Chapter 880: Behind the Scenes Mastermind

He Li immediately felt a wave of relief after his roar. He wondered if it was his imagination, but he seemed to sense immense awe in the eyes of the Emperor and Zu An. He was, after all, at the peak of the ninth rank, a figure respected everywhere in the world. Even in the capital, a place teeming with experts, he commanded considerable influence. Yet, this formidable man had been living in the shadow of these two 'great gods' for days, reduced to a cowering nobody. It was only at this moment that he truly reclaimed his dignity.

He glanced at the timid Bi Linglong nearby. Her hair was a bit gray, but her face was undeniably beautiful. Her current delicate appearance, in particular, seemed more feminine than her usual aloofness. The other men were dead; this beautiful woman, however, he had to keep. Once they were out of the secret realm, he could change his name, hide deep in the mountains, and no one would ever find him. If worst came to worst, couldn't he just stay in this secret realm and have children with the Crown Princess? What would they name the child? Well, that would depend on whether it was a boy or a girl...

In that instant, his mind raced. Thinking of the beautiful Crown Princess, he suddenly found his fear of the Emperor lessened. The knife in his hand slashed directly at Zhao Ruizhi's neck.

Just then, a sharp glint flashed in Zhao Ruizhi's eyes. His previously still hand suddenly shot up, its finger touching He Li's forehead. He Li's entire body trembled, then went limp and collapsed to the ground. A bloody mark slowly spread from his brow, his eyes wide open, seemingly filled with confusion and bewilderment, before finally succumbing to darkness.

Zhao Ruizhi slowly stood up. "Hmph," he sneered. "Did you really think I was pleading with you by talking so much? I was merely buying time."

The two assassins from Prince Qi's mansion, who had also been subtly preparing to act, were startled. They immediately knelt and bowed in worship, proclaiming, "Long live our Emperor, whose divine power covers the world! Long live, long long live!"

Zhao Ruizhi laughed heartily, then abruptly turned to Zu An. "Now it's your turn," he declared.

Zu An fell silent. He had just recovered some of his combat strength, but he hadn't anticipated the other party recovering even faster. The pathetic state he had just induced in the Emperor was something he had barely achieved by exhausting all his tricks. If he tried it again, the Emperor wasn't a fool; he wouldn't fall for it a second time. Despair washed over him at the thought. The Emperor was simply too powerful. Whether it was the 'Gaze of Conception', the 'Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger', or 'Ice Heart Snow Soul'—any one of these would utterly defeat a top expert. Yet, the Emperor had been struck by all three simultaneously and had still recovered.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the blood he had shed from his battle injuries had, for some time now, been imperceptibly absorbed completely by the ground.

Zhao Ruizhi slowly approached him, step by step, as if to let him fully savor the fear of impending death. To his disappointment, Zu An's gaze remained exceptionally calm. Even Bi Linglong showed little fear, as if both had come to terms with life and death. Not only that, but the two even exchanged a deep, loving gaze. Were they treating him as if he didn't exist?

Zhao Ruizhi felt steam rising from his head. His fury reached an astronomical level. He decided to first tear out Zu An's tongue, relishing the sight of him howling in agony and Bi Linglong's expression of horror and regret.

Just then, the ground suddenly rumbled, making even Zhao Ruizhi feel a bit unsteady. He frowned, looking down. The entire ground was splitting in two, slowly revealing a winding, massive crack in the middle. The two sections of ground also gradually began to display different colors, one becoming increasingly white, the other increasingly black.

Zu An looked at the ground, and a thought suddenly struck him: "Isn't this the Tai Chi Yin-Yang symbol?"

Mi Li's face first showed confusion, then dramatically changed. "This isn't the Five Elements Array," she exclaimed, "it's the Five Elements Yin-Yang Array!"

Zu An was about to ask what the difference was when another change occurred in the arena. As the ground split open, underground spring water gushed out. Crucially, the water was red, as if blood were flowing, making the entire scene, combined with the surrounding altar, appear extremely eerie.

Even Zhao Ruizhi stopped, watching the scene with a solemn expression.

"Pure Yang blood, Pure Yin body... How many years has it been? They are finally complete." A muffled voice suddenly echoed, coming from all directions, making it impossible to discern its source.

Zhao Ruizhi's pupils constricted slightly. He realized his spiritual energy couldn't lock onto the opponent's position – how absurd! Since achieving his divine power's peak, who had ever escaped his energy's grasp?

"Pure Yang blood?" Mi Li murmured the words, then looked at the Tai Chi Yin-Yang symbol on the ground. Suddenly, she understood. "So that's it!"

At this moment, the blood pool on the ground suddenly began to churn like boiling water. Immediately afterward, a surge of blood rose and slowly congealed into a human-like form. It was quite crude, with only vague outlines of facial features discernible.

Witnessing such a bizarre sight, everyone present couldn't help but blanch. The two warriors from Prince Qi's Mansion who were closest to the blood figure immediately turned and ran, desperate to get away. However, the blood figure raised a hand, its arm suddenly extending incredibly long. It grabbed both men by the back of their necks, one in each hand, and dragged them back.

"Your Majesty, save us..." cried the two Prince Qi warriors. They were by no means ordinary fighters; having survived this long meant they were superior to their companions in every way. Yet, once gripped by the blood figure, they had no power to resist, only able to cast pleading glances at Zhao Ruizhi.

Zhao Ruizhi remained indifferent. They were merely two pawns; who would bother saving them? However, his brows furrowed deeper, as he seemed to sense a definite threat from the blood-red monster.

One moment, the two Prince Qi's Mansion warriors were pleading; the next, their bodies visibly shriveled, until only skin-and-bone remained, turning them into two hideous mummies. Witnessing this, Bi Linglong instinctively turned her head away; it was truly too horrific.

Zu An's eyelids twitched. This scene brought back unpleasant memories of Daoist Mosquito.

At this moment, the blood figure also began to change. It tossed the two mummies aside, its body contorting. Soon after, its facial features became clearer, allowing its appearance to be discerned. However, its form was still a flowing mass of blood, a monstrous shape of unknown nature.

"Xu Fu, how could it be you?" Mi Li, who had been staring intently at the figure, was both shocked and enraged.

The blood figure slowly opened its eyes and looked at her. "Your Highness," it rumbled, "long time no see."

Zu An's scalp tingled. This blood figure was actually Xu Fu? The very Xu Fu who sought the elixir of immortality for Qin Shi Huang! To be honest, he had always assumed Qin Shi Huang was the mastermind behind this grand array, and he'd been worried about his emergence. But now, someone else had appeared?

Zhao Ruizhi was utterly confused. He wondered who Xu Fu was, and why this woman was being addressed as "Your Highness." He remained impassive, intending to listen for now, while secretly regulating the vital energy within his body. This blood-red monster exerted an inexplicable pressure on him; he needed to recover his condition as quickly as possible. The throbbing pain in his abdomen had almost vanished, with only some lingering discomfort that was still within his tolerance. The 'Ice Heart Snow Soul' poison in his body had also been forced back to his hands; in a few more breaths, he would be able to completely expel it. The most troublesome was the injury from the 'Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger'. Since his severed soul possessed the Crown Prince's body, his soul and body weren't perfectly integrated like a normal person's, and unfortunately, that flying dagger specifically targeted the soul. It couldn't heal quickly; he could only temporarily suppress it and then slowly recuperate later.

"How could it be you? Where is Ying Zheng?" Mi Li stared intently at the blood figure, clearly sharing Zu An's confusion.

"Isn't Ying Zheng lying over there?" Xu Fu said, casually pointing to a nearby coffin, a hint of mockery in his tone. "Your Highness, please calm yourself. Let me deal with this troublesome matter first."

As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and lunged at Zhao Ruizhi. Having endured mountains of corpses and seas of blood to become the world's strongest, Zhao Ruizhi's combat experience was extraordinary, and he had long been prepared. A flash of golden light sent the opponent reeling back, though Zhao Ruizhi's own blood and qi were churning from the impact. He knew that in his current state, he might not be able to defeat this monster. He decided to temporarily retreat, find a place to recover from his injuries, and then return.

As he was about to leave, he suddenly felt his body sink. He looked down and saw that a lot of blood had imperceptibly seeped out from the floor's cracks. The blood was swirling like countless arms, already coiling tightly around him. Zhao Ruizhi let out a cold snort, and a flash of golden light dispersed all the blood-hands. But by then, Xu Fu had already lunged from the other side. Xu Fu did not maintain his human form. Halfway through his lunge, he transformed into a cloud of blood mist, which then reformed into a giant octopus. Its countless tentacles coiled tightly around Zhao Ruizhi's entire body.