Liu Bowen's words stirred excitement within the grand hall. A fiery light lit up in the eyes of the officials. No matter the time, ministers and officials held an instinctive desire for more realms and broader territory. The larger the domain, the stronger the foundation of Great Yi became, and with it, its destiny and fortune grew. Everyone present stood to benefit from it.
This conquest had gone smoothly. Yi Tianxing had already revealed to them that many great powers were secretly supporting Great Yi's ascension to the Immortal Court, protecting and guiding it toward that goal. Though those powers clearly had their own intentions, they wouldn't cause trouble during the process.
Indeed, it had proven true. Realms were moving voluntarily. Some forces didn't even resist—they directly submitted to Great Yi. The kind of hidden force behind such behavior was unimaginable—it was not something ordinary.
That was support. That was favorable wind.
Now, Liu Bowen wanted to know if that wind could still be borrowed—just a little longer.
If it could, then there was no reason not to seize a few more realms while the opportunity lasted. For a Destiny Dynasty, each and every realm was of utmost importance. This was a test—if it succeeded, it would be a tremendous gain. Even if it failed, it would still reveal how much tolerance the hidden powers behind the scenes had for Great Yi's expansion. No matter the outcome, it would be beneficial.
"Will this move displease those puppet masters? Targeting the Demon Races so directly may provoke their fury and bring unnecessary casualties. It's... inelegant," Xun Yu said after a moment of thought.
Knowing when to stop was sometimes a virtue. It could leave a favorable impression with those powers, and that goodwill could be useful in the future.
"I disagree. I believe this action is viable. Even if it fails, it won't affect Great Yi at all. A reputation for being aggressive is nothing compared to the potential gain of several realms. And if it offends those powers behind the scenes—so what? Great Yi is the strongest player on the board, never a pawn."
Jia Xu smiled meaningfully, his tone decisive.
"I agree. It's risky—but the kind of risk worth taking," Zhuge Liang said without hesitation.
As long as more realms could be gained, reputation meant little. True reputation didn't come from outsiders' gossip—it came from the voice of the people. Everything else was an illusion.
"Very well. Let's test it out," Yi Tianxing said, his eyes flashing with cold determination.
After all, Great Yi had never declared its expansion complete. Publicly, it only claimed to be targeting the twelve realms currently under siege. But to ascend to an Immortal Court, more realms were always better. This reason alone could silence most critics.
After all, how a nation expanded was part of its national policy—outsiders had no right to interfere.
"How many Demon Race realms surround Great Yi at present?" Yi Tianxing asked.
Tong Huang stepped forward without hesitation. "Holy King, based on intelligence gathered by the Calamity Hall, three Demon Race realms lie near our borders: the War Tiger Realm, the Macaque Realm, and the Celestial Hound Realm."
"In the War Tiger Realm, a Tiger Race Demon Sovereign has established a Demon Destiny Dynasty, ruling with the Tiger Race as the royal bloodline. With their natural bloodline, they command vast numbers of Demon creatures. Their strength is considerable, and their behavior is extremely domineering. Human citizens within their realm are often reduced to food."
"The Macaque Realm is ruled by a Simian Race Demon Sovereign, who also established a Demon Dynasty. The simians possess extremely strong combat power."
"As for the Celestial Hound Realm, it is reportedly founded by a Celestial Hound who became a Demon sovereign. She has immense power capable of devouring sun and moon. She's said to be female and is known as the 'Mother Empress.' These three realms are all new."
"The Macaque Realm and Celestial Hound Realm are to the north, flanking the Knight Realm. The War Tiger Realm lies to the south, near the Dou Qi Realm."
Tong Huang rattled off the intelligence clearly and confidently. Though Great Yi hadn't yet marched on these realms, its agents were already spreading across nearby territories, collecting data as fast as possible. Their preparedness was evident.
"Three Demon Race realms... It seems the Demon Races have been developing rapidly. Back then, the Imperial Dew Nectar caused their numbers to explode. In that case, include these three realms in our next expansion. Once court ends, send a clear message to them—let's see how they respond."
Yi Tianxing's gaze sharpened. Were it not for the Heavenly Law decree that banned demonization within Great Yi's borders, the internal situation might have already spun out of control with Demon races proliferating.
He continued, "We mustn't only target the Demon Races. Are there Beast Race or other realms nearby? Add a few more to the list, to avoid giving the Demon Races an excuse to retaliate."
If they were going to make a move, it had to be a big one.
One could never have too many realms.
"Yes. Next to the Dou Qi Realm is the Black Iron Realm, whose people worship the Olympian pantheon. Then there's the Holy Temple Realm, which worships a deity known as the Lord God. Finally, the Pagoda Realm, dominated by Buddhist monks who convert all living beings into disciples. The Buddhist forces there are airtight—completely sealed off."
Tong Huang continued his report.
"Why are there so many faith-based realms?" Yi Tianxing frowned.
He had always disliked realms that enslaved the hearts of people through faith. In his view, such belief systems were spiritual shackles. That's why Great Yi had always been wary of Buddhist forces and never allowed them to take root.
"Add those three realms as well. Once court adjourns, make the announcement."
Yi Tianxing's gaze sharpened.
These realms might eventually come under his control, but faith-based realms were the hardest to deal with. If the gods they worshipped commanded them to die, they would gladly do so. Their minds were already enslaved—deeply rooted and hard to erase.
Such faith-marked souls were incredibly difficult to purge.
If he could take this opportunity to clear them from Great Yi's borders, it would benefit the future immensely.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be possible. But now, with so many great powers aligned toward a single goal, everything else could be set aside for the sake of guaranteed success.
Soon, court adjourned.
Edicts spread rapidly in all directions.
Newly annexed realms began transforming at full speed. New City Lords took their posts, immediately applying themselves to development. Everyone knew this was a critical test—their performance would be evaluated.
Waves of newly relocated citizens poured into the freshly established cities—especially those in realms abandoned by their former rulers. These required massive population influxes, but Great Yi had no trouble filling the gaps.
Everything was happening under the eyes of the watching powers.
They were all watching silently... and no doubt had complex thoughts.
Soon, word spread across Great Yi.
The impact on surrounding realms was immediate.
"What is that bastard Yi trying to pull? He's already taken so many realms—now he wants more? War Tiger, Celestial Hound, and Macaque are all part of our Demon Destiny Dynasties! Is he targeting us deliberately? We've already backed off once—this is outrageous!"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi (Donghuang Taiyi) exploded when he heard the announcement. To give up three more realms would be too much of a loss. To him, it was clear Yi Tianxing was provoking them on purpose.
"This time, I won't retreat. He's pushing his luck. Great Yi's expansion should've stopped already. If he keeps going, he might choke on his own ambition."
Eastern Emperor Taiyi said this bluntly to the other powers present.
"Black Iron Realm is your territory, Zeus. What do you plan to do?" Taiyi turned to Zeus, signaling they were on the same side now.
Zeus's face darkened. He thought this wave of expansion wouldn't touch his lands—he had underestimated Great Yi's appetite.
"Call a council. Invite Yi Tianxing to discuss this face-to-face," said the Blood River Ancestor (Patriarch Ming He) calmly, his expression unreadable.
"I agree," Zeus responded.
"Hmph. I'd like to see what he has to say," Eastern Emperor Taiyi sneered coldly.
Soon, Yi Tianxing received the invitation. A calm smile appeared on his lips. He exchanged a glance with Queen Mother of the West and said, "Let's go see what complaints they have about Great Yi's expansion."
"Eastern Emperor Taiyi won't yield easily," Queen Mother of the West said, slightly frowning.