The Zhao Kingdom spanned a vast territory, stretching nearly fifty thousand li both east to west and north to south.
Its borders were long as well. Aside from several neighboring small kingdoms, it also shared borders with two great kingdoms of equal standing-the Wei Kingdom and the Han Kingdom.
The three kingdoms were comparable in national strength, territory, population, and martial foundations. They kept one another in check, their constant friction maintaining a delicate, three-legged balance.
Of course, there were many other great kingdoms in this world besides these three.
Just as the turmoil surrounding the Azure Elixir Sect gradually subsided, and Prince Gao's Manor finished settling accounts with the Ten Thousand Treasures Commerce and dealing with the matter of artificially creating demonic path transforming force experts, it prepared to seize another opportunity to strike at Lin Fan.
A piece of top-secret intelligence that shook the entire Zhao Kingdom's court suddenly exploded into the open!
Deep within the mountains inside the Zhao Kingdom, only eight hundred li from the Zhao-Wei border, an herb-gathering martial artist happened to discern the lay of the land and discovered an enormous primary gold deposit buried deep underground!
The Imperial Court secretly dispatched men overnight to survey the site, take samples, and estimate its reserves.
The final results sent a tremor through every senior minister's heart and brought their breathing to a halt.
The gold mine's reserves were terrifyingly vast!
A rough estimate placed its value at nearly one hundred billion taels of silver!
This was a colossal mine rich enough to rival an entire kingdom, fill the national treasury for decades, and transform the foundations of the Zhao Kingdom's strength!
The moment the news arrived, the Zhao royal family and central court went on high alert.
The Imperial Court issued a secret decree overnight: