"Will this ever end? What a bunch of bastards! That Yi fellow—will he come or not? If he's coming, then come straight at us! Hiding like a turtle every time, he's nothing but a cowardly rat, utterly disgraceful, with none of the boldness that should belong to a great overlord of the Immortal Court. I, for one, despise him! Now get up, all of you, move! No matter what, be on guard! As soon as a Well of Gods and Demons appears, hit it hard! If I don't vent this fury in my chest, I can't rest easy—I feel suffocated, tormented! I'll smash ten of them!"
In the Eternal Night, countless factions were seething with fury. Again and again—this was already beyond tolerable. Normally, they might not have cared, but the problem was that such wars touched upon the face and pride of the whole world. No matter how annoyed they were, preparations still had to be made. Whatever had to be done, had to be done.
An unnameable fire burned in their chests.
Many of the strong ones had eyes bloodshot with rage.
In Eternal Night, all races thrived on slaughter, revering only strength. The law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—was the only truth. By nature, they were belligerent and bloodthirsty, their tempers already far from good. These repeated provocations only stoked their inner flames, swelling without end.
The atmosphere in Eternal Night became oppressively heavy, as though a storm were about to break.
Three more days passed in tense waiting.
But the news was the same as before—nothing at all. The Da Yi legions once again returned, having staged nothing more than another false rehearsal.
At that, the Eternal Night world plunged into chaos.
A great many strong beings, unable to suppress their wrath any longer, went hunting their old enemies and rivals. Fierce battles erupted everywhere, terrifying powers unleashed wildly. Countless Eternal Night strongmen fell that day. The sky was dyed red with blood, every star seemed to turn crimson.
"Truly easy to toy with. These so-called prodigies of Eternal Night really need more tempering. If they crumble like this, it won't do at all. This is only the beginning. Time is plentiful—let's play slowly."
Inside the pitch-black pyramid, Yi Tianxie raised a cup of blood-wine, calmly watching the carnage and turmoil sweeping Eternal Night. The sight of the factions venting their fury delighted him as if he were watching a flawless grand play.
After venting, Eternal Night's losses would surely be tremendous.
This was, naturally, most welcome.
Even though the Well of Gods and Demons had not descended, the impact was real. That alone was the best outcome.
And this was just the beginning.
Indeed, only two months later, Da Yi again spread word that their armies were marching toward another Well of Gods and Demons. Eternal Night, receiving the news, was forced once more to raise its vigilance. Yet, imperceptibly, many factions no longer treated the matter as gravely as before. A trace of negligence crept in. After so many false alarms, their resolve and tension were wearing thin.
In their hearts, they concluded it was just another rehearsal, another false scare. Da Yi would never dare truly invade Eternal Night. Deep down, Da Yi feared them—everyone knew that storming into Eternal Night was nothing but suicide. They would not risk it.
It was just a bluff.
Indeed, the fourth alarm sounded, and still the Well of Gods and Demons did not pierce through the realms. Another false alarm.
This time, Eternal Night's forces coolly pulled back their troops and returned to their domains, as though it were all routine.
An instinctive thought arose in their minds: Da Yi simply didn't dare. Back in the Eternal Night battlefield, they had only dared to fight because the battlefield's laws suppressed the top powers, so neither side could unleash their peak strength. That was why Da Yi hadn't feared them and had dared to charge. But now, to strike directly into Eternal Night itself—there would be no suppression, only Eternal Night's full, terrifying counterattack.
Da Yi wouldn't dare.
Da Yi were cowards.
This impression began to take root deep in the minds of many Eternal Night factions, growing stronger with each passing day.
Another two months later, fresh news came.
Eternal Night raised its guard again, but their responses were perfunctory. Their wariness had weakened manyfold compared to the first time. Their attitude was more like watching a performance.
And as they expected, Da Yi still did not attack.
This repeated itself again and again.
Once!
Twice!!
Three times!!!
It went on for over a year.
Sometimes two months apart, sometimes only half a month—within a year, more than twenty alarms were raised. Yet every time it was all bluster, no real steel or blood. It was nothing but posturing, making a show of invasion for Eternal Night to see, and for the rest of the Eternal World to see. In truth, it was theater.
The Eternal Night world gradually became accustomed to it.
Every time they heard the news, they would patrol briefly, then go back to their business.
This back-and-forth dulled all concern for the Wells of Gods and Demons and the threat of invasion.
It became habit.
And habit is a terrifying thing.
Once you grow accustomed to something, you may cling to it for life.
Good habits benefit you.
Bad habits can ruin your life.
If you get used to putting something in a certain place, you'll always put it there.If you're used to drinking tea, you'll drink it for life.
And now, Eternal Night had become accustomed to Da Yi's Well of Gods and Demons openings. It was natural to them.
And that was exactly what Da Yi wanted.
"To cultivate a habit is a long process. It can be long or short—but in this case, I intend it to be as long as necessary." Yi Tianxing sat in the Immortal Palace of Da Yi, gazing at the Wells of Gods and Demons, murmuring to himself.
"Is this approach truly effective?" asked the Queen Mother of the West with some doubt.
Eternal Night was not lacking in wise men. The Brain Demons were born sages, always serving as strategists in Eternal Night. Surely, such tricks could not fool them? Perhaps they might even turn this against Da Yi, striking a cruel blow in return.
Such outcomes were possible.
"Even if the wise among Eternal Night see through it, what of it? The Eternal Night world is too vast, its star realms uncountable, its continent boundless. I merely want them to form habits. Habits can shape the tide of events. Even sages cannot overturn the ingrained habits of all Eternal Night forces. Before the current of fate, even a sage cannot change the true grand situation."
Yi Tianxing smiled faintly.
This strategy had been devised after long deliberation with Da Yi's counselors. In essence, it was simple: use repeated false assaults to keep Eternal Night on edge, until eventually, they grew used to it. Until vigilance dwindled to the lowest point.
A sage is a sage, but not everyone is one.
And not everyone listens to a sage. Not all obey.
The result he sought was exactly the "wolf has come" effect.
And more than that—not just "the wolf has come," but a tangled blend of true and false, false within true, true within false. Who could ever say for certain?
"There's a spy of Eternal Night within the Immortal Palace. Husband, why have you never revealed who it is? Leaving such a person here is too dangerous—for your consorts, for the children, it's a great threat." Cai Yan spoke.
"It doesn't matter. Everything is under my control. Within the Immortal Palace, she can do nothing. In fact, we need her to send messages. Besides, once she entered the palace, she became one of Da Yi's immortal consorts. Even if she is Eternal Night's spy, the palace has room for her. As long as she doesn't go too far, everything is negotiable."
Yi Tianxing smiled lightly, still withholding the spy's identity.
He alone knew, and that was enough. No need to sow suspicion and distance among his consorts. Day-to-day, they could live in harmony; the rest, he would shoulder himself.
"How much longer must we continue this?" asked the Queen Mother of the West curiously.
"No rush. Wait a while longer," Yi Tianxing answered calmly.
For Da Yi, time was no longer a problem. Da Yi needed time to settle, to digest, to grow stronger. Every day, Da Yi was growing. The effects of demonic corruption had been suppressed to the utmost within Da Yi's borders. Supplies showed no signs of shortage. In the surrounding realms, however, the difference was like heaven and earth. Two starkly different realities.
Crops kept failing; in many places, food was no longer sufficient.
Beasts and birds, driven by hunger, grew increasingly violent, rampaging into settlements. Slaughter became commonplace. The stability once forming was sliding toward chaos.
The trend grew more and more obvious.
Amidst such poverty, Da Yi's prosperity shone all the more brightly.
Its abundant stores and endless resources became a deadly lure for others.
As things stood, more and more human folk braved danger to come from surrounding realms each day. Void Trains roamed the regions, gathering people and spreading Da Yi's legend.
Time flowed silently.
Unnoticed, three years had passed.
It was now Eternal Era, year 103, seventh month, fifth day.
In these three years, Da Yi had spread over a hundred false reports.
On this day, the ministers once more assembled in the Hall of Knowledge and Action.
Yi Tianxing swept his gaze across them, then slowly spoke:
"Three years have passed. The time is ripe. We can begin to open the first Well of Gods and Demons and truly commence the campaign against Eternal Night. My beloved ministers—are you ready?"
End of Chapter