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Having said his piece, Xue Beng cried out, "Your Highness, please tell me—what exactly must I do? How can I eliminate Xue Qinghe and avenge my Imperial Father?"
At this juncture, whether for the sake of avenging his father or preserving his own life, cooperating with Davis was the only path left open to Xue Beng.
Davis pondered for a moment, carefully calculating the course of action that would yield the greatest benefit to himself and the Star Luo Empire.
After a brief period of deep contemplation, Davis finally spoke in a leisurely tone: "Prince Xue Beng, your most urgent priority right now is to locate the kings of the four great kingdoms and secure their support. You must request that they dispatch troops to gradually reclaim the other cities within the Heaven Dou Empire's borders. You need to make them acknowledge you, and recognize you as the rightful heir to the Heaven Dou throne.
"Furthermore, you must act with haste. I estimate that after losing Heaven Dou City, Xue Qinghe will certainly move to win over the four kingdoms, the single duchy, and the lords of the numerous cities. We absolutely cannot allow Xue Qinghe to succeed in this; otherwise, the entire Heaven Dou Empire will fall into the hands of Spirit Hall."
Xue Beng nodded deeply at these words, but then asked with a look of confusion, "Indeed, what Your Highness says makes perfect sense. However, how exactly am I supposed to win over the support of the four great kingdoms?"
He was all too aware of his previous reputation. If the four kingdoms were given a choice, they would undoubtedly unanimously choose Xue Qinghe to inherit the throne; Xue Beng had absolutely no competitive edge.
Davis understood Xue Beng's implication and immediately revealed a cold sneer. "It is quite simple. If soft tactics do not work, then we shall employ hard ones! I will request Senior Dugu to accompany you. If those who feed on the Emperor's kindness refuse to obey orders, then there is no need for them to continue existing."
"So that is the way. Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness; I have learned much." As he spoke, Xue Beng bowed deeply, performing a grand gesture of respect toward Davis.
"There is no time to lose, Prince Xue Beng. You should begin your operations immediately."
"Good, I will go right now!" Xue Beng nodded heavily. He immediately took the corpse of Emperor Xue Ye and went to find his uncle, Prince Xue Xing, explaining Davis's plan to him in detail.
Upon seeing Emperor Xue Ye's body, Prince Xue Xing was overcome with grief, tears streaming down his face; the brotherhood between them ran deep.
After hearing Davis's plan, Prince Xue Xing agreed without hesitation. After all, with Xue Qinghe conspiring with Spirit Hall to usurp the throne, the situation was already set. They absolutely could not allow their ancestors' foundation to be stolen by outsiders.
The uncle and nephew hurriedly buried Emperor Xue Ye, then immediately set out for the Barak Kingdom, which was closest to Heaven Dou City, preparing to persuade the Barak Kingdom to join their cause.
Meanwhile, having handled all of this, Davis promptly returned to the front of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, where he found the Zhu Zhuyun sisters and Anna.
By now, ten hours had passed, and Anna had long since finished absorbing the left arm bone. Davis couldn't help but smile and ask, "How was it, Nana? How does it feel to absorb a spirit bone?"
"Do you even need to ask? It feels absolutely amazing, of course!" Anna giggled. Then, opening her large, sparkling eyes, she looked straight at Davis, the corners of her mouth lifting into a wide grin. "Brother, let me tell you some good news! After absorbing the spirit bone, my spirit power has already reached rank seventy! As long as I obtain one more spirit ring, I can become a true Spirit Sage!"
As she spoke, Anna was practically vibrating with excitement. If she could become a Spirit Sage, she would be able to handle herself with much greater ease should she face Xue Qinghe again!
"Brother!" A greedy, mischievous grin appeared on Anna's face. "Didn't you say earlier that you would give me a big gift after I absorbed the left arm spirit bone? What are you going to give me? Hmm? Brother!"
"Hehe, it is this!"
As he spoke, Davis took out the Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud and placed it into Anna's hands, looking at her with a face full of anticipation, hoping she could gain the Sea God's recognition.
The current Anna, whether in terms of strength or talent, possessed the qualifications to serve as the successor to the Sea God.
Anna grabbed the Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud. Looking at this beautiful object that resembled a pyramid, the young girl was completely bewildered. She asked, confused, "Brother, what is this thing? Is it a spirit bone? It doesn't look like one."
"This is not a spirit bone. It is the Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud, the national treasure of the Heaven Dou Empire! To be precise, it is a special soul tool!"
"Huh? A soul tool? How boring..."
Upon learning that the Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud was merely a soul tool, the excitement on Anna's face instantly collapsed, and her eyes filled with disdain.
What she wanted most right now was cultivation base and raw power—the combat strength to defeat Xue Qinghe. Soul tools and the like were secondary!
If the Sea God saw the look of disgust in Anna's eyes, he would probably have the urge to slap her to death.
Seeing this, Davis couldn't help but smile with amusement. He explained, "Hahaha, Nana, do not look down on this soul tool. According to the records of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, this Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud is a Divine Soul Tool, a supreme inheritance left behind by a Deity!
"As long as you can gain its recognition, you can obtain the power of a God. The specific method of use is to inject your spirit power and mental energy into it. When that happens, perhaps something unexpected will occur!"
"The power of a Deity?" Anna's eyes lit up at these words, but she immediately followed up with a skeptical tone. "Brother, are there really Gods in this world? Can humans truly break through the one hundredth rank?"
"I am not certain," Davis shook his head. He did not reveal everything he knew to Anna, but simply said, "But do you remember that massive Angel Statue in front of the Supreme Pontiff Palace? The high-ranking members of Spirit Hall seem to respect that Deity immensely, and High Priest Qian Daoliu's martial soul is also the god-level Seraphim.
"From this, I can almost deduce that the Angel God certainly exists, and she is the ancestor of the Qian family of Spirit Hall! Since the Angel God exists, it is highly probable that other ancient Deities exist as well. The legend of becoming a God at rank one hundred... is definitely not groundless wind!"
"..."
Hearing this, Anna's expression immediately became grave. She did not attempt to absorb the Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud, but instead handed it back to Davis.
"Brother, if this Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud can truly grant the power of a Deity, then it should be you who absorbs it!" Anna explained patiently.
"You killed the Furious Lion Douluo and the Demon Conqueror Douluo; the Hall of Elders will never let you off. They will certainly try every method to put you to death, Brother. If you can obtain the power of a Deity, perhaps you can turn the tide, gaining the strength to destroy Spirit Hall and lead the Star Luo Empire to unify the continent!"
"..." Hearing these words, Davis was momentarily at a loss. A wave of emotion washed over his heart; knowing how to think of others, his apprentice had finally grown into a little adult.
"Nana, you have really grown up. However, you should rest assured and absorb it. Not everyone can receive the recognition of the Vast Sea Cosmos Shroud. I have already attempted it, and it did not choose me. Perhaps you can succeed?"
"What? You actually didn't get the Deity's recognition? Is this Deity blind? Brother, you are the most talented Spirit Master on the entire continent! If even you cannot gain the Deity's approval, then how could I possibly..."
"Do not belittle yourself, Nana. You must understand that Deities are merely slightly more powerful Spirit Masters. It is possible that my martial soul's attributes simply do not match that Deity's. In any case, you should try it first, alright?"
(End of Chapter)