Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Nonsense! Absurd! Incomprehensible!

How can such a ruler be worthy of ruling the world? How can he be worthy of the submission of all people?

The entire court was utterly disheartened. They silently rose and dispersed. Inside the mansion, countless powerful families and court officials quietly exchanged orders: close the gates, gather private soldiers, seal away documents, and organize confidential information. Everyone was thinking the same thing—

Waiting for the new ruler to enter the city, the whole country will surrender!

…………

Outside the capital, a million rebel soldiers stood arrayed across the desolate plains, their armor forming a forest.

Wang Zhiming, dressed in blood-stained battle armor, stood at the forefront of the three armies, gazing at the majestic capital city before him, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes: "What my predecessors in the military officer group said was true—it is indeed easier to take the imperial examination than to enter the capital."

Along the way, he proclaimed himself the Bright King, made two deals with Miss Ye, and killed the powerful Gold-ranked warriors who blocked his path.

His rebel army has been gathering defeated soldiers and refugees, growing like a snowball until it has amassed a million men. Now the capital is within reach, easily within their grasp!

Wang Zhiming raised his hand, his eyes flashing with sharpness, and was about to order an attack on the city when the main gate of the capital slowly opened inward.

A lone, thin figure walked out of the city gate and stood before thousands of rebel soldiers.

Appearing to be thirty-five years old, dressed in a simple blue robe, with a serene demeanor, he was none other than the Grand Marshal of the court, the legendary figure in charge of "judgment," and the true ruler of the civil service—

Cangxuan.

When enemies meet, Wang Zhiming is instantly enraged—he is fighting for the title of "cleansing the court of corrupt officials" and eliminating all the treacherous ministers in the court. The person he most wants to kill is never the emperor in the deep palace, but the real power holder of this group of civil officials in front of him, the powerful minister who manipulates factional struggles and deceives the emperor!

"attack!!"

Wang Zhiming roared angrily, and in an instant, a million rebel soldiers fired their guns and cannons!

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"

Bullets, shells, artillery fire, and lightning rained down on the slender figure before the city gate, creating a deafening roar and billowing smoke that lasted for a full ten breaths!

The smoke of battle slowly dissipated.

Before the empty city gate, only melted bullet casings remained on the ground, not even a trace of flesh or soul was left!

Wang Zhiming laughed loudly, full of pride: "That old scoundrel Cangxuan has wreaked havoc on the court for half his life, and all he's got is a sign to sell Seoul!"

The adjutant beside him immediately dismounted, knelt down, and shouted, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, you are now to be emperor!"

Thousands of soldiers bowed their heads and cheered.

But before the cheers had even subsided, amidst the scattered shell casings and gunpowder smoke, and in the void of air, fine wisps of blood foam seemed to flow backward, all regrouping in reverse!

In a mere instant, Cang Xuan, who had just been completely annihilated by the artillery fire, stood unharmed once again before the city gate, just as he had been when they first met!

next moment.

The 3,593 frontline soldiers who had just opened fire suddenly shuddered and exploded without warning, instantly turning into a cloud of flesh and blood, leaving no trace of their bodies!

A deathly silence completely enveloped the wasteland.

Wang Zhiming's pupils contracted sharply, a chill ran through his body, and he stared intently at Cang Xuan, who stood calmly in front of him. For the first time, a sense of apprehension arose in his heart.

"Resurrection and rebirth".

A card appeared in Cang Xuan's hand without his knowledge. On the card, an angel with wings sounded a trumpet in the clouds, spreading the gospel of heaven—Judgment Day had arrived.

Amidst the inspiring bugle calls, long-dormant souls emerged from their inner world, or rather, from their inner confusion, standing beneath the wings of angels, listening attentively to the gospel of heaven with grateful hearts.

"Trial!"

It symbolizes resurrection, rebirth, religious faith, forgiveness, and judgment!

"I am immortal. Anyone who kills me will kill themselves." Cang Xuan slowly walked towards Wang Zhiming and said calmly, "Do you understand? Only legends can fight legends. Stop sending your men to their deaths."

Wang Zhiming fell silent.

A fierce battle intent and an intense struggle intertwined within him. Just then, Miss Ye's voice echoed in his mind: "Exchange?"

'Change your mother's head!!!'

Wang Zhiming screamed inwardly, "I've already switched three times! If I switch again, I'll die!"

“But you’ll die even if you don’t make the exchange,” Miss Ye said, puzzled. “Your goal is right in front of you. As long as you kill him, the civil service will be completely destroyed, and your lifelong wish will be fulfilled…”

Are you really going to give up here?

Under the spell of war, the influence of murderous intent, and the allure of power and force, the last vestige of hesitation in Wang Zhiming's eyes shattered completely:

"I'll change!"

For the sake of the common people, for justice, and for our original aspirations, we would not hesitate to die ten thousand times!

The word was finalized.

Miss Ye's hazy figure appeared, gently embracing Wang Zhiming, kissing his lips one last time, and then—

A dazzling crimson light engulfed the heavens and the earth, blotting out the sun!

An indescribable pressure swept across an area of ​​dozens of miles, causing a million-strong army to kneel in submission. Even Cang Xuan had to squint and retreat. As the light slowly faded, Wang Zhiming's slender figure on the wasteland transformed into a gigantic monster tens of meters tall.

It has six arms, each wielding a weapon of mass destruction such as swords, spears, and cannons, and three heads that laugh menacingly, each with a different appearance.

On the left is Wang Zhiming, representing the past; in the center is Miss Ye's charming and flamboyant smile; on the right, representing the future, is a face covered by a white mask.

One of the original forces, the demon of war, descended upon the world in its full glory!

Chapter 125, The Wasteland Where Gods Witnessed Their Death (Part 1)

"The demon of war..."

Inside the Ministry of Rites, Tong Chuxue gazed at the battlefield scene reflected in the magic mirror, murmuring to herself.

The demon revealed its true form, revealing itself to have three heads and six arms, wielding six different weapons: the God-Slaying Sword, the God-Cutting Blade, the God-Binding Rope, the Thunder God Cannon, the God-Shooting Spear, and the God-Shattering Thunder. Its imposing power was awe-inspiring and terrifying.

In the mythology of the empire, having three heads and six arms is not merely about having two more heads and a few more arms, but rather a symbol of great supernatural powers and perfect perfection.

Those who possess this appearance are described as: one man commanding a thousand armies, omnipotent in supernatural powers, boundless in magical strength, divinely awe-inspiring, capable of subduing demons and monsters, roaming freely without fear, and unstoppable by anyone. In the distant past, before the abyss descended and before the Amber God trod upon the earth, this was the highest ideal of the empire's people for those with great supernatural powers.

But now, the one appearing in the world with this appearance is humanity's eternal enemy.

"Don't you find it strange?" The priestess slowly walked up to Tong Chuxue and asked in a tone like a teacher lecturing, "Why would a female prime minister, a war demon, reside in the body of Wang Zhiming, a mere man?"

Tong Chuxue poured the tea from the table into her palm, rubbed her ears, and adopted a posture of listening attentively: "Please enlighten me, Minister."

"People say that war is a man's game, but looking at the myths of various countries, there are quite a few goddesses who wielded the power of war." The priest explained in detail, "From Ishtar, the goddess of love and war in the oldest Sumerian mythology, to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, Freya, the Norse Valkyrie, and the Eastern deity of military strategy, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, they are all like this... Do you know the reason why?"

"I don't know."

Tong Chuxue tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled.

Aside from the one true god, Amber God, there are many local myths and legends circulating in various countries and regions around the world. She had come into contact with many of them in the Hanlin Academy, but the name that came out of the mouth of the priest was one she had never heard of before.

The only one who understood was Freya, but wasn't she the queen of the Kingdom of Konoma?

“As Your Majesty said, the essence of war is an extension of politics, inherently possessing a binding nature. Therefore, it is neither ‘destruction’ nor ‘death,’” the priest calmly explained. “Thus, war is not merely a brutal clash of men, but also requires the wisdom, strategy, protection, and order symbolized by women.”

"Just as male gods like Ares and Mars symbolize violent slaughter, goddesses like Athena, Sekhmet, and Durga symbolize protecting the city-state, sheltering warriors, and healing wounds."

"...I've learned a lot."

Tong Chuxue seemed to understand but not quite, yet she still politely agreed, "You know so much."

After all, she had been that age herself and knew that some young boys liked to show off their knowledge and obscure facts in front of pretty girls. Those who knew, knew.

This kind of thing used to be called "chuunibyou" (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur), but recently it seems to be called "Jiahao" by people in Beijing.

However, Tong Chuxue didn't really understand this term—after all, she had been focusing on writing books and caring about war and people's livelihoods lately, and hadn't been surfing the internet much, so she was falling further and further behind the trends of the young people in the empire.

Unfortunately, as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, she doesn't usually watch short videos. She prefers to read stock market reports and war reports, and then do some light analysis of the situation on the western front. Lately, her attention has been focused on the western front and the movements of the Holy Kingdom. She also doesn't know what the "so rich I'm speechless" meme is. Mainly, she's eating with a group of civil officials with net worths in the tens of millions every day, and they don't usually talk about these things. People say she doesn't seem like someone her age. There's nothing she can do about it. When Tong Chuxue mentions "Source Essence" and "Blasphemy Token," they don't know what they are, which is...you know what I mean.

Peers: Some are taking classes at university, some are doing manual labor at junior college, and some are playing CrossFire on the eastern front or Battlefield V on the western front.

Tong Chuxue: She sits and discusses philosophy with the emperor, discusses current affairs with civil officials, and occasionally leads the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest spies.

It's just... you know what I mean?

“I’m sorry, I forgot. These titles are rather unfamiliar to you now… I was too focused.” The priest looked at Tong Chuxue’s bewildered expression, smiled and shook his head slightly. “The process of helping you understand always reminds me of the joyful times I spent studying as a young boy.”

"It's alright, I understand, I understand..."

"Oh, really? Then let me test you... What's the point of me revealing these secrets?"

What does that mean? Isn't it just me listening to you rattle off a bunch of incomprehensible names to show off?

Tong Chuxue was puzzled at first, then thought about it carefully, and suddenly realized something: "The head of the demon that is now in charge of the war is in the shape of a goddess. Compared with the pure violence of Wang Zhiming's image, it is more inclined to wisdom, strategy, protection and order, and has a strong sense of self-discipline?"

The priest smiled but did not answer.

Tong Chuxue continued her deduction: "In that case, the source element [Glory], symbolizing order and domination, and the 'Emperor', representing supreme power, naturally restrain the demon of war! Could it be that as long as His Majesty personally takes action, it can be easily defeated?"

…………

On the battlefield, the crimson sky slowly receded.

On the wasteland, a demonic body several meters tall stood on the ground, its three heads and six arms fully exposed. Cang Xuan looked up and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"The beginning..."

Despite bearing the emperor's command, an instinctive sense of dread and fear surged within him. Without the slightest hesitation, Cang Xuan's figure blurred, transforming into a streak of green, and he prepared to fly back into the capital city gates—

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Before anyone knew it, the entire battlefield was completely enveloped in a grayish-white mist, so thick it was almost tangible, obscuring the sky and the earth. Not only could one not distinguish north from south, east from west, but it was also silently plundering the magic power within one's body.

One of the many powers of the evil of war: the fog of war!

Cang Xuan hovered in mid-air, all his usual composure gone, his face as cold and indifferent as water:

"It seems we have no choice but to fight."

As a soft sigh fell to the ground, the moment the words faded away, the massive body of the War Demon appeared behind Cang Xuan!

"Pfft!"

The God-Slaying Sword struck with a cold light, cleaving Cang Xuan's body in two from the center. Blood gushed out, and his body fell to the sides!

Just as the war demon was about to raise its arm to attack again, its massive demonic body suddenly froze.

A thin, blood-red line suddenly appeared, piercing through the entire demonic body, and then healed in the blink of an eye.

In mid-air, the two halves of the falling body slowly merged back together, flesh and blood regenerated, and Cang Xuan stood unharmed in the same spot, his clothes neat and his expression cold and indifferent: "I said, I am immortal. Anyone who harms me will suffer the consequences."

"is it?"