To the north of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty's territory, constant exploitation from the imperial court had sown seeds of discontent. The demise of Princess Tao Yun became the catalyst, as the Great Yu Emperor often vented his fury upon this region. Over time, this escalated into an armed rebellion, with sects rising up in revolt.
The rebel forces grew in strength, quickly sweeping through numerous northern cities. The Great Yu Emperor, enraged, dispatched a million troops to suppress them. During this period, a figure named Jia Xu rapidly emerged, offering several strategic plans that led to the imperial army's decisive victories against the rebels. Within three years, Jia Xu ascended to the position of Deputy Military Advisor, entering the core of the imperial army's power.
In the 132nd year of the Great Han Immortal Dynasty, under pressure from the Great Yu Emperor, the forward army, guided by Jia Xu's schemes, quelled the rebellion in a single battle. For his meticulously planned strategies and myriad cunning tactics, Jia Xu was personally summoned by the Great Yu Emperor. In a brief exchange, he earned the Emperor's profound trust. Rewarded for his merits, Jia Xu was enfeoffed as a First-Rank Marquis and appointed as Minister of the Palace. From then on, Jia Xu gained access to the highest echelons of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty.
Twenty years later, Jia Xu had secured the Great Yu Emperor's complete trust and began to infiltrate the Emperor's inner circle. In the 61st year of the Great Han Immortal Dynasty, Jia Xu framed three princes of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty for rebellion. These princes, left with no choice, were compelled to rise up. However, every move they made was meticulously foreseen by Jia Xu. Under his arrangements, the Great Yu Emperor suppressed the rebellion of the three princes in a mere three months. Following this victory, Jia Xu was promoted directly to Censor-in-Chief, becoming the Deputy Prime Minister of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty. He was entrusted with overseeing all official memorials and issuing imperial decrees, in addition to managing national surveillance affairs.
He instantly became a favored official in the eyes of the Great Yu Emperor.
During this time, the Great Yu Emperor remained persistent in his desire to investigate the matter of Dragon Burial Island, repeatedly proposing an expedition south. However, Jia Xu consistently obstructed these plans with various pretexts. Once Jia Xu's position within the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty was solidified, under the planning of Li Si and others, fabricated evidence suggesting that the Purple Lightning Sect was responsible for the deaths of Princess Tao Yun, Dong Tai, and Zhuang Zhuo was delivered to Jia Xu. A grand war between the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty and the Purple Lightning Sect was thus silently brewing under Jia Xu's watchful eyes.
Over the decades Jia Xu spent in the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, he had learned about the true strength of the Purple Lightning Sect through interactions with the dynasty's elite. The Great Yu Immortal Dynasty possessed only one Immortal King, the Emperor, whereas the Purple Lightning Sect boasted three Immortal King realm powerhouses.
However, the Purple Lightning Sect was the weakest among the Four Great Powers of the Ancient Saint Court. To gain greater influence, they had allied themselves with the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty.
The Imperial Capital of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty.
"Your Majesty!"
Jia Xu entered the grand hall respectfully. Only the Great Yu Emperor was present, gazing calmly at Jia Xu.
"My loyal minister, are you aware of this matter!"
The Great Yu Emperor's face contorted with anger as he presented several pieces of evidence, claiming the Purple Lightning Sect's Cheng Bu and Gan Xing had assassinated Princess Tao Yun.
Jia Xu's expression immediately turned anxious. He hastily took the evidence and examined it closely. The more he read, the more flustered he became. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, please quell your anger! Your Majesty, please quell your anger!"
"You knew this all along, why didn't you tell me!" The Great Yu Emperor stood up. From his perspective, he could not see the cold smirk on Jia Xu's lips.
"Your Majesty!"
"This matter is of great consequence. This humble servant believed it was best to thoroughly investigate before presenting it to Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, these are the items found by my spies dispatched to the Great Han Immortal Dynasty, along the coast adjacent to the former Dragon Burial Island. They discovered a handkerchief belonging to the Princess!" Jia Xu tremblingly produced a handkerchief. This handkerchief had been casually taken by Qi Jiguang when Li Yuanba's emergence had shattered Dragon Burial Island. At the time, Qi Jiguang felt it might be useful and presented it to Yang Hao.
"Yes! Yes... this is Ni Yun's handkerchief. It is hers!" The Great Yu Emperor, his voice filled with emotion, walked forward and held the handkerchief.
"Your Majesty, while searching for the Princess's belongings, a torn piece of cloth was also discovered, bearing a blood-red emblem. However, given the gravity of the situation, I implore Your Majesty to handle this with care!" Jia Xu presented the pre-arranged, falsified evidence. This piece of cloth, bearing the killing aura of Gan Xing and Cheng Bu, had been painstakingly calculated over several years by Qi Jiguang and Li Bai, then imprinted onto the fragment. This particular fragment was significant, being a piece of Princess Tao Yun's shattered garment from the day of her demise.
"Purple!"
"The aura of the Purple Lightning Sect!"
The Great Yu Emperor roared in fury. This garment was a gift he himself had bestowed upon Xia Hou Ni Yun. At a single glance, he recognized it as a fragment of his daughter's attire, and the potent aura of the Purple Lightning Sect emanating from it ignited a blaze of wrath within him.
"Your Majesty!"
Jia Xu immediately stated, "Initially, this humble servant did not give these pieces of evidence much thought. However, upon seeing this handkerchief and the torn cloth, I have conducted extensive investigations among the royal nobility. This humble servant believes that the perpetrators of the Princess's murder are, more likely than not, beings from the Purple Lightning Sect!"
"What more likely than not? Across the Nine Realms, the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, the Blazing Flame Realm, and the Purple Lightning Sect, the only entity that dares to challenge me is the Purple Lightning Sect!" roared the Great Yu Emperor.
"Your Majesty, please quell your anger! Your Majesty, please quell your anger!"
"Our dynasty has just endured the northern uprising and the rebellion of the three princes. The national fortune is unstable. Moreover... moreover!"
"Moreover, what?" The Great Yu Emperor looked at Jia Xu with displeasure.
"The Purple Lightning Sect possesses three Immortal Kings as their foundation, their power is formidable. Our Immortal Dynasty..." Before Jia Xu could finish speaking, the Great Yu Emperor sharply retorted, "Presumptuous! The Purple Lightning Sect is merely a parasite clinging to the Ancient Saint Court. What is there for me to fear!"
"If I cannot even avenge my own daughter, how can I rule an entire realm? The Purple Lightning Sect, even back then, I suspected their intentions were ill when they invited our Great Yu Immortal Dynasty. Eighty-six years ago, the Purple Lightning Sect also set its sights on the Nine Realms, which I had long reserved for myself. If not for the cataclysmic changes at Dragon Burial Island, which caused an unprecedented curse upon the entire Nine Realms, they would have already sent their troops!"
"National and personal grudges must be settled!"
The Great Yu Emperor had lost all reason. Gazing at the handkerchief and the cloth fragments in his hands, his heart burned with terrifying rage.
"Your Majesty!"
Sensing that the Great Yu Emperor's decision was made, Jia Xu immediately said, "This humble servant believes that since the Purple Lightning Sect harbors ill intentions, our dynasty should strike first. Currently, the Ancient Immortal Emperor has entered the Ancient Star Path. The Purple Lightning Sect, in its pursuit of influence, has entirely thrown itself into the power struggles of the Ancient Saint Court. This humble servant believes this is the opportune moment to launch our campaign!"
"Constrained by the power disputes, the Purple Lightning Sect can only mount a defensive effort and will not be able to spare their full attention to engage in a bloody war with our dynasty!"
"Excellent!"
The Great Yu Emperor looked at Jia Xu with satisfaction, nodding slightly and said, "Your minister's words align perfectly with my intentions!"
"Issue an imperial decree! Effective immediately, order the Grand General to lead a million troops, fifty ordinary Immortal Treasure warships, thirty peerless Immortal Treasure warships, and ten divine-grade Immortal Treasures. Declare war upon the Purple Lightning Sect!"
"As you command!"
Jia Xu bowed respectfully, a look of satisfaction on his face.