"Many thanks, Mister Jia. This is the letter of surrender."
The Holy Emperor took a deep breath and produced a formal document—already prepared before this decisive battle. Handing it over meant one thing: the Holy Empire would cease to exist, and this land would officially become part of Great Yi. Even he himself would live under Great Yi's rule. What the future held would depend entirely on Great Yi's attitude toward them.
He had done all he could for the Holy Empire in the decisive battle. This was not inaction, but powerlessness. A mantis trying to stop a chariot—it was never going to succeed. Joining Great Yi, at the very least, offered the common people immense opportunities and fortune.
"The Emperor choosing to surrender is undoubtedly the best outcome. His Majesty, the Sacred King, has great respect for heroic and capable rulers like yourself. He always welcomes such talents with open arms and treats all subjects equally—no discrimination. In time, Your Majesty will see this clearly."
Jia Xu smiled as he spoke.
He held high regard for the Holy Emperor. A man who could make such a decisive call was not someone to remain obscure. Even if he never ruled an empire again, as long as he retained his ambition, he could certainly carve out a great future. In the military, he could easily become a top-tier legion commander.
In that battle, the Holy Emperor hadn't lost due to poor strategy, but rather due to a difference in true strength and cultivation. Naturally, he was outmatched in every way. But in this world, strength was the foundation—without it, there was nothing to say, no room to be unconvinced.
The law of the jungle—this was the ultimate truth.
Not only in the Knight Domain, but also in the Totem Domain, the contest between Great Yi and the barbarian tribes had already concluded.
Ten duels had been arranged. Great Yi sent its elite—the top-tier enshrined warriors from the Tongtian Pavilion: Zhiqiu Yiye, Fu Hongxue, Ye Gucheng, A Qing, Yuan Gang, Bu Jingyun, Yuan Shisanxian, Liu Wuhen, Wu Yue, and Wang Xiaohu.
In the ten matches, Great Yi won eight and lost two—securing decisive victory.
Having witnessed the outcome, the numerous barbarian tribes in the Totem Domain made no fuss and directly expressed their willingness to submit to Great Yi's rule.
The barbarians were, as always, simple and straightforward.
Once they agreed, their word was as firm as iron—they never went back on it.
Just like that, both the Totem Domain and the Knight Domain came under Great Yi's control.
Great Yi wasted no time in dispatching personnel to the newly acquired domains. The existing cities were either dismantled or directly replaced by brand-new Great Yi Immortal Cities. Once replaced, surrounding residents were given priority to move in.
The old cities were reclaimed and handed over to the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, to be reforged into new Immortal Cities.
Take the Knight Domain for example. The cities of the former Holy Empire were densely distributed. Their sizes and populations varied. Within a thousand li, there could be a dozen cities. Some held hundreds of thousands of people, but more often only tens of thousands. A city with a population of one million was considered a major metropolis—rare and impressive.
But Great Yi didn't care about those metrics.
Once a Great Yi Immortal City descended, it alone would serve a region of 3,000 li radius. All surrounding cities and villages were dismantled and shipped back to Great Yi for restructuring. Some of these towns were built using Village Tokens, and could be reforged into Immortal Cities. Others, built by commoners, could not, and had to be demolished or abandoned.
In any case, no one was allowed to live in them anymore. All people had to relocate into the Immortal Cities.
This was not only for security, but also to accelerate integration, fostering a stronger sense of belonging to Great Yi.
The new Immortal Cities were not exclusively populated by citizens of the former Holy Empire. They also included transplants from existing Great Yi territories, as well as new residents from the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda. Each city housed at least five million people: 10% were old Great Yi citizens (called "Old Yi People"), 60% from the Knight Domain, and 30% from the new settlers.
This ratio—painstakingly calculated and tested—was designed to ensure maximum assimilation speed through the cultural influence of the Old Yi People.
Within this structure, the Holy Empire cooperated fully. Nobles and civilians alike offered no resistance. The nobles had been promised that they could retain their wealth, and if they had exceptional talents, they could undergo testing and be promoted into Great Yi's officialdom.
Of course, they had to relearn everything—language, writing, laws, and regulations.
Only those who mastered these could enter the political arena of Great Yi.
Still, the path forward remained open to them. And that alone was an enormous reward for their surrender. Whether they seized the opportunity was up to them.
Because of that hope, the entire population of the Holy Empire cooperated wholeheartedly.
When told to relocate, they relocated. When instructed to change, they changed.
No hesitation.
As for the common people—they opposed nothing.
Even though most people in the Knight Domain had white skin, their appearance and color did not change the fact that they were still human. Great Yi's benefits were simply too generous. Upon joining, anyone could go to the Great Yi Scripture Pavilion to choose a basic cultivation method. Everyone received enough food to last three full meals a day, for an entire year—all given immediately after registration and issuance of a Heavenly Household Registration Card (Tianji Card).
It's worth noting that the Tianji Card had undergone multiple upgrades. The Heavenly Craft Pavilion had innovated again—this time embedding a small piece of Sumeru Stone, endowing the card with spatial attributes. Inside each Tianji Card was a 2-meter cubed storage space, enough to store a year's worth of food and other daily essentials.
Upon issuance, the card was bound by blood, merging with the owner's body. The supplies were already stored inside.
If needed, this space could be expanded by refining more space-type materials. The Tianji Card's internal formation could absorb and refine such materials to enlarge the internal space. However, unless under special circumstances, living beings could not be stored inside.
This was just one of the many welfare policies Great Yi offered to its citizens.
Of course, this was made possible only because Great Yi had recently discovered several Sumeru Mines within its territories—including one large mine. Without this resource, these generous benefits would have remained a pipe dream.
Even now, Great Yi had an insatiable demand for Sumeru Stone.
Fortunately, a number of mines had already been discovered in the sea regions—gifts of the great fusion of worlds.
"So this… this is what it's like to be a citizen of Great Yi? A storage space inside the household card, a full year of food, a house to live in for 100 years, a cultivation method to become a cultivator… It's like a dream."
A citizen from the Knight Domain trembled as he held his Tianji Card. It was purely from excitement.
A space treasure—in the Holy Empire, only nobles ever had such things. For a commoner, it was impossible. Yet here, everyone had one.
The difference was astronomical.
Great Yi wasn't just an empire—it was an immortal dynasty.
Here, even a commoner could rival the status of nobles from the old world.
That kind of transformational shift was unimaginable.
Their old worldview shattered. In its place rose a sense of identity, pride, and above all—belonging.
"From today onward, we are Yi people. In Great Yi, all are equal. We never have to fear starving again. Not only can we eat our fill—we can also grow stronger. This… this is the real immortal dynasty. Where everyone is like a dragon. If we try, we too can become dragon-slaying heroes."
Countless citizens rejoiced in their hearts.
Their spirits, their essence, their energy—it all changed dramatically.
Even the way they stood, their posture—backs straight, chins high—radiated newfound confidence and pride.
"So this… is the magic of Great Yi. Just by joining, everything changes. My Holy Empire… falls far short."
All this unfolded before the former Holy Emperor's eyes.
Seeing it with his own eyes, his heart was filled with complicated emotions—loss, awe, and self-reflection. He had once been the ruler of these people, but now, he realized how much better things had become under Great Yi.
There was no denying it.
"King of Auras, what do you think of the current state of affairs?"Jia Xu appeared beside him, smiling.
The edict had already come down. The Holy Emperor had been granted the title of King of Auras, with the "Holy" designation no longer permitted. Since he had mastered aura-based divine arts, he had been given a fitting title.
He was granted the rank of foreign king, with the full benefits of a Great Yi noble, and appointed as Legion Commander of the Holy Light Legion—his troops formed from the original Holy Knights. One million strong—fully equipped and fully manned.
He was the only foreign king allowed to command an army.
The King of Auras had no objections. In fact, he let out a breath of relief.
Great Yi had truly shown magnanimity.
"This is the air of an immortal dynasty. I am ashamed in comparison. The Sacred King's virtue is truly unmatched in the world. With such leadership… Great Yi shall surely ascend as an immortal court."
He inhaled deeply, genuine admiration filling his voice.