Chapter 166: Soul-Sealing Great Seal

A surge of anger, 999 points worth, emanated from Zombie General Zhang Han!

Zhang Han?

Zu An paused, finding the name strangely familiar.

He had no time for further thought. He could barely handle the zombie soldiers before, and now a zombie general had appeared. The sheer power in its voice alone indicated that this was an opponent he couldn't possibly confront.

He had previously wondered why he was able to pick the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace so easily. Such a rare treasure should, by all accounts, be guarded by a powerful beast.

Now, the guardian had finally arrived!

He scooped up Chu Chuyan, intending to flee, but the newcomer was too swift; there was no time to escape.

A cloud of black smoke billowed upwards, and from it, a black-armored general slowly emerged, mounted on horseback.

Upon emerging, it scanned its surroundings, then fixed its gaze on the nearby terracotta warriors. "Why didn't you stop the intruders?" it demanded.

The terracotta warriors remained silent.

"We're quite aggrieved, you know. That terrifying light from his hand makes us lose our color instantly!"

Zu An also noticed Qiao Xueying, held by the black-armored general. Seeing her dazed expression, he wondered if she had been somehow damaged.

Speaking of which, where's Brother Ri Bi? Has he been killed already?

Why then would this black-armored general spare Qiao Xueying's life? Are zombies susceptible to lust as well?

Zu An found himself somewhat impressed with his own mind, still capable of contemplating such trivial matters even in this life-or-death situation.

The black-armored general's gaze shifted to them, then to the pond behind them. A look of profound shock crossed its face. "No..."

Its form flickered, appearing almost instantaneously beside them. Gazing at the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace, which had vanished from the pond, it began to tremble uncontrollably. "You... you actually picked this! Do you have any idea the immense trouble you've caused?!"

Zombie General Zhang Han's rage soared by another 1024 points!

Zu An now experienced the same crushing pressure Qiao Xueying and the others had felt earlier. The sheer force made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Having just advanced a rank, he had been brimming with confidence, but cruel reality immediately dashed his hopes.

Knowing the vast disparity in their power, he could only rely on the miraculous flashlight in his hand. He bit his tongue to stay alert, then quickly raised the flashlight and aimed it at the general.

Noticing the white light in his hand, the black-armored general let out a surprised sound. Its form blurred into an afterimage; though light was swift, Zu An's hand movements were not, making evasion simple.

Sensing the general at his side, Zu An was startled and hastily tried to redirect the flashlight. But a sudden numbness in his elbow caused him to drop it, and it flew into the nearby pond. The light quickly vanished, perhaps due to the water.

Zu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to retrieve the item into his keyboard space just in time; had it truly been lost, he would have been devastated.

He understood that given the immense power gap, even retrieving the flashlight wouldn't harm the general in the slightest and would only expose his secret. So, he simply feigned that the flashlight had truly fallen into the water.

"Where is the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace? Hand it over!" The black-armored general extended a hand, staring coldly at Zu An and Chu Chuyan. Qiao Xueying, meanwhile, lay discarded to the side, motionless.

Zu An swallowed hard, his voice strained. "What lotus? I didn't see any."

Meanwhile, he inwardly cursed the mysterious woman from earlier. Why hadn't she warned him about such a formidable guardian? He would have fled long ago.

Wait a moment. She deliberately led me here, and now she's vanished. What exactly is her plan?

Hearing his reply, the black-armored general let out a heavy snort. Just as it was about to speak, its nose twitched, and it abruptly fixed its gaze on Chu Chuyan in Zu An's arms. "You... you actually ate it!"

Chu Chuyan's expression subtly shifted. She looked up at Zu An. "You... you just gave me the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace to eat?"

Zu An nodded with a bitter smile. The general was no fool, and at this point, denial would be futile.

Chu Chuyan grew anxious. "Weren't you searching for this to break the seal on yourself? What about you now that you've given it to me?"

Zu An sighed. "There will always be a way. If not, then this is simply how it must be. I couldn't just stand by and watch you die."

Hearing his words, Qiao Xueying, who had been lying still, stirred slightly. She was clearly aware of Zu An's hidden ailment. He had actually used something vital to his future well-being to save the young lady...

She had always looked down on this useless scoundrel, believing him to be worlds apart from her young master. But the events of today made her question her previous judgment, especially the stark contrast between Shi Kun using her as a human shield moments ago and Zu An making such a significant sacrifice to save Chu Chuyan.

The black-armored general, however, had no leisure to listen to their conversation. It stood with a solemn expression at the edge of the pond, watching as the once mirror-smooth water began to churn slightly. Faint blue light seemed to emanate from the depths below.

It hastily raised its hands, forming an intricate seal. Immediately, tendrils of black energy surged from its palms, continuously spreading over the pond's surface.

After a long while, the water's surface finally regained its calm. Yet, faint blue light could still be vaguely seen constantly pushing against the dark energy on the surface, as if threatening to burst forth at any moment.

"What is he doing?" Zu An noted the black-armored general's unusual actions. He considered seizing the opportunity to escape, but the oppressive aura around him hadn't diminished in the slightest, rendering him utterly immobile.

"It looks like he's setting up some sort of formation, perhaps to seal something at the bottom of the pond," Chu Chuyan, who possessed a better understanding of this world's common knowledge, replied casually. Her heart was in turmoil, consumed by the thought that Zu An had used the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace to save her.

Even as a young woman who had not yet experienced intimacy, she understood the immense importance of that particular ability to a man, a significance that, in some respects, could even surpass life itself.

He actually sacrificed so much for me...

Chu Chuyan's expression instantly turned dazed, and for a moment, her mind wandered.

The black-armored general turned back, visibly weary, but its gaze intensified, becoming even more ruthless as it swept over them. "You've destroyed the Grand Soul-Suppressing Seal here! Fortunately, you've only just consumed the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace, and its medicinal properties haven't fully dispersed. I shall use your body for a blood sacrifice, in hopes of appeasing those restless spirits!"

With a wave of its hand, Chu Chuyan flew into its grasp.

Zu An exerted all his strength, but couldn't hold onto her, feeling a mix of shock and fury. "What are you doing?!"

"As I said, I will use the flesh and blood of you intruders to repair the great formation and appease the restless spirits." The black-armored general waved its hand dismissively. Terracotta warriors immediately rushed forward to restrain Zu An and Qiao Xueying. "Bring them to the altar."

Its own form blurred, and it reappeared on a circular platform a hundred meters away, placing Chu Chuyan onto a stone slab.

Chu Chuyan's meridians were now completely severed, rendering her utterly immobile. She wasn't afraid of death, but she gazed with a profound unease towards Zu An on the other side. If he were to die after sacrificing so much for her, her conscience would truly never rest.

Zu An and Qiao Xueying were escorted by the terracotta warriors toward the circular platform. His mind was in turmoil, recalling the black-armored general's words about them destroying a "Grand Soul-Suppressing Seal," which, by its name, sounded like some kind of sealing formation.

But we clearly did nothing after entering, except pick that Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace.

Wait!

He quickly turned to look back, discovering that the lotus leaves on the pond, which had previously glowed like shimmering jade, had long since lost their radiance. The misty aura that once enveloped them was gone, and the leaves themselves had begun to wither and decay.

Could it be that those lotus leaves and the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace were part of the sealing formation all along? And that the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace was the critical linchpin?

This is outrageous!

Zu An couldn't help but curse inwardly. If it was such an important formation, why were there no adequate protective measures, allowing him to approach it so easily?

However, he suddenly noticed the dense formation of terracotta warriors nearby and immediately stopped his internal complaints.

These figures must be guarding this grand formation. With their power, even Chu Zhongtian likely wouldn't have been able to approach the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace. Yet, he happened to possess an overpowered flashlight...

Was this luck or misfortune?

What exactly was sealed at the bottom of this pond, that even the terrifyingly powerful zombie general was so fearful?

Could it be that woman named Mi Li?

A thought flashed through his mind: this woman had lured him here from the very beginning. It now seemed she had been plotting all along.

But that woman's voice was so beautiful, he simply couldn't associate her with anything terrifying.

"What are you thinking about?" Qiao Xueying's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts.

Zu An turned to see Qiao Xueying staring at him with wide eyes. "Huh, you're not dead?"

Qiao Xueying: "..."

Why was this man still so infuriating? He made her want to hit him the moment he spoke.

However, given their current predicament, she couldn't muster any anger.

"Why did you give the Phantasmal Lotus of No Trace to the young lady?" she couldn't help but ask.

"She's my wife, how could I just stand by and watch her die?" Zu An snorted.

Qiao Xueying said gravely, "It's one thing for others not to know, but don't I understand your relationship? You're hardly a real husband and wife."

"Don't say another word," Zu An gasped, taking a sharp breath. "I was already feeling some regret, but the more you speak, the more my heart aches. Are you trying to deliberately provoke me?"

A faint smile touched Qiao Xueying's lips. "That's more like your usual self."

She used to find his roguish demeanor irritating, but now, she found him surprisingly genuine, devoid of pretense.

Thinking of Shi Kun, her face darkened again.

By this time, the two of them had also been escorted onto the circular platform.

"Wife!"

"Young Lady!"

Seeing Chu Chuyan lying on the stone slab, both cried out in alarm.

"I... I'm fine," Chu Chuyan replied weakly, though she knew that being fine now didn't guarantee she would be later.

Only then did Zu An have a chance to examine his surroundings. The place strongly resembled the altars he had seen on television, with numerous eerie runes etched into the ground. In the very center lay the stone slab where Chu Chuyan rested, surrounded by many bottles and jars whose contents were unknown.

Nine massive pillars encircled the circular platform, each intricately carved with a winding dragon. Every scale was depicted with lifelike detail, appearing exactly like the dragons from Eastern mythology.

Zu An and Qiao Xueying were tied to two stone pillars.

The black-armored general drew a knife and advanced towards them. "First, we shall use your fresh blood to consecrate the altar. Who among you wishes to go first?"