Bi Linglong was alarmed. She rubbed her teary eyes while examining Zu Anâs body. âYouâre really okay?â
âIâm fine. The reaper decided to give me another chance when he saw how broken-hearted this beauty was.â Zu An still felt lingering fear. Thank goodness I asked Bi Linglong to kiss me and not Mi Li. Otherwise, what I experienced wouldâve been something else entirelyâ¦
Bi Linglongâs expression changed from tearful to smiling. She tapped her fists gently against his chest. âYouâre so annoyingâ¦â
Mi Li rolled her eyes. Men are all liars.
Zhao Ruizhiâs eyes twitched when he saw the two playing around with each other. However, he was more shocked about something else. âWhy arenât you dead?â He hadnât held back at all on his last attack. Even though he was far from his best condition, killing Zu An should have been an easy task.
âI am the one blessed by the mandate of heaven, shielded by the deities and buddhas alike. How could someone like you possibly kill me so easily?â Zu An was shooting his mouth off like no tomorrow, but inside, he felt quite guilty.
The reason he had survived was through a fluke. He had encountered a mermaid in that water room and noticed a familiar scale. It was extremely similar to the one Shang Liuyu had given him back then. Heâd had his suspicions back then, so he had taken it with him.
Who could have thought that it would actually be able to block a fatal attack? Furthermore, its effects were even more powerful than the one Shang Liuyu had given him! It was even able to block the emperorâs attack.
Of course, it was still thanks to the Primordial Origin Sutra tempering his body three times. Anyone else would still have died from the emperorâs blow even if they had such a thing.
He Li and the others were dumbstruck when they heard his reply. They all looked at him in a stupor. Is this kid really someone chosen by the heavens?
After all, he had already done many seemingly impossible things ever since they met in the dungeon. All of those things made no sense. Not even a publicly acknowledged genius could accomplish the things he had!
âYou scoundrel, you dare to speak about heavenâs mandate before this emperor?!â Zhao Ruizhiâs eyes shifted to the broken scale in Zu Anâs hands. He finally realized what had happened and exclaimed, âThe Mermaid Imperial Familyâs Heart Protection Scale!â
You have successfully trolled Zhao Han for +444 +444 +444â¦
But inside, he was full of misgivings. What the hell was going on? This kid had so many miraculous abilities, and he even had the libationerâs Sacrificial Piece and the Mermaid Imperial Familyâs Heart Protection Scale. The mermaid scale wasnât from any normal royal family member, because one that could block his full powered attack had to at least be at the empress grade. How did the kid know all of these people?
But none of those things were important. An unpredictable variable like Zu An needed to be removed as quickly as possible.
Zhao Ruizhiâs entire body erupted with golden light. âToday, this emperor will teach you what heavenâs mandate means.â He reached out his hand and made a gripping motion. A massive golden hand appeared out of thin air and grabbed at Zu An. If the fist closed around him, Zu An would immediately be pulverized into ground meat.
Mi Li snorted. Her sleeve flew out and a red streak appeared. It tore straight through the golden palm, creating a hole. The giant golden palm deflated like a giant balloon, scattering into golden light.
Zhao Ruizhiâs eyes narrowed. âJudging from your use of power, I can tell that youâve reached the Earth Immortal rank as well. I didnât expect for someone else to also be at this level, let alone a woman. Just who exactly are you?â
He Li and the othersâ eyes widened in shock. It wasnât just a woman, but a young and beautiful woman! How was this possible? What the hell was wrong with the world all of a sudden?
Mi Li said indifferently, âBeyond man is the heavens, and beyond the heavens are greater heavens. A frog like you has been stuck at the bottom of your well for too long.â
Even though Zu An hadnât died, she was still absolutely furious at the emperor. She decided to help Zu An get rid of him while the emperor was still weak. However, the moment she was about to move, she frowned. Her figure began to flicker.
Zu An immediately noticed her situation. He quickly asked her, âWhatâs wrong?â
Mi Li told him through ki transmission, âMy power is dispersing in all directions. The formation here seems to be absorbing my power.â
Zu An sensed the surroundings. Sure enough, he saw that there was a faint mist scattering out from Mi Liâs body, then seeping into the ground.
Mi Li quickly applied a seal and adjusted herself. âI can only do my best to stop this formationâs absorption, but that can only slow it down. I might not be able to help you against the emperor soon.â
Zu An said in consolation, âJust focus on that. Leave the rest to me.â
Zhao Ruizhi roared with laughter. âI thought that you might have been some powerful existence. It turns out youâre nothing but a soul! Iâm going to end you today!â He noticed what was wrong with Mi Li and quickly deduced the truth from what he saw.
Zu An said seriously, âThereâs a Five Elements Formation here, and itâs probably set up to revive a powerful ancient existence. If we fight to the death here, we might only be benefiting someone else. Why donât we get rid of this evil formation first before we settle our private grudges?â
Zhao Ruizhi exclaimed proudly, âWho do you think you are? Even someone like you thinks youâre good enough to fight me to the death? I can crush you like an ant first and then deal with that formation. Iâll have more than enough time.â
He had obviously sensed that the formation was quietly working in the background. However, his many years as an unmatched ruler made him sufficiently confident to look down on any terrifying ancient existence. If any showed up, he would just eliminate them.
On the contrary, if he dealt with that formation first and allowed the red-clothed woman to revive, that would only become even more troublesome. There was no way he would agree to Zu Anâs suggestion.
âThat mouth of yours is quite slick, but itâs only good for fooling women. Did you really think you would fool me?â Zhao Ruizhi smiled maliciously. âIâll rip off that mouth of yours soon, then pull out your tongue. Letâs see how youâll talk then.â
Zu An knew that the emperor had already firmly resolved to erase him from this world, judging from his killing intent. Further talk was meaningless. As such, he said with a smile, âIt seems like you believe everything is in your control, and that no one can fool you.â
Zhao Ruizhi proudly said, âThere hasnât been anyone born into this world who was able to fool me. Wasnât even the self-proclaimed schemer King Qi just dancing in the palm of my hand the entire time? As for your tricks, I just didnât feel like paying them any attention. Do you really think I didnât know about them?â
He Li and the othersâ faces were completely ashen. They had believed that King Qi was heroic and brilliant, and together with so many capable men on their side, seizing the imperial throne shouldnât have been too difficult. Yet only after what had happened in this time did they realize just how laughable all of that was. The emperor was just too terrifying and profound. He wasnât someone that human strength could hope to oppose. So what if this Zu An can jump around like a pest? In the end, you still canât escape the emperor, and youâll only experience a death more miserable than anyone else.
âNo one can fool you?â An extremely strange expression appeared on Zu Anâs face. âItâs already been many years since you last stayed the night in the Palace of Peace, right?â
Zhao Ruizhi frowned and asked, âWhat are you trying to say?â
Zu An didnât explain anything. Instead, he said in a meaningful and profound manner, âYour wife really was the best!â
Zhao Ruizhi was speechless.
He Li had been waiting to witness Zu Anâs miserable fall, but what the hell was going on now? Judging from what he was saying, he had an affair with the empress?! It was already ridiculous enough that he had managed to get this close to the crown princess, but heâd even had a thing with the empress?
He Li had previously had the fortune of seeing the empress from afar. That mature and noble beauty had left him with a deep impression. Is this kid trying to defy the heavens? For a man to have gone this far, even dying at this point would be worth it, right?
Bi Linglongâs red lips were wide open in shock. Zu An and the empress? Even though the empress wasnât the crown princeâs mother, so she didnât have much of a connection with her, this was just too absurd!
Zhao Ruizhi immediately thought of many things. One night, he had run into Zu An outside the Palace of Peace. His thoughts hadnât gone in that direction before, but now that Zu An had said what he said, the event became full of suspicions. He erupted into fury. âYou have a death wish!â
You have successfully trolled Zhao Han for +999 +999 +999â¦
Zu Anâs goal had precisely been to make the emperor emotional. He immediately used his âKnock-You-Up-Eyesâ skill[1].
1. Item description: When wearing this item, you may select whether to activate the itemâs effect when you look at a target. As long as the target makes eye contact with you, they will immediately experience pain equal to that of delivering a 10-month-old child. This effect doesnât discriminate against gender or race. The pain inflicted by this item will last for an hour. â