Chapter 201: Punching the Nursing Home in Nanshan and Kicking the Kindergarten in Beihai

However, as they drew closer and sensed the Primordial Qi emanating from the Tai'a Sword, they were instantly filled with dread and recoiled. The scene was akin to a group of ravenous people, mouths watering, rushing to a dinner table for a feast, only to lift the lid and discover a pot of excrement inside.

Unaware of their thoughts, Zu An's courage soared as he watched them scatter as if they had seen a ghost. He brandished the Tai'a Sword and thrust it directly at one of the slower-moving undead. Although these opponents were undead, they still faintly bore armor, evidently retaining their former attire. Previously, the terracotta warriors had gained no advantage in battles against them. However, their defenses were utterly useless against the Tai'a Sword. The sword pierced their bodies with the ease of a red-hot iron rod sliding into ice.

The undead struck by the sword let out a piercing shriek, its entire body instantly dissolving into faint blue specks of light. A portion of these specks was absorbed by the Tai'a Sword, while another, containing a faint trace of Primordial Qi, was absorbed by Zu An's body, helping to heal his wounds.

Zu An finally understood what Mi Li had meant by "quickly." While the individual strength of these undead warriors was not significantly inferior to his, and many commanders even surpassed him in cultivation, each one fell with a single strike of his sword. It wasn't a battle for him, but rather like a childhood game of popping balloons with a needle. The moment his sword made contact with an undead, even the slightest scratch would cause its entire body to vanish instantly, as if deflating.

Chu Chuyan had initially approached to offer assistance but was astonished to discover her help was completely unnecessary. The undead reacted to Zu An as if he were a ghost—no, they wouldn't have been this terrified even if they had encountered a ghost. Initially, the undead legions had clamored to leap out of the water, but now, Zu An, with just himself and his sword, compelled those who had already emerged to retreat back into the pool.

A large number of undead gathered beneath the surface, hesitant to emerge, yet clearly unwilling to return to the depths to be sealed once more. Thus, both sides remained locked in a stalemate. Zu An was suddenly exasperated. He had only slain around a hundred undead; why were they so utterly terrified? What happened to their supposed hatred? What happened to them being an elite legion? This was simply disgraceful!

Both sides remained locked in their standoff, staring at one another. Unable to resist, Zu An made a provocative gesture at them, shouting, "Come on over!" The undead all ignored his taunts, seemingly thinking, "Do you take us for fools? If you're so brave, *you* come down here!" Zu An, of course, had no intention of going down. While he could swim, fighting that many undead underwater would be suicidal.

"What do we do now?" Zu An couldn't help but ask Mi Li.

Mi Li snorted, "Aren't you quite skilled at annoying people? Why don't you use that talent to lure them up?"

Zu An was speechless. "I'm good at annoying people, yes, but not ghosts! These creatures clearly know coming up means death. Even with limited intelligence, they wouldn't be that foolish, would they?"

A hint of playful mockery entered Mi Li's voice. "Try harder," she said, "I believe you can do it."

Seeing the woman clearly settled in to watch the spectacle, Zu An gritted his teeth in frustration. Resigned, he tossed the Tai'a Sword several meters away, then addressed the underwater undead legion, "I won't use my sword! I'll still flatten you all with my bare hands!"

Hearing his words, the undead stirred with agitation. His current smug demeanor was truly asking for a beating.

"I've even discarded my sword, and you *still* don't dare to come up! What a bunch of cowards!"

"I heard you were all Great Qin's elites in life. How utterly disgraceful."

Rage points from the undead legion warriors: +6, +6, +6...

Noticing their continued hesitation, Zu An delivered another potent jab: "No wonder Great Qin perished so easily. If its most elite troops were like you, it would be a miracle if it *hadn't* been annihilated."

Rage points from the undead legion warriors: +9, +9, +9...

Rage points from Mi Li: +233!

Although she had been sealed and suppressed by Qin Shi Huang, she was, after all, the Empress of Great Qin. Hearing his words, she found it difficult to contain her temper.

Zu An opened his mouth, about to utter more words, but the undead could no longer restrain themselves. They roared and surged forward, engulfing him in the blink of an eye.

"Ah Zu!" Chu Chuyan's beautiful face changed, and she hastily rushed to help. Thanks to Zu An's earlier treatment, she had not only fully recovered her vital meridians but had also advanced her cultivation to the peak of the sixth rank. Had her previous injuries not been so severe, requiring a significant portion of the Vanishing Illusory Lotus's power to preserve her life, she would likely have already broken through to the seventh rank by now. To be nearing the seventh rank at under twenty years old was remarkable, not just in Mingyue City, but throughout history. As for Qiao Xueying, she was severely wounded and immobile, forced to watch anxiously from the sidelines.

Chu Chuyan moved with lightning speed, reaching the immediate vicinity, but she was still a moment too late; Zu An was already submerged by the undead. Given the strength the undead had previously displayed, that brief amount of time would have been enough for them to kill Zu An countless times over.

"Ah Zu!"

Although Chu Chuyan was still not entirely accustomed to their new relationship, she certainly couldn't stand by idly while he was in danger. Casually freezing nearby undead into ice sculptures, she rushed to Zu An's side. Just then, the huddle of undead suddenly burst apart. Many were sent flying into the air, and even more completely dissipated as they were flung outwards. Zu An's figure emerged from the swarm, punching and kicking, preventing any of the undead from getting close.

Chu Chuyan looked utterly astonished, thinking, "When did Zu An become so powerful?" She knew that when she had just engaged these undead, she had sensed that they generally possessed the strength of a beginner third-rank cultivator, with some even reaching fourth or fifth rank. While their individual cultivation levels weren't exceptionally high, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Perhaps due to their past lives as an army, they were highly skilled in combined attacks, often unleashing strikes far exceeding their individual power. Yet, against Zu An, they were so utterly vulnerable?

Zu An now felt an exhilarating sense of power, akin to effortlessly overcoming the weak. These undead feared the purifying effect of Primordial Qi, so he circulated it throughout his entire body, making him incredibly destructive to them. Eventually, the undead preferred to attack the more powerful Chu Chuyan rather than remain anywhere near Zu An.

"How dare you bully my wife!" Zu An howled, charging forward once more.

Hearing his words, Chu Chuyan's face immediately flushed. Even though these undead possessed little intelligence, she still felt a sense of mortification at being observed. The undead, too, grew enraged. *Was this guy never going to quit?*

Consequently, an officer-like figure began issuing commands. The surrounding undead avoided close combat with him, instead attacking from a distance with their long weapons. This presented a problem for Zu An. His reach was limited, and while he could shatter their weapons with fists imbued with Primordial Qi, other undead immediately filled the gaps. After some fighting, Zu An realized this approach was too costly. It took immense effort to slay even one undead, and the replenished Primordial Qi simply couldn't keep pace with the rate of consumption.

Out of options, he simply reached out and commanded, "Sword, come!" To his surprise, the Tai'a Sword caused no trouble this time. A clear ringing sound echoed as it swiftly flew into his hand.

"Empress sister, I never thought you'd be so obedient," Zu An mused, holding the sword. The satisfaction he felt in that moment was truly unparalleled.

"Do you believe I'll cut out your tongue?" Mi Li retorted. "As long as it doesn't harm your life, it won't affect me in the slightest."

Zu An was speechless. This woman's temper was indeed as fiery as ever.

While muttering to himself, he unleashed all his pent-up frustration on the undead, resuming his game of popping balloons. Soon, the undead that had just emerged were swept away, and even those besieging Chu Chuyan fell victim to his ruthless efficiency. The remaining undead hurriedly retreated back into the pool.

"Why are you all running? Come back and fight!" Zu An called out to them, dissatisfied.

Rage points from the undead legion warriors: +6, +6, +6...

Noticing their eyes fixed on the Tai'a Sword, with clear anger in their gaze, Zu An offered an awkward smile and stuck the sword into the stone wall several meters away. "That was just an accident," he assured them. "Don't worry, this time I truly won't use the sword."

Leveraging his unparalleled eloquence and knack for attracting taunts, he once again successfully lured another group of undead out. Predictably, this last group of undead also perished by the Tai'a Sword.

Rage points from the undead legion warriors: +9, +9, +9...

Zu An laughed awkwardly. "That was truly the last time, the very last time. Just an instinctive reaction," he insisted. "Don't worry, this time I'll throw the sword even farther away; I absolutely won't use it again."

Rage points from the undead legion warriors: +9, +9, +9...

*As if we'd believe you!*

No, this human is worse than a ghost!

This time, no matter how much he threatened or cajoled, the undead stubbornly refused to emerge again. Left with no choice, Zu An had to recall the Tai'a Sword. "Empress sister," he said, "they refuse to come out. What should we do now?"

Mi Li remarked with a sigh, "They were probably stunned by your level of shamelessness."

Beside them, Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying nodded in unison, for the first time ever aligning themselves with Mi Li.

Zu An was speechless. "So what *exactly* do we do now?" Zu An pressed. "Even if they were willing to come up, purifying them one by one would take an eternity." He inwardly added, *Besides, after being tricked twice, they won't easily come ashore again.*

"Go and retrieve the helmet and long spear from over there," Mi Li instructed. As soon as she finished speaking, the Tai'a Sword automatically pointed in a specific direction.

Zu An instinctively ran over and picked up the helmet and long spear lying by the wall. "These are Zhang Han's!" he exclaimed. He vaguely guessed Mi Li's intention and ran to the edge of the pool with the two pieces of equipment.

At that moment, Mi Li's ethereal form slowly ascended from the Tai'a Sword, regaining the imperial majesty she had possessed when Zu An first encountered her. "I am Mi Li, Empress of Great Qin," she announced. "Some of you may have even seen me during your lifetime."

The undead legion stirred with immediate commotion upon seeing her. While only a few had likely seen her during their lives, they still recognized the distinctive phoenix robes of an empress and the unique patterns exclusive to the Qin royal family. Yet, despite recognizing her, none bowed in homage. Instead, they all gazed at her with a mixture of confusion and wariness.