The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty was naturally paying close attention to the rapidly rising Rising Sun Empire, especially to Ouyang Qingtian, the Dragon Slayer.
In fact, it wasn’t just the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. The surrounding nations felt the same. They were all extremely wary of the new empire and were subtly beginning to form an alliance.
They all found common ground in obstructing the Rising Sun Empire’s unification.
When the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, had his ministers propose a joint blockade on the trade of grain, weapons, and other resources, the other nations naturally agreed.
When facing a threat, all the powers shared the same stance.
Suppress the rise of new powers and absorb the resources left by old ones.
If they even sensed a potential new power on the rise, they would use various methods to constrain it. This was a common tactic for all major powers.
"Very well. I have troubled you all recently, my ministers."
Yang Yu nodded after listening.
"Mr. Lu, continue to intensify your investigations. Prevent any troublemakers from entering the Capital City and stirring up chaos!"
The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, looked at Grandmaster Lu Yuan and continued issuing his orders.
He couldn’t relax for a moment when it came to this unknown Dragon Slayer. Whether his target was the Emperor himself or the Destiny Golden Dragon, either outcome would be a devastating blow.
Therefore, such a dangerous individual could not be allowed into White Jade City.
Although it was unclear why this person had caused such a major disturbance in Yu State, preventing them from entering White Jade City now was the best defensive measure.
He had only recently advanced to become a National Guardian Martial Saint, so he needed more time to consolidate his Cultivation. Before Grand Ancestor Yang Sheng passed away, he had bestowed his entire legacy upon him, which would make his future path much smoother.
The Cultivation path of a National Guardian Martial Saint required even more time and was far more difficult.
"Mr. Li, you can conclude your investigation. Nothing was found in Yu State, so the target has likely moved on. In a little while, envoys from the Holy Lands will be arriving. Mr. Li, you will be responsible for receiving them."
Yang Yu’s gaze shifted to Grand Tutor Li Zhongji. In truth, even when he had made the arrangements, he never expected them to uncover anything.
Before a master of the National Guardian Martial Saint level, the efforts of any number of investigators would be negligible.
His own Cultivation was now at the National Guardian Martial Saint Realm, so he understood this point perfectly.
So, there was no need to spend too much time on it. As for investigating other states, it was no longer necessary.
After so much time, the aura of that unknown Martial Saint had likely dissipated.
Furthermore, following up on reports from his agents, he had conducted his own research in the Royal Book Collection Pavilion. He discovered that the Dragon Slayer wasn’t the only one with Dragon Qi; the emperors of other Imperial Dynasties possessed it as well. Moreover, there was the legendary Dragon Race. Ten thousand years ago, the aura of the Dragon Race could still be felt on the Taiyu Divine Continent.
If this theory was correct, it was possible the Dragon Race had re-emerged in the world.
He later sent men to investigate this specifically, but to his great regret, they failed to uncover any useful information.
If a True Dragon were to stand guard over the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, the dynasty would not only be secure but could also reach even greater heights.
He had borrowed the Imperial Dynasty’s Original National Fate to achieve his breakthrough, binding his aura to the Destiny Golden Dragon. If the national fate strengthened and the Destiny Golden Dragon grew more powerful, he would receive a feedback of power in return.
He would naturally benefit from its influence.
It was, in effect, a symbiotic relationship.
"This servant obeys!"
Grand Tutor Li Zhongji bowed and accepted the order. This was also a good thing for him.
’If I had to keep going to Yu State, and if my luck ran out and I ran into that unfamiliar Martial Saint... I’d be a goner for sure.’
Having reached the highest possible rank as a minister, he naturally cherished his life!
Interacting with people from the Holy Lands was also a good thing for him.
The Holy Lands existed apart from the Imperial Dynasties. Their arrival at this time was likely to congratulate the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, on his ascension to the Martial Saint Realm, but it would also involve some form of cooperation.
The previous agreements with the Holy Lands had been made with Grand Ancestor Yang Sheng. Now, with a new National Guardian Martial Saint, those agreements naturally needed to be reaffirmed.
However, the major Holy Lands didn’t get deeply involved with the Imperial Dynasties. At most, their interactions were limited to exchanging some Cultivation Resources. The relationship wasn’t very deep. ’All in all, this is a great assignment!’
At least there was no danger, just some verbal sparring over a few benefits.
That was something Li Zhongji was very good at, so he gladly accepted the imperial command.
"Mr. Qi, continue your efforts. Do everything you can to sow discord within the Rising Sun Empire. After the fall of the Jin Meng Empire, many factions still oppose Ouyang Qingtian proclaiming himself emperor. We must exploit all of them."
"Create as many ideological divisions as possible. Get them to stir up trouble throughout the Rising Sun Empire. Keep Ouyang Qingtian so busy that he can’t attend to anything else. We need to find more for this Dragon-slaying Emperor to do, otherwise he’ll constantly be eyeing the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty."
"As for the spies sent by the Rising Sun Empire, arrange for a periodic cleanup in a little while. Just don’t let them escape."
The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, turned his gaze to Grand Protector Qi Zhixue, instructing him on the next steps.
Every nation planted spies in other Imperial Dynasties to gather intelligence. Great Zhou had always been monitoring the Rising Sun Empire, and anyone suspicious arriving from there was placed under surveillance.
After detecting a problem, they didn’t act rashly. Instead, they continued their investigation, letting the Rising Sun Empire waste more of its Cultivation Resources on these agents.
Otherwise, if the spies were eliminated right after their arrival, the Rising Sun Empire’s losses would be too small.
Sometimes they could even use the opportunity to spread false information and mislead the Rising Sun Empire’s judgment. That was a much better way to exploit them.
However, some of these spies still needed to be eliminated periodically.
Those who seemed a little too clever were naturally the first targets for elimination. After all, the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty wasn’t particularly fond of clever people from hostile nations.
"This servant accepts the command! I will arrange these matters properly and will not fail to live up to Your Majesty’s thoughtful plans!"
Grand Protector Qi Zhixue quickly bowed and replied.
His task was a heavy one. He had to arrange for all sorts of people to lobby and fan the flames of conflict, all to prevent the Rising Sun Empire from finding any stability. The goal was to create as much chaos within their borders as possible.
Ideally, this chaos would erupt in various regions, leaving the Rising Sun Empire too preoccupied to deal with anything else. That would force the new emperor, Ouyang Qingtian, to spend more of his energy on these "proper matters."
Instead of spending all his time plotting against them.
That simply wouldn’t do.
"Mr. Min, you will continue to coordinate with the other Imperial Dynasties. You can add more items to the blockade on grain, weapons, and other goods. Make life for the Rising Sun Empire as difficult as possible!"
"Also, be vigilant. If anyone is caught secretly supplying the Rising Sun Empire, you are to unite with the other Imperial Dynasties to put a stop to it."
"For the next few years, do not let the Rising Sun Empire have an easy time of it!"
The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, looked to the last First Grade Minister in the hall, Grand Scholar Min Shi, and gave his command.
For the blockade to work, it had to be as comprehensive as possible. They also had to prevent other Imperial Dynasties from secretly cutting deals for their own benefit. Otherwise, all their efforts would be for naught.
"This servant accepts the command!"
Grand Scholar Min Shi bowed and accepted the command, full of confidence!