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

Qin Imperial Palace.

"Wei Liao actually suffered a crushing defeat?!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen Wei Liao lose this badly!"

Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow as he looked at the secret report in his hand.

Although he sounded angry, his expression was more one of surprise.

He was well aware of Wei Liao's wisdom and strength.

And yet, even with that, he still lost to the Vast Sea Dynasty. It seemed necessary to raise their guard against this dynasty.

"Li Si, grant all of Wei Liao's requests without question!"

"The Northern Song Dynasty matter is of utmost importance."

"I will never allow the Northern Song Dynasty to be conquered by the Vast Sea Dynasty!"

"Even if it can't be prevented, we must make sure the Vast Sea Dynasty pays a heavy price."

"We cannot let the Vast Sea Dynasty have the strength to expand again in a short period of time!"

"At the same time, our Qin Dynasty must accelerate its movements."

"Unify all domestic forces and go all out to attack the Han Dynasty!"

"Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Meng Tian, summon all their troops to await my command!"

"Li Si, prepare all war resources at once. Food and provisions must be fully supplied, with no errors allowed."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

==========

Northern Song Dynasty.

Roughly 300 li east of the capital city lay a stretch of mountain range.

These mountains rolled on endlessly.

However, no one knew exactly when the rumors began.

It was said a great terror lurked within.

Whether it was hunters or woodcutters, anyone who entered never returned.

They either died or went missing.

And at this moment.

A troop of a hundred men, well equipped, slowly advanced into the mountains.

"Lord Director, it was here that members of the Military Advisor Division disappeared."

"Later, some friends from the Azure Dragon Association also entered to investigate."

"But the result was the same."

"There must be a great secret hidden here!"

Hearing this, Guo Jia's expression turned unusually thoughtful and serious.

Then.

Without hesitation, he led the team deeper into the mountains.

This time, he was going to personally investigate.

Perhaps, the Dragon Vein location His Majesty was searching for was right here.

His Majesty had already told him.

Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangyi had perished in the Southern Song Dragon Vein location.

The Northern Song Dragon Vein was bound to be extraordinary as well.

"Buzz!"

As soon as they stepped into the mountain range.

The others felt nothing unusual.

But Guo Jia's expression changed instantly.

He could clearly feel that the inside of the mountain was an entirely different world compared to the outside.

A formation!

The thought immediately flashed through Guo Jia's mind.

He didn't expect someone had set up a formation here.

It seemed his direction of investigation was correct.

"We go deeper. Everyone, be careful."

"Yes, Lord Director!"

Fortunately, Guo Jia had learned quite a bit about formations from Zhu Houzhao.

He never expected he'd actually use that knowledge here.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Roughly ten li into the mountains.

Sharp waves of force suddenly shot at them.

Fast, precise, and lethal.

As if trying to completely annihilate them on the spot.

"Now's a good time to test the advisor skill from Heaven Dao Reward!"

Guo Jia waved his hands.

A strange aura spread out.

It formed an invisible spiritual shield that covered a ten-zhang radius.

The attacks from the formation struck the shield, sending out ripples.

But in the end, they failed to break it.

"Although it's just a defensive skill, it's still a great way to stay alive."

"In the future, once the skill is upgraded, the defense will grow even stronger."

"In evenly matched battles, it'll let me stay undefeated from the start."

It seemed the skill from Heaven Dao Reward did not disappoint him.

However, it did consume a lot of spiritual energy.

Perfect for someone like him, an Advisor. For cultivators with insufficient spiritual strength, it wouldn't be of much use.

"The formation is quite formidable, but compared to the formations His Majesty sets up, it's far inferior."

"Still, the one who laid this formation must at least be in the God Demon Realm."

"We must remain cautious!"

Under Guo Jia's protection, they safely arrived at the peak of a mountain.

"Lord!"

"There's a stone tablet here!"

"There's writing on it!"

Guo Jia immediately stepped forward and frowned as he examined the stone.

On the stone tablet, which stood over three meters tall, a deep palm print was imprinted at the center.

And in the lower right corner, three large characters appeared.

"Left by Chen Tuan"!

Guo Jia's expression changed dramatically.

Ancestor Chen Tuan?!!

That was truly a name known throughout the Nine Provinces.

But was he still alive?

If he were, with his cultivation and abilities, he would have definitely ranked on the Dao Immortal Ranking.

Yet his name wasn't there.

That raised serious doubts.

Was he dead or alive?

Could the formation in this area have been laid by Ancestor Chen Tuan?

And what connection did the Northern Song Dragon Vein have with him?

It was said that back in the day, Zhao Kuangyin played chess with Ancestor Chen Tuan and lost.

Ancestor Chen Tuan won an entire mountain from him.

Could it be this very place?!!

It seemed the Northern Song Dragon Vein hid great secrets!

Fortunately, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangyi had turned against each other and ended up trapped in the Southern Song Dragon Vein.

They could never escape.

In the end, it was His Majesty who benefited.

Otherwise, if Zhao Kuangyin had returned to the Northern Song Dynasty Dragon Vein, he would have stirred up even more trouble.

"Move forward!"

Suppressing his doubts.

Guo Jia led the group deeper into the mountains.

Even a figure like Ancestor Chen Tuan had appeared.

Who knew what even greater figures might lie ahead?

He needed to report this situation back to His Majesty immediately.

At once, he picked out three men from the team and ordered them to return to the entrance.

Once out, they were to contact the Azure Dragon Association immediately.

They must report everything up the chain.

Without enough God Demon Realm support, Guo Jia might not be able to handle what lay ahead.

==========

"Not good. Lord, be careful. There's a scent of blood ahead."

Deep within the mountain range.

No one knew how far they had traveled. Even Guo Jia was beginning to lose his sense of direction.

Despite all their caution.

He still ended up trapped inside a mysterious formation.

Even the path behind them was sealed off.

The three men he had sent to deliver the message had somehow returned to the group without warning.

Whenever they tried to go back, it was no use.

The only path forward was ahead.

This deepened the unease in Guo Jia's heart.

"Lord Director, these are our people from the Military Advisor Division."

"They're all dead."

"Those beside them were from the Azure Dragon Association."

Looking at the corpses lying lifeless not far away, long dead, everyone's expressions darkened.

Though they knew the men were likely doomed, seeing it with their own eyes still filled them with anger.

"There are no wounds on their bodies!"

"There are strange smiles on their faces!"

"Whatever they saw before they died, it wasn't normal. Everyone, be on your guard!"

Guo Jia's face changed.

He quickly signaled everyone to fall back and stay vigilant.