Chapter 179: The Secret Realm of Heaven

Zu'an frowned. This woman seemed very hostile towards men. Judging by her tone, she must have been deeply hurt by Qin Shi Huang back then, to the point of hating all men.

"Who was flirting with him? Where is the Heaven Seal? Let's go to the third trial now!" Qiao Xueying quickly retorted.

Mi Li's voice rang out again: "Honestly, you've quite surprised me. To think you managed to break both the Human Seal and the Earth Seal consecutively. Though you look a bit disheveled, you don't seem to have suffered much loss, which is truly a miracle. I'm well aware of Ying Zheng's methods; logically, you shouldn't have been able to get past those two trials."

Zu'an knew she was speaking the truth. In the Human Seal, if Qiao Xueying's extendable hair hadn't tripped those giant bronze figures, and if the Deathly Dagger hadn't been indestructible, even with higher cultivation, it would have been impossible to defeat the twelve bronze figures with their astonishing offense, defense, and self-recovery abilities.

The Earth Seal was even more reliant on fortuitous circumstances. If he hadn't had the magical flashlight to suppress the Terracotta Army, known how to dig trenches to avoid arrow rain, and set up rat holes to deal with the cavalry, all while using the Sunflower Phantasm movement technique to dodge across the battlefield, anyone else would have been crushed to dust by the army long ago.

Even so, he nearly died. It was only thanks to Qiao Xueying sacrificing half of her lifespan to save him that he survived.

Not to mention Shi Kun, even eighth-rank masters like Chu Zhongtian wouldn't have been able to pass.

"Since you knew we likely wouldn't make it through, why did you still make us take the risk?" Zu'an couldn't help but ask.

Mi Li's pleasant, yet unsettling laughter echoed through the underground palace: "Letting you try doesn't cost me anything. Even if you fail, at worst, I'll just wait a few more years for the next fated individuals to arrive. After all, I have plenty of time."

Zu'an: "..."

Qiao Xueying: "..."

"So, you're treating us like test subjects?" Zu'an gritted his teeth, remembering how he had nearly lost his life several times already.

"You could choose not to go. I'm not forcing you," Mi Li replied coldly.

Zu'an wanted to leave immediately, but remembering that Chu Chuyan was waiting for him to rescue her, he suppressed the urge. "Alright, I'll go!"

As he spoke, he walked towards the Heaven Seal. Qiao Xueying quickly followed, and together they stepped onto the formation where the Heaven Seal was located.

A flash of white light enveloped them. Once the sensation of weightlessness vanished, both were stunned. They had expected the Heaven Seal to be even more perilous, a veritable den of dragons and tigers, but the scene before them was far from it.

They saw small bridges over flowing streams, smoke curling from chimneys, and a gentle breeze carrying the chirping of birds. In the distance, men could be vaguely seen tilling fields, women weaving cloth in courtyards, chickens foraging in the fields, and dogs lazily basking in the sun at the village entrance.

"This is the Heaven Seal?" Qiao Xueying's tone was full of uncertainty. The scene before them was that of a completely serene mountain village; there was no sign of danger whatsoever.

Zu'an said gravely, "Don't be fooled by appearances. It's possible that everyone in this village is a top master."

"Top masters?" Qiao Xueying looked at the people in the distance. "I can't see it at all. Although a few have spiritual energy fluctuations, their cultivation is even lower than yours, so they definitely don't count as masters."

"What do you mean 'even lower than yours'?" Zu'an immediately became agitated, only then realizing their hands had intertwined again without them noticing.

Noticing this, both of them quickly withdrew their hands.

"It was just to prevent being teleported to different places," Qiao Xueying said, her gaze flickering.

"Right, that's what I thought too." Zu'an also mused, *What the hell? Why do I keep grabbing this sharp-tongued girl's hand?*

To diffuse the awkwardness, Qiao Xueying quickly said, "Oh, right, I think we shouldn't easily trust that woman. Since she's trapped here by multiple seals, it proves she's a very dangerous individual. If we release her, we'll have no means to control her. What if she refuses to treat Miss Chu or turns on us? We'd be in danger."

Zu'an knew she was referring to Mi Li. "I know that, but we have no other options now, unless we're willing to just watch Chuyan be sacrificed."

Qiao Xueying fell silent. They could seize the opportunity to escape, but Chu Chuyan would be doomed. From any perspective, she couldn't stand by idly.

Zu'an looked at the distant village. "For now, let's focus on dealing with this Heaven Seal. Judging by the nature of the previous two seals, we're very likely to die here."

Qiao Xueying hummed in acknowledgment and secretly focused her mind, remaining vigilant. Fortunately, Zu'an's spiritual medicine had mostly restored her, and although she wasn't at peak condition, she now had the power to protect herself.

They walked to the village entrance, originally intending to ask a local villager for directions. To their surprise, the dog lazily sunning itself by the entrance suddenly leaped up and barked furiously at them.

At first, Zu'an thought it was some kind of fierce beast, but after looking at it for a while, he realized it was just an ordinary Chinese rural dog, exactly as he remembered them. To cultivators in this world, it posed absolutely no threat.

However, its barking quickly attracted the attention of the villagers. Many of them, holding hoes and carrying poles, gathered around them cautiously. The burly man at the forefront said in a deep voice, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Zu'an stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "Hello, we were just passing by and got lost. Could you tell us what this place is?"

The burly man frowned. "Judging by your shifty appearance, you're probably an escaped criminal. Leave quickly, or we'll report you to the authorities!"

Zu'an: "..."

*What the hell? It's bad enough calling me an escaped criminal, but why say I look shifty and cunning? Which eye of yours saw me that way?*

*I'm clearly as handsome as a jade tree facing the wind; are you perhaps blind?*

He was so angry he was about to argue, but Qiao Xueying pulled him aside. She stepped forward and smiled faintly. "Hello, kind sir. My brother and I encountered bandits a few days ago and have been fleeing ever since. We barely managed to escape them. Passing through your esteemed village, we dared not intrude, but we lost all our belongings during our escape and are now both hungry and thirsty. We were wondering if you might spare us some water?"

The burly man's immediate impression of her changed for the better upon seeing her delicate beauty. Hearing her words, he then noticed that half of her dress was soaked with blood from behind, which made him feel even more pity. He quickly said, "Those bandits are truly despicable, hurting a young lady like this. Please, come in and rest. We'll get you some water and food, and have a doctor prescribe some herbal medicine for you."

Soon, a group of people clustered around her, heading into the village. As Qiao Xueying left, she turned back and playfully winked at him, looking very smug.

*What's wrong with these villagers? I spoke to them with a friendly face, and they treated me like a thief and drove me away. Qiao Xueying, despite being covered in blood and not looking like a law-abiding citizen, was met with warmth and concern instead?*

*Is this a world that judges by appearance?*

*But where is my face worse than hers?*

After much thought, Zu'an could only attribute it to Qiao Xueying being a woman. *Hmph, these villagers might look simple and honest, but every single one of them is a lecher!*

He followed them with a sulky expression, watching the group bring Qiao Xueying tea and water, and even find an old physician to prescribe medicine for her.

Zu'an secretly grumbled, *That naive fool Xue'er is accepting everything. Isn't she afraid they'll poison the water?*

Fortunately, Qiao Xueying wasn't completely lost in the attention. While thanking the villagers, she took the opportunity to inquire about the place. "Brother Chen, what place is this?"

In this short time, she had already learned the burly man's surname. It had to be said that women naturally had an advantage in some matters.

"This is Chen Family Village in Dong Commandery," the burly man replied.

"Dong Commandery?" Qiao Xueying was startled. To her knowledge, there was no place called Dong Commandery in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Zu'an, however, frowned. He knew that the seals left by Qin Shi Huang were definitely not from the Great Zhou Dynasty, but from the Great Qin Dynasty. He vaguely recalled that the Qin state indeed had a Dong Commandery under its jurisdiction, roughly located in the northeastern part of Henan Province and the western part of Shandong Province.

What exactly was going on with this Heaven Seal?

He had been carefully observing from the side. Most of these villagers were ordinary people, and even the few cultivators among them were pitifully weak. How could they possibly be the gatekeepers of the Heaven Seal?

"Miss Qiao, please leave quickly after a brief rest. After all, your origins are unknown, and our village cannot afford to host you. If anything were to happen, our entire village would suffer collective punishment," the burly man named Chen Wei replied.

"Collective punishment..." Zu'an murmured to himself. Qin Dynasty laws were strict, frequently implementing collective punishment. Farmers were basically tied to their land and couldn't travel. People like them were either nobles or escaped criminals. If they were nobles, it would be fine, but if they were criminals and discovered by officials, the villagers might be collectively executed for not reporting them in time. No wonder they dared not take in strangers.

"Thank you, Brother Chen, and thank you, everyone," Qiao Xueying said. Not wanting to trouble them, she chatted for a little while longer before leaving Chen Family Village.

As they left the village entrance, Qiao Xueying waved goodbye to the villagers and asked with confusion, "What exactly is this Heaven Seal? I'm completely baffled."

"I don't understand either," Zu'an shook his head.

Qiao Xueying suggested, "How about we investigate around and see where these roads lead?"

"It's pointless," Zu'an said gravely. "Have you forgotten the Human Seal? We tried to enter the city back then, but couldn't. Now that we've been teleported to this village, the key to the seal must be within this village."

Qiao Xueying bit her lip. She knew it was true, but subconsciously, she didn't want it to be. "So what do we do now? We can't even get into the village."

Zu'an rolled his eyes. "Are you stupid? Just sneak in and investigate after dark."

Qiao Xueying didn't retort; she just sighed deeply. "These people were quite kind to me. I hope we don't have to become their enemies."

"The Chu family was also very kind to you, yet you still turned against them just like that," Zu'an sneered.

Qiao Xueying immediately grew annoyed. "Are you ever going to stop? Why have you been so thorny with your words since earlier?"

"Was I? I was just speaking the truth," Zu'an shrugged, turning his head away awkwardly.

Qiao Xueying suddenly laughed. "I get it! You must be feeling unbalanced because they were so kind to me but ignored you, right?"

"Nonsense! Do you think I'd care about such things?" Zu'an immediately turned and walked away. "Let's walk around and examine the terrain surrounding the village. The sun is about to set."

He wasn't overly concerned about the time. From his two previous experiences breaking through seals, he had discovered that time flowed differently inside the seals than in the outside world. As long as he didn't prolong his stay here too much, he should have enough time.

"Just as I thought, he's still that petty man!" Qiao Xueying bounced along behind him, a smile on her face as she teased him, suddenly feeling much better.

That should be it for the two updates today.