The so-called "Near Sea," distinguished from the Cang Sea, was in truth immensely vast—not small by any means. It simply could not extend eastward past the Lost Realm. To the south and north lay nearly limitless room for expansion. Only, the farther one went, the more treacherous the storms and waves became, and the greater the dangers.
Cao Jie, praised by the Qi Emperor as "one of All-Under-Heaven's finest commanders," felt that throughout a lifetime of campaigns, he had truly done only two things—
Lead his brothers to seize victory, and lead his brothers home.
Jing Kingdom's resolve in this operation had been too great, and its preparations too thorough.
It began as tiny ripples on duckweed, but once the wild surge rolled forth, it reached the very heavens!
No wonder they had dared sit back and await the Qi people's response.
No wonder they had thrown open the Middle Antiquity Heavenly Road, allowing Cao Jie to lead his army in seizing merit.
True Lord Lingchen had come in person, and even the sacred land of Penglai Island had cast its projection.
Who could possibly snatch anything from the Jing people under such circumstances?
To snatch even a bird feather or a fish scale, one had to watch the Jing people's expression.
In the current situation, if the Qi people truly wished for a share of the spoils, the Emperor of Qi would likely have to come in person. Jiang Mengxiong could not be absent either, and at least four of the Nine Legions would have to be deployed—yet in this hasty mobilization, for an opportunity glimpsed only in a flash, they would still need to consider whether it was another trap laid long ago.
Who could have imagined that a mere giant turtle at the True Insight level could