Chapter 188: Blood Sacrifice

Zu'an turned his head, and his eyes immediately lit up. If Mi Li in women's clothing had been sometimes alluring, sometimes majestic, in men's clothing she was now breathtakingly heroic. She possessed a trace more valor than a woman and a trace more gentleness than a man.

"Wow, she actually looks even more handsome than me," Zu'an exclaimed. "Of course, she's far less masculine than I am. Overall, she's still just a tiny bit less impressive than me. As for attracting young ladies on the street, she definitely can't compare to me."

Mi Li had grown somewhat accustomed to his flippant remarks. She glared at him fiercely. "About what just happened..."

Before she could finish, Zu'an interrupted, "What just happened? I didn't see anything, didn't hear anything. Wait, did something happen just now?"

Seeing his feigned ignorance, Mi Li's lips curved upward slightly. *This fellow knows what's good for him*, she thought. But she quickly suppressed her smile, resuming her usual haughty demeanor.

"Oh, right, Empress Sister, hurry and come up with me to rescue them! I'm worried Chu Chuyan can't hold on much longer," Zu'an said urgently.

"What did you call me?" Mi Li's eyebrows shot up.

"Called you 'Sister,' of course?" Zu'an replied matter-of-factly. "You're a senior; you must be a tiny bit older than me, right? I can't possibly call you 'Little Sister,' can I? Or should I call you 'Auntie,' or perhaps 'Grandma'?"

"'Grandma'..." Mi Li's eyelids twitched, and her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles cracked.

Mi Li's rage spiked!

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she said coldly, "Let's go. Go up and save your little wife."

Zu'an arrived at the opening where the seals had been broken. He had fallen all the way down earlier, and only now did he realize each level was dozens of meters high, with no footholds or handholds anywhere. He couldn't climb up at all. He could only look sheepishly at Mi Li. "Empress Sister, please help me."

"With your cultivation level, you wouldn't even be fit to fetch me tea back in my day," Mi Li scoffed. Nevertheless, she grabbed him by the collar and flew straight upward.

Gazing at the deep chasm, Zu'an wondered how Xue'er had managed to get up. But then he remembered she could extend vines, so it probably wasn't an issue for her.

Once his mind was at ease, Zu'an really wanted to feign acrophobia and, like an octopus, cling to Mi Li's body. After all, that brief glimpse had shown her to be quite "well-endowed."

However, sensing the powerful oppressive aura emanating from her, he discarded that tempting idea. His life was more important!

Meanwhile, after Qiao Xueying and Zu'an had separated, she made her way to the first level of the underground palace. Seeing Chu Chuyan still lying on the altar, she let out a long sigh of relief.

"Xue'er!" Chu Chuyan heard her movements and turned her head, only to find her alone. "Where's Ah Zu?" she asked urgently. "Could he have..."

Thinking of the misfortune he might have suffered, her voice quickly choked up, and her eyes immediately reddened.

Qiao Xueying secretly sighed. *She's truly beautiful, even when crying. Even as a woman, it's hard to resist her charm.*

"Didn't Miss Chu dislike him before? Why are you so concerned about him now?" Qiao Xueying couldn't help but ask, her gaze drifting toward the openings of the seals, wondering how he was doing down there.

Chu Chuyan paused slightly, noticing the change in address. However, as they served different masters, it wasn't plausible for her to keep calling her "Miss," so she didn't dwell on it. "He took such a big risk to save me, after all. He could have left safely."

"Is that the only reason?" Qiao Xueying sat down next to the altar.

That light remark from Qiao Xueying stunned Chu Chuyan. *Yes, why am I so worried about him?*

Images flashed through her mind: him refusing to abandon her during the chaotic fight with the zombie warriors, even using his body to shield her from attacks multiple times; and later, to rescue her from the altar, bravely facing the nearly fatal risk of challenging the Soul-Suppressing Seal.

More importantly, to save her when she was on the verge of death, he even gave her the Trace-less Illusion Lotus, which was crucial for him to regain his male abilities...

A gentle smile appeared on Chu Chuyan's face as she recalled his pained expression afterward. But then her heart lurched at the thought that only Xue'er had returned:

"Xue'er, what exactly happened to him? Has something gone wrong in the seal?"

Hearing her former mistress plead so softly, Qiao Xueying's heart softened. "Don't worry, he's fine. We broke through the three seals."

"Xue'er, you're amazing! You managed to break such seals. I truly underestimated you back at the Chu family," Chu Chuyan couldn't help but exclaim.

In her opinion, while Zu'an possessed various miraculous skills, he only had a cultivation level of 3rd rank. Breaking the seals would obviously rely on Xue'er, who had a higher cultivation.

Qiao Xueying sighed faintly. "Miss Chu, you really don't understand him at all." She didn't explain the specific reasons, however.

Chu Chuyan blinked, not understanding what she meant. "Xue'er, I feel like you've changed a bit. Before, you and Ah Zu were like a pair of bickering lovers, always gritting your teeth whenever he was mentioned. Now, it's a feeling I can't quite describe."

Qiao Xueying's heart skipped a beat. She quickly said, "You're overthinking it. That guy is indeed quite annoying."

Thinking of the times he deliberately angered her, she felt her teeth itch.

"Xue'er, you still haven't told me what's happening with him," Chu Chuyan said, frowning. She couldn't shake the feeling that Qiao Xueying had changed a lot after such a short time apart.

"He went to rescue that mysterious woman. I wonder if that female ghost will charm him," Qiao Xueying replied, recalling Mi Li's voice. *She must be quite attractive, then.*

"This terrifying seal was used to imprison that woman. She's definitely more dangerous than we imagine. Releasing her, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse," Chu Chuyan said, her voice filled with worry.

Qiao Xueying couldn't help but say, "Miss Chu, instead of being so compassionate, you should worry more about *that guy*. The time he promised me is almost up, and he still hasn't come out. I wonder if he's in danger."

Chu Chuyan looked at her in surprise, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What are you two talking about?" Just then, a chilling aura swept over them. Both women turned to look, discovering that the Black-Armored General had silently returned to the altar.

Looking back at the pool, it had completely calmed down. The escaped wraiths had either been eliminated or re-sealed.

Qiao Xueying instantly leaped up, shielding Chu Chuyan. Her heart was pounding, knowing full well that the disparity in their strengths was too vast; she couldn't stop him at all.

"Xue'er, quickly leave! You're no match for it," Chu Chuyan said urgently, clearly aware of this fact.

"No! We went through so many hardships just to save you. How can we give up now? Besides, I also promised *that guy*," Qiao Xueying said, her lips pressed together.

"Huh, where's the other man?" The Black-Armored General, Zhang Han, looked around but didn't see Zu'an.

Qiao Xueying worried that Zu'an hadn't yet rescued the mysterious woman, and leading Zhang Han there prematurely would ruin everything. So, she replied, "He's already gone."

"Gone?" Zhang Han was taken aback. "He impersonated the First Emperor right in front of me, and he just left like that!"

Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan's expressions subtly changed. They hadn't expected him to see through the disguise.

"Never mind. I'll settle accounts with him after I've repaired the seal," Zhang Han huffed, then looked at Qiao Xueying. "Are you going to stop me?"

Qiao Xueying said nothing. Instead, she casually conjured countless green leaves, sending them flying towards him like blades. After taking Zu'an's 'Trust Brother Chun' pill, her strength had largely recovered.

Zhang Han didn't move an inch, allowing the green leaves to strike him. The black energy swirling around his body completely disintegrated them into nothingness.

Qiao Xueying gritted her teeth. Her beautiful hair grew rapidly, but this time it wasn't for attack. Instead, she wove it into a thorny bush in front of her, hoping to block him for as long as possible.

"Get out of my way!" A long spear suddenly appeared in Zhang Han's hand. With a single horizontal sweep, the dense thorny bush was instantly cut in half.

Qiao Xueying had prepared for the worst, but she still hadn't expected her strongest defense to fail to even stop him for a second.

She tried to dodge preemptively, but was still a step too late. Struck by his spear, she flew through the air like a broken sandbag, spitting blood as she arced and slammed heavily to the side.

Zhang Han, however, arrived before her, his figure seemingly teleporting to where she was about to fall. He raised his spear high, grinning menacingly. "Since you are the accomplice of that thief who impersonated His Majesty, then die!"

Qiao Xueying gritted her teeth. There was nowhere left to dodge. Just as she was about to use "Mirror Flower Water Moon" to block this fatal blow, Chu Chuyan, who had been watching their fight from the altar, quickly cried out, "Stop! Or I'll bite my tongue and kill myself!"

With her knowledge, she naturally knew that if the sacrificial offering died prematurely, it would significantly affect the ritual's effectiveness.

Zhang Han's movements indeed halted. He then instantly returned to the altar. "You reminded me. I almost forgot that while your limbs can't move, your tongue still can."

With that, he tapped her chin with his finger, completely immobilizing her.

"Never mind. To avoid further complications, let's begin the blood sacrifice now," Zhang Han muttered, chanting an obscure incantation.

Streams of black energy surged onto the altar from all directions. The surrounding air became as thick as ink. Following this, grotesque, fiendish figures struggled to crawl out, their hands slowly reaching for Chu Chuyan on the altar.

Even with Chu Chuyan's strong will, her heart now quaked with terror. Unfortunately, she was currently a helpless invalid, further bound by a restriction, unable to move even an inch.

Qiao Xueying, biting her lip, charged towards them again.

Zhang Han scoffed. "If you're seeking death, then join her."

With that, his black hand shot out. Qiao Xueying used all her might but couldn't evade it. She was instantly restrained, her strength drained from her body.

Just as he was about to throw her into the swirling black mist, a sharp cry suddenly echoed: "How dare you harm my person!"