Chapter 187 - Temujin's Excitement, Rank 4, Hatred and Revenge, Zhu Houzhao's Regret

Xiangyang City Lord Mansion.

"Hahaha, Dong Tianbao, you've done an excellent job this time!"

"From now on, I will officially appoint you as the Golden Wolf Hall Master. I hope you will continue to work hard."

"Serve me with absolute loyalty!"

Temujin sat at the highest seat, laughing with excitement.

After several months of attacking Xiangyang City, with vast expenditures and heavy casualties, they had finally succeeded.

With the fall of Xiangyang, the entire Southern Song Dynasty would soon fall under the iron hooves of the Yuan Dynasty.

Dong Tianbao, who had achieved this great merit, naturally deserved a handsome reward.

As long as the Yuan Dynasty grew stronger, Dong Tianbao would never dare to betray him.

Conversely, if the Yuan Dynasty were to fall one day, he believed this man would be the first to turn against him.

As long as he knew how to use people, Dong Tianbao would never escape his grasp.

This chess piece, if used properly, could prove far more useful than expected.

Though his strength was not much higher than that of Phagpa, in terms of ruthlessness, Phagpa could not compare.

He would be the best enforcer to use against other nations.

In the future, Phagpa would handle internal affairs of the Yuan Dynasty.

Dong Tianbao would take charge of external warfare.

Temujin looked forward to his performance.

"Thank you, Khan. I shall serve without hesitation, even to the death!"

Dong Tianbao was overwhelmed with emotion.

With the Golden Wolf Hall in his hands, many of his plans could now be executed.

"Junbao, wait for me! When I come for you again, it will be the moment I cleanse my past shame."

"Then you'll see that your so-called Taiji is not as powerful as you think!"

"I will defeat you, then kill you!"

In his heart, there was always a fixation, and that was Zhang Sanfeng.

Only by truly defeating him once could he resolve his inner demons.

Only then could he reach the true peak of martial arts.

"Khan, due to Chuan Ying's interference, Guo Jing did not die!"

"Shall I continue to pursue and kill him?"

At the mention of Chuan Ying, Dong Tianbao asked seriously.

"Leave that to the National Master. I have a more important task for you now!"

"Please instruct me, Khan!"

"The Ming Dynasty will be our Yuan Dynasty's next enemy."

"You need to continue inciting ambitious rebels within the Ming Dynasty Territory."

"Make them revolt and drain the strength of the Ming Dynasty."

"Also, stir up conflict between the Qing Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. Let them fight to the death, with the best outcome being the destruction of one side."

"Since that brat Hongli dared to seize my Dragon Essence, then he shall die!"

"The Qing Dynasty is not strong, but it can significantly weaken the Ming Dynasty."

"That is in the best interest of my Yuan Dynasty."

"Your task now is to weaken the Ming Dynasty as much as possible."

"The more national power they lose, the greater your merit."

"I give you full authority to act at your discretion."

Temujin was very wary of the Ming Dynasty and Zhu Houzhao.

Though he now needed to focus on conquering the Southern Song Dynasty, he could not let the Ming Dynasty rest easy.

Fortunately, Dong Tianbao was a ruthless and capable character.

Let him go cause trouble for Zhu Houzhao.

Whether he succeeded or not, it would not be a loss.

Even if Zhu Houzhao discovered the scheme, at most, he would lose to Dong Tianbao.

Even if Dong Tianbao died, Temujin would not feel the least bit of regret.

He hadn't felt this little pain even when the Former Golden Wolf Hall Master betrayed him.

==========

Tang Imperial Palace.

Taiji Hall.

"Your Majesty, we have just received word that Temujin of the Yuan Dynasty has broken through Xiangyang City!"

"It seems the Southern Song Dynasty will soon be completely overrun by the Yuan Dynasty."

Yuan Tiangang reported seriously.

"What happened? Did that brat Zhao Gou not send reinforcements?"

Li Shimin was shocked.

Even if Zhao Gou feared Guo Jing and those Martial World forces, Xiangyang was still Southern Song Dynasty Territory.

Moreover, it was a key city.

How could he take it so lightly?

Wasn't this putting the cart before the horse?

"The Southern Song Imperial Court was prepared to send reinforcements, but officials led by Qin Hui strongly objected."

"The internal forces argued endlessly."

"By the time Xiangyang was taken, they still hadn't decided whether to send troops."

"How laughable!"

Yuan Tiangang said flatly.

"Hahaha, how amusing. I thought Zhao Ji and Liu Hong were the most useless among the Emperors."

"Turns out Zhao Gou is even more clueless than them."

"Before ascending the throne, that brat seemed quite clever!"

Li Shimin sneered.

"His mind was corrupted by power."

Yuan Tiangang bluntly pointed out the truth.

"I must take this as a warning to myself!"

"I must constantly reflect and stay vigilant!"

"Hmm? The ranking has been updated."

"I wonder who will be ranked 4th on the Dao Immortal Ranking!"

The two of them looked toward the Golden Ranking in the sky.

Line after line of glowing text appeared.

==========

[Dao Immortal Ranking – Rank 4]

[Yuan Tiangang]

[Force: Bad Marshal of Bad People of Tang Dynasty]

[Cultivation: Half-Step God Demon Realm Land Immortal]

[Technique: Heavenly Star Art]

[Reward: 3x Intermediate-Tier Enlightenment Card (Can be used for enlightenment, increasing comprehension two hundred times, duration one day!)]

"Master Yuan, I did not expect you to be ranked 4th!"

"And you are just one step away from the God Demon Realm!"

Li Shimin looked deeply at Yuan Tiangang and said calmly.

"Compared to those who are already at the God Demon Realm, I am still far behind."

"Moreover, as far as I know, Yuwen Tuo of the Sui Dynasty is extremely formidable."

"Even without breaking through to the God Demon Realm, his realm is not lower than mine!"

"When competing for the Dragon Essence, I was already on guard, yet I was still injured by him. That shows how dangerous he is!"

"I have been trying to test him ever since."

"Now that the Golden Ranking has exposed everything, this chance is even slimmer!"

"In the future, we must be even more cautious around the Sui Dynasty's Supreme Master."

Yuan Tiangang was extremely wary of Yuwen Tuo.

In comparison, Black Shadow of Qin Dynasty, Huang Shang of Song Dynasty, Phagpa of Yuan Dynasty, and Dark One of Ming Dynasty all ranked a stage lower.

He was confident that if it came to a real fight, he would win against them.

Li Shimin nodded noncommittally.

But he was more interested in whether Yuan Tiangang could advance.

If he reached the God Demon Realm, the Tang Dynasty would finally have its own peak cultivator.

It would give them more confidence in their struggles against the other dynasties.

"Master Yuan, with three Enlightenment Cards from the heavens, can you break through the bottleneck?"

"Impossible!"

"The gap between Half-Step God Demon Realm and the God Demon Realm may seem small, but it is as vast as heaven and earth."

"My foundation still feels inadequate. I need to solidify it further."

"Even with three Enlightenment Cards, it would only slightly enhance my combat ability."

"My understanding of martial truths might deepen, but that's all."

"There's no way to break through in a short time."

Though Yuan Tiangang had great confidence in himself, he was not blindly arrogant.

Li Shimin felt a bit disappointed, but then clenched his teeth and said.

"So be it. Let us put this matter aside for now."

"The Yuan Dynasty has already begun to act. My Tang Dynasty must not fall behind."

"Now is the time for our counterattack!"

"The matter with the major vassal kings you have long arranged, I leave to you."

"As for the Turkic invasion, I will handle it myself!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I know what to do!"

==========

Elsewhere.

Qin Dynasty Territory.

At a battlefield shared with the Six Kingdoms' forces.

Former King Jin of Tang Dynasty, Li Keyong, stared at the ranking in the sky with a dark expression.

Hatred surged uncontrollably.

It was because of Yuan Tiangang that he had ended up in this situation.

He was once a noble King Jin of Tang Dynasty, ruling his own land and army like a local Emperor.

Now, he had to bow before the Qin Dynasty's Ying Zheng, with his power steadily being diminished.

He was powerless to resist.

He hated Li Shimin and Yuan Tiangang, the two culprits, with a deep and burning resentment.

Especially Yuan Tiangang.

Relentless and overbearing.

Constantly trying to eliminate him.

That was what provoked his rebellion.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen to this point.

But it was too late to turn back now.

Although his current life in the Qin Dynasty was not bad, He was nothing more than a general, and the dream of ruling again was gone.

Even if he achieved great merit, at most he would be a top general of the Qin Dynasty.

To be King again?

That would never happen.

Still, the hatred for Yuan Tiangang only slumbered.

When the time came, he would surely strike back.

If the Qin Dynasty attacked the Tang Dynasty in the future, he would lead the charge.

Only by destroying the Tang Dynasty would he feel any relief.

Now, only the Qin Dynasty could help him take his revenge.

==========

At the same time.

North of the Ming Dynasty.

In a large city.

City Lord Mansion.

A woman dressed as a man, currently an Empress, was in a very bad mood.

Seeing Yuan Tiangang, the killer of her brother, ranked 4th on the Dao Immortal Ranking, filled her with endless hatred.

If not for that heartless man secretly helping her, she might have already fallen victim to Yuan Tiangang.

Yet she had never forgotten her hatred toward him.

Her Qi Kingdom troops trained day and night.

Their combat strength now far exceeded the past.

That heartless man had promised her.

When the time came to attack the Tang Dynasty, she would lead the charge.

And when the time came to kill Yuan Tiangang, he would personally bring her along.

Only this gave her a bit of comfort.

But knowing that Yuan Tiangang was already at the Half-Step God Demon Realm, She needed to raise her strength quickly.

Otherwise, she would never be his match.

To let that heartless man avenge her made her feel unwilling.

She wanted to rely on her own true strength to take revenge.

She did not want to be looked down upon by that scoundrel.

Her pride would not allow her to belittle herself.

She wanted to see shock, admiration, appreciation, and love in his eyes.

Not pity, sympathy, or sorrow.

==========

Meanwhile.

Ming Imperial Palace.

"Yuan Tiangang, what a pity!"

"This man is too loyal to the Tang Dynasty and has no fate with me."

"Otherwise, he would have been a great general under my command."

"In the future, his prospects would have been limitless."

"At the very least, if he were mine, he would already be a God Demon Realm cultivator."

"And within that realm, among the very top."

"Instead of now, slowly being surpassed by newcomers!"

Zhu Houzhao looked regretfully at the ranking in the sky.

In his eyes, Yuan Tiangang was a rare talent.

A pity.

His ties to the Tang Dynasty were far too deep.

But missing out on Yuan Tiangang, He had secured another talent no less than him, and in some ways even more exceptional.

So it was not really a loss.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

List of Characters:

Number One Under Heaven ( 天下第一 )

・Zhu Houzhao ( 朱厚照 ) — Emperor of Ming Dynasty

Tai Chi Master ( 太极张三丰 )

・Dong Tianbao ( 董天宝 ) — Hall Master of Golden Wolf Hall

Legend of the Condor Heroes ( 射雕英雄传 )

・Temujin ( 铁木真 ) — Emperor of Yuan 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

・Li Keyong ( 李克用 ) — King of Jin Kingdom

・Shui Yunji ( 水云姬 ) — Master of Illusion Sound Pavilion