On a slightly elevated spot beside the courtyard stood a luxurious pavilion, surrounded by a beaded curtain made of pearls, through which a red figure could be seen sitting.

It's obvious without even thinking that the red figure is the empress of this empire.

The reappearance of the multi-headed tribe after many years is undoubtedly a momentous event.

Upon learning the news, the Empress summoned the court's key officials to witness the proceedings and discuss countermeasures.

If the multi-headed race is too large, even if the empire sends out all its elite forces, it will be difficult to gain the upper hand.

Unfortunately, the multi-headed race appeared in the Prison Land, which changed the Empress's plans to develop the Prison Land.

Que Wuxiang did not reveal his true form, but landed on the open ground in the pavilion and said loudly, "Your humble servant Que Wuxiang, the corpse driver of Zhengyi Fortress, pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress."

The ministers all suppressed their laughter upon hearing this.

However, the words "Justice Fortress" and "corpse drivers" used to be what the Empress most looked forward to hearing, but now they have become scars on her heart, and anyone who mentions them is just reopening old wounds.

It can be said that Que Wuxiang violated the Empress's greatest taboo the moment he opened his mouth.

The Empress did not get angry, but instead asked, "Is this your true form?"

Her voice was so soft, more beautiful than any melody played on the most exquisite musical instruments in the world.

Just from that voice, Que Wuxiang felt that the Empress must be a very gentle woman.

But a gentle woman is unlikely to rule a vast empire for tens of thousands of years.

Que Wuxiang flapped his wings and revealed his true form once more. His wings were as big as buckets, and his six heads were facing different directions, making him look extremely fierce.

Those ministers who had been snickering could no longer laugh.

Anyone who loves reading knows how powerful the multi-headed tribe is.

Moreover, Que Wuxiang already has six heads. If it were a human cultivator, perhaps only the Nascent Soul Ancestor could subdue him.

Seeing Que Wuxiang's magnificent appearance, the Empress felt nostalgic for the old days.

Returning to the present moment, the Empress chuckled, "The multi-headed race never lies, but you, sparrow, are full of lies."

"A mouthful of lies? What lies did I tell?" Que Wuxiang was greatly surprised.

The Empress remained unusually calm and said, "Isn't the corpse-driving man from Justice Fortress a lie?"

“In our Misty Forest, there is a Fortress of Justice, and our leader is a corpse driver,” Que Wuxiang tried to explain.

He never lied from the beginning.

The Empress remained silent.

How could the corpse driver she's been searching for possibly appear in Prison Land?

Many memories were hazy; she had even forgotten the man's name, but she remembered the phrase "the corpse driver of Justice Fortress."

Over the years, too many people have chosen to impersonate her, leaving her exhausted and without any hope.

It seems perfectly normal for people to have gaps in their memories.

"Your Majesty, this is a letter from our leader." Que Wuxiang took out Bian Lang's handwritten letter.

With a wave of her hand, the letter left Que Wuxiang's hand, passed through the beaded curtain, and gently floated into the Empress's hand.

The Empress unfolded the document and examined it very carefully.

Bian Lang's wording in the letter was very appropriate. He mainly explained to the Empress the drawbacks of annihilating the living beings of the prison land, as well as the benefits that the two sides could gain if they could cooperate. His reasoning was clear and persuasive.

The Empress put down the letter and laughed, "Mining spirit ore, splitting it 70/30, your boss really dares to ask for an exorbitant amount."

"Your Majesty, we only want 30%, how can that be considered asking for the moon?" Que Wuxiang asked, puzzled.

In Que Wuxiang's view, a 50/50 split is the fairest.

However, Bian Lang's suggestion of a 70/30 split must have its reasons.

The Empress smiled but remained silent.

The spiritual mountains in the Prison Land have a very considerable reserve of spirit stones. Even if only 10% is given to the creatures of the Prison Land, it would still be an enormous fortune.

While Bian Lang's words in the letter made sense, his desire to both spare the lives of the creatures in the prison land and give them 30% of the spirit mine was simply wishful thinking; there was no such thing as a free lunch.

All the ministers knew very well that the Empress's silence indicated that she was extremely angry.

Bian Lang's proposed profit-sharing of the spirit mines undoubtedly crossed the Empress's bottom line.

If Bian Lang hadn't brought this up, the Empress might have been merciful and given the inhabitants of the prison land a ten percent share.

It should be noted that the Prison Land is sparsely populated, and even this ten percent of the spirit mines is enough to make them extremely wealthy.

"Your Majesty, our boss said that if we are not satisfied with the profit-sharing ratio, we can discuss it further." Que Wuxiang seemed to have realized where the problem lay.

The Empress said calmly, "Are your lives less important than spirit stones?"

The implication is that since she spared the lives of the creatures in the Prison Land, they should be grateful and mine spirit minerals for the empire free of charge.

Only when prisoners perform meritorious service can they be exonerated from their crimes and become ordinary citizens of the empire, under the empire's protection.

“Our boss said we’re just earning a meager living,” Que Wu thought.

The Empress laughed and said, "It is indeed very hard. Living is hard enough. Why don't I help you end this hardship?"

"Actually, I just made all this up. Our leader said that if His Majesty is not satisfied, we don't want a single spirit stone, we just need to keep the Tongtian River." Que Wu thought that the Empress was very easy to talk to, no matter what she said, her voice was always so gentle.

That's why He dared to spout nonsense.

But feeling like he was about to mess things up, he dared not utter any more nonsense.

The Empress suddenly stood up and said, "Go back and tell your leader that I will personally lead an expedition to raze this prison land to the ground."

"Your Majesty, this..." Que Wuxiang was greatly shocked.

Why would the Empress, who always speaks so softly, suddenly say such a thing?

The Empress then said, "Shen Qing, begin preparations immediately. We will set off in three days."

"Yes," Shen Sanmu replied respectfully as he stood up.

Que Wu wanted to say more, but the Empress was no longer in the pavilion.

They just vanished into thin air?

The empress, who has lived for ten thousand years, is no longer human, but a monster.

Que Wuxiang just wanted to get back as soon as possible, after all, he needed to be well prepared to fight such a monster.

The Empress said that Que Wuxiang should go back and deliver the message, and the ministers naturally did not stop him.

After leaving the palace, Que Wuxiang returned to the Shen residence to say goodbye to Shen Ruhui.

Upon learning that the talks had broken down, Shen Ruhui's face turned ashen.

“I’ll go with you. We need to persuade Brother Bian to leave Prison Land as soon as possible,” Shen Ruhui said urgently.

The Empress personally led the expedition, and in ten thousand years, she has never lost.

“Miss Chen, given your current status, it’s not appropriate for you to be in our home. This is for your family’s good,” Que Wuxiang advised.

Even if Shen Ruhui went back, she couldn't persuade Bian Lang.

Not to mention Bian Lang, even the multi-headed tribe wouldn't easily admit defeat.

A battle for survival, to be defended to the death.

Shen Ruhui said, "Then tell Brother Bian that once the imperial army arrives, they will deploy along the Tongtian River. Although it will be impenetrable, they will definitely find a breakthrough. If the situation is not good, break out as soon as possible."

Que Wuxiang responded and immediately turned around.

Before He returned to the Misty Forest, the Empire's army had already assembled and was advancing towards the Prison Land.