Chapter 854: Who Lives and Who Dies

Given Han Zhong's original strength, Mi Li would not have been able to subdue him so easily. However, since she was a soul body and he was unaware of her presence, coupled with his attention being entirely on Zu An, she was able to incapacitate him in an instant.

Bi Linglong was utterly shocked by Mi Li's sudden appearance. Her initial reaction was to wonder if she was a female ghost from this place, but then she thought, "Could there be such a beautiful ghost in the world?" The inadvertent display of pride and nobility in Mi Li's every movement utterly captivated Bi Linglong. This was the very demeanor she had strived for since childhood. She had once believed she had achieved it, but the embarrassing situations she encountered in this secret realm, and her fluctuating state of mind, made her realize how far she still had to go.

She instinctively leaned closer to Zu An and whispered, "Ah Zu, be careful. I heard that ghosts in red are the most powerful and vicious."

Hearing this, Mi Li turned her head and retorted, "You little brat, want to see if I can turn you into a ghost first?"

"Huh?" Bi Linglong jumped in surprise. She hadn't expected the figure to speak, and according to common knowledge in cultivation, such ghosts were usually immensely powerful. With vengeful spirits, hairy monsters, and now even a fierce ghost appearing, she felt the hairs on her body stand on end.

Zu An, suppressing a smile, reassured her, "Don't worry, she's on our side."

"On our side?" Bi Linglong's eyes widened. "Have you even... slept with a ghost?" In her experience, Zu An was an absolute playboy with numerous female companions. So, upon hearing him describe the stunningly beautiful ghost in red as "one of them," her first thought was naturally about the nature of their relationship.

"Cough, cough," Zu An quickly covered her mouth, glancing at Mi Li, who seemed to be radiating "dark smoke." "Don't talk nonsense! She's my good friend..." Sensing Mi Li's sharp gaze, he quickly amended, "Uh, actually, she's more like my master."

Mi Li snorted. "Master is master. What do you mean 'more like'?"

"Master?" Bi Linglong, coming to her senses, immediately felt incredibly embarrassed about her previous outburst. Feeling sheepish, she bowed to Mi Li. "Greetings, Master. I apologize for my rudeness just now; I hope you won't take offense."

Mi Li simply rolled her eyes. "You're not even part of the family yet. Don't go around calling me that just because he does."

Bi Linglong stood frozen, overcome with shame and mortification. She couldn't understand why, in an inexplicable impulse, she had also called her "Master." It was utterly humiliating.

Zu An smiled and took her hand in a comforting gesture. Bi Linglong immediately withdrew her hand, whether out of annoyance or embarrassment, it was unclear.

Mi Li had by now turned back to face Han Zhong. Seeing his eyes were cloudy, she frowned. "Speak!"

Han Zhong looked up and stared at her. Initially, he showed no reaction, but then, as if remembering something, his expression turned to horror. "A ghost! A ghost!" If he hadn't been subdued at his vital points, he would have desperately fled backward.

Mi Li was speechless. It seemed like a truly unlucky day, being constantly mistaken for a ghost. While her current form did resemble a ghost, even if it were true, they shouldn't just blurt it out everywhere.

She semi-squatted, bringing her face close to his. "Have you recognized who I am?"

"You are the Empress... No, the Empress is dead, you're not... Ah, everyone will die... Ahhh..." He looked frantic, clutching his head in agony.

"Empress?" Hearing the word, Bi Linglong was surprised. She quietly moved closer to Zu An and whispered, "Is your master an empress?"

"Yes."

"Which empire was she empress of? Is there any other kingdom in the world that could boast an empress of such grace?"

"Uh, that's a bit complicated to explain. She's not from any of the kingdoms you know."

"Then why did she suddenly appear here?"

"She's actually been with me all along. She usually doesn't like to appear before strangers, so she didn't show herself."

"With you all along? Doesn't that mean she saw everything we did?" Bi Linglong's face went pale. She had believed their actions were a private secret between them, but now realizing someone had been coolly observing, a tidal wave of shame washed over her, making her wish she could disappear into the ground.

"Silence! You didn't actually sleep together, so why are you being so coy?" Mi Li turned, glared at them, clearly annoyed at the interruption, then turned back to question Han Zhong. Unfortunately, he merely mumbled incoherently, offering no meaningful answers.

Bi Linglong was speechless. She desperately wanted to argue, but found Mi Li's statement strangely logical, leaving her utterly speechless.

Zu An leaned in. "How about we 'make it count' so she has nothing to say?"

"Get lost!" Bi Linglong snapped. She knew he was trying to cheer her up, but why did he always look so punchable?

At that moment, Zu An remembered the important matter and approached Mi Li. "He's lost his mind; I doubt we can get anything out of him."

Mi Li frowned, then swiftly formed a complex yet elegant hand seal. An intricate rune materialized and immediately affixed itself to Han Zhong's forehead, then seamlessly merged into his skin and vanished.

"A Rune Master?" Bi Linglong, watching from the side, couldn't help but gasp in surprise. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, cultivators were abundant, but Rune Masters were comparatively rare. High-level Rune Masters, in particular, were as precious as national treasures. The speed with which this woman formed the seal, and the exquisite intricacy of the rune, seemed to surpass any Rune Master Bi Linglong had ever seen. She even wondered if the senior disciple of the National Academy could measure up.

At that moment, Han Zhong, lying on the ground, ceased his beast-like roars, and his eyes gradually cleared. He looked up at Mi Li and said weakly, "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

"No need to thank me," Mi Li said indifferently. "By using this 'Last Glimmer' rune, your life will soon reach its end."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. *Tsk, tsk, tsk, the Empress is truly ruthless,* he thought. *But I do like this image of a fierce, beautiful, mature woman...*

Han Zhong slowly shook his head. "In this state, neither truly human nor ghost, I wasn't truly alive. Thank you, Empress, for granting me release."

Mi Li simply acknowledged him, clearly less concerned with his feelings than with another matter. "Why have you been able to live this long?"

"Long ago, we sought the elixir of immortality for His Majesty. After many years, I discovered a sacred medicine among the legendary Elf race and refined it into a pill. Unfortunately, His Majesty was highly suspicious and made me ingest it first. Initially, there were no issues, but soon after, green hair began to grow wildly all over my body, and my sanity gradually deteriorated. No matter what I tried, I couldn't halt the process. Eventually, I transformed into this half-human, half-ghost monstrosity, completely losing my mind and becoming a monster..." Han Zhong recounted this in an extremely calm tone, as if speaking of something entirely unrelated to himself. Clearly, the long passage of time had made him indifferent to life and death.

Zu An, meanwhile, noted Han Zhong's mention of the Elf race. He hadn't expected them to exist in that era as well, suggesting that the Qin Dynasty in this timeline was not the one from his original world. In fact, Han Zhong's quest to find the Elf race wasn't entirely misguided. Qiao Xueying had once used the "Half-Life Bond" to grant Zu An half of her life force. If Qin Shi Huang could have found many elves willing to share half their life force, he could have lived for thousands of years at least. However, he then considered that the "Half-Life Bond" was the greatest secret of the Elf race. Few elves throughout history had ever used this ability, and outsiders were completely unaware of its existence; otherwise, it would have led to their extinction. A warmth spread through his heart as he thought of this; Xue'er truly cared for him deeply. It had been so long since they last met, and he realized he genuinely missed her.

Mi Li then resumed her questioning. "Why are you here, then?"

"I don't know; many of my memories are gone..." Han Zhong shook his head helplessly.

"And what about Ying Zheng? Did he ever find the elixir of immortality?" Mi Li pressed.

"I don't know; at least not when I lost my mind," Han Zhong sighed deeply. "There's no true immortality in this world. My path was very close, but alas, it only led to becoming a mindless monster. Even if one could live forever in such a state, how could that be considered true immortality...?"

At this point, his expression suddenly changed, and his gaze at Mi Li turned to horror. "Empress, why are you..."

Mi Li cut him off. "I am asking the questions now, not you. By the way, I just noticed that Xu Fu is enshrined as the main deity in this Fish Bone Temple. Why is he worshipped? And why does the inscription refer to him as 'The Supreme One'?"

"Xu Fu? Xu Fu!" Han Zhong looked bewildered at first, then suddenly clutched his head, his face contorted in extreme pain. "I don't know, I don't know... Hahaha, you will all die... You will all die... No one will survive..."

Mi Li's expression changed, and just as she was about to question him further, his voice abruptly ceased. Upon closer inspection, she realized he had passed away. His face, however, remained contorted in a terrifying mask of fear, as if he had seen something truly dreadful in his final moments.