Chapter 122: Clouds of War Across the Heavens

Inside the Fairyland of Green Fields, various visitors harbored their own ulterior motives. Each acted as if nothing were amiss, while surreptitiously observing the movements of others.

The relationship between the Northern Polar Heavens and the Three Enclosures is quite an intriguing one. Is there any intelligent Lord of the Heavens (of the Thirty-Two Heavens) or any of the Five Emperors of the Four Symbols (excluding the Central Yellow Emperor, Han Shu Niu, the other four—the Eastern Azure Emperor Wei Ling Yang, the Southern Red Emperor Chi Biao Nu, the Western White Emperor Bai Zhao Ju, and the Northern Black Emperor Zhi Guang Ji, who also serve as the four divine beasts governing the seven mansions of the cardinal directions) who lacks direct eyes and ears within the Purple Forbidden Enclosure or the Supreme Subtle Enclosure?

The Purple Forbidden Enclosure is akin to the Forbidden City of Tu Zhe’s past life on Earth; it is the domain of royalty and nobility, served by various civil and military officials, including the Ministry of Justice, which oversees the laws. In the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, the Great Emperor Ziwei is the boss, a position similar to a General Secretary. The Supreme Subtle Enclosure, however, is the true seat of government, where the Great Emperor Changsheng calls the shots—much like a Prime Minister. Since it is the hub of government, it is naturally filled with talented individuals selected to serve there. When it comes to intelligence gathering, these people are indispensable.

Take the news that the "Heavenly Spring" would appear in the Andromeda Galaxy: the Third Preceptor, Wei Wuyang, thought that by intercepting this information, he could buy enough time to take the lead. Yet, almost simultaneously, the Northern Polar Heavens and the Five Emperors already knew. Everyone pretended ignorance while frantically making their own arrangements. The atmosphere was thick with treachery.

Within the Purple Forbidden Enclosure lie the Inner Seats of the Five Emperors—a place reserved by the Central Authority as a gesture of respect for the Five Emperors to use as a residence. Usually, aside from the Central Yellow Emperor, the other four rarely stay there. It is much like the Inner Seats established in the Supreme Subtle Enclosure; they are essentially for show. But today was different. The inner seats are situated closely together, and no movement in one can be hidden from the others.

Once it became clear that the Five Emperors had gathered in their inner seats and that the secret of the "Heavenly Spring" was now an open secret, these crafty old foxes converged upon the palace of the Central Yellow Emperor, Han Shu Niu. After exchanging enough polite, hollow pleasantries about how much they had missed one another, the five finally reached the point.

Han Shu Niu asked the Great Emperor Zhenwu with a beaming smile, "I hear things haven't been very peaceful on your end lately. Is there anything you'd like to discuss with your brothers?"

Zhi Guang Ji was the most frustrated. Having finally gained the upper hand by deploying a massive army to the barren stars, ready to enter Andromeda at any moment, the news had suddenly leaked everywhere. Since he couldn't hide it, why not muddy the waters?

Zhi Guang Ji laughed and said, "What movements? It’s just that the Third Preceptor got wind of some news... actually, you brothers all know, right? Haha." Inside, he cursed, "Keep pretending, you bastards."

The other four emperors feigned surprise, acting as if they had just realized it, and asked, "Oh? And what do you plan to do, brother?"

Zhi Guang Ji sneered, "What can I do? What do you suggest?"

The other four replied, "Brother, what kind of talk is that? We five are in the same circle, aren't we? If you need help, how could we just watch from the sidelines?"

Zhi Guang Ji thought to himself, "Who is in a circle with you? To hell with you and your entire lineage." But despite his extreme reluctance, he had little choice. Could he really shake off these shameless old men? He asked, "Then what do you brothers think should be done?"

Han Shu Niu replied, "What else? Make the news public. Your men are already at the barren stars, aren't they? That’s what we call striking first. We’ve already gained the advantage; we can't let others take our place, can we? We brothers will support you, and we must also send a detachment of troops to bolster your presence."

Zhi Guang Ji sneered internally. "Bolster the presence? More like coming along to grab a share of the spoils." But he couldn't stop them. If the Purple Forbidden and Supreme Subtle Enclosures both mobilized, he would have to consider whether he could handle it alone.

With that thought, he smiled and said, "You are most welcome, but we must bring experts. Andromeda is not a place to be trifled with; at any moment, things could turn into a chaotic brawl. We cannot afford to lose, and certainly not to be driven back."

Chi Biao Nu added, "Why bother with just 'experts'? Let’s all go together and have some fun. We’ll each bring our own top-tier fighters. Isn't that enough?"

Azure Emperor Wei Ling Yang remarked, "That may be so, but if we all go, the commotion will be a bit too great. If it’s under the guise of 'pursuit and suppression,' it might be justifiable for brother Guang Ji, but we would have no legitimate excuse. We need a proper reason, don't we?"

White Emperor Bai Zhao Ju chuckled, "Is a reason hard to find? Let’s say the Five Emperors are going to Andromeda for a grand tour. The duration will be indefinite; we’ll go where we please. Would that little Andromeda girl really chase us out?"

And so, the plan was settled. The five men filed their petitions, requesting the Great Emperor Ziwei’s approval for their "diplomatic visit" to Andromeda. Truly, great minds think alike—and so do greedy ones.

The Five Emperors' plan was sound, but they weren't the only clever ones. Those with military power demanded to lead their troops to Andromeda to "suppress the rebels" led by Chu Tiange; those without military power but with influence requested a "diplomatic visit"; those with neither applied for their descendants to "study abroad" in Andromeda. Even the celestial officials in the Andromeda constellation were scrambling to contact the Andromeda Queen, asking if they could organize a "Friendly Planet" event. (Of course, the Queen was currently at the Wall Mansion and could offer no reply.) Even the rogue cultivators with no power but wild connections got wind of the news—some pledged loyalty to the generals most likely to be approved for the mission, while others formed groups to sneak into Andromeda on their own. Borders and treaties could go to hell. It was the "Heavenly Spring"—was it not worth risking their lives for?

Both the Great Emperor Ziwei and the Great Emperor Changsheng were flooded with petitions. The undercurrents had become a raging river; how could these two not know?

As for the Third Preceptor, Wei Wuyang, he had already received secret reports that Tian Qiang and Xuan Ge had been imprisoned by the Great Emperor Zhenwu. How could he dare to hide the news of the Heavenly Spring any longer?

Great Emperor Ziwei acted decisively, decreeing the mobilization of two million Imperial Guards from the eight lords of the Purple Left and seven lords of the Purple Right, specifically requiring that no participating soldier be below the Nascent Soul stage. Simultaneously, he temporarily incorporated the Seven Lords of the Big Dipper and the Ten Direction Divine Kings and Flying Sages into the suppression force. The resulting power was terrifying; it wasn't just enough to suppress rebels in Andromeda, it was enough to annihilate the entire galaxy.

The Great Emperor Changsheng of the Supreme Subtle Enclosure was no less aggressive, immediately mobilizing his forces at the Northern Polar Long Wall, ready to enter Andromeda at a moment's notice.

In an instant, the Northern Polar Heavens were roiled by gathering storm clouds of war.