Chapter 166: Soul-Calming Seal

Rage from Zombie General Zhang Han: 999!

"Zhang Han?" Zu An was momentarily stunned. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

He had no time to ponder. He could barely handle the zombie soldiers before, and now a zombie general had appeared. Just the power in its voice told him this was someone he absolutely couldn't afford to provoke.

He had wondered earlier why he was able to pick the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus so easily. Such a rare treasure should, by all accounts, be guarded by a strange beast.

Now, the guardian had indeed arrived!

He scooped up Chu Chuyan and tried to run, but the opponent was too fast; he had no time to escape.

A plume of black smoke rose, and a black-armored general slowly emerged on horseback.

After it appeared, it scanned its surroundings, then glared at the terracotta warriors nearby. "Why didn't you stop the invaders?"

The terracotta warriors remained silent, as if wishing they could say, "We're aggrieved too! That terrible light in his hand makes us lose our color instantly!"

Zu An also noticed Qiao Xueying, held by the black-armored general. Seeing her dazed expression, he wondered if she had been broken.

Oh, right, where was Brother Ri Bi? Had he already been killed?

Why would this black-armored general spare Qiao Xueying? Are zombies lustful too?

Zu An felt a strange admiration for himself; even in such a life-or-death situation, he still had the presence of mind to think such chaotic thoughts.

The black-armored general's gaze shifted to them, then to the pond behind them, and it instantly cried out in alarm, "No—"

Its figure flickered, appearing almost instantly beside them. Staring at the vanished Vanishing Phantasm Lotus in the pond, its entire body trembled. "You... you actually picked this?! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?!"

Rage from Zombie General Zhang Han: 1024!

Zu An now experienced the same pain Qiao Xueying and the others had felt. The immense pressure made it hard for him to breathe.

He had just risen a rank and was feeling overconfident, but the harsh reality immediately doused him with cold water.

He knew the power gap between them was too vast. His only hope lay in the magical flashlight he held. Biting his tongue to stay alert, he quickly raised the flashlight and shone it at the general.

Noticing the white light in his hand, the black-armored general uttered a sound of surprise. Its figure became a blur. Although light was fast, Zu An's hand didn't move quickly, so dodging it was not difficult.

Feeling the general appear beside him, Zu An was startled. He frantically tried to redirect the flashlight, but his elbow went numb, and the flashlight slipped from his grasp, flying into the nearby pond. Perhaps due to water ingress, the light quickly vanished.

Zu An secretly congratulated himself, fortunate that he had quickly retrieved the item into his keyboard space. Otherwise, losing it would have been heartbreaking.

He knew that given the disparity in their strength, even if he took out the flashlight again, it wouldn't harm the general in the slightest and would only expose his secret. So, he simply pretended the flashlight had truly fallen into the water.

"Where is the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus? Hand it over!" The black-armored general extended a hand, staring coldly at Zu An and Chu Chuyan. As for Qiao Xueying, she had already been thrown aside, not moving an inch.

Zu An swallowed, saying with difficulty, "What lotus? I didn't see any."

At the same time, he cursed the mysterious woman he had just met. Why hadn't she warned him that such a powerful individual was guarding this place? Otherwise, he would have run away long ago.

Wait a minute, she deliberately lured me here and now she's disappeared. What exactly is she planning?

Hearing his reply, the black-armored warrior let out a heavy snort. Just as it was about to speak, it suddenly sniffed and glared at Chu Chuyan in Zu An's arms. "You... you actually ate it!"

Chu Chuyan's expression subtly changed. She looked up at Zu An. "You... you just gave me the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus to eat?"

Zu An nodded with a bitter smile. The general was no fool; at this point, denying it would be pointless.

Chu Chuyan became anxious. "Weren't you looking for this to lift the seal on your body? What about you, now that you've given it to me?"

Zu An sighed. "There will always be a way. If worst comes to worst, this is it. I couldn't just watch you die, could I?"

Hearing his words, Qiao Xueying, who was nearby, subtly stirred. Clearly, she was also aware of Zu An's hidden ailment. He had actually used something vital to his future happiness to save Miss...

She had always looked down on this useless hooligan, feeling that he was worlds apart from her young master. But everything that happened today made her question her previous judgment, especially how Shi Kun had just used her as a human shield, while Zu An made such a great sacrifice to save Chu Chuyan. The two actions formed a stark contrast.

The black-armored general, however, had no time to listen to their conversation. Instead, it stood solemnly by the pond, watching as the once mirror-like surface began to churn slightly. Deep beneath the water, faint, ethereal blue lights seemed to appear.

It quickly raised its hands, forming a complex seal. Immediately, black energy surged from its palms, continuously spreading over the pond.

After a long while, the water's surface finally returned to calm. However, faint blue lights could still be vaguely seen, continuously pushing against the black energy on the surface, as if they could break through at any moment.

"What is he doing?" Zu An noticed the black-armored general's unusual behavior. He wanted to seize the opportunity to escape, but the pressure on him hadn't lessened, making it impossible to move.

"It looks like he's setting up some sort of formation, sealing something beneath the water," Chu Chuyan, who knew more about the world's common knowledge, replied casually. At this moment, her heart was in turmoil, constantly thinking about how Zu An had used the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus to save her.

Even as a woman, and an innocent maiden at that, she still understood how crucial that ability was for men—to some extent, even more important than their lives.

He actually sacrificed so much for me...

Chu Chuyan's expression suddenly became distant, lost in thought.

The black-armored general turned back, looking somewhat fatigued, but its gaze toward the group grew even fiercer. "You actually destroyed the Great Soul-Suppressing Seal here! Fortunately, you only just consumed the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus, and its medicinal properties haven't fully dispersed. I'll use your body for a blood sacrifice, hoping to appease those restless spirits!"

With a wave of its hand, Chu Chuyan flew into its grasp.

Zu An strained with all his might but couldn't hold onto her, feeling both shocked and enraged. "What are you doing!"

"I told you," the black-armored general declared, "I will use the flesh and blood of you invaders to repair the grand formation and appease the restless spirits." With a casual wave, terracotta warriors quickly ran over and restrained Zu An and Qiao Xueying. "Take them to the altar."

Its own figure flickered, appearing on a circular platform a hundred meters away, where it placed Chu Chuyan onto a stone slab.

Chu Chuyan's meridians were now completely severed; she couldn't move at all. She wasn't afraid of death, but she worriedly looked at Zu An on the other side. He had sacrificed so much for her; if he also died, her conscience would never be at peace.

Zu An and Qiao Xueying were escorted by the terracotta warriors towards the circular platform. At this moment, Zu An's mind was churning. He recalled the black-armored general's words about them destroying a 'Great Soul-Suppressing Seal,' which sounded like some kind of sealing formation.

But we didn't do anything after coming in, did we? Except pick that Vanishing Phantasm Lotus.

Wait!

He quickly looked back and saw that the lotus leaves on the pond, which had glowed like flowing jade, had lost their luster. The mist that had previously surrounded them had also vanished, and the leaves themselves were beginning to wither and decay.

Could it be that the lotus leaves and the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus were the sealing formation? And the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus was the most crucial formation eye?

What the hell!

Zu An couldn't help but curse under his breath. If it was such an important formation, why weren't there better protective measures, allowing him to approach so easily?

However, he suddenly noticed the densely packed formation of terracotta warriors nearby and immediately stopped complaining.

These guys must have been protecting this grand formation. Originally, with their power, even if Chu Zhongtian came, he probably wouldn't have been able to get near the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus. But he just happened to have an overpowered flashlight...

Was this luck, or misfortune?

What exactly was sealed at the bottom of this pond, that even the terrifying zombie general was so afraid?

Could it be that woman named Mi Li?

A thought flashed through his mind: this woman had lured him here from the very beginning. It seemed she had been plotting all along.

But that woman's voice was so pleasant; it was hard to associate her with anything truly terrifying.

"What are you thinking about?" Qiao Xueying's voice suddenly reached his ears.

Zu An looked back and saw Qiao Xueying staring at him with wide eyes. "Huh, you're not dead?"

Qiao Xueying: "..."

How could this guy still be so annoying? Just hearing him speak made her want to hit him.

However, given the current situation, she couldn't bring herself to be angry.

"Why did you give the Vanishing Phantasm Lotus to Miss?" she couldn't help but ask.

"She's my wife," Zu An snorted. "Could I just watch her die?"

Qiao Xueying said in a low voice, "Others might not know, but don't I understand your relationship? What kind of husband and wife are you?"

"Stop talking," Zu An gasped, taking a sharp breath. "I was already feeling a bit regretful, and the more you say, the more my heart aches. Are you trying to deliberately annoy me?"

A faint smile appeared on Qiao Xueying's face. "That's more like your usual self."

Before, she found his roguish demeanor annoying, but now she felt he was exceptionally genuine, without pretense.

Thinking of Shi Kun, her expression darkened again.

In the meantime, the two of them were also escorted onto the circular platform.

"Wife!"

"Miss!"

Seeing Chu Chuyan lying on the stone slab, both of them cried out in alarm.

"I... I'm fine," Chu Chuyan replied weakly. However, she knew that 'fine for now' didn't mean 'fine later.'

Zu An finally had a chance to examine the place. He found it resembled the altars he used to see on television, with many strange symbols on the ground. In the very center was the stone slab where Chu Chuyan lay, surrounded by numerous bottles and jars, their contents unknown.

Additionally, nine massive pillars encircled the circular platform. Each pillar was adorned with a dragon-like carving, so lifelike that even the scales were perfectly rendered, looking exactly like the dragons from Eastern mythology.

Zu An and Qiao Xueying, meanwhile, were tied to two of the stone pillars.

The black-armored general drew a blade and walked towards them. "First, let your fresh blood preheat the altar. Who will go first this time?"