"The Nine Heavens Dao Venerates will never stand by and watch Great Yi rise to power. So long as Great Yi continues expanding and growing stronger, the 'Darkness' hiding among the Nine Heavens Dao Venerates will not just sit and watch—they will act. Whoever makes a move to obstruct us, that person is the hidden Dark among the Nine Heavens. No matter who it is, the moment they interfere, we have our justification to slay the heavens."
The Blood River Ancestor spoke solemnly.
Setting up the bait with Great Yi was precisely because they knew how tempting it was to the Nine Heavens Dao Venerates. At a certain level, those Venerates would not allow Great Yi to grow unchecked, and they certainly wouldn't tolerate it ascending to the Immortal Court. Once that happened, Great Yi would pose a huge threat—one no one would want to face.
"If we're talking about expansion, Great Yi's current strength and foundation still need time to settle. We've just absorbed eight major realms and need to consolidate our roots. Even at the fastest pace, we'll need at least half a year to reorganize, stockpile celestial cities, and ensure we have sufficient population. Only then can we resume our expansion. National affairs are never to be taken lightly. If we do expand, the earliest would be in half a year."
Yi Tianxing spoke calmly.
National affairs must be handled with care. Even though expansion could technically begin now—thanks to the new reserves of a million city lord-level talents—the current focus was still on digesting and consolidating the newly acquired territories. Thus, initiating a campaign half a year later would be the most stable and secure path.
"Half a year?"
The Blood River Ancestor murmured. In truth, he was secretly astonished.
For ordinary Destiny Dynasties, it would take years or even decades to fully integrate a single realm—restoring population, stabilizing governance, and absorbing the land. Yet Great Yi needed less than one year to digest eight realms and still had the strength to expand further. That level of foundation was truly fearsome.
"Half a year is acceptable. But previously, didn't we already provide Friend Yi with the resources to evolve the innate spiritual vein into a Supreme Ancestral Vein? Why hasn't that evolution taken place yet? In theory, once Great Yi completes that evolution, the hidden Dark within the Nine Heavens Dao Venerates would be provoked. That's a high probability trigger—maybe it's worth testing. Let Friend Yi initiate the evolution, and we'll see if it draws them out."
The Nether River Ancestor continued.
Since they couldn't directly identify the Dark traitor among the Venerates, this was perhaps the best bait.
"Very well. The ancestral vein evolution can take place at any time. However, it may not work as intended. The Nine Heavens Dao Venerates are likely aware that we're trying to lure out the Dark among them. They won't expose themselves so easily—they're not fools."
Yi Tianxing replied after some thought.
The evolution of the Supreme Ancestral Vein could be initiated at any time. He hadn't rushed it before simply because the timing wasn't right, and there hadn't been an urgent need. As long as it was completed before the ascension to the Immortal Court, everything would be in place. That said, completing it early would still bring immense benefits. With the ancestral vein in place, the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy in Xuanhuang Celestial City would become so dense it would rival the most legendary paradise realms—blessed lands and immortal sanctuaries.
Living there, the people would naturally thrive, evolving constantly in such a rich environment.
"There's no harm in trying. But we must guarantee Friend Yi's safety."
Carefree Wanderer (Xiaoyao Sanren) nodded in agreement.
Clearly, he also thought it was worth a try, but they couldn't rely on this method too much. The Dark among the Venerates might act out of desperation, and if they suddenly struck, even Yi Tianxing might not escape unscathed. Caution was absolutely necessary.
"How long until Great Yi is ready to ascend to the Immortal Court? Once that happens, the Nine Heavens Dao Venerates will definitely act. The Eternal Night World will never allow a power like Great Yi to emerge within the Eternal World. An Immortal Court possesses unmatched potential for war, organization, and conquest. If we wait until that point, Eternal Night will intervene for sure."
The Blood River Ancestor stated decisively.
Even if Eternal Night tolerated Great Yi gaining a Supreme Ancestral Vein, it would never allow the rise of a fully-formed Immortal Court. That would be the true threat to Eternal Night.
"The accumulation of fate and fortune is not something that can be achieved overnight. It takes time—more territory to draw from, more people to support it. The path of a Destiny Dynasty is no trivial matter. Every action, every word, can affect the lives of millions. To ascend to the Immortal Court, Great Yi needs a hundred years of buildup. Without a miraculous opportunity, there's no shortcut."
Yi Tianxing shook his head and said plainly.
A hundred years might not be the actual number, but he wouldn't reveal the true timeline. Besides, even with enough time, deeper accumulation never hurt. In the grand scheme of Immortal Courts, a century was barely a blink.
"What if we helped Great Yi?"
The Blood River Ancestor asked again.
This question made many of the great powers in the hall subtly change expressions—figures like Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Zeus, and various top experts from other races.
Many of them had established their own Destiny Dynasties and walked that same path of national cultivation. Asking them to help develop Great Yi would be tantamount to strengthening a potential enemy—it felt utterly wrong.
Especially Eastern Emperor Taiyi, who had personally witnessed Queen Mother of the West grow close to Yi Tianxing. To him, that was no different from stealing his woman. Now being asked to help Yi Tianxing? That was just too humiliating.
He'd rather support a monster clan Destiny Dynasty than aid a human empire like Great Yi.
So he remained silent, face darkened, saying nothing.
"What the Blood River Ancestor says is indeed wise," Carefree Wanderer said with a smile. "I've seen over a thousand Destiny Dynasties in my travels. The path is clear: territory, population, and administration. An empire thrives when its people flourish, when civilization advances. Every good national policy brings great fortune—this is the mandate of heaven. Territory is earth luck, people are human luck. Combined with heaven's will, that's how the true fate of a Dynasty is forged."
"Why not help Great Yi along those three axes—speeding up its fortune accumulation so it can ascend sooner?"
"If that's the case, then my Beastman Race will contribute."
Sacred Emperor Behemoth spoke up.
"In our Beastman-controlled realms, we'll transfer ten trillion humans to Great Yi's territory to supplement its population and foundation."
There was no emotion in his tone.
To the Beastmen, those ten trillion humans were merely slaves—used for blood sacrifices or hard labor, treated worse than pigs and dogs. Offering them to Great Yi was almost a throwaway gesture, but still an expression of sincerity.
"I heard that Great Yi sells Eternal Coin Forges," Lu Dongbin said with a light smile. "Could you give me a hundred and eighty of them? I have many friends, and they'd make excellent gifts."
"If Brother Lu wants them, of course there's no problem."
Yi Tianxing's eyes flashed with understanding.
He knew exactly why Lu Dongbin wanted them: the Eternal Coin Forges could mint Eternal Coins, and wherever Eternal Coins spread, so too would Great Yi's reputation. This brought a constant stream of invisible national fortune—the will of heaven itself. More coin forges meant more coins, more influence, and ultimately, more power returning to Great Yi. It was a perfect feedback loop.
Heaven dropping fortune from above.
"We, the Giant Race, will also donate ten trillion humans to Great Yi."
A giant powerhouse spoke up.
…
After that, more voices joined in.
Some offered coin forges, others donated human populations. Not all participated—many remained silent, unwilling to aid what they saw as a future rival.
The Monster Race, in particular, offered nothing.
Still, through this spontaneous crowd-sourcing by various great powers, Great Yi gained over three hundred trillion new citizens.
The scale of support was staggering.
"In that case, Great Yi thanks all fellow Daoists for their generosity. Upon returning, I will begin nurturing the ancestral vein and evolving it into a Supreme Ancestral Vein. Whether we succeed or not will depend on the will of heaven. But let me be clear—if heaven dares to press us, then we shall slay heaven. Great Yi will never take a single step back."
Yi Tianxing said with a calm smile.
The Nine Heavens Dao Venerates were already pushing them to the edge. The Eternal Night demons had invaded and lurked nearby. Sure, kneeling might save one's life—but Great Yi's knees would never bend. If death came, they would die standing.
This time, even if they had to gamble everything on Great Yi, they would not hesitate.
"Don't worry," the Blood River Ancestor said coldly, "As long as we can identify the Eternal Night traitors, for the sake of our Dao, we cultivators will fight to the death without hesitation."