Chapter 863: Immortal Palace Main Gate

Bi Linglong was stunned. She wondered what he was playing at. If these terracotta warriors were sentient, wouldn't they be even more inclined to kill him for impersonating their emperor?

However, something shocking happened. The imagined scenario of the terracotta warriors swarming them and cutting them to pieces did not occur. Instead, they quietly watched Zu An; one could even see expressions of doubt on their faces, as if they were hesitating.

Zu An also felt a bit apprehensive. Although the Tai'e Sword was the Qin Emperor's personal sword, and the Primordial Chaos Sutra was the cultivation technique he practiced, these terracotta warriors might not be sentient enough to recognize them.

If it really didn't work, he would just purify them with the Primordial Chaos Sutra.

This was why Zu An hadn't been afraid from beginning to end. After all, it wasn't his first time dealing with terracotta warriors, and the second layer of his Primordial Chaos Sutra specifically countered various undead creatures.

Just then, Mi Li slowly appeared beside Zu An, her majestic phoenix eyes coldly observing the numerous terracotta warriors.

The terracotta warriors were initially just confused. The man's sword and aura indeed resembled the Qin Emperor's, but his appearance was quite different. They weren't sure if their memories were failing them, which was why they hesitated.

However, upon seeing their former Empress standing beside him, all doubt vanished instantly. They all knelt on one knee, propping their weapons, and respectfully saluted the two of them.

Zu An glanced at the cold and beautiful Mi Li beside him, finding the feeling of her pretending to be his wife quite enjoyable.

He immediately composed himself and commanded, "By my imperial decree, kill that fat man who was glowing yellow, no matter the cost."

He was worried the terracotta warriors wouldn't know who Zhao Ruizhi was, so he specifically described the man's appearance in detail.

The terracotta warriors could not speak, but upon hearing his words, they all clenched their fists to their chests, saluted the two again, and then, holding their weapons, marched in unison towards the direction Zhao Ruizhi had disappeared.

Watching the murderous terracotta warriors retreat, Bi Linglong's red lips parted so wide in astonishment that an egg could fit. "How did you do that?" she asked.

Zu An proudly declared, "I told you, I am the reincarnation of the Qin Emperor!"

But the next second, he shrieked, "Gently, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts…"

Mi Li was pulling his ear. "Brat, how dare you take advantage of your master?" she scolded.

Seeing the two of them bickering, Bi Linglong gazed in surprise at the cold and beautiful woman in the red dress, wondering if she…

The group continued towards the light bridge. Along the way, they encountered no more danger; in fact, several times they encountered terracotta warriors who even saluted them.

He Li, who was being frantically chased, saw this scene from a distance and began to question his life. "Why are you only chasing me and not them?" he yelled.

"Is it because he's handsome?"

"Help!"

He wanted to run towards Zu An, but they were too far apart. He couldn't get close, so he could only continue to flee in a panic.

Meanwhile, Zu An and Bi Linglong had successfully reached the light bridge and crossed it to the third immortal island.

Looking at the magnificent palace up close, Bi Linglong couldn't help but exclaim, "This truly is a place of immortals! This palace is far more majestic than our imperial palace."

From a distance, they had only noticed the palace. Now that they were here, they discovered three incredibly vast platforms below the palace, each estimated to accommodate at least ten thousand people.

The platforms were connected by white marble steps, and after hundreds of steps, they would arrive directly in front of the palace gate.

"Such a provincial," Mi Li said, though her lips curved slightly upward, clearly pleased by the unintentional compliment. She took long strides and ascended the steps directly.

Her expression was somewhat dazed. Many years ago, she had also walked similar steps…

Zu An couldn't help but ask, "Beautiful Master, are you very familiar with this palace?"

"How could I not be familiar?" Mi Li sighed. "This is almost an exact replica of Xianyang Palace from back then, and it also bears many resemblances to Epang Palace."

Xianyang Palace was the palace of the Great Qin. Later, after Qin Shi Huang unified the realm, he began to expand it, also building Epang Palace. Unfortunately, Epang Palace cost too much and was not completed even by the time Qin Shi Huang died.

Bi Linglong couldn't help but quietly ask Zu An, "What kind of country is this Qin you speak of? I've never heard of it."

Zu An replied, "It's a country from ancient times. Many historical records have been lost, so it's normal for people today not to know about it."

"From ancient times, then." Bi Linglong's eyes lit up. According to research, many secret realms and ruins today are ancient sites, filled with powerful inheritances and serendipitous encounters. Even without an elixir of immortality, one could gain immensely.

Soon, the three had ascended the long staircase and arrived before a massive palace gate. Zu An initially thought they would encounter some mechanism, but Mi Li simply walked up and pushed it open.

A wave of stale air wafted towards them, bearing the traces of time.

Zu An was a bit surprised. "Huh, though the air is a bit stuffy, it's not completely devoid of oxygen."

Mi Li said, "The palace was ingeniously constructed with many hidden vents, so naturally, no one would suffocate."

After speaking, she walked in first. Clearly, revisiting the old place stirred her emotions, and she was eager to look around.

Zu An and Bi Linglong followed her in. Suddenly, they felt a strong force pulling them directly to the side of the main gate.

Zu An reacted instantly, breaking free from the gate and pulling Bi Linglong away at the same time.

He vigilantly scanned his surroundings, but found no mechanisms or anomalies.

Yet, despite this, they continuously felt a pulling suction force emanating from the gate.

Mi Li smiled. "No need to be nervous. This main gate is made of lodestones. Back then, because the Qin Emperor was targeted by assassins, he specifically had the palace gate constructed from massive lodestones. Any courtier carrying iron implements would experience anomalies when passing through."

Zu An realized that he and Bi Linglong were carrying swords, magic artifacts, and other items that inevitably contained a lot of iron, which was why they were pulled.

He couldn't help but complain, "How insecure was the Qin Emperor, to use a 'Spirit-Illuminating Mirror' to detect disloyalty among his officials and also tamper with the main gate like this?"

Mi Li sighed. "During the Warring States period, all states resorted to extreme measures for victory, so he naturally had to be extra vigilant."

As they spoke, the three entered the palace gate and made their way to a main hall. Inside, it was resplendent with gold, and on a high platform in the distance sat a glittering golden dragon throne.

Mi Li walked forward, her fingers caressing the dragon throne. Her gaze drifted to a bead curtain behind the throne. "Back then, during every grand festival, I would also sit behind this," she murmured.

Hearing her words, Bi Linglong was greatly astonished. Could this woman be from ancient times? How could she have lived so long? Could an elixir of immortality truly exist in the world?

Zu An, however, felt a surge of irritation. He felt uncomfortable seeing Mi Li reminiscing about the past so much.

But he quickly gave a self-deprecating smile. The feeling of apprehension when nearing one's hometown was a common human emotion; why was he feeling jealous?

Just then, a burst of hearty laughter echoed: "In the end, I still managed to enter this palace."

Zu An's expression changed. He looked up to see Zhao Ruizhi standing at the entrance of the main hall. However, he was not in good condition; his entire body was covered in blood, and there was a huge wound on his chest from which black energy faintly emanated. There was no doubt he had been wounded by "Bai Qi's" scythe.

His aura was extremely unstable. Accompanying him were He Li and three deathsworn from Prince Qi's mansion. All of them were injured, looking even more disheveled than Zhao Ruizhi.

"So, an immortal palace is no different from a mortal emperor's palace," Zhao Ruizhi said with a frown. Although the aura here was grander, it didn't transcend the mortal realm, which greatly disappointed him.

Zu An asked, "Why are there only a few of you? Where are the others?" He was deeply disappointed that his command for the terracotta warriors to kill Zhao Ruizhi at all costs had apparently not succeeded.

"They're all dead, killed by those clay figure monsters," He Li said, unable to help but glance at Zhao Ruizhi. Earlier, the remaining people had fled towards the light bridge and coincidentally gathered together. Initially, seeing the emperor, they thought they had found a strong patron. But who knew that he would directly grab some people and throw them out as cannon fodder to slow down the two terrifying terracotta generals, which was how they successfully escaped onto this light bridge.

Those clay figures seemed to have some kind of restriction on them, stopping at the light bridge and unable to pursue them. Only then did they barely escape with their lives.

Although they knew the emperor's purpose for letting them live, witnessing it firsthand had chilled them to the bone. Unfortunately, no matter how much resentment they harbored, they dared not show it. Now they only wished to live for one more moment.

At this moment, Zhao Ruizhi laughed somewhat maniacally. "There's no immortal palace, no eternal life. Combining everything I've seen along the way, this is clearly the mausoleum of some emperor. Since it's a mausoleum, how could there be an elixir of immortality?"

He suddenly turned his head to look at Zu An. "Since there's no elixir of immortality, you're worthless now. Die!"