Chapter 862: Wanted to get along with you as an ordinary person

Zhao Ruizhi's hair stood on end, and an alarm blared in his mind. How many years had it been since he'd felt so close to death, ever since mastering his divine skill? He no longer bothered with the archer general, quickly drawing back his hand to block.

Golden and black light burst forth, unleashing a powerful shockwave. The surrounding heavy terracotta warriors couldn't withstand it; those nearby shattered, while those slightly further away were sent reeling. Zhao Ruizhi stumbled back several dozen feet, blood dripping from his palm. It had been years since his last injury; he had even forgotten what it felt like.

However, at this moment, he paid no heed to his wound, instead staring intently at the one who had wounded him. The opponent was shrouded in black mist, their face indiscernible. However, their armored form vaguely suggested they were a general. He held a long halberd, but the horizontal blade beside its spearhead was not straight like a typical halberd's; instead, it was crescent-shaped and much longer, making the entire weapon resemble a scythe. What was even more striking was the pervasive aura of death emanating from him. Even Zu An and others far away could smell a strong scent of blood, as if he had just emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"Who are you?" Zhao Ruizhi asked in a deep voice. "Anyone who can injure me is no ordinary person."

Unfortunately, the opponent did not respond. Instead, they surged with black mist and attacked again, swinging the scythe. Zhao Ruizhi's heart tensed; he dared not be careless. He quickly met the attack, and in an instant, the two exchanged several blows. Their speed surpassed anyone's imagination; the people of Prince Qi's mansion couldn't even see their movements.

Even Zu An, straining his eyes, could only barely make out a few afterimages. He couldn't help but ask, "Beautiful Master, who is this powerful person?" He almost chopped off the Emperor's head with a single strike; he's truly formidable.

Mi Li's expression changed. "The Qin Dynasty... no, it should be the greatest general of the Warring States period, the Butcher – Bai Qi."

Zu An was startled and abruptly looked back. Was this the historically renowned Bai Qi? In the Battle of Yique, he decisively defeated a combined Wei and Han army of 240,000. In the campaign against Chu, he captured the Chu capital. In the Battle of Changping, he buried 400,000 surrendered Zhao soldiers alive in one battle. Throughout his life, he killed countless enemies, earning him the title 'the Butcher'.

"I understand what they are now," Mi Li said, her expression complex. "This is Xi Quanqiu, the ancestral shrine of the Qin imperial family. It not only enshrines past Qin kings but also meritorious officials of the Qin Dynasty, similar to an imperial ancestral temple. Wang Jian and Bai Qi should be the heroic spirits within that temple."

Successive dynasties had similar halls for meritorious officials, such as the Qilin Pavilion of the Western Han, the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai of the Eastern Han, and the Lingyan Pavilion of the Tang Dynasty. Other dynasties would also select renowned ministers to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple to enjoy incense offerings alongside past emperors. Thus, for officials, this was an immense honor. Recalling Emperor Yongzheng's dying wish that Zhang Tingyu could eventually be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Zhang Tingyu walked on thin ice for this supreme honor, fearing any misstep. Yet, before his death, Emperor Qianlong revoked his right to enter the temple, a truly disheartening thought.

Zu An couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "Then Zhao Hao is surely doomed, isn't he?" He had been wondering how to deal with the Emperor in this secret realm, but now, a solution had presented itself.

Mi Li shook her head. "If they were at their peak during their lives, Wang Jian's strength would be on par with Zhao Hao's, and Bai Qi's would even surpass him. But now, they are merely remnants of souls and obsessions existing within this special realm. Their strength is far inferior to their peak. To kill Zhao Hao now would likely be extremely difficult."

As expected, just as she finished speaking, the battle on the other side shifted. Zhao Ruizhi's punch struck the black figure, dispersing the thick black mist around the opponent and clearly inflicting a significant injury. Zhao Ruizhi sneered, "Whatever you are, die now!" He then threw another punch directly at the opponent's head. His fist no longer glowed golden as before but had turned pure gold, as if his entire fist had transformed into solid gold.

Just then, "Wang Jian" on the other side drew his bow and released an arrow, which arrived silently at Zhao Ruizhi's back. Zhao Ruizhi's face showed hesitation, but ultimately, he didn't want to risk it. He turned and punched the arrow, pulverizing it. At this point, "Bai Qi" swung his scythe and attacked from the other side. With one providing ranged harassment and the other engaging directly, the two effectively kept Zhao Ruizhi cornered.

At the same time, they occasionally directed the terracotta warrior army under their command to coordinate attacks. Both had been renowned generals in their lives; even as mere residual souls, their ability to command battles was an ingrained instinct. Under their command, the terracotta warriors' power multiplied. Later, "Bai Qi" no longer needed to engage Zhao Ruizhi in prolonged close combat, only assisting occasionally. No matter how strong Zhao Ruizhi was, he was gradually overwhelmed by the tidal wave of terracotta warriors. An alarm blared in his mind; he knew that if he continued to fight these endless terracotta warriors, he might perish there as well. He made a quick decision, found an opening, burst through a gap, and swiftly vanished into the distance.

Seeing this, "Bai Qi" and "Wang Jian" quickly led their chariots and cavalry, thundering in pursuit. Logically, ordinary chariots and horses couldn't possibly match the speed of cultivators. However, for some unknown reason, these chariots were astonishingly fast, able to keep pace with Zhao Ruizhi from a distance.

Seeing this scene, the people of Prince Qi's mansion were stunned. He Li rubbed his eyes in disbelief: "The Emperor... fled?" Perhaps Zu An didn't feel it as strongly, but for these citizens of the capital, the Emperor's powerful and invincible image had left an indelible impression on their minds. His casual display of power earlier in the secret realm had only reinforced this. But now, to be forced to flee in disarray – in that instant, something in their hearts seemed to collapse.

However, they had no time for laments. While the highly mobile cavalry and chariot units pursued Zhao Ruizhi, more infantry terracotta warriors remained behind. They abruptly turned their heads to face the group, then, weapons in hand, they charged.

"Oh my god!" Though He Li was at the peak of the ninth rank, his courage had long been drained by several encounters in the secret realm. He had no thought of fighting; seeing them charge, he immediately took off running. He kept reassuring himself that while he might not outrun so many terracotta warriors, he only needed to outrun his companions. He'd let them buy him some time, hoping he might even stumble upon some immortal fortune amidst the chaos. Seeing him run, the others scattered even faster, each fleeing in a different direction.

"Let's go!" Zu An pulled Bi Linglong and sprinted towards the distant light bridge. However, the surrounding terracotta warriors were multiplying. Soon, a slower Prince Qi's Mansion elite guard was surrounded. Despite his desperate resistance, he was outnumbered and cut down by a flurry of blades almost instantly. Listening to the continuous screams from afar, Bi Linglong's face paled. These strange terracotta warriors were everywhere; could they truly escape? Midway, she had several skirmishes with the terracotta warriors, swinging her sword. She realized that each individual warrior was not weak; with her sixth-rank cultivation, she could handle one or two. But their coordination was too tight; facing five or six, she could only flee, and even then, escape was not guaranteed. Fortunately, Zu An's speed was exceptional throughout, always managing to break through gaps in the terracotta warriors' encirclement with her at the last moment.

After an unknown amount of time, she could no longer see anyone from Prince Qi's mansion. Although they had been enemies before, they were all human and had spent some time together on the journey. Surely, they were more reassuring to look at than these lifeless terracotta warriors. Suddenly, Bi Linglong's face turned ashen. She saw another squad of terracotta warriors appear ahead; these creatures were even using flanking tactics! She felt a pang of despair. Even the invincible Emperor had been forced to flee; how could they possibly defeat such a vast number of terracotta warriors?

With a determined heart, she directly said to Zu An, "A'Zu, run. Don't worry about me; I'll cover your retreat. You might have a chance to escape alone."

Zu An gave her a surprised look. "You've got it backward. What kind of rear can you cover with your cultivation? If anyone's covering, it's me."

Bi Linglong shook her head. "My cultivation is too low; even if you covered me, I wouldn't get far. You're different; with your cultivation, you still have a chance to escape alone." Seeing Zu An about to speak again, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and leaned in to kiss him. "A'Zu, don't say another word. Thank you for taking care of me all this way. It's my turn to do something for you now. Though we've faced many dangers, I've been truly happy... so happy to have met you in this life... There's not much time left, so go quickly. Don't let both of us die here; it's pointless." Watching the terracotta warriors draw closer, Bi Linglong grew truly anxious, continuously urging Zu An to leave.

"Who said we were going to die?" Zu An's expression was strange as he looked at the menacing terracotta warriors. "I originally wanted to get along with you all as an ordinary person, but all I got was your relentless aggression. Alright, I'm done pretending."

A dragon's roar echoed. He drew his Tai'e Sword, raised it high, and fully activated his Primordial Chaos Scripture throughout his body. "The Qin Emperor is here! All soldiers, heed my command!"