Another World: The Failed Magician

The sun had just risen in the early morning. Its light illuminated the southern part of the Eastern Dragon Empire.

But the Tai Xuan Sect is different today. Although the sun has risen, the sect is still shrouded in a strange darkness that even the sunlight cannot dispel.

The source of the darkness was coming from the central hall of the Tai Xuan Sect.

A jet-black seed hung in the air above the main hall, emanating an eerie aura. Apart from that, the entire hall was deserted.

The blood and corpses that were there before have now disappeared.

Only two figures remained, standing outside the main hall.

The Prince of Zhennan looked at the eerie atmosphere emanating from the main hall with an excited expression in his eyes.

Li Zheng, standing to the side, looked rather grim. He felt fear, a fear that he had rarely experienced since becoming a Martial King.

When the terrifying aura reached its peak, the demonic seed that was floating in the air suddenly cracked open, and a black figure appeared on the demonic seed.

"Make your move!" the Prince of Zhennan roared.

Then, Li Zheng tossed three keys from his hand and chanted a spell.

As the incantation was chanted, the three keys flew through the air in an arc, disappearing into the hall.

The shadowy figure inside the hall also sensed the presence of the three keys.

The dark figure unleashed a sharp roar, and the dark aura that enveloped the entire Tai Xuan Sect flew towards the three keys.

But even so, the gases still couldn't stop the three keys.

Three keys flew into the main hall and were inserted into three different places.

Then, a dazzling light appeared in the hall, and the eerie and dark atmosphere that had filled the hall was swept away in an instant.

Then the light coalesced into a towering figure, dressed in a Taoist robe, whose facial features were obscured.

The moment the figure appeared, it locked onto the dark shadow above the demon seed.

With a wave of his hand, a terrifying sword aura descended from the sky, crashing into the black shadow created by the demonic seed.

Li Zheng and the Prince of Zhennan, both martial kings, were directly blown away by the shockwave generated by the sword energy.

A large amount of black mist erupted around the dark figure, surging towards the sword energy like a tide.

But just as the black mist touched the area around the sword energy, it emitted a sound like a human's wail. Then it all dissipated.

The remaining sword energy pierced through the shadow, completely shattering it into the air.

As the dust settled, the demonic seed fell to the ground as if it had lost all life.

And that imposing figure, after releasing that sword energy, slowly dissipated into the air.

The Prince of Zhennan scrambled to his feet, and upon seeing the demonic seed on the main hall, he burst into a deafening laugh: "Hahaha! I've finally succeeded! I've succeeded!"

Then, he slowly walked towards the demonic seed.

Li Zheng also got up. Seeing the scene before him, he couldn't help but recall some past events.

It was about two years ago.

Li Zheng, who was already the sect leader of the Tai Xuan Sect and the national advisor of the Eastern Dragon Empire, was very troubled. After the Tai Xuan Sect was integrated into the imperial court, its status rose rapidly over the years, and it even became the head of the eight major sects 30 years ago.

He himself also formed his own faction, the Tai Xuan School, within the court, which was in opposition to the Left Chancellor's Left Party.

But this only made Li Zheng more uneasy.

He knew that his current status was given to him by Zhao Huai, and if Zhao Huai wanted to, he and the Tai Xuan Sect could vanish overnight.

Just then, Prince Zhao Qushan of Zhennan approached him and told him a shocking secret.

Zhao Huai, the current emperor of the Eastern Dragon Empire, was seriously injured during the struggle for the throne and needs a large amount of rare and precious herbs to sustain his life every day.

Through years of scheming, Zhao Qushan bribed the imperial physicians around Zhao Huai, and by slightly altering the rare and precious herbs, he caused them to clash and leave toxins in Zhao Huai's body.

Zhao Qushan assured him that Zhao Huai would fall ill within two years.

Then he can compete for the throne.

Li Zheng was still thinking about it at first, but then Zhao Qushan told him a bombshell: the Left Chancellor Qi Huaiguang was one of his men.

After much hesitation, Li Zheng accepted Zhao Qushan's invitation and joined his camp.

Li Zhengcai then learned the truth about Zhao Qushan's plan.

It turns out that Zhao Qushan had discovered a demonic seed in the Eastern Dragon Empire a long time ago. That demonic seed possessed the power to devour others.

However, the demonic seed itself possesses its own consciousness, and its host's consciousness will be erased.

So Zhao Qushan came up with a plan: first, he would let Li Mingxu accidentally obtain the demon seed, and then he would bring him to the forefront.

He obtained two young elves through negotiations with the Elf King, which he used as nourishment for his demonic seed. Finally, he hunted down valuable individuals through other means.

He then quickly restored the demon seed to the level of a Martial King, killed Li Mingxu with the help of others, and put the demon seed into a deep sleep.

The instant the demonic seed ended its slumber, it slaughtered all the experts from the seven major sects, the Tai Xuan Sect, and the Zhennan King's subordinates, turning them into energy to feed the demonic seed.

The demon's consciousness will also awaken at this time, actively absorbing power to recover from the damage it suffered when Li Mingxu was killed.

And it was at this moment that the opportunity to completely annihilate the demonic consciousness was given.

It was at this moment that Li Zheng used the last key he retrieved from the Qingxin Sword Sect to unleash the sword left behind by the first sect master of the Taixuan Sect, completely annihilating the consciousness of the demonic seed.

So the plan reached its final step.

If things proceed as planned, Zhao Qushan will absorb the energy left behind by the demonic seed at this time, thereby attempting to break through to the Martial Saint realm, a realm that no one has been able to reach until now due to the depletion of his battle qi and demonic power.

Once Zhao Qushan reaches the Martial Saint realm, he can easily kill Crown Prince Zhao Quan from the hands of the chief steward Zhao Zuoshu.

He then killed the already seriously ill Zhao Huai and finally ascended the throne.

Thinking of this, Li Zheng nervously watched Zhao Qushan, who had already entered the main hall.

Zhao Qushan picked up the demon seed from the ground and swallowed it without hesitation.

Zhao Qushan let out a painful cry, and his aura gradually rose until it reached the peak of the Martial King level.

Then, an incredibly terrifying aura burst forth from his body.

Guided by this aura, Li Zheng, who was far outside the hall, instantly knelt down on the ground.

Faced with such a terrifying aura, Li Zheng had only one thought in his mind: to submit.

"Hahaha! I've succeeded! Is this the realm of Martial Saint?! Hahaha! From now on, whether it's Donglong or any other country, they will all submit to me." Zhao Qushan laughed loudly.

……

The moment Zhao Qushan broke through to become a Martial Saint, all the powerful figures on the continent felt this aura.

At this moment, an old man sat on a silver throne; the old man was none other than King Weston Polier of the Silver Dragon Empire. After sensing the aura, the old man said to one of the figures at his feet, "It seems our ally has succeeded."

The man beneath the old man's feet asked worriedly after hearing the old man's words, "Your Majesty, since the Demon Clan launched that great war, there have been no saints on the entire continent. Zhao Qushan has become a Martial Saint at this time, and I'm afraid no one on the entire continent can rival him. Will he still keep our previous agreement? That's still a problem!"

"Of course he won't keep his promise to us."

"Then why did His Majesty the King choose to help him?"

“Bolton, you are an ordinary person, so you can’t feel it. Although the battle qi and magic power of the entire continent were depleted after that great war, there has been a gradual recovery trend in the past few years. Zhao Qushan reached the Martial Saint realm at this special time, which will promote this process.”

"When the battle qi and magic power of the entire continent are restored, the old guys of the Silver Dragon Clan will also awaken. At that time, the Silver Dragon Empire will be invincible on the entire continent. We will rebuild the glory of the Ancestral Dragon Empire."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Alright, you may leave now. Remember to do as I say."

"Yes!"

After Bolton stepped down, the old man muttered to himself, "Wibnir, I will prove to you that everything you have done is wrong. The rule of mortals in the Loca Federation that you admire will completely collapse in the future."

……

Inside the imperial palace of the Eastern Dragon Empire, a middle-aged man stood in a pavilion, gazing worriedly in one direction. That direction was precisely where Zhao Qushan had just broken through.

At this moment, a man dressed in the uniform of the Embroidered Uniform Guard appeared behind him: "Chief Steward Zhao, Lord Jiang sensed that someone in the south of the empire has broken through to the realm of Martial Saint. He wants to ask if the Chief Steward knows anything about this?"

"Go and tell Jiang Wenyu to defend the south gate to the death, no matter what happens."

"…But?"

"Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes!"

Just after the Imperial Guard left, a voice called out, "Uncle Zhao."

Upon seeing that the visitor was Zhao Quan, the man bowed respectfully and replied, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Someone broke through to Martial Saint in that direction, so it's highly likely related to my royal uncle. I think it's probably him himself. He wouldn't dare let anyone else control this power. I didn't expect this to be his trump card; it's quite formidable," Zhao Quan joked.

Zhao Zuoshu asked, "Your Highness, the situation is extremely critical now. We need to think of a way out."

"Uncle Zhao, if you were to face a Martial Saint, what do you think your chances of winning would be?"

After careful consideration, Zhao Zuoshu replied, "Back then, when White, who was known as invincible under the Holy One, visited the Eastern Dragon Empire, I fought him. I was able to fight him to a draw thanks to the formations of the Imperial Palace. But if I were to face an opponent at the Martial Saint level, I would probably only be able to last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"It seems that you are quite capable, Uncle Zhao."

"Your Highness, a Martial Saint-level expert is indeed someone no one in the entire palace can handle. We really need to consider our escape route."

"Uncle Zhao, if I escape, will Zhao Qushan become the emperor?"

After a moment of silence, Zhao Zuoshu spoke, "Your Highness, I can sense that with Zhao Qushan's ascension to sainthood, the magical power and battle qi of the entire continent are rapidly recovering. Within ten years, they may return to the levels before the Demon Clan launched their great war. At that time, Martial Saints will no longer be invincible. Therefore, in my opinion, we should temporarily avoid the limelight. My idea is to take His Majesty the Emperor and Your Highness to find a place to hide first. We will then reclaim the empire later."

"Returning to the level before the Demon Clan launched the great war? That wouldn't be ideal."

"Your Highness, now is not the time to consider this."

Zhao Quan chuckled softly as he looked at Zhao Zuoshu, who was usually so composed, now appearing somewhat anxious.

"His Royal Highness!"

"Uncle Zhao, I'm so sorry, but I've never seen you like this before. I just couldn't help it."

"Your Highness, now you should realize the seriousness of the matter, right?"

"Well, according to you, my royal uncle may have been invincible on the continent for nearly ten years."

“Uncle Zhao, what you said makes a lot of sense, but I don’t plan to run away. Although I’ve only been in power for two months, I’m going to live and die with it.”

"Uncle Zhao, go to where Father Emperor is in seclusion later. If he remains in seclusion as usual, then take him with you and flee this capital city."

"…But."

"Oh, and one last time, Uncle Zhao, could you please tell the Imperial Guards to evacuate all the people in the capital? And let all the people in the palace who want to leave go?"

Looking at Zhao Quan's resolute expression, Zhao Zuoshu replied, "Yes!"

After saying that, he walked deeper into the palace.

After Zhao Zuoshu left, Zhao Quan headed towards the East Palace.

Pushing open the gates of the East Palace, one can see that the interior decorations are spotless, indicating that it has been cleaned regularly.

Looking at the familiar scene before him, Zhao Quan felt a little dazed. It seemed that he had never been to this place since he went to the Loca Federation. Ah, so many years have passed, and this place is still the same as before.

Zhao Quan walked skillfully to his room, where the furnishings were still the same as before.

He walked to the desk where he often sat, slowly opened the drawer, and saw a sword inside, with a pure gold magic crystal inlaid in the center of the sword.

Zhao Quan's eyes were filled with memories as he looked at the precious sword.

Zhao Quan gently stroked it, as if reuniting with an old friend after many years.

"It seems you'll be with me on this final journey."

"Bullshit! Where do you place me?" A clear and pleasant voice rang out, interrupting Zhao Quan's recollection.

Zhao Quan looked at Luo Yun behind him in disbelief, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Then tears welled up in his eyes.

"Hmph! You want to ask why I'm here? I saw through your little tricks a long time ago. And don't even think about kicking me out now. With your skills, you can't even beat me. Without me, I can't even imagine how badly you would lose to a Martial Saint. So, in order for you to lose with some dignity, I have no choice but to stay and reluctantly help you," Luo Yun said smugly.

"Thank you!" Zhao Quan said, his voice choked with emotion.

Luo Yun put one hand on her hip and stroked Zhao Quan's hair with the other: "No need to thank me! Who told you to be my little brother? I'll protect you for life."