Chapter 2203: Another Incident Occurred

Grand Tutor Frostleaf pondered the statement repeatedly, then further confirmed: "The Emperor was unaware that the Thousand-Eyed Cave was destroyed?"

"At least not on the surface."

This implied that the Heavenly Palace had not informed Lingxu City about the establishment of the Thousand-Eyed Cave experimental site. The Demon Emperor might not have known, or perhaps did, but had never communicated with the Heavenly Palace about it. Therefore, openly using the destruction of the Thousand-Eyed Cave as a reason to escalate the war at this moment would certainly be inappropriate. This was a painful secret, difficult to articulate.

But the Celestial Beings could not simply swallow such a significant loss in silence. The wrath of an emperor leads to rivers of blood; what then of the wrath of a Celestial Being? Naturally, it should be mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

Frostleaf slowly nodded: "I understand."

Due to the Mu-Ya War, over the past half-year, the Heavenly Palace, representing the will of the gods, had repeatedly consulted with the Lingxu Royal Court. The Celestial Beings wished for Beijia to intensify its attacks, which clashed with the Demon Emperor's will. This led to frequent friction, and Beijia's military deployments were always more bluster than action, not meeting the Celestial Beings' expectations. As the chief Grand Tutor holding real power, Frostleaf naturally had to mediate effectively to implement the Celestial Beings' will to the greatest extent possible.

"Please urge the Lingxu Royal Court, Grand Tutor, to inflict heavy damage on Mu!" Envoy Dou Yun stated clearly, "Mu's sudden annexation of Ya caught Beijia off guard. The Venerable Deities were already displeased because this outcome could have been entirely avoided." If Beijia had strengthened its offensive against Mu earlier, how could Mu have had the spare capacity to annex Ya? In the Celestial Beings' view, such an irreparable mistake occurred because Lingxu City was not dedicated enough and was secretly disobedient. The Celestial Beings' authority had been challenged, so they had to increase pressure on Lingxu City this time.

"The legendary 'Awakening of Insects' period has arrived; indeed, something must be done," Grand Tutor Frostleaf mused. "Therefore, we need a suitable opportunity." Even as Grand Tutor, he could not simply demand the Demon Emperor deploy troops out of thin air.

"What kind of opportunity?" Envoy Dou Yun still felt it was a pity. "The war between Mu and Ya has already concluded." In his opinion, the Demon Emperor had been somewhat inactive during the Mu-Ya War.

"With the Mu-Ya War over, Beijia's prestige has suffered. Now, not only the royal court and officials, but even most vassal demon states are emotionally charged and strongly advocating for war," Frostleaf slowly stated. "What's needed now is simply an unavoidable reason to send troops."

The two discussed for a while longer, then Frostleaf departed from Mount Xu. He did not look back. Envoy Dou Yun watched him walk alone under the bright moonlight, his shadow stretching behind him, resembling a menacing beast.

Two loud claps of thunder echoed in the sky, followed by a torrential downpour. It was already *xushi* (7-9 PM), and the night was as dark as ink. Dushen, holding a plate of mung bean cakes, walked to the veranda of Canglan Terrace and gazed at the brilliant lights of Jucheng, feeling a sense of wonder.

In just two years, Jucheng's area had doubled. During the day, traffic was bustling, and even on rainy nights, it was brightly lit. It had become the most prosperous place east of Mu and the most important economic hub on the Glimmering Gold Plains, with merchants and logistics flowing in and out twenty-four hours a day. Cangyan had planned over a dozen major cities on the Glimmering Gold Plains, but their development progress varied, and none could match the capital's prosperity.

The Stargazing Tower, where Dushen was located, was an original structure of the Scarlet Firmament Golden Palace. Even its sign hadn't been changed. It was very close to the imperial study, but it was actually a scenic spot of the Illusion Sect, offering a view of the shimmering green waves of the Upside-Down Sea. Now, the Scarlet Firmament Golden Palace served as Cangyan's royal palace, and the Stargazing Tower remained prominent, though it had become a place where ministers took turns on night duty. With midnight marking the cutoff, each night was further divided into two shifts to handle urgent emergencies. There was a saying that Emperor Jiuyou wanted his ministers, even deep within the palace, to keep the lives of the common people in sight.

There were still two hours left before the end of his shift, and Dushen had finished his official duties, so he decided to relax for a while and have a snack. Three months ago, the Emperor had perfected the Canglan Terrace system, which was headed by a Left and Right Prime Minister. Dushen remained the Left Prime Minister, overseeing international diplomacy, while Lu Qiowei served as the Right Prime Minister, focusing on domestic affairs, both with a three-year term. At the end of the three years, the Emperor would evaluate whether to reappoint them or select new individuals. Within the three-year term, if a Prime Minister committed a grave error, the Emperor would personally replace them. Clearly, Emperor Jiuyou had drawn inspiration from Mu's Privy Council system, making appropriate modifications. After all, Cangyan's national conditions differed from Mu's, but this part of its system would benefit He Lingchuan's future plans. With a clear division of responsibilities, Dushen's workload sharply decreased, and he felt much more relaxed.

However, just as he picked up his second mung bean cake, a palace guard rushed in, saluted, and presented a document held high above his head with both hands: "Prime Minister Du, a message from Yangshan." This was an orange-headed document. Orange indicated an important matter; red signified extreme urgency. Dushen casually opened it and glanced through it, letting out a surprised "Oh?" He quickly ate the mung bean cake, placed the plate aside, and said, "Get an umbrella, I'm going to see the Emperor!"

He Lingchuan had no engagements that night and was practicing in seclusion. Hearing that the Prime Minister sought an audience, he concluded his practice and rose. Recently, Cangyan's external environment had been stable. Although internal affairs were complex, there were no major disasters or significant harms, allowing state affairs to run normally and steadily. He could also spend more time on his own cultivation. Both the Demon Emperor and the Mu Emperor preferred to delegate state affairs because they needed to diligently pursue their own cultivation.

Dushen hurried in and placed the letter on the desk: "Your Majesty, this is an urgent message from Crown Prince Chiyan. Something has happened in Mu's waters."

"Mu's waters?" He Lingchuan casually flipped through it, a shock in his heart.

Only four days had passed since the Mu army broke through Ya's capital, and Fu Shanyue had already sent him this first-hand urgent report: A Beijia fleet transporting troops and supplies was attacked in the outer waters of Mu's Tatao Island and was almost completely annihilated.

Throughout the Mu-Ya War, Beijia had continuously supplied Ya with resources and military might. However, due to Ya's unfavorable geographical location, being far behind Mu, the Beijia fleet had to sail around the entire Mu waters to resupply Ya. This presented two problems: first, it was not timely; second, the risk was high. Ya's capital had already been destroyed by the Mu army, yet Beijia's warships were still slowly making their way there, not expected to reach the Yangshan Archipelago for another ten days or so. The risks were self-evident; maritime transport itself was full of unknowns, a fact attested by countless shipwrecks in the waters of the Yangshan Archipelago. Furthermore, Mu strictly patrolled its coastal ports along the route, absolutely forbidding Beijia warships from docking. Consequently, Beijia's warships could only sail far from Mu's coastline. On two occasions, they came too close, leading to clashes and conflicts that resulted in dozens of casualties. Moreover, because Beijia's support for Ya could only stop and resupply at the Yangshan Archipelago midway, Mu had once considered making a move on the Yangshan Archipelago. It had originally been a thorn in Mu's side, and later complicated Mu's attack on Ya. Mu genuinely wanted to dispatch troops again to eliminate it.