Chapter 2066: Waves Rise Again

Yu Hai received Mu State's reply and joyfully returned to Golden Flash Plain. This diplomatic mission was highly successful; even Du Shan praised him extensively.

The report of his mission quickly reached the front lines, arriving in He Lingchuan's hands. He scanned it, slapped the table three times, and exclaimed "Good!" repeatedly.

He had personally devised the tactics for Golden Flash's western front to resist Ya State's invasion. Those lives and consequences were all part of his karma. Every day, he monitored the war situation on the western front, losing sleep and appetite over the sacrifices made there. Like the army on the western front, he longed for the war to end a day sooner.

He Lingchuan was genuinely surprised by how readily Mu State agreed, and at the same time, he breathed a long sigh of relief. It seemed that the eight hundred Dragon-Binding Pillars had indeed garnered the Mu Emperor's attention. Although immortals don't need nightmare energy, this substance is top-tier hard currency in the demon realm, something Beijia desperately seeks but cannot obtain. Since both wanted it, the Dragon-Binding Pillars naturally held value. He Lingchuan knew that Ling Mountain and the Sky Demons also maintained contact and were not completely estranged. Therefore, how these eight hundred Dragon-Binding Pillars would be utilized to their full potential would depend on the Mu Emperor's skill.

Seeing his brow furrowed and not relaxed, the Soul-Capturing Mirror asked curiously, "This is great news, why aren't you happy?"

"I originally thought Mu State would seize the opportunity to impose more conditions," He Lingchuan said, his heavy heart not fully at ease. "But there were none."

"Isn't no conditions better?" the Soul-Capturing Mirror secretly scoffed. Five years ago, it would have certainly said, "You're being too humble."

"I heard the current Mu Emperor is very shrewd," He Lingchuan shook his head, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Heh, actually, every emperor seems to have been shrewd; Mu State has never had an incompetent ruler." For nearly two hundred years, every Mu Emperor had been diligent and never incompetent, which was truly unusual.

"So?"

"Both I and the Dragon God Army are stretched thin. This is the best time to exert pressure on me, so why would the Mu Emperor let go so easily? It doesn't seem like his style."

The Soul-Capturing Mirror chuckled, "Perhaps he wants to do you a favor. Haven't you said yourself that a priceless favor is the hardest to repay?"

"Perhaps," He Lingchuan said slowly, "but with a new power like mine emerging right behind Mu State, the Mu Emperor should be very wary." A ruler cannot allow a rival power to rise unchallenged in their backyard. For the newly risen "Dragon God" of Golden Flash, even though everyone was fighting under the banner of opposing the Sky Gods and Beijia, Mu State's reaction would certainly be more caution and vigilance than welcome.

"If I were the Mu Emperor, facing the rise of a new power, my strategy would most likely be 'wait and see, then test the waters'," He Lingchuan's eyes gleamed. "Testing the waters is itself part of gauging strength." Only by understanding their strength would he know how to get along and interact with them in the future. Great nations never treat smaller nations as equals.

Hearing him, the mirror also began to worry. "What should we do now?"

"First, we wait for Ya State to withdraw its troops." Those eight hundred Dragon-Binding Pillars weren't sent away for nothing. "Then—"

In late spring, Mu State suddenly marched 70,000 heavily armed troops through Bailie, massing them on Ya State's border and beginning drills. With the major surrounding power clearly hostile, Ya State immediately reacted by sending troops to the border for a standoff while writing a letter of inquiry to the Mu Emperor, essentially asking: Why are you trying to intimidate us for no reason?

The Mu Emperor's intention was clear and unmistakable: Withdraw from Golden Flash immediately, or face war. Ya State was in a difficult position. Normally, it might provoke smaller Mu State allies like Bailie and Qing State to gain some minor benefits, but at this moment, it did not want a direct confrontation with Mu State. This was because over the past two years, a large number of immortal sects and monsters had joined Mu State, half of them from Golden Flash Plain—the tumultuous Dragon God War had made it impossible for them to stay there, forcing them to migrate. Additionally, with recent frequent outbreaks of Imperial Nectar, Mu State was now formidable, its military strong and practitioners gathered. It was rumored that many powerful figures were about to emerge, and Ya State did not want to provoke it.

The Ya King convened several consecutive meetings. After urgent discussions with his ministers, they all concluded that the risks of continuing to invade or reinforce Golden Flash Plain outweighed the benefits; it was no longer cost-effective. The Ge brothers had been tasked with establishing a foothold in Golden Flash Plain, but even after a month of trying, they couldn't penetrate, as the Golden Flash people resisted fiercely. Faced with such tenacious fighting spirit from the military and civilians, unless Ya State sent in massive reinforcements for an overwhelming assault, it would be difficult to achieve any significant results. The level of animosity was so high that even if they managed to conquer it, it would be a headache for the Ya King due to the extremely high cost of regional management. Ya State was inherently opportunistic. It had sent troops to Golden Flash at Beijia's request, merely hoping to gain some advantages. It had never intended to risk its life fighting Golden Flash and Mu State to the bitter end. Not worth it, not worth it.

After much deliberation, Ya State finally withdrew its troops from the Golden Flash border. The Ge brothers, having lost face, led their army to pillage a small nation before returning to their capital. The crisis in Golden Flash's western border was thus resolved.

The invaders had been driven away! Golden Flash's western regions cheered with joy, and people in towns and villages lined the streets to welcome the Dragon God Army's triumphant return. Qiu Hu and Wan Si-liang looked at the beaming smiles on people's faces, then recalled over a month of desperate struggle and thought of the countless brave and fearless soldiers who had fallen one after another, their throats choking up. Every inch of land was bought with an inch of blood. Golden Flash's territory was fiercely defended by its people with their lives. The towns and villages in the west celebrated for three days. At this time, no one noticed that an army south of Mu State was quietly mobilizing, moving steadily southward.

Qing State, Blade Port, Maritime Affairs Office.

It had rained all morning. Only when the rain stopped and the sky cleared did Officer Wu leisurely stroll into the Maritime Affairs Office, humming a tune. The spring palm harvest season was nearing its end, and he was in a good mood. Thanks to the Imperial Nectar, this year's palm oil yield and quality were significantly higher than in previous years. Palm oil could be used not only for food cooking and processing but also in beauty and skin-care remedies. In recent years, Mu State had even developed an insecticide made from palm oil. From the moment the first batch of oil was pressed, Blade Port and Yangshan Archipelago were filled with fleets collecting oil. In just over a month, the Maritime Affairs Office had collected all its taxes, leaving only daily routine matters.

Since the rise of Yangshan Archipelago, Blade Port's presence had diminished significantly, with all its thunder stolen by the opposite shore. Of course, this didn't mean Blade Port wasn't making money; on the contrary, after Yangshan expanded and strengthened the Golden Waterway, the booming flow of goods and people naturally spilled over to Blade Port, and local products from Blade Port also sold very well. Simply by benefiting from their prosperity, the taxes collected by the Maritime Affairs Office were more than five times what they were five or six years ago. Officer Wu, in his official position, was thus becoming increasingly comfortable.

Just then, there was a sudden clatter of hooves outside. Before anyone could figure out what was happening, the Maritime Affairs Office was surrounded by a large contingent of soldiers. Arrogant, battle-hardened commanders burst in and marched directly to Officer Wu's desk.