Chapter 845: If I Let You Die

Zhao Ruizhi: "..."

Rage points from Zhao Hao +482 +482 +482...

He flicked his hand, and the giant python from before lashed out at him like a whip. He struck with hatred, and combined with the python's immense strength, the whistling wind could be felt from afar. It was clear this strike hit its mark and could have leveled a mountaintop.

Zu An, however, remained motionless. The roaring python swept past him, but it was still tens of feet away.

He said with a grin, "Do you want me to stand a bit closer?"

The reason for his composure was that the floating islands they stood on were a hundred yards apart, and the snake was clearly not a hundred yards long. Its enormous head had just been sheared off by the red mist below, making it shorter. Naturally, he had nothing to fear.

Saying that, he took a step forward. Originally, he wanted to say something like, "I jumped in and then jumped out, come hit me!" to earn more rage points, like a mischievous character teasing an opponent, but he remembered Bi Linglong was still watching, so... he had to save face.

Even so, Zhao Ruizhi was thoroughly enraged. He glared at Zu An hatefully, then shook his hand, and the tens of yards-long python instantly exploded into a cloud of blood mist. Clearly, he couldn't deal with Zu An right now, so he could only vent his anger on the poor python.

He Li watched from the side, appalled. The Emperor was so powerful that no one dared to even think of resisting. Why did that Zu An guy have to deliberately provoke the Emperor? Is he insane?

On the other side, Bi Linglong had the same question: "A'Zu, it's a rare chance for the Emperor to seek your cooperation and ease tensions. Why would you deliberately provoke him?"

Zu An sighed: "Given what I've done, even if I groveled before him, he wouldn't spare me. So why should I humble myself? I might as well curse him a few times and make him miserable too."

Bi Linglong suddenly realized: "You're right, you're more rational. I almost forgot about that."

"And don't forget," Zu An continued, "if he truly needs me, no matter how much I provoke him, he'll tolerate it until the task is completed."

Bi Linglong's expression was complex: "The Emperor has never suffered such a significant loss from anyone before. You are the first."

She was both shocked and impressed. This man truly was different from ordinary people; others found it difficult even to speak in front of the Emperor, yet he was so composed.

Just then, gasps of surprise came from afar. Below them, miniature floating islands began to appear one after another, each about one or two square meters in size. These tiny islands would rise, then fall, and sometimes stop motionless in mid-air, seemingly engaging in cyclical movements.

More importantly, between their current floating island and the giant floating islands in the sky, these cyclically rising and falling miniature islands were everywhere. They seemed to form a floating bridge leading to those "immortal mountains" in the sky.

Zhao Ruizhi burst into laughter: "Indeed, there is always a way."

Clearly, such a mystic realm would never be intentionally designed as a death trap. It seemed there truly was some kind of "legacy" awaiting the destined ones inside.

He suddenly looked towards Zu An's side. Although there were a few scattered miniature floating islands between them, they were clearly not enough for him to step on to cross. So, he suppressed his anger and decided to reach the "immortal mountains" above first.

However, he remained cautious and did not go himself. Instead, he looked at He Li: "You go up and try."

He Li's scalp tingled. He finally understood why the other party had spared his life; he was clearly just a tool to scout paths in the new mystic realm.

However, he dared not refuse in the slightest, hastily agreeing with a forced smile.

Then he looked at the subordinates from Prince Qi's mansion. Noticing his gaze, they all recoiled simultaneously, looking up at the sky and pretending not to see him.

Clearly, after witnessing the miserable fate of their companions just now, who would still be fooled by him?

"A bunch of cowardly wretches," He Li cursed inwardly. "And they call themselves death warriors?"

Left with no choice, he had to bite the bullet and go. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the nearest miniature floating island.

His muscles tensed. He was quite confident that, as a peak Ninth-rank master, he could retreat immediately if anything went wrong at this short distance.

He stood on the miniature island for a long time. It didn't collapse or fall as he had imagined, and he couldn't help but beam with joy: "No problem, it's safe to step on this one!"

Just as he was about to step down, Zhao Ruizhi stopped him: "Continue!"

He Li's face fell, but he had no choice. He stepped onto the next miniature island. This one moved as soon as he stepped on it, slowly rising. His heart pounded, but having observed that these miniature islands rose and fell cyclically, he wasn't too panicked.

After rising several zhang, another miniature island appeared before him. He knew that the one under his feet would soon descend according to its pattern. He couldn't help but glance back at Zhao Ruizhi, hoping he could return first.

However, Zhao Ruizhi said nothing, only conveying "continue" with his stern gaze.

He Li swallowed hard and quickly jumped onto the third miniature island. This island also slowly carried him upward.

Several islands in a row proved safe, and He Li breathed a sigh of relief. His mind began to race. The Emperor is too cautious; this actually gives me an opportunity. If I'm the first to step onto those immortal mountains, won't I have a greater chance of obtaining the good fortune within?

That way, I could escape the Emperor's control...

Having cultivated to the peak of the Ninth-rank, he was no fool. He knew that the Emperor hadn't killed him yet because he still had some utility in this new mystic realm. Once they left this realm, his life would most likely be forfeit.

Therefore, if he could obtain the good fortune on the immortal mountains above, it would be his only chance at survival.

Thinking of this, his steps became lighter, no longer as hesitant as before.

However, when he stepped onto the fifth miniature island, even though it was clearly in an upward trend, it suddenly plummeted after he landed on it.

He Li panicked, trying to jump back to the fourth miniature island he had just left. With his cultivation, such a short jump was certainly possible. But the miniature island quickly rose, instantly creating a desperate distance between them.

Just then, a vine suddenly flew over, wrapped around his arm, and pulled him back.

Standing on solid ground again, He Li, still shaken, saw the vine in Zhao Ruizhi's hand and hurriedly bowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving me."

Zhao Ruizhi said indifferently: "Continue scouting the path. If there's danger, I'll pull you back."

As he spoke, he showed the vine in his hand. He had just gotten the idea after swinging the giant python, casually pulling a long tree vine from the nearby dense forest. Unfortunately, these tree vines could hardly reach a hundred yards, otherwise, his first action would have been to whip that brat on the other side to death.

He Li's nascent gratitude immediately vanished, and he inwardly cursed several times: "This vine isn't long enough! It might be enough at the start, but if something goes wrong further on, you won't be able to save me!"

Despite a torrent of silent curses in his mind, he could only grit his teeth and continue scouting the path.

Because further on, there would be several other miniature islands to choose from next to each floating island, Zhao Ruizhi, to speed up the testing, also selected several Prince Qi's mansion death warriors to go together. He presided from the back; if someone fell, he would use the vine to pull them back and send someone else in.

Having been Emperor for so long, he naturally understood the art of managing subordinates. If he kept forcing the same person to take risks, that person would certainly grow resentful, and if they did something irrational out of despair, it could affect the overall situation. Therefore, by having them take turns, he could motivate everyone and give them a glimmer of hope.

As for He Li, that fellow was too cunning and afraid of death, so he needed to be pushed.

On the other side, Zu An watched their repeated explorations. Although slow, they were indeed effective, gradually approaching the divine mountains in the sky.

He couldn't help but frown. The other side had so many people they could use an exhaustive trial-and-error method, but his side couldn't. Firstly, they didn't have such a long vine, and secondly, if he went to scout, Bi Linglong's cultivation made it difficult for her to rescue him in time. And sending a weakened Bi Linglong to scout was clearly not a good idea.

Who knew that at this moment, Bi Linglong proactively offered to scout the path? Clearly, with her intelligence, she understood the stakes. "As for vines... I have plenty of clothes in my storage space that can be torn into strips to make ropes."

Zu An shook his head: "The distance here is too great. Even if we stripped all our clothes to make ropes, it wouldn't be enough. They clearly intend to use human lives to test the path later. How can we choose such a method?"

Bi Linglong's face paled: "Then what should we do? Are we just going to stay here and wait to die?"

The red mist below was rising, and it would clearly engulf this place in a few days.

Zu An also asked Mi Li in his mind if there was any way. Mi Li didn't answer his question; instead, she asked: "Do you trust my words?"

"Of course, I do," Zu An chuckled wryly. "Empress Teacher, if you tell me to go east, I wouldn't dare go west."

"Then..." Mi Li's voice paused. "What if I tell you to die?"