Chapter 184: Woman in the Crystal Coffin

Zu An pouted. "It's perfectly normal for me to have secrets from you. You're not my wife, so don't act like you're one of us."

Qiao Xueying: "..."

Qiao Xueying's anger level rose to 666!

This guy really makes you want to hit him!

Qiao Xueying suppressed the urge in her heart and simply ignored his comment. "How did you know he went to find Wu Guang? I always feel like you have some kind of foresight."

"What's with all the 'you, you, you' and 'I, I, I'? Aren't you going to call me 'Big Brother' anymore?" Zu An grumbled. "That's my brilliant foresight at work. You'll discover even more amazing things about me later."

"Look at you showing off!" Qiao Xueying snorted. However, since he had come to her aid and rescued the people of Chen Village, she was in a much better mood and didn't bother to argue further. "Still, I wonder when the seal will actually be broken."

"The imperial court might need to confirm it," Zu An said, feeling a bit anxious himself. He wasn't sure if their actions would truly deceive the authorities.

Meanwhile, Lord Wang had just finished fabricating the scene and was using a communication mirror to report their pre-arranged narrative to the imperial court.

Immediately after, Zu An felt a slight distortion in his vision, followed by a familiar sensation of weightlessness. By the time he recovered his senses, he and Qiao Xueying were back in the familiar underground palace.

"How do you have no injuries at all? You actually broke the Seal of Heaven so easily!" Mi Li's voice, a mix of surprise and delight, echoed in his ears. Clearly, she hadn't truly expected them to manage breaking the three incredibly difficult seals.

Easy?

Zu An reflected on the process of breaking the Seal of Heaven. Compared to the first two stages, it wasn't particularly difficult. This stage didn't test cultivation or combat abilities; instead, it was a test of judgment and... luck.

If he hadn't decided to save the people of Chen Village out of kindness, and if he hadn't known the historical outcome in advance – specifically that Chen Sheng couldn't die – it would have been impossible to cut through the dense fog and find that single glimmer of hope.

Anyone else, even another transmigrator who didn't know this history, no matter how high their cultivation, would surely have faced certain death upon entering.

While he was momentarily lost in thought, the sealing array on the ground opened, revealing a pitch-black hole.

Zu An asked in a deep voice, "With all three seals broken, can you come out now?"

Mi Li's voice replied, "My coffin is on the next level. If you remove the sword hanging over it for me, I'll be able to come out."

Zu An was about to jump down, but Qiao Xueying grabbed his hand. "Be careful," she warned, "it might be a trap."

Zu An nodded. "How about you wait for me here? If things go south, immediately go and lure that black-armored general over so they can fight each other... No, wait, that's not right. If something serious happens, you wouldn't be able to escape her with her cultivation anyway. So, here's what you do: go straight back to Chu Yan. First, you can protect her and buy some time. Second, if I haven't returned after the time it takes an incense stick to burn, then you can inform the black-armored general about what's down here."

Qiao Xueying hesitated. "No, I'll go down with you. We can look out for each other if anything happens."

"No, you'd be no match for her even if you went down," Zu An shook his head. "We can't put all our eggs in one basket."

Qiao Xueying fell silent. She knew she couldn't even defeat Zhang Han, let alone Mi Li inside. Going down would likely be a suicide mission; it was better to stay above and act as a backup. "Alright," she conceded, "be careful."

Zu An nodded and carefully jumped down to the next level. The space there was small, with a faintly glowing crystal coffin in the very center.

As he was about to approach, a cold voice suddenly echoed in his ear: "Who did you just say should 'dog-eat-dog'?"

"Oh, you heard that." Zu An's face flushed. It was, after all, quite embarrassing to be caught badmouthing someone.

Mi Li let out a long sigh. "Old people's ears are more sensitive than when they were young. I might not always hear compliments, but for some reason, I can always hear insults."

Zu An's expression quickly returned to normal. He immediately replied, "Your Majesty's divine power is truly unparalleled. My admiration for you is like the surging rivers, endless and unbroken, and like the Yellow River in flood, an unstoppable force once unleashed!"

Mi Li: "..."

A soft scoff soon echoed through the space. "Your glib tongue reminds me of Zhao Gao from back then. I don't like it at all."

Now it was Zu An's turn to be speechless. He never expected to be compared to Zhao Gao, especially since Zhao Gao was a eunuch!

Thinking of his own hidden ailment, he felt a momentary disarray. *Damn it*, he thought, *even if I'm not the reincarnation of the First Emperor, don't make me the reincarnation of Zhao Gao!*

"Alright, quickly help me retrieve the sword – the one suspended in mid-air," Mi Li's voice echoed again. "This sword is the energy source of the Great Soul-Suppressing Seal. Any other person would be pierced through the heart by its sword qi before even getting close. But you just broke the Soul-Suppressing Array, so you've already gained its recognition. There will be no danger for you to pull the sword."

"I'm not well-read, so don't try to fool me." Hearing her describe the sword as so powerful, Zu An felt a pang of fear.

"Hmph, what benefit would I gain by lying to you? I want to get out of here quickly too. You need to hurry; Zhang Han has already suppressed the escaped undead army and will soon return to your wife's side to perform the blood sacrifice," Mi Li's cold voice scoffed.

Imagining Chu Chuyan lying on the altar, helpless and at their mercy, Zu An gritted his teeth and steeled himself, walking towards the crystal coffin.

He noticed nine long ropes, forged from some unknown metal, suspended above the crystal coffin, seemingly coiling around it without touching. In the very center of these nine ropes hung an ancient-looking longsword, its tip pointing directly down at the crystal coffin.

Even before stepping closer, he felt a powerful oppressive force wash over him, instilling an impulse to prostrate himself in reverence.

Zu An clenched his jaw, fiercely resisting the urge to kneel. *What a joke*, he thought. *As an unyielding transmigrator who bows to neither heaven nor earth, why would I ever kneel to a mere sword?*

*At the peak of immortals, I stand proud in the world! With my keyboard, I command the heavens! Three million keyboard immortals across the lands must bow their heads before me. As the Keyboard Emperor, I shall suppress all enemies! Who dares claim invincibility? Who speaks of never falling? Keyboard, come forth!*

Zu An silently chanted these words, constantly psyching himself up. Whether it was a psychological effect or not, he found the oppressive force on him becoming lighter and lighter, eventually becoming negligible.

"Oh? You can actually resist the oppressive aura of the Tai'a Sword?" Mi Li's surprised voice reached his ears.

"The Tai'a Sword?" Zu An was startled. Why did that name sound so familiar? It seemed to be one of the legendary Ten Great Swords in history.

"Indeed, the Tai'a Sword is a blade of immense power, existing since the very dawn of creation. Though formless and traceless, its sword qi has always been present between heaven and earth, simply awaiting the right moment to coalesce. Only when the elements of time, geography, and human effort align can this sword truly manifest. Later, by sheer chance, two master swordsmiths from our Chu Kingdom successfully forged this blade. One Chu king even used it to decimate Jin's vast army…" Mi Li's voice was filled with a sense of wonder and reverence for her ancestors. "It's just a pity that Chu was later destroyed by Qin, and this sword fell into Ying Zheng's hands, ultimately becoming the very tool used to suppress me. Such is the irony of fate."

Gazing at the sword suspended in the air, Zu An mused that this one surely differed from its historical counterpart. It felt less like a mundane weapon and more like the mythical, divine swords described in legends and novels.

He didn't immediately retrieve the sword. Instead, he said, "Empress, I've always had a concern. What if I release you and you don't uphold your promise to save my wife, or even turn around and kill us? After all, with your cultivation, we have no way to restrain you."

"You have no choice," Mi Li stated coldly. "Zhang Han is already heading towards the altar. If you don't release me now, your wife will die immediately."

Zu An sneered. "True, I'm eager to save my wife, but I suspect you're even more anxious than I am right now. How long have you been sealed here? A thousand years? Two thousand? Or tens of thousands? If you miss this chance, how long will it be until someone else comes along to break this seal and rescue you?"

Mi Li fell silent. Clearly, her composure wasn't as steadfast as she always presented. "Indeed, this opportunity is truly rare," she conceded. "So, what will it take for you to trust me?"

Now Zu An was at a loss. He didn't know of anything that could bind her. Recalling plots from novels in his previous life, he tentatively suggested, "How about we make a master-servant contract? If you acknowledge me as your master, you naturally won't be able to harm me in the future."

"Hahahaha!" A burst of unrestrained laughter echoed throughout the stone chamber. Mi Li's cold voice followed, "What are you, that you dare to propose this Empress acknowledge you as master? Even Ying Zheng couldn't make me submit back then, let alone a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you. Are you even worthy?"

Zu An's face darkened. "Don't hit people where it hurts! Hitting someone's face wounds their pride. You asked me for a solution, and now you're getting angry about it. So, what do *you* propose?"

Mi Li thought for a moment before replying, "Alright, how about this: you get a piece of paper, and we'll draft a contract outlining our mutual obligations and rights. You release me, and I'll help you save your wife, while also guaranteeing not to harm either of you. You should be aware of the power of contracts in this world; even I cannot violate them."

Zu An, recalling that this wasn't the first time he'd encountered unbreakable oaths and contracts in this world, nodded. "Alright! But where am I supposed to find paper now?"

"Idiot, must it be paper?" Mi Li scoffed. "Can't your clothes be used for writing? As for ink, you have plenty of wounds on you; just use a bit of blood."

Zu An grumbled inwardly. This old woman was truly temperamental. *If it weren't for the fact that you're an elder, I would...*

Unfortunately, no matter how long he thought, he couldn't come up with anything he could do to this individual who was vastly more powerful than him.

After quickly drafting the contract, Zu An suddenly frowned. "This only has my handprint, but not yours."

"Bring it here, and I'll put my handprint on it," Mi Li's voice replied.

"Where are you?" Zu An looked around. The woman's voice seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint her location.

"I called you an idiot, and you still don't believe it? Isn't the crystal coffin right in front of you?" Mi Li retorted with a tone of exasperated disappointment.

Zu An: "..."

This old woman was driving him crazy!

He walked dejectedly towards the crystal coffin, yet his mind was racing. *This woman has been suppressed here for at least thousands of years. How did she manage to eat, drink, and relieve herself? No, wait, she should have died ages ago. She's probably a dried corpse by now.*

*In my previous life, I never watched ghost stories or horror movies. I really hope the scene inside this coffin isn't too frightening...*

However, when he reached the crystal coffin, he froze. Inside wasn't a frightening dried corpse, but a woman – a woman far more beautiful than he had ever imagined.