After Emperor Xue Ye woke up, he was finally able to handle government affairs as usual. When he heard about the events of the Soul-Hunting Plan—
Bang—!
Emperor Xue Ye angrily slapped the right armrest of his chair, breaking it. "This is too blatant! First, they harmed my Heaven Dou Empire, and now they want to destroy the three upper sects. What exactly does Spirit Hall want? Do they intend to rule the entire continent? Do they think my million-strong army would not dare declare war on them?"
"Father, please don't be angry. Although Spirit Hall has committed many crimes, they paid a huge price this time. Their infiltration plan was foiled by me, and the Soul-Hunting operation failed. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect wiped out Spirit Hall's army of ten thousand soul masters without a single one returning," Xue Beng suddenly offered uncharacteristic praise for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye was overjoyed. "Oh, I didn't expect your sect's strength to have reached such heights. Sect Master Ning is truly extraordinary!"
"Not only that, I was controlled by people from Spirit Hall and led an army to besiege the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—once again, an army of ten thousand was utterly destroyed." Xue Beng's tone shifted, as he still bore a grudge over his forces being slaughtered by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
"Hmph, that was your incompetence, falling under someone else's control. How can you blame Sect Master Ning for those ten thousand troops?" Emperor Xue Ye said angrily. "Luckily, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was strong enough. Had anything happened to Sect Master Ning, the nation would have lost a pillar, and I would have taught you a harsh lesson."
"Yes, Father, I know my mistake. I will apologize to Sect Master Ning." Xue Beng walked over to Ning Fengzhi, bowed, and said, "Sect Master Ning, I have offended you in the past. Please forgive me."
"Your Highness Xue Beng, you're too polite," Ning Fengzhi replied with a smile.
"However, your sect's strength is truly astonishing. I've heard that during the extermination action, not only did your sect not lose, but you captured two of Spirit Hall's high-ranking worshippers and even forced Spirit Hall's Grand Worshipper to appear. Since your sect remains unscathed, I assume you successfully dealt with all three of them?" Xue Beng asked.
"Of course," Emperor Xue Ye chimed in, "there's no way those three could have survived. Am I right? Sect Master Ning, you've removed powerful enemies for the empire—your contributions are immeasurable!" As emperor, Xue Ye knew some things about Qian Daoliu. If he was dead, Xue Ye would be laughing in his sleep, and Ning Fengzhi's earlier offense of reducing his lifespan could be written off.
Xue Ye and Xue Beng were putting on a show, waiting for this moment. The commotion from that battle a few days ago had been so great that even those far away in Heaven Dou City had heard it. There was no way to hide it, especially since the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was also present. Anyone who cared enough could find out the details.
And then there was the traitor Yu Luomian—he would have spread the story even if no one investigated.
All this was meant to sow discord between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
"No, our sect only killed the Second Worshipper, Golden Crocodile Douluo. Although Qian Daoliu was defeated by Uncle Sword, his strength remains formidable. Had we fought to the death, maybe we could have kept him, but our sect would have suffered heavy casualties. In the end, we could only yield under pressure and, in exchange for his promise not to attack our sect again, returned the Falling Devil Douluo to him," Ning Fengzhi replied truthfully.
There was nothing wrong with saying this. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was only cooperating with the empire; they weren't its subordinates. There was no need to sacrifice so many disciples for the empire. Killing one Second Worshipper was achievement enough, wasn't it?
"Haha, I understand, I understand!" Emperor Xue Ye, though dissatisfied, remained friendly on the surface. After all, the nation now needed the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—otherwise, what could he use to oppose Spirit Hall's Title Douluo?
"Well then, Your Majesty, since your health is restored, we'll take our leave. Our sect is still rebuilding and there are many matters to handle," Ning Fengzhi stood and bid Emperor Xue Ye farewell.
Bang!
This time, it was the left armrest that broke.
"Hmph, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is getting arrogant with their strength. They don't want to go all out against Spirit Hall but also don't want to offend them to the death. What a fence-sitting position!" Emperor Xue Ye was furious. In his view, the sect's actions—killing only Golden Crocodile and letting Qian Daoliu and Falling Devil Douluo go in exchange for a truce—were duplicitous. They avoided truly offending Spirit Hall but also presented the empire with proof of loyalty by killing a Second Worshipper, making collusion impossible.
From now on, Spirit Hall would likely leave the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect alone for quite some time. First, because of Qian Daoliu's promise, and second, because they suffered heavy losses and didn't have the strength to challenge the sect. Even if all the worshippers came, it would end in mutual destruction, giving the two great empires the chance to finish them off.
Thus, what Spirit Hall needed most now was to bide their time and gradually recover their strength.
But even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. Despite their losses, Spirit Hall was still the continent's strongest force in terms of soul masters. Heaven Dou Empire had no choice but to keep relying on the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, no matter how displeased they were.
"Father, it's never good for one sect to become too powerful. I have a suggestion—why don't we try to win over the Clear Sky Sect?" Xue Beng revealed his true goal. His words today were meant to stoke Xue Ye's dissatisfaction with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and secure more resources to gain the Clear Sky Sect's support.
"Clear Sky Sect? Didn't you just say that the fake crown prince forged an imperial edict and used my military seal to lead troops against the Clear Sky Sect? Now our relationship with them is tense. How likely do you think it is that we can win them over?" Xue Ye questioned.
"Father, as you said, that was the fake Xue Qinghe's doing. In reality, our Heaven Dou Empire is also a victim. My close friend Tang San is an external disciple of the Clear Sky Sect and the son of the Clear Sky Douluo. Although he and his father are not recognized by the sect, as long as he proves his value, I believe the Clear Sky Sect will make an exception."
"And it is our Heaven Dou Empire that can help him demonstrate that value. Father, you are wise—one judges a person's value by their strength and influence. As for strength, the Clear Sky Douluo has few equals on the continent, and Tang San himself is extraordinarily gifted, with the potential to become a Title Douluo and possessing twin martial souls, no less than that Jun Tianlin. In terms of influence, Tang San has a weapon called a hidden weapon. If we equip our army with them, our combat power will greatly increase. We can use this merit to grant Tang San nobility and real power within the empire."
"With such leverage, if the Clear Sky Sect wants to rise quickly, they'll have to acknowledge their disciple, whether they want to or not. Then, through Tang San, we can gradually ease relations with the Clear Sky Sect. I think the success rate is no less than seventy percent—after all, we share a common enemy: Spirit Hall!"
Xue Beng's words made Xue Ye nod repeatedly. This plan was feasible—there were no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. His last point was key: the Clear Sky Sect's greatest enemy was not the Heaven Dou Empire, but Spirit Hall.
More importantly, with the Clear Sky Sect, he wouldn't have to care so much about Ning Fengzhi and could use the two greatest sects to check and balance each other. As an emperor, he naturally understood the importance of such balance.
Xue Ye looked at Xue Beng with growing appreciation. No wonder he was his son—the former playboy act was just a front. His abilities were no less than the fake Xue Qinghe.