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

"Hahaha, thank goodness Yuwen Tuo wasn't around, or I would never have gotten my hands on this broken Dragon Essence!"

"Yang Guang is truly foolish and self-righteous."

"With such an Emperor, the Sui Dynasty will not last much longer."

Roughly twenty miles away from the capital of the Sui Dynasty, the mysterious figure finally stopped flying.

He laughed maniacally and without restraint.

His eyes were filled with scorn for Yang Guang.

He had waited a full month for this broken Dragon Essence.

He had taken part in the Dragon Slaying Expedition back then.

Unfortunately, he had been too weak at the time.

Completely unremarkable.

Besides, he had disguised himself deliberately, so not many people even knew of his presence.

Even so, he had never gotten close to the Dragon Essence.

Luckily, he had witnessed the battle between Yuwen Tuo and Yuan Tiangang.

The Dragon Essence had been split into four parts.

One of them had fallen into Yuwen Tuo's hands.

Later, he had secretly followed him and discovered that Yuwen Tuo had not kept it for himself but had offered it directly to Yang Guang.

With Yuwen Tuo secretly guarding the palace, he dared not act recklessly.

But unexpectedly, Yang Guang had recently sent him away.

How could he miss such a golden opportunity?

"Feeling proud of yourself?"

Suddenly.

A strange voice exploded beside his ear.

The mysterious man was startled and instantly grew alert.

"Who's there?"

"Xiang Yutian, you're truly bold to trespass into the Imperial Palace."

"Do you really think that just because you're called the Evil Emperor, I can't deal with you?"

A figure holding a golden sword appeared with arms crossed.

He looked down at him with disdain.

The mysterious man's pupils contracted when he saw the figure.

His expression grew grave.

"Yuwen Tuo!"

The man gritted his teeth.

"I thought you had left the Sui Dynasty! Why are you here?"

"Xiang Yutian, you lurked near the Imperial Palace for an entire month."

"What do you think?"

"You discovered me long ago?"

"How could a mere Heavenly Human Realm cultivator escape my perception?"

"If you had behaved yourself, I would've let it slide. But you crossed my bottom line."

"You can't be allowed to live."

Hearing Yuwen Tuo's words filled with killing intent, Xiang Yutian was deeply frightened.

"Run!"

He had witnessed Yuwen Tuo's strength firsthand and knew he was no match.

Even his plan to steal the Dragon Essence had only worked because Yuwen Tuo was absent.

He had to escape, or he would surely die here.

Whoosh!

But before he could move, a golden light flashed.

Xiang Yutian saw a blinding flash before his eyes.

The next moment.

A line of blood appeared clearly on his neck.

One strike.

Just one.

The fierce Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian of the Sui Dynasty's Demon Gate died on the spot.

If anyone from the Sui Dynasty had witnessed this.

They would have been shocked beyond belief.

All hopes of defeating Yuwen Tuo would vanish completely.

With a wave of his hand.

The stolen Dragon Essence returned to Yuwen Tuo's palm.

He furrowed his brow slightly.

He wasn't sure what to do with this broken Dragon Essence.

Return it to Yang Guang?

After some thought, he shook his head.

He chose to keep it for himself and use it later.

With a single palm strike.

He turned the corpse into dust.

From then on, the Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian vanished from the world.

==========

Han Imperial Harem, Consort Yu Palace.

Jiang Yuyan carefully checked her surroundings.

After confirming that no one suspicious was watching her.

She activated a hidden mechanism.

And walked slowly into a secret chamber known only to her.

As soon as she entered, her body trembled slightly.

A flash of sharp light flickered in her eyes.

Then she returned to normal.

She paced around the chamber.

Inspecting for signs of any intruder.

After finding nothing unusual, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Then retrieved a jade box from a hidden compartment.

Just as she was about to open it, her ears twitched, and she shouted loudly.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Hahaha, the Consort Yu truly is sharp. You found me this quickly?"

"How interesting!"

A black shadow darted through the chamber and quickly appeared in front of Jiang Yuyan.

He stared at her without restraint.

Clicking his tongue in admiration.

His gaze repeatedly glanced at the jade box in her hand.

A gleam of ecstasy shone in the depths of his eyes.

He had searched for it endlessly and never found it, and it turned out to be hidden here.

Jiang Yuyan was truly cunning.

"Who are you?" Jiang Yuyan frowned and demanded.

"Why bother asking when you already know?"

"Stitched Cloth Guard of the Han Dynasty?"

"I've never seen you before."

"Jiang Yuyan, you once killed a Stitched Cloth Guard. He was my brother."

"The leader said my brother was killed by someone from Heaven Gate, but I didn't believe it."

"I've been watching you all this time."

"And my suspicion was correct. You really did kill my brother!"

His expression changed rapidly, filled with righteous indignation.

As if he were truly seeking justice for his brother.

Before Jiang Yuyan could refute, he continued.

"Also, during the Dragon Essence conflict, I saw you ambush and kill all the competitors."

"Your ruthlessness surpassed even us Stitched Cloth Guard."

"You are now the gravest threat to our organization!"

Jiang Yuyan's face shifted through various expressions.

After a while, she suddenly laughed coldly.

Her eyes were full of disdain and ridicule.

"Why dress it up in righteous words?"

"No need to waste your breath. What you really want is the Dragon Essence in my hand, right?"

"Also, I noticed as soon as I entered this room that someone had been here."

"How did you find this place? I didn't even tell my most trusted subordinates!"

"Hmph, how laughable. Jiang Yuyan, finding hidden rooms is nothing special for us Stitched Cloth Guard."

"You think you've hidden it well?"

"Oh? If you're so good at finding things, why couldn't you find the Dragon Essence I hid in this very room?"

The man's face turned extremely ugly at her mocking words.

Whoosh!

He made the first move, trying to snatch the Dragon Essence from her hand.

He transformed into a blur, launching an all-out attack.

There was no mercy in his strike. It was a killing blow.

But surprisingly.

Jiang Yuyan dodged it with ease.

"Actually, if you hadn't been greedy and had just reported this to the Stitched Cloth Guard, you might have taken me down."

"Unfortunately, you were too greedy. You wanted the Dragon Essence for yourself."

"You even hid your actions from your superiors, acting alone. That sealed your fate."

Jiang Yuyan's movements were too swift and precise.

No matter how he tried to block her, it was futile.

Afraid of attracting attention by making too much noise, he dared not go all out.

"Just you? Even though you've reached the Heavenly Human Realm, you're still far beneath me."

"Killing you is as easy as flipping my hand."

"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, are you starting to feel a little off? Perhaps a bit weak?"

At that moment, Jiang Yuyan dropped a shocking statement.

"You poisoned me?" The man was alarmed.

He quickly activated his true essence to inspect himself.

But within moments, he was horrified to discover that his inner strength was draining rapidly, one-tenth at a time.

In just a few seconds.

His power had dropped by ninety percent.

A deep, wordless weakness overwhelmed him.

"Poison? What kind of poison works this fast on a Heavenly Human Realm cultivator?"

"I didn't use poison. I used Gu. A special type of parasitic Gu."

"It feeds on the true essence of Land Immortals. The more you circulate your energy, the faster it devours you."

"When I entered the chamber and planted the Gu, you should've fled immediately. Maybe then you could've lived."

"But unfortunately, you kept trying to fight me. You've walked right into my trap."

Jiang Yuyan slowly approached, looking down on him with an air of superiority.

Her voice brimmed with confidence.

Another Heavenly Human Realm cultivator had fallen victim to her scheme.

"You knew I was here the moment you entered?"

"Of course. I hid the Dragon Essence here. I had to be cautious."

"The traps here wouldn't just catch a mere Heavenly Human Realm like you."

"Even a Mythical Realm cultivator would fall into them."

"Though I didn't catch a big fish, catching a Heavenly Human Realm like you is still worthwhile."

"Well then, enough talking. I need to consume the Dragon Essence and increase my strength."

Jiang Yuyan didn't waste any more time.

Her eyes flashed with killing intent as she prepared to strike.

"Wait! Consort Yu, spare me. I'll submit to you."

"You've always wanted to deal with the Stitched Cloth Guard, right?"

"I can be your spy, infiltrate them, and bring you intelligence."

Facing death, the man shamelessly begged for mercy.

This made Jiang Yuyan all the more scornful.

"No need. Soon, everything you are will belong to me."

The next moment.

Jiang Yuyan placed her palm on his head.

A terrifying suction force erupted.

His true essence, bloodline power, and life force all surged into her body.

Even the techniques, skills, and memories he had cultivated were absorbed and digested by her.

Everything he had was now hers.

"Interesting. The Stitched Cloth Guard is even more formidable than I imagined."

"They even have a God Demon Realm cultivator."

"Luckily, I never fully antagonized them."

"Moreover, it seems that person is using me as a pawn in a much bigger game."

"Hmph, the true culprit who had me captured and brought to the Han Dynasty must be that God Demon Realm cultivator."

Memories flashed rapidly in her mind.

After understanding the full picture, Jiang Yuyan transferred all her hatred onto that mysterious God Demon Realm figure within the Stitched Cloth Guard.

Everything she had become now.

It was all thanks to that person.

She would never forgive them.

But for now, she was still too weak to take revenge.

She could only wait.

Glancing at the corpse on the ground, Jiang Yuyan showed a look of disgust.

She pulled out a bottle of Corpse Dissolving Power and sprinkled it.

Moments later, the body turned into pus and evaporated.

After the matter was settled.

Jiang Yuyan sat on the stone bed in the secret chamber.

She opened the jade box and took out the Dragon Essence.

Without hesitation, she swallowed it.

The next moment.

She began frantically refining it.

Her cultivation, vitality, and power all soared at a terrifying rate.

If the Land Immortals across the Nine Provinces knew about this.

They would be consumed with envy and rage.

And one by one, they would come to claim it by force.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

List of Characters:

Xuanyuan Sword ( 轩辕剑 )

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

Great Tang Twin Dragons Legend ( 大唐双龙传 )

・Yang Guang ( 杨广 ) — Emperor of Sui Dynasty

・Xiang Yutian ( 向雨田 ) — Master of Evil Extreme Sect

Xiao Yu'er and Hua Wuque ( 小鱼儿与花无缺 )

・Jiang Yuyan ( 江玉燕 ) — Illegitimate Daughter of Jiang Biehe