"His Highness the Crown Prince seems to have known I was coming." Zhongli Wu just stared at Xu Tianran, his voice devoid of emotion. However, he also glanced at Ju Zi, not because of her beauty, but because in this situation, the fact that this woman could stay meant she was probably Xu Tianran's confidante. He would have to be more careful in the future.
With a simple smile, Xu Tianran said calmly, "I not only knew you were coming, but I also knew you intended to discuss with me how to handle this major incident that has caused such a stir in Mingdu."
"No wonder Your Highness is still awake at this hour," Zhongli Wu said in a deep voice. "In that case, I won't beat around the bush with Your Highness. As I said before, the Emperor intends to discard you after you've served your purpose. Since Your Highness is cooperating with us, could you come up with a solution?"
"Of course, we have a solution," Xu Tianran said, giving Zhongli Wu a deep look. "It all depends on whether you dare to do it, Zhongli Wu."
"Heh," Zhongli Wu sneered. "What in the world is there that our Holy Spirit Sect wouldn't dare to do? I'm all ears."
"Please step aside," Xu Tianran said coldly. "The mass demonstration by the people of Mingdu is a huge matter. If it's not handled properly, it could easily lead to a mutiny. What the people want is actually the simplest thing: safety. With a guarantee of safety, the people will forget about this incident. Therefore, my second brother will definitely use the overwhelming force of the people as an excuse to lead the imperial nobility to attack your Holy Spirit Sect in the coming days."
"If he succeeds in this, not only will my father value him, but the concessions will also bring the nobility closer to him, making the throne seem within reach."
"But at this crucial moment, what you must do is not retaliate immediately, but retreat, give up everything you can. If you retaliate immediately, it will be deliberately publicized, further inciting public resentment. At that point, the nobility or my father will have a perfectly valid reason to expel you. The will of the people is not to be underestimated."
Hearing this, Zhongli Wu frowned, about to say something, when Xu Tianran interrupted him,
"I know that Master Zhongli is puzzled as to why you should give in. It's simple, as I said before, stabilizing the people is the key. Once the storm has passed, it will be time for your revenge. Whether you kill or set fires, it's entirely up to you."
"Speaking of which, didn't Sect Leader Zhongli previously say he wanted to obtain legitimate status? If I successfully ascend the throne, I can fulfill your wishes, but there are uncertainties, namely the obstruction of certain nobles. After all, they just swallowed your resources, and they won't sit idly by while the Holy Spirit Sect becomes the state religion of the Sun Moon Empire."
Zhongli Wu suddenly raised his head to look at Xu Tianran, a deep meaning in his eyes, but he didn't say it explicitly.
Xu Tianran smiled, making no attempt to hide his intentions.
What he wanted was to use the Holy Spirit Sect as a weapon to eliminate a portion of the nobles in advance, so that he wouldn't be hindered when he wanted to wage war after becoming emperor. Using the Holy Spirit Sect as a weapon would inevitably provoke the anger of the noble class; two tigers fighting—wouldn't that be wonderful?
This would further ensure the stability of his imperial power.
The Holy Spirit Sect now only has two paths: one is direct rebellion, which would unite the people, nobles, and even the royal family in a common hatred to suppress them, causing a complete break between the two sides, forcing them to hide in the shadows once more.
The second path was to listen to Xu Tianran, temporarily back down, and then seek revenge later. Once he became emperor, he could easily whitewash the people's fear of the Holy Spirit Sect during today's parade, framing others and even making the Holy Spirit Sect the state religion, enjoying endless glory.
The choice between the two paths was almost obvious.
In the few seconds of silence, Zhongli Wu had already made his decision, but he still said in a strange tone, "I hope Your Highness won't follow the emperor's example of discarding a useful tool after it's been used. As for dealing with the nobles, let's do as Your Highness says."
Xu Tianran smiled calmly: "This is absolutely impossible. Sect Leader Zhongli can rest assured."
"Farewell." Zhongli Wu said no more, and his body flashed, disappearing from the East Palace.
"Your Highness, is the Holy Spirit Sect really worth cooperating with? After all, they are evil soul masters," Ju Zi asked with a grave expression.
Xu Tianran tapped the table lightly with his finger, his tone icy. "A knife must be used when it's sharpest. Once it's no longer sharp, discard it."
Orange's beautiful eyes flickered. Of course, she knew the Crown Prince intended to use the Holy Spirit Sect, but dealing with a tiger for its skin would inevitably lead to self-destruction.
The Holy Spirit Sect had suffered a loss with His Majesty once; would they be unprepared again next time?
...
"How is it?"
Zhongli Wu, having left the Eastern Palace, quickly arrived at a dimly lit area. Several elders of the Holy Spirit Sect stood around, all titled Douluo-level beings, all looking at Zhongli Wu, waiting for their leader to speak.
In the Holy Spirit Sect, the elders only obeyed the Supreme Leader's orders and rarely resided within the sect, usually hiding somewhere, traveling and enjoying themselves.
Under the dim light, Zhongli Wu slowly took out a delicate little soul tool, then injected a wisp of soul power.
The next moment, Xu Tianran's voice rang out.
Hearing the voice from the soul tool, the expressions on everyone's faces changed to varying degrees.
If Xu Tianran were here, he would be shocked, because the thing in Zhongli Wu's hand was none other than a recording soul tool.
Zhongli Wu said coldly, "Xu Tianran is indeed the son of this dog emperor. Father and son do exactly the same thing. However, since he wants to use our Holy Spirit Sect as a weapon, he should be careful. Our weapon is a double-edged sword."
"If Xu Tianran wants to discard us after we've served our purpose, I'll make hundreds of thousands of copies of the recording and play them all over Mingdu every day. I don't believe Xu Tianran can withstand the pressure of public opinion."
"Let's go back to the main altar. We already have a plan to deal with the protests."
"Yes, sir." Everyone responded respectfully, and then they all used their soul power and disappeared silently.
...
In a cold and icy world, a halo floated in the sky. Looking up from the ground, a staircase with hundreds of layers of stairs emitted a faint light. Endless snowflakes drifted down, and wisps of cold mist floated in the air.
On both sides of the stairs, there were ten statues, each a hundred meters tall, lifelike, their eyes fixed on the distance.
At the summit, a colossal palace stood, seemingly crafted from the hardest ice, radiating a crystalline, translucent beauty and exuding a subtle, awe-inspiring majesty.
A graceful, ethereal figure, like a snow fairy, stood at the very bottom of the hundreds of steps. Her azure eyes, like deep pools, were cold yet clear, but now, a struggle flickered within them.
"Do you wish to abandon the Ice God's legacy?" A serene voice echoed from within the palace, seemingly piercing through everything to reach the young woman's ears.
The woman's breathtakingly beautiful face lifted slightly, her voice melodious yet cold, carrying a touch of aloof beauty. "My Lord, I sense the crisis plaguing the far north. As its current ruler, I cannot abandon my people."
"Please help me restore my former cultivation, even if it costs me my life."
The girl poured out her heart, then knelt down, pleading with the wisp of divine soul that had vanished countless years ago, leaving only this temple.
"I cannot help you do this," the somber voice said. "But there is a way. I can delay the invaders' advance, but you will have to pay a heavy price."
The girl abruptly raised her head, her eyes filled with determination. "Whatever the price, I am willing to bear it."
"The difficulty of the divine trial will double."
Hearing this, the girl was momentarily stunned. This was the heavy price?
But quickly, she understood. As the first ruler of the far north, the High God probably couldn't bear the invasion of foreign enemies. The so-called price was merely an excuse to get her to act.
"I am willing," the girl said firmly.
"As you wish!"
The somber voice fell, and the next moment, within the Ice God Temple's inheritance grounds, the earth began to tremble, the sky seemed to crack open, and countless icy blue rays shot straight into the heavens, containing terrifying fluctuations.
The far north, an ancient land that existed for countless ages, was also one of the least explored forbidden zones by humankind.
"Roar."
On the icy plains, over twenty wounded ice wolves howled with hatred at the humans not far away. Crimson blood stained the pure white snow, creating an eerie beauty.
Upon closer inspection, some ice wolf corpses lay at their feet, their unclaimed spirit rings swaying precariously in the cold wind.
Facing the ice wolves were only five people, all clad in deep blue armor, each with more than seven spirit rings rising from their feet. Their auras were powerful, and their faces were filled with contempt as they faced the wolves' howls.
This was a hunting team from the Sea God Clan, five people per team, none lower than a Soul Saint.
And there were over a hundred such teams throughout the far north, totaling five hundred Soul Saints.
In addition, there were teams composed of Soul Douluos, and even Title Douluos, waiting in the far north.
"Alright, do as the clan leader and the elders say. Kill half, spare half, and send the resources back to the clan," a Soul Saint with pale blue skin said calmly.
"Sigel, you're so impatient. We finally get to play without restraint, why are you in such a hurry? Look at these ice wolves, they wish they could devour us alive. Shouldn't we give them some pain to teach them a lesson?"
A seductive female Soul Saint spoke, a long whip covered in barbs suddenly appearing in her hands.
The others exchanged knowing smiles.
"I just want to tell you that even though we're only on the outskirts of the far north, the probability of encountering a Soul Beast with tens of thousands of years of cultivation isn't low. I don't want to be excreted as dung by them," the middle-aged man called Seger said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, the team members' expressions collectively changed slightly.
"Oh, our prey is about to escape," the female Soul Saint glanced at the ice wolves that had been howling in the distance, only to find that they had already taken off running.
"Alright, proceed according to plan, and leave immediately afterward," Seger said coldly, his body moving as he plunged into the snow, a frosty fin protruding from the surface of his back.
His Martial Soul was the Extreme Ice Shark.
The rest of the team quickly followed, each unleashing their own abilities; some had eagles behind them, while others transformed into ice bears.
The thick ice and snow were pushed aside, and the ice wolves, with only a thousand years of cultivation, were no match for the humans and were quickly overtaken.
"Roar!" Seeing the danger, the wolf king, the most powerful member of the pack, with nearly ten thousand years of cultivation, resolutely stepped forward, howling to order his comrades to escape first while he covered their retreat.
The other ice wolves also howled urgently, but the wolf king was clearly prepared to die. He took off running towards the oncoming shark fin, his body radiating a dense chill, layers of ice crystals condensing.
"Seeking death." Sgel coldly sensed it, his first soul ring lighting up, a phantom shark image appearing and biting at the wolf king.
Compared to the shark image, the wolf king was relatively small. Seeing that the wolf king was about to die in the shark's mouth, suddenly, the sky seemed to darken, and a suffocating coldness spread like a tide.
Sgel and the other four members of the Sea God family's hunting team were all shocked, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as if doused with a bucket of ice water.
"Boom." The shark-like light and shadow shattered eerily. Sgel, who had his martial spirit activated and submerged in the snow, felt his meridians being impacted, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward.
"Sgel!" Everyone was startled and rushed over to help him up, but suddenly, in the distance, five pillars of light rose from the ground, shooting straight into the sky, stirring up thousands of snow waves, like a magnificent avalanche.
"What is this?"
At this moment, everyone's pupils shrank involuntarily.
At the same time, in the far north, countless pairs of eyes looked up at the sky because of the roaring sound. The pillars of light were like pillars supporting the sky, supporting the far north and the sky, with extremely cold light mist swirling around them, and a majestic aura shining on the earth like the sun.
"Woo!"
The wolf king and his pack, who had been filled with a death wish, seemed to sense something and knelt down with utmost sincerity, uttering a respectful cry.
As if a god had descended to earth, a beam of light shot out from the pillar of light, falling into the wolf pack. In an instant, the intensity of the wolf pack's aura surged.
Every ice wolf's eyes turned murderous, fearless, and they charged towards Sigel and his group with a high-pitched roar.
Especially the wolf king, who was enveloped in a blue vortex, charging forward with the speed of the wind.
"Damn it." The inexplicable change made the hunting team panic. Seeing the wolf king charging, the alluring female Soul Saint swung her whip, the air seeming to be torn apart, emitting a piercing roar, and lashed the wolf king with a crack.
However, the whip, which could easily kill a thousand-year-old Soul Beast, only managed to send the wolf king flying, without causing him any pain, although the blue vortex dimmed slightly.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh." The Wolf King's soul power surged, instantly condensing into a pile of ice balls around him, which were then released like a storm.
"Crystal Turtle Protection."
A Soul Saint, radiating green light, activated his third soul ring and pushed outwards with both hands, transforming it into a massive tortoise-shell-like light shield, which slammed into the incoming ice balls.
As the one directly facing the attack, the Sea Crystal Turtle Soul Saint's expression immediately changed. "No, the power of this attack is definitely no less than a 15,000-year-old soul skill."
"What?" Everyone was stunned. How could the Wolf King, with only 9,000 years of cultivation, unleash the power of a 15,000-year-old soul skill?
"Kill them and take them back for the elders to examine." Sgel clutched his chest and shouted in a deep voice.
Hearing this, the others all moved and chose to obey Sgel.
The Wolf King's eyes were filled with only fighting spirit. Without the slightest fear, he led his clansmen to charge towards the enemy, even if this battle would result in death.
Bizarre and dazzling soul skill lights flashed, the air seemed to freeze, bringing a chilling aura.
Just as the four Soul Saints were about to unleash their soul skills to cover the wolf pack, suddenly, the pillars of light standing between heaven and earth shifted. Five pillars of light aligned, one of which landed fifty kilometers inside the entrance to the far north,
exactly a few hundred meters from the hunting team.
A layer of brilliant ice-blue light shone down, like a protective shield, isolating this world and sealing off the soul skills of the hunting team members.
Upon closer inspection, the entire far north was divided into five areas, each covered by a shield.
The wolves that had been charging seemed to sense something and immediately abandoned their charge, running towards the shield under the leadership of their wolf king.
The hunting team members stared blankly at all this, and by the time they reacted, the ice wolves had already run into the shield.
"Damn it, chase them!" The interruption of their two attacks ignited the fury of some members of the hunting team. One of them activated his seventh soul skill, Martial Soul True Body, transforming into a massive ice bear. Stomping on the ground, he caught up with the ice wolf pack. Reaching the vast, sky-piercing light barrier, he slammed his paw out.
The terrifying power created a whooshing sound.
However, when the bear's paw landed on the light barrier, it was like being trapped in a thousand swamps, unable to penetrate.
"This…" The Ice Bear Soul Saint was stunned.
The other Soul Saints rushed over, each unleashing their soul skills, but when they struck the light barrier, they only created ripples, having no effect whatsoever. The ice wolves stood just a few meters away, glaring at them with hatred.
So close, yet seemingly forever out of reach.
"Buzz."
Just then, a buzzing sound emanated from everyone's bodies. They quickly pulled out a sea pearl from their robes.
The sea pearl glowed faintly, and a deep voice suddenly rang out, "All members of the hunting teams, return to the Arctic Ice Sea base immediately."
Hearing this, the group exchanged glances, then finally met the gazes of the ice wolves before reluctantly retreating, quickly disappearing into the vast white snow.
Watching their departing enemy, the wolves howled in mourning, bidding farewell to their fallen comrades.
Such scenes unfolded repeatedly across the far north.
The far north had long been the focus of attention for all forces on the Douluo Continent, and when the pillar of light reappeared, it instantly attracted the attention of countless powerful Soul Masters hidden in cities bordering the far north.
Soon, messages were immediately sent out and transported to all parts of the continent.
...
Inside the Land of Inheritance.
"The protection won't last long. Here, strive to complete your first four Godhood assessment tasks. Then, you will be given the opportunity to leave the temple." A gentle voice resounded.
Her fair hands clenched together. Although she didn't know what had happened outside, a resolute look appeared in the clear eyes of the Snow Empress, who had already transformed into a young girl.
Looking at the hundreds of steps emanating a dense, chilling aura, she resolutely stepped onto them.
............................
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