Xu Tianran spoke politely, "Sect Master Zhongli Wu, I sincerely hope that…"
Before he could finish, Zhongli Wu cut him off bluntly:
"Xu Tianran, you—who have lost the position of Crown Prince—are not qualified to cooperate with my Holy Spirit Cult!"
Zhongli Wu looked at the crippled Xu Tianran sitting in his wheelchair, his expression betraying a trace of frustration.
He had already convinced his mother to agree to the plan, yet unexpectedly, everything had taken a sudden, 180-degree turn.
By the time he traveled thousands of miles from the underground headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult beneath the Evil Demon Forest to Mingdu, Xu Tianran's Crown Prince title had already been stripped.
Not only that—he had also lost his ability to reproduce, forever severing his connection to the imperial throne.
To Zhongli Wu, all of his previous plans had gone up in smoke.
Originally, his plan had been simple:
Help Xu Tianran consolidate his position as Crown Prince, and once Xu Tianran ascended the throne as Emperor, make the Holy Spirit Cult the official state religion.
Once the cult became the state religion, it would be able to operate openly, legally preaching and spreading its influence throughout the entire Sun Moon Empire.
At that point, the Holy Spirit Cult could recruit countless talented individuals with potential to become evil soul masters, rapidly expanding their numbers within a short period of time.
Then, they would do everything possible to push the Sun Moon Empire to wage war and unify the three Douluo nations.
As war spread, massive killing and death would inevitably follow.
In the chaos of war, the Holy Spirit Cult could slaughter freely, devouring vast numbers of lives and souls, allowing its evil soul masters to strengthen themselves by several levels.
With enough manpower and power gathered, they could then turn their blades on the Sun Moon Empire itself—
destroy it, seize its territory, and ultimately unify the entire world to establish a great nation belonging solely to evil soul masters.
From that day forward, evil soul masters would stand proud as dragons among men—no longer forced to hide in shadows like rats in a gutter, skulking underground and hunted by so-called "righteous" soul masters.
By then, all the people of the world would become livestock raised by the Holy Spirit Cult—ready to be slaughtered at any time to fuel their cultivation.
Just imagining that future made Zhongli Wu's heart race and his blood surge with excitement.
Yet before the first step of the plan could even begin, the very Crown Prince he intended to cooperate with—Xu Tianran—had been stripped of his title.
His carefully laid plans were reset to zero.
The taste of such a complete failure left Zhongli Wu deeply irritated.
Thus, toward the now-disgraced Crown Prince before him, his expression was naturally cold and disdainful.
Xu Tianran, however, showed no anger at being interrupted.
After enduring so many hardships—walking through the edge of life and death, suffering endless torment both in body and spirit—he had developed a composure as unmoving as a mountain.
Zhongli Wu's icy demeanor to him was nothing more than a passing breeze, utterly insignificant compared to the agonies he had already faced.
Maintaining a forced, humble smile, Xu Tianran continued,
"Sect Master Zhongli Wu, please hear me out. If, after I finish, you still have no interest, then feel free to leave. I won't say another word."
Zhongli Wu was silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"Speak."
Xu Tianran said,
"Although I have lost my position as Crown Prince, as the saying goes, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse. I still command considerable influence and resources.
My plan is to support a weak, indecisive, pleasure-seeking prince who lacks ability or resolve.
With your Holy Spirit Cult's assistance from the shadows, I am fully confident I can help him ascend the throne."
Zhongli Wu sneered,
"And why should I help you put some worthless fool on the throne? The Holy Spirit Cult could just as easily support the Second or Third Prince instead.
Wouldn't that be far easier?"
Xu Tianran's lips curved into a faint smile, his tone calm yet chillingly persuasive.
"Sect Master Zhongli Wu, you're right—it would indeed be easier to help the Second or Third Prince seize the throne.
But tell me—after they ascend, what would they give you in return?
Those two already have victory within their grasp. Once they become Emperor, they will certainly not remember your Holy Spirit Cult's 'kindness'.
Because in their eyes, they could ascend the throne with or without your help.
So not only would they fail to reward your cult—they would even guard against you, suppress you, just as my royal father, Emperor Xu Jing, did.
He feared your cult's growing strength might one day threaten his rule."
At these words, Zhongli Wu's expression darkened.
What Xu Tianran said might have been biased, but it wasn't wrong.
After all, Emperor Xu Jing himself had once exploited the Holy Spirit Cult.
Though he had rewarded them afterward, he had also begun to secretly suppress their expansion, curbing their growth from the shadows.
Seeing Zhongli Wu's serious expression, Xu Tianran quietly exhaled in relief.
Sensing an opportunity, he pressed on while the iron was hot:
"Sect Master Zhongli Wu, there's a saying—the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
If you and I together support a weak prince to ascend the throne, it might indeed be more difficult and require greater investment.
But the rewards will be unimaginably rich.
The final outcome will be vastly different from if you supported the Second or Third Prince.
When that prince becomes Emperor, he will be a puppet—ours to control.
We can strip him of real power and divide the empire's authority between us.
Whatever the Second or Third Princes could give you, I can give you as well—and whatever they can't give you, I can still provide.
If you wish, I can even offer you half of the Sun Moon Empire itself.
Sect Master Zhongli Wu, is that not sincere enough?"
At this point, Xu Tianran no longer cared about appearances.
He had nothing left—no throne, no power, nothing to lose—so he might as well make the biggest promises possible.
The bigger the promise, the better.
The key now was to deceive Zhongli Wu, to make him believe—at least for now.
Whether he would keep those promises later depended on nothing more than his own words.
Hearing Xu Tianran's offer, Zhongli Wu couldn't help but be shaken.
Half the empire!
That was truly a tempting offer—one that stirred even his jaded heart.
For a moment, he nearly nodded in agreement on the spot.
But as the Holy Spirit Cult's Sect Master, Zhongli Wu was not so easily swayed.
Others might be ignorant, but he knew very well who stood behind the imperial family of the Sun Moon Empire—
someone even his mother Ye Xishui feared deeply.
Moreover, Emperor Xu Jing was no simple character either.
Xu Tianran's plan sounded persuasive, but putting it into action would be unimaginably difficult.
Even so, Zhongli Wu couldn't completely suppress his interest.
Supporting a weak prince did promise greater long-term rewards.
After pondering for a long while, Zhongli Wu finally said,
"This matter is too significant. Give me three days to consider."
With that, his figure flickered—and he vanished from sight.
Xu Tianran stared at the space where Zhongli Wu had stood, his fists clenching tightly.
This was his final chance.
Without the Holy Spirit Cult's backing, it would be impossible to place his chosen puppet prince on the throne.
Raising his head toward the heavens, Xu Tianran prayed fervently:
"Heavens above, please… bless me just this once!"