Shua!
Under the glow of descending white light from the void, jade scrolls absorbed and integrated with the ancient scriptures—some even directly transcribed them in full. The words within those scriptures, drawn from the Evernight World and even from other realms previously merged into Evernight, were ancient, obscure, and difficult to comprehend.
Now, under the radiance, the scriptures underwent a visible transformation: they disassembled into countless characters, each floating freely through the air. These characters gradually reformed—not in the strange runes of Evernight, but in the Eternal World's own script, belonging to the human race and to Great Yi.
The transformed characters landed neatly onto new pages, row by row, column by column, clearly legible.
In moments, each scroll condensed into a completed jade-bound book, then floated into a white jade bookshelf to be permanently stored. The writing was now vivid and pristine—far easier to read and comprehend than the original forms.
Even the scriptures stored in jade slips were transformed into jade books. Sections tainted with the dark, twisted demonic aura of the Evernight magic paths were sealed automatically. These seals suppressed the dark nature, making the content only accessible to those with sufficient wisdom and understanding.
This miraculous process unfolded continuously.
Countless jade slips became books and filled the white jade bookshelves, becoming part of the Scripture Pavilion. The spectacle had a magical quality to it. Those within the library were left stunned—mouths agape, expressions of disbelief. No one expected such a massive influx of books to suddenly appear.
One by one, the bookshelves filled at a speed visible to the naked eye. The fragrance of ink and paper intensified rapidly throughout the library. The Book Immortals deeply inhaled this scent—each breath filled with literary essence—and expressions of delight appeared on their faces. These texts, after all, came from Evernight, from civilizations Great Yi had never possessed. They were the crystallization of many different sparks of wisdom.
This refined aura altered their very presence, making them seem more scholarly and profound. The light of wisdom surrounding them became stronger and more tangible.
Many of the transformed manuals were cultivation techniques. One complete book often broke into two, three, or even five volumes and flew off to other levels of the library. The number of manuals flying into the different floors was staggering.
The number of cultivation texts returned by Yi Tianxing was simply enormous. Some of them were supreme classics capable of guiding one all the way to the Dao-Proving Realm. Each contained a unique path to the Great Dao.
Some cultivators with sharp eyes glimpsed the titles and were shocked:
"Heavenly Devil Golden Body…"
"Demonic Extremity True Self Sutra…"
"Blood River Devours Immortal Scripture…"
"Ten Thousand Poisons Dark Demon Physique…"
Just seeing the names was enough to realize these were no ordinary techniques. The aura they gave off was chilling and sinister—like standing before countless demons. Clearly, these were Dark cultivation methods, not of the orthodox righteous path.
"Why does it feel like most of these new manuals are dark or even outright evil? That 'Demonic Eye Sutra'... just reading the title gave me chills. I swear I saw dark eyes opening in front of me—and even got goosebumps."
"Yeah, same here. I think I even saw a group of stunning demonesses flash before my eyes. Beautiful... but terrifying."
As more and more people witnessed the transformation and assimilation of these Evernight scriptures into Great Yi's library system, an unsettling realization took root:
The total number of books in the Scripture Pavilion had doubled.
That alone was earthshaking. No matter how Great Yi had acquired them, this massive haul of scriptures would have profound long-term effects.
Many cultivators were eager to find something new—something suitable for their own cultivation or to gain more insight and knowledge.
"This is just the first batch," Yi Tianxing told the Book Immortal."More scriptures are on their way."
He wasn't exaggerating. The Myriad-Evil Hall was working tirelessly to collect these materials. Civilizations lost in the Evernight World were too numerous to count, each with at least tens of millions of books. Even if only fragments remained, the accumulation would be enormous. This batch was just the beginning. Absorbing these Evernight scriptures to deepen Great Yi's foundation—this was the true long-term strategy.
The moment this process started, it caused a huge stir across Great Yi.
Masses of cultivators and officials flocked to the Scripture Pavilion. Even students from the Immortal (undying) Academy came in droves. In Great Yi, books were sacred—they represented knowledge, wisdom, and legacy.
Every day, countless cultivators came to the Scripture Pavilion, thirsting for the knowledge and insight held within these books.
Two Months Later…
Unknowingly, two months had passed.
During this time, several major events took place.
The Grotesque Domain was completely conquered.
The newly established Eerie Sect had matured.
With a single thought, they could now unleash endless grotesque and twisted beings from their sect gates—sweeping through the heavens and earth.
Thus, Great Yi added yet another realm to its control.
Now, the territory of Great Yi had expanded to encompass fourteen realms.
Massive populations surged into the Grotesque Domain. One after another, immortal cities sprang up like mushrooms after the rain. The resulting fate energy continuously gathered over Xuanhuang City and merged into the Destiny True Dragon.
This conquest brought in over 15 trillion new citizens, greatly bolstering the empire's foundation.
The March 15 Imperial Examination
Another major imperial exam was held.
This round saw many new prodigies rise—many of whom had skipped the previous exam in November to better prepare themselves. The extra time paid off: a large number of outstanding talents emerged with impressive results.
Among them was Liu Jinyuan.
After the exam, over a million new talents qualified to serve as city lords, waiting only for openings to step into leadership. Many from the previous batch had already been appointed to new cities within the Grotesque Domain.
Countless others looked on with envy—they too dreamed of governing a city and stepping onto the grand stage of the Great Yi Holy Court.
With these two consecutive imperial exams, Great Yi's talent reserve had become incredibly strong. Even if they conquered ten more realms, they would have enough capable hands to manage them.
Eternal Year 52, Sixth Month
Time passed quietly.
Suddenly—
DONG… DONG… DONG…
Resounding bell chimes echoed through the skies.
From the heavens descended a long cloud staircase, upon which rows of Great Yi officials, dressed in formal court robes, ascended solemnly toward the Chaotian Hall in the Holy King Palace.
Each face was serious, their expressions hinting at the gravity of what was to come.
"Greetings to the Holy King—may your fortune and longevity be boundless!"
The officials entered the hall, bowing in unison when they saw Yi Tianxing appear.
"Rise, my beloved subjects," he said with a calm nod and a gesture to lift them.
"Thank you, Holy King!"
After the ceremonial greetings, Yi Tianxing began the meeting.
"We have now rested and consolidated for nearly a year. Let us hear the current state of the realm."
The first to step forward was Xun Yu:
"Reporting to the Holy King, Great Yi now controls fourteen major realms. The newly acquired Grotesque Domain is still in early development but is progressing rapidly. Due to the nature of the realm, it has very few foreign races—making it ideal for full-scale expansion. Additionally, its resource deposits are abundant, especially its mineral wealth. With targeted development, it will soon catch up to the other realms."
"However, according to our protocols, some city lords will need to rotate. Several top-performing officials should return to the Holy Capital for reassignment. We'll also need to dispatch a new group of city lord–level talents to take over the new cities."
Yi Tianxing nodded.
"Approved. Let the Tiande Hall evaluate their merits and submit a recommendation. Afterward, we'll discuss their appointments. Let us give the younger generation more opportunities."
Then Xu Zhizai stepped forward:
"All granaries across the realm are full. Though we receive no natural rain, the Dragon Clan has fulfilled their role in weather regulation. We have bountiful harvests everywhere. The surplus is vast. Even if we halted all farming today, our current reserves would feed the entire population of Great Yi for one hundred years—enough to support any future wars."
With that, officials from all departments presented their reports—on civil matters, military strength, and resource stockpiles. Every indicator pointed to massive improvements since the last review.
Yi Tianxing finally declared:
"Very good. Since Great Yi has finished recuperating, it's time to expand once again. We have twelve target realms. One has already fallen. Eleven remain. What are your thoughts?"
"Tiance Palace and the Military Intelligence Pavilion should already have draft plans. Let us discuss them now."