159: The image was exposed...

Zixuan seemed to hear His Majesty sigh, and then her calm voice came.

"I understand. If you hear any news of Lord Li, just send me a message."

"Tell me, what is the current situation at Shanhai Pass?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zixuan nodded respectfully.

Then her expression turned serious as she said, "Half a month ago, the Demon-Barbarian Allied Army's attack intensified significantly. The Demon Kings and Barbarian Kings from various tribes all moved out, with many powerful individuals, making it difficult to merely fend them off."

"Fortunately, the beast tide has receded. Without the beast tide's assistance, Shanhai Pass, with the help of powerful individuals from various sects and under the command of General Li, is safe from self-destruction!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression finally eased slightly, feeling much more relaxed.

"Since the beast tide has receded and the insectoid tide hasn't appeared for so long, it means my Junior Brother has already dealt with the Insectoid Queen deep in the Far North."

"But why haven't my Junior Brother and Palace Master Yue shown themselves yet?"

Zixuan pondered, "Lord Li might have encountered a formidable enemy. Since he's still alive, he should be healing his injuries and improving his cultivation. When the time is right, he will definitely return. Your Majesty need not worry."

"Mm." The Empress nodded slightly.

Zixuan hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Your Majesty, a Second Grade Demon Lord from the Demonic Cult appeared in the Demon-Barbarian Allied Army a few days ago."

"Second Grade?" The majestic Empress frowned slightly, asking in confusion,

"Why was the sudden appearance of a Second Grade from the Demonic Cult not reported? And how did General Li and the others manage to stop him?"

Zixuan smiled slightly and said, "After several centuries, Sect Leader Fang Xiaolin, the Sect Master of the Qingyang Sect, a local power in the Northern Region, recently passed his Seventh Heaven Tribulation and broke through to Second Grade."

"With his timely assistance, that Second Grade Demon Lord from the Demonic Cult was unable to cause any trouble!"

"So that's it..." The Empress nodded with a look of realization. "I suppose a few days ago, the Imperial Observatory sensed the Heaven Tribulation fluctuations coming from the north, and the Chancellor said there was no need to panic. It must have been this person."

Then a slight smile appeared on her face, "Although the strength and number of powerful individuals from the various sects in this Northern Region are somewhat lacking, their concern for the country and its people is profound, unlike other regions where treacherous individuals abound!"

A cold glint flashed across the Empress's face. During this time, many traitors who defected to the enemy had been executed.

Zixuan also said, "The sects in the Northern Region have such cohesion, largely thanks to Lord Li..."

Hearing that it was about Li Shengyuan, a soft smile also appeared on the Empress's majestic face.

Zixuan then said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, that Second Grade Demonic Cult member who appeared Outside the Pass of Shanhai Pass should have information about Lord Li."

"Oh?" The Empress's expression shifted, and she said somewhat nervously, "Speak quickly!"

"On that day, after hearing Lord Li's name, that person's expression became terrifyingly ferocious, and he was abnormally enraged, as if he wanted to devour Lord Li whole," Zixuan said in a deep voice.

"Although he didn't say anything about his relationship with Lord Li, we speculate it must be related to Lord Li's journey to the Far North. This Second Grade Demon Lord should have suffered a loss at Lord Li's hands while contending for the Insectoid Queen."

After speaking, a smile appeared on Zixuan's face.

The appearance of the Second Grade Demon Lord not only didn't cause worry among the people at Shanhai Pass, but instead greatly invigorated them.

The long-standing worry about Li Shengyuan also diminished significantly.

When Li Shengyuan and Yue Xiyan used the teleportation array disc, they simultaneously sent back a message of "success" to Ye Hangzhou. Only then did they hold their ground at Shanhai Pass instead of continuing to the Far North, quietly awaiting their return.

If it weren't for the soul flames left by Li Shengyuan and Yue Xiyan still burning, and even growing stronger day by day, everyone would have thought he had met with an accident and would have gone to the Far North to search for him...

Upon hearing this, a smile also appeared on the Empress's face. This was indeed good news.

At this moment, the Empress's expression suddenly froze, and then her majestic jade-like face lost all its sternness, replaced by a radiant smile.

She took out a recording stone and played it before her eyes, smiling at the bewildered Zixuan, "This recording stone was just confiscated from a Third Grade Demonic Cult member. According to him, this is an image from a year ago of Shengyuan fighting a Second Grade Demon Lord in the Far North and severely injuring him. See if this Demon Lord is the one at Shanhai Pass!"

Zixuan's eyes gradually widened, her breathing slowly quickening. After seeing the Demon Lord's face, her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed,

"Your Majesty, it is this person!"

Looking at Li Shengyuan's even more upright and mature figure in the image, a hint of softness appeared in the Empress's eyes, and she murmured with a smile,

"It seems my Junior Brother has made great progress during this time..."

The playback duration of the image was quite long, but the Empress showed no impatience, always watching Li Shengyuan gallop in all directions with a gentle smile.

When she saw him weak and injured, she would even worry to the point of heartache.

Finally, when the tragic scene of the Demon Lord's severe injuries appeared before her eyes, Zixuan couldn't help but gasp, her heart filled with shock.

He had only just broken through to Third Grade, yet he could actually severely injure a Second Grade, causing him to be dormant for a year. How strong was his power exactly?!

"According to that Third Grade Demonic Cult member, this image was used by them to study Shengyuan..." The Empress's expression suddenly turned cold, and she said in a chilling voice,

"Since that's the case, Zixuan, make a copy of this image and spread it widely in Shanhai Pass!"

"I want to see whether their research is more effective, or if the positive impact brought by Shengyuan's achievements is better!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zixuan responded excitedly.

He could already imagine that once this image was spread, it would inevitably cause a huge stir in Shanhai Pass and even the entire Great Gan!

It would greatly invigorate the powerful individuals of Great Gan who were diligently resisting the Demonic Cult and other allied forces!

The morale of the Great Gan army would undoubtedly be greatly boosted!

What kind of concept was it for a Third Grade to severely injure a Second Grade Demon Lord from the Demonic Cult?

It was simply unheard of!

An ordinary Third Grade would only be instantly killed when encountering a Second Grade. With a spatial lock, a Third Grade would be helpless...

A stronger one might be able to withstand a few more moves, and that would be all.

It was good enough to save one's life when encountering a Second Grade; one wouldn't even dare to imagine severely injuring a Third Grade.

After Zixuan remotely recorded the image, she left to spread it throughout Shanhai Pass.

The Empress, far away in the capital, was alone in her study, her face now filled with a joyful smile.

If Li Shengyuan saw this, he would surely be filled with emotion. Since his Senior Sister ascended the throne, he had never seen her smile so happily...

A low murmur echoed in the magnificent study of the Empress.

"Junior Brother, cultivate quickly. Master said that once you and I both cultivate to First Grade, we can be together forever..."

After a long while, there was a knock on the study door.

"Enter."

As soon as the Empress's voice fell, she saw a chubby, round face squeeze in from outside the door.

Seeing this, a slight smile also appeared on the Empress's jade-like face.

"Tangtang, why have you come to your sister's place? Come and sit by your sister..."

The little chubby face belonged to Li Ruotang, Li Shengyuan's younger sister. During the time Li Shengyuan was away, no one managed her, and she had gotten chubbier again...

Li Ruotang came before her Empress sister and first respectfully bowed, "Ruotang greets Your Majesty!"

This was what her grandfather taught her, and the scholars in the academy also said that when meeting His Majesty, one should perform the ritual of a subject to a monarch.

"Dispense with the formalities, Tangtang. Come and sit by your sister."

Upon hearing this, Li Ruotang ran to her Empress sister's side with a beaming smile, climbed onto the dragon throne, and sat obediently beside her.

Raising her little chubby face, Li Ruotang looked at her Empress sister with anticipation:

"Empress Sister, when is Big Brother coming back? Tangtang misses him..."

Then she lowered her head sadly, looking at her wiggling chubby feet.

"Big Brother said he'd be back soon to play with Tangtang, but Tangtang is almost in third grade, and he still hasn't returned..."