A swift and abrupt battle ended just as quickly as it began, as if all the commotion was merely a test.
At this moment, the Empress happened to emerge from seclusion.
“They didn’t fall for it. If we had delayed a bit longer, the allied forces of various nations would have surrounded and annihilated the Sejong Alliance. At least half of them would have been buried here forever,” Dongfang Liuli said, glancing back at the horizon where a line of towering figures stood like gods and demons. These were the Great Beings of the Morning Glow Realm, forming a defensive line and glaring menacingly in this direction.
Minister Fan Chen stood respectfully beside her and said, “It was the Empress’ Husband who ordered the army to stay put and not pursue.”
“The Empress’ Husband?” Dongfang Liuli looked around but didn’t see Meng Qingzhou. She asked, “Where is he?”
“He went to find Li Guanyan and Wang Xianjia, said he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk,” Fan Chen replied.
Hearing this, Dongfang Liuli’s eyes narrowed slightly. She knew Meng Qingzhou well. He might seem like a laid-back person, but once provoked, he would never let it slide easily.
This ambush by the Sejong Alliance was actually within Dongfang Liuli’s expectations. She had deliberately brought along the suspicious Li Guanyan and Wang Xianjia, intending for them to leak information. Then, she would use this to lure the allied forces of various nations to encircle the Sejong Alliance.
However, the sudden retreat of the Sejong Alliance caught Dongfang Liuli off guard, even leaving her somewhat unprepared.
“Send someone to secretly investigate the various nations and see if they are pretending to comply while secretly siding with the Sejong Alliance.”
“Also, focus on Li Guanyan and Wang Xianjia. I originally thought they just had questionable identities, but now it seems they might be hiding their true strength.”
“Otherwise, the Empress’ Husband wouldn’t act this way.”
Fan Chen was shocked, his breathing momentarily disrupted. He quickly bowed and said, “Yes!”
If things were as the Empress suspected, and the nations secretly allied with Great Jin were actually siding with the Sejong Alliance, it would be a huge problem!
If Wang Xianjia and Li Guanyan were also hiding their true strength and struck at a critical moment, Great Jin would be doomed!
Unknowingly, the situation had become this dire!
“Your Majesty!”
Suddenly, a hurried voice rang out. Su Qingqiu stumbled in, clutching a secret report, her adorable face filled with panic as if she were about to cry.
Even Dongfang Liuli had never seen Su Qingqiu so flustered.
“What happened?!” Dongfang Liuli asked, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
“The battlefield in the Buddhist Kingdom has erupted in a large-scale battle again. Three Bodhisattvas have mobilized, along with nine Arhats, totaling twelve Great Beings of the Morning Glow Realm. They led hundreds of thousands of Zen cultivators in a surprise attack on the Prime Minister!”
“In just half a day, a third of our million-strong army was wiped out! Now, only over six hundred thousand troops remain, trapped in a desert. The Prime Minister… is on the brink of death!”
Su Qingqiu fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
Dongfang Liuli fell silent. After a long pause, her face flushed, and she spat out blood, her aura weakening to the extreme.
“The mastermind clearly doesn’t want us to have peace, forcing Great Jin into a decisive battle with the Sejong Alliance…”
“Heh, it’s more than that.”
“They’re deliberately using the Buddhist Kingdom to hold the Prime Minister hostage. After fighting the Sejong Alliance, I would have to immediately start another war with the Western Buddhist Kingdom.”
Su Qingqiu was stunned, her tears stopping. She asked with a hint of surprise, “So, does that mean the Prime Minister’s life isn’t in immediate danger? The Buddhist Kingdom just wants to cooperate with the mastermind’s plan and hold the Prime Minister hostage?”
Hearing this, Su Qingqiu quickly helped Dongfang Liuli up and gently comforted her, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. Since there’s still time, there must be a way out. I believe the Empress’ Husband will lead us to turn the tide.”
“The Empress’ Husband?” Dongfang Liuli’s lips lost their color. She found a chair and sat down, her breathing steadying. She chuckled softly, “Girl, you’ve changed. You used to believe in me unconditionally.”
Su Qingqiu blushed, like a kitten caught in the act, tugging at her clothes and murmuring, “The Empress’ Husband is omnipotent, isn’t that a fact?”
Dongfang Liuli gazed at the setting sun, much like her own life…
Three months?
No… only two months left.
There’s no time. To end the Northern Sejong Alliance in two months and then march on the Buddhist Kingdom, with no buffer in between, no time to catch a breath… in two months, she would surely die.
Of course, there was another solution.
Let the Prime Minister and the million-strong army be buried in the desert of the Buddhist Kingdom, forever sleeping on that land.
Either Dongfang Liuli would die of exhaustion, or Jiang Canghai would die for the country.
That’s why Dongfang Liuli was so enraged that she spat blood, losing a third of her remaining lifespan in that moment.
These thoughts were hidden deep in Dongfang Liuli’s heart, not shared with Su Qingqiu.
“Don’t tell the Empress’ Husband about the Prime Minister being surrounded, understand?” Dongfang Liuli said.
Su Qingqiu tilted her head, puzzled, “Why not? The Empress’ Husband is incredibly powerful; he must have a way.”
Dongfang Liuli immediately gave her a flick on the forehead, “I said don’t tell him, so don’t tell him. Are you not listening to me?”
“Oh… okay.” Su Qingqiu pouted, holding her head pitifully.
The sun set.
The warm orange light of dusk bathed Dongfang Liuli. She gazed into the distance, a gentle smile on her lips, but her eyes concealed a deep sorrow.
‘Plain Congee, I fear I won’t have the chance to wander the world with you like a carefree cloud.’
‘But in my final moments, I want to fulfill the promise you made to Qin Liuli in the mountain temple on that rainy night—to end the chaos in the Wilderness and bring peace to the world.’
‘Even if I’m no longer here, living in the peaceful era I created will be like I’m always with you…’
Dongfang Liuli took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes, as if falling asleep. A silent tear fell…
This scene left Su Qingqiu, who was beside her, dumbfounded.
The Empress was crying?!
What was going on? Was the Prime Minister doomed?
But even if the Prime Minister were to die, given Her Majesty’s character, she would be furious at most, but never cry.
“Qingqiu, announce to the entire army that tomorrow we will have a decisive battle with the Sejong Alliance. I will personally don armor and lead the charge.”
“Also, pass this message to the Sejong Alliance.”
Dongfang Liuli regained her cold, commanding demeanor, her voice calm and indifferent.
………..
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