Chapter 866: Farewell, Old Friend

Mi Li's expression also tightened after a glance, and Bi Linglong gasped aloud. Their reactions were due to the presence of someone who absolutely should not have been there: Han Zhong!

They had seen Han Zhong on the first immortal island, and now they were on the third. Moreover, they had personally witnessed Han Zhong's death not long ago. Given their cultivation and experience, a feigned death would definitely not have escaped their notice. Yet, someone who had died on the first immortal island had arrived here before them, lying in a coffin, waiting.

"Are we seeing ghosts?" Bi Linglong said, pursing her lips with difficulty. While Mi Li felt an unusual sense of familiarity returning to this place, Bi Linglong found it eerie and sinister, wishing only to leave as quickly as possible.

Mi Li also furrowed her brow, "Could the Han Zhong we saw earlier have been fake? Or is this one fake?"

Zu An reached out to examine the body in the coffin and shook his head, "No, I fought him before, and some of my vital energy remains on him. Also, judging by the condition of the corpse, he must have died recently. If he had died during the Qin Dynasty, he would have long since turned into dust and bones."

"Then why is he here?" Bi Linglong hugged her arms, feeling a chill run through her.

"Perhaps these vines brought him," Mi Li said, glancing at the abundant vines throughout the room. "The wood element here is extremely rich; it's clearly unnatural."

"Will elementals like the ones before appear?" Bi Linglong quickly gripped her sword hilt. The memory of being bound by those vines in such an embarrassing posture still sent shivers down her spine, and she absolutely did not want to experience it again.

Zu An shook his head, "Based on the experience from the previous room, I checked immediately before entering. Although the wood element is exceptionally abundant here, there are no signs of elementals."

Mi Li explained, "It's likely because Han Zhong only recently died, and the wood element hasn't been concentrated here long enough to form elementals. Let's check other areas."

"Do you think this palace is being used for some sinister, evil array?" Zu An asked Mi Li as they walked.

Mi Li nodded, "It's possible. Ying Zheng stopped at nothing in his pursuit of immortality; I wouldn't be surprised if he set up an evil array in the end. Everyone, be careful from now on."

Their speculation cast a shadow over everyone's hearts; the thought of such an evil array made it impossible for anyone to relax.

A moment later, Bi Linglong unconsciously tugged at her collar, "Do any of you feel a bit hot?"

Zu An grunted, "It is a bit hot." He even felt like taking off his clothes, and then thought, *well, perhaps a little more heat wouldn't be so bad.*

Mi Li's expression grew solemn, "I sense signs of restless fire element. Everyone, be careful."

By this time, Zu An had already spotted a faint red glow emanating from a room in the distance, presuming the sensation of restless fire element came from there. The group cautiously approached. The closer they got, the hotter it became. Upon entering the room, they could distinctly feel waves of heat washing over their faces.

Like the previous two rooms, this one also had a coffin in the center. Beneath the coffin, on a raised platform, were various intricate runic arrays that extended to all four walls. It was clear that the specifications of this tomb chamber were much higher than the previous two rooms, evident in the size of the coffin, the layout of the surroundings, and the variety of burial objects.

However, everyone's attention was drawn upwards, as the ceiling was covered with numerous flickering red lights, appearing like countless eyes opening and closing. Even Zu An, who had witnessed many grand spectacles, felt his scalp tingle at this sight. Someone with trypophobia would likely have fainted on the spot.

"What are those things? Is it some kind of thousand-eyed monster?" Zu An carefully asked Mi Li, afraid his voice might disturb whatever it was.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Mi Li said, and with a flick of her sleeve, a powerful gust of wind swept upwards towards the ceiling.

Zu An was speechless. *Why is this woman so fierce?*

At that moment, the entire room brightened. The previously flickering red dots suddenly turned vivid scarlet, as if countless monsters had opened their eyes. Immediately, those red "eyes" surged towards them. It was then they finally saw clearly: they weren't eyes at all, but butterflies—butterflies engulfed in flames.

Seeing the fiery butterflies swirling everywhere, Bi Linglong's expression drastically changed as if remembering something. "Be careful! These are Blazing Demon Moths. Years ago, a teacher from the National Academy led a team of excellent students to explore a small secret realm, and they were completely wiped out by these butterflies. These butterflies are covered in tiny, almost invisible scales that scatter into the air when their wings flutter. If they touch a person, they ignite, and the flames cannot be extinguished by any means until they burn away all flesh and blood..."

As she spoke, she suddenly froze, noticing that several small flames had already ignited on Zu An's body.

Zu An frowned, about to circulate his energy to resist, but then he suddenly noticed the flames on him flickering, growing weaker and weaker, and soon extinguishing themselves. The Blazing Demon Moths, which had been aggressively charging, suddenly seemed to have witnessed something terrifying. They rapidly retreated, settling on the farthest wall, their vibrant fiery glow dimming as if they had fallen back into slumber.

"Huh, how did you do that?" Not just Bi Linglong, but even Mi Li looked at him with curiosity. They hadn't seen him make any move, so why did the fiery butterflies retreat in fear?

Zu An silently took out a flame-shaped pendant from around his neck. It was faintly glowing, and a sense of warmth radiated from it. Pei Mianman had given him this pendant, which she always carried, out of concern that her black flames might accidentally harm him, telling him it would grant him immunity. He hadn't expected it to help him again today, even causing these Blazing Demon Moths to fear it.

Although the pendant was light, Zu An felt an extraordinary weight when holding it, for it represented Pei Mianman's unconditional trust and all-encompassing love.

Noticing his expression, Mi Li chuckled softly, "Well, it seems like another love token from one of your lady friends."

The speaker had no ill intent, but the listener took notice. Bi Linglong's ears immediately perked up. *Who could have given him this?* she wondered. *My previous investigations showed he had many female confidantes. Humph, he's certainly a philanderer.* However, she immediately remembered her own predicament, and her expression gradually dimmed. Even if she managed to escape this secret realm, the Emperor was waiting outside. What future could she possibly have? Yet, here she was, letting her mind wander.

Seeing a series of rage points accumulate in his system backend, Zu An came back to his senses and quickly changed the subject with an awkward laugh, "Let's check out the tomb chamber. Hmm, that coffin seems to be a crystal one. Let's see if we can get a look inside."

Having said that, he leaped to the crystal coffin in the center. When he saw what was inside, he couldn't help but gasp, "Huh?"

Bi Linglong also came to his side and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Is this person dead or alive?" Inside the coffin lay a young man with handsome eyebrows and bright eyes. His complexion was only slightly pale; everything else about him appeared lifelike, even his eyelashes were distinct, strand by strand, as if he were still alive. No wonder she couldn't tell the difference.

Zu An was about to ask Mi Li if she recognized him, but then he noticed her lips trembling and her face extremely pale.

"What's wrong?" Zu An asked with concern.

"This is my nephew, Fusu, the original crown prince of Great Qin," Mi Li said, her slender fingers gently caressing the coffin, her eyes filled with immense sadness.

"He's Fusu?" Zu An was immediately shocked. "How many years has it been? How is his body preserved so perfectly?"