284: Why can't I see through this fog?

“How are the Cultivation Techniques coming along?”

“Rest assured, Family Head, there are no omissions.”

After Fan Island returned, Emperor Qi Qiao successively sent some people secretly to Great Wu.

Of course, they took the Righteous Path, under the guise of tourism and sightseeing. Great Wu did not obstruct them, only issued them permits, and then let them pass one by one.

These people, from various county government offices that distribute Cultivation Techniques, received many Cultivation Techniques in batches.

What shocked Emperor Qi Qiao was that...

The longer these people stayed in Great Wu, the less they wanted to return, and their faces were crestfallen when they did.

If it weren't for important national matters, they might have truly settled in Great Wu for a long time, striving to join Great Wu and consider themselves Great Wu people.

This was also the reason Emperor Qi Qiao felt confident entrusting the Great Qi populace to Great Wu.

Perhaps, the Great Qi populace would find a better home in Great Wu.

Emperor Qi Qiao spread his arms, gazing at the distant sea, a surge of lofty ambition ignited in his chest, and he declared loudly,

“Great Wu, here I come!”

Emperor Qi Qiao's shout used his Inner Energy, making his voice extremely loud, even reaching the clouds high above, stirring up ripples.

Ten days later.

In just ten short days, the Great Wu army was unstoppable, like a flying dagger, breaking through everything in its path, and moving at an extremely fast pace.

In just ten days, the Great Wu army reached the Great Mo imperial palace, even faster than when they attacked Great Qi.

Despite the forced march, the Great Wu army's combat strength did not suffer much loss, as the lowest Cultivation of the soldiers was still Qi Sea Realm.

The Great Mo imperial palace was taken by the furious Great Wu army, and before more troops could be recalled to the Royal Capital, the Great Mo Emperor's head was severed.

During this period, there were only a few beings in Great Mo who had Cultivated Inner Energy, and very few reached the Qi Sea Realm. Their Cultivation time was too short, and they had no power to resist Great Wu's attack.

Amidst the bloodshed, Great Mo, which had lasted for over a hundred years, declared its demise.

After Great Qi and Great Mo successively perished, Great Wu Emperor Emperor Xu De renamed them Qi Province and Mo Prefecture.

This name had already been decided by Emperor Emperor Xu De from the very beginning; ever since he first learned about these nations, Emperor Xu De had never considered letting them off.

Now, Great Wu's national power was strong, more than sufficient to manage additional territory.

Although separated by vast oceans, with a sky-obscuring mist in between, imperial commands would take seven or eight months to transmit back and forth, seemingly weakening the imperial authority.

But Great Wu's The Retired Emperor Xu Lang had already set an example, deciding to pass through the mist and personally travel to Yuan Province to preside, representing the imperial authority.

Although Xu Lang was not young now, over one hundred and ten years old, he carried a Dao Seed within his body, making him robust and capable of presiding for several decades without issue.

After Xu Lang passes away, a new abdicated emperor will come here, and that will be Emperor Xu De.

Perhaps, this is the benefit of an emperor's long lifespan.

Although Xu Lang had abdicated as Emperor, he could pass through the mist and travel to Yuan Province, ensuring the high unification of Great Wu's imperial authority.

And the incumbent Emperor Emperor Xu De, presiding over the Great Wu Royal Capital, was the unquestionable supreme commander; even Xu Lang in Yuan Province had to obey Emperor Xu De's commands.

The prerequisite was that one person could stand above all emperors, ensuring that the power holder in Yuan Province dared not harbor ulterior motives, that internal strife would not arise, and that all forces would unite as one, facing outward.

Clearly, this person was Xu Qing, Great Wu's eternal Grand Tutor.

After Qi Province and Mo Prefecture were established, batch after batch of Great Wu officials arrived, taking up residence in every corner of the territories.

A new era was about to unfold in these two Prefectures.

The populace of these two Prefectures quickly felt the goodness of Great Wu, showing little resistance and very obediently accepting policy regulations one after another.

The common people are not foolish; no one would refuse something beneficial to themselves.

The western part of Yuan Province was Great Qi, the northern part was Great Mo, and the southern part was Great Fu.

Now Great Qi and Great Mo had perished, leaving only Great Fu in the eastern part of Yuan Province.

There were only four countries on this continent; across the ocean, there was another continent.

This continent was slightly smaller, only two-thirds of the land area, but a single country dominated this continent, occupying all its territory, named Great Huang.

Great Huang had been established for over a hundred years and was currently in its most prosperous period.

Following the command of Emperor Emperor Xu De, the Great Wu army dispersed, stationed in the three Prefectures, responsible for maintaining stability, to prevent the remnants of the fallen nations from secretly accumulating strength and attempting rebellion.

Although rebellion would absolutely not succeed, it would certainly harm the populace, which was what Great Wu least wanted to see.

Having swallowed such vast territories, Great Wu needed to digest them. Once the populace within the territories became familiar with the benefits of Great Wu and their sense of identity and belonging to Great Wu increased, no one would participate in a rebellion.

Seeing that life was getting better and better, who would deliberately engage in a beheading business when they could live a good life?

Any potential rebellion would naturally collapse without an attack.

As for Great Fu in the south, Emperor Xu De planned to deal with it in a few years.

On one hand, it was to allow the three Prefectures to quickly integrate into Great Wu, becoming like Great Wu in all aspects.

On the other hand, Great Wu needed an object for comparison.

Look.

What do the people living in Great Fu look like? They are in dire straits, deeply exploited and oppressed by landlords and officials.

Now look.

What do the people living in Great Wu look like? They live in peace and contentment, with abundant food and clothing, and officials are public servants to the people.

Only a huge disparity can make people cherish the present.

At that time,

When Great Wu sends troops to attack Great Fu, perhaps the common people will line the streets to welcome them, shouting,

“Oh, Great Wu, you've finally arrived! We common people have waited so long and suffered so much!”

And perhaps,

The common people won't wait for Great Wu's arrival; they themselves will launch a mighty uprising, overthrowing Great Fu and proactively handing over political power to Great Wu, thus living a good life.

Historically, Great Wu had also experienced this many times.

Speaking of which, it was during the time of Great Wu's ancestor, Xu Wen.

One month later.

On the boundless ocean, the sky was a clear blue, dotted with white clouds.

A large ship was sailing on the sea, and in front of the ship was a vast, sky-obscuring mist.

The mist stretched endlessly from left to right; as far as the eye could see, there was only boundless, endless mist. The mist was a hazy gray, making it impossible to clearly see what was inside.

“Family Head, we have arrived.”

Fan Island gazed at the mist ahead, speaking gravely.

On this large ship now, under Emperor Qi Qiao's meticulous Cultivation, there were already ten Tongmai Realm cultivators and over eighty Qi Sea Realm cultivators.

Emperor Qi Qiao believed that passing through this mist was a minor matter, not worth mentioning.

The more important matter now was how this group of his would establish themselves in Great Wu, and under what identity they would do so.

Emperor Qi Qiao waved his hand confidently, saying,

“Advance!”

The large ship slowly moved forward. As the sea surface shimmered, the ship entered the hazy gray mist. From the outside, the ship was completely gone, leaving only the hazy mist.

At the same time, a white cloud, as if blown by the wind, also entered the mist.

At first, Emperor Qi Qiao was full of confidence. Not to mention his subordinates, Emperor Qi Qiao himself was a Tongmai Realm cultivator, believing he could cross this mist on his own.

One hour later, the large ship was completely lost in the mist.

Emperor Qi Qiao's face twitched, his hands trembled with fear, but he feigned composure, somewhat doubting life, and even forgetting that he was no longer an emperor, muttering,

“How can I, the Emperor, not see through this mist?”