Chapter 184: Woman in the Crystal Coffin

Zu An curled his lips. "It's perfectly normal for me to have secrets from you. You're not my wife; you really don't consider yourself an outsider, do you?"

Qiao Xueying: "..."

Fury value from Qiao Xueying +666!

This guy truly... makes me want to hit him!

Qiao Xueying suppressed the urge in her heart and ignored his words. "How did you know he went to find Wu Guang? And I always feel like you have some kind of precognitive ability."

"What's with all this 'you, you, you' and 'me, me, me'?" Zu An said, displeased. "Aren't you going to call me 'good big brother' anymore? That's just my incredible foresight. You'll learn about more of my amazing feats in the future."

"Look at you, showing off!" Qiao Xueying snorted. However, since the other party had stood up for her and saved the people of Chen Family Village, her mood was excellent, and she couldn't be bothered to argue further. "But I wonder when the seal will actually be considered broken."

"The imperial court probably needs to confirm it," Zu An said, feeling a bit nervous. He wasn't sure if their actions would truly deceive everyone.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lord Wang had just finished fabricating the scene and reported their pre-arranged story to the imperial court using a communication mirror.

Immediately after, Zu An felt a slight distortion in the scenery before his eyes, followed by a familiar sense of weightlessness. When they regained their senses, they had already appeared in the familiar underground palace.

"How do you have no injuries at all... You actually broke the Heaven Seal so easily!" Mi Li's voice, full of both surprise and joy, rang in their ears. Clearly, she hadn't originally expected them to actually break the three seals, which were as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Easy?

Zu An recalled the process of breaking the Heaven Seal. Compared to the previous two stages, it was indeed not difficult. This stage didn't test cultivation or combat, but rather one's judgment and... luck.

If he hadn't been kind-hearted and decided to save the people of Chen Family Village, coupled with his prior knowledge of historical trends and knowing that Chen Sheng could not die, it would have been absolutely impossible to break through the layers of mist and find that sole glimmer of hope.

For someone who didn't know this history, or even another transmigrator, no matter how high their cultivation level, entering would definitely mean certain death.

While he was momentarily dazed, the sealing array on the ground opened, revealing a dark hole.

Zu An asked in a deep voice, "The three seals are broken. Are you able to come out now?"

Mi Li's voice came, "My coffin is on the next level. If you take down the sword hanging over it for me, I can come out."

Zu An was about to jump down, but Qiao Xueying grabbed his hand and cautiously said, "Be careful of a trap."

Zu An hummed. "How about you wait for me here? If things look bad later, immediately go and lure that Black Armored General over. Let them fight each other like dogs... Uh, no, that's not right. If something really happens, with her cultivation, you definitely won't be able to escape either. So, you go directly back to Chu Chuyan's side. Firstly, to protect her and buy some time; secondly, if I don't come back after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then you can inform the Black Armored General about what's below."

Qiao Xueying showed hesitation. "No, I'll go down with you. That way we can look out for each other if anything happens."

"No, you won't be her match even if you go down. We absolutely cannot put all our eggs in one basket," Zu An said, shaking his head.

Qiao Xueying fell silent. She knew that she couldn't even defeat Zhang Han from before, let alone Mi Li inside. Going down would most likely be a sacrifice, so it would be better to stay up here as a backup. "Alright, be careful yourself."

Zu An nodded and cautiously jumped to the lower level. The space on this level was not large, and in the very center was a crystal coffin emitting a faint glow.

He was about to walk over when a cold voice suddenly sounded in his ear. "Who did you just say should 'fight each other like dogs'?"

"Ah, you heard that," Zu An said, his face flushing. After all, it was quite embarrassing to be caught speaking ill of someone behind their back.

Mi Li sighed deeply. "When one gets old, their ears become a bit more sensitive than when they were young. I might not hear good things, but for some reason, I can always hear bad things."

Zu An's expression quickly returned to normal, and he immediately replied, "Your Majesty is indeed peerlessly powerful. My admiration for you is like an endless river, and like the Yellow River overflowing, unstoppable once it begins."

Mi Li: "..."

A light snort quickly echoed in the space. "Your glib tongue reminds me of Zhao Gao from back then. I dislike it greatly."

Now it was Zu An's turn to be speechless. He never expected the other party to compare him to Zhao Gao, and the key point was that Zhao Gao was a eunuch!

Thinking of his own hidden ailment, he felt a moment of utter disarray. Damn it, even if he wasn't the reincarnation of the First Emperor, he shouldn't be the reincarnation of Zhao Gao!

"Alright, quickly help me take down the sword, the one suspended in mid-air," Mi Li's voice sounded again. "This sword is the energy source of the Soul-Suppressing Grand Seal. If it were anyone else, they would be pierced through the heart by its sword qi before even approaching it. But you just broke the Soul-Suppressing Grand Array and have already gained its recognition. You won't be in any danger by pulling the sword."

"I'm not well-read, so don't trick me," Zu An said. Hearing her describe the sword as so powerful, he felt a bit timid for a moment.

"Hmph, what benefit would I gain from tricking you?" Mi Li's cold scoff rang out. "I also want to get out soon. You need to hurry. Zhang Han has already suppressed the escaped undead army and will soon return to your wife's side to perform the blood sacrifice."

Thinking of Chu Chuyan lying on the altar, at the mercy of others, Zu An gritted his teeth and braced himself to walk towards the crystal coffin.

He noticed nine long ropes made of an unknown metal hanging above the crystal coffin, seemingly invisibly entwined around it. Directly in the center of these nine ropes, an ancient-looking longsword hung, its tip pointing directly at the crystal coffin below.

Before he even walked closer, he felt a powerful pressure surge towards him, creating an urge to prostrate himself in worship.

Zu An clenched his teeth, forcefully resisting the urge to kneel. What a joke! As a transmigrator with an unyielding will, who kneels neither to heaven nor to earth, how could he kneel before a mere broken sword?

*Peak of immortals, proud of the world! With my keyboard, there is heaven! Three million keyboard immortals in the world, yet they all must lower their brows when they meet me! I am the Keyboard Emperor, destined to suppress all enemies in the world! Who claims invincibility? Who says they cannot be defeated? Keyboard, come!*

Zu An silently chanted these phrases in his mind, continuously cheering himself on. He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but he found that the pressure on his body grew lighter and lighter until it eventually became completely negligible.

"Huh, you can actually resist the pressure of the Tai'a Sword?" Mi Li's astonished voice came from his ear.

"Tai'a Sword?" Zu An was startled. Why was this name so familiar? It seemed like one of the legendary Ten Great Swords in history.

"Indeed, the Tai'a Sword is a Sword of Might," Mi Li explained. "It has existed since the beginning of chaos. Though formless and traceless, its sword qi has long been present between heaven and earth, merely awaiting the right moment to coalesce. Only when the opportune moment, favorable terrain, and human harmony align can this sword be forged. Later, two master sword-smiths of our Chu Kingdom, through a serendipitous chance, successfully forged this sword. A certain Chu king once used this sword to annihilate Jin's mighty army..." Mi Li's voice was filled with yearning and reverence for her ancestors. "It's a pity that later, Chu was destroyed by Qin, and this sword also fell into Ying Zheng's hands. It ultimately became the very object used to suppress me. Life is truly ironic."

Zu An looked at the sword in the air, thinking to himself that this sword must be different from the one in historical legends. It didn't feel like a sword of the mortal world, but rather like the divine swords described in myths and novels.

He didn't immediately go to take down the sword. Instead, he said, "Empress, I've always had a doubt. What if I release you and you don't keep your promise to save my wife? What if you even turn around and kill us? After all, with your cultivation, we have no way to restrain you."

"You have no choice," Mi Li said coldly. "Zhang Han is already heading towards the altar. If you don't rescue me now, your wife will die immediately."

Zu An sneered. "Yes, I am anxious to save my wife. But at this moment, I'm afraid you're more anxious than I am, aren't you? How long have you been sealed here? A thousand years? Two thousand years? Or tens of thousands of years? If you miss this opportunity, how long will it be until someone else can break this seal and rescue you?"

Mi Li immediately fell silent. Clearly, her mood was not as calm as she had always appeared. "Indeed, this opportunity is very rare," she said. "So, what do you need to believe me?"

Now Zu An was also in a difficult position. He didn't know what could bind the other party. Thinking of the tropes from novels in his past life, he tentatively suggested, "How about we establish a master-servant contract? If you acknowledge me as your master, you naturally won't be able to harm me later."

"Hahahaha~" A burst of unbridled laughter echoed throughout the entire stone chamber. Mi Li's cold voice came. "What do you think you are, to dare ask this empress to acknowledge you as master? Even Ying Zheng couldn't make this empress submit back then, let alone a callow youth like you. Are you even worthy?"

Zu An's face was covered in black lines. "Don't hit a person in the face! Hitting the face hurts their self-esteem! You were the one who asked me to suggest a solution. Now that I've suggested it, you're getting angry. So, what do you suggest we do?"

Mi Li thought for a moment and replied, "How about this: you take a piece of paper, and we'll draw up a contract stipulating our respective obligations and rights. You rescue me, and I'll help you save your wife. At the same time, I promise not to harm any of you. You should know the power of contracts in this world; even I cannot violate them."

Zu An recalled that this wasn't the first time he had heard about unbreakable oaths and contracts since arriving in this world. He then nodded and said, "Alright! But where am I going to find paper now?"

"Fool, does it have to be paper?" Mi Li snorted coldly. "Can't your clothes be used for writing? As for ink, you have plenty of wounds on your body; just dip some blood."

Zu An grumbled inwardly. This old woman is truly temperamental. If it weren't for the fact that you're an elder, I would...

Unfortunately, he thought for a long time but couldn't think of anything he could do to this person who was far more powerful than himself.

After quickly writing the contract, Zu An suddenly frowned. "This only has my handprint, not yours."

"Bring it here, and I'll put my handprint on it," Mi Li's voice came.

"Where are you?" Zu An looked around. The woman's voice came from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint her location.

"I call you a fool, and you still don't believe it," Mi Li said with a tone of exasperation. "Isn't the crystal coffin in front of you the one?"

Zu An: "..."

This old woman has truly infuriated me into confusion!

He walked glumly towards the crystal coffin, but in his mind, he was wondering, "This woman has been suppressed here for at least several millennia. How does she eat, drink, or relieve herself? No, she should have died a long time ago. She's probably a dried corpse by now."

In my previous life, I never watched ghost stories or horror movies. I hope the scene in the coffin won't be too scary later...

However, when he reached the crystal coffin, he was instantly stunned, because lying in the crystal coffin was not a terrifying dried corpse, but a woman – a woman far more beautiful than he had imagined.