As the Chaos Federation decisively defeated the imperial army, and Zhang Nu was busy rushing to upgrade the Tree of Eternity, another development was rapidly unfolding elsewhere.
In the royal city of the Pale Moon Kingdom, the Pale Moon King was filled with anger and anxiety. Since the Grand Marshal of the Pale Moon had led the army to subdue the rebellious city of Holy Tides, not only had the campaign to quell the rebellion failed, but the Grand Marshal himself had been killed.
If it had been a pyrrhic victory where both sides suffered heavy losses, the Grand Marshal's death could have been somewhat justified. However, the Grand Marshal lost his life without inflicting any significant damage on Holy Tides City. Instead, the Pale Moon Kingdom's army had been handed over to Holy Tides City on a silver platter. Was this how a rebellion was supposed to be quelled? It could even have been said that he was complicit with the rebels, given his utterly counterproductive actions!
As for how the situation developed afterward, it became even more absurd. It was rumored that one of the masterminds behind the Holy Tides City rebellion had been none other than the legendary Azure Water Emperor from 6,000 years ago.
How could that be possible? Even if the Azure Water Emperor hadn't died back then, it was highly unlikely she would have survived until now, 6,000 years later. Merfolk lifespans aren't much longer than humans, and even reaching Level 6 Emperor or Great Emperor status, a merfolk's lifespan could at most extend to three or four thousand years.
It was simply too preposterous and unbelievable.
But what was even more absurd and baffling was that after the Azure Water Empress made a high-profile announcement of her return, almost all cities, tribes, and various factions near Holy Tides City rallied to her cause. They pledged allegiance to Holy Tides City, joining the rebel faction to collectively oppose the legitimate Pale Moon royal family.
This infuriated the Pale Moon King and he realized that the situation was dire. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before the entire Pale Moon Kingdom collapsed, and by then, it would be too late to reverse the tide.
The Pale Moon King couldn't just sit idly by! After some investigation, he learned that regardless of whether the Azure Water Empress's identity was authentic, her strength was indeed formidable, far beyond his expectations. However, it appeared that the Azure Water Empress might not be the real mastermind behind everything. Behind the Azure Water Empress, there seemed to be a demonic force led by succubi, which was the true orchestrator of the entire scheme.
After understanding the main and secondary relationships involved, the Pale Moon King decided to attempt to resolve the issue through negotiations and sent envoys to Holy Tides City. Whether the negotiations would succeed was not the main concern. The crucial point was that the Pale Moon King could use the opportunity presented by the negotiations to buy time and opportunities for himself while delaying the expansion momentum of the Holy Tides City rebels.
To the Pale Moon King's surprise, the other party quickly agreed to the request for negotiations. The two parties agreed to meet three days later on an island about a thousand miles from the royal city on the Pale Moon Peninsula. This made the Pale Moon King realize he had an excellent opportunity. Perhaps things had been going too smoothly for the mastermind and rebel leader recently, and they had become complacent.
If he could use this negotiation as a chance to eliminate them, wouldn't that directly resolve the rebellion crisis? With this in mind, the Pale Moon King immediately began recruiting and preparing for the negotiations.
Meanwhile, "Some unidentified individuals claiming to be members of the Deep Sea Hermits have arrived and wish to meet with Your Majesty," he was informed.
Hearing the name Deep Sea Hermits, the Pale Moon King's face twisted into a strange expression. As the king of the Pale Moon Kingdom, how could he not have heard of the Deep Sea Hermits? It was an organization of aquatic races that was both incredibly mysterious and unfathomably profound.
It was said that the breaking of the ancient covenant was the work of the Deep Sea Hermits. "What do these damned people want here?" the Pale Moon King fumed with anger. If it hadn't been for these treacherous wretches breaking the covenant, the Pale Moon Kingdom would still be his rightful territory, impervious to easy conquest by foreign enemies, and the mysterious Succubus Demon King wouldn't have had a chance to invade.
In the end, it was the Deep Sea Hermits who were the source of all evil, the root cause of all the troubles! Upon hearing it was the Deep Sea Hermits, the Pale Moon King was immediately enraged, wishing he could immediately order these people to be torn to pieces.
Little did the Pale Moon King know, just as he was about to give the order, a distortion of light appeared before him. Suddenly, around twenty or thirty figures eerily materialized in front of him.
The Pale Moon King was shocked: "How dare you, you scoundrels, barging into my palace! Do you really think this place is somewhere you can just come and go as you please?"
The Pale Moon King, with his corpulent body, rose from his throne, and a monarch domain began to spread around him. However, before it could fully expand, it was suppressed by another domain. Numerous huge, barbed tentacles entwined the Pale Moon King and the hundreds of guards around him, rendering them unable to break free.
"We mean no harm, yet." The leader of the Deep Sea Hermits was an elderly figure with an octopus head. Despite his hunched and diminutive stature, the aura he emitted was incredibly powerful, easily that of a Level 6 monarch, allowing him to effortlessly overpower the Pale Moon King.
The Pale Moon King demanded in a deep voice, "Who are you, and what are your intentions? The federation has already been thrown into chaos by you damned folks, and now you want to disrupt my kingdom as well?"
"Huhhuhhuh." The octopus-headed elder chuckled coldly. "To us, the Pale Moon Kingdom is but a small pond, hardly worth the trouble. We have far more important matters at hand and wouldn't go to great lengths to send so many people here for it."
The Pale Moon King glanced around. The elder had brought twenty-six individuals with him, each from different races, yet nearly all of them possessed the strength of Level 6 overlords. This was an undeniably terrifying force, capable of confronting several monarchs of the same level.
The octopus elder said, "We've heard the rumors about Holy Tides City, and we, the Deep Sea Hermits, are very concerned about this so-called Azure Water Empress and the mysterious Demon King. Thus, we wish to collaborate with you on this matter."
The Pale Moon King, intrigued, immediately asked, "What kind of collaboration do you have in mind?"
The octopus elder explained, "Quite simple. I will lend you all the people I've brought with me to set a trap and kill these two individuals."
"Why should I listen to you?" the Pale Moon King retorted.
The octopus elder smiled. "Do you think you have a choice? Without the Deep Sea Hermits' help, the Pale Moon Kingdom will fall within ten days, and you won't live to see that day."
As he spoke, the tentacles binding the Pale Moon King tightened further. Feeling the intense pressure and realizing the truth in the elder's words, the Pale Moon King acknowledged that without this cooperation, given their strength, it wouldn't be difficult for them to kill him. Moreover, even if they refrained from acting, once the so-called Azure Water Empress and the mysterious Demon King invaded, his doom was certain. Collaborating with a dangerous organization like the Deep Sea Hermits was like making a deal with the devil, but their power was indeed worth borrowing for the moment.
"Fine!" the Pale Moon King conceded. "I agree! But the Pale Moon Peninsula must remain mine. No one, including the Deep Sea Hermits, can lay a finger on it!"
The octopus elder chuckled. "That will depend on your performance. If you successfully eliminate these two major nuisances, I can recommend you to join our organization. As long as you're a member, continuing to rule over the Pale Moon is entirely feasible."
As the old saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.
......
Two days later, the Pale Moon King carefully selected two thousand of his top powerhouses to accompany him, along with the twenty-six Level 6 monarch-class units from the Deep Sea Hermits, to the agreed negotiation site. It was more of an ambush than a negotiation. The Pale Moon King had no intention of engaging in discussions. As soon as the other party appeared and fell into the trap, they would immediately launch an attack, giving no chance for the opponents to sense danger or become alert.
About an hour later, a medium-sized ship appeared on the surface of the sea. The Pale Moon King had never seen such a ship before; its structure bore distinct magitek designs, harnessing the power of wind and water for propulsion and equipped with magitek cannon. This was a magitek warship produced by a magitek shipyard.
When the warship docked, Han Kexin, accompanied by Shui Lan and her two retainers, Qiu Yue and Dong Xue, just four people in total, stepped onto the agreed meeting point and were greeted by the ugly, obese Merfolk King.
"Ha ha ha!" the Pale Moon King laughed derisively. "Just a few of you dare to come ashore and step onto the island. You must be really bold or really foolish!"
Seeing only four individuals, the Pale Moon King could hardly contain his laughter. He thought these fools were overly confident, truly believing they were here for a negotiation. Even if all four were monarchs, they were doomed to perish on this day in his eyes!
However, just then, Han Kexin spoke up, "It's clear that you have no intention of negotiating, and coincidentally, neither do we."
The Pale Moon King was taken aback, "Then why are you here?"
Han Kexin responded, "I'm here on behalf of Dark City, in the name of Empress Shui Lan, to reclaim the royal authority from the Pale Moon royal family. From this point on, the Pale Moon Peninsula will have no lawful hereditary connection with you, the former king."
Before the Pale Moon King could erupt in anger, Han Kexin deployed a prepared spell of Permanent Charm. Just as the members of the Deep Sea Hermits present, and the top experts of Pale Moon lurking nearby, thought the Pale Moon King was about to issue an attack command in a fit of rage, something entirely unexpected happened.
The Pale Moon King knelt down with a thud, "Yes, master. From today onwards, everything on the Pale Moon Peninsula is at your disposal, please feel free to command me!"
"What's happening?"
"Wasn't His Majesty here to set up an ambush?"
"Why would he suddenly pledge loyalty to this Demon Queen?"
The twenty-six Level 6 members of the Deep Sea Hermits who had come to assist were utterly bewildered, having no clue what had just transpired.
"Pale Moon King! What are you doing?"
"Have you lost your will to live? How dare you submit to this damned Demon King!"
Before the members of the Deep Sea Hermits could figure out what had happened, the Pale Moon King, now enraged, retorted, "Who do you think you are, showing such disrespect to my lord? Today shall mark the end for all of you!"
"Kill these members of the Deep Sea Hermits!"
"Attack immediately!"
At his command, the two thousand top experts of the Pale Moon Peninsula rushed forward. Although they were unclear about the bizarre change that had occurred, the Pale Moon King's order was absolute for them.
Simultaneously, Shui Lan also made her move. Under the terrifying domain she unleashed, the twenty-six Level 6 monarch units were instantly deprived of much of their combat power. In such a situation, with their limited numbers, Han Kexin and Shui Lan could easily handle them, so the outcome of the battle was hardly in doubt.
Han Kexin was very satisfied. The Pale Moon King was successfully controlled. This way, a lot of trouble could be avoided. The Pale Moon King could directly use his royal authority to force the cities and regions to surrender to Darkness City, disband or even annihilate families with vested interests, clearing away troubles and threats for Darkness City's rule. This would save a lot of effort. Without deploying a single soldier or wasting time, they could swiftly take control of the entire Pale Moon Peninsula, allowing the mission to be completed ahead of schedule!
With the peninsula in their grasp, Darkness City would have a foothold in the Chaos Seas. With Shui Lan's influence and Darkness City's strength, conquering this vast sea region in the future would not be a difficult task."