The enlistment drive, all quarters submit!
Indeed.
This was precisely the earth-shattering event brewing in the Best Kingdom, an event so monumental it threatened to overshadow news of the Blue Star expanding to twice its size.
What a joke!
Ten aircraft carriers? And a hundred thousand combat drones??
Tell me, who in this world could possibly stop them!!
Nations were thrown into an unprecedented uproar, and the first to react was Huaxia, or more precisely, Huaxia's Five Elder Pavilion.
With a bang.
Long Aotian, aboard a military vehicle, arrived at the Five Elder Pavilion without delay, barging straight in.
"Five Elders, something big has happened!!"
Rushing in, Long Aotian announced, the Five Elders, who were currently playing chess, glanced at him. "Has the sky fallen? Has America declared war on us? Could there possibly be something more shocking than the Blue Star doubling in size?"
"Indeed."
"Calm down, no need to rush, speak slowly," the Five Elders said with composed hearts, a sight that was driving Long Aotian to the brink of madness.
"Cough cough... Five Elders, you truly have the patience of saints."
Swallowing hard, Long Aotian continued, "Five Elders, you are unaware, the Best Kingdom... has declared itself an Empire."
Boom~!!!
Upon hearing this, the Five Elders froze in place.
"Pfft... cough cough~!!!"
Elder Wei, Wei Nantian, his eyes wide with disbelief, stared at Long Aotian. "Little Ao, you... what did you say!?"
"What's going on, tell us in detail!!!"
Wang Xuanyu's expression turned grim, as did the expressions of the other Elders. Joke?
This matter was of utmost importance, and they could not afford to treat it lightly, even though they had all successively reached the Half-step Heavenly King realm.
Long Aotian, understanding the gravity of the situation, dared not waste time and went straight to the point. "Cough cough... Five Elders, just half an hour ago, the Best Kingdom officially declared that it would soon be elevated to the status of an Empire!"
"And..."
At this point, Long Aotian's expression became strangely shaken, his speech faltering as he hesitated to continue.
"And what?"
Elder Feng inquired, his voice serious. Long Aotian took a deep breath and looked at the Five Elders before him. "Along the Best Kingdom's coastal borders, ten aircraft carrier groups have appeared, along with countless other vessels. Simultaneously, the carriers are equipped with tens of thousands of combat drones."
"Hiss..."
"What!"
"Holy crap!"
"Is that kid insane~~"
The Five Elders exclaimed one after another, all gasping in astonishment. The news had indeed hit them with immense impact.
Ten aircraft carriers, countless ships, and tens of thousands of combat drones.
Damn it... How did that guy manage to do it? He's been hiding so many valuable assets.
His mom!
With such power, he could probably sweep across the world without breaking a sweat.
"There's still more."
Long Aotian continued, "Five Elders might not know this, but at the Best Kingdom's borders, numerous factions, small nations, and civilians are flocking to the Best Kingdom's embrace like madmen. Every minute, the Best Kingdom's territory and population are growing."
"The scale of this event is more than ten times greater than when the Best Kingdom was elevated to a Kingdom!"
Listening to Long Aotian's account, the Five Elders fell silent.
The atmosphere in the Elder Pavilion became unprecedentedly somber.
This silence persisted for a good few minutes.
Long Aotian was the first to break. "Five Elders, what should we do?"
"This..."
Upon hearing Long Aotian's question, the four Elders' gazes all fell upon Wang Xuanyu, clearly indicating their indecision.
Wang Xuanyu knew that mishandling this matter could invite disaster. He considered various plans and countermeasures, but none seemed optimal.
After another minute or so, Wang Xuanyu took a deep breath. "The first to object to the Best Kingdom declaring itself an Empire will be America. Following this, there will likely be a world-class war."
"And this time, it will not be a one-sided conflict like America's previous engagement with the Best Kingdom. Soon, if America initiates hostilities, it's unlikely to involve just one or two nations."
"Therefore..."
Wang Xuanyu paused. "Even in the worst-case scenario, where America, along with multiple nations, goes to war with the Best Kingdom, or the Empire, we cannot intervene openly."
"After all, our War Department does not possess the same strength as the Best Kingdom."
"But Elder Wang, we are after all eternal allies of the Best Kingdom. If we don't intervene?" Long Aotian was clearly surprised by Elder Wang's decision. In his opinion, Elder Wang was the most likely to support and aid the Best Kingdom.
"Not intervene? Did I say that?"
A shrewd glint flashed in Elder Wang's eyes. "I said we won't intervene openly. I didn't say we won't act in secret."
The other four Elders: "........"
"What does Elder Wang mean??"
Long Aotian seemed to grasp something. "Openly mend your plank roads, but secretly march your troops!"
"Heh heh, precisely." Da Feng Novel Network
Wang Xuanyu stroked his beard and chuckled. "If America truly goes insane and initiates a large-scale war, attacking the Best Kingdom, then we, these five old bones, will lead all the elites of the War Department to fully support the Best Kingdom."
"At that time, it's still unknown who will emerge victorious. Wouldn't it be even better if we managed to destroy America in one fell swoop?"
"Brilliant!"
"This is a good idea!"
"Agreed!"
"I agree too!!"
The other four Elders immediately voiced their opinions, unanimously agreeing. Damn it, they had long been fed up with the Americans' incessant encroachments. The desire to crush America was not a recent one.
Listening to the Five Elders, Long Aotian felt as though his role as the Commander of the War Department was rendered rather superfluous.
"Yes, Five Elders!"
Although he grumbled inwardly, Long Aotian dared not show any dissatisfaction on his face. After all, if the Five Elders noticed, he might very well end up being tied up and beaten.
Similar conversations were taking place in North Bear Country, Eagle Country, and other nations, all of which had poor relations with America or had been previously oppressed and sanctioned by them.
Meanwhile, on the other side, America and its allies were like ants on a hot pan, in a frenzy.
"What!"
"The Best Kingdom declaring itself an Empire, we absolutely cannot let them succeed!"
"Indeed, if we let them continue, they will become a grave threat!"
"Go to war! Suppress them with overwhelming force!!"
"Agreed! Go to war!!!"
The nations immediately convened a remote conference. A conspiracy, quite similar to Elder Wang's prediction, was unfolding around the Best Kingdom. Without delay, they began to assemble their armies, forming a united front and marching towards the Best Kingdom. This time, no one would be able to save the arrogant fellow who intended to dominate the world.
Of course, they each had their own selfish motives. After all... ten carrier battle groups and tens of thousands of combat drones were extremely enticing. If they could acquire a portion of them, their national strength would undoubtedly surge significantly.
However, they were unaware of the kind of existence they were about to face. If they knew Ye Xuan's cultivation realm and his identity as the Lord of the Planet, they might not have such ambitions or confidence.