Chapter 181: The Holy Spirit Cult Takes the Blame
Er Ming took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew Tang San all too well. One of Tang San's defining traits was that as his power grew, his attitude toward others changed. Once upon a time, Dai Mubai was "Boss Dai" in Tang San's eyes. But as Tang San's strength increased, Dai Mubai was simply reduced to "Mubai." Er Ming figured that if Tang San ever fully controlled the Divine Realm, Dai Mubai would probably have to "voluntarily" call him "Third Brother" in the future.
If Yu Xiaogang were still alive, perhaps even he, Tang San's sworn godfather, would one day be demoted to just "Gangzi." Of course, this process might take a while since Tang San hadn't yet turned the Divine Realm into his personal playground. That meant he still needed to maintain his righteous and noble image in front of others.
"Are we really just going to let this go? If I were strong enough to beat him, I would have stormed the Divine Realm by now to demand an explanation for Xiao Dong! I'm already regretting offering myself up as a sacrifice for him. If it hadn't been for Sister Xiao Wu, I would never have done it," Er Ming said bitterly.
Da Ming frowned slightly. "There's no point dwelling on the past. We should focus on the future. No matter what, after we sacrificed ourselves for Tang San, he did revive us. That at least makes things even.
"But you're right what Tang San did was wrong. And we're not just going to let it slide. He's so determined to send Xiao Dong to the Emotion Inquiry Valley, isn't he? Then we'll stall for time. We won't let him get his way!"
Er Ming nodded in agreement. "Big Brother, you're right. In my eyes, no grand scheme or so called plan is more important than Xiao Dong. She's still just a child!"
Sun Moon Empire
Inside a grand palace, Xu Tianran glared at Zhongli Wu, his face filled with anger. "Cult Master Zhongli, what exactly is your Holy Spirit Cult thinking?! You actually sent evil soul masters to assassinate the Duchess?
"I don't understand what possible benefit there is in killing the Duchess at this time. All it does is provoke the Star Luo Empire and put the Sun Moon Empire at a disadvantage.
"Yes, we will eventually go to war with the Star Luo Empire, but we should be the ones controlling the timing. We need to build up our strength before we strike. If Xu Jiawei loses his mind and declares war now, we'll be in trouble!"
Today, Xu Tianran had received shocking news a group of evil soul masters had attacked the White Tiger Duke's estate and assassinated the Duchess.
To be honest, when he first heard it, he was dumbfounded.
He couldn't understand what the Holy Spirit Cult could possibly gain from this. If their goal was to refine vengeful spirits, it didn't make sense. The Duchess was only a Soul Emperor not a high value target at all.
Sitting in his chair, Zhongli Wu was also feeling frustrated.
The Duchess had been a highly significant figure, so the Star Luo Empire had wasted no time making her assassination public. The news had quickly spread across the three Douluo nations, drawing widespread attention.
Zhongli Wu sighed. "Your Highness, if I told you that our Holy Spirit Cult had nothing to do with this, would you believe me? I've already questioned my subordinates, and I'm certain that this wasn't our doing!"
Xu Tianran's expression darkened. "Cult Master Zhongli, then please explain how this happened. I admit, there are some rogue evil soul masters in the world. But they rarely amount to anything before Shrek's enforcers wipe them out.
"But the ones who attacked the Duke's estate were clearly at least Soul Douluo level. If they weren't from your Holy Spirit Cult, then where did they come from?"
Zhongli Wu's face turned grim. "Your Highness, I will not take responsibility for something we didn't do. Whether you believe me or not, I must insist that this has nothing to do with our Holy Spirit Cult."
He felt utterly wronged. His organization hadn't done anything, yet they were taking all the blame.
Xu Tianran took a deep breath, calming himself. His expression softened slightly. "Fine, I'll take your word for it. But, Cult Master Zhongli, I need you to investigate these evil soul masters and find out where they came from. As far as I know, your Holy Spirit Cult is the only organized group of evil soul masters in the world."
Zhongli Wu stood up and nodded. "Rest assured, Your Highness. I will find out who's trying to smear our name. We can't let them sabotage the Sun Moon Empire's plans. Now, I'll take my leave."
In truth, Zhongli Wu very much wanted a war between the Sun Moon Empire and the three Douluo nations. Not only would it increase the Holy Spirit Cult's importance, but the massive casualties from war would also greatly benefit their cultivation.
As Zhongli Wu's figure disappeared, Xu Tianran exhaled deeply and called out toward the curtains behind him. "Juzi!"
"Your Highness," Juzi stepped forward respectfully.
"What do you think? Was Zhongli Wu lying?"
"I wouldn't dare to say for sure."
"Speak your mind. You're the person I trust the most. I want to hear your thoughts," Xu Tianran said, his gaze sharp as ice.
Juzi pondered for a moment before replying, "I think Zhongli Wu was lying. Perhaps he ordered the assassination because Elder Kong blocked the Holy Spirit Cult from becoming the national religion and prevented Zhongli Wu from being named Imperial Advisor. Maybe he wanted revenge."
She knew there were flaws in her argument. But the goal wasn't to be flawless it was to subtly push Xu Tianran toward a certain line of thought. By doing so, she could further sow discord between the Holy Spirit Cult and Xu Tianran, creating more opportunities for the Spirit Transmission Tower to rise in power.
"It's a good theory, but the logic isn't quite there," Xu Tianran mused. "What does killing the Duchess gain for the Holy Spirit Cult? They don't need another Soul Emperor level vengeful spirit. Even if they wanted revenge on Elder Kong, this wasn't the way to do it."
After thinking for a while, Xu Tianran's eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait, I remember Huo Yuhao had a terrible relationship with the Duchess. Could it be that they did this to curry favor with him?
"Elder Kong highly values Huo Yuhao. If the Holy Spirit Cult earns his favor, then their chances of becoming the national religion and getting Zhongli Wu appointed as Imperial Advisor would improve significantly."
Juzi was taken aback. "Your Highness… are they really so desperate that they don't trust us to handle Elder Kong?"
Xu Tianran snorted coldly. "Their distrust is natural. Zhongli Wu may act friendly toward me, but that man is full of schemes.
"For now, we can't afford open conflict with the Holy Spirit Cult. But once I ascend the throne and they become obsolete, I will drive them out!"
Mingdou Mountain Range Sun Moon Empire's Military Base
Huo Yuhao stood outside Jing Hongchen's tent, preparing to convince him to let him travel to the Extreme North.
His goal wasn't to obtain a spirit soul he already had the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass as a backup, meaning he had a plan for his fifth ring spirit soul.
The real reason for his trip was to recruit a large number of soul beasts and prepare for future spirit soul acquisitions. Additionally, he wanted to start mining operations in the Extreme North.
At present, mining in that region was difficult for the Sun Moon Empire and often provoked attacks from the Heavenly Soul Empire. But if Snow Empress called upon the local soul beasts, they would willingly take action.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1