Dugu Bo walked out slowly and closed the door behind him.
Only then did Yin Zhang, together with Qiangu Yunying, turn their attention to Dai Yuqing and Zhu Mengran, curiosity evident in their expressions.
"Captain Dai, Captain Zhu—I recognize you both. Please, have a seat. If there's anything to discuss, let's sit down and talk properly."
Dai Yuqing and Zhu Mengran didn't find this strange, but Yin Zhang's friendly attitude still caught them slightly off guard. Their tense nerves finally eased a little.
Once they were seated, Yin Zhang spoke again.
"I watched your match against Heaven Dou Royal Academy First Team. Your Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger, is incredibly powerful. If your opponents hadn't been so weak, you wouldn't have even needed to use it to win."
Although Yin Zhang was simply stating the truth, it still made Dai Yuqing and Zhu Mengran feel flattered.
In reality, Yin Zhang's mind had been racing the moment they walked in.
In the original timeline, the Star Luo Empire seemed to have only two prominent princes—Dai Mubai and Dai Weisi.
(Though there were likely more, treating this as a secondary setup made future developments easier.)
Now that the Heaven Dou Empire had already been infiltrated by Qian Renxue, with the right push, Xue Ye could be made to die even earlier than before. The remaining princes—Xue Ke hadn't even been born yet—could be eliminated one by one.
In the end, Qian Renxue, under the identity of Xue Qinghe, could ascend the throne and lead Heaven Dou to surrender to Spirit Hall, before returning to the Hall of Worship in her true identity.
That way, Spirit Hall could legitimately absorb Heaven Dou, along with its kingdoms, nobles, and vast population—who would willingly accept the outcome.
The same logic applied to Star Luo.
If all the princes of Star Luo were eliminated, the emperor would eventually have no choice but to select an heir from the broader Dai clan.
That was where Dai Yuqing came in.
With Spirit Hall secretly backing him, Dai Yuqing could rapidly enter the emperor's field of vision. Once he ascended the throne, Star Luo could also be handed over in its entirety.
What if the Star Luo Emperor preferred a younger brother, a nephew, or someone he favored personally?
Simple.
Send a Titled Douluo to eliminate them quietly. Forge an imperial decree. Place Dai Yuqing on the throne. Anyone who refused to submit would be erased.
And if Dai Yuqing himself refused?
Then they'd find another Dai clan member—there was no shortage of spineless cowards. Supporting one more puppet would only require a bit more effort.
In short, taking both Heaven Dou and Star Luo was entirely feasible. Spirit Hall had the power and the foundation to do it.
As for who would become the first emperor of the Spirit Empire?
Bibi Dong?
Forget it.
In Yin Zhang's eyes, that woman only wanted to tear Spirit Hall apart. Whatever her reasons, they had nothing to do with him. The position of Supreme Pontiff had to be his.
What about Qian Renxue—Qian Daoliu's granddaughter and the future Angel God?
Even if events followed the original path, with Qian Daoliu indulging her and letting her become a god early, the timing wouldn't line up.
And in the current situation, things were far less chaotic than before. A steady progression through the god trials would only benefit her in the long run.
Qian Daoliu would understand this. That meant Qian Renxue's ascension would be even slower than before.
By then, Yin Zhang had no idea what realm he would have reached—but Qian Renxue would almost certainly be far behind.
With these thoughts in mind, Yin Zhang maintained a gentle smile and chatted warmly with Dai Yuqing.
---
When Dai Yuqing and Zhu Mengran finally left the room, both of them felt strangely unsettled.
Dai Yuqing said in a daze, "Why do I feel like Yin Zhang is… unusually close to me?"
Zhu Mengran nodded, equally confused.
"I feel the same. But at least he said that when we fight, he won't go all-out like he did against Thunder Academy. Even if we lose, we'll lose with dignity."
---
Inside the room, Qiangu Yunying stared at Yin Zhang, who had finally snapped out of his thoughts.
"Xiao Zhang, why were you so nice to them just now? Especially Dai Yuqing—you were practically treating him like a long-lost brother."
Yin Zhang smiled faintly.
"I suddenly realized that, given Dai Yuqing's status, Spirit Hall might be able to make use of him in the future."
Qiangu Yunying blinked. "Make use of him?"
Yin Zhang nodded.
"Yes. Spirit Hall is going to undergo major changes. When that time comes, Dai Yuqing and Zhu Mengran will have their roles to play."
At those words, everyone in the room turned to look at him.
Qiangu Yunying reacted quickly and lowered her voice.
"You mean… undercover agents?"
Yin Zhang nodded slightly.
"Exactly. The potential here is enormous."
"For example, even now, Star Luo—and even Heaven Dou—already have undercover agents. Hahaha."
Yin Zhang swept his gaze across the room. Everyone present was from Spirit Hall, so there was no fear of leaks.
Qiangu Yunying, understanding this was sensitive internal matter, chose not to pursue the topic further.
---
Hurricane Forest
After Qiangu Yuan successfully absorbed his spirit ring, Tang Zhen and the others remained where they were, waiting.
Soon enough, someone arrived.
Watching a black dot in the distant sky grow larger and larger, Tang Zhen smiled in satisfaction.
"It didn't keep us waiting too long. It's finally here. I just don't know whether it's Porcupinefish or Snake Lance."
"But it doesn't matter. As long as I hold back the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger Emperor that hasn't transformed, he can capture the one that has."
"After that, we'll clean up all the Crimson Flame Roaring Tigers in the core area."
Although the two Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger Emperors differed greatly in age, they had ruled together for tens of thousands of years.
Over that time, they had produced countless offspring.
Generation after generation of tiger descendants entrenched themselves deep within the Hurricane Forest's core region, forming the forest's dominant spirit beast race.
Among them were many spirit beasts with tens of thousands of years of cultivation—powerful guardians standing as the final line of defense for the two Tiger Emperors.
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