NOVPUBConversely.
It is quite normal for Chen Mu to be unwilling to reconcile with them.
The Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion had studied Chen Mu's personality. He rose from obscurity, distinguishing clearly between love and hate, never forgiving a slight, and always acting recklessly. Now, with unparalleled personal martial prowess, he would most likely not take the Imperial Court seriously.
As such, if such an edict were issued and Chen Mu had no intention of reconciliation, seeing the edict as a provocation, then he would likely take action next. The best case would be if Chen Mu, alone, left Cold North and went to the Central Prefecture!
The Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion was most worried that Chen Mu might ally himself with the likes of Yuan Hong, or be courted by the King of Jin, King Chu, and others. In that case, Chen Mu would not only possess unparalleled personal martial prowess but also have a massive force backing him, which would pose a real and significant threat to Ji Xuanfei's throne.
For now.
It seemed Chen Mu intended to venture to the Central Prefecture alone, which was one of the best scenarios he had anticipated. Here, leveraging the millennium-old foundation of the Da Xuan Dynasty, he might hope to suppress Chen Mu in the Central Prefecture!
Even if suppression was difficult, expelling and repelling Chen Mu would be a good outcome. It could not only deter various forces but also make Chen Mu realize that the Da Xuan's territory could not be shaken by one person's power, providing more room for maneuver at that time.
Therefore.
The Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion did not specifically instruct Zhao Quan to adopt a lower posture when announcing the edict at the Seven Profound Sect. After all, everything still depended on strength, and since Chen Mu had now attained the Blood Exchange stage, he was quite arrogant and was unaware of how profound the millennium-old foundation of the Da Xuan Dynasty was. There had to be a fight to make Chen Mu realize that personal strength had its limits.
Ji Xuanfei waved his hand, dispersing the image formed by the merging of spiritual lights in the Heaven Watching Mirror. He then paced within the palace, his eyes flashing as he said, "Cheng Qing, go and invite the two Celestial Humans to discuss affairs. Also, send a message to gather the Chief Officers of the Eastern Bureau, the commanders of the Heavenly Principle Army... and the Supreme Elders from the various sects in the front hall!"
"Li Quan, go invite my brother, King Liang, to the front hall for a discussion as well."
His voice carried authority.
Now, he was no longer the lowest-ranked King Han among the Eight Princes, but the new Emperor of Da Xuan, a Blood Exchange expert with countless forces at his command. If Chen Mu wanted to cause trouble in Central Prefecture, he was welcome to try!
"Cough... cough... As ordered."
The Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, Cheng Zu, coughed violently twice, but his eyes remained profound. After responding, he stepped out of the hall.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A eunuch standing in front of the hall also respectfully responded to Ji Xuanfei before quickly leaving the hall.
In just a short time.
The entire Da Xuan Dynasty Court began to move swiftly.
...
Jingji Road.
Liu State.
It was the northernmost state belonging to Jingji Road. Although not as prosperous as Central Prefecture, it was part of the eleven states of Jingji Road and was considered one of the core areas of the Da Xuan's Ninety-Nine States, extremely prosperous indeed.
On the vast plains, towns and villages were densely scattered. Apart from the central state government office, there were as many as fourteen prefectural government offices, twice as many as in Yu State. In terms of population, it also greatly exceeded Yu State's!
In Liu State alone, there were three major sects contending for dominance.
Now.
After the world was divided into nine sections, three new forces had entered Liu State. They were remnants of the Haoran Sect and Green Lotus Sect from Cold North, and part of the Golden Spear Sect forces, forming the Three Sects Alliance and carving out territory in Liu State, competing with the local three sects for control.
The Haoran Sect and Green Lotus Sect were both defeated forces from Cold North, driven out by the North Garrison Government, while the Golden Spear Sect came from Zhao State under similar circumstances. Initially, the local three major sects of Liu State were dissatisfied with the Haoran, Green Lotus, and Golden Spear Sects and intended to unite to expel them but were stopped by the edicts of the Da Xuan Dynasty Court.
To the Da Xuan's new ruler, Ji Xuanfei naturally welcomed forces like the Haoran Sect and Green Lotus Sect, which, though defeated elsewhere, still had sect traditions. He was very willing for these forces to settle in the eleven states of Jingji Road.
After all.
These forces had struggled to survive in places like Cold North Path and were compelled to come to Jingji Road. In such circumstances, they had to submit to him as the Emperor of Da Xuan, and he was eager to recruit these forces to strengthen himself.
At that moment, on a vast plain stood a magnificent and imposing town.
This was the headquarters of 'Heavenly Strategy Estate', one of Liu State's native three major sects. In the central hall of the town, nearly ten Grandmasters were seated, engaged in heated debate, all showing dissatisfaction.
"The people of Golden Spear Sect are being too arrogant. They are a defeated sect yet dare to compete with us for Mount Wuyi's resources. Such unrestrained behavior cannot be tolerated any longer. I think we should report to the old estate master and confront them!"
Someone's eyes flashed with anger.
"That's not possible."
A person beside him said in a deep voice: "The Imperial Court has explicitly issued an edict permitting Golden Spear Sect to establish a mountain gate north of Mount Wuyi. Clearly, the authorities are on their side. If we rashly go to war with Golden Spear Sect and incur the displeasure of those above, it would be a great loss. Moreover, now that Golden Spear Sect has allied with the Haoran Sect and Green Lotus Sect, our Heavenly Strategy Estate alone would struggle to contend with these three sects."
The Imperial Court was intentionally courting these sects that had been scattered and unable to stand firm after their defeats in other regions. Everyone was well aware of this. Thus, it was inevitable to cede some benefits during this process, but frictions were bound to arise.
