In the Eternal World, ascending to an Emperor Dynasty level made one stand out as a unique and unmatched existence. The higher the rank of a Destiny Dynasty, the greater the benefits it conferred upon everything within its domain, resulting in a dramatic overall advancement. Take the Great Yi Dynasty, for instance—if it were merely a kingdom rather than a dynasty, there was no way it could have developed its strength so rapidly. The blessings granted by destiny are immeasurable.
If that's true for a dynasty, then an Emperor Dynasty would be even more so.
Previously, due to the chaos of Heaven and Earth, the mutual suppression and balance of power among the various races, and the descent of natural calamities, many forces had no choice but to watch as Great Yi advanced to a dynasty without interference. But the current situation had changed. The Dragon Clan now stared intently at Great Yi, while the Qilin and Phoenix Clans were no pushovers either. Seeing Great Yi growing stronger made the Dragon Clan uneasy—hence the recent probing through the beast tide.
If Great Yi ever truly attempted to ascend to an Emperor Dynasty, forces from all sides would likely exert immense pressure. The weight of such pressure would be overwhelming.
When faced with real and immediate interests, so-called marriage alliances were nothing more than trivialities—not even worth mentioning.
At present, the Destiny True Dragon of Great Yi had grown to over a thousand zhang long, and clouds of meritorious virtue now shrouded the skies above Xuanhuang City. From this alone, it was clear that Great Yi possessed the full foundation required to ascend to an Emperor Dynasty—it could happen at any time. The only thing holding them back was the threat of external catastrophe.
"The baleful aura in the world is growing denser by the day. The Heavenly Secrets have become chaotic, making it impossible to divine the future. The rise of baleful qi clouds the mind and spirit, dulling all perception. War is drawing near. The Dragon Clan is already showing signs of restlessness. The number of dragon-blooded sea beasts is overwhelming. According to investigations, those sea beasts are no longer confined to the oceans—they can come ashore."
The true number of sea beasts in the ocean was impossible to estimate. All anyone knew was that the ocean held an uncountable multitude. If they all surged onto land, they could drown the entire continent. These dragon-blooded sea beasts exhibited incredible vitality and astounding adaptability—some fish had even grown dragon wings and taken flight. That wasn't rare at all. Moreover, "sea beasts" did not just refer to fish.
Their forms and types were bizarre and innumerable. How many had mutated was anyone's guess.
Even if these sea beasts were merely cannon fodder, their sheer numbers were an overwhelming threat. Given time, the sea could continuously spawn endless waves of them. The ocean was the Dragon Clan's unshakable foundation.
"So what Mister Jiang means is: once the Dragon Clan can no longer restrain themselves and begin sending the dragon-blooded sea beasts to invade the land and engulf the world, and as war breaks out between them and the Qilin and Phoenix Clans, they will be too preoccupied to meddle with Great Yi. That will be our window for promotion," said Xun Yu.
It would be just like during the era of natural disasters. Even though everyone knew Great Yi was ascending, no one could stop it. That kind of opportunity would dramatically reduce the chains of karma and tribulation.
But when that time would come—no one could say.
If Great Yi wanted the three major clans to stay out of its affairs, it would need those clans to be locked in fierce, intractable war. Only then would an opening appear. That moment might come in a year, two, or even a hundred. No one could predict how long the wait would be.
"The day of the marriage alliance with the Phoenix and Qilin clans is approaching. Once that's completed, Great Yi will seal its borders and wait for the opportune moment," said Yi Tianxing after a moment's thought, making his decision.
The two marriage alliances were scheduled for the same day: the third day of the third lunar month.
Each clan was sending a highly respected noblewoman. The Phoenix Clan's candidate was Princess Hongluan, the eldest princess of the Phoenix bloodline from the Hanhai Realm. The Qilin Clan was sending Princess Moxue, a favored daughter of the royal lineage. Clearly, both clans were taking this alliance very seriously.
This wasn't some perfunctory gesture—they had selected true royal heirs.
Yi Tianxing had seen their portraits. Both women were stunning, with distinct temperaments that left deep impressions after just a single glance.
In the Crystal Palace of the Hanhai Dragon Palace…
Inside the hall, the Hanhai Dragon King sat with the elite of the Dragon Palace, watching a mirror that displayed the battlefield outside Expedition City. Silence reigned in the hall.
"Everyone, what do you think of the Great Yi Dynasty?" the Dragon King asked, breaking the quiet.
"Very strong," a dragon warrior said, exhaling slowly. "That was one of their army corps—the Blue Legion—equipped with a Blue Sky Warship. We've known about the Heaven Warships before, but we never expected one to be so powerful. A single warship and army corps suppressed an entire beast tide. If they have several of these corps, the threat becomes truly significant."
They had expected to see Great Yi overwhelmed, forced to reveal its strength. Instead, before the beast tide even reached the city, it had been completely annihilated.
A total loss of face.
Instead of intimidating Great Yi, they had unintentionally put its strength on full display—like building a stage only for someone else to steal the spotlight.
"Our intelligence suggests there are Seven Sky Warships, each a different color, and they likely possess different abilities. Only the Blue Legion has appeared so far. We don't know if the others exist, but with billions of citizens, Great Yi could easily form multiple legions. Five hundred thousand per corps is nothing to them," said Prime Minister Turtle.
Great Yi's armies resided in the Military Soul Battle Realm, and information about them was a top-level secret. No one could enter or exit without permission. As a result, any data about Great Yi's military was speculative—but even the most conservative guesses painted a terrifying picture.
If one corps was that strong, then how terrifying would several be?
And the Dragon Clan couldn't act directly. Their strongest experts were confined within the Dragon Palace—any attempt to emerge would bring about Heaven's Retribution.
They had to rely on the dragon-blooded sea beasts. But these cannon-fodder creatures were proving ineffective against Great Yi. This sparked frustration and helplessness within the Dragon Clan.
"Humans are natural Tao bodies. Once they begin cultivating, they can rapidly gain power. Though most are limited by talent, with such a massive population, even selecting one in ten thousand yields countless prodigies. Destiny Dynasties gather Heaven and Earth's fortune, accelerating the rise of geniuses," said a dragon cultivator.
This was the true wonder of destiny—and the real reason they feared Great Yi.
"Your Majesty," Prime Minister Turtle continued, "our spies report that Great Yi sent envoys to both the Qilin and Phoenix territories to propose alliances. Both clans have agreed. The weddings will take place very soon."
"The Great Yi Dynasty truly is ambitious," said Ao Qi with a cold snort. "They refused to marry a dragon princess from our palace, yet now they want to wed princesses from the Qilin and Phoenix clans? This is clearly an attempt to weaken our influence and use the other two clans to counterbalance us. They think we won't see through this?"
It was obvious. Great Yi wanted to divide and conquer, sitting on the mountain while the tigers fought. They had no intention of submitting to the Dragon Palace's control.
"Very well. Since they accepted our marriage proposal, they are linked to us. If they now want to bring in the other two clans, we will ensure those weddings never happen," said the Hanhai Dragon King calmly, but with a firm glint in his eyes.
"Father, are you planning to intercept and assassinate the wedding convoys before they arrive?" asked Ao Ying.
There was no other effective method.
"Exactly. If they never reach Great Yi, the marriages can't go through. We must monitor both clans' territories. The moment they mobilize, report it. These alliances must not be allowed to succeed."
"Yes! Let Great Yi see the Dragon Clan's stance. Marry into our clan—fine. But don't even dream of marrying the others."
The other dragon warriors voiced their agreement one after another. They didn't see obstructing a royal wedding as an act of treachery—there was nothing the Dragon Clan wouldn't dare to do.
Orders were swiftly dispatched.
And just like that, the sea beasts within Great Yi's territory… suddenly grew quiet once more.