Domineering

“How are the responses to the requirements in my documents?” Li Yue asked casually, propping her head on her hand. She directed the question to a nearby attendant, whose face filled with a look of hesitation. Soon, a messenger official whispered something in his ear. The attendant thought for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to phrase the news.

“Divine Lord, many of the official positions responsible for local affairs have become vacant over the last two days. I believe that stabilizing the domestic environment should be our most urgent priority,” a brightly dressed lord suggested, taking advantage of the gap in Li Yue's thoughts. Li Yue nodded slightly; she had no experience as a monarch and did not care much for most domestic matters.

“Domestic?” Li Yue tossed out a world map, which slowly unfurled before everyone. This was the latest edition from this year. Many maritime regions that had never been surveyed before were now clearly marked, with most of them having been named by pioneers eager to leave their mark.

The newly revised map had no clear divisions of power. Because there were so many newly discovered regions, some magic users had even begun to establish their own regimes, promoting their own ideologies and giving the empire even more naming conventions to contend with.

“Point it out. On this map, where is there a place that is not my territory?” Li Yue asked, still propping her head up as she reclined sideways on the Blood Crystal Throne. She felt the throne pressing uncomfortably into her waist, so she casually pulled out a cushion to pad herself.

“This... that...” The noble who had spoken felt his tongue tie itself in knots. Fine beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He looked at the map before him; even if it were turned to ash, he could still draw the shape of the Royal Court's territory from memory. But now, he felt that if he dared to move his hand, he would die.

“The entire thing is mine, is it not?” He felt a shadow fall over him, blocking out the light. It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized the true extent of the monarch's ambition.

“So many heretics have appeared within my territory. It seems they should all be handled, shouldn't they?” Li Yue made a gesture toward her nearby attendants. Her fair hand made a slicing motion across her own throat, causing everyone in the hall to feel a wave of horror.

“Tell them to manage their believers well within their autonomous regions. In this world, there can only be one faith.” Li Yue paused. “One more thing. Tell their monarchs to come to the Royal Court to swear fealty. Do not make me resort to violent methods.”

The messenger official ran out of the hall in a hurry. Li Yue fell into silence once more. She was someone who had risen to power through strength alone; she did not know how to appoint suitable candidates. As the Divine Lord, she could guarantee long term rule, but not necessarily long term peace. She felt a bit restless. The followers of the Specter Church had almost vanished within the territory of the Royal Court, leaving many positions vacant. Achieving complete control over the country would be almost impossible without decades of cultivation.

The believers who worship me are too few, and I cannot exactly borrow some from other gods...

The methods I could try all take too much time... How much time do I have left? A year? Half a year? Or even less...

Li Yue slowly calculated the time in her mind. Her silence became a shadow looming over everyone's heads. Over the past few days, this powerful Divine Lord had shown them an almost all powerful divine strength. Her power had permeated every aspect of the Royal Court, and nearly all the devout followers of foreign faiths had been put to the sword.

There were even rumors from other nations about national preceptors dying unnatural deaths. These whispers were enough to make anyone's skin crawl.

There were no more than a dozen Calamity class beings in this world, and the powerhouses who possessed true authorities were even fewer. A magic user like her, who possessed the trinity of territory, faith, and power, was truly unprecedented. To some extent, her strength had already surpassed that of ordinary gods.

There are very few powerhouses in this world, and even fewer who have reached the Calamity class and can glimpse even a sliver of the world's truth. So... I should just destroy it all... Why am I wasting my time and exhausting my mind with these schemes?

Tsk... Those thoughts are starting again... For Clo's sake, I made my decision long ago.

...

“How can this be? This is absurd!”

“Unreasonable... This is simply unheard of!”

“Is she truly such a domineering monarch? How can she be like this...”

“She is a radical isolationist, a total ambitious schemer! How can I go back and deliver such a sovereignty surrendering and nation humiliating treaty?”

“I will become a criminal of my nation... and bear a legacy of infamy for a thousand years...” One representative broke into tears in the rain, and many of the indignant envoys began to gradually calm down.

Amidst the heavy rain, the indignant voices of the crowd that had come to pay tribute began to turn into hushed murmurs. A knight in black armor standing in the rain snorted coldly, and all the noise finally fell into silence. Their heated heads were gradually cooled by the icy rain. As they looked at the palace complex shrouded in mist, some began to shiver. Though winter had not yet arrived and the Royal Court was a land with four distinct seasons, everyone felt a simultaneous chill down their spines.

The castle no longer housed a dragon; now, a deity resided there. With a snap of her fingers, she could dictate the fate of the world and stifle all life. She was an invincible existence from myth... The World Eating Serpent... seemed poised to truly devour the world.

Li Yue watched the rain outside the window in a long silence. She sensed the world around her. The hall was empty once again. Beneath her Blood Crystal Throne lay more and more formerly shining things that she had buried. They lay in deathly silence now, waiting for the day they would see the light of day again.

More and more people were converting. She could gradually feel the weight of that faith. This extreme power made her former shackles become incredibly fragile. If she wished, she could return to the Astral Realm and become the sole master of this world. But that was limited to “this world.” Outside the world... there was... another deity she had been waiting for for a long time.

“Winter is coming. Autumn is almost over. It went by so fast,” Li Yue murmured. The traces of summer were beginning to be washed away by the final autumn rains. Even the emotionally detached Li Yue could not help but feel moved by the scene. “That grand summer... will likely never have the chance to reappear.”