Golden Ranking Appears, My Empress Turns Out to Be Wu Zhao

Song Dynasty.

Deep within the mysterious mountain range.

At this moment, Wei Liao, Yuan Tiangang, Huang Shang, and their subordinates were all in crisis.

Even Guo Jia was no longer "safe".

This terrifying army seemed to be proficient in some kind of formation technique.

They fought in perfect coordination.

The Black Ice Platform and Shadow Secret Guard, Net Trap, Bad People, the Imperial City Division, the Supreme Master Mansion, and even the Military Advisor Division were all caught in a dilemma.

Even someone like Wei Liao, Yuan Tiangang, and Yuwen Tuo, who were in the God Demon Realm.

Or someone like Huang Shang, who had reached the Mythical Realm.

Maybe they could ensure their own survival.

But to think they could destroy this army single-handedly was nothing more than a fool's dream.

Once the mysterious formation was activated.

Its power far exceeded simple arithmetic.

Even Wei Liao and Yuan Tiangang were left in a rather sorry state.

Even Yuwen Tuo's golden sword, which could annihilate a hundred thousand soldiers in one strike, was useless.

"Ahhhh!"

"Lord, save me!"

"Marshal, help us!"

"Supreme Master, we can't hold on!"

The piercing screams shook everyone's senses.

Watching their subordinates die before their eyes, unable to intervene.

It made Wei Liao and the others begin to question if they were truly in the God Demon Realm.

Wasn't the God Demon Realm supposed to allow one to treat anyone beneath it as mere ants?

Even if the ants gathered, they shouldn't be able to pose any threat.

But now, what is happening?

Their deadly strikes as God Demon Realm cultivators couldn't even break a measly formation?

Were they fake God Demon Realm cultivators?

Especially this feeling of helplessness made Yuan Tiangang, Yuwen Tuo, and Huang Shang recall the time when they besieged the Azure Dragon Association's Heaven Mocking Palace.

That time, they were also trapped in a grand formation.

Even those in the God Demon Realm were in great danger.

Especially those in the Mythical Realm. More than one perished.

It seemed these terrifying formations were indeed extraordinarily powerful.

Especially against those in the God Demon Realm, they might have unimaginable effects.

The God Demon Realm was not as invincible as they once believed.

Likewise, no dynasty was simple.

Once a formation was deployed, even God Demon Realm cultivators could be slaughtered.

In an instant.

The powerful figures present grew deeply wary of those dynasties that had no God Demon Realm cultivators.

"Everyone, stop holding back, or we'll all die here today!"

Wei Liao's face was grim.

Just moments ago, he had witnessed many of his trusted subordinates die on the spot.

Even the Shadow Secret Guard and Net Trap had suffered heavy casualties.

If this continued.

He would have no way to report back to Ying Zheng in the Qin Dynasty.

If the first failure could be blamed on carelessness.

Then having failed again after asking Ying Zheng for reinforcements would only show his incompetence.

"Huang Shang, what is going on?"

"I remember these troops belong to your Song Dynasty, why are they even attacking you?"

"Are you hiding something?"

"If you don't speak now, the casualties will only grow worse."

But how could Huang Shang possibly respond?

He truly didn't know, and even if he did, he would never reveal it all.

Likewise, Huang Shang probably harbored the intent of using these troops to eliminate all his enemies.

And Wei Liao, Yuan Tiangang, and the rest were no different.

For the moment.

They spoke of cooperation.

But in action.

Each one was secretly trying to undermine the others.

As time passed, the scene became a massacre.

In just one hour.

Nearly half of their forces had perished.

==========

On the other side.

Everything happening on the battlefield was being observed in secret by Zhuge Liang and his three companions.

"Mister Kongming, are these mysterious troops truly the Song Dynasty's hidden forces?"

"If they appeared in the open, even with just a thousand men, they could give Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom unimaginable nightmares!"

"Besides, if only a thousand have shown up now, there might be even more hidden elsewhere."

"Especially their formation, it's just too terrifying."

"Yes, Big Brother is right. I never imagined the Song Dynasty would hide such power."

"No dynasty is ever simple."

"If only our Great Li Kingdom had not been blinded by greed, had not allied with Western Xia Kingdom and Tibet Kingdom to attack the Song Dynasty!"

"If the Song Dynasty had revealed such troops earlier, the Great Li Kingdom wouldn't have humiliated itself!"

Duan Yu had become extremely sensitive to conspiracies and schemes.

He even began to suspect that the Song Dynasty's destruction of the Great Li Kingdom had been a meticulously crafted plot.

They had feigned weakness to lure Great Li Kingdom and the other nations into attacking.

Then, the Song Dynasty revealed their thunderous might and destroyed the Great Li Kingdom.

That way, even with such an outcome, the Song Dynasty would not be condemned by the people of the Nine Provinces.

Instead, the Great Li Kingdom would be ridiculed as overestimating its abilities.

Though unlikely, such a possibility was not off the table.

Zhuge Liang paid little attention to the brothers' thoughts.

Instead, he seemed deep in contemplation.

Especially as he watched Guo Jia's performance on the battlefield.

Although it looked chaotic.

A closer look revealed that the Ming Dynasty's forces hadn't taken nearly as much damage as others.

And then there was the strange and sudden appearance of these eerie troops.

An almost impossible thought surfaced in his mind.

Though it sounded absurd, if His Majesty the Emperor was involved, then nothing was impossible.

If His Majesty was truly behind this.

Then Guo Jia's safety needed no further concern.

This place was no longer safe.

While these God Demon Realm figures were trapped here.

It was the perfect time to slip away.

He needed to rethink his plans for the Song Dynasty.

How to help the Vast Sea Dynasty conquer the Song Dynasty more easily, and without backlash.

That was his next task.

"Let's go. This place will only become more dangerous. We should leave while we still can."

"Once we are discovered by those in the God Demon Realm, it'll be hard to escape."

Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan and smiled faintly.

He had no sentimental attachment to the battlefield.

He spoke calmly to the dazed trio of brothers and began to leave.

Walking away through the mountains with a strange, mysterious gait.

==========

Deep within the mountain.

Inside the mysterious Imperial Mausoleum.

Zhu Houzhao stared at the Land Immortals around him with calm eyes, utterly unafraid.

He seemed utterly indifferent to their intense killing intent.

Instead, he fixed his gaze on the old Daoist at the head of the group.

"May I ask, Daoist, how should I address you?"

"With your strength, you should certainly be ranked on the Dao Immortal Ranking, no?"

Zhu Houzhao saw it clearly.

This mysterious Daoist was indeed an Early God Demon Realm.

What intrigued Zhu Houzhao most.

Was that this man bore no trace of bloodlust.

Instead, his aura was ethereal and serene, filled with Daoist rhythm.

At the very least, he could tell this old Daoist's spiritual cultivation was profound.

Far beyond that of the others present.

"You insolent brat, how dare you ignore us? Die!"

Seeing Zhu Houzhao direct his words at the Ancestor without regard for them, several others finally lost patience.

They launched a frenzied attack.

"Sigh, you've just regained your freedom, you should treasure it."

"Now you waste it so easily. What a shame!"

Zhu Houzhao looked visibly bored as he swept his gaze over the attackers.

Spoke softly.

The next moment.

Zhu Houzhao turned his palm.

A cluster of glowing light bloomed.

It resembled a seed.

In a blink, the seed sprouted, grew, and bloomed.

Becoming a palm-sized azure lotus.

The moment the azure lotus appeared.

Not only did the attackers feel a chill and look terrified.

Even the old Daoist sitting above widened his eyes.

A flash of disbelief crossed his face.

"You must stop, young friend!"

Seeing the lotus released, the old Daoist's expression changed drastically.

He quickly tried to stop it.

The others who had remained silent also cried out.

Their voices trembled with fear.

Within that azure lotus, they sensed a deadly threat.

If struck by it.

They would surely die.

Even as Heavenly Humans, Myths, or those in the God Demon Realm, they stood no chance.

Only now did they realize.

They had picked a fight with the wrong person.

And not just wrong, but fatally so.

"Too late."

"If you dared to strike at me, then be ready to die!"

The azure lotus rose into the air.

Unleashing a blinding and razor-sharp light.

Sword energy surged.

A terrifying pressure swept through the grand hall.

Everyone froze.

Their faces turned pale.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Sword energy surged forth.

Its sharpness is terrifying.

It seemed to tear the very space around them.

In an instant, it slashed toward those who had attacked Zhu Houzhao.

Puff puff puff!!

Blood sprayed everywhere.

"Ahhhh!"

Their agonized screams echoed through the grand hall.

"No, I don't want to die!"

"I still have unfinished wishes!"

"Spare me, please, I was wrong!"

"I haven't yet witnessed the fall of the Song Dynasty, I can't die now!"

"Please spare me, I'll be your loyal servant from now on, never betray you!"

Facing death, the once arrogant and overbearing Land Immortals begged for mercy.

As lowly as they could be.

With not a shred of the pride expected from a Land Immortal.

Years of imprisonment had greatly boosted their power due to National Fortune.

But their minds had long since warped.

They were nothing like the loyal cultivators who had once fought alongside Zhao Kuangyin.

In Zhu Houzhao's eyes, such people were worthless no matter how strong they were.

At best, cannon fodder.

But Zhu Houzhao had no shortage of cannon fodder.

Why would he keep them?

A single rat could spoil a whole pot of soup.

Puff puff puff!

Sword energy pierced their foreheads.

Filled with regret and despair, they dropped dead on the spot.

In an instant.

The entire grand hall fell into eerie silence.

Even the old Daoist at the head looked at Zhu Houzhao with deep fear.

Too strong.

These were still Land Immortals, and yet he killed them just like that.

So decisive.

Without a moment's hesitation.

Such resolve filled them with terror.

"Brother!"

"No, you died so horribly!"

"Big Brother, it's not possible, we haven't even gotten out, haven't seen what the outside world is like, how could you die like this?"

Those still seated, whose minds remained relatively clear, turned pale.

Seeing their brothers die.

They were devastated.

After a century of captivity, their bonds had grown deep.

Now, all gone in the blink of an eye.

They couldn't accept it.

At that moment, several of them, filled with hatred and fury, glared at Zhu Houzhao.

Without hesitation.

They unleashed deadly attacks toward him.