Original capital of Chu Kingdom, in a secluded manor.
Monarch Changping, Xiong Qi, sat at the head seat. Below him stood the many subordinates he had gathered over the years.
At this moment, they were discussing the coming battles.
When should they engage in a decisive war with the Qin Army?
When should they re-establish the Chu Kingdom?
And stand as equals with Ying Zheng of Qin Dynasty?
The civil and military officials below debated endlessly, each holding firm to their own opinion.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a cold gleam shot across the room.
Its target was none other than Monarch Changping seated at the top.
A wave of dread surged in Monarch Changping's heart. Feeling an imminent mortal threat, he reacted instinctively, throwing himself sideways to dodge.
He narrowly avoided the lethal strike.
Seeing that Monarch Changping had evaded his fatal blow, the Black Ice Platform Leader was utterly shocked.
A mere Heavenly Human Realm cultivator had dodged his killing move?
He had spent a long time preparing for that strike.
"Your Majesty, watch out!"
"That assassin was sent by the traitor Ying Zheng!"
"Quick, kill him!"
The ministers and generals were furious to see their lord attacked. They rushed forward to surround and kill the Black Ice Platform Leader.
Unfortunately, this was no ordinary opponent.
A true Mythical Realm cultivator was not someone ants could contend with.
With a single slash of his blade, multiple arcs of sword energy shot outward.
They targeted the civil and military officials charging toward him.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
In the blink of an eye, most of them were slaughtered.
Those below the Heavenly Human Realm died instantly.
Even the ones who survived had simply been lucky.
But luck wouldn't help them escape a second time.
Looking at the rebellious officials, the Black Ice Platform Leader swung his blade once more.
The remaining officials fell one after another.
However, their desperate interference had bought Monarch Changping a moment of breathing room.
But when he looked at the subordinates he had spent over a decade recruiting, now all lying dead before him, fury ignited in his heart.
His killing intent toward the Black Ice Platform Leader became almost tangible.
"Your Majesty, beware! He's Mythical Realm! You must escape!" shouted Tian Guang in panic from nearby.
"Escape?"
"Who said I was going to run?"
"This time, I'll kill you with my own hands!"
Rather than retreating, Monarch Changping's gaze turned icy cold as a strange aura began swirling around him.
"If my Purple Radiance Profound Exercise can appear on the Technique Ranking, do you really think you can kill me?"
"Purple Radiance Profound Exercise, Sovereign of All Under Heaven!"
A majestic and supreme aura burst forth.
It surged toward the Black Ice Platform Leader, surrounding him entirely.
At that moment, the assassin felt his breath catch.
Even the flow of true essence within his body slowed dramatically.
The space around him solidified.
Every movement required ten times the effort.
His expression changed drastically.
What a bizarre technique.
It was affecting his every move!
"Break through!"
With a thunderous roar, Monarch Changping's aura surged rapidly.
"Don't even think of advancing to the Mythical Realm!"
The Black Ice Platform Leader summoned all his strength to stop Monarch Changping's breakthrough.
Just as his blade was about to strike Monarch Changping's vital point.
Crack!
A bottleneck shattered.
A terrifying wave of power erupted.
It spread in all directions.
The Black Ice Platform Leader bore the full brunt of it.
Boom!
Infuriated by the massacre of his loyal subordinates, Monarch Changping unleashed a palm strike full of fury onto the assassin's chest.
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood sprayed out.
The assassin was gravely wounded on the spot.
No one had expected that upon breaking through, Monarch Changping's strength would immediately surpass the Black Ice Platform Leader.
Perhaps the assassin had underestimated him, but there was no denying Monarch Changping's power was now formidable.
"Die!"
Just as Monarch Changping prepared to deliver the final blow.
A chill swept over his body.
An overwhelming sense of danger surged in his mind.
Before he could react.
Shnk!
A blade pierced through his back.
At the critical moment, Monarch Changping shifted his body slightly, avoiding a direct stab to the heart.
Even so, he was severely injured on the spot.
Crash!
A powerful punch followed, slamming into his chest.
The impact sent him flying.
He hit the ground hard, coughing up another mouthful of blood.
Two consecutive assassination attempts.
Had he not broken through to the Mythical Realm at the last second, he would already be dead.
Who was the one who struck?
The attacker was clad entirely in black.
Even his eyes and nose were covered.
The only certainty was that the attacker was a man.
"What a shame." The mysterious figure muttered after failing to kill Monarch Changping in two strikes.
Sensing another powerful presence rapidly approaching, he knew the best opportunity had passed.
He would have to wait for a better chance.
In a flash, he moved to the wounded Black Ice Platform Leader.
He grabbed him and quickly vanished into the distance.
A few seconds later, another terrifying aura arrived.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
"This is bad! The injuries are severe! We must heal you immediately!"
"While your life is not in danger, you might fall back to the Heavenly Human Realm if not treated in time!"
After examining Monarch Changping, the newcomer spoke anxiously.
"Damn it! This was clearly a scheme by the Qin Dynasty! Bai Qi held me back while the Black Ice Platform Leader and the mysterious assassin struck together, all to kill His Majesty!"
"Ying Zheng really went all out this time."
The newcomer spoke through clenched teeth.
"Marshal, please save His Majesty at once!" Tian Guang urged.
"We must find a secure location. Only you and I can know of it. Not a third person!"
"Ying Zheng's spies are everywhere. We must be careful!"
"But the good news is, now that His Majesty has survived this tribulation, he will soar like a dragon into heaven!"
"In the future, the Chu Kingdom will have its rightful place on the land of the Nine Provinces!"
==========
Qin Imperial Palace.
Ying Zheng stared at the heavily injured Black Ice Platform Leader in the palace hall, his mind filled with conflicting emotions.
Not only had they failed to kill Monarch Changping, but the leader had even ended up seriously wounded.
A Mythical Realm cultivator, injured by someone who was merely at the Heavenly Human Realm?
What a disgrace.
Even though the other party broke through mid-battle, it didn't excuse the Black Ice Platform Leader's incompetence.
Had Ying Zheng not been cautious and secretly dispatched one of the Qin Dynasty's hidden trump cards to assist, the Commander might have died on the spot.
That would have been truly humiliating.
"Your Majesty, it's now certain that Monarch Changping has broken through to the Mythical Realm. From this point on, we must treat him as a real threat." A minister said gravely.
"Fortunately, Lord Black Shadow killed all of Monarch Changping's civil and military officials at the crucial moment."
"Hmph!"
"So what?! As long as Monarch Changping is alive, the Qin Dynasty will never know peace!"
"Monarch Changping... I never expected that the one to cause such trouble for me would be him!"
"But if I didn't fear him back then, I fear him even less now."
"What's so great about the Mythical Realm? Even the God Demon Realm doesn't scare me!"
"Sooner or later, I will take his head and use it to honor the souls of Qin Dynasty's loyal subjects who died because of him!"
Ying Zheng spoke coldly, with ruthless determination.
==========
Very soon, news of Monarch Changping's breakthrough to the Mythical Realm spread across the Nine Provinces.
Even Ying Zheng's failed assassination attempt became public knowledge.
The entire world began talking about it as a hot topic.
The other Emperors of the Nine Provinces, though expressionless on the surface, were secretly delighted by Ying Zheng's setback.
Even Zhu Houzhao was no exception.
==========
Tang Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.
"Hahaha! Ying Zheng, you finally had your day! I'm in such a good mood, I must drink a few extra cups today!"
Li Shimin had long been displeased with Ying Zheng's overbearing nature.
Now that the Qin Dynasty had encountered such a huge problem, he couldn't help but feel some schadenfreude.
He wished Monarch Changping would immediately establish a kingdom and declare himself Emperor, further splitting the Qin Dynasty.
This would greatly reduce the Qin Dynasty's influence across the Nine Provinces.
In the future, the Tang Dynasty might surpass the Qin Dynasty, or even conquer it.
After all, the Qin Dynasty was one of the Tang Dynasty's major rivals, if not the biggest.
When an enemy suffers, joy is only natural.
"Your Majesty, you must not let your guard down. Monarch Changping may be powerful, but compared to Ying Zheng's foundation, the gap is immense." The Bad Marshal reminded with a shake of his head.
He had no confidence in Monarch Changping's chances.
Even though the man was quite capable, he was simply born in the wrong era, facing someone like Ying Zheng.
Failure was only a matter of time.
Even if Monarch Changping reached the God Demon Realm, it wouldn't matter.
In the competition for dominance over the Nine Provinces, what truly mattered were national strength and military power.
Strong individuals played important roles, but they weren't the deciding factor.
Otherwise, the Ming Emperor, Zhu Houzhao, with his current power, would have already destroyed the Qing Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, his two greatest enemies.
But he hadn't made a move, and that was exactly the reason.
In war between nations, it was the nation's strength that determined the outcome.
It required consideration of many factors.
Unlike martial duels, where a simple fight determined the winner.
As for the Qin Dynasty, Ying Zheng had unified the Seven Kingdoms for over a decade. His foundation was solid.
In terms of national power, the Qin Dynasty stood at the very top among all nations in the Nine Provinces.
No one knew how many hidden aces he still had.
And Monarch Changping?
At the end of the day, he was just the leader of a rebellious force.
He might be able to stir up some chaos from the shadows.
But once he stepped into the light, his destruction would be inevitable.
Unless, of course, a miracle occurred.
"Master Yuan, I'm just indulging in a bit of wishful thinking." Li Shimin laughed.
"I know very well that Monarch Changping is hardly worth mentioning. He may be a decent minister, but when it comes to ruling a nation, he is vastly inferior to Ying Zheng."
"What a pity about that Mythical-Grade Cultivation Technique. Why did it choose him?"
"Master Yuan, is there any way we could obtain that Purple Radiance Great Emperor Scripture?"
"I'm very interested in Imperial Cultivation Techniques. Such things are extremely rare across the Nine Provinces."
"I will keep watch. When Monarch Changping is defeated, I will act personally."
==========
Southern Song Dynasty, Outside of Xiangyang City.
At this moment, the Yuan Army was launching yet another fierce assault on Xiangyang.
Over the past days, though Temujin's troops had still not breached the city, they showed no signs of giving up.
They were waging a war of attrition.
In fact, with multiple routes of attack, Xiangyang had already been cut off and isolated. Its fall was only a matter of time.
The Southern Song Imperial Court showed no intention of sending reinforcements.
They hadn't even provided provisions.
One could almost believe that Xiangyang didn't even belong to the Southern Song Dynasty.
Even Temujin couldn't understand what the Southern Song Emperor and his ministers were thinking.
But it worked in his favor.
The more useless the Southern Song Dynasty was, the better it was for the Yuan Dynasty.
Judging by the current situation, Xiangyang would fall within ten days.
As for Xiangyang's commander, Guo Jing, Temujin had mixed feelings.
On one hand, Guo Jing had caused massive Yuan Dynasty casualties.
On the other hand, he had watched Guo Jing grow up.
He had even considered marrying his daughter to him, nearly making him family.
Now, Guo Jing has become his greatest enemy.
Yet he still appreciated his talent.
He was torn between wanting to kill him to avenge his fallen soldiers and wanting to win him over.
But in any case, Xiangyang had to fall, and Guo Jing had to be captured first.
"Khan, this is secret intelligence from the Qin Dynasty."
"Hahaha! Looks like Ying Zheng is going to suffer a huge loss."
"This Monarch Changping is truly capable. To hide under Ying Zheng's nose for so many years, he's definitely a man of talent."
"Too bad he can't serve me."
"Still, if he can keep Ying Zheng busy, that's good enough."
"Let's hope he can hold out longer and inflict more damage on the Qin Dynasty."
Though the Qin Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty were far apart geographically, the Yuan Dynasty still didn't mind secretly tripping up their rival.
Ying Zheng had long been viewed with resentment by many Emperors across the Nine Provinces due to his dominance.
If not for the recent rise of the Ming Emperor, Zhu Houzhao, most would still consider Ying Zheng their number-one threat.
Now that Ying Zheng had suffered a setback, not only was Li Shimin gloating, Temujin was too.
Even Emperors like Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty, Zhao Ji of Northern Song Dynasty, and Zhu Houzhao of Ming Dynasty were secretly filled with anticipation.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
List of Characters:
Qin's Moon ( 秦时明月 )
・Ying Zheng ( 嬴政 ) — Emperor of Qin Dynasty
・Xiong Qi ( 熊启 ) — Last King of Chu Kingdom
・Tian Guang ( 田光 ) — Master of Agricultural School
・Bai Qi ( 白起 ) — Commander of Qin Dynasty
Great Tang Twin Dragons Legend ( 大唐双龙传 )
・Li Shimin ( 李世民 ) — Emperor of Tang Dynasty
Painting Jianghu ( 画江湖 )
・Yuan Tiangang ( 袁天罡 ) — Master of Bad People
Legend of the Condor Heroes ( 射雕英雄传 )
・Temujin ( 铁木真 ) — Emperor of Yuan Dynasty