Every day, new villages and towns joined the Great Yi Dynasty. Every day, new Immortal Cities appeared in designated areas, enabling Great Yi's territory to expand continuously. Simultaneously, the Iron-Blooded Great Wall continued to stretch outward. With the countless corpses of fierce beasts, monstrous birds, and foreign races fallen during previous disasters as offerings, the foundation of the wall grew immensely strong. Wherever Great Yi expanded, the Great Wall followed, sprawling across the land in a spectacular display.
This expansion lasted for a full month.
When the final Immortal City descended, Great Yi's territory officially reached the sea. This last city was named Sea-Gazing City (Wanghai City). Standing atop its walls, one could gaze upon the vast ocean stretching endlessly into the horizon.
Each Immortal City had its own teleportation array. Once Wanghai City was fully established, masses of Great Yi citizens arrived from all directions via teleportation—not for trade or conquest, but simply to behold the ocean for the first time.
Sadly, the current sea view was incomplete. Snowflakes drifted across the ocean's surface, the waters themselves beginning to freeze—a testament to the terrifying chill brought by this snow disaster.
Unknowingly, the entire eastern region had been absorbed into Great Yi's dominion.
The alien races and monsters once living there now shivered helplessly. They could no longer mount effective resistance. Within a short span of time, the situation became irreversible. Seeing so many Human Immortal Cities dominate the land, their internal resentment could only be buried deep in silence.
"The entire East now belongs to Great Yi."
"Their ambition is laid bare for all to see. It's maddening that we can do nothing to stop them. If they survive this calamity, the pressure they'll exert in the future will be even greater."
Countless powers closely monitored Great Yi's every move. Now that it had expanded to completely absorb the Eastern domain, all they could do was grimly accept this new reality.
With the final tally, Great Yi now held over 500 Immortal Cities. The scale of this expansion was enormous. The newly acquired lands were vast and could not be stabilized without a long digestion period.
Population, resources, infrastructure—even mundane matters such as census registration and StarNet entry—all these seemingly basic tasks formed the backbone of a human civilization.
In truth, earlier estimations had been far too conservative. After incorporating numerous human forces, and rescuing human captives from both the wilds and alien slavers, the population had surged past 400 million. Clearly, the alien races had spared no effort in trading away vast numbers of humans in exchange for food and supplies, hoping to drain Great Yi's foundation dry.
But Great Yi had welcomed them all with open arms—the more, the better.
The snowstorm continued for three months. Despite the heavy snow and ongoing blizzard, Great Yi entered a phase of recuperation and stability.
Each Immortal City bustled with life, entirely unaffected by the cold. The new citizens, filled with curiosity, embraced Great Yi's culture and diligently pursued cultivation. In just a few months, many crossed the threshold into becoming true cultivators. Meanwhile, Great Yi itself continued to digest the newly acquired lands.
At the same time, every human town and village that pledged allegiance had their fate spirit consumed by the Great Yi Destiny Flood Dragon. This surge of fate energy instantly poured into the Fate Cloud Sea above Great Yi.
The dragon's body grew increasingly solid. Back during the previous expansion, it had nearly reached 100 zhang in length. Now, with this overwhelming influx of fate, it quickly passed that threshold.
Not only did it become more intelligent, but its size ballooned to 150 zhang, transforming it into a colossal being. Floating high above, it exuded an intimidating majesty that could shake the heavens.
And this was just the first wave. Once Great Yi settled into its new territories, even more fate would pour in. Day after day, the Destiny Flood Dragon continued to grow.
"A shallow pond cannot raise a giant fish"—the same principle applied to fate spirits.
Only vast lands could nourish such a mighty being. The greater the domain, the faster the fate spirit could evolve.
This explosive growth in both population and territory had propelled the Destiny Flood Dragon to new heights. Once it passed 100 zhang, Great Yi had technically qualified to ascend to an Imperial Dynasty. This meant its foundation was solid enough to touch the threshold of imperial power. The stronger the foundation, the higher the success rate and strength of the ascended dynasty.
There was a vast difference between ascending at 100 zhang and 150 zhang. And the Destiny Flood Dragon's growth had not slowed in the slightest.
Chaotian Hall – Imperial Assembly
"Your Majesty, Great Yi's destiny is at its peak. Our domain is vast, with hundreds of Immortal Cities and a population in the hundreds of millions. The people's hearts are united. I believe our current status as a kingdom can no longer contain our fate. It is time to ascend—to become the first Imperial Dynasty under the heavens!"
Minister Jia Yucun was the first to step forward in court, his eyes burning with fervor.
Having enjoyed the benefits of fate power, no one would willingly turn back. The difference between a Kingdom and an Empire was monumental—not only in status but also in the power granted to officials. A third-rank officer in an Empire was comparable to a first-rank official in a Kingdom, and the fate enhancement was worlds apart.
Right now, Great Yi had outgrown its Kingdom status. The time to ascend was close at hand. Jia Yucun clearly hoped to earn credit for pushing the ascension.
"Not advisable," said Huang Chengyan, shaking his head. "Though our territory can carry the fate of an Empire, most of it was only recently acquired. We need time to let our rule take root. The hearts of the people must stabilize first—that is the most important thing."
"I agree," added Lu Shi. "The stronger our fate and the more powerful our spirit dragon, the higher our chances of a successful ascension—and the stronger our Empire afterward. More importantly, the Heavenly Dao is currently suppressing the wills of countless worlds. Ascension requires the approval of Heaven and Earth. In this chaotic time, unexpected changes could arise. That may not bode well."
Yi Tianxing frowned. He knew consolidation was necessary. But the question was: would ascension be affected? Without Heavenly Dao's recognition, no one could predict the outcome. Success might still come—or it might end in failure or even disaster. Any of those outcomes would introduce serious uncertainty into Great Yi's future.
"What happens if the Heavenly Dao does not approve?" asked Wu Yong.
No one in the hall could offer a definite answer.
If ascension succeeded without Heaven's recognition—what would Great Yi become?
"According to legend," Yi Tianxing murmured, "above the Heavenly Dao, there lies the Great Dao. Omnipresent, eternal, without bounds. If we bypass Heaven and directly offer our ascension sacrifice to the Dao, could we establish a Dao Dynasty instead? One whose fate even Heaven cannot influence…"
The thought emerged suddenly in his mind—and even he found it dangerously wild.
Indeed, all known dynasties rose by invoking Heaven and Earth. Heaven meant Heavenly Dao; Earth meant worldly fate. Success meant becoming an entity that bore the Mandate of Heaven. But if one ignored Heaven and directly honored the Great Dao, what then?
If it worked, it would be an unprecedented path, a trailblazing feat that surpassed all Heavenly Dao dynasties.
Dynasties could evolve from Kingdom to Empire to Imperial Dynasty, but no one knew if they could ever truly transcend.
The lord of a Heavenly Dao Dynasty was called Son of Heaven.
Would the lord of a Dao Dynasty be the Son of the Dao?
This idea—once it emerged—burrowed into Yi Tianxing's heart like a burning fire, filling his thoughts. Even he felt his heartbeat quicken uncontrollably. But reality remained: one could not simply call upon the Dao at will. If anyone could invoke the Great Dao just by speaking its name, it would be the grandest joke of all.
Taking a deep breath, Yi Tianxing glanced around the hall and said,"Enough. We'll set this matter aside for now. The new Immortal Cities are only superficially complete. The real construction must come from the hands of the people themselves."
He paused, then continued,"Kongming, Wenhe, Elder Huang… you stay behind."
With that, the court assembly ended. The other ministers dispersed.
Only a few remained behind—each one a titan within Great Yi's court.
Yi Tianxing's eyes glinted with determination.
"The Heavenly Dao is otherwise engaged. I intend to bypass it and ascend directly.What do you all think—can it be done?"