Establishment of the Federation

"I don't care."

Huosi shrugged. As for the request from the Orsopu Empire, he was actually hoping those nobles would run away.

Although in this magical universe, strength was supreme and imperial reforms could be enforced through sheer force, he didn't mind if he could simply drive the nobles out directly.

Afterward, Huosi looked at Salanna, giving a slight gesture to see if she needed anything. Seeing that Salanna had no reaction, he said nothing more.

Although Salanna felt that Huosi might influence the faith of her empire, it would only be a minor impact that would soon fade away.

Those fleeing from the Linggeste Empire at this time were bound to be a group of royals and nobles. Salanna had conflicts with nobles in her youth and didn't like them, so naturally, she wouldn't take them in.

In fact, from Huosi's perspective, he felt they were all doing useless work. What meaning did the power of faith have for them anyway?

If one were to ask if it was truly helpful for cultivation?

Then the answer was definitely yes. This had already been proven by numerous Sovereigns; Sovereigns who had fused at least five profound mysteries relied on the enhancement provided by the power of faith.

This was also an important reason why the gap between Sovereigns couldn't be widened. Because between the strength of five profound mysteries and a Paragon, the difference in profound mysteries was only tenfold.

A tenfold difference was a significant gap among Highgods.

However, at the level of a Sovereign, under the enhancement of will power, one would need at least a hundredfold difference in strength to kill the opponent.

Among the four Rule Sovereigns, the Sovereign of Destruction was a Paragon super divine beast with a Supreme Artifact, while the Sovereign of Death was a non-Paragon super divine beast with a Supreme Artifact.

Before the appearance of the technique involving the distortion of time and space, there wasn't much of a gap between the Sovereign of Destruction and the Sovereign of Death.

It was precisely because of the support of the power of faith; otherwise, given the Sovereign of Death's lazy personality, she might have fused fewer profound mysteries!

However, a Sovereign's power of faith came from countless material planes. Although there was no specific number, it could be described as infinite.

And the power of faith from a single material plane was an exaggeration even to call it a drop in the ocean; if you added up the entire material plane, it would be lucky to even amount to a single cell on that drop.

For a Lowgod to want to break through to a Midgod relying on this meager power of faith was absolutely wishful thinking. Even if they luckily broke through in the end, it would be due to their own innate talent rather than the power of faith.

However, the gods of the material planes didn't know much about this. Most of them only heard from the Plane Overseers that the power of faith was helpful for cultivation, so they spread faith with the mentality that having some was better than having none.

In the original story, the War God O'Brien, who refined a godhead, and the High Priest Catherine were actually spreading faith, whereas Beirut, a Sovereign, didn't go around spreading anything.

"Alright, then, let's settle it at that. Everyone can leave as they please."

Airlock saw that the discussion was about finished and nodded as he spoke.

"In that case, everyone, I shall take my leave."

Huosi nodded slightly, then flew off in the direction of Xuanshen Island.

The meeting of the gods at the peak of Mount Tai only lasted a few short minutes, but the impact on the entire continent had only just begun.

The next day, or to be precise, that very night, the news began to spread.

The founder of the Linggeste Empire, the god-level powerhouse who had ruled for thousands of years, Linggeste, had fallen in a duel with the leader of Xuanshen Island, Lord Huosi.

This news spread like wildfire across the entire continent, and for a time, many people on the continent fell into a frenzy.

"What did you say? Lord Linggeste, the old man has fallen? How is that possible?"

"It's absolutely true! During that battle, Lord Huosi's voice reached every corner of the Haide provincial capital."

"Heavens, is the empire going to fall into chaos?"

"No, it's impossible. Lord Linggeste is invincible; how could he possibly die!"

"You bunch of scoundrels, where are you running to? When Lord Linggeste returns, he won't let you off!"

The first to fall into chaos were the royals and nobles of the empire.

They began to pack up their family assets one after another, rushing desperately toward the neighboring empires.

As the Ice Empire went into full lockdown, forbidding them from entering, they could only swarm toward the Orsopu Empire.

For a time, the border between the Orsopu Empire and the Linggeste Empire was filled with an endless stream of convoys.

Although leaving their own country meant giving up their titles and power, at least they would keep their lives and a large amount of wealth in other countries.

If they stayed in the empire, they would likely face liquidation, and their entire families would not be spared.

Although most of them had never seen the fall of an empire, the books they had read recorded many empires throughout history.

Judging from the results in the books, if they stayed, they would likely not have a good ending.

As nobles, they knew very well that after an old empire fell, there were only two outcomes. One was that the country would fall into chaos; at that time, all kinds of bandits and marauders would emerge, and they, the nobles, would certainly be targeted.

Whether they were bandits or marauders, they wouldn't dare to do anything to the nobles in normal times, but now that they finally had a chance to settle scores, there was no way they would let it pass.

The other situation was the establishment of a new empire. According to historical patterns, the new empire would definitely liquidate the original nobles and take their property to reward their own people.

Commoners of the empire might still survive under the new empire, but the imperial nobles would only be treated as a "newbie gift pack" by the new empire and devoured directly.

Except for a very few who had defected early, no noble could escape.

However, the Linggeste Empire had fallen suddenly overnight, and the opponent wasn't another empire but Xuanshen Island, so how could there be any inside men?

Of course, the nobles could run, but the emperor could not, because no country would take in an emperor.

The emperor himself also knew that whether Xuanshen Island established a new empire or simply didn't intend to manage this chaos at all, he would not have a good ending.

Therefore, he simply began a life of drunken stupor; at the very least, he could still live freely for a few more days. As for fleeing, while others could escape, he alone could not—no matter where he ran, no one would take him in.

Where there is pain, there is naturally joy; the merchant guilds that had joined Xuanshen Island in advance were now so excited they didn't know what to do with themselves.

In the council hall of Xuanshen Island, numerous councilors sat on sofas, waiting.

At the head of the table, Chairman Bernas looked at the crowd below and, confirming that everyone had arrived, broke the silence:

"Next, I will convey the orders of Lord Huosi. Everyone must remember them firmly and execute them without compromise."

"First, our Xuanshen Island will officially take over all the territory of the former Linggeste Empire and move the capital to Thunder City. One month from now, Thunder City will be renamed Jinling City, and the Interstellar Federation will be officially established."

"Second, the armed forces are to depart immediately, splitting into six routes to locate the command centers of the empire's five major legions. Use both kindness and force; tell those legion commanders that if they are sensible, they can retain a sinecure and a pension, but those who resist will be completely wiped out. Strive to control all military forces in the shortest time possible."

"Third, the propaganda department is to arrange personnel to issue announcements in every province, telling the common people that our action on Xuanshen Island is a self-defense counterattack, that it is righteous, and that we will certainly not harm any civilians."

"Fourth, the organization department is to arrange personnel to take over the administrative power of all provinces. Those parasitic nobles—kill them if necessary, show no mercy, and strive to complete the blood transfusion of the entire empire as quickly as possible."

"Fifth, all state-owned enterprises on Xuanshen Island are to mobilize all supplies to the front lines, while simultaneously activating all funds to purchase supplies from neighboring countries to ensure the basic livelihood of civilians during the empire's period of chaos."

"If anyone has any questions, you may raise them now."

After Bernas finished speaking, the councilors below began to whisper and discuss among themselves.

"Lord Bernas, then, how will the Academy of Sciences be handled next?"

A councilor raised his hand to ask. He could understand the actions just mentioned, but the Academy of Sciences did not seem to have been mentioned.

"The Academy of Sciences is our foundation. It is currently unsuitable for large-scale relocation, and many research facilities and projects have already formed an industrial chain, making it unsuitable for forced separation."

"The Academy of Sciences will remain on Xuanshen Island for the time being. Once the situation in the Federation stabilizes, a portion of the suitable departments will be relocated."

Bernas paused for a moment and continued:

"You need not worry that Xuanshen Island will gradually fall into ruin. Lord Huosi has said that in the future, we will move the administrative center to the capital, but Xuanshen Island will remain the economic center."

"Furthermore, there will be many maritime excavation projects in the future to mine oceanic resources, and through navigation, we will connect trade with other countries. Xuanshen Island will be the pearl of the future Federation!"

"The pearl of the Federation!"

The questioning councilor repeated the words softly, then sat back down with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"Since there are no more questions, the meeting is adjourned. Everyone, begin your operations."

Bernas waved his hand, directly ending the meeting.

With the tone set by the highest decision-making level, the entire Xuanshen Island began its largest-scale operation to date.

The empire's major legions faced almost no significant resistance.

On one hand, without the support of a god-level powerhouse, their strength was a joke in a confrontation; the high-ranking officers of the legions were not fools, and they would not go out of their way to oppose a god.

On the other hand, whether in the military or the government, most people within the empire came from those large and small families that had been passed down for years. They submitted to the empire, but in essence, they submitted to the power of the god-level experts. As for loyalty, few possessed it.

Talk of loyalty to the empire or the emperor was just that—talk. Aside from a very small number of people closely tied to the royal family, most people treated it merely as a slogan.

As for the common people at the bottom, there was some chaos and panic to a certain extent, but it dissipated quickly.

The common people did not actually care who the emperor was; what they cared about was their daily lives.

Although they had worshipped Linggeste since childhood, the collapse of their faith caused some confusion for a time.

But as long as a little time passed, everything would be fine.

The enterprises of Xuanshen Island ensured that their daily necessities and goods were not lacking, and the newly dispatched officials and guards did not commit the slightest offense against the commoners.

Therefore, the common people soon forgot their former rulers. Only a portion of the elderly who had believed in Linggeste their entire lives could not accept it, but the majority had already decided to switch their faith to Lord Huosi.