The Gap

News from Qingzhou reached Great Li City, and the entire city shook three times over.

"Tell me, how exactly does the Ghost Ridge Palace intend to deal with this? You couldn't even make sense of collecting military funds, and whenever we called for troops, every one of you wailed in complaint. Now even Qingzhou is gone. How am I supposed to face my ancestors in the future?"

Inside Fude Hall of the Imperial City, Emperor Yongren Wei Sheng looked grim. He slammed his palm heavily against the armrest of the dragon throne and angrily rebuked the civil and military officials below.

The civil and military officials fell utterly silent. Everyone understood why Wei Sheng had flown into such a rage.

Qingzhou produced grain, while Qingzhou was prosperous. The Ghost Ridge Palace occupied both prefectures and had even unified the demonic forces of Chongzhou. Its power had already expanded dramatically.

With Su Jie, a Purple Mansion Great Devil, added to the equation, the Ghost Ridge Palace could occupy Jingzhou at any time, so long as it wished.

Jingzhou bordered Great Li City. It would be no exaggeration to say that by then, the Ghost Ridge Palace could become neighbors with Great Li City—and with every civil and military official in the entire court.

Even the civil and military officials felt uneasy and alarmed when they imagined that scene.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Ghost Ridge Palace has reached the point where it must be exterminated."

Minister of Works Xu Qing stepped forward and said with a pained expression, "If we had attacked the Ghost Ridge Palace directly back then, the situation would never have deteriorated to this extent.

"Now that Qingzhou has been occupied by the Ghost Ridge Palace, it has both money and grain. If we let this continue, its