Chapter 880: Betrayal

Xu Fu's voice also became low, clearly weighed down by the memory of these past events. "Back then, as I drifted across the vast ocean, searching for those ethereal immortal mountains, I encountered a massive monster fish. The experts sent by Qin Shihuang helped me slay it."

Zu An wondered if it was the fish bone temple they had encountered earlier on the first immortal island.

Xu Fu continued, "I hadn't realized that monstrous fish was the sacred beast of the Merfolk tribe. Later, the Merfolk came seeking revenge, and through a series of coincidences, I came to know their Empress. We clashed several times, gradually developed an admiration for each other, and eventually became friends. She found my descriptions of life on land very fascinating, so she returned to Qin with me."

"And then you presented her to Qin Shihuang?" Mi Li asked coldly, recalling the similar depiction on the mural in the previous room.

Xu Fu nodded. "Yes, I presented her to Qin Shihuang."

"No wonder she harbored such deep resentment. You truly are a scumbag for betraying her," Zu An couldn't help but exclaim. He wondered if these people had some kind of cuckold fetish, to give away the woman they supposedly loved.

"Her resentment wasn't caused by that," Xu Fu replied.

This puzzled even Mi Li. Did the woman also have some strange quirk?

Xu Fu explained, "Back then, she knew I was burdened with Qin Shihuang's mission, and she wanted to rescue me from my predicament. So, she willingly cooperated with my plan, infiltrating Qin Shihuang's side to assist me."

Bi Linglong couldn't help but exclaim, "Then she must have loved you very much."

For a woman to be willing to serve another man for the sake of one, her feelings must have been incredibly deep.

A trace of tenderness appeared on Xu Fu's face. "She indeed treated me very well."

Zu An asked in a deep voice, "Then why did she eventually develop such profound resentment towards you?"

Xu Fu did not answer this time. Instead, he looked at Mi Li. "Originally, my plan was proceeding methodically: first, assemble the individuals representing the Five Elements, and only then deal with the Pure Yang and Pure Yin bodies. Since you were an empress of a nation, with a noble status, you couldn't be easily put at risk, so I kept you for last."

"Unfortunately, I don't know if Qin Shihuang became suspicious, but he actually sealed you away ahead of schedule and hid you in a place unknown to any of us."

Mi Li's eyebrows twitched, clearly indicating that memory from long ago was not a pleasant one.

Xu Fu's voice quickened. "Back then, I was terrified, constantly feeling that Qin Shihuang had seen through my actions, so the scheme had to be launched prematurely."

"I contacted the Second Prince Hu Hai, Prime Minister Li Si, and Court Eunuch Zhao Gao. Finally, the few of us joined forces and launched our attack when he was touring Shaqiu."

Zu An was dumbfounded. He had never imagined there was such a hidden story behind the Shaqiu Incident, and that Xu Fu had been orchestrating everything.

Mi Li snorted. "Even if the few of you had allied, you would still be no match for Qin Shihuang."

Although they had never consummated their marriage, she had been his empress for many years and naturally understood Qin Shihuang's cultivation level.

Xu Fu smiled. "Indeed, at that time, we truly couldn't handle Qin Shihuang. But did Your Majesty forget there was one more person?"

"The Merfolk Empress?" Mi Li's heart stirred.

"Yes. Back then, she first poisoned Qin Shihuang with a strange sea toxin and simultaneously launched a surprise attack that severely wounded him. Only then did we appear at the opportune moment to encircle and kill him." Recalling that day's events, a trace of terror flashed across Xu Fu's face. "You must understand, the few of us were among the world's top experts at the time. Yet, Qin Shihuang was truly too powerful; even poisoned and injured, our collective assault resulted in heavy casualties for us."

"The Merfolk Empress was severely wounded, Li Si was directly crippled and lost all his cultivation, and Hu Hai's head was injured, making him foolish and muddled ever since—unable to even tell a deer from a horse. I also suffered severe injuries, with only a few years left to live. Only Zhao Gao's injuries were relatively light."

Zu An mused, no wonder Li Si, despite being a Prime Minister, was easily disposed of by Zhao Gao after their power struggle, and Hu Hai became infamous for the idiom 'pointing to a deer as a horse.' In hindsight, apart from Xu Fu, Zhao Gao was likely the biggest beneficiary of that entire operation.

Hearing this, Mi Li's expression changed several times. In such a lethal setup, even someone as powerful as Qin Shihuang would likely have met his end with regret.

As expected, Xu Fu said, "We paid such an enormous price, but finally succeeded in killing Qin Shihuang."

"In his final moments, Qin Shihuang understood what was happening. He severed his own bloodline, preventing me from obtaining a Pure Yang body." A trace of anger was audible in Xu Fu's voice, clearly indicating his frustration at that failure.

Mi Li sighed. "So, I was your chosen Pure Yin body, and he was your Pure Yang body. You truly are audacious."

Zu An pondered, no wonder Qin Shihuang had been suspicious. He evidently knew he possessed a Pure Yang body, and connecting that with Mi Li, he would naturally question Xu Fu's true motives.

In this light, all their previous doubts were resolved.

When he had found Mi Li in the secret realm, he had been very puzzled why Qin Shihuang went to such lengths to seal her instead of simply killing her, which would have been much easier.

It turned out her life needed to be preserved to activate the Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Formation in the future.

If everything had gone smoothly, Qin Shihuang would have retrieved Mi Li to activate the formation and achieve immortality.

And if any unforeseen circumstances arose, with Mi Li hidden, it served as a contingency.

"To achieve immortality, one must be audacious," Xu Fu's laughter rang out. "After I was severely wounded back then, my lifespan was nearing its end, and I couldn't find Your Majesty. Left with no choice, I had to activate the grand formation prematurely. Although it was incomplete at the time, it was sufficient to extend my life."

"It's a pity that at least four elements are needed to activate the grand formation. Han Zhong had vanished without a trace back then; his being found and imprisoned here came much later. At that time, I had no choice. The formation only had Lu Sheng's Metal, Fusu's Fire, and Meng Tian's Earth. Lacking one more person of the Five Elements, I had no choice but to turn my attention to her."

Mi Li sneered, "You are indeed ruthless. And that Merfolk Empress was truly foolish. Someone like you, who didn't hesitate to betray your emperor and even readily gave away the woman you supposedly loved, how could you ever cherish her?"

She felt no pity for the Merfolk Empress. After all, she was a rebellious subject; if it hadn't been for her, neither Mi Li nor Qin Shihuang would have suffered.

Bi Linglong tugged at Zu An's sleeve and whispered, "You must never be like that in the future."

She, however, felt great sympathy for the Merfolk Empress, who had given everything for love only to meet such an end.

Zu An chuckled wryly. "Don't worry, I couldn't bring myself to do that."

Bi Linglong's face flushed slightly, unsure whom he was referring to.

However, she immediately realized they would most likely die here today, leaving no future to speak of, and her expression gradually darkened.

Xu Fu said expressionlessly, "Indeed. When I made my move against her, she was first stunned, then incredibly angry and resentful. I intended to use her endless resentment to help me complete the ritual."

Hearing his calm tone, Bi Linglong couldn't help but ask, "Don't you feel any guilt at all?"

"Why should I feel guilty?" Xu Fu asked, surprised. "I am pursuing immortality, to exist in the world in an entirely new form. Naturally, I will also live her portion of life. By participating in the process of becoming the world's first immortal, she will be remembered by all for eternity—which is also a form of immortality."

"That's just sophistry! What she wanted was clearly not this!" Bi Linglong was trembling with rage, as if she had taken on the role of the Merfolk Empress herself.

Xu Fu smiled and ignored her, turning his gaze to Mi Li instead. "I transformed my physical body into this blood pool, merging with it to slumber, awaiting your arrival one day. I knew Qin Shihuang would surely have made arrangements. As it turns out, I was right. It seems all of this was predestined; Heaven desires me to become the world's first true immortal."

Zu An hurriedly asked Mi Li, "Master, is there any way to deal with him?"

Mi Li shook her head and remained silent. It was clear that with her currently suppressed, Zu An alone, regardless of any method, would be unable to contend with this terrifying monster.