"What did you say?!"
Dai Weisi's very first reaction to this outrageous request was that he simply thought he had misheard.
When he finally came to his senses, he abruptly looked up at Qian Renxue, his eyes burning with both shock and anger.
How could the powerful emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire possibly lack women? Yet he was openly making a move on Zhu Zhuyun.
This was clearly a deliberate insult to him!
Facing Dai Weisi's angry glare, Qian Renxue remained entirely calm and composed.
After a long moment, Dai Weisi forcibly suppressed his blazing anger and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess is, after all, the future Empress of our Star Luo Empire, and she certainly cannot be transferred like property. However, I can allow her younger sister to enter your palace."
As he spoke, an unprecedented sense of deep humiliation welled up within him; he never imagined he would ever be reduced to this pathetic state.
Seeing Dai Weisi's clear intention to offer Zhu Zhuqing up as a bargaining chip, Zhu Zhuyun felt a sudden pang of anguish.
As direct descendants of the Zhu family, their fates were never truly their own to control.
Although Dai Mubai had lost his right to the throne, the Star Luo royal family clearly wouldn't give up on using Zhu Zhuqing as a valuable pawn.
However, if Zhu Zhuqing could somehow become the Empress of the Heaven Dou Empire, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for her; at least she wouldn't be constantly threatened by the Star Luo Royal Family anymore.
"Dai Weisi, what do you mean by that?"
At this moment, Qian Renxue's eyes turned even colder, and she said unequivocally, "From the very day Zhu Zhuqing joined the Royal Fighting Team, she has had absolutely no connection with your Star Luo Empire."
Upon hearing this, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun were both stunned.
This was completely unexpected. They had assumed "Xue Qinghe" would eagerly agree to the proposal, but instead, he had given such a shamelessly blunt answer.
Soon, Dai Weisi finally realized what was actually happening.
Ever since Xue Qinghe ascended the throne, there had been no news whatsoever of him indulging in women, and he hadn't even officially appointed an Empress.
Although Zhu Zhuyun possessed top-tier looks and a stunning figure, given Xue Qinghe's supreme status and position, finding a beautiful woman wouldn't be difficult for him, and she might even surpass Zhu Zhuyun in pure beauty.
This strongly suggested that his primary objective wasn't lust, but rather to deliberately humiliate him.
It's important to remember that he wasn't just a man, but also the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire and its sole heir to the throne.
Several years ago, Dai Mubai's martial soul had bizarrely mutated, rendering him completely ineligible to compete for the throne.
If Dai Weisi were to actually offer Zhu Zhuyun, his future Empress, to Xue Qinghe, not only would the Star Luo royal family lose all face, but their combat strength would also be significantly diminished.
After all, Dai Weisi alone couldn't wield the powerful Netherworld White Tiger martial fusion skill.
From this cold perspective, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun's relationship was much more like a transaction of mutual military benefit; losing Zhu Zhuyun would permanently cripple Dai Weisi's power.
Even if he somehow became Emperor, it would be extremely difficult to change the Star Luo Empire's highly disadvantageous position on the battlefield.
With the Spirit Empire's massive number of soul masters participating in the brutal war, the Star Luo Empire's regular army was utterly unable to withstand the onslaught, suffering incredibly heavy casualties and quickly becoming the weakest of the three great empires.
Perhaps Xue Qinghe specifically intended to use this demand to further weaken the Star Luo Empire's core strength.
In this calculated way, even if the two great empires formed an alliance and jointly destroyed the Spirit Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire could then easily take the opportunity to unify the continent for themselves.
"This guy's scheming runs so incredibly deep."
Thinking of this, Dai Weisi became increasingly wary and secretly resolved never to let him succeed.
Otherwise, his own future ascension to the throne would be entirely meaningless.
Having firmly made up his mind, Dai Weisi raised his head and said firmly, "Your Majesty, there is only one condition I absolutely cannot agree to. Please change your condition."
"Change the condition? I am only interested in your Crown Princess. Unless you agree to this exact condition, the alliance is completely out of the question," Qian Renxue glanced coldly at Dai Weisi and said without backing down an inch.
As the old saying goes, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman easily benefits.
Once the Star Luo Empire and the Spirit Empire are firmly locked in a bloody, life-or-death struggle, she could easily seize the opportunity to swoop in and unify the continent, saving herself a massive amount of trouble.
Hearing this final ultimatum, Dai Weisi's face darkened considerably. This guy was actively forcing him into this terrible humiliation.
Unfortunately, the Star Luo Empire's overall situation was becoming increasingly dire by the day.
If it couldn't get massive military help from the Heaven Dou Empire soon, its total destruction by the Spirit Empire was only a matter of time.
If he truly had to choose between the two terrible options, abandoning Zhu Zhuyun would definitely be easier to swallow.
After all, if the Star Luo Empire were completely destroyed, he, as the crown prince, would certainly face immediate death. Abandoning Zhu Zhuyun would at least offer a sliver of hope for a future comeback.
"This matter is of great importance; please allow me some time to carefully consider it, Your Majesty," Dai Weisi said with a bitter, forced smile.
Qian Renxue didn't press him too hard; she was simply curious to see what Dai Weisi would ultimately choose.
No matter what he chose, the Star Luo Empire would remain firmly at his mercy.
After watching this entertaining spectacle play out, Lin Mu was about to leave the palace when he encountered Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, who were hurriedly catching up to him.
"Your Excellency Lin Mu, please wait!"
Dai Weisi rushed over in a breathless hurry, physically blocking Lin Mu's path.
Seeing this, Lin Mu immediately stopped. His gaze swept coldly over the two before him, and he said indifferently, "What do you want with me?"
Faced with this blunt question, Dai Weisi smiled slightly obsequiously, subtly giving Zhu Zhuyun a meaningful look.
At Dai Weisi's silent signal, Zhu Zhuyun stepped forward. Her expression was highly respectful as she asked, "Your Excellency Lin Mu, has Zhu Zhuqing truly joined the Wuji Sect?"
"That's right."
Lin Mu readily admitted this fact, then his tone abruptly shifted. His voice carried a clear hint of threat and absolute rejection as he said, "Let me warn you beforehand, I won't help your Star Luo Empire."
Having his true intentions exposed so quickly, Dai Weisi's fake smile instantly froze on his face.
Since Xue Qinghe's path was completely blocked by an impossible demand, he could only turn his desperate hopes to Lin Mu. After all, Lin Mu was the absolute key to the Heaven Dou Empire's ability to openly defy the mighty Spirit Empire.
If he could successfully win over Lin Mu, then the Star Luo Empire could not only be preserved but might also easily reclaim its lost territory.
A peerless expert of Lin Mu's caliber was impossible to outright recruit, but a cooperative relationship could still be established through another, more delicate method.
"Your Excellency Lin Mu, this hallway is not a suitable place to talk. Could we perhaps find another, more private spot?"
As he spoke, Dai Weisi quickly glanced around nervously, seemingly worried that passing guards might overhear their sensitive conversation.
Hearing this request, Lin Mu pondered for a brief moment before turning and casually walking towards the Wuji Sect's compound, with Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun following closely behind.
Some time later, Lin Mu led the two directly into the Wuji Sect's main council hall.
Looking nervously at Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo sitting menacingly to his right, Dai Weisi swallowed hard, his resolve finally hardening.
"Your Excellency Lin Mu, if you are willing to help the Star Luo Empire miraculously overcome this terrible crisis, I am willing to share the entire world with you after I come to power."
If he could just win over Lin Mu, he wouldn't have to worry about the Spirit Empire's attacks anymore, and could even boldly launch a massive counterattack.
However, Lin Mu was completely uninterested in any of this grandstanding, calmly saying, "If that's all you wanted to say, you might as well completely give up on that ridiculous idea."
Seeing his absolute indifference to such a grand offer, Dai Weisi's face grew increasingly grim.
What did this powerful guy even care about?
A long moment later, Dai Weisi gritted his teeth and said desperately, "If you're willing to help me, you can choose any woman from the Zhu family, absolutely including Zhu Zhuyun!"