Years flew like a shuttle. Five years had already passed since that battle beneath Sleeping Foothills City.
Over these five years, King Xi would occasionally summon those powerful nobles and royal clansmen to discuss war strategies, while Shi Yanxin subtly altered their consciousness and perceptions.
Beyond these people, he also used the same methods on certain important figures and descendants under their command.
This was because those royal clansmen and powerful nobles did not merely possess interests of their own; they also represented the interests of entire groups behind them. They themselves could be overthrown or replaced by others.
And once the upper echelons holding most of the power had been influenced by illusion arts, they would no longer oppose King Xi's wishes in certain matters.
Even if certain people or forces proved to be exceptions, that would be an opportunity to deal with and purge them, while conveniently taking in the populations of their territories.
Thus, after several years, King Xi's domain appeared unchanged on the surface, yet its internal forces had quietly completed a round of consolidation.
As for external forces—the Council of Elders, Lie King, and even the sects beyond the heavens—they had all kept watch on King Xi's movements ever since his defeat at Sleeping Foothills. Yet to their regret, after that failure, King Xi seemed to have no plans to campaign against Sleeping Foothills again anytime soon.
Sleeping Foothills, on the other hand, had been actively preparing for war over these past years. All sides were happy to see such a force existing behind King Xi, so they supported it both openly and in secret. Benefiting from this, the Sleeping Foothill City-Domain had gradually grown stronger over the years.
After more than six years of recuperation, King Xi's domain had recovered some of its vitality,