No one answered Qian Renxue's question. After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke: "My father, the emperor, has suddenly decided to inspect the main cities. Has anyone found out who instigated this?"
Spear Serpent Douluo replied: "There have been no unfamiliar faces meeting with the emperor recently. The officials in court are behaving as usual, showing no abnormalities."
"Only one elder of the imperial family is said to have failed a breakthrough, resulting in an arm injury that forced him to amputate it to survive."
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue sneered: "Oh, is that so? Even I, the crown prince, didn't know about this. Who exactly is my father trying to guard against? His beloved son?"
She gathered her thoughts, recalling what might have caused Xue Ye to become wary of her. In the past, even when she had secretly poisoned the eldest and third princes, Xue Ye had turned a blind eye. Why would he suddenly change his attitude now?
"Unless..."
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes. "It can't be that useless Xue Beng or some illegitimate child—it must be himself."
But she had been secretly poisoning Xue Ye all along, using a slow-acting poison called Ten Thousands Purple and Red Poison concocted by Yang Wushuang.
The poison made Xue Ye believe he was growing old and frail, prompting him to hand over state affairs to the crown prince. Why would he suddenly change his mind?
Turning back, she asked: "Yang Wudi still hasn't been captured?"
Spear Serpent Douluo shook his head: "Yang Wudi has spent many years in the Star Luo Empire and is very familiar with the surrounding environment. With Bai He, the leader of the Speed Clan, helping him, our people have a hard time finding him."
"The Star Luo Empire also subtly rejects the Spirit Hall. Even if they can't capture Yang Wudi themselves, they won't let us get close either."
Qian Renxue nodded. Yang Wudi was capable of rivaling a Title Douluo, so capturing him wouldn't be an easy task.
With Yang Wushuang already in the Spirit Hall, Yang Wudi wasn't valuable enough to warrant sending a Title Douluo to hunt him down.
"In that case, Xue Ye couldn't have found someone to detoxify him. He wouldn't dare trust Dugu Bo to examine him. That leaves only one possibility."
Qian Renxue's voice grew cold. "He plans to break through to become a Title Douluo."
After breaking through to become a Title Douluo, a soul master's lifespan limit of around a hundred years would instantly double, and their physical condition would return to its peak.
Only then could Xue Ye possibly continue ruling as emperor, making the crown prince less important.
Hearing this, Spear Serpent Douluo recalled some intelligence he had read and added: "Yesterday, our hidden informants reported that the Imperial Medical Office requisitioned three rare medicinal herbs several months ago—Nine Treasure Blood Ginseng."
"It seems there's no doubt."
The gilded candlestick cast flickering shadows in the study. Qian Renxue absentmindedly traced the features of Xue Qinghe's face with her fingertips. "Elder She, have you confirmed the route map for my father's inspection of the main cities?"
A low voice emerged from the shadows, footsteps echoing clearly in the silence. An elder handed over a sealed letter: "We have people within the military. All six routes approach Sunset City, but the emperor's personal guard team is triple the size of previous years. The guards require impeccable backgrounds, making it difficult to insert our people."
Qian Renxue sneered and ordered: "Don't force your way into the personal guard team. Elder Porcupinefish, lead two teams of Soul Sages to infiltrate the hunting party and wait for the right moment to act."
She held the letter over the candle flame, the dancing flames casting shifting light and shadow on her face. "Tell Yang Wushuang that I want him to recalculate Xue Ye's poisoning cycle tonight and prepare a backup plan."
"Also, send a message back. Dispatch reinforcements. If Xue Ye really breaks through to level ninety in secret... leave him half his life."
Qian Renxue didn't want to kill Xue Ye outright, but she preferred a safe and steady plan. If Xue Ye were killed and the Spirit Hall were discovered to be responsible, it would hinder their later plans to control the Tian Dou Empire.
Moreover, a peaceful transition of power in the Tian Dou Empire aligned better with her original plan.
"Yes."
Spear Serpent Douluo went off to write the letter.
Qian Renxue's lips curled into a chilling smile. In this game of chess between father and son, she, the true player, would ultimately emerge victorious.
---
Meanwhile, Emperor Xue Ye was more cautious than Qian Renxue had imagined.
Taking advantage of the month-long gap between the end of the preliminary rounds and the finals, he proposed inspecting the major cities under the guise of spontaneously evaluating the crown prince. In reality, he wanted to keep everyone in the dark while secretly breaking through.
Xue Ye had no intention of entering Sunset Forest. Instead, he planned to stay protected within the city, enlisting the help of the imperial family's elders and Dugu Bo to severely injure soul beasts and transport them out.
This process would cost an enormous amount of manpower and resources, and enlisting Dugu Bo required spending favors and rare resources.
But Xue Ye had the resolve to do it.
As for guarding against Xue Qinghe, it was only natural.
Previously, Xue Ye had allowed "Xue Qinghe" to operate freely because he seemed competent on the surface, and Xue Ye had few heirs, leaving him with no better options.
Now things were different. Xue Ye believed he could live a "second life" and become one of the rare Title Douluo emperors.
The grand procession set off, with the first stop being Tianshu City, the closest to Tian Dou City. However, the convoy quickly changed course, heading to Sunset City thousands of miles away.
Three hundred iron-armored cavalrymen shattered the morning mist. Xue Ye's carriage, adorned with black gold, was surrounded by eighty-one Black Tortoise guards. Inside, amidst fragrant incense smoke, the wrinkled fingers of an elder caressed the medicinal herbs in a jade box.
"Your Majesty, the dark guards have identified three spirit beast territories. The elders have already entered Sunset Forest," the voice of a royal elder, carried by soul power, echoed.
Xue Ye's cloudy eyes gleamed with sharpness. He lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the turbulent clouds on the horizon.
The barrier he should have broken through ten years ago was now forcibly shattered with the aid of the mega evolution device—the seventh soul bone.
Once he obtained the ninth soul ring, his decaying body would be rejuvenated, and he would complete his unfinished great cause, leading the empire to surpass the corrupt and arrogant Star Luo Empire.
"Pass the order: Seal off Sunset City and keep a close watch on news from Tian Dou City."
Xue Ye prepared to make bold moves, regaining the emperor's suspicion and no longer trusting his most "accomplished" son.
"Yes!"
---
"What a lively scene."
Gu La, disguised as a cloaked figure, followed the convoy from afar.
He didn't have Qian Renxue's intelligence network, but he could cheat by looking at the "script". Knowing the future timeline was tumultuous, he knew something was bound to happen.
Sure enough, the Gu La from several months in the future reminded him that if he didn't intervene early, the Tian Dou Empire would truly become Qian Renxue's one-woman show.
If that happened, he'd be in trouble. Whether openly or covertly, the endless probing and maneuvering would leave him overwhelmed and waste his cultivation time.
Gu La muttered under his breath: "I've just gained a bit of strength, and now I'm responsible for mediating conflicts among the top powers of the continent. It's like the saying goes: With great power comes great responsibility."
He used psychic energy to suppress his presence and trailed behind the convoy. His black robe blended seamlessly into the gloomy sky.
"But I'm not a superhero, nor am I interested in saving the world."
As Gu La chased the convoy, he was conflicted. How could he strike the right balance? He couldn't let Qian Renxue grow too powerful, but he also couldn't let Emperor Xue Ye completely sever ties with the Spirit Hall, triggering a full-scale war that would disrupt his own development time.
"This is tough."
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