After chuckling for a moment, Mi Li’s expression suddenly turned severe. “I won’t waste my time fooling around with you anymore.”

This time, she rushed straight at Zu An herself. Her sword ki had failed to kill him time and again, and she decided to move in to do the job personally.

Zu An was appalled by the sight. He quickly dodged to the side, unleashing a torrent of curses. “Tai’e, you bastard! I swear that you’ll be dead meat if you don’t get down here right now!”

The Tai’e Sword shuddered a little, and a metallic shudder echoed in the air. The Tai’e Sword fell off the wall and flew straight into Zu An’s hands. 

Overjoyed, Zu An immediately swung the sword toward the incoming Mi Li.

Mi Li was horrified by the turn of events. She wouldn’t have feared Zu An or the Tai’e Sword if she was in peak condition, but in her current state, she had no choice but to avoid facing them head-on.

Zu An finally got a chance to examine the sword in his hand closely. He flicked a finger against its blade as he remarked, “What a wretched sword you are. You refused to move when I asked you nicely. You needed me to yell at you and threaten you before finally being willing to move.”

*Weng weng weng~*

The sword whirred a little in protest, unhappy with the way how Zu An was phrasing it.

Mi Li glanced at the Tai’e Sword for a moment, but she decided against confronting it head-on. “Isn’t that just like you? It’s no wonder why it resonates well with you.”

“Hey! Just because you can stuff whatever you want into your mouth doesn’t mean that you can spew whatever you want out of it!” Zu An retorted with an angry huff. “What do you mean, ‘it’s just like me’? Do I look so wretched to you?”

“Isn’t that the case?” sneered Mi Li.

Even Qiao Xueying, who had collapsed weakly in a puddle of blood, nodded in agreement.

Zu An coughed softly to conceal his awkwardness before swiftly changing the topic. “What’s the use of all these words? Now that I wield this mighty sword in my hand, I shall show you why flowers are red!”

“You want to teach me a lesson?” Mi Li responded as if she’d just heard the most hilarious joke in the world. “If the Tai’e Sword was in prime condition, it could have caused me to hesitate a little. But now? Hah!”

Right after saying those words, she suddenly appeared right in front of Zu An.

Horrified, Zu An frantically swung his sword at Mi Li, launching a barrage of extremely aggressive attacks. He chose to abandon any thought of defense and go all out to bring Mi Li down at any cost, which was a wise move since he had the Heiress’ Ball of Delights helping him retain the final sliver of his health, and the constant healing ability of the Primordial Origin Sutra.

Mi Li frowned. She couldn’t bear the thought of suffering even the slightest of injuries at the hands of a mere ant. She began to retreat, but this only encouraged Zu An. He increased the level of his aggression.

Unfortunately, the gulf between the two of them was too great. It didn’t take long for Mi Li to find an opening in his attacks and retaliate, knocking him into the air. He flew across the cavern in a long arc before crashing heavily to the ground.

“Ah Zu!” exclaimed Qiao Xueying. 

She tried to rush forward to catch him, but the severity of her injuries hindered her movements.

“Since you care for him so much, the two of you can become a pair of lovebirds in the afterlife!” sneered Mi Li. 

She raised her hand to end Qiao Xueying’s life as well, but a feeble voice suddenly called out from behind her. “I’m not dead yet!”

The two women immediately turned around. Qiao Xueying was overjoyed to see that Zu An was still breathing, whereas Mi Li was utterly shocked. The force she had used earlier would have been enough to kill even a fifth rank cultivator, let alone someone at the third rank like him!

Zu An shakily got back to his feet. It was a strenuous ordeal at first, but his posture got more and more sturdy. The Primordial Origin Sutra was desperately taking in primordial ki from the surroundings to repair his body. Of course, his rate of recovery couldn’t possibly match the rate at which he was sustaining injuries. Fortunately, though, he still had the Heiress’ Ball of Delights keeping him just this side of death, so he was somehow still able to keep himself alive, no matter how awful his condition seemed.

Mi Li’s expression turned cold. She was starting to lose her temper. This fellow is like a cockroach—he simply won’t be squashed! How annoying!

You have successfully trolled Mi Li for 444 Rage points!

It was a substantial amount of Rage points, but Zu An wasn’t the least bit happy. He’d raised a flag previously that he wouldn’t get anything good the next three times he drew the lottery. So, no matter how many Rage points he earned now, they were all just going to go down the drain.

He was just impressed with himself, really. How could he still remain so calculative even when he was on the verge of death?

Mi Li darted toward him once more, as swift as a bolt of lightning. Zu An gathered his strength and retaliated with his Tai’e Sword.

*Bam!*

Once again, Zu An was sent flying. A massive force struck him squarely in his vital points, and he would surely have died under normal circumstances.

Despite this, Mi Li dared not let her guard down. She stared at him intently.

Her wariness wasn’t unfounded, because Zu An shakily rose to his feet once more.

“Big sis empress, harder!”

Mi Li’s face turned cold. She flashed forward once more and launched a series of sharp jabs toward Zu An’s body. `

Yet, a moment later, the bloodied Zu An struggled to his feet once more and shouted, “Harder!”

*Bam!*

He was met with yet another fatal blow.

“Big sis empress, have you been starving yourself? Ah, I forgot that you’ve been trapped in that coffin for thousands of years.”

*Bam!*

“Harder!”

*Bam!*

… 

Meanwhile, Qiao Xueying’s vision had long since blurred with tears. She cried out for Zu An to stop provoking that demoness, but he simply wouldn’t listen to her.

This torture went on for countless more times before Mi Li finally stopped. She had a complicated glint in her eyes as she said, “I must say, you might be weak, but I’ve never seen anyone with as much willpower as you. No wonder you were able to conquer the Tai’e Sword.”

“It’s a pity that I’m still no match for you, though.” Zu An sighed deeply. While he was still in no danger due to the effects of the Heiress’ Ball of Delights, the absurd difference in strength left him completely helpless before her. He stood no chance at all.

“Forget it. Your courage and willpower have won my admiration. If it’s a man like you… Ahem ahem.” Redness tinged Mi Li’s face. “Now that I think about it, I suppose it isn’t completely unacceptable. I’ll let you off for now.”

With those words, she turned to leave. However, Zu An immediately called out to stop her. “Wait a moment! You might have let me off, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting you off. Return my wife to me!”

He knew that it was just a matter of time before Mi Li destroyed Chu Chuyan’s persona entirely. When that happened, she would truly be dead.

Mi Li turned around, a malicious look on her face. “Don’t test my patience!”

The Great Qin Dynasty was known for its strict laws, and she was an empress who was second only to a single man. While she wasn’t a tyrant like Ying Zheng, she wasn’t someone who valued the sanctity of life either. She would never hesitate to kill anyone, even if it was a close aide who had served her for many years, if they ever got on her bad side.

Under normal circumstances, she would not have hesitated in sentencing Zu An to ‘death by a thousand cuts’ for daring to offend her, and she was only sparing him out of admiration for his strong willpower. However, he was now trying to climb over her head instead!

Qiao Xueying immediately tried to persuade Zu An to back down. “Ah Zu, you’ve already tried your best. I believe Miss Chu has seen your efforts and is grateful to you for trying. There’s no need for you to persist any longer. You can’t win.”

In her eyes, it was already a miracle that Zu An had been able to survive so far, but there was only so much that a human body could take. Not to mention, he hadn’t been able to inflict the slightest damage on Mi Li thus far. It was a completely hopeless battle, and there was no point prolonging it.

However, Zu An shook his head and said, “That’s my wife over there. We’ve already consummated our marriage. There’s no way I can look on as she loses her life in such an ignoble way!”

“Very well, I’ll grant your wish then!” Mi Li had already grown deeply annoyed. She had been born into the royal family of her country, and the only relationship she’d had in her life was with Ying Zheng. Because of these circumstances, she had never believed in romantic love or whatnot. However, Zu An’s determination was challenging the pragmatic values she had embraced thus far. 

How has this woman been able to so easily acquire something that I was never able to? No, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to sever this bond that they share!

She flitted right in front of Zu An instantaneously, and Zu Anto immediately raised his sword to protect himself. However, the injuries he had sustained were far too grievous, and even with the amazing restorative abilities gained from the Primordial Origin Sutra, it took all he had just to barely remain standing. He was in no condition to use his sword at all.

With a flick of Mi Li’s finger, the Tai’e Sword immediately flew several meters away and stabbed point-first into the ground.

She wrapped her hand around his neck and sunk her long fingernails into his skin, drawing a spurt of blood that dyed her fair fingers with a touch of seductive red.

“I can’t understand how you’ve been able to survive thus far. It could be due to some secret skills you possess, or a special lineage, perhaps. However, regardless of what you are, there’s no way you can survive once you’ve lost your head.

“I’ve been going easy on you thus far, which is why I never specifically aimed for your head. However, since you don’t know what’s good for you, there’s no need for me to show you any further mercy. I don’t believe you’ll be able to survive once I tear your head off!”

To be honest, Zu An was also curious as to whether the Heiress’ Ball of Delights would be able to continue protecting him even after his head was somehow twisted off. If he was still alive after it happened, how would it work? Would his fallen head simply reattach to his body?

But what if she crushes my head like a watermelon, reducing my brain to mush? Will I be able to come back to life after that?

That thought caused Zu An’s complexion to turn an awful color.

Noticing the subtle changes in his expression, Mi Li sneered coldly as she prepared to twist off his head. All of a sudden, though, her body froze.

“Ah Zu, kill me!”

The malicious look in Mi Li’s eyes vanished without a trace, replaced with Chu Chuyan’s anxious expression. Her eyes were glistening with tears.

Zu An was delighted to see her. “Honey, have you managed to overcome her?”

“I’ve only been able to temporarily wrestle back control over my body from her, but I won’t be able to last too long. Hurry up and kill me!” exclaimed Chu Chuyan. 

There was no way someone as proud as her would allow another woman to take over her body. Just the thought of how that woman would use her body to do those sorts of things with other men in the future made her shudder in disgust. She would rather die than to allow something like that to happen!

Her words made Zu An hesitate. Chu Chuyan had completely let down her defenses, such that even Zu An, despite his severe injuries, could easily kill her at this very moment. However, how could he really do that?

If he was truly able to accept her death, there was no way he would have persisted for so long.

“Hurry up!” Chu Chuyan cried pleadingly.

Zu An’s complexion turned dark. He knew what was the logical decision he ought to make, but was this even a question that should be resolved through logic?

In this brief moment of hesitation, the domineering Mi Li was able to take over Chu Chuyan’s body once more. “You lowly woman. How dare you try to resist me?”

Chu Chuyan’s eyes regained their clarity. “You’re the lowly woman here!” 

Chu Chuyan’s expression kept alternating back and forth between Chu Chuyan and Mi Li, speaking to one another in completely different tones. It was really an extremely eerie sight.

Zu An knew that he couldn’t hesitate anymore. So, he picked up the Tai’e Sword and pointed its tip toward Chu Chuyan’s heart. All he had to do was to push it forward a little, and her life would end.

Somehow knowing that Zu An wouldn’t be able to do it, Chu Chuyan gritted her teeth, grabbed the sword with her left hand, and pulled the sword toward her chest.