The battlefield gradually turned into a one-sided situation.

“What a terrifying power, what a horrifying army of wolves…”

One elderly courtier’s lips trembled slightly, as he shakily vocalized what was on everyone’s mind.

Those courtiers who had been secretly plotting earlier were now breaking into cold sweats and speechlessness. Their faces were marked by relief as they realized they hadn’t acted on their ill-conceived plans. They were fortunate not to have provoked the wrath of the Cangming Saint-King, whose power could even make the concept of “battle” seem meaningless.

Thinking about their near-miss, they instinctively wiped the cold sweat off their foreheads.

Li Zheng, Xie Hongyun, Wang Zhi, and others who had already shown their allegiance to the Saint-King exchanged smiles, brimming with satisfaction. This was a testament to Jiang Chengdao’s keen insight. Only those who could see the bigger picture could seize the opportunity and establish a relationship with the Saint-King ahead of time.

Land Chen, having grasped the situation, also smiled.

Indeed, the unimaginable strength of the Saint-King wasn’t a bad thing for him.

“Uh-huh…”

Just at that moment, a slightly pained soft moan sounded next to him.

He instinctively turned to look and saw that the Empress had appeared next to him, seemingly out of nowhere. She clenched her fist tightly, as if suppressing something. Her face was as pale as paper, and beads of sweat dotted her fair and delicate skin, making her appear disheveled. She seemed devoid of imperial majesty.

The courtiers around quickly noticed the Empress’s presence, but they chose to ignore her as if she wasn’t there, their expressions remaining unchanged, showing no signs of acknowledgement.

“Your Majesty!”

Land Chen, of course, didn’t ignore the Empress like the others. He respectfully greeted her with a bow.

The play must go on, and if acting like a loyal subject was required, he would do it wholeheartedly.

Since he had taken on the role of a loyal advisor, he could overtly disregard the Empress. Otherwise, he might have been suspected of being possessed by malevolent forces, and before he knew it, the Inquisitorial Bureau’s agents might have taken him to the Demon-Sealing Tower.

The Empress waved her hand weakly.

“Minister Land… no need for excessive formalities.”

She maintained her slightly fragile demeanor, no different from her usual puppet-like state under manipulation.

Land Chen stood up and then scolded the surrounding courtiers with a displeased tone, “Are you rebelling? Or are you deaf? Blind? Can’t you see that Her Majesty is here? Why haven’t you paid your respects?”

Hearing this, the surrounding courtiers finally turned their heads somewhat sluggishly and performed a perfunctory bow, not saying much in response.