Another World: The Failed Magician

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight shone into the Golden Palace.

The dragon throne, a symbol of supreme power, was empty.

Inside the main hall, besides Zhao Quan and Luo Yun, there were only a dozen or so elderly people dressed in official robes.

Zhao Quan looked at the old man standing at the front. The old man's temples were already gray, and his frail body was straight and upright.

The old man was Li Qimin, the dean of Yingtian Academy and also the Minister of Rites.

The group of elderly people from Yingtian Academy, represented by Li Qimin, have been a major headache for Zhao Quan for the past two months.

These elderly people adhered to Confucian traditions and obstructed his reforms at every turn. They also frequently argued with the younger reformers.

But when he ordered the Imperial Guards to investigate, they found no wrongdoing on the part of these elderly people, so he was powerless to do anything about them.

Later, Zhao Quan gradually got used to the arguments between these old people and those young officials.

It was thanks to these elderly people that some of the overly ambitious reforms were put on hold, and the original plans were altered. Under their influence, the reforms, though slow, were indeed carried out.

Thinking of this, Zhao Quan looked at the elderly people with a newfound sense of gratitude.

Zhao Quan looked at Li Qiming and said, "Minister Li, we both know the current situation of the Eastern Dragon Empire. There's no need to hold the morning court session anymore. You should take these elders from Yingtian Academy and leave."

“Your Highness, we are all veterans who have followed Emperor Zhao Huai for decades. Naturally, we cannot stand by and watch Zhao Qushan usurp the throne. We will fight to the death here.”

"Fight to the death."

The other elderly men spoke in unison, each taking out a short sword and gripping it tightly.

Although their highest level of strength was only that of a high-level martial artist, not one of them showed any fear.

"These old-fashioned men actually stayed with you until the end," Luo Yun whispered to Zhao Quan.

Looking at the elderly people, Zhao Quan clasped his hands in a gesture of gratitude and said, "Zhao Quan thanks you all, but..."

“Your Highness, there’s no need to persuade us anymore. All those with families have been driven away by me. The remaining people are all people who have received the Emperor’s favor. We don’t want to leave, and we don’t want to leave.”

"Hmph! Since you don't want to leave, then none of you should leave."

A magnificent and powerful voice came from above the palace, followed by a terrifying pressure. The ministers, who were already old, were unable to resist this pressure, and several of them died on the spot.

Zhao Quan unleashed all of his advanced martial arts cultivation, gripping his longsword tightly to prevent himself from collapsing to his knees in the face of this terrifying pressure.

Luo Yun flashed in front of Zhao Quan, raising her azure longsword and emitting a sword aura of martial arts master level, barely blocking the overwhelming pressure.

Two figures appeared in the palace: one was a middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard and carrying a long sword, and the other was an old man dressed in a yellow robe and carrying a golden staff.

The two are at the peak of Martial King and the peak of Grand Magister respectively.

It was because the two of them shared most of the pressure that everyone present was not crushed to death by it.

The two men's faces turned extremely ugly when they saw the figure in the dragon robe in the air.

Ancient texts do indeed record that martial saints were extremely powerful, but when they actually faced them, they felt their own weakness and powerlessness.

Looking at the disheveled crowd at his feet, Zhao Qushan laughed loudly, "I am a member of the royal family and a Martial Saint. It is only right and proper for me to become the emperor. What right do you have to stop me? Li Qimin, I will grant you this favor because of your many years of hard work. If you are willing to assist me, I guarantee that the status of Yingtian Academy will only rise higher."

Then he looked at the two people blocking the crowd and said, "You two are the same. As long as you are willing to submit to me, you will not only be spared from death, but your families will also have a higher status from now on."

As for why Zhao Qushan changed his plans and appeared here, we have to go back to when Li Zheng left two days ago.

After Li Zheng left, Zhao Qushan grew increasingly displeased. He used to enjoy the leisurely journey to the capital, but now, faced with the obsequiousness of those people, he gradually became annoyed.

He didn't want to wait any longer; he wanted to sit on the dragon throne immediately and let everyone see who the true master of the Eastern Dragon Empire was.

And so, this scene unfolded: Zhao Qushan abandoned the grand and imposing procession and came to the palace alone. Today, he would sit on the dragon throne.

"You dog! You're delusional! The Emperor kindly bestowed upon you the title of Prince of Zhennan, but instead of being grateful, you've committed such a treasonous act. Do you know that your title and the yellow robe you wear are enough to warrant your death several times over?" Li Qimin shouted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Hmph! I think you're an incorrigible old man. What are your answers, both of you?"

The man dressed in the Imperial Guard uniform spoke first: "Since I'm already standing here today, I have no intention of submitting to you, you dog."

"I also want to see just how strong the legendary Martial Saint really is?"

"In that case, you may all die."

As he spoke, Zhao Qushan waved his hand, and terrifying battle qi transformed into a giant golden hand in the air, carrying a terrifying aura as it smashed down towards the crowd.

This terrifying aura caused the spies of various forces who were originally lingering near the palace to hurriedly flee in all directions.

The middle-aged man and the old man exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with unyielding spirit.

The man dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard picked up his long sword and charged toward the golden hand.

Another old man slammed his staff into the ground, and then a towering giant made of earth elements crashed into the golden hand.

The three forces collided at a speed invisible to the naked eye, and an explosion was quickly produced.

The blast wave sent everyone else flying.

The instant the shockwave was generated, Luo Yun swiftly grabbed Zhao Quan and Li Qimin, retreated to a corner, and tossed them behind him. He then raised his longsword and slashed forward fiercely, barely managing to block the terrifying shockwave.

Then, with a loud "boom!", the once magnificent palace was now in ruins, leaving behind a huge crater.

The man who had been wearing the Jinyiwei uniform was now kneeling on the ground, his body mangled and bloodied. He was gripping the broken sword tightly with one hand, struggling to keep from collapsing completely.

The giant, composed of earth elements, was instantly covered in cracks. A gentle breeze blew by, and with a loud bang, the giant shattered, scattering large and small stones across the ground.

The monk also knelt on the ground, blood streaming from his mouth.

In contrast, Zhao Qushan in the sky was leisurely, his golden dragon robe fluttering in the wind, exuding an aura of supreme authority.

Seeing the two men's disheveled appearance, Zhao Qushan's smile grew even wider.

Looking again at the three people hiding in the corner, his eyes were filled with mockery and disdain.

……

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Zhenbei Army was extremely heavy. On the other hand, the Zhennan Army on the opposite side was mainly singing and dancing, appearing unusually excited.

The two armies were still locked in a stalemate, but it was clear that the Zhennan Army, which had initially been evenly matched in strength, now possessed a far greater morale and momentum than the Zhenbei Army.

The barbarian elder, clad in bone armor, looked at the leader, the King of Zhenbei. Although the king appeared calm, the old man was still uncertain.

Quietly approaching the Prince of Zhenbei, she whispered, "Hey! That Zhao Qushan has already broken through to the Martial Saint realm. In my opinion, he'll be the emperor soon. Do you think we should just withdraw and then try to curry favor with him? Maybe we can still save our lives."

"Is this all the backbone you barbarians have?"

"Wow, you can't say that, kid. He's a Martial Saint. Who can beat him? Now, if I don't surrender, I can't possibly lead the entire barbarian tribe to fight against him."

"Don't worry. You and I have been fighting for so many years, you should know me. I don't fight unprepared battles. Although my family has been guarding the royal family for generations, if the strength disparity is too great, I will definitely choose to protect myself. I dared to bring the entire Zhenbei Army here, so I naturally have my reasons."

"Okay, I'm relieved with your words."

With that, the old man leaped into the air and charged toward the Martial King, who belonged to the Zhennan Army and was shouting curses in the sky.

……

Li Zheng walked along a long, narrow path and saw a tavern, so he went over.

After sitting down for a while, he noticed something was wrong. Not only was there not a single customer in the entire tavern, but there wasn't even a waiter. This was abnormal.

Just as Li Zheng was about to get up and leave, a flash of sword light shot out from the hotel counter, aimed directly at Li Zheng's forehead.

Li Zheng casually shattered the sword light with a single sword strike!

At that moment, a figure emerged from under the counter.

Upon seeing the figure, Li Zheng couldn't help but sneer, "Zuo Huai! You think you can kill me?"

As he spoke, King Li Zhengwu unleashed his full cultivation and slashed at Zuo Huai with his sword.

Zuo Huai narrowly dodged the sword with a sidestep, but the counter behind him was cleaved in two by the sword.

"I really don't understand. Now that you've already escaped death, why are you going to your own death?"

"You still have the nerve to talk? You lied to everyone! You said that as long as we sacrificed the people from the other seven major sects to the demon seed, our Tai Xuan Sect would be glorious for another hundred years after Zhao Qushan became emperor. But what happened? Even if we sacrificed everyone from the seven major sects, that demon seed wouldn't even reach the level of a Martial Saint. So you went so far as to sacrifice all 1008 people in the Tai Xuan Sect. You are the sect leader of the Tai Xuan Sect!"

Li Zheng remained expressionless after hearing this.

"There's nothing I can do. Plans can't keep up with changes. At first, I only intended to sacrifice people from the seven major sects, but even I didn't expect that the power required for that demon seed to evolve into a Martial Saint would be beyond everyone's imagination. But I've already placed enough bets, and I can't give up at this last step. So I had no choice but to bet everything."

"And then what? Why did you leave Zhao Qushan's team?"

"You ask me why? It's simple. Zhao Qushan is a cunning and despicable man. He even fooled me. He's not a hero at all; he's just a fucking idiot. If I stay by his side, I'll die a horrible death sooner or later."

Zuo Huai watched Li Zheng calmly finish speaking, somewhat incredulous.

Don't you feel even a little bit of guilt?

"Guilt? Why should I feel guilty? Everything I did was for the good of Tai Xuan Sect. If I did nothing, Tai Xuan Sect would also be envied and suppressed by the royal family. Then our enemies would come after Tai Xuan Sect and suffer the same fate. I just lost this gamble. Give me more time, and I will bring Tai Xuan Sect back to its peak."

"You're crazy, Li Zheng."

"I'm not crazy!"

As he spoke, Li Zheng thrust his sword toward Zuo Huai.

Zuo Huai barely managed to block the attack with all his might. Immediately afterward, Li Zheng's second sword slashed down.

Zuo Huai, a martial arts master, no longer had the strength to withstand the attack and was sent flying by the sword.

A horrific wound was left on his chest, and blood flowed out.

Just as Li Zheng was about to strike with his sword, he was about to fall.

The entire tavern suddenly became dark, and unexpectedly, countless drops of blood gushed out from inside.

The blood spread rapidly in all directions, instantly enveloping Li Zheng in its crimson hue.

No matter how Li Zheng attacked the blood with his sword energy, it did not cause the slightest ripple.

Then, countless pale hands reached out from the pool of blood and grabbed Li Zheng's feet tightly.

Li Zheng angrily brandished his longsword, the sword energy slashing at those pale hands, and a chilling scream echoed from the blood.

Then, one after another, pale figures emerged from the pool of blood and slowly approached Li Zheng.

"Li Zheng! You owe me my life!"

"Save me! Someone save me!"

"Li Zheng! You deserve to die! Why wasn't it you who died?!"

"Li Zheng! I'll make you pay for this in blood!"

"eye for eye!"

"eye for eye!"

The pale figure wailed in agony as it approached Li Zheng.

As the figures drew closer, Li Zheng vaguely recognized some of them.

Some were elders and disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect, others were from the seven major sects, and still others were ordinary people dressed in coarse cloth.

As they approached, blood began to seep uncontrollably from these people, and their cries grew increasingly pitiful.

"Give me back my life!"

After Li Zheng snorted coldly, he raised his long sword and swept it across the figures around him.

The sword light sliced ​​these pale figures in half at the waist. But even so, it did not stop the figures from advancing.

Those figures, now only their upper bodies remaining, continued to crawl inching toward Li Zheng, emitting bloodcurdling screams.