Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

Li Xingyun suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter tinged with sarcasm and sorrow.

"Yuan Tiangang, you've asked everyone in the world, why didn't you ask—whether I'm willing or not?"

"Your Highness is a direct descendant of Emperor Taizong, and your ascension to the throne is ordained by Heaven."

Yuan Tiangang's voice remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"The warlords are fragmented, each harboring their own ulterior motives!"

Li Xingyun glanced at the kneeling lords, his eyes filled with coldness.

"Do you really think that an emperor with the surname Li can bring peace to this land?"

"Pretending to submit is better than nothing."

Yuan Tiangang slowly rose to his feet, his black robes casting a shadow over everyone.

"Once Your Highness ascends the throne, I will ensure that they—genuinely submit."

"Is this how you treat me?"

Li Xingyun stared at him, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"In your eyes, am I the emperor, or a pawn?"

"I am a subject of the Tang Dynasty, and I would never dare to overstep my bounds, even unto death."

Yuan Tiangang lowered his head slightly, his tone respectful, yet every word was like a knife.

"Everything I have done is for the eternal foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Since you dare not overstep your bounds—"

Li Xingyun suddenly turned around, facing all the feudal lords of the world, his voice like thunder:

"Then I, Li Xingyun, swear an oath today before the ancestors of the Tang Dynasty!"

"In this life and the next, I vow never to claim the title of emperor!"

"Please, gentlemen—be my witness!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

All the feudal lords had heard of Li Xingyun's "incorrigible" nature, but they never expected him to be this bad.

Yuan Tiangang and Qin Chuan practically handed the world over to Li Xingyun.

He actually refused to take it!

"really..."

Qin Chuan sighed inwardly.

Li Xingyun ultimately extinguished Yuan Tiangang's last hope.

There is no turning back now.

"Heh...hahaha..."

Yuan Tiangang suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly. His laughter was like a thunderclap, shaking the Xuanwu Gate city wall and causing dust to fall.

The laughter contained sorrow, relief, and even a hint of... madness.

As his laughter subsided, a red figure streaked through the air and landed in front of Li Xingyun like a ghost.

He is not Li Xingyun!

The newcomer looked up, revealing a face exactly like Li Xingyun's.

"I am the true descendant of Emperor Taizong!"

The fake Li Xingyun grinned maliciously and pointed at the real Li Xingyun:

"This heartless, selfish, and cowardly good-for-nothing is nothing but an imposter!"

"I really am a hopeless case."

Li Xingyun sneered, showing no sign of backing down.

"But you imposter—you are even less fit to be emperor!"

Whether you're a good match or not isn't for you to decide!

The fake Li Xingyun surveyed the feudal lords, his voice seductive:

"Gentlemen, who do you think is truly worthy of this Tang Dynasty's empire?"

The feudal lords fell silent, their gazes shifting between the two men before finally settling on Qin Chuan and Yuan Tiangang.

The air froze, even the wind stopped.

"The Longquan Treasure can only be unlocked by those with the bloodline of the Li Tang dynasty."

After a long silence, Yuan Tiangang slowly spoke, his voice like a whisper from the underworld.

"Once we get there, the truth will become clear."

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Qin Chuan, his gaze beneath the bronze mask revealing a complex expression for the first time.

"Find the Longquan Treasure within a month."

His black robe billowed, and his figure gradually disappeared into the shadows.

"Now that you've accomplished this, you should... graduate."

As the last three words fell, the figure had already disappeared.

The oppressive atmosphere that had enveloped the entire area vanished abruptly, and many of the feudal lords collapsed to the ground, their backs soaked with cold sweat.

Qin Chuan took a deep breath, his fingertips trembling slightly.

If he were to turn against Yuan Tiangang now, he would have no chance of winning.

But a month later... the outcome is still uncertain.

He looked up, his voice calm, yet it instantly put everyone on edge.

"One month later, the Longquan Treasure—we'll see what happens next."

"The Longquan Treasure?!"

A look of greed flashed in the eyes of the feudal lords.

The legendary treasure, said to be worth more than a country, is finally about to be revealed?

"Brother Masaomi, thank you for your trouble."

Qin Chuan, without trying to hide from the gazes of the crowd, took out the Longquan Treasure Box and handed it to Li Maozhen.

Li Maozhen took the treasure box, his fingertips trembling slightly.

For this thing, he left his hometown for sixteen years, went astray, and almost met with eternal damnation.

Now, the cycle of fate has finally begun, and it is he who will start it.

"Using blood as the catalyst, and poison as the key..."

He murmured the ancient language of Raojiang, his fingertips tracing the patterns on the treasure box.

The strange light inside the box gradually intensified, flowing like a living thing, casting his face in shifting light and shadow.

Meanwhile, in a dark cave thousands of miles away.

The Witch King Chi Li sat cross-legged in the center of the blood pool, his eyes closed and his mind focused.

"Are they... really going to search for the Longquan Treasure?"

His voice was hoarse, transmitted to You Chuan's ears through witchcraft.

Inside the dilapidated temple, You Chuan knelt on one knee and responded in a low voice:

"Yes, the commander has set a deadline."

"pity..."

Chi Li slowly opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with blood-red light.

"Those two did not kill each other."

He suddenly sneered, his withered fingers tracing the blood.

"After the feudal lords have left, you shall lead your men to retrieve all the sulfur and saltpeter from beneath Chang'an City."

"Godfather, what are you doing..."

You Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

Chi Li's laughter was like the hooting of an owl:

"Such a deadly weapon, wouldn't it be a waste to bury it underground?"

"I wonder if that commander-in-chief and the young commander... can withstand it?"

You Chuan remained silent for a long time before finally asking in a low voice:

"Father, can what we're doing really prevent war?"

"Avoid war?"

Chi Li suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with madness.

"What I desire is war!"

"The flames of war in the Central Plains should be completely extinguished there!"

You Chuan lowered his head, the shadow obscuring his dim eyes.

Chapter 100 The Secret of Longquan

As dusk settled, the last rays of the setting sun disappeared into the cracks between the mottled bluestone bricks.

The Longquan Treasure Box was then opened, and the secret that had been sealed for many years was finally revealed.

Inside the box lay a delicate clay sculpture, depicting a boy who looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old.

A bewitching flower blooms on the right shoulder of the clay sculpture, its purplish-red petals gleaming in the twilight.