A silhouette rose out of the Tai’e Sword—Mi Li. She was previously dressed in Zu An’s clothes, but now that she had turned into a soul, she had reverted back to the black empress robe she’d been wearing previously.

Why is she still wearing clothes even when she has turned into a soul? Just who is she on guard against?

Mi Li was a little displeased by Zu An’s gaze. She snorted coldly and said, “You’re the one who landed me in my current state. So what if I absorbed a little bit of energy from those evil spirits to heal my soul? You should remember that we’re linked with one another now. You should be praying that my soul remains as healthy as it can be.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I would love nothing more than for big sis empress to live for tens of thousands of years. It would be even better if you could live for all eternity,” replied Zu An, fawning all over her.

“Hah. Since ancient times, all cultivators, no matter how strong they were, have never been able to escape the fate of eventual decline. True immortality is simply too far beyond reach,” remarked Mi Li. She suddenly directed a sharp glare at Zu An and said, “Besides, you obviously have the face of a short-lived brat. What’s the use if I’m the only one who’s able to live for a long time?”

“Wait a moment, what do you mean, ‘I have the face of a short-lived brat’?!” protested Zu An angrily.

“That mouth of yours is simply too good at drawing the ire of others. You’re bound to make a lot of enemies in your lifetime, so you’re obviously going to be short-lived,” replied Mi Li.

“As a cultivator, how can I cower in fear before my enemies? In my view, rather than a threat, my enemies are nothing more than a grindstone that sharpens my ability, allowing me to reach greater heights!” said Zu An.

Mi Li was surprised. “I must have been underestimating you. I never expected to hear such words from you.”

Chu Chuyan turned to look at Zu An, surprised by his perspective on this matter.

Qiao Xueying seemed to take it in her stride. Having fought beside him in the three seals, she had long come to the realization that Zu An was not the wastrel son-in-law of the Chu clan whom she had looked down on in the past.

But Zu An suddenly burst into laughter and remarked, “Of course. Someone as cool as I am will always attract the attention of women no matter where I go.”

Mi Li and Chu Chuyan stared at him, speechless.

Even Qiao Xueying had nothing to say to that.

Allow me to take back those words I just said. He’s still as thick-skinned as ever.

“Forget it. I’ll give you a little reminder so that you can at least live a little longer. I’m not the only one who benefited from assimilating the two hundred thousand evil spirits earlier on; the Tai’e Sword has also been greatly nourished. It has regained its powers, to some degree. In the future, you can use its Kingship Domain to exert pressure on your enemies. You’ll be able to fully seal the movements of lower rank cultivators, and greatly weaken the strength of stronger opponents,” said Mi Li.

Zu An was delighted. “Doesn’t that mean that I’ll become unrivaled in the future?”

“It isn’t as simple as you think. The Kingship Domain is powerful, but it drains a lot of energy from you each time it’s activated. I reckon you’d only be able to activate it once every fifteen days, so I suggest you reserve this skill for truly desperate moments, lest you find yourself without this trump card during the most crucial moments,” replied Mi Li.

Zu An could accept such a limitation. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for him to be able to use such a powerful skill as and when he pleased. “Ah, you mentioned ‘lower rank cultivators’ and ‘stronger opponents’ earlier. What would count as a lower rank cultivator, and who would count as a stronger opponent? I need to know the exact details, so that I’d at least have some idea of what I’m able to do.”

“I only know of the prowess of the Tai’e Sword’s Kingship Domain when it’s at its peak. Needless to say, it’s still much weaker than it was at its peak, so I don’t really have a gauge for you either. You should test it out for yourself in a battle instead,” replied Mi Li.

“I see…” Zu An was a little disappointed by that, but he decided to look on the bright side instead. It was good enough that he’d obtained another powerful skill; there was no need for him to get too greedy.

He turned to check on Qiao Xueying, and noticed that her face was extremely pale. He quickly rushed over and asked, “How is she doing?”

“I used my ki to stabilize her injuries for the time being, but she needs to get proper treatment as soon as possible,” replied Chu Chuyan.

Zu An flicked the Tai’e Sword impatiently and said, “You went too far just now.”

“The fact that she’s still breathing should be enough to show that I went easy on her,” sneered Mi Li.

Zu An snorted in reply before hurriedly pulling Qiao Xueying to his side to treat her, but Mi Li’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

“Are you intending to treat her with your Primordial Origin Sutra?”

“Indeed.” Zu An didn’t know why Mi Li was asking him such a question. “Is there a problem with that?”

“You won’t be able to do it. The first rank of the Primordial Origin Sutra tempers your body, the second rank purifies malevolent beings, the third rank cures all poisons. Only at the fourth rank will you be able to treat others. You lack that ability in your current state,” replied Mi Li.

Zu An was taken aback. “But didn’t I repair Chuyan’s ki meridians earlier on?”

Chu Chuyan’s face reddened, and she quickly turned her head aside awkwardly, pretending as if she wasn’t listening to their conversation.

In reply to Zu An’s question, Mi Li said, “That wasn’t a conventional treatment method. You were using the amalgamation of yin and yang, harnessing your transcendent class aptitude as a medium, in order to carry out the treatment. Surely you can’t be thinking of doing such a thing with everyone else in order to save them? Putting all other concerns aside, what if your patient is a man?”

The thought of plowing into a man made Zu An shudder.

Why the hell would I ever want to treat a man? It goes without saying that I’ll only treat women! Bros, you shouldn’t blame me for being heartless, it’s just that… how can I bring myself to do it?!

“Besides, not all women would be willing to let you do such a thing in order to save them.” Mi Li shot a glance at Qiao Xueying. “Why don’t you try asking her?”

Zu An turned to Qiao Xueying and asked, “Snow, we’re comrades who have braved through danger together. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely do everything I can to save you. Even if I have to squeeze out every single droplet I have, I’ll do so without any hesitation, just so that…”

“Go to hell!” Qiao Xueying interjected furiously, exerting all her remaining strength to push him away.

Chu Chuyan quickly rushed over to support Qiao Xueying before directing a glare at Zu An. “How can you joke around at a time like this?”

Zu An felt indignant. “All I want to do is save her! I mean, I’m even willing to deplete my blood essence for her!”

Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying both glared at him without saying anything.

Mi Li’s expression darkened. “Time and time again, you remind me of just how low a human being can get.”

Zu An sighed deeply. It was truly a shame that no one in the world could empathize with him. However, since Qiao Xueying was not in any mortal danger at the moment, it would be inappropriate for him to perform such an act with her.

That being said, it didn’t hinder him from muttering indignantly, “Hmph, as the old saying goes, ‘three monks won’t have water to drink[1]’. If these two other women weren’t here, Snow might have succumbed there and then.”

All of a sudden, the Tai’e Sword flew into the air, bashing Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying on the backs of their heads and causing the two of them to collapse to the ground. 

Chu Chuyan was so busy taking care of Qiao Xueying and brooding over her changed relationship with Zu An that the attack caught her completely off-guard. As for Qiao Xueying, she was simply in too weak of a state to retaliate.

“What are you doing?!” Zu An bellowed at Mi Li, alarmed by her sudden actions. He quickly rushed forward to check on the two women, and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that they were only unconscious.

“Kill them,” ordered Mi Li coldly. 

“You’re sick in the mind!” retorted Zu An angrily.

“I know that you have a close relationship with them, but a bond between a man and woman is unreliable. You have revealed far too many secrets to the two of them, be it your transcendent class talent or the Primordial Origin Sutra… and if I’m not mistaken, you practice the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra too. Is that correct?” asked Mi Li.

Zu An was taken aback. He looked at Mi Li warily and asked, “How do you know that?”

Mi Li chuckled softly, a hint of pride in her eyes. “Every time you get injured, your physical prowess is greatly enhanced, be it your speed or your strength, allowing you to exhibit a strength far greater than your current cultivation rank. I’ve seen records relating to it during my time in the imperial palace, so it wasn’t that difficult for me to form an educated guess.”

Zu An fell silent. This woman is simply far too powerful and knowledgeable. It won’t be easy to fool her in the future.

“However, there’s one thing I still don’t understand. The Phoenix Nirvana Sutra shouldn’t make you invulnerable. Why was I unable to kill you earlier on?” Mi Li frowned deeply. Despite all the books she’d read in her time, there was nothing that could explain that baffling situation.

Zu An scratched his head awkwardly. The Heiress’ Ball of Delights was simply far too embarrassing of a tool, and he’d swore that he would never speak of its existence to anyone else.

Fortunately, Mi Li did not pursue the matter any further. “It doesn't matter. I’ll eventually uncover your secrets in time to come anyway. In any case, I’m sure you understand just how dangerous it would be for your secrets to be revealed. Both the Primordial Origin Sutra and the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra are top-notch skills that even the strongest experts in the world would covet. On top of that, you should do well not to forget that you possess transcendent-class aptitude, and there are many old monsters who desire your flesh.”

“Surely people wouldn’t really be so naive to believe that they could achieve immortality by consuming the flesh of a cultivator with transcendent-class aptitude,” Zu An offered meekly.

“Even Ying Zheng was unable to resist the allure of possible immortality, let alone other powerful cultivators.” Mi Li’s expression grew a little complicated when she mentioned Ying Zheng. “Those people have already reached the pinnacle of success, and hold great authority and wealth in their hands. They lack nothing, and thus, they are more fearful of death than anyone else.

“To them, as long as there’s even a sliver of hope at achieving immortality, they would have to give it a try. It’s not as though they have anything to lose. If they find out that you possess transcendent-class aptitude, they would go to the extent of grinding up your bones just so they could swallow every single part of you.”

Zu An was horrified by Mi Li’s vivid description. He subconsciously replied, “The two of them are the people closest to me at the moment, though. I don’t think they would reveal this to anyone else.”

“Ying Zheng was also the man closest to me. Did that save me from his betrayal?” replied Mi Li, a vicious edge in her voice. “Human beings and their emotions are the two most unreliable things in the world. Our fates are already tied together, so I can’t allow any harm to come to you. If you aren’t willing to do it, I’ll silence them myself.”

The Tai’e Sword rose into the air and prepared to execute the two women.

Shocked, Zu An quickly stepped in front of the two of them to protect them. “You can’t just deny all emotion in the world, just because you were betrayed in the past. Besides, if I were to kill two of the closest people to me over something like this, how would I be different from Ying Zheng? Surely you wouldn’t want to live your life with a second Ying Zheng, would you?”

“Ying Zheng might have been vicious, but he was much more decisive, and much wiser than you are.” Despite her words, the Tai’e Sword slowly floated back down to the ground.

“Wait a moment. Why does the Tai’e Sword heed your commands? Wasn’t I supposed to be its real master?” exclaimed Zu An.

“That’s because its sword spirit is still in hibernation, given the injuries it sustained in the past. In a way, you can think of me as a temporary sword spirit for the Tai’e Sword.”

“Oh? So you’re the Tai’e Sword’s sword spirit now?” Zu An’s eyes lit up. “Shouldn’t you call me ‘Master’ then?”

Mi Li quivered in silent rage.