From a nearby high cliff…
"Giant, that child is the son of Commander Jing Ke. We must save him!"
Master Ban looked excitedly at the man beside him, who wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat.
"With Ge Nie's skills, mere Qin soldiers are nothing. Let's wait and watch."
The leader of the Mohist School, Giant, spoke calmly.
"We must bring him into our ranks. Then the Mohist School will finally have a successor."
"Keep observing."
"Whether Ge Nie truly betrayed Ying Zheng, we still need to see for ourselves."
"What if it's just a ruse to deceive the enemy?"
———
The Great Qin Empire, Yin Yang School Headquarters
Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi gazed at the golden ranking in the sky. Behind his mask, his eyes flickered with deep thought.
Since the golden list appeared, all his predictions had been thrown into disarray.
The future had become a blur of chaos.
Everything he had planned over the years had completely fallen apart.
This filled him with suppressed rage.
If the golden list hadn't been created by the Heavenly Dao itself, he would have already exploded in fury and hunted down the so-called mastermind behind it all.
"Jing Tianming, son of Jing Ke."
"The secrets on him are connected to the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations. Now everything's in disarray."
He once had a good chance of obtaining those secrets, but now the odds were dismal.
"Heavenly Dao, why have you brought the Golden List to the Nine Provinces?"
"Is it a great calamity… or a great opportunity?"
As one of the Land Immortals of Qin, Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi naturally did not care for the rewards alone.
What lay behind all of this was what truly drew his attention.
"Lord Eastern Sovereign, something's happened!"
At that moment, the Yin Yang School's protector, Xing Hun, walked in quickly and reported respectfully.
"What is it?" came the deep voice.
"Just now, a disciple from the Mirage Tower reported that Eastern Monarch has escaped from the Ten-Thousand-Year Frost Array. Her whereabouts are unknown!"
"Impossible!" Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi's voice rang out in shock.
This time, he was truly astonished.
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Frost Array was personally arranged by me, and Yan Fei's inner power was sealed. How could she escape?"
"Unless…"
"Unless she has become a Land Immortal. Such a formation could no longer trap her."
"But how could that be?"
Xing Hun also found it hard to believe.
But the facts were undeniable.
He had once felt dissatisfied with Eastern Monarch's title.
But now, he was thoroughly convinced.
Clearly, Eastern Monarch had now become an exalted Land Immortal, far beyond what a Great Grandmaster could match.
Even if Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi himself fought her, the outcome might not be favorable.
"Send people immediately to track her down. I want to know what she's planning."
"She'll surely go after the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal, and their daughter. Closely monitor the Baiyue region."
"Keep in mind, those women of Baiyue are not to be trifled with."
"Do not provoke them."
"Just observe from the shadows."
Xing Hun was startled when he heard that.
Baiyue?
Wasn't it destroyed long ago by the Han Kingdom?
That backwater place still has powerful figures?
Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi had never mentioned it before.
If even Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi was so wary, could there be Land Immortals hidden there?
Why would Eastern Monarch go to Baiyue?
The more he learned, the more chaotic Xing Hun's mind became.
This ran far deeper than he ever imagined.
———
Mohist School, a secret base
"A Xue, who would've thought that Brother Jing Ke's son, Tianming, would appear on the Hidden Dragon Ranking? What a pleasant surprise!"
A man with an elegant and melancholic temperament, possessing a refined appearance, looked at the ranking with glowing eyes and a smile at the corner of his lips.
He turned toward the beautiful woman with long snow-white hair beside him.
"Tianming is alive and has achieved so much thanks to Ge Nie."
"You shouldn't hold such resentment toward him."
"After all, he has already turned against Ying Zheng."
Xue Nu's voice was soft and melodious, her every movement graceful, like a goddess from the moon palace.
"Hmph, Jing Ke died at his hands. No matter what, I can't forgive him so easily."
"And who knows? This could all be a ploy."
Gao Jianli snorted coldly, his voice full of hatred and discontent toward Ge Nie.
"Brother Gao, I'm planning to make a trip to Baiyue. You return to Mechanism City first."
"I'll come back as soon as I finish what I need to do."
After a brief silence, Xue Nu suddenly said to Gao Jianli.
"Sigh… A Xue, all these years and you still haven't let him go? You visit Baiyue every six months. It must be hard for you."
Xue Nu showed no sadness in response. Instead, she smiled brightly.
"Brother Gao, you misunderstand. I've actually lived quite happily these past years."
"Back then, at my lowest point, when I was in despair, he appeared and saved me. He freed me from my emotional burdens."
"He gave me a brand-new life."
"These years, even though he's not by my side, he's always been in my heart."
"Just thinking of him each day is enough to make me content."
"That guy must've saved all of the Nine Provinces in his past life to deserve someone like you."
"If he ever shows up again, I'll definitely give him a good beating on your behalf."
"Brother Gao, I don't think you can beat him. With his talent, he's probably a Land Immortal by now."
"If I'm doing it for you, he wouldn't dare fight back, would he?"
"All right then, I'll be on my way. Be careful."
"You too. Though with your current strength, I'm not too worried about your safety. I'll wait for your return at Mechanism City."
As Gao Jianli watched Xue Nu's departing figure, his expression grew complicated.
———
The Ming Dynasty.
Royal Palace.
Jing Tianming.
"So in the end, everything circles back to the beginning."
Thinking of the bold and spirited Jing Ke, Emperor Zhu Houzhao felt a wave of emotion.
What a pity.
"Your Majesty, do you know this Jing Tianming?"
Seeing the emperor's unusual expression, the empress asked.
"No, I don't."
Zhu Houzhao quickly shook his head.
"But I've long heard of Jing Ke. He's a legendary figure."
"Especially among us emperors. His name carries great weight."
"How can I not pay attention to Jing Ke's son?"
"It's not just me. Liu Hong of Han, Yang Guang of Sui, Li Shimin of Tang, every single one of them fears his name."
"If not for Ge Nie back then, Ying Zheng would've had a very hard time."
"Hahaha, how amusing. I bet Ying Zheng's expression right now must be priceless!"
Zhu Houzhao burst into laughter.
The empress could only roll her eyes.
As if it's that easy to assassinate an emperor.
Even without Ge Nie, Ying Zheng would have survived.
Clearly, the emperor was hiding something from her.
Suddenly…
The ranking in the sky began to shift once more.
Another name was about to rise onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking.