Westheid’s greatest virtue was his flexibility. He knew when to charge ahead and when to beat a hasty retreat.

He never indulged in baseless expectations or allowed himself to be caught off guard. Prepared for any outcome, he could remain perfectly composed even if a mountain were to collapse before him. His defining trait was his unshakeable stability.

"Apologies, I got a little carried away."

Yolanda patted her cheeks and shook her head.

She struggled to remain composed whenever the family’s honor was at stake. When she first heard Westheid’s ultimate goal, Yolanda had dismissed it as a foolish fantasy.

But after witnessing Duke Qinghui’s astonishingly rapid advancement, she suddenly realized that future... might... just be possible? That it wasn’t a mere fantasy?

’The Qinghui bloodline... becoming as noble as the Imperial Royal Family? Becoming Divine Descendants?!’

The mere thought of this possibility made Yolanda tremble with excitement.

"No matter. Just remember this virtue for the future. As for now..."

Westheid glanced at the hesitant members of the Pioneer Territory and smiled.

"Let’s celebrate our victory and bid Mivana farewell."

The Imperial Citizens sullenly lowered their heads. Even after one of the Qinghui Clan had just voiced such a treasonous idea, they were merely surprised for a moment. All their defiance had vanished.

After all, in this situation, the Divine Ancestor could no longer protect them. Only Duke Qinghui had proven through his strength that he could safeguard the peace of the region. It was foreseeable that for a long time to come, the Purity People would be the Dominators of the Southeast Border of the Imperial.

’If we don’t bow our heads now, we’ll just earn Duke Qinghui’s contempt. Does anyone want him making our lives difficult later on?’

Next, the Qinghui Legion and the Casters from the Ring of Clear Skies began the meticulous work of cleansing the lands of Winter Fall Province, removing every trace of the corrupting pollution.

The moment the Little Holy Tree inverted, the area around the provincial capital was destroyed. However, most of Winter Fall Province’s territory remained intact. The spreading pollution and corruption had simply caused Winter Fall’s Imperial Citizens to flee in droves. As a newly established Imperial border province, it still had plenty of substance.

It had to be said that the one-two punch of the divine-mortal separation and the Corrupted Holy Tree had been devastating. Wherever the Qinghui Legion went, the people of Winter Fall welcomed them with food and drink as if they were a liberating army.

Although Winter Fall’s provincial capital, its most prosperous city, had been annihilated, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Qinghui Territory. The aristocracy had been almost completely wiped out, making it incredibly easy to fill the resulting power vacuum.

This kind of nearly unchecked expansion was unprecedented in the thousand-year history of the Qinghui Territory.

Westheid even issued a security guarantee to the neighboring Imperial Provinces, declaring that if any situation arose that they could not control, the Qinghui Legion would extend a helping hand and assume responsibility for local defense.

Judging from the chaos marking the beginning of this era of conflict, such a possibility was highly likely. Westheid recalled that the Imperial’s territory had shrunk by at least thirty percent in a single year, with a good portion of its regions falling into chaos. ’There should be plenty of opportunities to expand,’ he thought.

However, cold water was promptly thrown on Westheid’s lofty ambitions.

"If we’re to follow your plan, we don’t have enough troops. Not nearly enough."

Yolanda said gravely to Duke Qinghui in his residence:

"Routine administration is simple. Thanks to the Celestial Vault Kingdom’s central processing system, our bureaucracy is incredibly streamlined; a handful of people can manage an entire city’s affairs. The critical issue, however, is military strength... We are severely lacking in troops. We’re already at our limit just maintaining the status quo. We can’t possibly control another province, or our defenses will be full of holes."

Despite the Qinghui Territory’s aggressive recruitment efforts, the number of legions had stagnated. They had barely managed to build up their current forces.

"That is indeed a problem."

Westheid nodded in agreement. "You can’t build a core legion overnight just by throwing money at it. It takes time to cultivate them... But I still don’t want to miss this opportunity."

’Once this initial period of conflict is over, there will be no more opportunities for such easy expansion. The Qinghui Territory is simply too small to support an Ascension factor like [Anchored in the Mortal World’s Fanatic Realm]. That’s why I’m so desperate to expand our domain.’

"Brother, I must advise you not to recruit too many ordinary people. This is not just a war within the Mortal World. If we encounter Chaos, a large mortal army would actually be a liability."

Seeing Westheid lost in deep thought, the platinum-haired young woman added quickly.

"I’m not that crazy."

Westheid waved a dismissive hand, then stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"But if we could get our hands on a ready-made legion, wouldn’t that solve everything?"

"You mean..."

"Aren’t the Yonglan Knights the perfect target? When it comes to strength in the Mortal World, not counting the Celestial Vault Kingdom, the Yonglan Knights are unmatched. And what’s more, we have an entirely justifiable reason."

Westheid briefly explained the situation with the Knightly Path’s expedition, saying:

"So, the situation in the Dusk Lamp Territory is both delicate and perilous. Mivana is returning to the Country of Yonglan—she leaves tomorrow morning. What I intend to do... is to go and claim the title of Knight King."

Yolanda: "With you on the throne?"

Westheid: "Whether it’s me or Mivana, it’s all the same. In any case, we’ll have to confront this Knightly Path expedition head-on. We have to beat them into submission before we can bring their Knights into our fold."

’Wait, he just ascended to Legend and he’s already looking down on an entire Realm of Order?’ 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’That’s the Country of Yonglan we’re talking about! Even without the [Yonglan Riding God]—in fact, the Knight Country is the one nation least dependent on the Divine Ancestor. This is more than just taking advantage of a crisis; he’s running straight into the Knightly Path’s expedition at its peak strength. Does he really think being a Legend makes him invincible? Yonglan has plenty of Grand Knights of its own.’

Yolanda felt the urge to voice her concerns, but the authority Westheid had built through his past achievements held her back. Instead of questioning him further, she simply gave a slight nod.

"If you have thought this through carefully, then I have no objections... When do you plan to set out?"

Westheid: "The territories we’ve acquired need to be integrated, and our defenses must be established. I also need to bring a core team of my most elite and trusted men. Not a large force—a single legion of a few thousand should suffice."

’Conquering a Realm of Order with just a few thousand men?!’

Duke Qinghui’s confidence wasn’t baseless; he was intimately familiar with the Country of Yonglan. Its Knights cared little for legal justification. So long as you could overwhelm them with absolute power, you could win their loyalty.

A massive army pressing on their border wasn’t necessary. This great enterprise could be accomplished simply by a few top-tier Powerhouses joining forces.

And in this era, as for top-tier Powerhouses whose might could transcend the ages and overwhelm the Mortal World...

"In a little while, Reiya should ascend to Legend. When she does, I’ll invite her to come with me. Conquering the Country of Yonglan will be well within our grasp!"

With [the Withered and Flourishing Dragon Emperor], [the Heaven-Devouring Wave], and Westheid joining forces, they would be an absolutely unstoppable trio!