Federation Established

"I don't mind."

Huosi shrugged. As far as Alsop's request went, he'd be more than happy to see those nobles leave.

Though in the Magic Universe, strength was everything, and military force alone was enough to crush any imperial reform, he didn't mind driving the nobles out outright.

Then Huosi glanced at Salanna and gave her a slight nod, asking whether she wanted the same arrangement. When she gave no indication that she did, he said nothing more.

Salanna felt Huosi might affect the faith in her Empire, but only a little. It would soon fade.

Those fleeing the Lingester Empire at this time would inevitably be a group of princes, dukes, and nobles. Salanna had clashed with nobles when she was young and didn't care for them, so she naturally wouldn't take them in.

From Huosi's perspective, they were simply doing something pointless. What use was the power of faith to them, anyway?

Did it help with cultivation?

The answer was certainly yes. The Chief Sovereigns had already proved that. They had fused at least five Profound Mysteries thanks to the power of faith.

That was also an important reason why the Chief Sovereigns' strength didn't differ by much. The gap between someone who had fused five Profound Mysteries and a Paragon was only tenfold in terms of the Profound Mysteries.

A tenfold difference was enormous among Highgods.

Yet at the level of the Chief Sovereigns, with the boost from Willpower, a difference of less than a hundredfold in strength wasn't enough to kill an opponent.

Among the Four Rule Sovereigns, the Destruction Sovereign was a Paragon Super Divine Beast with a Supreme Artifact, while the Death Sovereign was a Super Divine Beast who wasn't a Paragon, along with a Supreme Artifact.

Before the advent of Space-Time Disorder, the Destruction Sovereign and the Death Sovereign hadn't been all that different in strength.

That was because of the support provided by the power of faith. Otherwise, with the Death Sovereign's lazy disposition, she might not have fused so many Profound Mysteries.

But the Chief Sovereigns drew their power of faith from countless Material Planes. Though there was no precise figure, it could be described as inexhaustible.

The power of faith from a single Material Plane was barely a drop in the ocean. In fact, calling it a drop in the ocean would be an exaggeration. The entire Material Plane might contribute no more than a single cell in that proverbial drop.

For Lowgods to hope to break through to Midgod by relying on such a tiny amount of faith was pure wishful thinking. Even if they somehow managed it, they'd have their own talent to thank, not the power of faith.

However, the gods of the Material Planes didn't know much about this. Most had only heard from the Plane Guardians that the power of faith helped with cultivation, so they spread their faith, figuring that something was better than nothing.

In the original story, War God O'Brien, who had refined a Divine Spark, and Chief Priestess Catherine had both spread their faith. Beirut, a Chief Sovereign, was the one who hadn't.

"Fine, then. It's settled. Everyone can go."

Airlock saw that they'd said all there was to say, nodded, and spoke.

"Then I'll take my leave first."

Huosi nodded slightly and flew toward Xuanshen Island.

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

The next day—or, more precisely, that very night—the news began to spread.

Lingester, founder of the Lingester Empire and a god-level powerhouse who had ruled over the region for thousands of years, had fallen in his duel with Lord Huosi, leader of Xuanshen Island.

The news spread across the entire continent like wildfire, and many people were thrown into a frenzy.

"What did you say? Lord Lingester has fallen? How is that possible?"

"It's true! Lord Huosi's voice carried across the whole province of Haide during the battle."

"Oh no, is the Empire about to descend into chaos?"

"No, impossible! Lord Lingester is invincible. How could he die?"

"You bastards! Where do you think you're going? Lord Lingester will be back, and he won't spare you!"

The first to fall into chaos were the princes, dukes, and nobles of the Empire.

They hurriedly packed up their wealth and rushed toward neighboring Empires without a second thought.

When the Ice Empire placed its entire territory under strict lockdown and barred them from entering, they had no choice but to flock to the Orsopu Empire.

For a time, caravans streamed back and forth across the border between the Orsopu Empire and the Lingester Empire.

Leaving their country meant giving up their titles and power, but at least they'd still be alive in another country, with plenty of money to spare.

If they stayed in the Empire, they could be purged—and their entire families might not escape.

Most of them had never witnessed the fall of an Empire, but they'd read plenty of history books that recorded the fate of past Empires.

Judging by those accounts, they were unlikely to meet a good end if they stayed.

As nobles, they knew all too well that the fall of an old Empire usually led to one of two outcomes. In the first, the country descended into chaos, with bandits and outlaws appearing everywhere. Those nobles would surely be targeted.

Bandits and outlaws might not dare lay a hand on nobles in ordinary times, but now that they had a chance to settle old scores, why would they pass it up?

The other possibility was the establishment of a new Empire. According to the pattern of history, the new Empire would surely purge the old nobility and seize their wealth to reward its own people.

Commoners from the old Empire might still survive under the new one, but its nobles would be treated like a starter pack and swallowed whole.

Except for the handful who'd pledged their allegiance early, no noble would escape.

But the Lingester Empire had fallen suddenly, overnight. Its opponent wasn't another Empire, but Xuanshen Island. How could there have been any informants?

Of course, the nobles could flee, but the Emperor couldn't. No country would take him in.

The Emperor knew it too. Whether Xuanshen Island established a new Empire or simply left the region to its chaos, he was doomed either way.

So he gave himself over to a life of drunken indulgence. At least he could enjoy himself for a few more days. Everyone else could flee, but he had nowhere to go. No one would take him in, wherever he ran.

Some people were miserable, while others were overjoyed. The merchant groups that had joined Xuanshen Island early were so excited they could barely contain themselves.

At Xuanshen Island's assembly hall, numerous councilors waited on the sofas.

At the head of the room, Chairman Bernas looked over the crowd. Once he was sure everyone had arrived, he broke the silence.

"Next, I'll relay Lord Huosi's orders. Everyone must remember them and carry them out to the letter."

"First, Xuanshen Island will officially take over all the former territory of the Lingester Empire, and move the capital to Thunder City. In a month, Thunder City will be renamed Jinling City, and the Interstellar Federation will be officially established."

"Second, the armed forces will set out immediately in six groups. Each group will find the command headquarters of one of the Empire's five legions. Offer the commanders both incentives and threats. Tell them that those who cooperate can keep a sinecure and a pension; those who resist will be eliminated. We must bring all the armies under control as quickly as possible."

"Third, the publicity department will assign people to post announcements in every province. Tell the people that Xuanshen Island acted in self-defense, that our actions are just, and that we will not harm any civilians."

"Fourth, the organization department will assign people to take over the administration of every province. Kill the nobles who have been exploiting the people, and show no mercy. We must replace the Empire's leadership as quickly as possible."

"Fifth, all Xuanshen Island's state-owned enterprises will send every available supply to the front lines. At the same time, they'll mobilize all available funds to purchase supplies from neighboring countries, ensuring that civilians can meet their basic needs while the Empire is in chaos."

"Does anyone have any questions?"

When Bernas finished, the councilors began discussing in hushed voices.

"Lord Bernas, what should we do about the Academy of Sciences?"

A councilor raised his hand. He understood the actions they'd just discussed, but the Academy of Sciences hadn't been mentioned.

"The Academy of Sciences is our foundation. A large-scale relocation isn't practical at the moment, and many of its research facilities and projects are already part of an integrated industrial chain. They can't be split up by force."

"The Academy of Sciences will remain on Xuanshen Island for now. Once the Federation's situation stabilizes, we'll move some of its facilities elsewhere, where appropriate."

Bernas paused, then continued.

"Don't worry that Xuanshen Island will gradually become deserted. Lord Huosi said that in the future, we'll move the administrative center to the capital, but Xuanshen Island will remain the economic center."

"And the Federation will have many projects involving voyages out to sea, exploiting marine resources, and connecting with other countries through maritime trade. Xuanshen Island will be the Federation's jewel!"

"The Federation's jewel!"

The councilor who'd asked the question repeated the words softly a few times, then sat down, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"If there are no more questions, the meeting is adjourned. Everyone, get to work."

Bernas waved a hand, bringing the meeting to an end.

With the leadership setting the course, Xuanshen Island began its largest operation yet.

The Empire's legions put up almost no resistance.

On the one hand, without a god-level powerhouse backing them, they were no match at all. The legion commanders weren't fools; they wouldn't pick a fight with a god for no reason.

On the other hand, most of the people in the Empire's military and government came from large and small families with long histories. Their loyalty to the Empire was, at its core, loyalty to the power of a god-level powerhouse. Very few of them had any real loyalty.

Talk of loyalty to the Empire or the Emperor was just that—talk. Aside from a few people whose fates were closely bound to the royal family, most treated it as nothing more than a slogan.

To some extent, the commoners at the bottom were thrown into confusion and panic, but it soon passed.

The commoners didn't really care who the Emperor was. What mattered to them was their daily lives.

They'd grown up worshipping Lingester, so the collapse of their faith caused some confusion at first.

But after a little time, everything would be fine again.

Xuanshen Island's businesses kept everyday goods and supplies available, and the newly appointed officials and guards left the commoners entirely untouched.

Before long, the commoners had forgotten their former ruler. Only a few elderly people who'd spent their whole lives believing in Lingester couldn't accept it. Most had already decided to switch their faith to Lord Huosi.