Jehanne just cursed—for the first time. The person herself looked just as stunned by it. Still, her expression was firm, not a hint of wanting to back down.

"Seeking death already? How young... how naïve," Zetian said with a smile.

A moment later, a translucent black forcefield exploded outward from her body, spreading far and wide.

’This is bad...!’

Xu Tao instinctively felt danger and quickly moved back, taking Jehanne along. The cursed wave surged forward—but not fast enough to outpace his Ground Shrink technique.

He watched as the thin black film touched the monsters, causing their bodies to turn to dust in moments. As he expected, the shockwave carried a powerful curse—disintegration!

"Kuh...!"

Although the situation was bad, Xu Tao realized that all things considered, having Wu Zetian rampage was actually an advantage. Her forcefield wasn’t large enough to reach the ones below, but the monsters around weren’t spared.

’As long as I can lead her to where monsters are, I can make use of this...!’

It was a risky gamble, but he bet on it. And to make sure she’d chase them...

"Excuse me, Jehanne," he whispered, before adjusting her posture.

Instead of clinging around his neck, he now carried her in a princess carry. His hands could feel her soft body through the bunny suit, and his mind started going haywire. However, with his life literally on the line, he forcefully refocused on the situation.

"You..." Wu Zetian’s gaze turned glacial. "Bitch...! Fuck off!"

"...!"

Xu Tao expected Wu Zetian to chase them tenaciously after this little stunt—but he didn’t expect it to work wonders.

"Ground Shrink!" he gasped, before activating the same technique, running away.

If he was late by even one second, they’d surely fall under the cursed forcefield’s range—injuring them gravely, if not killing them outright.

His nerves burned as Qi surged, propelling him through the sky with precise arcs.

Wherever they appeared, swathes of monsters fell, scattering like dust in the air. None were spared, not even those who tried to go as far away as possible from the "ground zero."

Even her own Celestial Beasts were no exception—dying upon contact!

"You have nowhere to run!"

"Huh?!"

But that wasn’t all the chaos amounted to.

With Jehanne squirming in his embrace—face flushed and eyes looking distracted—that meant the Boss Monster, the Leviathan-class monster, was left unchecked. Right as he moved into the next section halfway, the boss waved its short arms, planning to swat him like a mosquito.

A giant hand with great force ahead, and a deadly forcefield of disintegration behind. Xu Tao spent a microsecond thinking before moving—and chose the most optimal solution: standing still!

If he moved now, Wu Zetian would simply chase him again. That would mean the boss would continue descending, and might land near the civilians below. That couldn’t be allowed.

Thus, he made the plan to collide the two forces against each other.

Time felt like it slowed down as he concentrated. He was staying still, but the timing of his movement mattered. If he moved too fast, then his plan would fail. If he moved too slow, they’d die—no doubt.

"Sorry, Jehanne. I’m risking your life with me like this..." he apologized lightly, whispering.

But the little saint quickly shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her face closer—a genuine smile on her face.

"If it’s by your side... I won’t complain."

Xu Tao could feel the trust in him within those words. Thus, he made sure not to fail.

Wu Zetian was faster, her forcefield just inches away. The leviathan’s palm strike was still far, but close enough.

"Ground Shrink!"

He moved fast, translocating over the monster’s back—and running toward the head.

At that moment, Zetian’s forcefield and the monster’s palm met... and the obvious happened.

GROOOOHH!

A pained roar echoed—loud enough that even Xu Tao’s bones trembled from it. Looking below, Zetian had already moved, chasing after Xu Tao... leaving behind the amputated arm of the giant monster.

"...It worked!"

Xu Tao smiled—but his celebration was short-lived.

"Enemy of the Evil Spirits Alliance... DIE!"

A new figure joined in on the chaos, leaping from the monster’s head toward him in one step—a pitch-black sword swinging down.

A familiar face—burned into Xu Tao’s memory—but definitely not a friend.

It was the Dual-Soul Wraith!