Chapter 168: Undead Legion

Zu An was momentarily stunned, surprised by how terrified the other person was. He seized the opportunity to ask, "What crime have you committed?"

Black mist violently rippled across Zhang Han's face, as if he were weeping. "This servant was entrusted with a great responsibility. Although I achieved some temporary victories, I ultimately allowed the empire's elite main forces to be destroyed, dashing its last hope and leading to the eventual downfall of the Great Qin at the hands of the remnants of the six eastern states."

Zu An thought to himself that this history was indeed no different from what he remembered. Fearing he might provoke Zhang Han, he didn't press further. Instead, he sighed deeply, "Alas, it was fate; nothing human power could undo."

Zhang Han paused, thinking it rather surprising that His Majesty, whom he remembered as having a resolute and volatile temper and enforcing strict laws, was being so gentle with him.

Zu An pondered, then looked towards the distant pool. "What exactly is sealed there that makes you so afraid?" This was what he was most curious about. He wasn't worried about giving himself away, as historically Zhang Han was mainly active during the Second Qin Emperor's reign, so it would be normal for the First Emperor not to know everything about him.

Zhang Han replied, "That place seals the spirits of hundreds of thousands of rebels from the six eastern states. They were previously suppressed by the Great Soul-Suppressing Seal, but who knew, Your Majesty, that you..."

Zu An looked embarrassed. "Then it must be sealed properly. These righteous armies of the six states bear extreme hatred towards Great Qin. If they were to break free, they might even offend my empress."

Hearing his words, the blue flames in Zhang Han's eyes flickered slightly, but he showed no other reaction.

"Given your capabilities, my dear minister, is there no other way to suppress these spirits?" Zu An pointed at Chu Chuyan, who was standing nearby. "She is a friend of mine in this life. Release her."

Zhang Han replied in a deep voice, "To answer Your Majesty, for a thousand years, these hundreds of thousands of spirits have been suppressed by the Vanishing Illusory Lotus as the formation's core. Now that the core is lost, and the Great Soul-Suppressing Seal is on the verge of collapsing, we can only take advantage of this woman before she has fully digested the lotus's medicinal properties. Using her flesh and blood can temporarily calm the restless spirit army, giving us more time to find another way to reinforce the seal."

"The fate of the empire is paramount; trivial matters like women are secondary. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."

Seeing that Zhang Han still insisted on sacrificing Chu Chuyan, Zu An felt a pang of frustration. He wasn't the real Qin Shi Huang after all, and the power disparity between them was too great. There was nothing he could do if Zhang Han wouldn't listen.

"However, this woman can be released. Let her serve Your Majesty so you won't be lonely," Zhang Han said. He extended a hand and pulled Qiao Xueying towards him, forcing her to kneel before Zu An.

Qiao Xueying struggled desperately, but how could her strength compare to Zhang Han's?

Looking at the defiant young woman before him, Zu An suddenly found it amusing. "Call me 'master' and let me hear it?"

"Pah!" Qiao Xueying spat towards his face, but Zhang Han blocked it.

"How dare you offend His Majesty! Die!" Zhang Han's voice was icy, and black mist surged around him.

"Enough, enough. Spare her life. She is, after all, also a friend of mine," Zu An quickly intervened.

"Friend?" Zhang Han's tone carried a hint of mockery.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He could sense that Zhang Han's tone was no longer as respectful as it had been. Was this fellow just testing him?

What kind of world was this? Did zombies possess such high intelligence?

Just then, a gurgling sound emanated from the pool. The water seemed to be boiling, constantly bubbling. The layer of black mist on its surface was violently agitated and unstable, and faint blue phantoms could even be seen breaking free from the depths of the pool.

These blue, transparent phantoms were also clad in armor and wielded sharp blades, appearing to be highly skilled soldiers.

Zhang Han's expression changed drastically. He beckoned, and the majestic steed wreathed in black mist silently appeared before him. He quickly mounted it and galloped towards the pool.

The terracotta warriors standing nearby seemed to receive a summons, picking up their weapons and following him as they charged towards the edge of the pool.

By this time, hundreds of pale blue, translucent warriors had surged out from the pool. Unlike the previous zombie warriors, these seemed to have no physical form, resembling pure spirit entities.

They saw Zhang Han and opened their mouths, letting out fierce, desperate roars—though it was unclear if any sound was truly produced, their eyes clearly revealed deep-seated hatred.

They quickly formed ranks and charged directly towards Zhang Han's contingent.

"Am I seeing things?" Zu An rubbed his eyes, feeling that the formations and combat tactics of both sides were strangely similar.

However, he had no time to ponder this. He quickly ran towards the central stone platform, hoping to use this opportunity to rescue Chu Chuyan.

Qiao Xueying bit her lip and ran along with him; she clearly wanted to save Chu Chuyan too.

"You saved me before, and now I've saved you. So we're even," Zu An said to the young woman beside him.

"Thank you," Qiao Xueying whispered, then scoffed, "But I saved you twice before, so if you count properly, you still owe me one."

Zu An was speechless.

This woman truly refused to concede anything verbally.

Too lazy to argue with her, he quickly tried to untie the black ropes binding Chu Chuyan. However, these black ropes, made of an unknown substance, had no physical form yet were stronger than anything.

He even pulled out the Sure-Kill Dagger to try, but it was still useless.

"Move aside!" Qiao Xueying formed a hand seal, and countless green leaves circled her body, finally transforming into razor-sharp blades that slashed at the black ropes.

Unfortunately, the vibrant green, life-filled leaves rapidly withered upon contact with the black ropes. Qiao Xueying tried for a long time, but the black ropes remained completely still, while her hard-earned vital energy was mostly depleted.

"These must be formed from the undead energy of that zombie general. The level difference between you and it is too great; you won't be able to undo them," Chu Chuyan said. "You two should leave quickly. Don't worry about me."

Zu An shook his head. "You're my wife; how could I abandon you and run away? Besides, I even let you eat the Vanishing Illusory Lotus. If I don't rescue you, wouldn't I suffer a huge loss?"

Chu Chuyan immediately found herself between laughter and tears. She had been so touched a second ago, only to hear words perfectly in line with his character the next.

"Didn't that fellow just kneel to you? Quickly order him to release Miss Chu!" Qiao Xueying urged, distressed.

Zu An rolled his eyes. "Are you blind? I did order him to release her just now. You saw the result."

Qiao Xueying looked at Zhang Han, who was fighting by the pool in the distance, and bit her lip tightly. "What do we do then? After he deals with those ghost armies, he'll definitely come back to start the blood sacrifice."

Zu An was also at a loss. In the face of absolute power, no amount of strategy would be effective.

"Later, I'll be more forceful in my demands. I hope that will make him stop," Zu An thought. At this point, his only option was to leverage his identity as Qin Shi Huang.

"Hmph, childish!" Just then, a woman's voice echoed in his mind.

"You're finally out!" Zu An gnashed his teeth. After all, this woman was the culprit.

"Who are you talking to?" Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan exclaimed in unison, startled.

Zu An was momentarily stunned. Could it be that they couldn't hear the woman's voice?

"Do you really think Zhang Han believes you are Ying Zheng? Once he finishes dealing with the situation over there and returns, not only will this woman die, but you won't survive either," the woman said coldly.