Mingdu, within the Sun-Moon Imperial Palace.
Xu Tianran lay quietly on the bed, being attended to by Meng Hongchen. Since the end of the Soul Master Tournament, the Sun-Moon Empire had been in constant turmoil. As the emperor, he was constantly putting out fires here and there. If not for his cultivation being at the Titled Douluo level, his health would have deteriorated long ago. Tonight was the first time he had rested so early—it was truly a rare moment of comfort.
Just as Xu Tianran was briefly resting his eyes and preparing to sleep, Meng Hongchen—who was pulling the bedding—glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then silently continued arranging the bedding without a word.
To be honest, although she was the empress, Xu Tianran had never touched her except for sleeping with her at night. Including on their wedding night, he had even spent it in the study.
This secretly delighted Meng Hongchen—rejoicing that she didn't have to be slept with by a disabled person—while also making her feel puzzled.
Logically speaking, she was naturally beautiful, considered an absolute beauty. Why didn't Xu Tianran make a move?
It couldn't be that,
Xu Tianran was a saint, not interested in women?
If not for seeing that Xu Tianran didn't keep any male favorites in the palace, she would have thought that the dignified Sun-Moon Empire's emperor was gay.
Or perhaps...
Xu Tianran was dysfunctional there? Permanently impotent?
Just as Meng Hongchen was secretly pondering, constantly speculating that Xu Tianran might be a eunuch, a voice suddenly came from outside the door—a voice of an actual eunuch, "Your Majesty, a memorial has just been submitted, said to be from Hall Master Hongchen, extremely urgent."
Meng Hongchen, hearing it was her grandfather, hurriedly gently pushed Xu Tianran. This made Xu Tianran—who originally didn't want to deal with it and was casually going to brush it off—frown in displeasure, opening his eyes.
What urgent matter could there be in the middle of the night?
Could it be...
Thinking and thinking, Xu Tianran realized something. While secretly thinking that Jing Hongchen's actions might truly be this fast, he hurriedly had the eunuch bring the memorial over. When he opened it, Jing Hongchen's memorial only had one sentence: "Your Majesty, the Holy Spirit Cult members have been found, but the situation is complex, truly earth-shattering. Thus this subject wishes to immediately seek an audience with Your Majesty, to report face to face, and brings two people along, hoping for permission."
"Smack—" With a heavy sound, Xu Tianran suddenly closed the memorial in his hand, his heart immediately jumping violently.
"Change clothes, prepare the carriage for the Imperial Study!"
Meanwhile, outside the palace gate, Jing Hongchen was quietly waiting. But his peripheral vision occasionally glanced toward his side, looking at those two people cloaked in black robes, secretly swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
There was no other way—
The situation with these two people was truly too shocking to the world.
Think about it—an hour ago, these two suddenly appeared at his residence. If not for his courage, he might have been scared into shouting. Who could have imagined they could return from the dead.
After learning Ye Xishui and Zhongli Wu's purpose, Jing Hongchen first rejoiced that these two had come to find him first. Otherwise, it would be another failure in his duties. Then, he showed the same expression as the Holy Spirit Cult members toward the plan they mentioned.
But regarding this matter, there was nothing he could say. He could only leave it for His Majesty to decide. There, he directly submitted the memorial.
As time passed minute by second, the palace gate opened.
Under the guard of royal soul engineers on both sides, a eunuch stood in the center of the wide-open palace gate, extending his hand in a guiding gesture, "Hall Master Hongchen and the two others, His Majesty summons you. Please."
...
"Hall Master Hongchen, who are these two?"
"Your Majesty, long time no see."
Before Jing Hongchen could respond, Xu Tianran heard a familiar voice from one of the black-robed people, his eyes instantly widening.
When he removed the hood...
"Imperial Preceptor!?"
Pointing at that familiar face, Xu Tianran's pupils contracted, shocked for half a moment before finishing his sentence, "You didn't die?"
But just as he finished speaking, Xu Tianran shook his head, "No, Hall Master Hongchen clearly said you sacrificed yourself for the empire's great cause."
Regarding Zhongli Wu's death, Xu Tianran didn't think Jing Hongchen would commit this crime of deceiving the emperor. Otherwise, that would be too stupid.
And with "Zhongli Wu" appearing alive, at this moment Xu Tianran already had a guess about the other black-robed person's identity.
The facts were indeed as Xu Tianran anticipated.
The hood was removed, and Ye Xishui's face came into view.
"Elder Ye."
"Ye Xishui" lightly nodded, giving a response.
"Imperial Preceptor, can you tell me what exactly is going on with this resurrection from the dead?" Xu Tianran looked at "Zhongli Wu" and said.
Then, "Zhongli Wu" stated the prepared explanation.
"So that's how it is." Xu Tianran nodded seemingly in deep agreement, "Then truly congratulations to Elder Ye and the Imperial Preceptor. Not only resurrected from the dead, but now your strength has also risen to a higher level."
"Just barely survived."
"Zhongli Wu" slightly cupped his hands, "Actually, we have come today for another matter to discuss with Your Majesty. I wonder if Your Majesty remembers the plan briefly discussed before the soul hunting operation."
"Of course."
Xu Tianran's hands folded together, unconsciously tapping.
His face, which had long returned to calm, showed neither joy nor anger.
Seeing this, "Zhongli Wu" first acknowledged the failure of their soul hunting operation. Then he indicated his intention to thoroughly perfect that plan and implement it, thereby throwing the Three Great Empires into turmoil.
Xu Tianran closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then said:
"Hall Master Hongchen, what do you think?"
Instantly, the hot potato was thrown over.
Jing Hongchen, secretly complaining in his heart, could only brace himself, "Your Majesty, this old subject thinks this matter has advantages and disadvantages. This matter..."
Just as this sentence began, it was interrupted by Xu Tianran.
"Enough, don't speak such evasive words."
Opening his eyes, as if capturing people's souls, "Imperial Preceptor, the Empire can no longer withstand losses. And war is about to begin."
"Your Majesty, this matter can be entirely the Holy Spirit Cult's responsibility. No matter what our purpose is, as long as we throw the Three Great Empires into chaos, isn't that beneficial to the Sun-Moon Empire? What does Your Majesty think?"
"Zhongli Wu's" mouth corner hooked up, seemingly smiling yet not smiling...
Half an hour later, "Ye Xishui" and "Zhongli Wu" departed, leaving only Xu Tianran and Jing Hongchen in the Imperial Study.
"Resurrection from the dead... Hall Master, do you think it's real or fake?"
Jing Hongchen said, "This subject dares not speak rashly."
Xu Tianran slightly closed his eyes, tapping the memorial.
When he spoke again, he directly skipped over the previous topic. "Unexpected, Elder Ye actually has twin martial souls, and this second martial soul is actually the Bright Phoenix. Truly ironic enough."
"Dou Ling Empire... heh heh, what a good choice. Once Dou Ling is completely thrown into chaos, that's when our Sun-Moon takes over."
Speaking and speaking, Xu Tianran put down the memorial.
"Xue Chen."
The next second, a black shadow flashed.
"Your Majesty."
"You go to the Holy Spirit Cult side, bring back my good younger brother for me. I've missed him terribly. Also..."
A trace of reluctance seemed to flash in Xu Tianran's eyes, "Afterward, send someone to the imperial mausoleum, cremate my father's corpse and those brothers' corpses completely, grind their bones to dust, to prevent them from being desecrated by others."
As for why he'd do this...
What Xu Tianran was guarding against was that when they were about to act against the Holy Spirit Cult, the Holy Spirit Cult would resurrect these people of their Sun-Moon Empire, shaking his ruling position and then causing turmoil in the empire. Even if the probability of this happening was extremely small, even if it happened he had confidence he could suppress it.
At his position, he couldn't relax in the slightest. So once his father and those brothers' corpses were completely turned to ash, let's see how they could resurrect from the dead.
But if the Holy Spirit Cult truly had such methods, then his hidden illness...
Thinking of this, a trace of hope rose in Xu Tianran's heart.
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