Chapter 2947: A Solo Confrontation

Zu An was brought before Zhang Bao’s camp. It had been set up against a mountain. There were traces of dried blood on the surrounding black fence. The stench of beast mounts filled the air. Two massive beast skeletons were placed by the camp’s entrance as decoration, their empty eye sockets staring ominously at every visitor.

The door opened. The scout told Zu An to enter alone.

Zu An walked in without hesitation. Tangible killing intent rushed at him. There were over a thousand elite, armored soldiers standing in formation, extending from the camp entrance to the middle tent. Not a single person uttered a word; they quietly held their weapons while staring at him as if he were a dead man.

Their cold blades gleamed coldly under the sunlight. Zu An felt as if he were walking through a forest of blades. But what was even more terrifying was the intimidation aura emanated by the soldiers. They greatly suppressed Zu An’s fighting prowess. These soldiers were far more elite than Cheng Yuanzhi’s or Gao Sheng’s troops. These thousand or so soldiers could stand their ground against an army of ten thousand. Any other cultivator in Zu An’s place would have long lost strength in their legs.

Zu An felt the pressure, but he displayed no fear and calmly advanced.

Just then, a one-eyed commander with a hulking physique stepped out with heavy footsteps that caused the ground to quake. He walked up to Zu An and assessed him with disdainful eyes. “Are you the Liu Bei who killed countless of our brothers?”

“I have saved even more people from the Yellow Turban Army,” Zu An calmly replied.

“What a glib tongue you have. How dare you come here? Everyone, what do you think we should do?!” the one-eyed commander asked the surrounding soldiers.

All the soldiers drew their blades and pointed them at Zu An’s vitals, the metallic clangs sounding like the Grim Reaper sharpening its scythe. They roared in unison, “Kill him!”

The thousands of voices resonated to form a sonic boom that distorted even the air. Slivers of black aura rose from the camp as countless resentful spirits rushed at him. Some had their arms severed, others had their chests ripped open, and others were bleeding from their apertures. This was the ‘Myriad Souls Massacre Formation’ forged through countless deaths. Many valiant heroes had crumbled before this powerful formation.

But Zu An’s footsteps remained steady. He neither sped up nor slowed down. His cadence remained steady and precise. When the resentful spirits came within a meter og him, they suddenly disintegrated while shrieking as if they had encountered something terrifying. They hurriedly opened a path for him, not daring to come close anymore. Living beings wouldn't sense it, but the resentful spirits knew that Zu An was the Netherworld’s master. The authority he naturally wielded over them made them tremble in fear.

Zu An felt like laughing. There were far more frightening ghosts in the Netherworld. These people were underestimating him if they thought that they could intimidate him with this.

The one-eyed commander was startled. He tightened his grip on his sword.

Just then, Zu An suddenly spoke up, “I came here to negotiate with the Earth Duke General. That one-eyed commander over there, are you the one calling the shots here now?” His voice wasn't loud, but it was relayed to every nook and cranny in the camp.

The one-eyed commander was infuriated. “What did you say?”

You have successfully trolled Yan Zheng for +444... +444... +444...

His fiery-tempered aides drew their swords. They were ready to mince Zu An at the one-eyed commander’s order.

Zu An halted his footsteps to glance at the one-eyed commander, Yan Zheng. His gaze called the latter to sweat profusely; Yan Zheng felt as if he was dealing with not a young man but a lofty deity. The other party’s clear eyes seemed to emanate a deathly aura.

Zu An smirked as he continued walking forward.

Yan Zheng held his sword with a trembling hand, but somehow, he couldn’t draw his blade. Even he couldn’t understand why he didn’t dare to make a move, even though he clearly held the upper hand here. What did that fellow go through to have such a tranquil yet unfathomable gaze?

The other soldiers exchanged looks. Their morale plummeted, and they instinctively lowered their weapons.

The other higher-ups of the Yellow Turban Army in the tent witnessed this sight, and their disdainful expressions turned into severity. They had thought that Liu Bei’s arrival was nothing but a joke. They held the upper hand here, so what was there to negotiate? So, they decided to intimidate Liu Bei to see him make a fool of himself. But Liu Bei was more formidable than they had expected. They vaguely sensed that the situation was spiraling out of their control.

Zu An entered the general tent. Two rows of commanders were seated inside, and they were guarded by dozens of axemen. He had known that the Yellow Turban Army would prepare something for him, so he didn’t pursue the matter and instead walked straight to the center seat and bowed to Zhang Bao. “Liu Xuande[1] pays respect to the Earth Duke General!”

Zhang Bao wore a loose yellow cloak embroidered with runes, which aligned with the Yellow Turban Army’s style. His face was obscured with a fierce mask, giving him the impression of an enigmatic cult leader.

Zu An wondered if Zhang Bao had never shown his face in public. If so, someone can simply substitute him if he dies in battle.

Someone in the tent shouted, “Why aren’t you kneeling?”

“I only kneel to heaven and my parents,” Zu An replied calmly.

“Audacious!” The other commanders rose to their feet. The atmosphere turned tense.

Zhang Bao waved his hand, gesturing for the crowd to sit down. Then, he assessed Zu An with curious eyes, saying, “Do you not kneel to your emperor, either?” His voice wasn't as authoritative as Zu An had imagined. Instead, there was a tinge of mischief.

“If the Earth Duke Emperor is willing to kneel to the emperor, I can do so alongside you.”

The crowd glared at Zu An furiously.

You have successfully trolled Zhou Cang for +119... +119... +119...

You have successfully trolled Pei Yuanzhao for +119... +119... +119...

You have...

Zu An glanced at Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao. They're Zhang Bao’s subordinates?

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Cang was Guan Yu’s loyal aide. Pei Yuanshao had also defected to Guan Yu’s side, but he stole a horse and was stabbed to death by Zhao Yun, who didn’t know that he was an ally.

“What an interesting fellow.” Zhang Bao laughed. “What do you want to negotiate?”

Zu An revealed his intentions. He would free tens of thousands of the Yellow Turban Army’s soldiers in exchange for Zhang Bao’s retreat.

Zhang Bao nodded. “Very well. I accept your terms.”

Zu An was surprised.He had expected a difficult talk. He had even prepared many arguments to persuade Zhang Bao. But things went so smoothly that he wondered if he was dreaming.

1. Liu Bei’s birth name. ☜

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