Chapter 1997: International Vision and Major Power Diplomacy

Fang Canran was originally the intermediary for communications between Helingchuan and Lingshan. However, after Fang Canran volunteered for the Punishment Dragon Pillar mission, the position became vacant.

Lingshan had no choice but to appoint a new envoy.

Before Helingchuan revealed his true intentions for the Blazing Gold Plains, he and Lingshan maintained a cooperative relationship. Now, as both the Dragon God and the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities, his large-scale operations in the Blazing Gold Plains naturally warranted an inquiry from Lingshan.

However, with Helingchuan constantly fighting and moving about, the Lingshan envoy couldn't pinpoint his exact location. They had no choice but to first report to Duocheng and establish diplomatic ties.

His visit to Duocheng also had another important purpose:

A meeting with Liu Qingdao.

After crossing the North Sea with Helingchuan and landing on the Blazing Gold Plains, the Illusion Sect joined the main army's foray into the world, while Liu Qingdao entered secluded cultivation in Duocheng.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to contribute; rather, although the spiritual energy in the world was recovering, it was still far from sufficient for immortals to move about freely without consequence. If he didn't want to become like a fish stranded and parched on land, he needed to quickly find a suitable "aquarium" for himself. The vicinity of Duocheng was rich in mines, with numerous underground tunnels and even Black Crystal veins, making it easy to create a sealed cave dwelling for him. Didn't the Azure Dragon Clan also nest there in ancient times?

Therefore, Liu Qingdao entered seclusion shortly after arriving at the cave dwelling, but he maintained methods for communicating with the outside world.

The Illusion Sect, established by Qianhuan, suffered a devastating decline after the Battle of the Upside-Down Sea. Of its thousands of members, only slightly over four hundred remained, and of the dozen or so Great Immortals, only two survived. This meant that, excluding Helingchuan, Elder Liu Qingdao was currently the highest-ranking and most cultivated member of the Illusion Sect.

The Lingshan envoy's request to meet Liu Qingdao was undoubtedly to verify Helingchuan's account of the Battle of the Upside-Down Sea. Qianhuan's demise was a cataclysmic event for Lingshan, comparable to Miaozhantian's fall for the gods of Lingxu. Lingshan would certainly not take Helingchuan's word at face value. From Lingshan's perspective, consulting a direct participant, especially a Great Immortal of such renown, was the optimal way to ascertain the truth.

Du Shan remaining in Duocheng and facilitating this meeting between the two also demonstrated the Dragon God's clear conscience.

The Lingshan envoy descended into the cave dwelling and held a private discussion for an hour with Liu Qingdao, who had temporarily emerged from seclusion.

Afterwards, according to Liu Qingdao's own account, the Lingshan envoy thoroughly questioned him about the full details of the Battle of the Upside-Down Sea. The envoy also extended an invitation from Lingshan, hoping that Liu Qingdao and Elder Xutuo would return. Having previously followed Qianhuan, both Liu Qingdao and Elder Xutuo were, of course, familiar with Lingshan and its affairs.

At this point, the Soul-Devouring Mirror sneered, "Aha, Lingshan still wants to pull the rug out from under you!"

"That's understandable," Helingchuan replied objectively. "With Qianhuan's demise, Lingshan suffered heavy losses, and even the True Immortals on rotating duty were significantly impacted." Lingshan typically maintains two True Immortals stationed for comprehensive security, but due to scheduling difficulties, there was only one around the time of Qianhuan's fall. The impact on Lingshan was far greater than a simple subtraction of one from two. If they could invite two more Great Immortals back at this time, Lingshan's strength would become even more stable. Therefore, this invitation was within Helingchuan's expectations; he recognized that if he could make a bold move, others were equally entitled to their own. It was a fair play.

However, Liu Qingdao readily declined Lingshan's invitation. He stated that his sect master senior brother also wished for the Illusion Sect disciples to actively engage with the world. Conveniently, Helingchuan's great undertaking here was flourishing, and the entire sect was highly motivated. Liu Qingdao also expressed his desire to refine his Dao heart here, as his mental block had finally loosened after the Battle of the Upside-Down Sea, making it highly probable for him to achieve further breakthroughs. For immortals, cultivation was the paramount concern. Upon hearing this, the Lingshan envoy could only offer repeated congratulations.

As for Elder Xutuo, it was happily bustling about with the Black Armored Army and had no desire to return to Lingshan for seclusion, so Liu Qingdao politely declined on its behalf as well.

Although the Lingshan envoy had met with a polite refusal, Du Shan treated him with great hospitality and also provided him with information that would be useful for his report: An envoy from the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities would soon undertake a mission to the Mou Kingdom.

As one of the prominent nations of the current era, the Mou Kingdom was separated from the Blazing Gold Plains by only a single Bailie, and thus naturally kept a close watch on the emerging power there. The immense Dragon God War had, from its very beginning, eradicated the Xiaoyao Sect, a subsidiary power and the source of the Clear Lamps. It would be strange indeed if Emperor Mou were not concerned. Many sects within the Blazing Gold Plains were absorbed during the first phase of the Dragon God War, and not a few of them had ties to either the Mou Kingdom or Lingshan. Therefore, while directing the Dragon God War, Helingchuan also had to manage his relations with both Lingshan and the Mou Kingdom. Otherwise, if these two behemoths were to become enraged, they would be difficult to appease. Furthermore, after annexing Blazing Gold, he would establish his own regime, which would inevitably require interaction with the Mou Kingdom. Diplomacy with a major power should commence immediately.

Processing these complex messages and thorny issues today was merely a microcosm of his daily responsibilities.

Helingchuan stretched his shoulders and neck. Seeing he still had a little time, he reviewed the reports from the seven allied territories and then dispatched teams to take control of the various capitals. He also paid particular attention to the situation in Miancheng, which was very… unfavorable. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Miancheng likely wouldn't hold out much longer. It appeared that the Heavenly Gods and Qingyang had indeed invested significant resources with Guo Baiyu, making it difficult for Miancheng to continue its resistance alone.

He let out a deep sigh.

As the first ray of dawn pierced the eastern darkness, he concluded another busy, sleepless night. Just then, Luo Xie entered to report:

"Great Emperor, the army is fully assembled!"

Even after three days and three nights without sleep, Helingchuan remained vibrant:

"Advance!"

With no time to waste, the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities led his army northward! Once he eliminated just one more threat, he could then direct his forces southward! As the supreme commander of the entire army, the most effective action he could take for the Dragon God's defenders across the territories was to overcome the most arduous challenges and swiftly eliminate the toughest obstacles, thus paving the way for ultimate victory. Only then could he truly be worthy of the people bravely fighting on this land and the warriors who sacrificed themselves to buy him time.

The entire process, from King Boliu's assassination to the seven territories aligning with the Dragon God, had taken only a few short days. The seven former allied territories had been secured, and the Black Armored Army had already reached the border of Boliu Kingdom. Seizing this opportune moment, Helingchuan intended to strike while the iron was hot and capture Bixia!

He clearly understood that the Black Armored Army's ability to easily capture the former allied territories was largely due to Yangshan's deep-rooted presence, long-term operations, and highly efficient intelligence network there. The common people and even the officials in these seven territories not only showed no resistance to the Black Armored Army but even felt a sense of familiarity and welcome. However, the people of Bixia had never held much goodwill toward Yangshan, who had long funded the allied forces. On the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities' wish-power sand table, the area representing Bixia showed relatively few star points. Logically, Bixia should have been one of the strongholds to be eliminated during the second phase of the campaign. Helingchuan prioritized Bixia now for two reasons: firstly, the timing was exceptionally favorable; and secondly, by having seen through Qingyang's strategy and seized the initiative, a swift assault on Bixia at this moment would encounter minimal resistance. Missing this opportunity, given Qingyang's relationship with General Chongwu, she would likely develop Bixia into her next strategic priority, using it to slowly wear down the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities over time. In fact, Bixia was a formidable power in the central-western Blazing Gold Plains; the allied forces, at least, had contended with it for two years without success. Now that the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities had secured the seven allied territories, defeating Bixia would immediately redraw the entire landscape of central-western Blazing Gold!

Early morning, the sky was clear and boundless.

Helingchuan led the Black Armored Army, along with the newly formed armies from the seven territories, and charged into Bixia's domain.

"You spent two years trying to conquer this place without success," the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities declared with authority. "Starting now, let's see how many days it takes us to dismantle Bixia!"