"Don't worry, no matter who it is, I will treat them all equally, without favoritism," Yi Tianxing took a deep breath. In his heart, he felt an even greater affection and tenderness toward Cai Yan. Of course, he understood her motive—this was all for him, for Da Yi. Otherwise, what woman would willingly tolerate the presence of another rival of equal status and position at her man's side? It was a challenge to her authority and dignity.
"That's good. Let me tell you, big brother—you better not wrong Sister Zhao Ji, or I won't let you off. But this time, Queen Mother of the West has moved into the Holy King Palace. Whether you can win her over now depends on your own ability."
Zhao Ziyan said this with a wink, mischief in her expression.
"You girl, mind your own business. Off you go—just looking at you makes me worried."
Yi Tianxing scolded with a smile.
But the affection and closeness in his tone could not be hidden.
Zhao Ziyan didn't say more and turned to leave. She had returned this time specifically because she heard about the war between Da Yi and the eight major realms. She had come to see if there was anything she could help with. Now that the war was over, she was preparing to return to the Qionghua Immortal Sect to continue cultivating several powerful divine arts.
Yi Tianxing glanced outside the Imperial Heart Palace but did not intend to seek out Cai Yan and the others.
There were many things better left for them to talk about amongst themselves. Too much interference from him would not be wise.
"Forget it. Since you've chosen to stay and become the Mistress of Da Yi's Western Palace, then you are now my woman. Queen Mother of the West, you won't escape. If I don't win you over, I'm not Yi Tianxing."
A flicker of determination flashed in his eyes.
No matter what, since she had moved into the Holy King Palace, what else was there to say? He had already decided—since she was here, he absolutely could not let her escape. Otherwise, wouldn't the cultivators outside think he was incapable?
That was unacceptable.
"Among the Nine Heavenly Dao Sovereigns, there are Dark evils... who could they be? One? Two? Or even more?"
Yi Tianxing's thoughts drifted back to the Great Cataclysm years ago, during the fusion of the myriad realms. One particular scene remained deeply etched in his memory—it happened on the fourth day of the Cataclysm.
In the void, countless bolts of lightning raged, thunder roared, and golden eyes appeared in the depths of the sky—Heaven's Eye. Within this eye, a dark and oppressive world was reflected. A world shrouded in inky blackness that brought suffocating pressure and gave rise to intense negative emotions.
Within that dark world, strange black matter constantly surged. It seemed as if this world was emerging from behind the golden eye.
That scene had been terrifying—utterly horrifying.
In that dark world, eighteen sky-piercing dark pillars could be seen spanning heaven and earth. Each pillar was covered in mysterious symbols and engraved with lifelike images of various Demon gods, ever-changing and fear-inducing.
What Yi Tianxing remembered most was the presence of a towering dark throne within that realm. Upon it sat a being completely cloaked in darkness, seemingly in deep slumber.
At that time, dozens of black rays escaped from that realm and shot into the Eternal World.
Although many were destroyed by the power of the Heavenly Dao, a significant number remained, hiding within the Eternal World. No one knew exactly what or who they were, but it was obvious—those black rays were definitely not good.
They represented terrifying Dark evils.
It was likely that during the separation of the Nine Heavenly Dao Sovereigns, these Dark evils took the opportunity to infiltrate, usurping identities and positions, hiding in plain sight. In essence, they were already Dark beings. But who exactly? It was nearly impossible to identify them based solely on surface clues.
Whether it was one or two—or even more—just thinking about it gave Yi Tianxing a headache.
…
Xian Qin Realm.
The entire realm was about the same size as the other great realms. One could see bustling development everywhere—cities rising from the ground, villages and towns nearby, cultivated farmlands where masses of common folk toiled.
There were fierce beasts and birds, but their numbers were clearly under control.
As for other alien races—barely any were seen.
This was clearly a human-dominated realm.
The entire realm exuded an invisible pressure—a legacy of the Human Race. The air itself was filled with a dense aura of order and law. A strict and awe-inspiring atmosphere permeated the land.
The Great Qin Empire was built upon law. The rule of law was its unshakable foundation. The Qin Legal Code was everything. The power of law was supreme, and no one dared to challenge it.
Ruling through law, the Qin were strict but not inflexible. They were also open to integrating other systems and strategies in governing the world. Clearly, the Xian Qin Realm had developed quite well.
Unlike Da Yi, Xian Qin expelled all foreign races. Their doctrine was: "Those who are not of our race are surely of different hearts." All foreign races were to be eradicated—no hidden dangers allowed. They aimed to turn their realm into an impenetrable fortress.
At this moment, in Xianyang City—Epang Palace.
The imperial palace of Great Qin was Epang Palace. It needed no more description—it was far grander than the Forbidden City of later ages. Its architecture and layout were the pinnacle of Qin brilliance.
The main hall for imperial court meetings was called the "Four Seas As One Hall".
Other important halls included the Chengde Hall, where Ying Zheng handled state affairs, and the Yangxin Hall, his resting chamber.
Right now, Ying Zheng sat in Chengde Hall, reviewing memorials. Beside him sat several of Qin's most powerful officials—Li Si, Lü Buwei, and others. Each of them was a legendary figure, possessing exceptional talent and wisdom.
In any other realm, they would be the top ministers of state.
"Your Majesty," said Li Si, "the newly annexed Baiyue Realm still lacks a large population. There's a significant gap, and resolving it will take considerable time. Some officials propose sending trade caravans to neighboring realms to recruit human citizens to settle in Qin. Others suggest purchasing slaves to fill the void. Otherwise, the sparse population will hinder our development."
Indeed, Great Qin had just conquered the Baiyue Realm. The area was once dominated by various foreign races, dense forests, and over a hundred different tribes. The situation was extremely complex. Human citizens had been in dire conditions and were very few in number. With most of the alien races slaughtered or expelled, the realm was suddenly left empty.
The problem: while Qin was highly capable in war, it lacked the population to fill its newly conquered territory.
They had already encouraged mass childbirth, offering heavy incentives for large families—but even if children were considered adults by age twelve or thirteen, it would still take over a decade to reap the results.
It was not a problem that could be solved by simply giving orders.
"Very well. Issue the command—recruit from neighboring realms and make deals with slave merchants. I don't care where the people come from or how they're obtained—I just want bodies."
Ying Zheng's tone was calm but resolute.
The population gap was driving Qin mad. Since they occupied the entire realm without leaving any wastelands, the required number of people was astronomical. Even more than Da Yi.
While Da Yi could fully manage a realm with 15 trillion people, Qin needed at least 20 trillion—or more—to fully occupy and integrate theirs.
"According to reports from the Black Ice Platform, the Da Yi Holy Court has completed another major expansion—eight new realms added. They now oversee thirteen realms. As soon as their immortal cities are established, there's instantly enough population to settle them. Their development is rapid and already well underway."
Lü Buwei reported.
The Black Ice Platform was Qin's secret service—responsible for intelligence gathering and assassination. Its reach was vast and feared by many officials. Over the years, Qin had dispatched numerous agents, and their network now extended dangerously close to Da Yi.
Although details were scarce, it was certain that Da Yi's intelligence was being tracked.
"Impressive. Expanding by eight realms at once—where is Da Yi getting all that population from?" Ying Zheng muttered. "Thirteen great realms... Once again, Da Yi has taken the lead."
He was certain that these new people were not just Da Yi's own new births. No amount of childbirth could suddenly produce enough people to populate eight entire realms. Clearly, Da Yi had found another way.
It was time to establish contact.
"Send word—summon Fusu."
…
Not only Great Qin—all major forces were expanding madly.
Great Shang, Great Zhou, Great Xia...
Even Great Han and Great Chu were accelerating.
The various alien-run destiny dynasties were growing rapidly as well, leveraging their strong foundations to unite their forces and build up swiftly.