The Barbarian Race. This was one of the races closest to humanity. In Great Yi, there were many barbarians who had fully integrated into society. They lived in the same celestial cities as the people of Great Yi and enjoyed the same rights and privileges. To a large extent, they were already considered part of the "Yi people." Their former identities no longer mattered—they now saw themselves as part of the human race and were living well.
As long as they were willing, these barbarians were among the best population sources for Great Yi.
"The Volcano Realm is filled with volcanoes. Most are dormant, but some are still active. The entire realm has a high frequency of eruptions, making it extremely unsuitable for most ordinary races to survive in. It belongs to the Volcanic Race, who thrive in these conditions. Lava is their food, and they live joyously among the flows. Our spies report that magma rivers crisscross the realm, flowing continuously. The volcanoes serve as their gathering grounds and sacred breeding sites," Tong Empress explained.
This race was quite unique—born from volcanoes, they were like fish in the sea when immersed in magma. They could control it, destroy anything with it. In their territory, there were virtually no plants—"not even a blade of grass" was no exaggeration. Each eruption blanketed the sky with volcanic ash, enough to wipe out most life. Even fierce beasts and birds rarely survived in such a harsh environment, unless they were uniquely adapted to volcanic conditions.
The realm's most immediate impression was barrenness—utterly barren. On the surface, it seemed to hold little strategic value.
"A realm like this, even if occupied, would be hard to govern. The cost versus the gain… might not be worthwhile," Su Shi shook his head.
"There's no need to worry about that," Tong Empress smiled. "According to our scouts, the Volcano Realm contains an abundance of mineral veins—spirit crystal veins, divine source veins, dragon-patterned gold veins… Over a dozen types of valuable ores have already been confirmed, and we've only scratched the surface. There's no doubt this realm is rich in resources. Once we occupy it, the supply it could provide to Great Yi would be massive."
"A resource realm?" Gongshu Lin's eyes lit up. "If it's truly filled with mineral veins, it will instantly become one of the most important realms within Great Yi's territory."
"We must claim it," Pei Ju agreed.
A realm overflowing with resources was invaluable to Great Yi. The dynasty constantly needed vast resources—Heavenly Works Pavilion and the Ministry of Works forged celestial cities every day, and the consumption was enormous. None of it was metaphorical. Everything was built on real material resources.
At that moment, all the ministers mentally marked the Volcano Realm as a key target.
It left a strong impression.
"The Witch Realm is dominated by witches. Women rule there, and men are regarded merely as mating tools. Their status is extremely low. Witches wield strange and powerful abilities—witchcraft—which forms a distinct cultivation path. They pass down their powers by bloodline. As they grow, their strength increases rapidly. It's practically a separate species in itself," Tong Empress continued.
Her expression grew strange when speaking about the Witch Realm.
It was a domain of absolute matriarchy. The witches had even formed their own power system—called the Witch Council. Though named a council, it functioned just like a Destiny Dynasty. Just under a different name.
"Next is the Blood Spirit Realm, primarily composed of cultivators, but the people here carry beast bloodlines. These were obtained by ancestors who forcibly seized blood from ancient fierce beasts and birds, merging it into themselves. These bloodlines were then passed down. Their cultivation focuses on awakening and harnessing these ancestral powers. The stronger the bloodline, the stronger the individual. Their strength can even be passed down to descendants," she said with awe.
Though she'd never seen it firsthand, the stories were impressive—those with powerful bloodlines could awaken overnight and soar into greatness.
"The Knight Realm is also unusual. It is a realm of knights who cultivate battle qi, and they adhere to eight spiritual virtues: sacrifice, humility, protection, bravery, mercy, piety, justice, and loyalty. Their battle qi is terrifying, infused with knightly will. As long as their beliefs remain, they are fearless in battle," she explained solemnly.
The civilization of the Knight Realm had elevated the knight spirit and culture to an incredible degree. Mastering even one of the eight knightly virtues allowed a person to cultivate unique battle qi and become a different type of knight:
A Guardian Knight who mastered Protection,
A Death Knight from Sacrifice,
A Fearless Knight through Bravery,
A Judgment Knight via Justice…
Knights infused with spiritual will were forces that could dominate battlefields.
The Knight Realm was ruled by the Holy Empire, which had vassal states and conferred nobility by rank: count, marquis, viscount, baron. Only knights could become nobles, and nobility passed down to future generations. The civilization resembled a medieval European feudal system.
It was also a very tricky realm to deal with.
"To embed spiritual will into battle qi, and make it hereditary… truly remarkable. Every civilization has its own brilliance," Huang Chengyan sighed.
"We'll have the chance to witness it firsthand," Yi Tianxing nodded.
"The Heavenly Fiend Realm is even worse," Tong Empress's tone dropped. "It was founded by a great monster named Gui Che, said to be one of the Ten Monster Saints from the Monster Court. Upon arrival, he unified the realm and created the Heavenly Monster Imperial Court, commanding countless monsters. The humans there suffer immensely, often reduced to blood food."
Her anger was clear.
The suffering of humans in the Heavenly Monster Realm was too real—they were raised like livestock, treated as food for the monsters.
Of course, from a different perspective, there was no right or wrong between races. What humans did to chickens or pigs, monsters now did to humans. It was all a matter of standpoint.
But from the perspective of Tong Empress and the ministers—as humans—rage was the only natural response.
"Don't worry. What's owed to humanity will be repaid. A blood debt must be paid in blood," Yi Tianxing said coldly.
Now that the Heavenly Monster Imperial Court had caught their attention, they would not turn a blind eye. That realm was destined to fall. Blood for blood—that is justice.
"The Kunxu Realm is home to orthodox cultivators. Many sects and even Destiny Dynasties exist there. But it has not been unified yet. The factions are still locked in a state of chaotic warfare."
"The GodspawnRealm has a unique civilization: the Bio-implant Civilization. There, people are implanted with godseed implants at birth. As the child grows, the seed takes root, matures, and eventually transforms into a bio-armor that integrates completely with the body. This bio-armor is their source of power. It's said that the most elite bio-warriors possess world-destroying strength. But once their armor is destroyed, their bodies also perish—similar to our own natal magic treasures, only even more entwined," she went on.
The bio-implant civilization was very distinct. With such implants, the user gained superhuman strength. The origin of the godseed implants was still a mystery—even the Disaster Hall couldn't uncover it yet. But with time, they believed the truth would emerge.
"The Grotesque Realm is the most terrifying. It is filled with the strange and bizarre—evil and twisted manifestations born from the obsessions of all beings. The grotesques wield horrifying powers. In that realm, people live worse than pigs or dogs. The grotesques rule. Sleep can kill you. A word can kill you. A glance can make you bleed from all seven orifices. There's no logic to their powers," she said grimly.
The Calamity Hall had suffered the worst losses there. Many grotesques had unknown, irrational powers. Some even involved karma, making them literally unkillable. If you couldn't find the cause, you couldn't eliminate the effect.
Living there meant living in constant terror. That realm was a true death zone—a forbidden region.
Once Tong Empress finished describing all twelve realms, the entire court fell into silence. Each of these realms was formidable—whether due to hostile forces, terrible environments, or sheer mystery.
"These Twelve Realms are indeed no joke," Jia Xu finally said with a smile. "But no matter how powerful they are, they are still inferior to Great Yi. As long as we overcome their unique challenges, conquering them won't be too difficult. Especially the Grotesque Realm—once we solve the problem of the grotesques, taking it over will be inevitable. It's the trend of the times."