Golden Ranking Appears, My Empress Turns Out to Be Wu Zhao

Whoosh!

Splat!

"You... you're the Ming Emperor, Zhu Houzhao?!"

The heart of the Golden Wolf Hall Master was pierced by a sudden sword.

He stared at the figure before him in disbelief, an overwhelming fear surging from deep within.

He and Phagpa had just worked together to kill the Sunflower Ancestor of the Southern Song Dynasty, but they never expected someone lurking behind the scenes.

And that someone turned out to be none other than the Ming Emperor, Zhu Houzhao.

Had he known earlier, he would never have separated from Phagpa.

"The Golden Wolf Hall of the Yuan Dynasty has repeatedly stirred up trouble within my Ming Dynasty Territory!"

"The rebellions of my uncles were your handiwork, weren't they?"

"And the White Lotus Cult, along with rebellions across the land, were all secretly orchestrated by you."

"You really thought I didn't know?"

"This time, since we've crossed paths, count yourself unlucky. Let's settle the old and new scores together!"

Zhu Houzhao looked down on the dying man before him, speaking with disdain.

Then, with a flick of his hand, the Dragon Essence in the other man's grasp flew into his own.

He stored it directly into his system space.

"The Dragon Essence! Give it back! That belongs to the Khan!"

"Temujin? Ha, I'm afraid he'll never get the chance to enjoy it!"

"Immortality? Try again in your next life!"

With a flick of his sword, a sharp burst of sword energy shot forth.

The Golden Wolf Hall Master was decapitated in an instant, dying a miserable death.

Zhu Houzhao followed with a palm strike, reducing the body to ashes and scattering it into the wind.

No traces remained.

It was swift and seamless.

Efficient and merciless.

Empress Wu Zhao sighed beside him.

So skillful, her husband must have done this kind of thing plenty of times before.

"Eliminated a Dragon Essence and one Mythical Realm subordinate."

"When Temujin finds out, he'll probably be spitting blood in rage."

Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but chuckle.

"Husband, I think Temujin will suspect that the Golden Wolf Hall Master got greedy and hid somewhere to absorb the Dragon Essence by himself."

"Let him suspect all he wants!"

"Still, taking down Yuan Dynasty and Qing Dynasty's two Mythical Realm figures counts as a fruitful endeavor."

"Husband, what about the Yuan Dynasty National Master Phagpa who just split from the Golden Wolf Hall Master? Should we take him out too?"

"No need for now. He still has his uses."

"Two of the seven Dragon Essences are in our hands. Let's move to the next one!"

Zhu Houzhao took Wu Zhao's hand and once again vanished into the shadows.

==========

Elsewhere on the battlefield.

More than a dozen corpses lay scattered.

Each one still radiated a powerful presence.

At minimum, they had all reached the Great Grandmaster Realm or Heavenly Human Realm.

A bloody massacre had clearly just taken place.

"Xiong Qi, drop the Dragon Essence and accept death!"

A shout echoed out.

A white-robed middle-aged man charged at Xiong Qi with a long blade in hand.

"Once I kill you, the Qin Dynasty's civil war will end that much faster!"

"Bai Qi, you really think you can kill me?"

Xiong Qi showed a look of disdain.

"What if I join in?"

"And me as well!"

"This time, Xiong Qi, you're not getting away!"

"Ha ha ha, Shang Yang, Black Shadow, you're all just Mythical Realm cultivators!"

"Three against one might be difficult, but killing me? Impossible."

"Unless a God Demon Realm cultivator intervenes, you're not qualified!"

"I haven't killed Ying Zheng yet. How can I die here so easily?"

Facing the encirclement, Xiong Qi not only showed no fear but instead laughed loudly.

His face was full of scorn.

If he were still only at the Heavenly Human Realm, he might have had reason to fear death.

But now that he had broken through, he wasn't worried in the slightest.

Besides, he had allies.

Against a foe like Ying Zheng and the powerful Qin Dynasty, those allies would not stand by and watch him die.

"Run!"

Taking a blow from Black Shadow, he spat out blood.

Seizing the opportunity, Xiong Qi broke through the encirclement and fled into the distance.

Black Shadow, Bai Qi, and Shang Yang were just about to give chase.

But suddenly, three terrifying auras struck them simultaneously.

Forced to defend themselves, the three halted their pursuit.

It was at this moment that Xiong Qi escaped with the Dragon Essence, vanishing from their sight.

Their efforts had failed at the last moment.

"Monarch Wu'an, it seems the Qin Dynasty's enemies are not just Xiong Qi alone."

"There are even more rats hiding in the shadows!"

"Black Shadow, as the leader of the Black Ice Platform, you should know who within the Qin Dynasty still poses a threat to His Majesty, right?"

Shang Yang looked at Bai Qi and Black Shadow with a solemn expression.

"Excluding Hundred Yue City, only a few supposedly dead individuals remain."

"Before, I wouldn't have suspected them."

"But ever since Xiong Qi came back from the dead, I've been investigating those who may have slipped through the cracks."

"Although I haven't seen them in person, there's a high chance they are still alive."

As the long-time leader of Black Ice Platform, Black Shadow naturally had his own means and sources.

"King Wuling of Zhao Kingdom Zhao Yong!"

"And Wu Qi of Chu Kingdom."

"The one who just rescued Xiong Qi is almost certainly Wu Qi!"

"We move now! We must retrieve the Dragon Essence. We can't let Xiong Qi absorb it!"

"Otherwise, we'll be unable to face His Majesty."

Black Shadow finished his words and darted off in pursuit of Xiong Qi.

Bai Qi and Shang Yang followed with worried expressions, not daring to delay.

From the shadows, Zhu Houzhao and Wu Zhao observed everything.

"Hard to believe that the Qin Dynasty hid so well. Bai Qi and Shang Yang are both still alive. So these are Ying Zheng's trump cards?"

"Not just them. Even Zhao Yong and Wu Qi didn't die."

"My Dark Guard didn't find any of this out. These people hid deep!"

"Interesting!"

"Husband, should we take this opportunity to wipe them all out?"

"Whether Bai Qi, Shang Yang, Zhao Yong, Wu Qi, or Xiong Qi, none of them will be allies of the Ming Dynasty. Eliminating them early would benefit us greatly!"

Wu Zhao's eyes flashed with killing intent.

Especially Bai Qi, Shang Yang, and Wu Qi, these three were renowned across all of the Central Plains, not just the Qin Dynasty.

There were few who could compare.

If they couldn't be recruited, then better to remove them.

Zhu Houzhao was briefly tempted, but immediately shook his head.

If those people died, the Qin Dynasty's internal conflict would likely end quickly.

Ying Zheng could swiftly crush all rebellion.

That would not serve his interests.

Better to let Xiong Qi continue stirring things up.

While he couldn't defeat Ying Zheng, he could still cause major trouble for a time.

Perhaps even fracture the Qin Dynasty completely.

Such an opportunity was too valuable to pass up.

Besides, even if Bai Qi, Shang Yang, and Wu Qi opposed him, he could kill them whenever he wanted.

Who could stop him?

"Let's move on to the next location!"

"No need for the Dragon Essence?"

"Leave it to Xiong Qi. If Ying Zheng finds out he has it, he'll go mad trying to get it back!"

"The war will escalate."

"Immortality is a powerful temptation for Ying Zheng."

"Heh, we'll see how it plays out!"

Zhu Houzhao smiled sinisterly.

The two vanished once more.

==========

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Kill! Kill them all!"

"Lowly ants dare try to steal my Dragon Essence? Courting death!"

The Tang Dynasty's Bad Marshal, Yuan Tiangang, moved like lightning.

His figure left behind afterimages, each attack claiming another life.

In mere moments, more than ten strong cultivators fell at his hands.

But even so, no one around him retreated.

They were all dead set on seizing the Dragon Essence in his hands.

"Yuan Tiangang, hand over the Dragon Essence! We won't let you have it alone!"

Yuwen Tuo shouted furiously, golden sword in hand.

The Song Dynasty's Huang Shang and the Ming Dynasty's Dark One had also surrounded him.

"Want to take it? Let's see if you're capable."

Even now, Yuan Tiangang remains proud and defiant.

He stood tall, his aura unwavering.

Whoosh!

A sudden sword energy shot forward.

The Dragon Essence in Yuan Tiangang's grasp was instantly sliced.

Splat!

Boom!

The golden sword energy was even more powerful than expected.

It split the Dragon Essence into four parts.

Yuan Tiangang only managed to grab one.

The other three fragments flew off in different directions.

Yuwen Tuo, Huang Shang, and Dark One reacted quickly.

Each moved swiftly to seize a quarter of the Dragon Essence.

"Yuwen Tuo! How dare you!"

Yuan Tiangang roared in anger.

A complete Dragon Essence now reduced to four pieces.

Its power would be greatly diminished.

No comparison to a full essence.

Yuwen Tuo, Huang Shang, and Dark One were all conflicted.

Trying to take the remaining pieces from the others would be incredibly difficult.

No one was willing to give up their share.

For a moment, the four were locked in a tense standoff.

Surrounding Heavenly Human Realm cultivators were all red-eyed with envy.

They never expected this outcome.

In the next instant, the attackers who had been targeting Yuan Tiangang split into four groups.

Now each group focused on one of the new holders of a Dragon Essence quarter.

They hoped to steal it away.

"Let's go. On to the next site!"

"Husband, should we help Dark One?"

"And that Sui Dynasty Supreme Master, Yuwen Tuo, the golden sword energy he used was clearly God Demon Realm. He's hiding his true strength. He must have a big plan."

"No need. Yuwen Tuo is indeed the God Demon Realm. He's just pretending to be Mythical Realm for now, likely to avoid revealing too much."

"As for splitting the Dragon Essence into four parts, he probably did that to stir up even more internal conflict among the nations."

"This Yuwen Tuo has great talent. Following Yang Guang is such a waste."

"A quarter of a Dragon Essence is still powerful, but it can't grant immortality."

"That's why he dares let others take a share."

"If I get the chance, I might just recruit him."

From the shadows, Zhu Houzhao observed everything with keen eyes.

He had already analyzed Yuwen Tuo's actions thoroughly.

He had no complaints about the other man's scheming.

In fact, he admired it.

Especially his strength and potential.

Under Yang Guang, it was all being squandered.

Only Zhu Houzhao could fully unlock his value.

As for the fragmented Dragon Essence, Zhu Houzhao didn't care.

Yuwen Tuo's plan might even help achieve his own goals.

Once brought back to their respective nations, the fragments would surely cause chaos.

Especially in the Northern Song Dynasty.

War would only grow worse.

==========

"Huh?"

"Everyone here is dead?"

At yet another battlefield, Zhu Houzhao and Wu Zhao arrived to find nothing but corpses.

Someone had beaten them to it and taken the Dragon Essence.

And even faster than them.

"Husband, these people had their energy and essence completely drained, as if swallowed whole."

"Such a vicious demonic technique!"

The bodies were in horrific condition.

The one who killed them was definitely no kind soul.

A flash of understanding crossed Zhu Houzhao's mind.

He knew who had done it.

And he hadn't expected them to have grown this powerful already.

It seemed he would need to pay closer attention to that individual.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

List of Characters:

Number One Under Heaven ( 天下第一 )

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

Sun Moon In The Sky ( 日月当空 )

・Wu Zhao ( 武曌 ) — Empress of Ming Dynasty

Qin's Moon ( 秦时明月 )

・Xiong Qi ( 熊启 ) — Last King of Chu Kingdom

・Bai Qi ( 白起 ) — Commander of Qin Dynasty

A Step Into The Past ( 寻秦记 )

・Shang Yang ( 商鞅 ) – Prime Minister of Qin Dynasty

Chronicle of Eastern Zhou ( 东周列国志 )

・Wu Qi ( 吴起 ) — Prime Minister of Chu Kingdom

Painting Jianghu ( 画江湖 )

・Yuan Tiangang ( 袁天罡 ) — Master of Bad People

Xuanyuan Sword ( 轩辕剑 )

・Yuwen Tuo ( 宇文拓 ) — Supreme Master of Sui Dynasty