After the Sea God Fate Matchmaking Festival ended, the Tianyuan Pavilion convened a meeting.
"Elder Lin, tell everyone what's going on," Zhu Ziyang said as he sat at the head seat, leaning back in his rocking chair. His hands rested on the armrests, and his right hand lightly tapped them, making a crisp da-da sound. His face revealed no emotion.
"Alright," Elder Lin nodded, then relayed the requests from the Heaven Soul Empire and the Star Luo Empire to the gathered elders.
It turned out that ever since six months ago, when the Sun Moon Empire's power fell into the hands of Crown Prince Xu Tiannan, the empire had been preparing for war—discreetly, but unmistakably. War was too major to conceal completely. Anyone paying attention would have seen through it. Xu Tiannan was a warmonger—this was a widely accepted fact among the rulers of the three former Douluo nations. Once he ascended the throne—or rather, once he finished consolidating internal power—he would definitely wage war.
Yet the Heaven Soul Empire and the Star Luo Empire were not prepared for war. So, they came up with a desperate solution—yes, desperate: an assassination attempt on Xu Tiannan. In Zhu Ziyang's eyes, this was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst. Assassinating Xu Tiannan might delay the war, but once the Sun Moon Empire recovered from losing their emperor or crown prince, the retaliation from their enraged populace would be even more brutal.
It was a blunder. But it was also the last struggle of the three former Douluo Kingdoms.
Killing Xu Tiannan would not weaken the Sun Moon Empire militarily. On the contrary, it would rally the previously hesitant populace behind the war effort, accelerating their preparations for war.
The operation, codenamed "Decapitation Plan," involved three major forces: the Star Luo imperial family, the Heaven Soul imperial family, and the Body Sect. All three were top-tier factions on the continent. But to assassinate the crown prince of the continent's strongest nation, they needed even greater power.
Enter Shrek Academy.
Hence, the emperors of both empires had written personally to Tianyuan Pavilion, inviting Shrek Academy to join the assassination plan. This meeting was to discuss whether or not Shrek would participate.
"Let's hear everyone's opinions," Zhu Ziyang said, glancing at the various elders whose expressions varied. Though he had already made his decision, he still wished to show them respect.
"I don't think the Academy should get involved," Xian Lin'er was the first to speak. "This assassination contradicts our Empress Project. Regardless of success, joining the plan would damage our image among the Sun Moon Empire's people. That would undermine Lexuan and Elder Song's efforts."
"I disagree with Lin'er," Yan Shaozhe rebutted immediately. "Even if we don't participate, the moment the operation begins, the Sun Moon Empire will assume we were involved. Our alignment with the three Douluo nations over the years has been far too deep."
"Shaozhe is right," Elder Zhuang added. "To the citizens of the three nations, if Shrek doesn't participate in something this important, they'll feel disappointed—perhaps even betrayed. Whether we succeed or fail, our reputation would suffer a heavy blow.
What's more, not joining won't earn us trust from the Sun Moon Empire, and it might make the three nations' citizens doubt us. It's a bad move—but one we have to make."
"Sigh…" Qian Duoduo sighed. "We've been tied too deeply to the three former kingdoms. That makes it nearly impossible to earn the Sun Moon Empire's trust anyway. So whether we add fuel to the fire or not doesn't really matter anymore."
Clearly, Qian Duoduo also supported joining the assassination.
"Then what about the Empress Project?" Xian Lin'er was unwilling to give up. "We've invested so much into it. Should we just abandon it? Lexuan now controls the Imperial Moon Soul Engineer Regiment and the southern fleet—nearly two-fifths of the Sun Moon Empire's forces. Are we really going to throw that away?"
"Heh," Zhu Ziyang finally voiced his stance with a faint smile. "We're not abandoning the Empress Project. But neither can we avoid assassinating Xu Tiannan. From every perspective, he must be eliminated."
"If we don't kill Xu Tiannan, how can Sister Lexuan ascend the throne? If he isn't removed, how can the Sun Moon Empire have the justification to launch a unification war? And without that war, how will Sister Lexuan build her prestige? Without that war, how will the continent unify? And without a unified continent, how will the Academy rightfully carry out the Cloudsky Project?"
Zhu Ziyang's eyes sparkled with a powerful, commanding light.
The elders, meeting his gaze, felt their hearts tremble. Elder Xuan spoke: "Ziyang, are you saying… we should join the operation?"
"No," Zhu Ziyang said with a faint smile. "We're not joining—we're leading. Shrek Academy has always been the rule-maker, not the one being directed. Elder Lin, reply to both royal houses. Express our commitment. And tell them—Shrek will lead this mission. I'm sure they'll be thrilled."
"Understood!" Elder Lin nodded.
"Ziyang, let this old man go!" Elder Xuan volunteered eagerly.
"No problem," Zhu Ziyang smiled. "You'll accompany us to Mingdu for the Soul Master Tournament. Senior Sister and Third Brother will head to support Sister Lexuan and Elder Song, and inform them of our plan. Elder Lin, Elder Zhuang, First Brother, and Junior Sister, you'll hold the fort at the Academy."
"Yes!" The elders all nodded in agreement, their expressions burning with anticipation. Everyone knew—the Soul Master Tournament would mark the beginning of massive changes across the continent. And it would be Shrek Academy at the helm of that transformation.
After the meeting ended, Zhu Ziyang remained alone in the hall, deep in thought.
The Sun Moon Empire's current situation was clear. Crown Prince Xu Tiannan now controlled three-fifths of the army and held the moral high ground. He was backed by two enormous powers: Mingde Hall and the Holy Spirit Cult. Barring any surprises, his succession was practically guaranteed.
Beyond Xu Tiannan, another faction existed within the empire—nominally led by Third Prince Xu Tianci, but in reality controlled by the Moon Lineage's Princess Xu Tianxuan—Zhang Lexuan. They wielded great influence over several southern provinces, and this was Zhu Ziyang's confidence in Lexuan becoming Empress.
But even if Xu Tiannan was removed, other obstacles remained.
First: although Xu Tiannan killed all his brothers, he had one sister—a princess of the Sun Lineage—who retained inheritance rights. She was also a target in the assassination. Even if they couldn't kill her, she had to disappear.
Second: the Sun Lineage still held great prestige among the people. For a member of the Moon Lineage like Zhang Lexuan to ascend, that prestige had to be diminished. That would have been difficult—if not for He Caitou's assistance, which now made it simple.
Third: the internal neutral factions. Chief among them was Mingde Hall. Although its head Jing Hongchen was a diehard supporter of the Crown Prince, the true power in Mingde Hall lay with a Super Douluo named Kong Deming. Coincidentally, his title was "Silver Moon," and his martial soul was the Moon. While not of the Moon Lineage, his mother was—which meant he couldn't truly stay out of the conflict. Whether he could be won over would determine whether Zhang Lexuan could control Mingde Hall, the technological heart of the continent.
These other obstacles didn't need to be addressed yet. Not until Xu Tiannan was dealt with. And that, Zhu Ziyang knew, was the hardest part. If the three former kingdoms were all he had to rely on? It would be utterly hopeless.
No—it had to be Shrek Academy.
Or rather…
He had to do it himself.
(End of Chapter)
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