Just then, a flash of light appeared, and without a sound, those who had just disappeared suddenly returned to the place where they had vanished.
The moment Yuan Shao appeared, his intense killing intent and aura of battle emanated from him without any attempt at concealment. His peak third-tier power immediately shocked the surrounding guests.
"Hahaha, how fortunate, how fortunate!" Yuan Shao said with genuine joy. Without this opportunity, no matter how outstanding he was, he would at most be just an illegitimate son of the Yuan family. But now, everything was different, so very different.
Before this, Yuan Shao was merely a son of a concubine, though he was quite capable and renowned. However, his strength was only at the initial stage of the third level. Yet now, in less than an hour, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, undoubtedly due to a great stroke of luck.
What surprised the guests even more was that not only Yuan Shao, but also Yuan Shu had already reached the third level of cultivation. And even Cao Cao, the notorious playboy of the capital, had reached the third level. They were utterly speechless.
A breakthrough for one person could be attributed to chance or coincidence. Encountering some blessed land by accident is understandable. However, the fact that all those who disappeared achieved breakthroughs cannot be explained by mere coincidence.
"Hehe, now that Liu Junlang has returned, I will take him back to the palace." After saying that, Zhang Rang stood up and, without waiting for Yuan Feng's reply, went directly to Liu Yan's side, picked him up with one hand, and flew directly towards the palace.
Normally, Zhang Rang would have followed the rules, slowly and leisurely entering the palace in his sedan chair. He would never have been so arrogant, so audacious as to fly directly through Luoyang. But this time was different; extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
Seeing this, Xun Shuang chuckled. "Since Wenruo has returned, then this old man will not linger any longer." After saying that, Xun Shuang couldn't wait to take Xun Yu home.
At the same time, Cao Song clasped his hands in a fist salute, gave a slight nod, and then carried the laughing Cao Cao directly toward the Cao residence.
Soon, this scene, along with the departure of the guests, quickly spread throughout the capital. Then, centered on the capital, it rapidly spread throughout the entire Han Dynasty. This night was destined to be a sleepless one.
...
Within the imperial palace resided the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. It was also a place enveloped in dragon energy. It presented a magnificent and opulent scene. Although it was night, the entire palace remained brightly lit thanks to the various gems and array formations.
At this moment, Liu Yan stood there cautiously, reporting the detailed process of this reincarnation to Emperor Ling. From the initial entry to the final departure, and the gains of this journey, he recounted everything without missing a single word.
"Your Majesty, this is what I gained in that world. Before I left, I obtained a mechanical artifact there. In that world, it was called a gun. With this in hand, even an ordinary person who has not cultivated can inflict fatal damage on a first-level person." As he spoke, Liu Yan handed over the Hanyang rifle in his hand.
In this reincarnation world, Liu Yan's current world is set in modern times, and his mission is to survive on the battlefield. This world, in turn, is devoid of spiritual energy. Therefore, various magical techniques cannot be used.
This single point has utterly ruined countless overconfident Taoist priests. Spells that were normally incredibly powerful now possessed only half or even a fraction of their former strength. What could summon a fire dragon now produced only a tiny flame. It was barely enough to light a cigarette; otherwise, it was utterly useless.
Countless highly skilled Taoists were instantly killed by those mechanical creations, such as guns and cannons. Fortunately, Liu Yan himself had also cultivated martial arts, and his reaction speed was not slow at all; otherwise, he might not have survived.
At this time, the Hanyang rifle was quite old. However, Emperor Ling was also quite intelligent. As soon as he got his hands on it, he quickly took the ammunition from Liu Yan and began to load it.
Snap, thud.
With a loud bang, it was launched. The target was Emperor Ling himself. However, the flash of fire and the bullet's launch that Liu Yan had anticipated did not occur.
"How...how could this be?" Liu Yan asked, somewhat at a loss. He swear, in the mission world, he, Liu Yan, had used this old Hanyang rifle to take down countless Japanese devils. But now, why was it suddenly useless? This didn't make sense!
Moreover, wouldn't this be considered deceiving the emperor? Just thinking about this, large beads of sweat appeared on Liu Yan's forehead, for the consequences of deceiving the emperor were far too severe.
Seeing this, the Spirit Emperor smiled instead: "It's nothing, it's normal that it didn't work. After all, the world you described was just a low-level world without spiritual energy. To be precise, it should be called a mechanical civilization."
"Moreover, the key to the effectiveness of these firearms lies in the gunpowder. However, the fundamental rules of different worlds are not the same. Even a slight change will render these mechanical creations ineffective."
"Alright, I know what happened. You can go and get some rest now." With that, Emperor Ling waved his hand. Then, Liu Yan, guided by several eunuchs, slowly left the palace.
No sooner had Liu Yan left than the amiable Emperor Ling's expression turned serious. "Have you investigated thoroughly? How many people actually became the Chosen Ones tonight?"
"According to the intelligence from the Eastern Depot, eighty-six people from Luoyang alone entered the Land of Reincarnation and became the legendary Chosen Ones."
The Chosen Ones are the people of this world, a term used to refer to those who reincarnate. What an incredible opportunity it is to be able to freely travel between different worlds and explore countless civilizations! Therefore, they are known as those chosen by Heaven.
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Chapter Fourteen: Seeing the World from a Different Angle
“Of these eighty-six people, nearly half, or thirty-six, come from aristocratic families. They include top-tier families like the Yuan and Xun families, first-rate families like the Cao and Zhou families, and some smaller families. These people are basically untouchable,” Zhang Rang said.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Ling nodded. These people came from distinguished backgrounds; they were all scions of noble families. To truly harm them would be to provoke a rebellion among the noble families. Now that the Han Dynasty had enjoyed peace for a long time, there was no need, under any circumstances, to force a rebellion among the noble families.
"In addition, among the remaining fifty people, thirty are of extraordinary background. There is Cai Yan, the daughter of the sage Cai Yong. There is Shi A, the disciple of the great swordsman Wang Yue. There is Liu Yan, a member of the imperial family. In addition, there are... these thirty-odd people are mostly from extraordinary families."
"As for the remaining twenty people, they are utterly destitute. They have no background and nothing special. Whether to kill them or torture them is entirely up to them, and they are currently under close surveillance by the Western Depot. However, while the Western Depot is monitoring them, they have also discovered that many retainers of powerful families are also there." Zhang Rang became increasingly less confident as he spoke.
Clearly, if the Western Depot were to actually take action, it would be stopped by the powerful families. Then, they would pretend to be benevolent and try to win them over. At that point, twenty Chosen Ones harboring resentment towards the Han Dynasty would be a ticking time bomb. Even if only a few escaped, they would still pose a threat.
Back when the first cycle of reincarnation began, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, was just a village head when he became the chosen one.
As a result, he made rapid progress, advancing by leaps and bounds, advancing every three days. After several cycles, he was no weaker than the nobles of the six former kingdoms. Later, he became one of the most skilled martial artists in the world. He established the Han Empire, and all he started with was a mere village head.
As for ten thousand years ago, when the second cycle began, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was initially just a cowherd. Yet, this cowherd overcame countless masters along the way. In the end, he re-established the Han dynasty.
Therefore, no one dares to underestimate any chosen one. At this moment, he might be an old rogue (Liu Bang), or a cowherd (Liu Xiu), but who knows what he will achieve in the future? Perhaps, he will become another true emperor.
"Alas, when the first cycle of reincarnation began, Emperor Gaozu wielded his three-foot sword and quelled the rebellion. When the second cycle began, Wang Mang usurped the throne, and Emperor Guangwu restored the Han Dynasty. Now, the third cycle has begun, and being an emperor like me is truly exhausting."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang showed no intention of speaking. Instead, he lowered his head tightly, like a puppet, remaining silent.
Having served as the head of the inner court for so many years, Zhang Rang certainly knew the saying, "Serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice." After so many years of wealth, power, intrigue, and power struggles, Zhang Rang understood when to speak and when to remain silent.
"The Chosen Ones may be weak now, but as time goes by, they will all transform from cocoons into butterflies. As long as they don't die, they will eventually rise to the top! Therefore, when I handle affairs, I must take their interests into consideration. Otherwise, if they become dissatisfied, this great land will be unstable." Emperor Ling shook his head, somewhat troubled.
"But if we cater to them in every way, the powerful families will inevitably become dissatisfied. There are always limits to the benefits in this world. If they are distributed to the chosen ones, the benefits for the powerful families will naturally decrease. Over time, it's quite normal for them to have some inappropriate thoughts."
"Father, tell me, this one represents the future, a future with limitless prospects. The other represents the present, with immense power. What do you suggest I do?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang shuddered. Although he had already become a fifth-tier expert by harnessing the dragon's energy, he still felt a sense of dread. It was as if he were walking a tightrope; one wrong step and he would fall and die!
"This old minister does not know either, but I believe Your Majesty will surely have a good idea," Zhang Rang said cautiously.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Ling couldn't help but laugh. "Indeed, I have a very good idea. This method can take into account the interests of the Chosen Ones without harming the aristocratic families in the slightest."
After laughing, Emperor Ling continued, "So how many Chosen Ones are there in the entire world today?"