Chapter 883: Smoke Clears

Xu Fu, who had been watching the scene with a relaxed attitude, finally changed his expression. He hadn't rushed to intervene earlier because he had perceived Ying Zheng's strength to be severely depleted, posing no threat to him.

Thinking of the Qin Emperor, who had once held such high authority and instilled fear in him, Xu Fu longed to see fear and panic on his face now that their positions were reversed. It would be even better if the Emperor knelt and begged for mercy.

A thorn had always remained in his heart since he offered his beloved woman to the Emperor years ago.

Although his scheme had succeeded, that incident had always made him feel like a loser in Ying Zheng's presence. Now, he intended to completely reverse their roles.

He even glanced at Mi Li, thinking, "You were with my beloved woman back then; should I have you now?"

Although Mi Li was currently a soul, he mused that a spiritual connection was not out of the question.

However, the situation suddenly changed: Ying Zheng had called for reinforcements!

While he didn't believe Ying Zheng's reinforcements could defeat him, he dared not underestimate the situation any longer. He immediately brandished countless tentacles, transforming into a cloud of blood mist, and lunged towards his opponent.

Even from a distance, Bi Linglong could smell the dense stench of blood, which made her feel nauseous and repulsed. It wasn't merely the smell of fresh blood, but a concoction infused with the resentment of countless living beings. If affected by it, one would transform into one of thousands of vengeful spirits.

With a wave of Zu An's sleeve, the scenery instantly changed. They were no longer in the previous room, but on a vast platform.

Bi Linglong immediately noticed that this was the plaza in front of the palace gate they had passed when they arrived.

Xu Fu's previous attack naturally missed its mark. Observing his surroundings, his brow furrowed deeper. Did his opponent possess the ability to manipulate space?

No, he thought, it must be that he had previously set up some mechanisms within this palace to achieve all this.

Soon, an alarm blared in his mind. He suddenly looked up and saw that the previously empty space around Zu An and the others was now filled with numerous black-armored soldiers. Each stood with a solemn expression, their neat formation exuding an overwhelming aura of killing intent.

What struck him more was that the two leading generals were unmistakably Wang Jian, holding a powerful bow, and Bai Qi, with a gigantic scythe beside him.

"Terracotta Warriors!" Xu Fu muttered through gritted teeth. In an instant, he finally understood why the First Qin Emperor had expended so much effort to build the Terracotta Army. At the time, many secretly debated whether it was a foolish fantasy to have these armies protect him in the afterlife, but now it had truly come to pass.

"Long live our Emperor, long live!" the Terracotta Warriors proclaimed, each holding a halberd or weapon, kneeling in perfect formation before Zu An.

Though Terracotta Warriors could not speak, the plaza now reverberated with a sound like mountains roaring and seas surging.

Mi Li, standing nearby, seemed lost in thought. In that moment, she felt as if she had returned to the Great Qin Dynasty, to the time of the Empress's wedding when countless civil and military officials and soldiers had paid their respects to the couple in a similar manner.

As the Crown Princess, Bi Linglong had experienced similar scenes, but neither in number nor in imposing aura had they ever been as impactful as this.

She gazed blankly at Zu An's profile, thinking to herself, "This guy is actually quite handsome when he's serious."

At this, Xu Fu burst into laughter. "I thought you had some hidden trump card! You mean you plan to fight me with mere clay figures?"

Bi Linglong also looked worried. Previously, these Terracotta Warriors had only severely injured Zhao Ruizhi when they surrounded him. Now that Xu Fu had absorbed a fragment of Zhao Ruizhi's soul, his strength was clearly superior. These Terracotta Warriors, she feared, might not be enough...

Zu An remained expressionless, pointing his sword forward. "Kill him!"

The Tai'a Sword shimmered with light, like countless stars, showering down upon the endless soldiers around them.

The kneeling Terracotta Warriors rose in unison, then turned as one towards Xu Fu.

Heavy footsteps echoed, and simultaneously, the Terracotta Warriors marched, rhythmically striking their swords against their shields. The sound was like the war drums of death or a summoning call for souls, and a chilling aura of slaughter immediately filled the air.

Xu Fu's expression instantly changed. He noticed that these Terracotta Warriors seemed different from before.

He wasted no time, brandishing countless tentacles and charging forward. He intended to break through their defenses and directly eliminate Ying Zheng.

The Terracotta Warriors in the front row were instantly shattered by the lashing tentacles. However, the soldiers behind immediately filled the gaps in the formation, continuing to press forward like an iron flood.

Initially, Xu Fu was unstoppable; wherever his tentacles reached, everything was destroyed.

Originally, the tentacles formed from this special blood pool could absorb the vital energy and even souls of living beings, making them inherently invincible. Unfortunately, these Terracotta Warriors were not living organisms and possessed no vital essence for him to absorb and replenish himself.

On the contrary, precisely because of this, they lacked the fear of human armies. Even as Xu Fu wreaked havoc, they remained expressionless, mechanically executing their generals' orders, always maintaining an impenetrable formation.

Xu Fu glanced at Bai Qi and Wang Jian, who were directing the troops. As contemporaries, he naturally knew how extraordinarily skilled these two were at commanding armies.

If it had been any other general, even with so many Terracotta Warriors, he would have long since broken open a gap and escaped. But under the command of these two renowned generals, the Terracotta Army, seemingly inexhaustible and unkillable, constantly maintained the most perfect formation to attack him.

A chill gradually crept into his heart, and he could no longer hold his ground, retreating continuously. However, this retreat quickly turned into a rout, and he was instantly overwhelmed by the Terracotta Army.

Xu Fu roared, erupting with a terrifying aura as he transformed back into the gigantic octopus form. Clearly, he was fighting for his life.

With a single sweep of his enormous tentacles, a large swath of Terracotta Warriors fell. At the same time, many other tentacles lunged towards Zu An's direction.

Bi Linglong's face turned pale. She couldn't help but recall how the once arrogant Zhao Ruizhi had also been devoured by this very form.

Mi Li, standing by, comforted her, "There's no need to worry. No matter how high an individual's cultivation, facing an army, defeat is the only outcome."

No sooner had she spoken than Wang Jian drew his bow and released a series of streaking lights, severing each of the tentacles extending towards them.

At the same time, his archer and crossbow units unleashed a volley, and a dense, overwhelming rain of arrows poured down upon the giant octopus.

Earlier, when Xu Fu appeared in his human form, he was too small and fast for arrows to be effective. But now, transformed into such a massive octopus, he was practically a sitting duck.

The great octopus roared repeatedly, but unfortunately for him, these arrows were no ordinary projectiles; they all possessed magic-breaking capabilities.

Before long, he couldn't stand it anymore and reverted to his human form.

"He's been punctured and deflated," Bi Linglong chuckled, a weight lifting from her heart as she saw Xu Fu's disheveled appearance.

"Ying Zheng, if you have the guts, duel me fair and square!" Xu Fu roared, both shocked and enraged.

Zu An remained expressionless. "With the Emperor's Sword in My hand, why would I engage in a petty duel with you?"

Xu Fu's breath caught. For his opponent, as the Son of Heaven, to engage him in a one-on-one duel would indeed be foolish.

He couldn't help but lament how fortunes had turned. He had once used overwhelming numbers to his advantage, only to have it returned to him twofold today.

Naturally, he wasn't willing to sit idly by and wait for death. He transformed into a pool of blood and spread out, thinking that no matter how tight the Terracotta Warriors' formation, it couldn't stop something as pervasive as water.

Just then, Bai Qi, who had been commanding the troops, moved. He transformed into a cloud of black mist and lunged directly at the pool of blood.

Soon, the pool of blood and the black mist intertwined, making it impossible for outsiders to intervene.

Bi Linglong looked worried. "Master, you mentioned before that this Bai... Bai Qi's cultivation is far from what it was in life. In a one-on-one fight, he might not be a match for that villain."

Hearing her call her "Master," just as Zu An did, Mi Li's expression was peculiar, but she still replied, "Xu Fu had already expended a great deal of energy fighting the army for so long. As for Bai Qi, for some reason, he seems to have recovered his peak strength. It's strange."

Shortly after she finished speaking, a black figure suddenly leaped out. Its dark scythe hooked into the pool of blood, pulling out a soul frantically clutching its neck and struggling. Who else could it be but Xu Fu?

With a flash of the scythe, the soul's head fell, and then the entire soul dissipated into thin air.

Bai Qi approached Zu An and bowed. "Your Majesty, I have not failed your command!"

Zu An nodded. "You have fulfilled your mission of guarding for ten thousand years. Rest in peace."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Led by Bai Qi, all the Terracotta Warriors knelt before Zu An in salute. Then, a gentle breeze swept through, and they all crumbled into dust, vanishing with the wind, leaving the entire plaza desolate and quiet.

The surrounding environment twisted, and everyone found themselves back in the original altar room.

Zu An turned to look at the two women beside him. Bi Linglong tremblingly asked, "Ah Zu, is that you?"

Zu An did not reply, instead silently looking at Mi Li.

Mi Li scoffed, "What, are you going to kill me next? Continue activating this Grand Array of Yin-Yang and Five Elements to seek immortality?"