The complexity of the power dynamics within Dongyue was far more severe than he had imagined.

The entire term "Dongyue" was equivalent to the Central Plains or the Southern Border, referring to a large region rather than a single country or family. The local cultivators in this area, those with Demon Race bloodlines, were collectively termed as the East Sea Clan.

Unlike the divided and scattered forces of the Central Plains, Dongyue remained in a completely unified state for a long time, governed by a royal lineage. The suppression based on bloodline within Dongyue was extremely severe; those with imperial blood could easily control those with inferior bloodlines.

It was an innate bloodline suppression, an unavoidable bloodline dominance. Just like before, no matter how Lu Luo provoked him, Jin Shan, the demon monk, was nearly driven mad, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

If it weren't absolutely necessary, they would never make a move against the Imperial Family. It's an ancestral instinct for self-preservation embedded in their DNA, to put it in a metaphor.

You see a snake, do you run?

Even if you know that in a life-and-death struggle with it, it will definitely die, do you still fear it when you see it? Would you recklessly go up to it and kick it just because you saw a venomous snake lying there, mocking you with its forked tongue?

It's akin to that kind of instinctual reaction. If you truly wish to kill it, there are only two possibilities.

First, you've been cornered with no escape and have no choice but to fight to the death.

Second.

You've already been bitten once, and since having more lice doesn't make you itchier, you let it be. One bite or two, you're infuriated and ready to fight to the death.

This scenario is perfectly illustrated within Dongyue. Over countless years, the imperial lineage had ruled the entire Dongyue, relying on their bloodline and extraordinary strength. Their status within Dongyue remained unshaken.

They divided classes based on bloodline and strength, and there were many of high-grade bloodlines within their whole clan. The best bloodlines were managed by the King, who was responsible for governing the entire state. The rest of the high-grade bloodlines were allotted fiefdoms based on family, similar to the dukes in ordinary nations.

So whether you possessed a superior bloodline or extraordinary strength, you could stand out in Dongyue and earn land rewards. Over the years, these dukes changed and exchanged, yet the Imperial Family lineage remained stable, unchanging for millennia.

The relationship between the Imperial Family and the other families couldn't be considered subordinate; it was a hierarchical relationship. Only they wielded greater power in their hands, usually having their own constitution and rules, with obligations to tribute or provide benefits at intervals.

Within the fiefdoms, you had the final say, but if the Imperial Family issued a command, it must be obeyed; otherwise, there would be repercussions for treason. There's a saying that goes something like this.

Obey the decree but not the order; it's the same concept.

Before Dongyue fell into chaos, there were a total of seventeen clans; that is, seventeen top forces followed the imperial bloodline's orders, which was why Dongyue was so powerful. The entire nation was tightly unified.

Ruling consistently for thousands of years, this management model wasn't necessarily a bad situation for Dongyue. Compared to regions where many forces were vying for control, the current formation was more suitable as long as the imperial bloodline didn't make mistakes.

No, it should be as long as the imperial bloodline responsible for governing the whole Dongyue didn't make egregious errors, things would remain stable, as everyone believed Dongyue could continue this way forever, until.

A hundred years ago, the calamity of consort selection.

"...Sigh, the calamity of consort selection has left devastation in its wake. If not for that absurd selection, Dongyue might still retain its statehood today."

"Later, the seventeen clans fought fiercely, battling for nearly a hundred years, resulting in the current situation of only nine families remaining, all severely weakened. Not to mention the ordinary few families, even the imperial lineage suffered significant casualties."

"The nine families divided and clustered, with the Long, Jiao, and She Families still in close alliance. After all, their bloodlines were the most closely related and could be incrementally increased. Within Dongyue, they were called the Upper Three Families, representing the former imperial bloodline and its branches."

"Today, they occupy the most fertile positions in Dongyue, becoming independent nations. Even in Dongxing City, they remain highly esteemed. The thing they detest the most is being lumped together with ordinary demon tribes."

"The remaining families don't particularly care about this, but saying such things directly would inevitably cause dissatisfaction."

He nodded while listening.

A vast amount of information surged through his mind, trying to process it. The situation within Dongyue was overly complicated, especially when it involved concepts like 'bloodline,' complicating even the simplest matters.

However, the phrase 'calamity of consort selection' was quite intriguing.

Such a significant event, causing the whole nation to split into three countries, with seventeen families battling down to nine, not only left those nine families damaged but also nearly destroyed the entire nation through a series of chain reactions from the civil war.

And it all stemmed simply from a consort selection?

From Zhao Ye's expression, it was not difficult to see that he surely did not belong to the Upper Three Families, yet his attitude towards the snake-woman was quite subtle. That snake-woman was merely at the Foundation Establishment level, a very common presence in this city, yet it was enough to make a mid-grade Nascent Soul cultivator like him act so cautious.

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