Approximately two hours later, the golden light dissipated.
However, the castle had undergone a dramatic transformation. It now possessed mountains, water, and rivers, becoming exquisitely grand and luxurious.
It was truly magnificent.
The castle's domain had expanded to a radius of 100,000 kilometers, far larger than many small empires.
This was utterly unbelievable.
Even more spectacular was the castle palace situated at the heart of the kingdom.
The once dilapidated statues had transformed into magnificent and imposing structures, a far cry from their previous drab appearance.
The intricate carvings on the statues were lifelike, and the goddess seemed on the verge of awakening and descending from the Immortal and Demon Reincarnation Pool.
This palace could no longer be called a castle palace.
Now that the castle had been upgraded to an empire, it should be renamed the Imperial Palace.
Its current grandeur was almost inconceivable, towering so high it pierced the clouds.
A single glance was enough to dazzle.
It shimmered with golden light and exuded an aura of sanctity.
This structure surpassed any Western European architecture Xiao Mo had ever seen in its magnificence, height, and solemnity!
The Imperial Palace alone covered an area of one thousand kilometers in radius.
It could comfortably accommodate over ten thousand gods.
Following the castle's upgrade, a new system notification chimed.
[Congratulations to the player for completing the Imperial upgrade!]
[Your empire now spans 10,000 kilometers, and your castle's sphere of influence has expanded to 100,000 kilometers!]
[The castle's defenses have reached their peak. Players are encouraged to expand their power and further increase the castle's range!]
As the system's voice faded, Xiao Mo felt a surge of divine power flow into his body.
However, this divine power was not as intense as the previous surge. It was quickly absorbed by him.
Although the divine power was modest, it brought Xiao Mo even closer to the early stages of the God King realm.
This appeared to be the system's reward for his efforts in strengthening his castle's influence.
Xiao Mo barely had time to revel in his increased strength before the system announced his castle's sphere of influence had reached 10,000 kilometers.
He couldn't help but gasp, his heart pounding.
This meant his current imperial influence encompassed nearly a tenth of the Primordial Continent.
His reach was incredibly vast, a thought too daunting to dwell upon.
His sphere of influence was now nearing the borders of the neighboring Dark Elf Empire and the central Radiant Empire.
If the expansion of his castle's territory was reported, as it had been before, the forums would likely explode.
After all, the speed at which he was expanding his castle's territory was astonishing.
Who wouldn't be envious?
Currently, only the Glorious Empire on the Primordial Continent could rival his empire.
Despite this, Xiao Mo felt it was not enough. He desired to surpass all imperial powers on the Primordial Continent and claim the top spot.
However, further expanding his castle's territory would not be as simple as before.
It would require gathering resources. If he wanted to expand further, he would have to invade other empires.
In other words, his current enemies were the Dark Elf Empire and the Glorious Empire.
But Xiao Mo felt no fear; instead, he was brimming with a subtle excitement.
His very nature was that of an aggressor, bloodthirsty!
While future territorial expansion would necessitate conquering other nations, resources remained crucial.
In fact, to upgrade his castle to the next tier, even more resources would be required.
A staggering one hundred million units.
Relying solely on collection would be exhausting, and he wouldn't be able to gather that much.
Even if he annihilated all the remaining castles on the Primordial Continent, he wouldn't amass sufficient resources.
He would have to strike at the native empires.
Xiao Mo decided that once the [Otherworldy Evil Extermination event] concluded, he would lead his troops and prepare for territorial expansion.
He would launch an offensive against other empires!
His first target would be the Radiant Empire to the southwest.
He had no intention of attacking the most powerful Glorious Empire in his first war.
Instead, he would set his sights on the slightly weaker Radiant Empire.
After all, while his current strength might be comparable to the Glorious Empire,
the Glorious Empire had existed for millions of years as a native, ancient empire.
It undoubtedly possessed numerous methods to defend itself.
He couldn't devour a giant all at once; he needed to develop gradually and strategize.
Regardless, war was inevitable.
However, the most pressing matter now was how to establish "Imperial Influence."
Xiao Mo did not elaborate further, directly addressing the system.
"System, do you know how to expand Imperial Influence?"
The system quickly responded.
[Dear player, your Kingdom's influence has successfully been upgraded to an Empire, and you now possess the fundamental qualifications to expand Imperial Influence.]
[Therefore, you only need to obtain the Heart of the Empire to begin expanding your Imperial Influence.]
"Obtain the Heart of the Empire?"
Xiao Mo inquired, "How do I obtain it?"
[It requires fusing the Heart of the Dynasty with the Heart of the Kingdom.]
Xiao Mo nodded. These were not difficult items to acquire; he had plenty.
He casually produced a stack of Dynasty Hearts.
He muttered,
"Will these be enough?"
"There are so many."
"Never mind, even if it's not enough, I can go and get more."
Xiao Mo walked towards the colossal Imperial Palace. Along the way, his troops and deities bowed and saluted him.
They looked at him as if he were a saint,
filled with adoration and reverence.
The Imperial Palace was immense, soaring into the heavens.
So opulent it was dizzying.
Even if members of the immensely tall Titan race came to visit, they wouldn't need to shrink their forms.
They could enter directly.
Xiao Mo surveyed his Imperial Palace for a while, feeling deeply satisfied.
He then proceeded directly to the rear hall, deep within the palace.
This was the area heavily guarded, where he found the Heart of the Kingdom.
Dozens of powerful troops guarded this location, their mission to protect the Heart of the Empire.
Unless Xiao Mo commanded otherwise, they were required to remain there.
Even if the castle were breached, these beautiful and powerful deities had to steadfastly hold their ground.
Fervently safeguarding the Heart of the Kingdom! They could not leave, not even for a moment.
These goddesses were unlike other goddesses, who were charming and beautiful.
Each of them wore fiery red armor, exuding an aura of heroic valor and unrestrained beauty.
They were like blazing flames, inspiring a sense of burning passion.
Incredibly formidable.
Xiao Mo nodded to these beautiful goddesses, then waved his hand, saying,
"You may leave. Keep watch outside and allow no one to enter."
"Yes!"