Chapter 197: Double-faced Beauty

After laughing for a while, Mi Li's expression suddenly turned serious. "I'm done playing with you," she stated.

With those words, she charged towards Zu An. The previous sword energies had failed to take his life, making her decide to act personally.

Zu An was terrified and quickly dodged to the side, cursing as he ran. "Tai'a, you bastard, if you don't come now, I'm dead!"

In the distance, the Tai'a Sword, stuck in the stone wall, trembled slightly, emitting a series of dragon-like cries. It then suddenly flew out from the stone wall and landed directly in Zu An's hand.

Zu An was overjoyed and swung the treasured sword behind him.

Mi Li, who had been pursuing him, was startled. If she were at full strength, she naturally wouldn't fear it, but now, facing the sharp sword energy, she had no choice but to temporarily avoid its edge.

Only then did Zu An have a chance to examine the treasured sword in his hand. He couldn't help but lightly tap the sword's body with his finger. "You jerk, why are you like this? You don't listen to polite requests and only move after being cursed at."

The sword hummed, emitting vibrating sounds, clearly displeased with his words.

Mi Li glanced at the Tai'a in his hand and did not rush forward. "According to what you just said," she remarked, "isn't it quite similar to your own character? No wonder it resonates with you."

"You can speak carelessly about other things, but not this," Zu An snorted. "What do you mean 'like my character'? Am I such a stubborn person?"

"Is that not the case?" Mi Li sneered.

Even Qiao Xueying, lying weak in a pool of blood nearby, couldn't help but nod.

Zu An coughed twice to hide his embarrassment. "What's the use of talking so much?" he said. "I now have the Sword of Authority in my hand, and I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

"Teach me a lesson?" Mi Li seemed to have heard the biggest joke. "If the Tai'a Sword were at its peak, I might be somewhat wary in my current state. But now, hehe!"

As soon as her words fell, she appeared before Zu An.

Zu An was greatly alarmed and hastily swung his sword to attack her. He chose a mutually destructive fighting style; with the "Rich Lady's Rejuvenation Orb" as his safeguard and the Primal Chaos Scripture for recovery, this approach was clearly to his advantage.

Mi Li frowned slightly. Given her arrogance, she was clearly unwilling to suffer even the slightest injury at the hands of someone she considered an ant.

As she retreated, Zu An's spirits lifted significantly, and he wielded the Tai'a Sword with powerful, whistling strikes. However, the gap between their strengths was too vast, and she quickly found an opening, sending him flying into the air where he traced a pathetic arc before falling heavily to the ground.

"A'Zu!" Qiao Xueying, in the distance, cried out in alarm. She wanted to come and catch him, but unfortunately, she was too severely injured and couldn't move an inch.

"Since you care so much about him," Mi Li sneered, "then go join him as fated lovers." She raised her hand, about to take Qiao Xueying's life, when a weak voice suddenly sounded behind her:

"I'm not dead yet."

Hearing this voice, both women suddenly turned to look at him. Qiao Xueying's face was filled with surprise and delight, while Mi Li's was filled with shock and horror. The force she had just used would have certainly killed even a fifth-rank cultivator, let alone a third-rank one.

Zu An shakily stood up. At first, it was a bit difficult, but then he stood straighter and straighter. The Primal Chaos Scripture worked desperately to repair his body. Theoretically, the recovery speed of his Primal Chaos Scripture cultivation couldn't match Mi Li's damage speed, but he had the "Rich Lady's Rejuvenation Orb" as his ultimate fallback, so he just needed to keep recovering.

Mi Li's beautiful face turned cold. She was truly beginning to get angry; this guy was like an unkillable cockroach, truly annoying.

Rage points from Mi Li +444!

Although his system backend received her rage points, Zu An felt no joy whatsoever. The prediction he had made earlier, that he wouldn't get anything from his first three draws, meant that the rage points from the second instance had never been used, and now, in his eyes, any points coming in were just money lost.

He even admired himself a little; despite being on the verge of death, he still had the presence of mind to consider such things.

Mi Li turned into a bolt of lightning and rushed towards him again. Zu An, having gathered some strength, raised the Tai'a Sword and met her charge.

Bang!

Unsurprisingly, Zu An was sent flying again. Such immense force hitting a vital spot should have, logically, left him no hope of survival.

But Mi Li showed no complacency whatsoever; no longer looking elsewhere as she had before, she stared intently at him.

Sure enough, Zu An shakily got back to his feet.

"Empress, hit me harder!"

Mi Li's eyes turned cold, her figure flickered, and Zu An was struck as if by a thousand swords.

But after a moment, Zu An, lying in a pool of blood, struggled to get up again. "Harder!" he demanded.

Bang!

A fatal blow was her response.

"Empress, why are you as soft as a woman? Oh, wait, you are a woman."

Bang!

"Harder!"

Bang!

...

Qiao Xueying's eyes were already blurred with tears. She cried out, begging Zu An not to provoke that female demon anymore, but Zu An simply wouldn't listen to her.

This repeated an unknown number of times until Mi Li suddenly stopped, a complex expression appearing in her eyes. "I have to admit," she said, "although your strength is weak, your perseverance and indomitable spirit are matched by few in this world. No wonder you could subdue the Tai'a, the Sword of Authority."

"Too bad I still can't beat you," Zu An let out a long sigh. Although he was temporarily out of mortal danger due to the "Rich Lady's Rejuvenation Orb," the difference in their strength was too great, and he had no power to retaliate whatsoever.

"Enough. Your courage and perseverance are quite admirable to me," Mi Li said, a faint blush flashing across her face. "To be... *cough cough*... involved with a man like you... now that I think about it, it wouldn't be entirely unacceptable. I'll let you go today. We will never meet again."

With that, she turned to leave, but Zu An's voice came from behind her. "Wait," he said, "you let me go, but I haven't let you go. Give me my wife back!"

He knew clearly that if he let Mi Li leave like this, Chu Chuyan's remaining consciousness would soon be completely erased by her, and then she would truly be dead.

Mi Li turned around, a cold killing intent appearing between her brows. "Don't test my patience!" she warned.

In the past, the Qin Dynasty's laws were strict, and as an Empress second only to one person and above ten thousand, though not as cruel as Qin Shi Huang, she had long been accustomed to viewing lives as worthless as weeds. Even her most trusted confidants, who had served her for many years and rendered great service, if they truly angered her, she wouldn't bat an eyelid before killing them.

One must know that Zu An had "offended" her in such ways earlier. Under normal circumstances, even death by a thousand cuts wouldn't sate her hatred, but now, impressed by his resilience, she had given him a path to survival. Who knew he wouldn't even appreciate it!

Qiao Xueying, beside them, also quickly said, "A'Zu, you've done your best. If Miss Chu knew all this, she would surely be comforted. Don't persist any longer; it's meaningless."

She knew how vast the difference in their strengths was. Zu An getting up countless times was already a miracle, but people ultimately die. Moreover, he couldn't cause Mi Li even the slightest harm, so what was the point of persisting?

Zu An shook his head and said word by word, "That's my wife. I just had our wedding night with her. How could I just watch her die senselessly like this!"

"If that's the case," Mi Li said, "then I'll grant your wish." Mi Li felt a wave of irritation in her heart. Born into royalty and with her experiences with Qin Shi Huang, she had never believed in love, but the scene before her seemed to shake her long-held beliefs. Why could other women obtain so easily what she could not?

If so, then she would destroy it with her own hands.

Her figure instantly appeared before Zu An, almost as if teleporting. Zu An hastily raised his sword, but unfortunately, his injuries were so severe. Even with the Primal Chaos Scripture continuously repairing him, he could barely stand; wielding the sword was already a luxury.

Mi Li flicked her finger, and the Tai'a, which had been in his hand, finally flew about ten feet away, embedding itself deeply in the ground.

Immediately after, her hand seized his neck, her long fingernails already slightly piercing his skin, and the seeping blood stained her fair, slender fingers with a captivating red.

"I don't understand why you won't die," she said coldly. "Perhaps you have some special ability, or perhaps you are some special race, but even immortal beings have their vital points in their heads."

"Before, I always held back," she continued. "Although I knew this, I didn't target it. But you refuse grace and court punishment, so don't blame me."

"I refuse to believe that if I sever your head, you can still survive!"

Zu An was also curious about this at the moment. If she were truly to twist off his head, would the "Rich Lady's Rejuvenation Orb" still be effective?

If it could, how would it work? Would it reattach his severed head to his body?

But what if she crushed his head like a watermelon, smashing it into bits? Could he still revive then?

Thinking this, Zu An's face immediately fell.

Noticing the momentary weakness in his eyes, Mi Li sneered and was about to completely twist off his head when she suddenly froze, her hand stopping instantly.

"A'Zu, quickly, kill me!"

The ruthless arrogance in Mi Li's eyes had vanished, replaced by Chu Chuyan's pure and ethereal demeanor; at this moment, her eyes shimmered with tears.

Zu An was overjoyed. "Wife, have you recovered?" he asked.

"I've only temporarily regained control of my body," Chu Chuyan said quickly. "I can't hold on for much longer, quickly, kill me!" She had always been a proud person since childhood. How could she allow her body to be occupied by another woman?

Especially thinking about how that woman might use her body with unknown men in the future, she felt a chill run through her entire body. She would rather die than see that happen.

Zu An immediately hesitated. Although he was severely injured, Chu Chuyan had completely dropped her defenses at this moment, and he could indeed kill her, but how could he bring himself to do it?

If he could truly accept her death, then what was the point of him persisting for so long?

"Hurry!" Chu Chuyan's eyes were filled with anxiety and pleading.

Zu An's expression flickered indecisively. Rationally, he certainly knew what the optimal choice was, but how could he remain rational in such a situation?

In that moment of hesitation, the woman's eyes regained Mi Li's unique demeanor. "Insignificant woman, how dare you resist me!"

"In my eyes, you are merely a despicable woman!" Chu Chuyan's eyes regained clarity.

Watching their eyes shift back and forth, the same person, the same face, yet speaking with completely different tones, the feeling was utterly bizarre.

Zu An knew he couldn't hesitate any longer, so he reached out and brought the Tai'a Sword into his hand, placing the tip against Chu Chuyan's chest. With just a gentle push, he could end her life.

As if knowing he couldn't bring himself to do it, Chu Chuyan gritted her teeth and directly raised her left hand, grasping the sword tip and pushing it towards her own chest.