A Narrow Road Encounter

[Skysea Alliance Announcement to the Entire Continent]

For a thousand years since the founding of the Sun-Moon Federation, the eastern coastal prefectures had obeyed its decrees generation after generation, paid their taxes, and never once overstepped their bounds. Yet the Federation had long imposed harsh policies, treating the Eastern Sea as a treasury to be plundered. Taxes increased year after year, while investments in livelihoods, infrastructure, and defense amounted to less than half of those in the inland regions. Maritime trade was repeatedly exploited by inland aristocratic clans, while local governments took their cues from the central authorities and disregarded the livelihoods of tens of millions of people.

In recent years, forces such as Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect had secretly entered the Eastern Sea, established private strongholds, and unlawfully initiated clashes between Soul Masters. Some had even indulged their students in crossing cities and borders to stir up trouble. Federal law had become meaningless, yet the central government stood idly by. It showed neither any intention of restraining them nor any effort to placate the people, treating the Eastern Sea's citizens as nothing more than weeds.

Now, rather than repent, the Federation had mobilized a massive army to the border, intending to seize the Eastern Sea's wealth by force of arms. To protect the peace of this region, the Skysea Alliance Council had resolved: effective immediately, the eastern coastal prefectures would formally break away from the Sun-Moon Federation and independently govern all military, political, and civil affairs within their territory. Federal harsh taxes would be abolished, industry and commerce developed, the borders defended, and the people protected as they safeguarded their own land.

Should the Sun-Moon Federation dare to invade, all people of the Eastern Sea would become soldiers and fight to the bitter end, never retreating even