Xu Tiannan had always believed his claim to the throne was unshakable.
After all, within the royal family, there was no one left who could rival him. The direct royal line had been all but wiped out, and the distant branches had no real chance of succession.
But in recent days, a series of subtle moves from Kong Deming had stirred a deep sense of unease in Xu Tiannan's heart.
As the true foremost figure of the Sun Moon Empire, Kong Deming's power and status—both in cultivation and lineage—far surpassed Xu Tiannan's. If another member of the imperial clan were to gain Kong Deming's full support, that person could very well threaten Xu Tiannan's throne.
Thus, Xu Tiannan grew anxious. He desperately needed an opportunity to placate Kong Deming—to ease his growing hostility.
Even so, hearing Xu Tiannan speak so frankly took both Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong by surprise.
They quickly realized what he was trying to do.
Sure enough, after a brief pause, Xu Tiannan hurried to justify himself further:
"Of course, I never imagined they would go so far! I didn't think they'd dare treat you like that! Had I known in advance, I would have stopped them!"
And that part, at least, was true.
His original plan had been to let Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong experience the horror of the Holy Spirit Cult, and then personally intervene to "save" them. That way, they would come to see the Crown Prince as their protector and potential ally.
But fate had its own plans. Xu Tiannan hadn't anticipated that Ye Xishui herself would act so recklessly, disregarding all cost to strike at Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong—and he certainly hadn't expected the two of them to deal the Holy Spirit Cult such devastating losses in return.
By the end, even Xu Tiannan could no longer restrain the cult's actions. In Ye Xishui's eyes, he, the Crown Prince, was of no real importance at all.
After that northern ambush, Xu Tiannan understood perfectly: the Holy Spirit Cult could no longer be relied upon.
For the sake of his future, he had to find new allies.
And Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong were the most suitable candidates.
To Xu Tiannan, the two siblings—though prodigiously gifted—were still teenagers, their idealism easy to steer.
If he could win them over, Kong Deming's pressure on him would lessen greatly.
When Xu Tiannan finished speaking, Jiang Shengyu gave a quiet laugh.
"Your Highness, if not for our own abilities, we'd already be dead at the Holy Spirit Cult's hands."
"Impossible!" Xu Tiannan shook his head vehemently. "As the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, I would never have stood by and let such talent perish at their hands!"
"They assured me at the beginning they would act with restraint. I never imagined they would become so deranged!"
Jiang Shengyu gave him a long, assessing look. What nonsense, he thought. You didn't expect them to be that insane? Really?
Jiang Qingtong let out a cold laugh. "Your Highness, since when were the words of evil soul masters worth believing?"
Her retort left Xu Tiannan momentarily speechless.
Seeing his silence, Jiang Shengyu stood up, still smiling faintly. "See? You know they can't be trusted—and yet for the sake of your throne, you chose to work with them anyway. Bargaining with a tiger rarely ends well."
"I will wipe them out once I achieve my goal," Xu Tiannan said firmly. "Even if they have an Ultimate Douluo among them."
There was an unmistakable warning hidden in his words—a veiled reminder that he knew how to threaten even an Ultimate Douluo.
But Jiang Shengyu ignored it. He took Jiang Qingtong's hand and turned to leave.
Seeing them about to go, Xu Tiannan suddenly raised his voice:
"When I ascend the throne, I will rule better than the current Emperor ever did! I will give you my full support! The Soul Hall will become the foremost sect of the Sun Moon Empire! Once the Empire unites the entire continent, all soul masters will revere you both as the eternal Holy Masters of the Sun and Moon!"
At those words, Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong froze mid-step.
Xu Tiannan, thinking he had moved them, hastened forward and continued eagerly:
"Not only that! I'll push for full-scale popularization of soul tools! The old nobility will no longer stand in your way! Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
Jiang Shengyu turned around, his eyes briefly flicking to the experimental mechanical exoskeleton at Xu Tiannan's waist before lifting to meet his gaze.
"Your Highness," he asked quietly, "are those your true intentions?"
"Of course!" Xu Tiannan nodded without hesitation. "Come—let us build a stronger Sun Moon Empire together! I will pour all imperial resources into helping you become the first Ultimate Douluo of this era!"
Jiang Qingtong suddenly spoke, her tone light but cutting:
"The words of an evil soul master can't be trusted, Your Highness—and neither can yours."
Xu Tiannan blinked, taken aback.
She went on, "Fine words are always pleasant to hear, but what use are they? The Holy Spirit Cult has already infiltrated the Sun Moon Empire's major Soul Engineer legions and even the regular army. Their influence runs deep—and all of that was under your patronage."
"I can begin purging them immediately!" Xu Tiannan said quickly, his voice low and urgent. "The evil soul masters within the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion have already been eliminated!"
He spoke like a drowning man grasping for the last piece of driftwood. Now that Kong Deming had begun to move against him, Xu Tiannan needed Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong. They were his last hope—his lifeline.
At this point, he was willing to promise anything—everything—except his throne.
As for what would happen afterward… that could be dealt with later.
When neither of them replied, Xu Tiannan hurriedly called out, "Tianyuan!"
Moments later, Xu Tianyuan, the commander of the Imperial Dragon Legion, entered the room. Xu Tiannan gestured toward him. "This is my cousin Xu Tianyuan, commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion. You can verify it with him."
Xu Tianyuan, Xu Tiannan's staunch supporter, immediately understood his cousin's intent. Meeting Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong's eyes, he nodded solemnly.
"It's true. The evil soul masters within our Legion have been completely purged."
Those so-called "evil soul masters," though cunning and powerful, were no more than Soul Saints or Emperors—none had reached the Title Douluo level. Against a rank-nine Soul Engineer like Xu Tianyuan, they were nothing. Killing them had been easy.
"Well then," Xu Tiannan said, his tone swelling with confidence. "What do you say, Shengyu, Qingtong? Or rather—should I say, future Holy Masters of the Sun and Moon?"
Future Holy Masters of the Sun and Moon…?
For the sake of his throne, Xu Tiannan would even bestow such a title?
Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong were silent for a long while. Then Jiang Qingtong smiled faintly and looked toward her brother.
"Brother, what do you think?"
Jiang Shengyu returned her smile. "If His Highness truly fulfills his promises—if the Holy Spirit Cult is eradicated—then there would be no more conflict between us. And looking across the entire Sun Moon Empire… it does seem that there's no one more suited for the throne than you."
As he finished speaking, Jiang Shengyu lifted his eyes to meet Xu Tiannan's—and smiled.
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