"What a powerful Da Yi Holy Court."Such a thought instinctively surfaced in the minds of Gandalf and the others.
They all knew very well what kind of being the Dark Lord Sauron was — a being who had condensed an altar, integrated his true name, and ascended to a mighty level of power. With the Supreme Dark Ring in his possession — an innate dark treasure nearly invincible among peers — his strength had been greatly amplified. The ring granted him endless enhancements and dark arts, making him an overwhelmingly troublesome existence.
Along with the subsidiary rings under his control and command of a vast army, as long as the Supreme Dark Ring was intact, the dark legions would never cease.
Just this one point alone made it impossible for them to imagine how Da Yi had actually managed to kill Sauron.
It was utterly unbelievable.
Did Da Yi dispatch a peak powerhouse at the Dao Platform realm? Or perhaps a being who had transcended the Dao Platform realm?
But that was impossible. In this current era, the Dao Platform realm was already considered the pinnacle. To go beyond that was to reach the Proving Dao realm — but since this epoch began, no newly risen cultivator had managed to break through into that level yet.
If a new Proving Dao realm powerhouse had emerged, the entire Eternal World would have witnessed anomalies — signs across the heavens.
There's no way that could happen silently.
Once someone proves the Dao, heaven and earth sense it, all beings congratulate, immortals and gods offer praise. With their emergence, myriad paths resonate in celebration.
But with no Proving Dao existence involved, Da Yi was actually able to kill someone on the Dao Platform level. Moreover, from the looks of it, those who killed Sauron were just the few worshippers from the Tongtian Pavilion in the main hall.
How utterly unbelievable was that?
According to Gandalf's observations, none of these people had actually reached the Dao Platform realm. In other words, Sauron had been defeated — even slain — by those weaker than him. Even the Supreme Dark Ring had become their spoils of war.
Such a situation was unimaginable before. It was as if their entire understanding of reality had just been overturned.
"Thank you, Holy King!!"Chu Liuxiang and the others couldn't help but smile upon hearing the decree.
This time, whether it was stealing the Supreme Dark Ring or assassinating Sauron, both feats amounted to astonishing military merit. Now, with Yi Tianxing's personal reward, their contributions would be judged based on the value of conquering an entire realm.
Naturally, the larger their contribution, the greater the reward.
Everything would be calculated by the Starsea System and distributed as merit points.
As for mission rewards, those were separate and not counted toward this.
"Perhaps… joining Da Yi is not a bad idea after all."
At this moment, Aragorn and the others couldn't help but have this thought.
If nothing else, at least after joining Da Yi, they no longer had to live in constant fear — afraid that other forces might attack or that their days would be numbered. For beings surviving in a chaotic world, regardless of race, a stable environment was something deeply desired.
And Da Yi was such a place.
A true immortal kingdom on earth.
This wasn't a fantasy or a lie — they had witnessed it with their own eyes, experienced it personally. It was real.
Da Yi had even promised to welcome all races, providing a peaceful place for them to thrive. That alone was more precious and important than anything else.
With such thoughts, Gandalf and the others found their decision much easier to make.
Soon after, Mao Sui and others began discussions with them.
The inclusion of the Dark Ring Realm into Da Yi's domain had become an established fact.
Unless some enormous change occurred, this reality would not be reversed.
"Holy King, according to confidential reports from the Calamity Hall, multiple realms surrounding us have shown unusual activity. Armies are being mobilized toward their borders. It's highly likely their goal is Da Yi."
With the affairs of the Dark Ring Realm settled and the Dark Ring envoys having left the Chaotian Palace, Tong Huang stepped forward to report.
"What's the specific situation? Which realms are involved?"Yi Tianxing asked calmly.
He wasn't surprised by the reactions of the surrounding realms. Knowing Da Yi's ambitions, any unified realm wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.
No unified realm would give up without a fight.
War was inevitable.
"Goldstone Realm, Titan Realm, Skyfire Realm, Beastmen Realm, Featherwing Realm, and Dragonbeast Realm," Tong Huang reported. "According to our investigations, the Goldstone Realm is occupied by the Gold Clan. Although they once competed with the Stone Clan, the Stone Clan has since been defeated and driven out. Now, the Gold Clan rules entirely, having established the Golden Empire — a powerful Emperor dynasty."
"In the Beastmen Realm, the Lion King Clan rules, and the beastfolk races are spread throughout, forming the Lionheart Imperial Court — also possessing Emperor fate."
"The Dragonbeast Realm hasn't formed a Destiny Dynasty, but it's ruled by the Dinosaur Race. It's become a paradise for dragon beasts. The Featherwing Realm is ruled by the Winged People Royalty, forming the Featherwing Empire. The Skyfire Realm is ruled by the Fire Clan, and the Titan Realm by the Titans, led by the Thanos, forming the Infinite Empire. All these realms seem to be simultaneously mobilizing toward Da Yi's borders. Their intentions are most certainly hostile."
"That's to be expected," Liu Bowen commented lightly. "Whether it's the Gold Clan, the Titans, the Fire Clan, or the Beastfolk, they are all among the strongest races of the myriad realms. Since they've unified a realm, they won't surrender easily. Da Yi's ambitions are obvious. United, they will resist Da Yi and even try to crush us completely."
Any realm that had achieved unification would naturally be formidable. They weren't fools. Knowing Da Yi planned to consume them, they wouldn't just wait around. Joint resistance was inevitable — perhaps even a coordinated offensive.
Even if they hadn't attacked yet, preparations were clearly underway.
"Very well. Looks like we have a real war on our hands this time. A direct confrontation is now inevitable."Yi Tianxing nodded in acknowledgment.
Up to now, Da Yi had relied on schemes — sowing chaos, manipulating hearts, making it easier to conquer disunited realms. But now, they faced unified, prepared enemies with enough strength to resist Da Yi's armies.
Schemes were now secondary.
The battlefield would determine victory.
Winner takes all. Loser is nothing.
Da Yi wanted to take over their realms — and they wanted to carve up Da Yi and plunder its wealth.
"Holy King, rest assured," Zhuge Liang said confidently. "Da Yi's Military Council is ready at all times. In a head-on confrontation, we are no weaker than any race or army."
"Your Majesty, allow me to fight! Since war is upon us, Da Yi should strike first."Cheng Yaojin stepped forward, loudly requesting to lead the assault.
"Your Majesty, I request to fight as well—!"
Soon, a number of legion commanders stepped forth one after another to request battle.
They were eager. Only through war could they earn merits. Military achievements were most prized — this was an opportunity not to be missed.
"I believe that for now, stillness is better than rash action," Jia Xu suddenly said. "With the Ironblood Great Wall guarding us, we already have a natural barrier. If they wish to invade, they must breach it first. We can use the barrier to drain their strength while training our troops. Meanwhile, we should focus on fully integrating the Shushan Realm and the Dark Ring Realm, eliminate all hidden threats, and bolster Da Yi's fortune — preparing fully for the bigger wars ahead."
Yi Tianxing nodded in agreement."Well said. First, secure full control over the two realms. Deploy pre-forged Immortal Cities to cover them swiftly. Occupy with cities first, then expand control. Transfer civilians via the Ministry of Households and the Celestial Registry Hall. Assign reserve city lords to take posts. All local officials will follow, restoring governance and rebuilding human prosperity."
"Yes, Holy King!"
The court responded in unison.
At this moment, beyond Da Yi's borders, separated by the Realm River, lay a massive domain.
Within this realm, there were numerous landmasses — massive continents surrounded by oceans, with islands scattered across the waters. However, the number of islands was not large. This realm was clearly centered around continental territory.
One particular landmass spanned tens of millions of miles.
And upon it stood a colossal golden Immortal City. Above the city hovered a massive green giant — with six pairs of arms, twelve total. Each hand held a terrifying divine weapon — swords, spears, blades, clubs, whips, axes. Each one radiated heaven-severing power, shaking the heavens.
This was none other than the fate-being of the Gold Clan's Destiny Dynasty.
Not a fortune dragon, but the projection of the Gold Clan's progenitor. With each advancement, an extra pair of arms and two weapons would appear. In battle, it would be unimaginably ferocious.
The Gold Clan was one of the strongest of the myriad races.
It's said that the Gold Clan was born with innate control over metal. They resembled humans, except for one unique trait — extra arms. With each major breakthrough, they grew a new pair. At the Divine Sea realm — one pair. At the Life Aperture realm — two pairs. Life Map realm — three pairs. This was the Gold Clan's true form, though they could hide it in daily life and unleash it only in battle.