Chapter One: Journey to the World of Immortal Swords!

"Li Xiaoyao's mission?"

Seeing that familiar name, Hao Yun could not help but recall his long-lost youth. He remembered the Wine Sword Immortal, who sang loudly of "riding the wind with a sword to purge the world of demons," and Lin Yueru, the gifted and spirited girl who willingly sacrificed her life for the happiness of her beloved. Not to mention the descendants of Nuwa, all of whom perished solely to protect the common people.

Back then, whether it was the television series or the game, both had drawn many tears from Hao Yun.

This time, encountering a mission involving Li Xiaoyao offered a chance to resolve his past regrets. Moreover, since it was an Eastern cultivation system that could enhance his strength, nothing could be more perfect than a *Chinese Paladin* mission.

"Three-star mission: Li Xiaoyao's Plea! Mission World: The television adaptation of *Chinese Paladin*. Mission Objective: Save the protagonist's party, including Li Xiaoyao, Zhao Ling'er, Lin Yueru, Anu, Tang Yu, and others. The more people saved, the higher the evaluation!"

"Mission Reward: 10,000 points and a complete set of Shushan cultivation techniques! It can directly elevate the host to the Great Accomplishment stage! Furthermore, the cost of items from the *Chinese Paladin* world will be reduced to one-tenth upon completion of the mission!"

"Mission time ratio: Ten to one!"

Calculating the rewards, it was similar to the *Naruto* world. If he could achieve a high evaluation, wouldn't that mean a reward of 100,000 points?

Well, this stuff could be used in the Marvel world, and upon returning, he could teach a few more Chinese-Americans and create a few more heroes.

As for whether he should give it to China—heh, with the Three Sovereigns still alive, why would he need to meddle? When the time came, he would just copy a set and offer it to Kunlun.

Having selected the mission, Hao Yun left a note for the Illuminati, clicked to accept, and headed to the *Chinese Paladin* world!

...

*Chinese Paladin* world, Great Tang, Imperial Observatory.

Yuan Tiangang gazed at the stars in the sky, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. What had happened? He could no longer foresee the future.

"Daoist Yuan, His Majesty requests your presence!"

Outside the Star-Gazing Tower, a eunuch bowed and invited him. In this world’s Great Tang, an era where gods and demons coexisted, Yuan Tiangang’s status was far higher than in historical records. One could say that the position of the Grand Astrologer was comparable to that of a Prime Minister—truly a figure beneath one man but above ten thousand!

Yet, no matter how high his status, he could not defy the human sovereign, the Emperor of Tang. Therefore, upon hearing the Emperor's summons, he rushed to the imperial palace hall at once.

"Your Majesty, may I ask why you have summoned me?"

As soon as he entered, Yuan Tiangang bowed respectfully, not daring to look up at his surroundings.

"It is nothing much. A man in strange attire has suddenly appeared in my palace. I wonder if you recognize him?"

Only then did Yuan Tiangang look up toward the hall. The Emperor of Tang was glaring at him with burning intensity, and beside him stood the eunuch. Hmm? And who was the man with short hair leaning against the wall?

And that bizarre clothing—he had never seen such a thing in his life! In particular, those shoes; Yuan Tiangang could swear that the materials used were definitely not from the Great Tang!

Why was he just leaning against the wall, staring blankly? Motionless?

"Your Majesty, I do not recognize him."

Yuan Tiangang confessed honestly.

"Oh? You don't recognize him? I have had people check; he is alive, but for some reason, he cannot be woken. In that case, you shall stay here and wait with me for a while!"

Emperor Li Shimin of Tang spoke with an overbearing tone. Ever since he was titled "Heavenly Khan," he had become increasingly tyrannical—even the suggestions offered by Wei Zheng were sometimes difficult for him to accept.

Naturally, Yuan Tiangang did not dare to contradict him and had to obey, keeping watch by the Emperor's side.

As for the short-haired man who had appeared so abruptly in the palace and remained frozen, he was, of course, Hao Yun, who had arrived to complete his mission.

However, it seemed the system had made a mistake during the transfer, advancing the timeline by over fifty years! He had arrived during the reign of Li Shimin!

"Ding! System transfer error: arrival time advanced by fifty years!"

"Due to the system error, the host is specially awarded a five-star mission: Correct the trajectory of the human race and restore the ancient status of humanity!"

"Mission Brief: After Li Shimin ascended the throne following the Incident at Xuanwu Gate, he felt his claim to the throne was illegitimate. As the Son of Heaven, he performed the Feng Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai. From then on, the status of the human race shifted from being equal to the immortals of Heaven to being vassals of the Heavenly Court. Furthermore, the policies of *heqin* (marriage alliances) and gifting books resulted in the wisdom of the Chinese people over thousands of years being handed over to foreign tribes, leading to subsequent foreign invasions, the collapse of the nation, and the suffering of the people. The fortune of China plummeted, eventually forcing the cutting of the dragon veins, which completely severed the path to immortality. Please change Li Shimin's mindset and turn him into a qualified Human Emperor!"

"Uh..."

Hao Yun fell silent. While he knew a bit about Chinese history, he certainly hadn't researched Li Shimin in such depth!

In his heart, Li Shimin was the emperor who opened the glorious Tang Dynasty, a legendary ruler known throughout the world. His greatest fault was the marriage alliances and the gifting of precious craft, medical, and agricultural texts. But looking at the system's take, he wasn't a legendary ruler at all—he was more like a昏君 (dull-witted monarch).

Looking at those accusations—well, the title "Son of Heaven" was just to consolidate his status, which was understandable. But to say he invited foreign invasions and caused the national fortune to plummet? Wasn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

Was a simple marriage alliance enough to cause a thousand years of national disaster?

"Um, System, are you serious about this mission?"

"Of course! This mission was jointly issued by the Emperors Qin Shi Huang, Zhou of Shang, Han Wudi, and Zhu Yuanzhang. The reward is as high as one million points; surely, it cannot be wrong!"

"What? Qin Shi Huang, the founding Emperor of Ming, Han Wudi, and King Zhou of Shang—you're telling me they're all working together?"

"Host, do you think King Zhou is truly that bad?"

"Uh... isn't that obvious? He's a famous tyrant in history, isn't he?"

A sense of foreboding rose in Hao Yun. In his previous life, there had been many attempts to vindicate King Zhou, and he had never done much research into history. Could it be that the man was actually a good emperor?

"I advise the host to study Chinese history more deeply. Sometimes, history books are not necessarily the truth."

"Uh..."

Hao Yun shut his mouth, not daring to argue further with the system. Since the mission was issued by such legendary figures, it must be acknowledged as true. He wasn't arrogant enough to think that his modern education made him equal to these founding emperors!

"Uh, System, can you provide me with a truthful historical evaluation of Li Shimin?"

"No problem. The host's request falls within the system's rules and can be provided."

Then, a vast amount of knowledge flooded into Hao Yun's mind.

That knowledge contained everything from Li Shimin's struggle for the throne to his actions after ascending, as well as his impact on later generations—and even included comparisons with other emperors. The emperor used for comparison was none other than Zhu Yuanzhang!

After Hao Yun finished absorbing the information and looked at Li Shimin again, the underlying admiration he held for the "legendary emperor" completely vanished, replaced only by disdain.