Qin Dynasty, Land of Hundred Yue.
Hundred Yue City.
Yan Lingji stared at the ranking, momentarily stunned, then immediately burst into laughter.
"That scumbag's Ming Dynasty actually got overtaken by some unknown nation."
"I bet he's really upset right now!"
"I wish I could see the look on his face."
"What do you think this mysterious Vast Sea Dynasty is all about?"
"In all our Hundred Yue intelligence reports, there's never been any information on them."
"To surpass the Ming Dynasty and Qin Dynasty, they must not be underestimated."
"In fact, I have a terrifying suspicion. What if that Sage Realm cultivator from before was from the Vast Sea Dynasty?"
"If that's true, then we're in trouble."
"I wonder if that scumbag could even match that person?"
Though she spoke lightly, both Yan Lingji and the other women like the Eastern Monarch Yan Fei cared deeply about Zhu Houzhao's life.
"Don't worry too much. That guy has already reached the Great Perfection God Demon Realm."
"With his talent, advancing to the Sage Realm shouldn't be difficult."
"Even now, with his Fourth Cycle and mastery of half of the Sword Dao's essence, he's no weaker than a Sage Realm cultivator."
Zi Nu sighed and quickly tried to boost their morale.
Still, her voice carried a tone of concern.
No one could say for sure what would happen when someone reached the Sage Realm.
What if the God Demon Realm really couldn't match up? That would be disastrous.
The safest course was for that scumbag to break through to the next level as soon as possible.
Only then would he stand a chance against the opponent.
Even if he lost, at least his life could be preserved.
"This world is getting scarier by the day."
"I feel like with the Nine Provinces war about to erupt, even our Hundred Yue City won't be able to stay out of it."
"Especially with Ying Zheng of the Qin Dynasty. There's no way he'll ignore our presence under his nose."
"Once he finishes off the Six Kingdoms Alliance and the Hundred Schools of Thought, his next target will be us."
"Just yesterday, envoys from the Six Kingdoms Alliance came to persuade me to join them."
"What do you all think? Should Hundred Yue join forces to resist Ying Zheng?"
"With Ying Zheng's foundation and Qin Dynasty's power, the Six Kingdoms alone aren't his match."
Soon, the group of women began discussing the recent wars involving the Qin Dynasty.
Ying Zheng had sent the newly "resurrected" Lord of War, Bai Qi, to wage an all-out attack on the remnants of the Six Kingdoms.
All of the Qin Dynasty was engulfed in terrifying battles.
The Six Kingdoms Alliance was crumbling under the onslaught and was on the verge of collapse.
"Yan Lingji, are you really going to join this war?"
"Once you're in, it might be impossible to back out."
Zi Nu looked at Yan Lingji with a serious expression.
"I have no choice. I must think about the future of Hundred Yue City."
"Aren't you afraid that Ying Zheng and the Six Kingdoms Alliance will both try to use you?"
"The Six Kingdoms are no fools. How could they lose this badly?"
"Even if Bai Qi has returned, they should at least be able to put up a fight."
"It should take years of war, not just a month for them to fall."
"There's no way the Six Kingdoms lack talent!"
"The Xiang Clan, the Mohist School, parts of the Agricultural School, even Zhang Liang of the Confucian School... none of them are easy to deal with."
"All these years, they've been secretly building strength."
"If you tell me this defeat wasn't part of a scheme, I just can't believe it."
Zi Nu shook her head, her expression serious.
"Your Majesty, just now, a man dressed in black delivered a letter."
"He said it must be handed to you personally."
Suddenly, a female guard from the Queen's palace stepped forward and reported.
Then she handed over the letter.
"Who was he?"
"I don't know. After delivering the letter, he left immediately."
"I had people try to follow him, but they lost him in an instant."
"So I came back to report."
Yan Lingji, Zi Nu, and Eastern Monarch Yan Fei exchanged glances, surprise and confusion flickering in their eyes.
"Open it and take a look."
"It seems like someone has their eyes on Hundred Yue City."
"Is it Ying Zheng, the Six Kingdoms, or perhaps one of the Hundred Schools of Thought?"
"Let's read it first and find out."
"Be cautious. It might be a trap."
"Understood."
Yan Lingji carefully opened the letter.
It was an ordinary message with no signs of poison or hidden tricks.
Her eyes scanned the content quickly.
Soon, she finished reading, and her expression shifted to shock, confusion, and rage.
The aura around her also began to fluctuate.
"That scumbag sent someone with a secret message!"
"You all should read it too!"
"Looks like he hasn't forgotten about us after all."
"He's been watching over our safety all this time."
"If it weren't for this warning, Hundred Yue City might have fallen into someone's trap."
"This is outrageous. How dare they try to manipulate me!"
"If not for that scumbag's warning, I might have rushed off and killed the mastermind on the spot."
Yan Lingji fumed with anger, her eyes burning with fury.
Zi Nu and Eastern Monarch Yan Fei took the letter and quickly read through it.
Finally, they sighed deeply.
"I can't believe it was him!"
"He's still alive, hiding behind the scenes all these years."
"Even more shocking, so many things that have happened in the Qin Dynasty all trace back to him in some way."
"What a deep mind. What ruthless methods."
"Treating everyone as pawns in his game, his ambition is terrifying."
"Compared to Ying Zheng, this man is a hundred, a thousand times worse."
"And now, he's set his sights on Hundred Yue City."
"If that scumbag hadn't sent this letter in time, Yan Lingji, you would have fallen for it."
"The consequences would've been unthinkable."
Zi Nu and Eastern Monarch Yan Fei were both deeply shaken.
Their hatred for the mastermind grew stronger.
Just to satisfy his ambition, he was trying to plunge the entire world into war.
Countless lives would be lost.
This man was no better than Ying Zheng.
Ying Zheng was the Qin Emperor and fought for dominance.
This mastermind, at best, was just a schemer hiding in the shadows.
"Zi Nu, Fei Yan, I can't let this go. I want to kill him myself!"
Yan Lingji spoke through gritted teeth.
"Don't be reckless. If you do that, you'll be playing right into Ying Zheng's hands."
"And the Six Kingdoms' wrath would all fall onto Hundred Yue City."
"That would be the most foolish outcome."
"Let him be for now."
"We'll just sit back and watch as Ying Zheng clashes with that schemer."
"With Ying Zheng's tactics, the mastermind doesn't stand a chance and will eventually be forced into hiding."
"That will be our opportunity to strike and crush him once and for all."
Zi Nu said with hatred in her voice.
In her heart, such manipulative cowards hiding in the dark were the most despicable.
Even worse than outright villains.
If given the chance, she wouldn't hesitate to destroy him.
"Fine, but this time, we really owe it to that scumbag."
"If not for his letter, Hundred Yue City would be in ruins."
"Hmph, always watching us in secret but never showing his face."
"Are we really that unworthy of his affection?"
Years of separation had left Yan Lingji with a lingering ache in her heart.
She longed to throw everything aside like Nongyu and Hong Lian, rushing into the Ming Imperial Palace just to be with that scumbag every day.
How wonderful that would be.
But that was only wishful thinking.
Behind her stood the people of Hundred Yue City.
At the very least, she needed to train a worthy successor first.
==========
Qin Dynasty, the city where the former capital of the Chu Kingdom once stood.
In a manor that was neither too big nor too small, a middle-aged man dressed in purple sat at the head seat. A serious look flashed in his eyes.
"I truly didn't expect that Bai Qi of the Qin Dynasty was still alive."
"Back then, didn't he die under the Earth Marsh Twenty-Four Formations of the Six Hall Masters from the Agricultural School?"
"How could he still be alive now?"
"Was the one who died back then a fake?"
The man in purple looked at the elderly man in hemp clothes sitting below him and asked in confusion.
"Looks like we were fooled. Bai Qi must have faked his death."
"Back then, Bai Qi's merit overshadowed his Emperor. Even if he hadn't died at the hands of the Agricultural School, he would've been killed by King Zhao of Qin Dynasty."
"Our Agricultural School killing Bai Qi was, in a way, saving him."
"But the current Qin Emperor, Ying Zheng, is not the same as King Zhao. He can tolerate Bai Qi."
"More than that, he can make full use of him."
"The idea of one's merit overshadowing the Emperor is a joke in Ying Zheng's eyes."
"Bai Qi is now an even more terrifying threat to us."
The old man in hemp clothes responded with visible frustration and apprehension.
"Unfortunately, I did not anticipate this variable in Bai Qi's plan."
"Still, there's no rush. I have another piece in play that can deal with Bai Qi."
"What is the situation in Hundred Yue City?"
"Will the Hundred Yue Queen agree to join our Six Kingdoms Alliance?"
"The Hundred Yue Queen is extremely powerful."
"She is more than capable of handling Bai Qi. In the end, whether she or Bai Qi dies, it will only benefit us."
"But the Hundred Yue Queen might not agree to join us."
"She could very well be waiting on the sidelines, watching us fight."
"As long as our envoy appeals to her reason and emotions, there's over an eighty percent chance she'll agree."
The man in purple spoke with great confidence.
As soon as his voice fell, a guard outside reported that the envoy sent to Hundred Yue had returned.
"Greetings, Lord."
"How did it go?"
"When is the Hundred Yue Queen planning to join our alliance and help us deal with Bai Qi?"
"I'm afraid I have disappointing news. The Hundred Yue Queen outright refused."
"She said Hundred Yue City has already made a pact with Ying Zheng."
"As long as the people of the Qin Dynasty do not step into the Land of Hundred Yue, Hundred Yue will not stand against the Qin Dynasty."
"No matter how I explained the danger of mutual destruction, the Queen completely dismissed it."
"To her, even if the Qin Dynasty's army attacks, Hundred Yue will not back down."
"She has no fear of either the Qin Dynasty or our Six Kingdoms Alliance."
"She even made a bold remark, saying that a phoenix of the nine heavens would never mingle with a den of snakes."
"Lord, the Hundred Yue Queen was referring to our Six Kingdoms Alliance as a pitiful cluster of snakes."
"In her eyes, only Ying Zheng and Qin Dynasty are worthy opponents. Only the black dragon deserves her attention."
Both the man in purple and the elder in hemp clothes revealed rare expressions of anger.
Unforgivable.
The Hundred Yue Queen considered herself a phoenix and Ying Zheng a black dragon.
And he, what was he? A worthless snake?
So Hundred Yue truly looked down on them that much?
"Outrageous. Once I deal with Bai Qi, Ying Zheng, and the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty, Hundred Yue will be next."
The man in purple now bore deep hatred for Yan Lingji and Hundred Yue City.
Even in his darkest moments, no one had ever dared to compare him to a snake.
This was a direct insult to his dignity.
==========
Qin Imperial Palace.
Staring at the vanished Golden Ranking in the sky, Ying Zheng stood dazed.
The Qin Dynasty was only ranked 3rd?
And the Ming Dynasty actually outlisted him?
Yet even the Ming Dynasty was just second.
The top rank went to the Vast Sea Dynasty, a name he had never even heard of.
Could a dynasty within the Nine Provinces really remain hidden in the shadows?
Hidden sects like Heaven Palace and the Earth Mansion were one thing.
They were still merely martial forces.
But how could a massive Kingdom conceal itself?
Especially when the ranking clearly stated it had a landmass larger than Ming Dynasty, Qin Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty.
Its population was equally vast.
How could something like that be hidden?
If it weren't hidden, there was no way it would have escaped the eyes and ears of the Nine Provinces.
What caught his attention even more was that the strongest figure ranked from the Vast Sea Dynasty was rated six stars.
Stronger than the Qin Dynasty and on par with Ming Dynasty.
It made sense for the Ming Emperor, at the Great Perfection God Demon Realm, to be six stars.
But what about the Vast Sea Dynasty?
Then, a sudden thought struck Ying Zheng, sending a chill down his spine.
The Sage Realm cultivator.
That Sage was very likely from the Vast Sea Dynasty.
He might even be the Emperor of that mysterious nation.
Realizing this, even Ying Zheng became instantly cautious.
This was someone even more deeply hidden and dangerous than Zhu Houzhao.
They still hadn't even identified the location of this Kingdom.
They had no real understanding of its strength.
It was total darkness.
To say the Vast Sea Dynasty had no interest in uniting the Nine Provinces would be the true absurdity.
"Your Majesty, urgent report from Black Ice Platform scouts."
"Present it."
"This is intelligence on the Vast Sea Dynasty?"
Ying Zheng read through the secret report carefully, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
The southern sea?
Could the Vast Sea Dynasty be built on an island?
If that was the case, could it even be counted among the Nine Provinces?
He returned to the report, scrutinizing its contents again.
After a long while, he finally understood.
There were indeed several territories of the Nine Provinces under the Vast Sea Dynasty's control.
However, they were extremely remote from the prosperous central lands.
Either deep mountains or dense forests.
Armies from the various dynasties could hardly penetrate those regions.
Even cultivators from the Nine Provinces found the southern lands exceptionally dangerous.
The fact that spies from various nations had failed to gather information was simply because only a handful of people knew the truth.
The political system of the Vast Sea Dynasty was entirely different from the rest of the Nine Provinces.
With his sharp judgment, Ying Zheng quickly identified the advantages.
He became even more wary of the Vast Sea Dynasty.
At the very least, their Emperor and ministers were men of exceptional wisdom and strategy.
"Sir, take a look at this report as well."
Ying Zheng handed the secret document to a middle-aged scholar.
After a long while, the scholar let out a soft sigh.
"Your Majesty, I fear the Qin Dynasty has truly encountered a peerless enemy this time."
"Even Zhu Houzhao and the Ming Dynasty may not match up to the mysterious Vast Sea Dynasty."
"What's most concerning is that Sage Realm figure, who is almost certainly from the Vast Sea Dynasty."
"If he is indeed the Vast Sea Emperor, then this is a full-blown disaster."
"He would be a powerful adversary to Your Majesty's great enterprise."
Ying Zheng fell silent.
From the report alone, it was easy to sense how terrifying the Vast Sea Dynasty was.
And that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Only they themselves knew the true extent of their strength.
"Sir, do you think if the Nine Provinces joined forces against the Vast Sea Dynasty, we could succeed?"
"Difficult. One nation on its own might be strong."
"But if all the dynasties unite, military strength might actually weaken significantly."
"The hatred between the nations of the Nine Provinces runs too deep to be untangled."
"The Ming Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty and Qing Dynasty are sworn enemies. They can never coexist."
"The Yuan Dynasty is currently attacking the Southern Song Dynasty. They will not retreat without conquest."
"The relationship between the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, and Northern Song Dynasty is obvious."
"In fact, the Southern and Northern Song Dynasty despise each other even more than they do the Yuan Dynasty. It's a matter of legitimacy. Neither will acknowledge the other."
"As for the Northern Song Dynasty, they are already in dire straits, defending against the Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom in the north, the Western Xia Kingdom and Tibet Kingdom in the west, and Great Li Kingdom in the south. They are also dealing with internal uprisings. Their situation is grim."
"The Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty are even less likely to cooperate with the Qin Dynasty."
"All things considered, even if they know the threat of the Vast Sea Dynasty, they will not join forces."
"If they anger that Sage Realm cultivator, the consequences will be catastrophic."
"Until there is a way to deal with the Sage Realm, no nation will act recklessly."
"Forget it. Let's put this matter aside for now. First, we eliminate the remaining forces of the Six Kingdoms. Then we will see what comes next."