"This Great Yi… truly cunning to the extreme. That Iron-Blood Great Wall is just too abhorrent. It devours endless corpses to continuously expand, and the Sealed Realm along with it. Now it has even engulfed our Skywood Island. This is outright aggression!"An alien cultivator who witnessed it firsthand had a dark expression and could not hide his fury."This is naked invasion."
"We have no choice. The Great Yi Emperor's court wages war from a position of leisure and strength. Inside the Sealed Realm, who can resist their conquest? We've already been devastated by the tidal waves of the sea. If we tried to oppose Great Yi now, we'd be courting annihilation," said another clear-minded alien cultivator bitterly.
No matter how indignant they felt, they could only endure it.
Might is right—that was the harsh truth of the world.
"Damn it! Skywood Island has just been taken over by the Great Yi Emperor's court like that! This is blatant opportunism! All that crap about righteousness and greatness—they're just bandits!"
Even more alien cultivators gnashed their teeth and roared in anger.It was a bitter mix of helplessness and fury. Their tribes and powers had been devastated, while Great Yi continued expanding—like effortlessly picking up free pie. And as the war dragged on, the "pies" kept coming. Who knew how much territory Great Yi's Sealed Realm would cover in the end? Just thinking about it made countless aliens feel like their heads would explode.
Why?
Why should all the benefits go to Great Yi?!
It was utterly unfair.
But no matter the resentment, they could only watch helplessly as one after another Immortal City rose upon Skywood Island. These cities rapidly gathered the surrounding spiritual veins, transformed into dragon veins, and floated firmly on the water's surface. At the same time, the Mountains and Rivers Society Map Feng Shui Array swiftly spread across the entire island.
As soon as the cities were established, a large number of human civilians began migrating in. Teleportation arrays activated, and waves of bounty hunters moved in—ready to suppress any rebellious alien activity. Any sign of unrest would bring down Great Yi's thunderous wrath.
Unknowingly, Great Yi's territory had grown immensely.
And with it, so did its national fortune—the True Dragon of Fate expanded significantly in size.
This sudden expansion did not go unnoticed—especially not by the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin races, who had been closely watching every battlefield movement. Even though the current battles were limited to the sub-branches—scaled beasts, avians, and wild beasts—the outcome would inevitably affect the main tribes.
Even though Great Yi had already become an Emperor's Court, no one dared truly let their guard down against it.
Its sudden expansion was noted by all three tribes.
The Sea Dragon King's face darkened as he stared deeply in the direction of Great Yi."That's my good son-in-law, alright. Not letting a single opportunity slip. Without a sound, he's already brought an entire island under control. That Iron-Blood Great Wall is indeed a major problem."
He spoke in a low murmur.
Great Yi's timing had been masterful—acting precisely when others couldn't intervene. This expansion came directly as a result of the three tribes' war. If their mutual slaughter hadn't produced so many corpses, how could Great Yi have added another island so quickly to its domain? The Iron-Blood Great Wall's ability to devour corpses and expand made it a truly terrifying force.
Once the three-way war escalates, the corpses will be endless. If the wall continues absorbing them… then what? Today it's one island. Tomorrow—will the entire Vast Sea Realm be wrapped into Great Yi's territory?
They must contain Great Yi.If allowed to expand like this, what would that make the three tribes? Idiots?
It couldn't be allowed. Even if Great Yi's territory was still relatively small compared to the whole sea realm, this rate of expansion was unsustainable. This was death by a thousand cuts.
Meanwhile, in the Phoenix Clan, the Phoenix Queen smiled faintly while glancing toward the Sea Dragon Palace."This Great Yi is quite amusing. But the one who should really be worried is that old mudfish."
The Dragon Clan clearly had the most to lose.If conflict broke out between the Dragon Clan and Great Yi, the Phoenix Clan would be happy to sit and watch. After all, it didn't concern them directly.
She looked up into the sky.
What truly concerned her… were the fifteen moons still slowly descending.
The closer they came, the more intense the tidal surges grew. The ocean never receded. With seawater present, the sea beasts had a major battlefield advantage.
Even now, the avian and wild beast tribes were unable to suppress the sea beasts. Every clash was bitter and bloody.
"These fifteen moons must not get any closer to the Eternal World. The consequences would be too great."The Phoenix Queen murmured.
From what she knew, her clan's upper ranks were already preparing to forcefully drive the moons away. Likely, they would act soon. The moons' continued descent had far too much unpredictable influence on the war.
Even the Qilin Clan was making its own preparations.
Somewhere in the Vast Sea Realm, atop a small hill…
A large group of human refugees stood huddled together, their faces filled with terror and despair. Soaked through, shivering in the cold wind, they looked utterly ragged. The hill was packed with people. Cries echoed constantly through the air.
In the surrounding waters, corpses of human civilians floated. Survivors still struggled in the waves.
Mothers called for lost children. Siblings searched for family. Fathers screamed for their sons. Husbands wept for wives. Every sound pierced the soul with sorrow.
Many who tried to swim to higher ground lost strength halfway and drowned.
The scene was a nightmare made real.
Their homes and factions had been completely destroyed by the sea's tidal waves. Everything they had built over the years was gone.
"Damn it! Ten years of effort—all washed away! I, Hua Rong, refuse to accept this!"A young man shouted in fury. Despite his ragged appearance, he had striking eyes, fair skin, sharp brows, and a slim yet strong frame. Clad in silver armor, he held a silver spear and carried a silver bow on his back.
Anyone seeing him would call him a valiant and dashing general.
His name was Hua Rong. A master of both spear and bow, an elite archer whose skill was nearly divine. Since the Eternal World's fusion, he had gathered followers to found Clear Wind Village, which had grown into Clear Wind City.
They had been on the verge of significant development—until the sea tides came.
The walls were crushed, the city submerged. The people scattered or drowned.
Their entire foundation… wiped out.
But the worst part—was seeing the people die. So many innocents, lost to the waves.
"If anyone can save these people, I—Hua Rong—swear to serve them as horse or ox, to repay their grace!"
He howled toward the sky.
At that moment—
Whoosh!
A silver-white flash split the sky.
A train appeared in midair above the hill, its body glowing faintly. Two ancient characters glowed on its side: "Hope" (希望).
Click.
The train doors opened.
A figure clad in phantasmic armor appeared at the entrance, shouting:
"A natural disaster has struck, bringing calamity upon our people.
By decree of the Emperor of Great Yi, the Hope-class Void Train has come to the Vast Sea Realm to rescue human civilians.
All those willing shall be taken to the Great Yi Emperor's court.
Those enveloped by the divine guiding light will be transported aboard.
If you resist mentally, the guiding light will not act.
The train will not wait—choose carefully!"
As the words fell, beams of silver guiding light descended, enveloping the entire hill.
"It's Great Yi… It's the Emperor's court!"
"We're saved! We're saved!"
"Great Yi never forgot us! It really came!"
"Take me! I want to go to Great Yi!"
The survivors erupted in cries of joy, their faces shining with hope.The name Great Yi had already become sacred—deeply etched into their hearts.
Hua Rong's expression changed to disbelief."It's… from the Great Yi Emperor's court…"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Guiding light flickered.
One by one, survivors were drawn up into the sky and aboard the train. Even some struggling in the water were pulled to safety.
The Hope Train didn't linger.
It swept through the realm, light descending wherever it passed, rescuing more and more.
When it reached capacity, it turned and sped back to Great Yi.
Seven days passed.
And then—on that day—
From the void came a piercing phoenix cry.