It was now July of the 50th year of the Eternal Era.
After several months of continuous conquest, Great Yi had made significant progress—firm and steady. The Iron-Blood Great Wall and the Immortal Cities of Great Yi advanced hand in hand, securing each territory they captured and embedding themselves deeply, laying an unshakable foundation.
Any armies of various races—or demon legions—that encountered the spearhead of Great Yi were left with two choices:
Retreat, or
Be slaughtered.
Many chose to hide instead, watching silently from the shadows as Great Yi expanded, not daring to reveal themselves.
Back during Great Yi's ascension to a Sacred Court, most of the top-tier monsters in the Bohai Realm had already been annihilated. The remaining ones, either fled or were cowards without the courage to resist. None dared to openly stand against them.
However, the powerful Yinyue Imperial Court had another agenda.
On the surface, they resisted Great Yi's advance.
But in secret, they were relentlessly subjugating other demon factions.
Their momentum had grown, and once they released news that they could protect and shelter all subjects under their rule—even from Great Yi—many demons and forces began flocking to their banner.
There were even signs that Yinyue was preparing to ascend...to the level of an Emperor Dynasty.
"As long as we crush the Yinyue Dynasty, we can take Bohai Realm completely within the shortest time."
Zhuge Liang stepped forward, voice calm and assured.
The strategy was already laid out in his mind. Crushing Yinyue wasn't difficult. The real challenge was filling the newly conquered region with enough talent and manpower to maintain full control.
"In the Dead Sea Realm," said Jiang Ni, "our Astrological Division has dispatched most of our geomancers to construct the foundation of the grand formation."
With Green Emperor, Invincible General, Si Kong Zhaixing, and Liu Qu wreaking havoc at the frontlines, everything had become much easier.
Wherever those four chaos-makers went, destruction followed. Especially Green Emperor—his very presence brought despair. His bad luck aura even drove undead cultivators hiding in ancient tombs to near madness.
These four were chaos incarnate—and the perfect vanguard.
The foundational nodes of the formation were now steadily being deployed. Vital dragon veins were being moved into position. If given three more months, the formation could be fully activated.
When that time came, the Dead Sea Realm would fall in one stroke.
Yi Tianxing nodded in satisfaction.
"Excellent."
The work of the Astrological Division, combined with the havoc wrought by the Green Emperor's crew, was incredibly effective. It had far exceeded expectations—truly a case of using the right people to do the right things.
"In the Demon Sea Realm," reported Jia Xu, "my Heavenly Strategy Division has coordinated numerous stratagems."
The Gem of the Goddess of Light had successfully ignited the entire region in flames of chaos.
Navies, pirates, and even alien factions had all been drawn into a maelstrom of violence. Daily battles occurred with gruesome casualties. Each time a Gem of Light was dropped at a chosen location, it provoked even more bloodshed.
Internal conflicts flared between pirate crews and factions. Distrust grew rampant. And trust, once lost, is almost impossible to regain—no matter how great the effort.
"The Demon Sea Realm is practically broken," Jia Xu said, smiling.
His words brimmed with confidence—and a dark, calculating sharpness that only grew stronger with cultivation.
Tens, even hundreds of thousands died every day due to the Gem's influence.
In essence, the entire realm had been collapsed from within,and all it took was a single gemstone.
"Well done, Minister Jia," Yi Tianxing said approvingly.
Jia Xu had never failed to deliver. With the foundation of Great Yi behind him, his brilliance was truly unmatched.
"In the Caribbean Realm," reported Mao Sui, "we have already fractured the alliances and claimed control over most of the territory."
Several legendary pirate lords had been persuaded to cooperate. The realm was made up mostly of islands—and the residents, long oppressed by pirates, welcomed Great Yi's armies with open arms.
Most were willing to integrate into Great Yi's rule. The few who resisted… could be easily swept away.
"All that's left is to eradicate the final pirates," Mao Sui concluded,"and the realm will be ours."
The prestige and might of Great Yi had now reached such a height that most factions submitted without resistance.
Were it any lesser force, trying to claim an entire realm of island territories would be impossible. Only through Great Yi's renown could such pacification occur so swiftly.
"Excellent," Yi Tianxing nodded."Then, if we so desired, we could bring all four realms under Great Yi's control in a short time."
He swept his gaze across the court ministers.
"However… that was our old strategy.I believe it's time… to change it."
"May I ask what Your Majesty means by this?" asked Xun Yu, stepping forward.
"Indeed," agreed Su Shi, "at our current pace, securing the realms and then resting would be most prudent."
That had been the original consensus—a plan agreed upon by the entire court.
To suddenly change course could create chaos. It would disrupt logistical preparations, population distribution, and civil management.
"If the plan changes now," added Jia Yucun, "there may be issues with population deployment."
They had only just received 20 trillion new citizens from Yi Tianxing. Combined with their existing 40 trillion, they had 60 trillion people—just barely enough to populate all four realms.
According to plan, each realm required 15 trillion to remain stable.
The new Immortal Cities, constructed with spatial enhancements, could each house five million people. That allowed for far better control over surrounding wilderness zones.
Each realm would have millions of cities.
"When we first set the rule—one city per thousand kilometers—it was due to our lack of power," said Yi Tianxing.
Now, Great Yi's strength had grown immensely. Everyone practiced cultivation. The nation had reached a point where every citizen was like a dragon.
"To confine a city to such a small radius is no longer necessary," he said."It's time we… rethink this."
His words were calm—but carried great weight.
The higher one stood, the broader their view became.
"You mean to say," mused Zhuge Liang, "that we should increase the coverage area of each Immortal City."
By doing so, they could release more cities and expand their control exponentially.
He pondered it briefly and nodded. This evolution in policy was inevitable for Great Yi's future growth.
"Indeed," said Liu Bowen with a smile."Limiting each city to a thousand kilometers is no longer fitting."
The wilderness still required space for other races and beast clans to survive and reproduce.
"Instead of clinging to outdated methods, we should aim for sustainable abundance."
That was the only way to go farther and last longer.
"Minister Liu," Yi Tianxing asked, "in your view, what would be the ideal coverage radius per city—such that the model can be sustained indefinitely?"
"All ministers are welcome to speak freely."
In Great Yi, voices were not silenced. If one spoke with substance and sincerity, it was not only allowed—but encouraged.
Only through open discussion could they forge the strongest policies for the future.