Chapter 873: Killing and Destroying the Heart

Bi Linglong was both surprised and overjoyed. Wiping away her tears, she reached out to check him over. "Are you really alright?"

"I'm fine. Death saw such a beautiful woman heartbroken for me, couldn't bear to take me, and so let me come back." Zu'an secretly felt a chill down his spine. Luckily, it was Bi Linglong who kissed him just now. If it had been Mi Li, would he have been met with a kick?

Bi Linglong's tears turned to laughter, and she couldn't help but playfully hit his chest. "You're annoying~"

Mi Li, meanwhile, rolled her eyes. A man's words truly were deceptive.

Seeing the two flirting, Zhao Ruizhi's face twitched from afar. But what shocked him even more was something else: "How could you not be dead?" He had struck mercilessly just now. Although his injured state was far from his peak, it should have been more than enough to kill Zu'an.

"I am a Son of Destiny, protected by gods and buddhas. How could I be easily killed?" Zu'an boasted loudly, though he felt a pang of guilt inside. His survival was pure luck. The mermaid he had encountered earlier in the water dimension—he had noticed one of her scales looked familiar, very similar to the jade pendant Shang Liuyu had given him. In that instant, he had many suspicions and, on a whim, put the scale into his pocket. Unexpectedly, it also had the effect of blocking a fatal blow, and its effect was clearly stronger than the one Shang Liuyu gave him; it could even block an emperor's attack. Of course, it was also thanks to his body, which had been tempered three times by the Primordial Chaos Sutra, making it exceptionally tough. Otherwise, if it were anyone else, even with that item, they would likely still have been shaken to death by the emperor's palm force aftershock.

Hearing his reply, He Li and the others were astonished. They looked at him with surprise and doubt, wondering if this guy was truly a chosen one. After all, since arriving in this secret realm, how many times had he pulled off impossible comebacks? It was completely beyond normal imagination; even universally recognized geniuses couldn't achieve such feats.

"Impudent! How dare you claim destiny in front of Us!" Zhao Ruizhi's gaze fell upon the shattered scale in Zu'an's hand, and he finally remembered something. "A Heart-Guard Scale of the Merfolk Royal Family!"

However, doubts flickered in his mind. What was with this guy? So many miraculous cultivation techniques and skills, the pawn given by the High Priest, and a Heart-Guard Scale from the Merfolk Royal Family—and not just any royal family. To block his full-power strike, it would have to be from an Empress-level merfolk. How did Zu'an know these people? Still, none of that mattered now. Such an unstable element naturally had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

Zhao Ruizhi's entire body glowed with golden light. "Today, We shall show you what true destiny is." He gently clasped his hand forward. Simultaneously, a colossal golden palm appeared in the void, closing in on Zu'an. It was clear that if it closed firmly, Zu'an would be instantly crushed to a pulp.

Mi Li scoffed and swept her sleeve. A streak of red light appeared, piercing the golden palm, puncturing it. As a hole appeared, the enormous golden palm deflated like a punctured balloon, instantly dissipating into countless golden specks of light.

Zhao Ruizhi's pupils contracted. "Judging by your use of power, you've clearly reached the Earth Immortal level. There's actually such an expert in the world, and a woman at that. Who exactly are you?" He Li and the others widened their eyes even further, thinking, not just a woman, but such a young and beautiful one! How was this possible? Had they somehow opened this world incorrectly today?

Mi Li said indifferently, "There are always greater people and higher heavens. You've been a frog in a well for too long." Although Zu'an hadn't died, she was still furious that Zhao Ruizhi had attempted to kill him. She intended to help Zu'an deal with him while he was injured. However, just as she was about to move, she suddenly frowned, and her figure began to flicker erratically.

Zu'an immediately noticed her condition and hurriedly stepped forward, asking, "What's happening?"

Mi Li secretly transmitted, "I feel my power dissipating. It seems the grand formation here is absorbing my strength."

Zu'an used his internal energy to sense the surroundings and indeed saw faint wisps of mist drifting from Mi Li's body, then seeping into the ground.

Mi Li quickly formed hand seals to regulate her breathing. "I can only try my best to suppress the absorption by this grand formation, but it will only slow down the process. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you fight the Emperor."

Zu'an comforted her, "Rest assured and regulate your breathing. Leave the rest to me."

At this moment, Zhao Ruizhi burst into laughter. "I thought you were some powerful being! So, you're just a soul body! Today, I'll teach you to vanish into thin air!" Having noticed Mi Li's abnormality, his insight quickly allowed him to deduce the true situation.

Zu'an said solemnly, "There's a Five Elements Grand Formation here, likely intended to restore some ancient, terrifying entity. If we fight to the death here, the formation will probably reap the benefits. How about we deal with this evil formation first, and then settle our personal grievances?"

Zhao Ruizhi arrogantly stated, "What are you to speak of fighting Us to the death? Crushing you is like crushing an ant. I'll kill you first, then deal with this formation; there's plenty of time." He had, of course, also noticed a formation subtly operating here, but his years of unchallenged supremacy had made him sufficiently arrogant to disdain any talk of ancient terrifying entities. If such existed, he would simply destroy them. On the contrary, if he dealt with the formation first, allowing the red-clad woman to regain her combat strength, it would become even more troublesome. Naturally, he wouldn't agree to Zu'an's suggestion.

"Your mouth certainly does spin a good yarn, but at most, it's good for deceiving women. Do you think you can deceive Us?" Zhao Ruizhi sneered. "In a moment, I'll rip your mouth apart and pull out your tongue. Let's see what you say then."

Seeing Zhao Ruizhi's killing intent fully locked onto him, Zu'an immediately knew the other party had made up his mind. Further talk was useless, so he smiled and said, "Do you truly believe you control everything, that no one can deceive you?"

Zhao Ruizhi haughtily replied, "The person who can deceive Us hasn't been born yet. Even the King of Qi, who fancied himself a master strategist, was merely a puppet in Our hands. As for your little schemes, We simply couldn't be bothered with them on a daily basis. Do you really think We didn't know?"

He Li's face turned ashen. For years, he and others had followed the King of Qi with zealous devotion, always believing the King to be wise and mighty. With so many talented individuals united, seizing the throne seemed no difficult task. But after witnessing the events of these past few days, he realized it had all been a joke from start to finish. The Emperor was simply too terrifying, too unfathomable, and utterly beyond human opposition. What did it matter if Zu'an leaped and bounded? In the end, he would still be unable to escape the Emperor's grasp, and he would die more miserably than anyone.

"No one can deceive you?" At this, Zu'an showed an extremely peculiar expression. "Have you not stayed at Kunning Palace for many years?"

Zhao Ruizhi frowned. "What do you mean?"

Zu'an offered no explanation, merely saying with deep meaning, "Your wife is truly remarkable!"

Zhao Ruizhi: "???"

He Li, who had been bracing himself to watch Zu'an die a horrific death, was dumbfounded. What was happening? Did he imply he had an affair with the Empress too? This guy getting the Crown Princess was already outrageous; now he was involved with the Empress? He had once had the good fortune to see the Empress from afar, and her mature, beautiful, and noble image had left a deep impression on him. This guy was truly defying heaven itself. A man reaching this point would be worth dying for.

Bi Linglong's crimson lips parted in shock. Zu'an and the Empress? Although the Empress was not the Crown Prince's birth mother and had no direct relation to her, this was simply too absurd and outrageous.

Zhao Ruizhi, however, had a flash of many thoughts. He had indeed encountered Zu'an outside the Empress's chambers one night. At the time, he hadn't thought anything of it, but now, with Zu'an's words, that incident was indeed fraught with suspicion. He erupted in fury. "You wretch! You seek death!"

Zu'an had deliberately provoked him to cause an emotional disturbance. In that very instant, he activated his "Glare of Pregnancy" skill.