Yi Tianxing furrowed his brows slightly. He had not expected to see something like this. Clearly, Oda Nobunaga had prepared this in advance—there was no other explanation for why such a message would have been left within the Moonshade Demon Eye. It was a premeditated imprint.
Yet Nobunaga's behavior was becoming increasingly hard to understand.
Logically, after Great Yi had destroyed the Great Serpent Dynasty, the hatred between the two nations should have been irreconcilable—a grudge etched into their very bones. That much was evident from how furiously Oda Nobunaga had tried to destroy Xuanhuang City. He was clearly willing to sacrifice anything.
As long as there was a chance, he would never hesitate.
Even so, it was worth hearing what he had to say.
If he knew this would not harm Great Yi and still did it anyway, there had to be a deeper reason.
"Don't think for a moment that my hatred for Great Yi has disappeared," said Nobunaga's voice. "This enmity remains. As long as I live, we are mortal enemies. But even if I die—there are some people I refuse to let live in peace. The downfall of the Great Serpent Dynasty is not without external causes. Even in death, I won't let them escape. Surely you've already guessed it, Emperor Yi—my dynasty was being supported by forces from beyond. That's right. Support came from the Eternal Night realm—those Outer Demons from Beyond the Heavens."
"They gave me the Demon-Yokai Fusion Technique. But it came with great danger. If one cultivates it to the extreme, it inevitably leads to falling into Eternal Night. I once believed I could solve this flaw—but your Great Yi destroyed me before I had the chance. Had it not been for the seeds of Eternal Night, my Great Serpent Dynasty would never have fallen so easily. Half of our grudge lies with them."
Oda Nobunaga clearly held deep resentment toward Eternal Night as well.
That grudge burned bitterly—unable to be released even in death.
It was why he had made preparations—this was his final move.
"I'm going to die anyway, so let me sell you some information. Don't mistake it for kindness—I simply want to see both of you tear each other apart, weakening yourselves with every blow."
He made no effort to hide it: this was not goodwill, but malice.
He wanted to see tiger fight tiger—and at least one fall.
Whether Great Yi perished, or those other forces did, either outcome was a cause for celebration in his eyes.
He wanted chaos. He wanted disaster. He wanted Emperor Yi to suffer. That was his source of joy.
There was no reconciliation, no gesture of peace.
Yi Tianxing's expression darkened. Even dead, Oda Nobunaga remained a troublemaker, actively sowing discord.
Worse yet, what he said couldn't be ignored. Yi Tianxing had to listen, had to consider it.
And that was what made it so frustrating.
This wasn't even a thinking soul—just a projection, a preset message left behind, mindlessly playing its final record.
"The Outer Demons from Eternal Night have already established themselves within the Eternal World. They've formed a faction—an organization called Hydra."
"The Hydra is a beast of Eternal Night. Even if you cut off its heads, so long as one survives, they'll grow back. They practice secret techniques unique to the demons beyond, allowing them to hide undetected—neither national destiny nor fate can perceive them. This time, it was Hydra that sent me here. I didn't harm you—but they lost a Heavenly Demon God Weapon. Truly satisfying."
"Hydra is everywhere. Let me give you a gift—Hydra has a hidden base beneath Sakura Prefecture. If you can find it, that'll be your problem."
"Fight them. Slaughter them. Their infiltration of your Great Yi Dynasty has already begun. I eagerly await the day everything burns."
Oda Nobunaga let out a loud, maniacal laugh—twisted, delighted, completely deranged.
With that, his projection vanished from Yi Tianxing's mind—the message completed.
Its sole purpose had been to deliver a warning: Hydra is inside your empire.
Go find them. And while you're at it, start a bloody war. The more brutal, the better.
That was the heart of his plan.
"Oda Nobunaga… even in death, you can't rest. As expected, your heart is black as pitch."
Yi Tianxing's expression was grim.
So—Eternal Night had truly opened a channel into the Eternal World. And they had even sent Heavenly Demon God Weapons across.
This was not a small matter.
Establishing Hydra—was it meant to overthrow Great Yi? Or was it just to plant a nail deep inside the Eternal World?
Either way, the existence of a Hydra base under Sakura Prefecture, now a fully integrated part of Great Yi, was deeply troubling.
"Let them come. Soldiers block invaders; water douses fire. I've slaughtered my way through the Eternal Night battlefield—why should I fear rats who won't even show their faces? The moment they expose themselves, they're dead. And hiding won't help either."
Yi Tianxing exhaled deeply and set the matter aside.
Whatever the case, this battle had yielded immense rewards.
Without delay, he used Reincarnation Holy Liquid to rapidly purify and fully refine the Moonshade Demon Eye.
Once refined, he integrated it into the Starweb, just like the Golden Crow Eye—turning it into one of Great Yi's two eyes of surveillance.
"Announce this to the citizens of Great Yi: the Golden Crow Celestial Eye shall be renamed the Eye of the Sun. The Moonshade Demon Eye shall be renamed the Eye of the Moon. Solar fire for tempering the body, lunar brilliance for refining the soul. May all people of Great Yi rise as dragons."
Yi Tianxing looked to the void.
Above, two eyes glowed—one golden, one silver. They shimmered with mysterious brilliance. These were not only the eyes of Great Yi, but also its hanging swords in the sky.
No matter what Nobunaga's intentions had been, this outcome had instead given Great Yi the foundation to rise even higher.
With the body tempered by the sun, and the soul refined by the moon, the people of Great Yi now had the tools to grow rapidly.
"Everyone shall be as dragons"—no longer just a dream.
With effort, anyone could now reach great heights. Even those with mediocre talent would surpass others.
Great Yi would become the true sacred land of humanity.
Countless people and cultivators would soon flock to join, driven mad with desire.
Of course, Solar Tempering and Lunar Refinement were baseline welfare for all citizens.
But deeper, stronger refinements required contribution points, merit, star coins, and so on.
Nothing comes free. If you want more—you'll have to earn it.
This was both an incentive and a driving force.
Aimless giving leads to decay. True growth requires ambition.
"The Eye of the Sun and the Eye of the Moon—our two heavenly eyes. Incredible. Becoming a citizen of Great Yi is the only way to experience something this miraculous. I couldn't have imagined this before."
"Had I known earlier, I would've begged Great Yi to come take us in. Comparing this to the past… even being a city lord back then was like being a backwater bumpkin. This is true human civilization. This is what a sacred land should feel like."
"Heaven help me—Solar fire for my body, Lunar brilliance for my soul. Even most sects can't offer this. And just by joining Great Yi, you get this? It's better than any spirit pill or divine treasure. All you need is a Heavenly Register Card and your identity to receive these gifts. My sect brothers will go mad when they hear of this."
Yi Tianxing's declaration instantly spread across Great Yi.
Smiles blossomed on countless faces. With such treasures available, if they still couldn't improve, then they truly were hopeless.
Even disciples of various sects were moved. Deep within their hearts, a fire had ignited.
Join Great Yi.
Fully join Great Yi.
To gain access to these two refinements was more tempting than any cultivation resource.
They were true treasures, shaping the body and soul from the root.
"It seems we must seek deeper cooperation with Great Yi."
Many sect elders whispered to themselves.
The temptation was too great.
Refuse… and your disciples' loyalty would crumble. The sect would fall apart.
Yi Tianxing returned to the imperial palace.
In Hulu City, the destroyed immortal city was being reabsorbed. Though damaged, it wasn't beyond repair. With enough resources, it could be rebuilt, and its population resettled.
Only the fallen citizens could not return.
In this world, accidents are everywhere. Death is always a possibility.
To fall in battle—was nothing unusual.
"Send word. All First-Rank Ministers of Great Yi are to report to the Hall of Knowledge and Action."
Yi Tianxing inhaled deeply and gave the order to Cao Zhengchun.
"Yes, my Emperor."
Cao replied respectfully.
In recent years, his cultivation had skyrocketed. Few could now perceive his true strength. Within the imperial palace, all other eunuchs were now his juniors, and even high-ranking ministers dared not disrespect him.