Chapter Six: Complete Eradication

Upon hearing the news, Yan Wugou felt an oppressive weight settle on her chest, as if a heavy stone were pressing down, making it hard for her to breathe. Her body quickly reclined backward, leaning against the phoenix throne to steady herself, and only then did a stifled breath escape her crimson lips.

Jiang Ziqi, standing nearby, witnessed the entire scene and was too frightened to even draw a breath, fearing the Empress might faint at any moment. Only after confirming that Yan Wugou’s emotions had somewhat stabilized did he scowl fiercely and begin to denounce Yang Chuan’s crimes.

“A perfect escape! No wonder he left so carefree yesterday—it turns out he had already secured a safe haven!”

The words struck Yan Wugou's heart like a dagger.

With the support of a eunuch, she barely managed to sit upright, her voice still trembling as she asked, “Wei Wuji, is what you say true?”

“Your Majesty, it is absolutely true! Yesterday, Grand Minister Yang did not take any valuables from his residence, only his personal maid who had served him for three years.”

“I sent men overnight to investigate and learned that the maid was, in fact, a spy from Qi Kingdom who had been embedded with the Grand Minister for three years!”

A thunderclap seemed to strike Yan Wugou’s forehead, and dizziness overtook her once more.

Yang Chuan, you have truly betrayed my sincere heart!

No wonder you were so resolute in requesting your remains—you had everything planned from the start!

At this point, the last flicker of affection Yan Wugou held for Yang Chuan vanished entirely.

What followed was a surge of intense resentment born from the extremity of the situation.

“Summon the officials! Draft an imperial edict at once! Dispatch my hundred thousand elite troops to hunt down the traitor Yang Chuan!”

This time, Yan Wugou had made up her mind to eliminate Yang Chuan completely.

Now that his cultivation was lost, it was the perfect moment to eradicate this calamity. If he were to recover his strength like a dragon returning to the sea or a tiger entering the forest, it would be too late for regret!

...

On that day, the commander of the hundred thousand elite troops, bearing the Kang Empire’s imperial decree, spurred his swift horses and rode straight toward the Qi Kingdom’s border.

Meanwhile, Yang Chuan, riding in the same carriage as Tian Yueying, leisurely gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

The landscape was magnificent and vast, the mountains and rivers grand and sweeping. To ride alone to the peak would bring a sense of reigning over the world, looking down upon all beneath one’s feet.

Having made his final choice twice and regained his martial cultivation, Yang Chuan’s body was subtly undergoing changes.

At first, a surge of vital energy flowed into his dantian, and the pale complexion that had marked him began to flush with renewed life.

Beneath his white robe, the previously withered meridians—shrunken from self-inflicted cultivation loss—now sprouted anew like bamboo shoots after spring rain.

In just a short while, even Tian Yueying noticed the transformation in Yang Chuan’s physique.

“Young master, what is happening to you?”

“Nothing much. Since I am to serve the Great Qi in the future, how could I, Yang Chuan, betray the sincere intentions of the Great Qi’s sovereign by remaining a cripple?”

Upon hearing this, Tian Yueying roughly understood the implication of Yang Chuan’s words.

Yet, having just abandoned his cultivation, how could it be possible...

She furrowed her brow in surprise, resting her chin on her hand as she pondered, unable to find a reasonable explanation.

[System notification: Congratulations, host. Your progress in advancing to the seventh-grade martial artist realm has reached 50%. Due to your current physical weakness, progress is temporarily suspended.]

Upon hearing this, Yang Chuan finally exhaled in relief.

Even if he hadn’t fully advanced to the seventh-grade martial artist level, at least for now, he was no longer the helpless lamb that could be slaughtered at will after self-cultivation loss.

Hmph, Yan Wugou, you thought that after I left the Kang Empire, I was like a domesticated bird released into the wilderness, unable to find a good perch.

But you did not realize, a transmigrator is truly the chosen child of fate in this era!

Turning around, Yang Chuan noticed Tian Yueying next to him with her brows tightly knitted, her little head seemingly working hard to piece together the full story, but he chose not to say a word.

Having once suffered the fate of being discarded after usefulness, this time, he decided to conceal his true strength.

The horses' hooves clattered swiftly as they arrived at a city on the northern border of the Kang Empire.

After a day of relentless travel, it was finally time to rest.

The vital energy surging within him made his complexion glow with renewed vigor.

“Young master, your complexion is truly recovering remarkably fast.”

Within a short span, Yang Chuan’s expression had transformed several times, and Tian Yueying felt genuine happiness for him.

After all, to save the entire Great Qi Empire, one person’s outstanding strategy alone would not suffice.

The candidate she valued must be one who combined both civil and martial prowess, so that when facing the vastly superior Kang Empire, they could rest assured without worry.

“Master Yang, the day is already late. Let us rest here for the night. The Kang border stretches for thousands of miles—no matter how fast we ride, it will take dozens of days to reach.”

Yang Chuan nodded, glanced up at the towering city walls, and stepped resolutely inside.

---

That night, Tian Yueying personally found a high-end inn within the city walls. The two of them retired to separate rooms to rest.

Meanwhile, in the Kang Empire’s capital...

Due to her poor complexion, Yan Wugou had returned early to the dragon chamber to rest.

But as her body relaxed, countless memories of her time with Yang Chuan involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Especially the image of him as a lonely child, covered in dirt and utterly forsaken, caused Yan Wugou to suddenly sit up, her defenses broken once again.

“Why? Why do I feel such guilt toward Grand Minister Yang?”

“I am the only Empress of the Kang Empire. Even if he is supremely talented, he was but a pawn to help me forge the prosperous Taikang era!”

“I have done no wrong to Yang Chuan. It is he who is petty and narrow-minded, betraying my sincere heart and, more so, the expectations of the millions in Kang!”

After venting her emotions in hysterical outbursts, Yan Wugou finally felt a measure of relief.

From then on, her demeanor was calmer and more composed than ever.

Though the elite hundred thousand cavalry had been dispatched to hunt Yang Chuan, their massive numbers made it difficult to quickly locate him within the vast borders of the Qi Kingdom.

“Summon Chen Song, leader of the Shadow Organization!”

The Shadow Organization was a secret assassin group meticulously cultivated by Yan Wugou over the years.

Within it were more than fifty fourth-grade martial artists, thirty fifth-grade, and eight sixth-grade martial artists.

Each was a warrior carefully selected by Yan Wugou, secretly serving her—unknown even to Yang Chuan.

At their helm was Chen Song, who had reached the pinnacle of the sixth grade and was about to enter the seventh-grade realm.

Even across the entire Kang Empire, few could match Chen Song’s prowess.

Strike while the enemy is weak.

To completely eradicate the threat Yang Chuan posed, and prevent him from infiltrating enemy territory to rebuild strength.

After much deliberation, Yan Wugou resolved to kill him before he could step beyond the Kang Empire’s borders.

Half an hour later, Chen Song, clad in night attire, silently appeared within the dragon chamber.