Chapter 879: None Shall Escape

The rapid changes in the situation made even He Li and his group, despite being on the opposing side, marvel and applaud. Zu An was truly formidable, always acting in unexpected ways. He even somewhat hoped the Emperor would be killed by this attack, which would finally free his group.

However, the black glint suddenly stopped, firmly gripped between two fingers.

Zhao Ruizhi sneered, "I noticed your strange dagger long ago. That series of actions you just performed was meant to mislead me and conceal this attack, wasn't it?" The dark dagger gave him a jolt of dread. He immediately realized it was extremely dangerous, potentially lethal. Although he couldn't understand how a mere dagger could threaten him, he wasn't foolish enough to take unnecessary risks.

As expected, Zu An's elaborate maneuvers had been nothing but an elaborate ploy to find an opportunity to strike him with this dagger. He held the dagger firmly, and at that moment, he felt as if he had completely outsmarted his opponent, a surge of superiority welling up within him. To his surprise, he saw no shock, frustration, annoyance, or despair on Zu An's face. Instead, there was a strange smile.

A sudden alarm blared in his mind. He quickly punched Zu An away and simultaneously dodged to the side, but it was still a step too late. A gash appeared on his chest, not from the dark dagger, but from another, unusually shaped flying knife. Seeing the blood-stained flying knife still clutched in Zu An's other hand nearby, Zhao Ruizhi frowned. He couldn't understand how such a small flying knife could pierce his defenses.

Zu An lay on the ground for a long time without getting up, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Yet, his face was full of smiles. "Didn't expect that, did you? I intended to stab you with the Dagger with Venom. You knew I would do that, and I knew you knew I would do that, so all those earlier moves were just to cover this one attack... You thought I was on the fifth layer, but I was actually in the stratosphere."

Just a second ago, Zhao Ruizhi had felt he was completely dominating his opponent's intelligence. Now, realizing he had been played, he was instantly consumed by rage. Nevertheless, he forced himself to try and save face. "Hmph, after all that effort, you just scratched me with that tiny knife? It's like children playing games."

Zu An sighed. "Didn't you notice anything unusual?"

"What could be unsu—" Zhao Ruizhi's words caught in his throat as his expression suddenly changed. He felt an intense pain, not the agonizing, childbirth-like pain in his stomach from before, but a searing pain originating from his very soul. His spirit violently vibrated, causing his head to ache as if it would explode.

With the suppression gone, the Ice Heart Snow Soul poison in his hand and the Stare-and-Get-Pregnant curse in his stomach simultaneously flared up. Even with his astonishing willpower, Zhao Ruizhi couldn't help but let out a shriek as he collapsed to the ground, convulsing in agony.

Bi Linglong had already reached Zu An's side and helped him sit up. "Are you alright, Ah Zu?"

"I won't die," Zu An said, tremblingly wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. While intently watching Zhao Ruizhi, he began circulating the Primordial Chaos Scripture to heal his body. It was now a race against time; whoever recovered first would secure victory.

The flying knife he had just used was the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife, a precious treasure Shi Kun had stolen from his family and tried to use to ambush him back in the Eastern Palace. On the surface, the knife appeared unremarkable, but it could wound one's soul, making it incredibly vicious. Unfortunately, this set of Immortal-Slaying Flying Knives was clearly incomplete and couldn't unleash its full power. Otherwise, that single strike just now might have directly erased the Emperor's soul.

His previous move was a measure of last resort. Since the opponent had seen the Dagger with Venom before, and he clearly intended to use it for an ambush, the opponent would undoubtedly be prepared. Thus, he had no choice but to use the Dagger with Venom as a feint to cover the attack with the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

"What happened to him?" Bi Linglong had never seen the lofty Emperor in such a pathetic state, and she was utterly horrified. Zhao Ruizhi was on the ground, clutching his head in agony, his body alternately emitting golden light and the icy coldness of the Ice Heart Snow Soul poison.

"Don't ask so many questions," Zu An urged. "Go kill him now. He shouldn't be able to move for a while."

Bi Linglong's face paled. The Emperor's power was ingrained in the very bones of everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and her first reaction to this demand was fear and terror. However, seeing Zu An's severe injuries and his valiant struggle moments ago, her reason regained the upper hand. Gritting her teeth, she picked up a fallen weapon nearby and advanced directly towards Zhao Ruizhi.

Zhao Ruizhi, meanwhile, snorted coldly. "He Li, kill them."

"Yes!" He Li instinctively rushed in front of Bi Linglong. He was at the peak ninth rank, while Bi Linglong was only at the sixth, and already extremely weakened from using forbidden techniques. The disparity was simply too vast. Almost instantly, Bi Linglong spat blood and was sent flying backward. Had Bi Linglong not been so beautiful, and had he not instinctively gone easy on her as a man, she would likely be dead by now.

After severely injuring Bi Linglong, He Li instinctively moved to kill Zu An. Zu An roared, "He Li, has your mind gone to your rear?"

He Li was enraged. "Normally, I couldn't do anything about your arrogance, but now you dare to speak to me like that? You're courting death!"

"I am indeed severely injured and can't move right now," Zu An quickly said, "but isn't the Emperor also incapacitated? If you don't seize this chance to kill him, won't you be doomed once he recovers?"

He Li instinctively started to say something, but then froze, thinking, *What he said makes so much sense, I can't even refute it?* He knew he was Prince Qi's man. The Emperor had only taken him under his command because he still had some value as cannon fodder in this strange secret realm. But now that he knew so many of the Emperor's secrets, including the scandal of him being cuckolded, even if he were truly the Emperor's confidant, he would probably be silenced afterward. Thinking of this, he unconsciously turned around, staring intently at Zhao Ruizhi.

Zhao Ruizhi's expression darkened. "He Li, Zu An is always full of empty talk. You're not going to be fooled by him just like that, are you?"

He Li chuckled. "What is Zu An? How could he fool me? It's just that what he said isn't entirely without reason. Will you truly spare me afterwards, Your Majesty?"

"You are Prince Qi's trusted subordinate. If you switch allegiance to me, you can serve as an undercover agent for me on Prince Qi's side, which would be of immense benefit to me. Why would I kill you?" Zhao Ruizhi quickly responded. His tone was steady, possessing an inexplicable aura of presence and persuasiveness.

He Li thought about it and realized it made sense, causing him to hesitate.

At this moment, Bi Linglong tremblingly got up and weakly said, "You already know about him possessing the Crown Prince, and all his disgraceful acts in this secret realm. How could he possibly let you go just like that?"

He Li suddenly realized his folly. How could he have almost believed the Emperor's words just now? However, unwilling to admit defeat, he glared at Bi Linglong. "Do you think I wouldn't understand such simple truths? Do I need you to tell me?" Then, holding his knife, he advanced step by step towards Zhao Ruizhi. Although the Emperor appeared heavily injured, the lingering might of a fierce tiger was still present, making him feel a slight apprehension in his heart.

Zhao Ruizhi frowned and immediately said, "If you don't believe me, I can swear a Heavenly Dao Oath that I will never harm you."

He Li hesitated upon hearing this. If his life and safety were guaranteed, then clinging to the Emperor's powerful influence was clearly the best choice.

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. "Keep trying to fool him. The elemental energy here is in chaos; you can't possibly swear a Heavenly Dao Oath."

He Li's face flushed with embarrassment and anger. He had almost been fooled by the Emperor again.

Seeing He Li's fierce gaze, Zhao Ruizhi coldly stated, "Think carefully. If you strike me, this is merely a wisp of my soul. If it dies, it dies. My main body is still alive. After you leave this secret realm, do you dare face my thunderous wrath?"

He Li's face turned pale. It was true; even if he killed the Emperor's current form, it was only a soul fragment. The invincible Emperor still existed, and he would surely die without a burial place. He involuntarily turned around, his knife now pointed towards Zu An.

Zu An looked utterly speechless. "I call you a fool, and you still don't believe it! This secret realm isolates everything from the outside. As long as you kill him before it reopens, the Emperor's main body outside won't know anything that happened here."

A realization dawned on He Li. So that was it. His understanding of souls and such concepts wasn't thorough enough. If Mi Li hadn't reminded him, Zu An wouldn't have known this either.

Zhao Ruizhi's expression changed. He clearly hadn't expected Zu An to be so well-informed. It seemed this fellow had harbored the intention of killing him from the very beginning. Just as he was about to speak to salvage the situation, He Li roared, "All of you, shut up! You're chattering so much my head hurts! Stop arguing. I'll just kill all of you, alright?"