Chapter 871: Finally Someone Has Arrived

Bilinglong harbored the same doubts, but her greater curiosity revolved around how Mi Li had survived to the present day. These questions, however, she dared not voice.

Mi Li explained, "This crystal coffin, combined with specific formations, isolates itself from the world, allowing for long-term preservation. Should the lid be opened even slightly, the person inside would instantly turn to ash. The power of time is not so easily resisted."

After speaking, her voice suddenly turned cold. "Ying Zheng," she began, "as the saying goes, 'even a tiger does not devour its cubs.' It was bad enough that you condemned Fusu to death, but you even imprisoned him here permanently, setting up a Five Elements formation. Was all this merely for your illusory obsession with immortality?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He had just seen the rooms representing earth, wood, and fire elements, and now he realized it was indeed a Five Elements formation. But could such a formation truly grant immortality?

Seeing Mi Li turn and leave with a grim expression, he hurriedly asked, "Master, what are you going to do?"

"I will find Ying Zheng's coffin and scatter his ashes," Mi Li declared, her voice as cold as ice. One could feel the immense resentment she harbored at that moment.

Zu An chuckled, "Leave this to me. My Phoenix Flames are perfectly suited for incinerating ashes."

Mi Li glanced at him, surprised. "You learned your 'Hongmeng Yuanshi Scripture' from him, yet you are willing to help me?"

"That time, I nearly died several times," Zu An retorted. "I only acquired that scripture through my own abilities and luck; it was never something he imparted to me. In fact, you have always been the one who truly guided my cultivation." Zu An had never considered Qin Shi Huang his master.

Mi Li's expression softened slightly. "Thank you," she said.

Zu An chuckled, "When the master has a task, the disciple assists. There's no need for thanks."

Bilinglong followed nearby, finding herself unable to interject in their conversation. She thought to herself how this master and disciple shared an inexplicable understanding, like a harmonious whole, with everyone else seeming like an outsider.

At the same time, she was secretly alarmed. "What is this 'Hongmeng Yuanshi Scripture'?" she wondered. "I've never heard of it. How many secrets does this man possess?"

The group continued walking through the palace. Although the palace contained numerous rooms and complex terrain, knowing it was a Five Elements formation allowed Mi Li to roughly deduce the layout. Soon, they arrived in front of another room.

From afar, they could sense a sharp, metallic energy emanating from within. Even Bilinglong, with the lowest cultivation, immediately realized this must be the room rich in the metal element.

"What kind of monsters does the metal element typically produce?" Zu An inquired, wanting to be prepared in advance to avoid being caught off guard as before. He knew they might not be as lucky this time.

Mi Li shook her head. "The world is vast and full of wonders," she replied. "Many elemental beings are bizarre and diverse. Even a slight difference in the environment can produce something entirely different, so it's impossible to say beforehand. We'll know once we go in and see."

Being both highly skilled and daring, and fueled by her current rage, she stepped directly inside without hesitation.

As Zu An and Bilinglong followed, a dazzling golden light suddenly flashed in their peripheral vision, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind. Bilinglong instinctively raised her sword to counter, but with a crisp clang, her precious sword snapped directly into two.

As the Crown Princess, her treasured sword was naturally of superior quality. According to weapon grading standards—Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Immortal, Divine—her sword was Heaven-grade, inferior only to the legendary Immortal and Divine levels. Yet, even among all the weapons in the world, very few reached the Immortal or Divine grades.

Such a Heaven-grade sword was severed in a single encounter, leaving her utterly stunned.

"Watch out!" Zu An exclaimed, fortunately reacting quickly and pulling her aside to dodge. Even so, her clothes were ripped by the sharp energy, revealing her fair and alluring skin, which already showed a faint network of blood vessels, clearly injured by the metallic energy.

Covering her torn clothes, Bilinglong, still shaken, thanked him. "A'Zu," she said, "you've saved my life again."

If not for him, she would likely have been cut in half just now.

Zu An patted her hand reassuringly, then fixed his gaze on the object hovering in mid-air, emitting a buzzing sound.

The object was roughly the size of a washbasin, higher in the middle and lower at the sides, generally flattened. It resembled a miniature flying saucer, its entire body covered in sharp serrations. It rotated continuously, emitting a buzzing sound, and as it spun rapidly, it flashed with golden light, as if fully illuminated like a flying saucer.

"What is this thing?" Zu An asked Mi Li, observing its movements. "Why didn't it attack you when you just came in?"

"Perhaps it's a reflection of your character?" Mi Li smiled, a rare sight. She then explained, "This should be the legendary Golden Wheel Phantom. Its greatest characteristic is its ability to cut through gold and jade, making it seemingly indestructible."

No sooner had she spoken than the Golden Wheel Phantom whistled back. Zu An immediately drew his Tai'a Sword and slashed at it.

With a loud clang, a series of sparks erupted from the friction between the Golden Wheel Phantom and the Tai'a Sword, and then the phantom recoiled.

Zu An's hand went numb. He checked the sword's blade, and seeing no marks at all, he let out a sigh of relief.

The Tai'a Sword was indeed extraordinary!

The Golden Wheel Phantom clearly realized that Zu An was not to be trifled with. It no longer charged recklessly. Instead, it suddenly shuddered, and countless thin, small discs scattered from its body. Each disc was like a miniature Golden Wheel Phantom, its perimeter lined with sharp serrations, and they whistled as they attacked the group from various directions.

The sheer number of discs and their tricky attack angles left even Zu An flustered. The crucial factor was that he also had to ensure Bilinglong's safety, inevitably leading him to be overwhelmed at times, resulting in several wounds.

Although his powerful recovery ability meant these minor injuries were not serious, this feeling of passively taking hits was particularly annoying.

He suddenly had an idea. He pulled a massive U-shaped weapon directly from his Glazed Orb. With a gesture towards the countless small discs flying everywhere, those sharp discs, whose unpredictable trajectories had made them impossible to defend against, were instantly drawn to the U-shaped weapon and became immobilized.

This was the electromagnet he had used against the Yuan family's flying swords during the Chu family head competition in Brightmoon City. He had never discarded it and had even prepared some lightning-attribute elemental stones for it, never expecting it to come in handy today.

The Golden Wheel Phantom in the distance was also dumbfounded. Clearly, with its rudimentary intelligence, it simply could not comprehend what was happening before its eyes.

It then became somewhat enraged, whistling as it charged directly at Zu An, clearly intending to rescue its "disciples."

Zu An hurriedly swung the electromagnet, trying to attract it, but its body only swayed slightly, remaining largely unaffected as it continued its cutting trajectory.

Just then, a fair, jade-like palm suddenly appeared beside him and gently pressed onto its center.

The Golden Wheel Phantom trembled all over, desperately spinning to escape the hand. Unfortunately, no matter how much it spun, it could not escape the grip of that single, slender finger.

"I don't have time for you. Go back," Mi Li said indifferently. With a flick of her wrist, the Golden Wheel Phantom was flung to the farthest point, embedding itself deeply into the wall.

The phantom clearly knew it had met its match. It quickly trembled all over, transforming into countless golden elements, and temporarily hid itself within the room, never daring to re-emerge.

Bilinglong's eyes widened in astonishment. Although she had guessed Mi Li was powerful, this was the first time she had witnessed her in action. She had never imagined such a terrifying weapon could be handled like a mere toy in Mi Li's hands.

Mi Li said nothing but approached the wall, where several murals were depicted. One showed a group of people kneeling before a door, led by someone who appeared to be a geomancer. The next mural showed that same geomancer plotting secretly with another person inside a house. The third depicted him fleeing in panic, pursued by numerous soldiers. The fourth illustrated countless people buried in a deep pit, surrounded by indifferent soldiers.

"So it was him!" Mi Li exclaimed, a look of sudden realization dawning on her.

At that moment, a faint voice echoed, "So many years, and finally someone has come."

Zu An and Bilinglong felt their hairs stand on end, for the voice emanated from the coffin in the distance.