A hundred miles outside Snow Moon City, in a remote village.
At this moment, every man, woman, and child in the village had been brutally slaughtered by a mysterious organization.
Afterwards, these people took over the village, disguising themselves as villagers and patrolling the surrounding area.
Inside the village's largest house, once the residence of the village head.
"Ito-kun, are you certain about what you heard? The Myriad Sword Diagram isn't in Snow Moon Sword Immortal's hands, but with the Great City Lord Baili Dongjun?"
"Yes, sir. I personally infiltrated Snow Moon City to confirm it. The Sword Immortal plans to use the diagram to help Baili Dongjun and Sikong Changfeng ascend to the Land Immortal Realm."
"Baka! We absolutely cannot let that happen. We must seize the Myriad Sword Diagram and deliver it to His Majesty the King!"
"With it, our Yamato Kingdom will become incomparably powerful. All soldiers can be trained into mighty swordmasters."
"Once we form a swordmaster army and invade the Nine Provinces, none of these weaklings will be able to resist us!"
"His Majesty will become the true King of the Nine Provinces!"
Two short, ugly figures spoke with unbridled arrogance, showing not the slightest respect for the Nine Provinces.
One of them had an overwhelmingly strong aura, clearly a Heavenly Human Realm Land Immortal.
The other was slightly weaker, at the Half-Step Land Immortal Realm.
Their dynamic was clearly one of master and subordinate. The stronger one seemed to be the commander of the King's personal guard from the island nation beyond the seas, Yamato Kingdom. His role is similar to Zhu Houzhao's Dark Guard or Li Shimin's Bad People.
No one knew when these people had infiltrated the Ming Dynasty Territory.
What was worse, the Ming Dynasty's Dark Guard had not even detected their presence.
It showed their level of cunning.
They were planning to steal the Myriad Sword Diagram, the divine reward bestowed upon Snow Moon City, and smuggle it out of the Nine Provinces, handing it to their King.
Their ambition was plain to see.
"Sir, when should we act?"
"Wait for my command. I need to complete the arrangements inside Snow Moon City first, then I'll inform you."
"Yes, sir. I shall take my leave!"
==========
Tang Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.
"Master Yuan, is there a way for us to snatch the Myriad Sword Diagram?"
"With it, the Tang Dynasty could cultivate countless powerful cultivators!"
Li Shimin's eyes gleamed with desire.
To an Emperor like him, the diagram's value far surpassed treasures like the Heaven Secret Mirror or Fire Spirit Pearl.
The Myriad Sword Diagram could serve as the foundation of an entire sect or dynasty. With it, the problem of losing talent over generations would vanish.
Perhaps Heaven Dao Ranking recognized Snow Moon City's weakness, which was why this reward was granted, to help them overcome it.
If, when the enforcer organization appears on the ranking, a similar reward is given, that would be ideal.
Yuan Tiangang frowned slightly in response.
To provoke a Mythical Realm Land Immortal over a single treasure? Risky.
Worse still, the person in question was a woman.
If she held a grudge, the entire Tang Dynasty could fall into chaos.
Absolutely not worth it.
The cost far outweighed the benefit.
Sure, the diagram could cultivate many masters, but compared to a true Land Immortal, even hundreds of Great Grandmasters and Grandmasters were insignificant.
Besides, if she went on a rampage and injured or killed one of the Tang Dynasty's own Land Immortals, the loss would be immense.
Even Yuan Tiangang himself might not be able to stop her.
After all, this was the woman who single-handedly elevated an entire force to Rank 8 in the Martial Force Ranking.
Clearly, she was no ordinary Mythical Realm Land Immortal.
"Your Majesty, I believe we should not openly antagonize Snow Moon City."
"At the very least, we must not let Snow Moon Sword Immortal sense any hostility from us."
"Then are we to give up on the Myriad Sword Diagram?" Li Shimin sounded reluctant.
He understood the logic, but the diagram's value was simply too great.
"Not necessarily."
"I believe that many nations across the Nine Provinces are eyeing the diagram, not just us."
"Qin Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, and even Ming Dynasty itself will be watching from the shadows."
"Someone will make a move. We should not be the first to act."
"If someone succeeds in stealing it and attempts to escape, then we can act like the mantis stalking the cicada, waiting to be the oriole."
"Master Yuan, who do you think will be the mantis?" Li Shimin asked curiously.
"Who can say? Whoever acts first will be the mantis."
"In my opinion, neither the Qin Dynasty nor the Ming Dynasty will act. The other dynasties, with wise strategists among them, likely won't do something so reckless either."
"Most likely, it will be some ignorant sword cultivator or some trash force that doesn't know any better."
Yuan Tiangang spoke calmly.
"Haha, interesting. Then let's wait and see."
==========
Sui Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty, I believe our dynasty should attempt to seize the Myriad Sword Diagram."
Yuwen Tuo made his case to Emperor Yang Guang.
"Oh? Why? Are we to make enemies of Snow Moon City?"
"My Sui Dynasty does not fear them, but there is no need to provoke a Mythical Realm cultivator over a mere scroll!"
Yang Guang seemed disinterested in the whole affair.
"Your Majesty, the diagram is no ordinary item. With it, we can train a personal army of loyal elites."
"With such strength, you would no longer need to rely on noble families or martial sects."
"In ten years, all under the Sui Dynasty banner would obey Your Majesty."
"The rebellious clans and aristocrats would be swept away."
"With internal threats removed, Your Majesty could challenge for dominion over the Nine Provinces. Unification may yet be within reach!"
"This opportunity cannot be missed!"
Yuwen Tuo spoke with urgency.
Though his words were somewhat exaggerated, the benefits were undeniable.
"Isn't that a bit of a stretch? It's just a single treasure, how could it cultivate so many cultivators?"
Yang Guang clearly didn't believe it.
Still, he waved his hand and relented.
"Very well, Supreme Master Yuwen, you will personally oversee this matter. Do as you see fit."
Yuwen Tuo's brow furrowed slightly.
He was dissatisfied with the Emperor's attitude.
Any Emperor with true ambition wouldn't be so passive.
Yang Guang had many strengths, but his flaws were just as obvious.
The biggest one was his lack of resolve.
He was impulsive and indecisive, traits that frustrated Yuwen Tuo.
If this continued, even with his support, the Sui Dynasty would never be a match for the Tang Dynasty.
Especially with Yuan Tiangang as their enforcer, he might even fall into a trap someday.
If Yang Guang ever turned on him, disaster would be inevitable.
With these thoughts, Yuwen Tuo's gaze shifted to someone he had been watching for a long time. The Sui Empress, Xiao Meiniang.
Perhaps, there was an opportunity to collaborate.
Xiao Meiniang cultivated the Longevity Art. She, too, might one day become a Land Immortal.
She had the qualifications to be his partner.
==========
Compared to Yang Guang's apathy, the Qin Emperor Ying Zheng and the Yuan Emperor Temujin were much more eager.
Snow Moon Sword Immortal's power was indeed daunting. Even they did not wish to face her directly.
But as for working from the shadows, who would ever know?
As long as the plans were executed well, the Myriad Sword Diagram could belong to anyone.
Meanwhile, Li Hanyi of Snow Moon City remained completely unaware that the diagram had drawn so many wolves to circle her.
All with greedy eyes.
Even several Land Immortals were now on the move.
Perhaps in her eyes, the Myriad Sword Diagram wasn't that important.
But in the eyes of the Emperors, it was more valuable than any divine artifact.
In no time, countless people and forces made their way into the Ming Dynasty Territory.
All headed in the direction of Snow Moon City.
==========
Ming Dynasty, Capital.
Taibai Inn Backyard.
Zhu Houzhao, who was laughing with the three women Zi Nu, Nong Yu, and Hong Lian, suddenly changed his expression.
But he quickly recovered.
"Zi Nu, Nong Yu, Hong Lian. It's getting late. I should return to the palace. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
After parting from them, Zhu Houzhao returned directly to the Imperial Palace.
His face darkened.
"What's going on? Why are they still alive?"
"Anyone who slaughters my Ming Dynasty people must die!"
"They massacred an entire village? Do they think my Ming Dynasty is powerless?"
"These vermin are slapping me in the face!"
The massacre committed by the islanders had finally reached the Dark Guard.
Zhu Houzhao was furious.
"Your Majesty, this all began because of the Myriad Sword Diagram."
The Dark Guard Leader quickly explained.
"So what? They killed our people. They deserve to die!"
"That's no excuse for letting them live."
"Get to the point. I have no time for stories."
Zhu Houzhao cut him off impatiently.
"Your Majesty, I believe simply killing them would be too merciful. They are far more valuable alive."
The Dark Guard Leader's words piqued Zhu Houzhao's interest.
"Oh? Explain."
"Because of the diagram, things are spiraling out of control. The other dynasties are determined to claim it. Spies from various nations have already infiltrated near Snow Moon City."
Zhu Houzhao, ever astute, quickly understood the implications.
Tapping his fingers on the table, he carefully weighed the pros and cons.
After a while, he took a deep breath.
"Alright. This will be handled according to my plan."
"Activate Dark Guard One, Two, and Three. Their mission is to carry out the entire operation. You'll oversee everything."
"Our target is every shadowy force that has entered Ming Dynasty Territory."
"And those islander trash, don't let any of them live."
"No, wait. Keep a few alive for interrogation. We need intel on their home nation."
"One day, I will destroy that island."
"Hmph. My Ming Dynasty is not a place you can come and go as you please."
"There must be a price to pay."
Zhu Houzhao then began detailing his intricate plan.
It touched on every possible angle.
Even the Dark Guard Leader was shocked.
If this plan succeeded, the Ming Dynasty would reap tremendous rewards.
And the other nations would suffer heavy losses.
"Remember, only you and I know of this plan. No one else must learn a word of it. Understand?"
"No matter how bad things get for the others, they will never suspect us or the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Houzhao warned coldly.
"We obey your command, Your Majesty!"
Truly, the Emperor was born to rule. Even his schemes were unmatched.