Chapter 881: Who Is the First Person

"Alright, I've told you what happened back then, so you'll die knowing the truth. Now, it's time to begin the final ritual." Xu Fu had revealed all his proud schemes from years ago, and seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, he felt sufficiently satisfied. It was time to get down to business.

Hearing his words, Bi Linglong tightly grasped Zu'an's hand. Her body trembled slightly; although she had come to terms with life and death, her body's instinctive reactions were beyond her control.

Zu'an patted her hand reassuringly, then looked at Xu Fu. "What do you need us to do for this ritual?"

Bi Linglong secretly admired him. Many men bragged endlessly in ordinary times, but when faced with mortal danger, they would panic beyond recognition. Yet, Zu'an remained composed, whether facing the Emperor or now Xu Fu. It wasn't a feigned calm; he was genuinely serene, as if the concept of life and death held no sway in his mind.

"It's rare to see a sacrifice as calm as you," Xu Fu said, a little surprised. "Naturally, I will refine you in this blood pool, collecting your pure Yang and Yin essence, and finally, by integrating the power of the five elements, I shall achieve immortality."

Zu'an suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "But I'm not a virgin anymore."

Bi Linglong: "???" Mi Li: "..."

This guy's mind truly jumped around. It took them a moment to process what he'd said, and they both secretly cursed him.

Xu Fu was also dumbfounded, then after a moment, he laughed. "Haha, that's alright. A pure Yang body is different from a pure Yin body; that aspect isn't important. Otherwise, I wouldn't have set my sights on Qin Shi Huang back then."

"Why doesn't a pure Yang body need to be a virgin?" Zu'an asked, looking indignant. "If this were my previous life, your statement would be slammed by all the 'little fairies' online."

"Virginity..." Xu Fu's eyelid twitched. *Is this guy out of his mind?*

Mi Li and Bi Linglong remained expressionless; they were already used to him.

He snorted. "I can't be bothered to waste more words on you. The Empress is still the Empress and deserves respect. Let's start with you first."

As he spoke, the blood pool on the ground churned, and a tentacle made of blood swiftly coiled around Zu'an's body.

Though Zu'an had been flippant just moments before, he was in fact well-prepared. He immediately used the Great Wind technique to appear beside Xu Fu, swinging his long sword to strike him.

Xu Fu's figure flickered, shifting several feet sideways in mid-air. "Oh, the Qin King's sword. You're not worthy to wield it. Give it here." As he spoke, he acted, grabbing the sword blade directly and pressing down sharply. A tremendous force traveled along the blade to the hilt.

Zu'an felt a jolt in his hand, almost losing his grip on the sword, but he hadn't intended to hold onto it anyway. Swiftly, a dark dagger appeared in his hand, and he thrust it at a tricky angle towards a nearby red tentacle. He knew it would be difficult to strike Xu Fu's main body given his cultivation, but the deadly dagger would have the same effect regardless of where it struck.

As expected, Xu Fu clearly hadn't anticipated this sudden move, and a section of one of his tentacles was severed.

Xu Fu frowned, pulling the tentacle closer. "Your combat skills are quite impressive, young man."

Zu'an's eyes widened. "Why are you unharmed?"

Xu Fu smiled, his gaze falling upon the dark dagger in Zu'an's hand. "I sense a strong aura of death from it. Perhaps others would perish instantly if stabbed by this dagger, but I am different. I long ago abandoned my flesh-and-blood body and have now merged with this blood pool. Your dagger, naturally, poses no threat to me."

Without a moment to feel frustrated, Zu'an immediately summoned the Ice Phoenix and cast the Snowflake Divine Sword, causing a thin layer of ice to gradually form over the blood pool.

Xu Fu's brow furrowed slightly. He simply snorted and flicked his sleeve, sending out a wave of blood-qi that instantly shattered the thin ice.

Zu'an didn't hesitate. He immediately summoned the Fire Phoenix and sent it plunging into the blood pool, aiming for a "heaven of ice and fire" to see if it could evaporate the pool.

The blood pool quickly boiled, but unfortunately, there was no sign of evaporation.

Xu Fu chuckled. "I used a secret deep-sea heritage method as a foundation, combined with the power of the five elements, to refine three thousand virgin boys and girls, along with so many accompanying Qin palace experts. This blood pool is long since invulnerable to fire and water, imperishable and immortal. How can your methods hope to deal with it?"

"If you were truly imperishable and immortal, why would you still be so obsessed with achieving longevity?" Zu'an scoffed, refusing to believe him, and charged forward again.

Unfortunately, the gap between their powers was too vast, and Zu'an was quickly knocked to the ground. However, his recovery ability was strong, and he charged again, only to be knocked down swiftly once more, repeating the cycle. Seeing him battered and bruised, being tossed around like a broken sandbag, Bi Linglong rushed in to help midway, but she was thrashed by a tentacle in just one round, her body feeling like it would fall apart. She couldn't even get up; the cultivation gap between them was simply too immense for her to even qualify to fight.

Watching Zu'an's miserable state, her eyes were already wet with tears. "Azhu, give up. We can't win. I'll die with you, and we'll spare ourselves the torture," she said, her voice choked with sobs.

Zu'an spat out a mouthful of blood, let out a "heh," and his eyes shone with exceptional resolve. "A person can be defeated, but not knocked down. How can we give up until the very last moment?"

Witnessing this scene, Mi Li fell silent. She remembered their first meeting, when he had also been beaten into a bloody mess by her, yet he had never given in, fighting tirelessly...

Xu Fu nodded appreciatively. "You're a stubborn young man, and it seems you've even cultivated the Qin royal family's 'Primordial Genesis Scripture.' This body is quite good; if I re-refine it, it could qualify as my new vessel."

Zu'an: "..." *What's going on? If it were pretty girls coveting my body, that would be one thing, but why is it always these old monsters lusting after my physical form? Who have I provoked, for crying out loud?*

At this point, Mi Li spoke up. "Azhu, rest for a moment. You can't defeat him like this. Let me handle it."

Zu'an was a little surprised. "You can move now?"

Mi Li didn't answer directly. Instead, she said, "Take that little girl and leave here quickly, as fast as you can." Immediately, her flickering form grew much brighter, and her aura surged.

Zu'an thought she had broken free, but before he could rejoice, he heard Xu Fu say, "You want to self-detonate your soul and take me with you? Unfortunately, you're trapped by the grand formation. Even if you self-detonate, you won't harm me much, and your pure Yin essence will only be refined more quickly by this formation."

Mi Li replied, "To do something even when you know it's impossible – whether it works or not, one must always try. I learned that from a certain little rascal." After speaking, she glanced at Zu'an, her eyes filled with amusement.

Zu'an's heart jolted. He knew Mi Li was resolved to die, and from Xu Fu's tone, he understood it would be of little use. He rushed over to stop her. "Master, don't be rash. I still have a plan."

"You have a plan?" Mi Li frowned. They had been together for so long that she knew Zu'an inside out. What kind of plan could he possibly have now?

"Trust me," Zu'an said, grasping her hand, his gaze firm.

Mi Li's eyes widened. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable, convincing power in his tone. She temporarily halted her suicidal act, and her form stabilized.

At this, Xu Fu burst into laughter. "You have a plan? What kind of plan could you possibly have, hahaha! Young people love to brag, even when death is staring them in the face."

Zu'an ignored him and looked directly at Mi Li. "Who is the most powerful person in all your memories?"

Mi Li answered without hesitation, instinctively. "Qin Shi Huang, of course."

Zu'an nodded, then looked at Xu Fu. "And you? Who do you think ranks first?"

Xu Fu snorted. "Indeed, it was Qin Shi Huang back then, but now, it's likely me." Mi Li scoffed, clearly finding his words arrogant.

"Very well," Zu'an said, standing perfectly straight, his entire being exuding an inexplicable aura. Then he activated the "Key Come" skill, and a majestic voice echoed through the room, "I am Qin Shi Huang!"