Chapter 168: Undead Legion

Zu'an was startled; he hadn't expected the other person to be so terrified. He seized the opportunity to ask, "What crime have you committed?"

The black mist on Zhang Han's face trembled violently, as if he were weeping bitterly. "I was entrusted with a great responsibility," he said. "Although I achieved some temporary victories, I ultimately allowed the empire's elite main force to be destroyed. I squandered the empire's last hope, leading to the eventual downfall of Great Qin at the hands of the remnants of the six eastern states."

Zu'an thought to himself that this history was indeed no different from what he remembered. Worried about agitating him, he didn't press further. Instead, he sighed deeply, "Alas, it was fate. No human power could have changed it."

Zhang Han was taken aback. He thought that the Emperor in his memory was unyielding and fierce, with strict laws, so it was quite unexpected that he was so gentle with him.

Zu'an thought for a moment, then looked towards the distant pond. "What exactly is sealed in there that frightens you so much?" he asked. This was what he was most curious about. He wasn't worried about revealing too much, after all, historically, Zhang Han was mainly active during the reign of Qin Er Shi, so it would be perfectly normal for Qin Shihuang not to know some things about him.

Zhang Han replied, "Hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits of rebels from the six eastern states are sealed there. They were previously suppressed by the Soul-Suppressing Seal. Who would have thought, Your Majesty, that you..."

Zu'an looked a bit embarrassed. "Then they must be kept well-sealed," he said. "These rebel forces from the six states harbor extreme hatred for Great Qin. If they were to break free, they might disturb my Empress."

Hearing his words, the blue flames in Zhang Han's eyes flickered slightly, but he showed no other reaction.

"With your ability, my dear minister," Zu'an asked, "is there truly no other way to suppress these spirits?" He pointed to Chu Chuyan, who was nearby. "She is my friend in this life; release her."

Zhang Han said in a deep voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, for a thousand years, these hundreds of thousands of spirits have been suppressed by the Phantom Lotus of No Trace, which served as the core of the formation. Now that the core is lost, and the Soul-Suppressing Seal is on the verge of collapsing, we can only use this woman's flesh and blood to temporarily calm the restless legion of spirits, while she has not yet fully digested the Phantom Lotus's medicinal properties, to buy us more time to find another way to reinforce the seal."

"The empire is of utmost importance; women are of lesser concern. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."

Seeing that he still insisted on using Chu Chuyan for the blood sacrifice, Zu'an felt a pang of frustration. He wasn't the real Qin Shihuang after all, and the disparity in strength between them was too great. There was nothing he could do if the other party didn't obey him.

"However, this woman can be released," Zhang Han continued. "Let her serve Your Majesty so you won't be lonely." Zhang Han reached out, pulled Qiao Xueying towards him, and forced her to kneel before Zu'an.

Qiao Xueying struggled desperately, but how could her strength compare to Zhang Han's?

Looking at the defiant girl before him, Zu'an was immediately amused. "Call me Master; let me hear it?"

"Ptooey!" Qiao Xueying spat at his face, but Zhang Han blocked it.

"How dare you offend His Majesty! Die!" Zhang Han's voice was icy cold, and his body surged with black qi.

"Never mind, let her live," Zu'an hastily intervened. "She is, after all, my friend."

"Friend?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Zhang Han's tone.

Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. He could feel that the other party's tone was no longer as respectful as it had been initially. Could this guy have been testing him just now?

What kind of world is this? Do zombies also possess such high intelligence?

Just then, gurgling sounds came from the pond. The water's surface seemed to boil, constantly bubbling with various kinds of foam. The layer of black mist on the surface was violently agitated and seemed about to dissipate. One could even vaguely make out several blue phantoms breaking free from the pond.

Those blue, transparent phantoms were also clad in armor and wielded sharp blades, appearing to be extremely elite soldiers.

Zhang Han's expression changed drastically. With a wave of his hand, the steed enveloped in black mist silently appeared before him. He vaulted onto its back and charged towards the pond.

The terracotta warriors standing nearby seemed to have been summoned. They all picked up their weapons and followed him, charging towards the pond.

In this short time, hundreds of light-blue, semi-transparent warriors had already surged out from the pond. Unlike the zombie warriors from before, they seemed to have no physical form, appearing more like pure soul entities.

They saw Zhang Han, and each one opened its mouth, letting out a horrific roar. Although it was hard to tell if they actually made sounds, one could clearly sense the profound hatred radiating from their eyes.

They quickly formed ranks and charged directly towards Zhang Han's forces.

"Am I seeing things?" Zu'an rubbed his eyes. He couldn't shake the feeling that the formations and tactics of both sides were strangely similar.

However, he had no time to ponder these things. He quickly ran towards the central stone platform, wanting to seize this opportunity to rescue Chu Chuyan.

Qiao Xueying bit her lip and also ran along with him. Clearly, she also wanted to save Chu Chuyan.

"You saved me before, and now I'm saving you," Zu'an said to the girl beside him. "So we're even."

"Thank you," Qiao Xueying whispered, then huffed, "But I saved you twice before, so if you're counting, you still owe me one."

Zu'an was speechless.

This woman truly wouldn't allow herself to be at a disadvantage in words.

Too lazy to bicker with her, he hastily tried to untie the black ropes binding Chu Chuyan. But these black ropes, made of who knew what, despite having no physical form, were stronger than anything.

He even took out the Must-Die Dagger and tried it. Still, it was useless.

"Move!" Qiao Xueying formed a hand seal. Countless green leaves encircled her body and finally transformed into blade-like forms, slashing at the black ropes.

Unfortunately, the originally vibrant green leaves withered rapidly the moment they touched the black ropes. Qiao Xueying tried for a long time; the black ropes didn't budge. Instead, most of the vital energy she had painstakingly accumulated was depleted.

"These must be formed from the Zombie General's death qi," Chu Chuyan said. "The level difference between you and it is too great; you won't be able to undo them. You two should leave quickly; don't worry about me."

Zu'an shook his head. "You're my wife; how can I abandon you and run away alone? Besides, I even let you eat the Phantom Lotus of No Trace. If I don't rescue you, wouldn't I suffer a huge loss?"

Chu Chuyan was instantly torn between laughter and tears. One second she was deeply moved, and the next she heard words so perfectly in line with his character.

"Didn't that guy just kneel before you?" Qiao Xueying said anxiously. "Quickly order him to release Miss!"

Zu'an rolled his eyes. "Are you blind? I just did order him to release her. You saw the result yourself."

Qiao Xueying looked at Zhang Han, who was battling by the pond in the distance, and bit her thin lip tightly. "What do we do then?" she asked. "Once he finishes dealing with those ghost legions, he'll definitely come back to start the blood sacrifice."

Zu'an was also at a loss. In the face of absolute power, no amount of schemes would be useful.

"Later, I'll be more assertive," Zu'an said. "Hopefully, that will make him stop." At this point, Zu'an could only rely on his identity as Qin Shihuang.

"Hmph, naive!" Just then, a woman's voice echoed in his mind.

"You're finally out!" Zu'an gritted his teeth. Speaking of which, this woman was the culprit.

"Who are you talking to?" Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan were both startled.

Zu'an was startled. Could it be that they couldn't hear the woman's voice?

"Do you think Zhang Han truly believes you are Ying Zheng?" the woman said coldly. "Once he finishes dealing with things over there and returns, not only will this woman die, but you won't survive either."