Feng Hao stood on the back-mountain pavilion, aura radiating like molten gold. He raised both hands—not just toward the east, but over the northern mountains as well. This wasn't mere gesture; it was command.
Northern Expedition: Half of the Nine God Dynasty's total force was deployed north, a golden tide of soldiers, cavalry, captains, generals, and Dragon Guards flowing toward the frontier. Peak Divine Bridge units led, Elder Hall power stabilizing spirit veins, weaving golden threads through every step. Mountains, rivers, and villages alike fell into the rhythm of his army.
Eastern Expansion: The other half extended eastward, the same golden formations marching like sunlight over valleys and rivers. Dragon Guards and Divine Marshals acted as anchors; Elder Hall units spread their aura, fortifying territories and accelerating local cultivation paths.
Feng Hao's Command:
"Half north, half east. Let the Nine God Dynasty extend beyond horizons. Dominate territory without breaking a single law of cultivation."
Even without moving himself, the emperor's presence orchestrated a dual-front expansion. Every soldier, every elder, every Dragon Guard moved as one golden organism—simultaneously securing and stabilizing two massive regions.
Feng Hao lowered his hands, letting the golden threads of his aura settle, though their brilliance still hummed across mountains and valleys. The dual-front expansion continued smoothly—every unit following invisible rhythms, every elder stabilizing territories—but he had other matters to attend to.
From within his system, he retrieved the Heavenly Dao strands, shimmering threads of pure, condensed cosmic energy. Unlike ordinary cultivation resources, these strands could push a cultivator beyond mortal limits, aligning the body, mind, and spirit with the Dao itself. Feng Hao's Peak Divine Bridge body resonated immediately, golden strands weaving around him, embedding themselves into every meridian, every spirit vein, every pulse of his qi.
He seated himself cross-legged on the back-mountain pavilion, eyes closed, aura tightening into a spiraling focus. Time seemed to slow as he drew the Heavenly Dao strands inward, each strand resonating with a note of the universe, a vibration older than mortal comprehension. The strands dissolved, flowing into his essence, triggering a Tao Pagoda breakthrough—the next stage of cultivation
A tremor of energy rolled out from the pavilion, subtle but undeniable, rippling through his palace, the barracks, and even the northern and eastern fronts. Spirit veins quivered, the world itself acknowledging the ascent of the emperor.
Feng Hao's cultivation base expanded like a golden tower within him:
Divine Bridge → Tao Pagoda — Peak
Every strand of Heavenly Dao Qi fused into his being, refining his senses, sharpening his perception of both territory and dynasty forces, and aligning his very soul with the currents of reality.
As his aura reached its apex, even the Dragon Guards and Divine Marshals felt the pull—synchronized with their emperor, their potential magnified, their loyalty and martial precision crystallizing further. The Nine God Dynasty was no longer simply a force; it was an extension of Feng Hao himself, ready to act, respond, and conquer at the speed of thought.
When he opened his golden eyes, the horizon—north and east—seemed to shimmer with possibility. The next phase of expansion, the true testing of mortal and player forces alike, was about to begin.
A tremor of energy rolled out from the pavilion, subtle but undeniable, rippling through his palace, the barracks, and even the northern and eastern fronts. Spirit veins quivered, the world itself acknowledging the ascent of the emperor.
Feng Hao's cultivation base expanded like a golden tower within him:
Divine Bridge → Tao Pagoda — Peak
Every strand of Heavenly Dao Qi fused into his being, refining his senses, sharpening his perception of both territory and dynasty forces, and aligning his very soul with the currents of reality.
As his aura reached its apex, even the Dragon Guards and Divine Marshals felt the pull—synchronized with their emperor, their potential magnified, their loyalty and martial precision crystallizing further. The Nine God Dynasty was no longer simply a force; it was an extension of Feng Hao himself, ready to act, respond, and conquer at the speed of thought.
When he opened his golden eyes, the horizon—north and east—seemed to shimmer with possibility. The next phase of expansion, the true testing of mortal and player forces alike, was about to begin.
As Feng Hao's golden aura stabilized at Peak Tao Pagoda, it wasn't just his body that trembled with newfound power. His entire army—every Divine Soldier, Cavalry, Captain, Commander, General, Marshal, Dragon Guard, and even the Elders—felt the pull of his cultivation.
The Heavenly Dao strands extended outward, invisible currents threading through the Northern and Eastern fronts, flowing into each unit. Soldiers' spirit cores resonated with the emperor's pulse; the cavalry's meridians burned with refined qi; captains' techniques sharpened, commanders' auras expanded, generals and marshals felt the threads of the cosmos settle into their very bones.
One by one, the units transcended their previous limits:
Divine Soldiers: Early Qi Sea → Mid Qi Sea, their qi cores glowing like molten gold.
Divine Cavalry: Mid Qi Sea → Late Qi Sea, speed and reflexes heightened beyond normal comprehension.
Divine Captains: Late Qi Sea → Half-Step Divine Bridge, each strike a sharpened extension of Feng Hao's own will.
Divine Commanders: Half-Step Divine Bridge → Early Divine Bridge, strategic intuition and aura resonance synchronizing with the entire army.
Divine Generals: Early Divine Bridge → Mid Divine Bridge, bodies radiating battlefield authority that could sway entire territories.
Divine Marshals: Peak Divine Bridge → Peak Tao Pagoda, standing as living pillars of the emperor's presence.
Dragon Guards: Peak Divine Bridge → Peak Tao Pagoda, bonded directly to Feng Hao, their loyalty absolute, their strength unmatched.
The Elder Hall units also ascended in perfect harmony:
Low-Level Elders: Late Golden Core → Mid Nascent Soul their presence warping local qi streams.
Mid-Level Elders: Peak Golden Core → Late Nascent Soul, aura extending over entire regiments.
High-Level Elders: Middle Nascent Soul → Late Unity Realm, guiding the soldiers with near-omniscient battlefield perception.
Supreme Elders: Half-Step Unity → Half Step Divine Transformation Realm, their spiritual presence alone reshaping the terrain and stabilizing the territories.
Low-Level Heavenly Kings: Mid-Late Golden Core → Mid Nascent Soul, radiating suppression that could destabilize enemy formations before a single clash.
National Power Increased By 391.6 Billion
Current National Power : ~489.5 billion
Feng Hao rose from the back-mountain pavilion, his aura glowing like molten gold over the peaks and valleys. From within his robes, he drew forth a flat, translucent artifact—the Mountain and Seas Map. The map unfolded midair, its surface swirling with clouds, rivers, mountains, and coastlines, shimmering with strands of golden light.
The moment he touched it, the map reacted—rivers glowed, mountains pulsed, and hidden valleys lit up in faint azure. Every unclaimed land, every minor mountain pass, every secret spirit vein revealed itself, previously invisible to any mortal eye.
With a single thought, Feng Hao extended his consciousness across the map, and the borders of the Nine God Dynasty lit up in golden threads. Unclaimed regions—2 million km² in total—floated before him like an open chessboard:
[Territory Expansion — Northern Mountains & Eastern Plains]
• Northern Mountain Belt (≈450,000 km²) – Peaks of Eternal Frost, Thunderclap Range, Crystal Ice Passes.
• Eastern Verdant Highlands (≈500,000 km²) – Greenwind Plateaus, Mistfall Hills, Twin Rivers Valleys.
• Western Desert Flats (≈350,000 km²) – Golden Sand Expanse, Whispering Dunes, Oasis Clusters ×7.
• Southern Coastal Regions (≈400,000 km²) – Azure Coastline, Crescent Bay, Coral Peninsula.
• Central Plains (≈300,000 km²) – Plains of Black Soil, Spirit River Confluence, Amber Grasslands.
Feng Hao's hand hovered above the map, and golden markers appeared wherever he intended to claim. With a deliberate press of his fingers, the first threads of assimilation shot into the unclaimed lands. Mountains trembled subtly, rivers shimmered with spiritual energy, and deserts felt the pull of the dynasty's aura.
"Assimilate," Feng Hao said softly.
The Mountain and Seas Map pulsed violently. Every thread of spiritual qi in the 2 million km² responded to the Nine God Dynasty's authority, bending the land to Feng Hao's will. Villages, minor spirit veins, and hidden ruins fell under his control automatically; any lingering resistance was naturally suppressed by the map's divine authority.
Golden threads snaked outward from the Nine God capital, touching mountains, rivers, and coastlines alike. Within days, Feng Hao's dynasty extended over 2 million km² of unclaimed land, each region now harmonized with the dynasty's energy, fortified, and ready to support cultivation, armies, and further expansion.
The Northern Mountain Belt became a defensive buffer; the Eastern Highlands were fortified cultivation zones; the Western Desert Flats acted as a natural barrier; the Southern Coastline opened naval expansion opportunities; and the Central Plains became a resource and military hub.
Feng Hao traced his finger along the map, golden lines marking the boundaries and assimilation flows. Each landmass, each river, each pass was now accounted for—fully integrated into the Nine God Dynasty's ever-expanding domain.