At this moment, the Imperial Guards present and their commander still wore looks of utter disbelief.
This was the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, a terrifying forbidden zone that had existed for tens of thousands of years.
Even supreme emperors had been unable to step foot inside.
Over the course of ten millennia, countless experts had researched ways to enter, only to end in failure.
Yet now, merely strapping a ladder to one's back was enough to walk right in?
Wasn't this far too simple?
Jin Li's voice was cold. "Under no circumstances may word of this be leaked!"
"We swear upon our lives that not a single word will reach another soul!" The Imperial Guards present fully understood the gravity of the matter.
The guard commander's face flushed with excitement. "Heaven blesses Your Majesty!
"Once we master the method of entering the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, using lives to explore inside, we will surely harvest many spirit medicines from the perimeter!"
For at least ten thousand years, no living soul had set foot in the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground; the spirit herbs within were bound to be unimaginably abundant.
With their current strength, probing the depths of the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground was still out of reach.
Yet the outer perimeter was certain to hold plentiful spirit medicines, and fierce beasts would be few.
As the commander spoke, she was eager to hoist a ladder and venture straight inside.
Even from the perimeter, she had already spotted several extraordinarily precious spirit herbs.
Jin Li's expression remained detached and serene, revealing nothing of the excitement stirring within her.
A ladder lay beside her as well, but she had not picked it up yet; she still needed to verify further.
"Do not act rashly for now. Watch a little longer."
Those death-row convicts were all vile, hardened scoundrels.
At this moment, the three men walked through the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground with ladders strapped to their backs.
Their faces showed both shock and terror.
One of the men spotted a stalk of spirit medicine, his face twisting with greed.
He plucked it at once and shoved it into his mouth.
Outside stood the formidable Imperial Guards.
If they wanted to survive, consuming spirit medicine was their only chance.
As for running away?
Their current speed was no different from an ordinary mortal's.
With the Imperial Guards watching closely from behind, how could they possibly escape?
Swallowing the spirit herb was his only conceivable hope of living.
Seeing the convicts gorging on spirit medicine, the guard commander grew frantic with anxiety.
Even she could not bear to consume such precious herbs.
Yet they were being wolfed down by mere death-row criminals!
Empress Jin Li remained completely calm, staring into the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground without a word.
Seeing this, the commander could only stay put, though her heart ached terribly.
It hurt worse than having flesh carved from her own chest.
Just then, Empress Jin Li's pupils contracted slightly.
The Imperial Guards noticed as well, immediately raising their guard.
A roaring bellow echoed out as a massive tiger, a full ten feet tall with azure eyes and white fur, emerged.
With a heavy stomp, trees and vegetation splintered underfoot, sending wood splinters flying everywhere.
The beast was only a few hundred meters from the three convicts.
For a fierce beast of such caliber, a few hundred meters was a matter of a few breaths.
"An Azure Gang Tiger!" the guard commander said grimly. "A terrifying beast at the Demon King level!"
She was an expert of the King realm, matching the cultivation of the beast before them.
Yet in actual combat, she would be no match whatsoever for this Azure Gang Tiger.
By nature, the Azure Gang Tiger was bloodthirsty. The three convicts were dead men.
Furthermore, with the tiger's appearance, they could no longer enter the perimeter, or a clash would be inevitable.
Realizing the tiger was upon them, two of the convicts cast their ladders aside and fled in frantic terror.
The remaining one was so petrified his legs gave out; he clung tightly to his ladder, utterly paralyzed.
"*Roar!*"
The Azure Gang Tiger roared, spewing a blast of astral qi from its jaws straight toward the two fleeing convicts.
The convicts' bodies stiffened before collapsing, instantly torn apart into a mangled mess of blood and flesh.
Meanwhile, the one slumped on the ground clutching his ladder was so frightened that yellow urine seeped through his trousers.
The Azure Gang Tiger glanced at the last convict. An odd look flashed across its eyes—seeming thoughtful, yet tinged with awe and reverence.
Then, the tiger simply turned and walked away.
The guard commander was stunned.
The rest of the guards were equally dumbfounded.
Why did the Azure Gang Tiger leave?
Wasn't it bloodthirsty by nature?
Shouldn't any human entering its domain face its wrath?
A complicated light flickered in Empress Jin Li's eyes.
Carrying a ladder truly allowed safe and unimpeded passage into the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground.
Qi Yuan had not lied to her.
What Qi Yuan said was real.
*Qi Yuan... just who are you?*
Jin Li felt lost, and an involuntary hint of inadequacy surfaced in her heart.
Yet she soon cast the feeling aside. "Everyone, take up your ladders and follow me inside.
"Remember: even if you encounter terrifying beasts, do not let go of your ladder. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" the guards answered in unison.
The commander urged, "Your Majesty is of noble stature and must not place herself in harm's way. Allow us to enter while Your Majesty waits here."
Empress Jin Li thought of Qi Yuan.
If she refused to enter, she would be unworthy of Qi Yuan's trust.
"No matter. I shall enter with you." Her tone brooked no argument.
The group hoisted their ladders and stepped into the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground.
Along the way, they casually disposed of the surviving convict.
"So many spirit herbs!"
"This is Three-Flower Fragrance!"
"Mystic Desire Grass!"
"Verdant Fruit!"
The guards who entered the outer perimeter were overjoyed.
There were simply too many spirit medicines here.
For over ten thousand years, no one had set foot inside.
The abundance of herbs could well be imagined.
Unlike other forbidden grounds where the outer herbs had long been stripped by powerful cultivators,
and the depths were places even the strongest dared not venture,
here, their harvest in the outer perimeter was extraordinarily bountiful.
"In merely one shichen, we have already harvested twenty-three King-grade spirit medicines," Jin Li could not help but marvel.
Even as Empress of Southern Qian, Jin Li had consumed fewer than ten King-grade spirit medicines throughout her entire life.
Yet here, in just a brief moment, they had collected twenty-three.
As for herbs of lower grades, they were far more numerous.
It was fair to say that the harvest from this short span exceeded an entire year's revenue of the national treasury.
The guard commander's face glowed with excitement. "With this many spirit medicines, there is no telling how many experts we can cultivate, nor how many powerful masters we can recruit to serve us!"
Jin Li also felt delighted.
She recalled what Qi Yuan had said—that he had already cleared the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground dungeon. Yes, he called it a dungeon.
Something came to mind, and she said, "We must head deeper into the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground. We have to gather Emperor-grade spirit medicines, especially the Nine-Flower Brocade."
Her desire to venture deep was indeed to obtain the Nine-Flower Brocade.
Yet there was another reason as well.
Hearing her words, the guards nearby paled slightly.
The depths of the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground held Emperor-grade herbs, but Emperor-rank fierce beasts were bound to dwell there as well.
If they ran into a King-rank beast, they might still flee.
Against an Emperor-rank beast, survival was nearly impossible.
Their grips on the ladders tightened involuntarily.
They did not know whether the ladder would still protect them.
"We are willing to go with Your Majesty!"
"Very well," Jin Li nodded.
If she wanted to turn the tables, twenty-odd King-grade spirit medicines were far from enough.
She had to obtain the Nine-Flower Brocade to heal Aunt Qin's injuries and even help Aunt Qin take another step forward.
She also needed to harvest other Emperor-grade herbs.
And of course, she wanted to see the depths of the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground—the place where Qi Yuan had stayed for half a year.
The group of women carried their ladders, treading cautiously through the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground.
Whenever they encountered a fierce beast—be it powerful or weak, savage or docile—it turned a blind eye to them, appearing almost fearful of harming Jin Li and her companions.
This sight left the guard commander in awe. "By carrying ladders, we can walk into the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, and these fierce beasts will not even attack us.
"This is truly incredible."
She paused, then shifted the topic. "I wonder which extraordinary figure revealed this method to Your Majesty?"
The others looked toward Jin Li as well, brimming with curiosity.
It had to be a supreme emperor, surely?
Chapter 13