The three royal guards exerted their full strength—
But to their horror—
The ice encasing them remained unshaken!
They couldn't break free—not even a crack!
This actually caught Tang Lan off guard.
—Were Emperor Xue Ye's personal guards really this weak?
Hmm.
It never occurred to him that maybe he was just way too strong.
Seeing their faces turn purple from the effort,
Tang Lan casually waved his hand.
The unyielding ice immediately melted into nothing, dispersing into the air as water vapor.
Such precise control—
The three guards froze in place, staring at Tang Lan in shock.
How long had it been?
The last time they saw him, he was just a young boy following Emperor Xue Ye.
Now, he had grown into a being they could only look up to?
"You may leave."
Emperor Xue Ye's voice was stern.
"Today's events—must never be spoken of!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The three guards bowed deeply, then vanished into the shadows.
But under Tang Lan's spiritual perception,
—They were utterly exposed.
"Sect Master Tang, please follow me."
Emperor Xue Ye personally led the way to Prince Xue Beng's palace.
His attitude toward Tang Lan had completely changed.
—This was someone on the path to godhood!
He could no longer be treated like a mere sect master.
Upon Seeing Xue Beng—
Tang Lan finally understood why no one had been able to heal him.
Xue Beng lay soaking in a medicinal bath.
His body, from the waist down, had been completely severed by a blade.
There were no external wounds,
But his shaved bald head bore a deep fist-sized dent.
The fact that Xue Beng was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.
But the real problem—
When Tang Lan extended his spiritual power into Xue Beng's consciousness…
His soul was nearly gone.
That was why he hadn't regained consciousness!
Tsk.
This guy had some ridiculous luck.
How was he not dead yet?
Even more incredible—
The only person in the world who could save him was Tang Lan.
Tang Lan opened his eyes and turned to Emperor Xue Ye.
"Xue Beng's physical injuries are severe but easily treatable."
"The real problem is that his soul is nearly gone."
"I do have a way to save him—but the cost is very high."
"Are you certain you want to save him, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Xue Ye's First Reaction—
Hesitation!
People always said emperors were heartless.
Xue Beng was his son—but compared to Xue Qinghe, he was far less valuable.
And now, with the Sun and Moon Continent taking the blame for the assassination attempt,
It was even safer to pass the throne to Xue Qinghe.
So then—what about Xue Beng?
"Sect Master Tang…"
Emperor Xue Ye asked cautiously,
"Can you estimate the cost?"
"That's difficult to say."
Tang Lan smiled.
"Restoring his body will only consume some of my life force, which I can recover."
"But restoring his soul will require some special techniques."
"And it will cost me my soul essence."
"This will delay my cultivation progress—by about a month."
"Additionally, to stabilize his soul, I'll need to use precious herbs."
"Not quite immortal-grade, but still at least 10,000-year-old level."
"So, Your Majesty…"
"What do you think these things are worth?"
Without question—
The most valuable part of this deal was Tang Lan's soul essence.
For ordinary people, losing a month of cultivation was meaningless.
But for Tang Lan?
—He was on the path to becoming a god!
Losing a month of progress was an incalculable loss.
Emperor Xue Ye had no idea how to price that.
If he offered too little, he would offend Tang Lan.
If he offered too much, he might not be able to afford it.
After a long moment of thought—
Emperor Xue Ye finally said:
"Sect Master Tang, one month of your time is priceless."
"I will state what I can offer, and if you are not satisfied, please speak freely."
"If we cannot reach an agreement…"
"Then it will simply be Xue Beng's fate."
Seeing Tang Lan Nod, Emperor Xue Ye Finally Stated His Terms—
"If Xue Beng awakens, I will have him acknowledge you as his master, entrust him with command of the Heaven Dou Empire's military, and grant him full authority over all firearm trade with the Tang Sect."
"Unfortunately, Qinghe has already apprenticed under Sect Master Ning and cannot take you as his master."
"But if you do not mind, I can grant you the title of a Prince of Different Surname, and have you sworn as a brother to Qinghe.
In the future, you would stand as one below the Emperor, but above all others in Heaven Dou."
"Additionally, I will instruct Qinghe that once you ascend to godhood, the Heaven Dou Empire shall construct temples and statues in your honor, just as Spirit Hall venerates the Angel God,
So that you will be worshipped as the faith of our nation."
"What do you think of these conditions?"
Oh?
A Prince of Different Surname? Xue Beng taking him as his master?
This was exactly the method Emperor Xue Ye used in the original timeline to win over Tang San.
—That should be worth some rewards.
But what truly intrigued Tang Lan—
Was the nationwide worship!
This gave him an idea.
Before he was fully prepared, he could use this opportunity to first harvest faith power from the Heaven Dou Empire!
And if the results were good enough…
He might not even need to take over the empire.
—Power and politics? Not interested.
'Then…'
'Let's test the waters first?'
Tang Lan smiled mysteriously and spoke to Emperor Xue Ye—
"Here's what we'll do… Then this… And finally, we'll do it like this."
Emperor Xue Ye's expression shifted repeatedly!
It wasn't that he couldn't control his emotions.
It was because Tang Lan's conditions…
Let's put it this way—
If anyone else had made such demands,
Even if it were Ning Fengzhi himself,
He would have immediately refused!
—Because this was undermining the very foundation of imperial rule!
But…
This was Tang Lan.
At present, the strongest combatants in Heaven Dou were the Three Elders of the Tang Sect.
And while Tang Lan had healed him,
He had also proven that if he had wanted to kill him—
No one could have stopped him.
Let alone the fact that he needed Tang Lan's help right now.
But the most important reason was—
Tang Lan was about to become a god.
Even as an Emperor,
The only deity he had ever known of was the Angel God.
It was only recently, with the reemergence of the Slaughter City,
That he even learned about a second god.
But let's not forget—
The news about the Slaughter City had spread through Tang Li's newspapers.
So…
You tell me—what's the connection between the Tang Sect (or rather, Tang Lan) and the Slaughter City?
And now, there was another godly inheritance from Sea God Island.
Emperor Xue Ye clenched his teeth—
This might just be the chance for Heaven Dou to unify the continent!
"Fine!"
"I accept your terms!"
Tang Lan Smiled.
"Your Majesty has made a wise decision."
He then turned and began treating Xue Beng.
His body was the easiest to heal—
The Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone of Life could handle that.
As for his soul…
Tang Lan took out a handful of rare medicinal herbs, each of extraordinary quality.
Summoning flames in his palm, he refined them into a medicinal liquid and infused them into Xue Beng's body.
But in reality…
These were just ordinary fire-attributed 10,000-year-old herbs.
Valuable? Yes. But nothing priceless.
The real method that would restore Xue Beng's fading soul…
(End of Chapter.)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have already finished douluo 1 arc and even quite a great deal of douluo 2 arc