Zu An had seen all kinds of dramas and movies regarding elves. They were supposed to be the most beautiful, graceful, and compassionate race out there in the world. Countless otakus had probably drooled over them in their homes.

“Is there anything wrong with that?” Qiao Xueying retorted, rolling her eyes.

“There’s no problem with it, just that… Aren’t elves supposed to have pointy ears?” Zu An asked as he brushed aside the hair covering her ears.

Qiao Xueying pushed his hands away, her expression rather frightening.

It was Mi Li who answered his question, “She seems to be a half-elf. In other words, she’s the result of a union between a human and an elf.”

Qiao Xueying’s face paled further. This matter had been a thorn in her heart for the longest time, and this fact often caused her to lower her head in shame.

Unexpectedly, Zu An suddenly burst into laughter and said, “Ah, so she’s multi-racial! That’s good. Multi-racial people tend to be the most beautiful, and they tend to inherit the strength and talents of both their parents.”

Qiao Xueying was taken aback by those words. All of those who learned of her identity would usually criticize her for her impure lineage. This was the first time she was hearing of the term ‘multi-racial’, but somehow, it brought her great comfort.

“Thank you,” whispered Qiao Xueying softly. In all her years, he was the first one who did not discriminate against her, and had even found a way to comfort her.

Zu An smiled in reply. “There’s no need to thank me. Speaking of which, what do you think of me? Why don’t we make do with one another and bear a multi-racial baby too? I bet our son will be the most handsome being in the world, and our daughter will have beauty rivaling even those of the goddesses!”

Qiao Xueying struggled to find a proper response.

Okay, I take back what I said earlier. It seems this shamelessness of his is an incurable disease.

“If I remember correctly, the Elf Tribe’s Moon Reflection ability should allow them to teleport their bodies several kilometers away, and serves both as a means of survival and escape. Yet, you’re still here… Is it because of this shameless man?” teased Mi Li.

Zu An stared at Qiao Xueying in shock, and the latter immediately protested, “How could I be doing it for him? Of course it’s for Miss Chu, whom I’m indebted to! Hurry up and get out of her body right now, or else I’ll make sure to make things tough for you even at the expense of my own life!”

Mi Li burst into laughter in the face of Qiao Xueying’s threat, causing a small tremor to run through the underground cavern. A moment later, she finally reined in her amusement and sneered, “You’re going to do that?”

Qiao Xueying’s face paled. Just her earlier laughter alone was enough to show her that Mi Li was far stronger than she was. She stood no chance of victory.

Zu An stepped forward and grabbed Qiao Xueying’s hand. “Don’t forget, I’m here as well!” 

Perhaps she wasn’t paying any heed to it since they were already in the face of death, or perhaps she had simply gotten used to it since they had been holding hands through the three trials. Whatever the case, Qiao Xueying didn’t try to shake off Zu An’s hand this time around. Instead, the warmth she sensed from it made her feel much more confident and assured.

Mi Li was less than impressed by this show of unity.

You’re just a third rank cultivator. What can you possibly do?

Zu An made use of this opportunity to comfort Qiao Xueying. “You don’t have to be afraid. She’s been greatly weakened by her soul leaving her previous body. On top of that, the poison she was afflicted with earlier on seems to have affected her soul as well. Given how potent it is, she might just end up succumbing to it first. We just have to manage to hold on.”

Qiao Xueying’s defensive shrub had been utterly obliterated by Zhang Han in an instant earlier on, but it had stood up to Mi Li’s sword ki for quite a while. This suggested that Mi Li was severely weakened.

His words caused Qiao Xueying’s spirits to lift immediately.

“There’s no need to whisper amongst yourselves; I can hear you loud and clear. You’re right, I am indeed in a severely weakened state right now. However, I still have more than enough strength to subdue the two of you!” Mi Li retorted with a cold snort.

With a wave of her sleeves, she sent another burst of sword ki toward Zu An and Qiao Xueying.

Her sword ki was much less concentrated this time around, so Zu An and Qiao Xueying immediately took evasive measures. Halfway through her attack, the sword ki suddenly converged into a crescent arc, striking down on Qiao Xueying.

With a cry of agony, Qiao Xueying spurted out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the floor.

Mi Li had made sure to control her strength properly, inflicting severe wounds on Qiao Xueying while making sure not to go so far as to make her feel that her life was in danger. She did not want her to resort to her final use of Moon’s Reflection to escape from this cavern and divulge her secrets.

Just as she had predicted, Qiao Xueying indeed did not use her trump card.

I might not be able to kill her in a single blow, but as long as I accumulate enough damage on her, it’s only a matter of time before she’s sent to hell!

By the time Qiao Xueying realized what Mi Li was up to, it was already too late. She couldn’t move at all, let alone channel her ki to activate Moon’s Reflection. She could only watch helplessly as a massive sword slashed in her direction.

All of a sudden, a figure dashed forward and blocked the blow for her. 

The sword slashed across Zu An’s back, causing him to spurt a mouthful of blood. Qiao Xueying looked at the man in front of her, an expression of utter surprise on her face. She was speechless for a long moment.

“What deep feelings the two of you have for one another,” sneered Mi Li. “Since that’s the case, I’ll send the two of you to hell together!”

She lashed out with her sword ki once more, unleashing multiple streams of sword ki against Zu An all at once. She intended to cut them down together and end this farce once and for all.

“Run!” exclaimed Qiao Xueying. She knew that Zu An wouldn’t be able to save her, and he would only end up getting sliced to pieces at this rate.

“How can I abandon you at a time like this?” Zu An wiped off the trickle of blood leaking out from the corner of his lips and flashed her a cool smile. However, he was definitely not as relaxed as he was appearing at the moment. He was desperately driving his primordial ki to protect his body, praying that the Heiress’ Ball of Delights would continue working its wonders.

He was afraid that the Heiress’ Ball of Delights wouldn’t be able to reassemble him if he were to be reduced into minced meat.

*Pu pu pu!*

All of the sword ki landed on Zu An’s body, causing his blood to splatter everywhere. Qiao Xueying’s eyes brimmed with tears as she watched the man before her being reduced to a bloodied mess. To her surprise, however, his body still remained mostly intact. It hadn’t been sliced to pieces as she’d expected.

Mi Li’s eyes widened in astonishment as well, and she began to doubt herself. Have I been weakened to the point where I can’t even defeat a third rank cultivator?

Zu An could feel his body desperately trying to take in the surrounding primordial ki. This mausoleum had indeed been built on hallowed ground. The primordial ki lingering in the area was extremely concentrated, having possibly accumulated over millennia. Without this, there was no way it would have been sufficient to fuel the recovery of his injuries.

Seeing that Zu An had spurted out yet another mouthful of blood, Qiao Xueying quickly leaned forward to wipe off the blood from his lips. “Are you all right?” she asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” As he replied, Zu An put on the coolest smile he could manage. Given his nature, there was no way he wouldn’t exploit this opportunity to act cool.

Qiao Xueying’s lips curved into a helpless smile as well. She used to hate his nonchalant attitude, but it was somehow bringing her comfort right now. No matter what kind of circumstance he’s in, he still remains so optimistic.

Once his injuries had recovered substantially, Zu An shakily climbed back to his feet. He knew that he couldn’t continue taking such a beating from Mi Li.

No matter how powerful the Heiress’ Ball of Delights was, he wasn’t willing to gamble on its ability to keep him alive once his body was torn into pieces. He would have to retaliate if he wanted to stand any chance of getting out of this alive.

Sensing Zu An’s fighting spirit, Mi Li remarked, “Despite your low cultivation, your willpower is far stronger than I thought it to be. I’m truly impressed. No wonder you were able to break the Human, Earth, and Heaven seals.”

“Hah, to think that you still remember those three seals! Is this how you repay someone who saved you from the prison you were in?” spat Zu An.

Mi Li sighed softly and said, “I wasn’t planning on taking your life either, but I didn’t expect to end up suffering the effects of the Red Tears of Lady Xiang. I had no choice but to use your wife’s body, and you did something unforgivable to me after that. I can’t possibly let you live, not after everything that happened.”

Her face began to redden, though it was hard to tell whether this was out of rage or embarrassment.

Zu An cried in indignance, “I was supposed to be sharing an intimate moment with my wife, but you snuck in of your own accord. How could you blame me for that?!”

“I let you take advantage of me; that’s more than enough to repay the debt of gratitude I owe to you for saving my life. Now, you should be able to die in peace!” 

Mi Li was incredibly frustrated. She was the empress of the Great Qin Dynasty, the number one beauty of the Central Plains, a noble personage who only stood beneath the Sovereign Emperor. Countless men would be willing to give their lives up just to have a whiff of her fragrance, and yet, this fellow actually wasn’t content with taking advantage of her!

You have successfully trolled Mi Li for 999 Rage points!

Zu An finally understood why Mi Li was so angry at him. In the end, it was all because she couldn’t stand the notion of being taken advantage of!

He felt incredibly indignant about this. If he had really gotten it on with Mi Li’s body earlier, he could at least accept her attempts to kill him. However, the one he’d made his move on had been his wife!

This was a huge loss!

Zu An took a deep breath and sneered coldly, “I’m the one who managed to clear the Human, Earth, and Heaven seals. Did you think that I wouldn’t have any trump cards?”

“Oh? Let’s see them, then,” replied Mi Li.

She was indeed curious about what secrets Zu An had in store. Up till now, she’d found it hard to believe how someone as weak as him had been able to pull off such a miracle.

Zu An’s body was trembling with weakness, on the verge of collapsing over at any moment. Yet, he insisted on standing upright. He puffed out his chest and declared, “Tai’e, since you have already acknowledged me as your master, stand by me as we subdue this demoness together! Show your glory to the world once more!”

He lifted his hand and bellowed, “Come, my sword!”

The Tai’e Sword, which Mi Li had used to land her killing blow on Zhang Han, was still pinned to the wall.

Mi Li was shocked to hear those words. She knew just how powerful the Tai’e Sword was. If Zu An was really able to summon its prowess, she would be hard pressed to deal with him in her current state.

She quickly gathered her ki and prepared to defend herself against the powerful Tai’e Sword, but she quickly found herself feeling confused. The Tai’e Sword was still lodged into the wall, unmoving.

This placed Zu An in an incredibly awkward position. Why do other people’s swords fly over as soon as they give the command, whereas mine doesn’t do jack shit? Do I really lack a protagonist’s halo?

Unwilling to give up, he bellowed once more, “Come here, you stupid sword!”

He even tried to send a sliver of his ki out to draw the Tai’e Sword to him, but unfortunately, he was only at the third rank. He wasn’t able to manifest his ki over long distances yet, so it dissipated barely after leaving his body.

The Tai’e Sword remained stubbornly affixed to the wall.

Even someone as shameless as Zu An still found himself utterly humiliated. “Goddamnit, come right now!”

Unfortunately, the Tai’e Sword still remained affixed to the wall, not budging an inch. Even Qiao Xueying couldn’t bear the cringeworthy sight anymore, and covered her own face. This was simply too painful to watch!

Mi Li laughed, not a single hint of fear in her tone. “Hahaha! Do you intend to kill me with laughter since you aren’t able to do it with force?”