Chapter 170: Cold Sweat Dripping

Zu'an finally snapped back to reality. "What decision?" he asked.

"Help me break the seal. Only I can help you defeat Zhang Han," Mi Li's voice was filled with disdain.

"Oh," Zu'an finally understood. "You just led me to pick that Traceless Illusion Lotus because you wanted those undead soldiers to escape and distract Zhang Han. Then you could take the opportunity to break your own seal, right?"

"Is there a problem with that? Utilizing everything at one's disposal is the mark of a true leader," Mi Li said calmly.

"If you're so powerful, why don't you just break the seal yourself and deal with Zhang Han? Why go through such a roundabout way?" Zu'an couldn't help but complain.

"Nonsense! Qin Shi Huang set this seal using the power of the entire nation. It's not that easy to break."

Mi Li's Rage +233!

"But I don't know if what you just said is true or false. From your description, you sound even more terrifying than Zhang Han. In my experience, anyone who needs to be suppressed by a seal is usually a heinous villain. What if saving you leaves us with no way out?" Though Zu'an spoke these words, he already believed about eighty percent of what she said.

After all, what she said largely aligned with the history he knew.

Mi Li snorted coldly. "Are the 200,000 innocent Qin soldiers buried under that pool, sealed away, heinous villains in your opinion?"

Zu'an was momentarily speechless. Indeed, those were 200,000 wronged souls.

Mi Li continued, "Moreover, you have no choice. Once Zhang Han is free, this woman will surely die."

Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying had initially found Zu'an's talking to himself rather baffling, but then a mysterious woman's voice suddenly echoed in their ears, startling them greatly.

"Who, who's speaking?" Qiao Xueying asked, looking around warily.

Chu Chuyan's expression also subtly changed. She vaguely felt the voice was familiar, as if she had heard it when she was semi-conscious just moments ago.

"Don't look, you can't see her. She's likely the mistress of this ancient tomb," Zu'an explained after a moment's thought.

"Tomb mistress..." Qiao Xueying's expression shifted. A mere guardian general had already been despairingly powerful; how strong would the master of this place be?

"A'Zu, don't promise her anything for my sake. In my condition, there's no point in living anyway. You and Xue'er should leave here quickly." Chu Chuyan was incredibly sharp; in that brief statement, she deduced that the mysterious woman was likely using her to coerce Zu'an.

She also knew her words would likely be useless on Zu'an, having repeated them countless times already. So, she immediately turned to Qiao Xueying and added, "Xue'er, if you value how I've treated you over the years, quickly take A'Zu away. Otherwise, it'll be too late once that black-armored general is free!"

Qiao Xueying's expression was hesitant. Emotionally, she couldn't bear to abandon Chu Chuyan, but logically, she knew there was no point in staying, as they couldn't even remove Chu Chuyan's restraints.

"Hurry and go!" Chu Chuyan urged desperately.

Qiao Xueying bit her lip, just as she decided to honor her mistress's wish and lead Zu'an away, the mysterious woman's voice spoke again: "The reason you feel life is meaningless is because your energy meridians were severed by forbidden arts, leaving you a cripple, isn't it? I can restore you completely, even raising your cultivation by an entire major realm higher than before."

Chu Chuyan froze. She had been a cultivation genius her entire life, and the temptation of returning to normal was immense, but she still refused. "No need, Xue'er, quickly take A'Zu away."

Zu'an said in a low voice, "Do you truly have a way to restore her completely?"

"Of course!" Mi Li's voice was filled with pride.

"What method?" Zu'an pressed.

"Are you an idiot? How could I possibly tell you now?" Mi Li retorted rudely.

"Alright, I agree to your terms. I'll help you break the seal, and you help me save her," Zu'an said firmly. At this point, he decided to take a gamble.

Chu Chuyan immediately panicked. "A'Zu, don't be impulsive! Xue'er, what are you doing? Why aren't you taking him away?"

Qiao Xueying shook her head. "Miss, though I've never liked him, I have to admit he's showing great responsibility this time. Since there's a chance to completely heal your injuries, what's a little risk? At worst, we all die together."

She secretly added, "Anyway, I don't want to live either. And as for Zu'an, he's just annoying to have around. If he dies, it'll mean one less pest in the world, hmph!"

Seeing their resolute tone, Chu Chuyan knew she couldn't persuade them. Her eyes were slightly red, but given her typically reserved nature, she couldn't bring herself to utter any words of thanks.

"How exactly can I break your seal? Do I need to remove something?" Zu'an asked quickly.

"It's not that simple," a sneer flickered in Mi Li's voice. "Back then, Qin Shi Huang established this Grand Soul Suppressing Seal to imprison me for eternity. Zhang Han, being the mausoleum's overseer, knew the formation's power. So, he and Xiang Yu, utilizing the grand formation's energy and with the aid of the Traceless Illusion Lotus, created a pseudo-Soul Suppressing Seal, which then managed to suppress those 200,000 undead."

"The pseudo-Soul Suppressing Seal wasn't truly authentic, so when you plucked the Traceless Illusion Lotus, you partially broke that seal. However, the formation sealing me is different. To undo this seal, you must sequentially break the Human, Earth, and Heaven Seals of the Grand Soul Suppressing Seal."

Zu'an clicked his tongue in amazement. "Sealed by Heaven, Earth, and Man? You really are in a terrible state. You were husband and wife after all—what kind of hatred or grudge could be so deep?"

"Shut up! No one will mistake you for a mute if you keep quiet," Mi Li snapped, her tone clearly indicating that Zu'an's words had triggered some unpleasant memories.

Mi Li's Rage +250!

"If you don't speak, do you still want my help?" Zu'an scoffed. "Asking for help with that attitude? You need to be taught a lesson. What are these seals, and how are they broken?"

Mi Li suddenly fell silent. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice tinged with awkwardness. "I... don't know."

Zu'an was dumbfounded.

"My lady, you don't even know what the seal contains or how to break it? Are you messing with me?" Zu'an was instantly exasperated.

Mi Li, also somewhat flustered and angry, retorted, "Nonsense! If you were to seal someone, would you let them know how to break free?"

Mi Li's Rage +66!

Seeing such a meager amount of rage, Zu'an was immediately amused. It seemed the woman herself felt guilty.

"If I were to deal with an enemy, I would never choose the troublesome path of sealing them; I'd just kill them directly. By the way, it's truly strange—why did Qin Shi Huang go to all that trouble to seal you instead of just killing you once and for all?" Zu'an couldn't help but ask.

"Who said he didn't kill me?" Mi Li's faint voice drifted over.

A cold sweat broke out on Zu'an's back, and his tone instantly became much more respectful. "Then what... what exactly is your current state?"