Chapter 584

Time passed, and the Lingyun Immortal Dynasty here entered a high‑speed development mode.

Within the court, affairs were clear and orderly; policies were communicated, talents recruited from abroad based solely on merit, and vast resources were transported in from all directions.

Originally weak, the Lingyun Immortal State began to flourish day by day with the support of Shi Hao and others.

The deepest feeling was among Lingyun's low‑level cultivators and common folk, who most clearly sensed their nation undergoing rapid, transformative change, their lives gradually improving, and their sense of belonging to the state growing stronger.

They knew all this was due to the merit of the mysterious Six Venerables, so more and more cultivators erected merit tablets for Shi Hao and the other five Venerables, burning immortal incense in worship day after day.

One could say they had won the people's hearts; whenever Shi Hao and the few others raised a call, the whole world would surely gather in response.

How could nobles and generals be of a different stock! … Wait, that's not right!

The Lingyun Immortal Dynasty was already under our control, and the Lingyun Empress Ouyang Ning had already defected, being one of us—doesn't this amount to turning against ourselves?

The several major immortal dynasties near the No‑Storage Immortal Sea have all taken notice of this newly risen Lingyun Immortal Dynasty, each sending envoys to express goodwill, and the situation here remains temporarily harmonious.

Compared to this, the overall situation in the Qinghan Immortal Prefecture appears quite turbulent.

The two great empires that dominate Qinghan have seen constant friction lately, with tensions escalating, the risk of expanding the war ever present, and war clouds have for a time shrouded the entire Qinghan Immortal Prefecture.

These two empires are respectively the Radiant God Kingdom and the Eternal Night Empire. (Immortal dynasty ranking: those with Immortal King power are kingdoms, those with Immortal Emperor power are imperial dynasties, those with Heavenly Source Immortal Venerable power are celestial dynasties, and those with God Sovereign power are god kingdoms or empires.)

These two empires control the vast majority of Qinghan's resources, land, and population; all other states wishing to survive and develop must pick a side.

Including the Lingyun Immortal Dynasty, its nominal overlord is the Radiant God Kingdom, to which Lingyun must pay heavy tribute each year for protection.

In the central region of the Qinghan Immortal Prefecture, the Radiant God Kingdom stands dominant.

The Radiant God Kingdom possesses eight hundred eighty‑eight immortal cities, its territory boundless, its strong as numerous as trees, its heavenly talents as plentiful as clouds, and its soldiers number in the tens of millions!

Moreover, it governs over ten thousand large and small immortal states, its comprehensive strength surpasses all, and it truly deserves the reputation of being the premier empire of Qinghan.

«Those slaves of the Eternal Night Empire are simply reckless! They dare repeatedly to oppose my Radiant God Kingdom! »

«Yes! These horse‑raising domestic slaves! Criminals! Fugitives! All deserve death ten thousand times! And those immortal dynasties that have defected to them—this is colluding with filth, self‑degradation! »

«They have betrayed justice, betrayed light! They will ultimately face judgment; when my god‑kingdom's troops arrive, I will surely exterminate them to the last! »

In the Radiant God Capital, atop the court of the Radiant Immortal Palace, many civil and military officials, filled with righteous indignation, submitted memorials urging a formal declaration of war against the Eternal Night Empire.

Be aware that once war is formally declared, it will engulf the entire Qinghan Immortal Prefecture, drawing tens of thousands of immortal states and countless billions of beings into the conflict.

However, these high‑ranking ministers hardly consider such matters; in their eyes the people of the Eternal Night Empire are merely pitiful rats in the darkness, deserving to be trampled underfoot, they ought not to resist, nor to oppose our god‑kingdom.

Actually, it's not surprising they think this way—the rise of the Eternal Night Empire has been nothing short of legendary!

The Eternal Night Empire lies in the barren, impoverished northern borderlands of the Qinghan Immortal Prefecture; the Radiant God Kingdom has never regarded such a place, which has long been where they exile criminals and slaves, a land utterly without order, chaotic.

Who would have thought that a Eternal Night monarch of such legendary stature would appear, unifying the entire northern frontier tens of millions of years ago to found the Eternal Night Empire, and after tens of millions of years of vigorous development actually be able to stand toe‑to‑toe with our god‑kingdom.

Thereafter the Eternal Night Empire launched a large‑scale expansion campaign, the snowball growing ever larger, with as many as ten thousand immortal states flocking to its side.

«God Sovereign, the officials are right; this old minister also advises launching a formal expedition against the Eternal Night Empire—if we let them continue developing, it will become a nightmare for the entire Qinghan Immortal Prefecture. As the Radiant God Kingdom, the first empire favored by Qinghan's people, we bear the inescapable duty to eradicate this malignant tumor. »

Another elder minister of the Radiant God Kingdom stepped forward; as a veteran of the previous dynasty, he still carries some weight in his words at court.

After hearing all the ministers' memorials, the Radiant God Sovereign, who had remained silent on the throne, surveyed the assembly and spoke solemnly: «Thus far I have refrained from war with the Eternal Night, not wishing to provoke a large‑scale conflict that would bring suffering to the beings of my Qinghan Immortal Prefecture. »

«Hmph! Who would have thought these Eternal Night folk would never repent, repeatedly infringing upon the borders of my Radiant God Kingdom! »

«I, the Emperor, have decided to formally declare war on the Eternal Night Empire in three days, mobilizing over ten thousand vassal immortal states and fielding a hundred million troops—one battle to decide the fate of heaven and earth! »

The Radiant God Sovereign's words set the entire court ablaze!

Some cried out for the god‑sovereign's benevolence, others for his sagacity; civil and military officials were all exhilarated, as if they could already see their Radiant God Kingdom destroying the Eternal Night Empire and unifying Qinghan.

«Unifying Qinghan! —an achievement countless empires throughout history have failed to attain. Once the Eternal Night is destroyed, the Radiant God Kingdom's prestige and power will surely surge again, enabling true dominion over the entire Qinghan Immortal Prefecture. »

Having resolved to go to war, the next step was to discuss the details, and the court once again fell into a hubbub of rising and falling debate.

«The eastern border is a must‑contest zone; after war begins, the Eternal Night Empire will surely station troops there, attempting to cross the No‑Storage Immortal Sea eastward for a decisive showdown with us. »

«Our vassal states over there are not particularly strong; they would likely fall at the first strike, so I suggest we now notify those countries to prepare and ship large quantities of strategic supplies there. »

After the elder minister finished speaking, a minister in scarlet robes beside him suddenly recalled something, immediately rose, clasped his hands before the throne, and said: «God Sovereign! Speaking of the No‑Storage Immortal Sea, I have the latest news from there. »

«One of our vassal states over there, the Lingyun Immortal Dynasty, has undergone a change of heaven: the three great clans that once controlled the court have all been exterminated; now the Lingyun Empress rules personally, and the Lingyun Immortal Dynasty has developed rapidly in this period, almost describable as day‑by‑day renewal. »

After the minister finished speaking, the civil and military officials present, including the Radiant God Sovereign, were somewhat puzzled: «Lingyun Immortal Dynasty? Do we even still have such a vassal state? »

«Well… there are simply too many vassal states; who can keep track of all those little countries? »

«Is such a remote, weak immortal dynasty even worth bringing to court for discussion? How far could a small immortal dynasty possibly develop? »

«Master Fu, let me interject—what rank of immortal dynasty is this Lingyun Immortal Dynasty? » the elder minister who had just presented his memorial rose to interrupt.