Chapter 109 - Vomiting Blood from Rage, Reactions of The Emperors

Yuan Imperial Palace.

Looking at the battered and disheveled National Master Phagpa in front of him, Temujin could hardly believe his eyes.

The ever-confident, proud-to-the-world National Master... was actually in such a pitiful state?

"Your Majesty, this subject is guilty!"

"National Master, rise. Victory and defeat are commonplace in war. Besides, the Azure Dragon Association is just a minor threat, this Khan has never taken them seriously."

"They're nothing more than a mere Martial World organization."

"My true enemy has always been Zhu Houzhao and the Ming Imperial Court. As for the Azure Dragon Association or any martial forces, they're not worth mentioning."

"By the way, where are Meng Chixing and Si Hanfei? Why haven't they come to see me?"

Temujin had somewhat expected this outcome when he saw Phagpa's appearance.

Though disappointed, he couldn't afford to overly criticize him.

He still had future uses for the National Master.

Offending him too much wouldn't be wise.

"Your Majesty, we fell into a cunning trap this time. Meng Chixing died in the formation to save the Demon Master Pang Ban."

"And Prince Si Hanfei also perished while saving this subject..."

Temujin's mind went blank. He staggered back a few steps.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

"What did you say?! Meng Chixing and Si Hanfei are dead?!"

"With their strength, how could they possibly die?!"

Temujin roared in fury.

In his heart, the National Master was indeed important.

But Meng Chixing and Si Hanfei were just as critical to him.

Especially Si Hanfei, an Imperial Family member and a capable general.

One of his most trusted aides.

Such a top-tier military commander, dying in a mere Martial World skirmish?

He couldn't accept it.

Temujin's gaze toward Phagpa grew cold.

He even began to suspect.

Could it be that Phagpa deliberately betrayed Meng Chixing and Si Hanfei to gain more power?

After all, in terms of strength, Meng Chixing was not any weaker than Phagpa.

To die like this? He couldn't believe it.

Perhaps... he had granted Phagpa too much power!

"How many returned in total?"

Temujin gritted his teeth and asked.

"Only this subject and the Demon Master Pang Ban. The rest were all killed in the formation."

Though he had mentally prepared for bad news, the reality still hit Temujin hard.

These were the absolute elites of the Yuan Dynasty, gone in a single battle.

He was nearly brought to tears by the loss.

"Where is Pang Ban? Why hasn't he come to see me?"

"Your Majesty, the Demon Master has returned to the Demon Master Palace for secluded cultivation. He's vowed to break through to the God Demon Realm, to avenge Meng Chixing!"

"Ahh! The pain is unbearable!"

Temujin could no longer hold it. He screamed in anguish.

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

This loss had far exceeded his expectations.

Most of the Yuan Dynasty's top combat strength had perished.

Even his campaign against the Southern Song Dynasty would now suffer unimaginable setbacks.

His heart was full of regret.

Had he known, he would never have approved Phagpa's reckless plan.

Now, it was too late for regrets.

==========

Tang Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin stared at the utterly defeated and barely-breathing Bad Marshal Yuan Tiangang, eyes full of surprise.

"Master Yuan, did the plan fail?"

"Your Majesty, this time I truly miscalculated."

"Not only did I underestimate the Azure Dragon Association's foundation, I also overlooked the treacherous hearts of our supposed allies."

Yuan Tiangang replied bitterly.

What surprised him was, Li Shimin wasn't as furious as he had anticipated.

After all, the Forbidden Land Ranking had clearly warned: even God Demon Realm cultivators had only a 30% chance of survival.

If not for Yuan Tiangang departing just before the ranking was refreshed, Li Shimin would have called off the entire operation.

He, too, had held onto a sliver of luck.

Otherwise, such massive losses wouldn't have occurred.

Yuan Tiangang then recounted the entire mission in detail.

Li Shimin remained silent for a long while.

"Master Yuan, perhaps you really misjudged the Qin Dynasty's Black Ice Platform."

"It's very clear, this was a ploy by the Azure Dragon Association to sow discord among you."

His tone was heavy.

"Your Majesty, this subject also realized that on the way back, but it was already too late."

"Moreover, after this incident, whether us or the Qin Dynasty, there's no trust left between us."

"Not even a foundation for cooperation."

"The chain of suspicion has been forged, this outcome is inevitable."

Yuan Tiangang, wise as ever, had already seen the truth.

But he had no intention of rebuilding the relationship.

Whether they would be enemies in the future was uncertain.

But one thing was clear, they would never be allies again.

"Master Yuan, do you realize?"

"The reason you even made it back alive, was because the Azure Dragon Association let you go."

"Even God Demon Realm cultivators couldn't fully retreat, yet you survived?"

"Obviously, the Azure Dragon Association, or rather Zhu Houzhao, didn't want to completely destroy our diplomatic relationships."

"Even with their nemesis Yuan Dynasty, they still let Phagpa go. As for Pang Ban, he wasn't even worth their concern."

"As for the Sui Dynasty and Qin Dynasty, there was never an alliance."

"They were merely used to drive a wedge between the Qin Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, Sui Dynasty and Song Dynasty."

"From now on, they'll never trust each other again."

Li Shimin found himself intrigued by the strategist behind the Azure Dragon Association.

This person's schemes were nothing short of terrifying.

Clearly, Zhu Houzhao had gained yet another formidable talent!

This mastermind not only managed the Society's moves.

But also considered Zhu Houzhao's broader political interests.

Such a man... was dangerous.

Perhaps he would become Yuan Tiangang's most troublesome adversary in the future.

"This time, not only do I have to swallow the bitter pill of defeat."

"But I also have to owe that brat Zhu Houzhao a favor for sparing you."

"I was outplayed."

Compared to Temujin's rage, Li Shimin was much calmer.

As long as Yuan Tiangang survived, he could always recruit more Bu Liangren.

But deep down, he still felt frustrated.

"Master Yuan, remember this humiliation."

"In the future, we will repay it, tenfold, a hundredfold."

"Zhu Houzhao can't be lucky forever."

"One day, we'll find his weakness!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will remember."

"Alright then, Master Yuan, go and rest. Restore your strength to peak condition."

==========

Sui Imperial Palace.

"Hahaha! How hilarious!"

"This time, Li Shimin truly suffered a loss! Even that old fox Yuan Tiangang almost died in Heaven Mocking Palace! How satisfying!"

Yang Guang roared with laughter as he listened to the operation's summary.

He had originally worried that Yuwen Tuo might not survive the Forbidden Land that was Heaven Mocking Palace.

But to his surprise, not only did he return unharmed.

He brought back all his troops safely.

This let Yang Guang finally breathe easy.

And seeing his longtime rival suffer just made it even sweeter.

Yuwen Tuo was speechless.

The mission had failed, yet Yang Guang wasn't angry.

Instead, he was overjoyed.

Such a mindset... was truly bizarre.

"Your Majesty, from now on, our relationship with the Northern Song Dynasty may hit rock bottom."

"No matter, just a measly Northern Song Dynasty."

"That brat Zhao Ji wastes his days painting and writing. A fool of an Emperor, he's not even worth my attention."

Yang Guang sneered in disdain.

Among all the Emperors in the world.

He looked down the most on the Southern and Northern Song Emperors.

Especially Northern Song Emperor, by far the worst.

He didn't care about souring relations with them.

Even if Zhao Ji had the guts, would he dare provoke Sui Dynasty?

He couldn't even handle tiny border nations like Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom.

How could he possibly threaten a powerful Sui Dynasty?

Yuwen Tuo gave it some thought, he was right.

The Northern Song Imperial Court had no shortage of capable ministers.

But with such a foolish Emperor and corrupt officials in power.

They posed little threat.

==========

Northern Song Imperial Palace.

At this moment, Huang Shang had come to report the situation to Zhao Ji.

But after speaking for quite a while.

He was shocked to realize that Emperor Zhao Ji was completely lost in his own world.

His eyes were fixated on a calligraphy painting on his desk.

His face was full of frustration.

At first, Huang Shang thought he was worried about the Heaven Mocking Palace battle.

Then he realized he was being naive.

Zhao Ji was bothered because he couldn't replicate the artistic essence of a certain painting.

Huang Shang's spirits deflated.

With such an Emperor.

No matter how hard he worked, the Song Dynasty would never rise in strength.

Especially after this Heaven Mocking Palace mission.

He had clearly seen the massive gap between the Northern Song Dynasty and the other dynasties.

Forget about the Ming Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty.

Even the chaos-ridden Sui Dynasty outmatched them in many ways.

If a real life-or-death war broke out, the Northern Song Dynasty's chances of winning were less than 30%.

This realization made him even more disheartened.

"Beloved subject, look at this painting I copied, what do you think?"

"Ah! It's still missing that spiritual flair... I must practice more!"

"I need to reflect more deeply!"

Huang Shang forced a bitter smile.

It seemed the Emperor hadn't listened to a single word of his report.

Forget it.

He couldn't care anymore.

From now on, he would focus solely on cultivating his strength.

Unless the court faced a true life-or-death crisis.

He wanted no part in politics.

==========

Qin Imperial Palace.

Ying Zheng looked coldly at the Black Ice Platform Leader below him, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"This... is the result you brought before me?"

"You didn't even enter Heaven Mocking Palace's gate, yet fled without orders?"

"Before leaving, you vowed you would annihilate the Azure Dragon Association!"

"And now?"

"You think returning safely with all your men is an achievement?"

"Wrong. It's a disgrace."

"A colossal humiliation!"

"You were spared, because the Azure Dragon Association let you go."

"They could have wiped you out."

"In the end, I even owe that brat Zhu Houzhao a favor. Outrageous!"

Ying Zheng was seething.

His gaze toward the Black Ice Platform Leader was ice-cold, laced with killing intent.

If not for his strength, he would've abandoned him long ago.

Since being imprisoned in Hundred Yue City, the man's demeanor had changed drastically.

His behavior had completely shifted.

If Ying Zheng didn't know better, he'd think the Hundred Yue Queen had swapped him out.

"Leave."

In the end, Ying Zheng held back.

"Your Majesty, don't be so angry. The Black Ice Platform Leader has his own strengths and merits."

"You need only use his strengths to your advantage."

After the leader departed, a middle-aged scholar calmly stepped forward.

His voice was gentle, coaxing.

"You're right, Teacher. No matter what, Black Shadow remains one of the Qin Dynasty's top talents, irreplaceable."

"I've focused too much on his flaws, that was indeed unwise."

"Your guidance is well received."

Even Ying Zheng, tyrannical as he was.

Showed rare respect before this man.

Even his tone became noticeably more reverent.

As for this man's identity.

Who could command such deference from Emperor Ying Zheng himself?

Not even Li Si or Eastern Sovereign Tai Yi would receive such treatment.