The East Sea King of the Immortal Dynasty

The Azure Roc King had originally hailed from the East Sea. After Eight Directions Pavilion fell, he defected to the southern Demon Country. Now invested as the Demon Country's Sea-Pacifying King, he led a contingent of demon troops back to the East Sea, immediately stirring up no small commotion there.

The moment the demon troops entered the East Sea, they seized more than a dozen islands of varying sizes. The sects and cultivators on those islands were, for the most part, either slaughtered or driven away.

Now they were gathering demon beasts from all across the East Sea and drilling them into demon armies. Clearly, they intended to make a great show of themselves in the East Sea.

The islands and sects throughout the East Sea were naturally panic-stricken and deeply alarmed.

Yet Ying Province, on the Immortal Dynasty's side, was likewise greatly shaken, with constant activity underway.

This had originally been Ying Province's first year of tax collection. From Ying Province itself down through commanderies, counties, villages, and towns, everyone's foremost task had been ensuring the tax revenue.

At the spring assembly held at the start of the year, Prefect Xie had likewise focused chiefly on tax collection.

But now that the Azure Roc King had led demon troops into the East Sea, Ying Province's pressing priority immediately shifted from taxes to dealing with the Demon Country's Sea-Pacifying King and his demon army.

Nearly every half month, Ying Province's Prefectural Office issued military orders to the various commanderies, requiring them to reorganize their defenses and military strength and remain ready at all times for the outbreak of a great war.

Among Ying Province's eight commanderies, New Sea Commandery lay farthest south and was the closest to the islands where the Demon Country's troops were stationed. It was therefore a