Everyone was in shock. The frail Emperor Xue Ye suddenly collapsed. They were completely unprepared.
As soon as Ning Fengzhi received the news, his expression froze. He frowned and immediately summoned Bone Douluo, who appeared at the palace without delay.
He walked into Emperor Xue Ye's bedchamber and looked toward Xue Qinghe, who was serving the emperor by the window. There was an indescribable look in his eyes.
Ning Fengzhi didn't want to doubt his student, someone who was almost the perfect crown prince. But Emperor Xue Ye was a Soul Douluo-level expert. How could he have fallen ill so suddenly from just a regular sickness?
But now he had no other choice. If he didn't support his student in ascending the throne, would he support Xue Beng, the man who spent his days idling in flower shops?
Ning Fengzhi only suspected that Xue Qinghe might have been crown prince for too long and could no longer wait, so he chose to act.
He never imagined that the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire—one of the two great empires—would be replaced by someone else, and no one had known for over ten years.
"Your Highness, the emperor is gravely ill. The most urgent matter is to reassure the people of the empire."
"Master, you're here. My father is sick, and I really can't bear to handle government affairs right now."
"I think His Majesty wouldn't want to see you like this. The Heaven Dou Empire was what he valued most."
…
"Master is right."
Xue Qinghe hesitated for a moment, then followed Ning Fengzhi's advice and left Emperor Xue Ye's chamber to convene a meeting of the ministers.
The two were both clever men. They knew what to do to gain the greatest benefit for themselves right now. As for Emperor Xue Ye—if he could be saved, he would remain emperor. If not, he was just another soul master.
However, the pufferfish swore before Qian Renxue that no one could cure the poison he had administered—not even Dugu Bo, Yang Wudi, or Ye Renxin, three of the continent's most renowned pharmacological experts.
This was indeed the case. Ning Fengzhi soon suspected that the emperor had been poisoned. He immediately brought in Yang Wudi and ordered people to rush to the Star Crown Sect to invite Dugu Bo.
Ye Renxin mainly relied on his Nine-Hearted Begonia and was skilled at healing wounds. Dugu Bo's poison came mostly from his martial spirit. He was excellent at poisoning but not good at detoxifying.
Yang Wudi confirmed that Emperor Xue Ye had indeed been poisoned, but he couldn't identify what kind of poison it was. Research would take time, and Emperor Xue Ye didn't have that luxury.
After the Po Yi and Yu Yi clans fled together to Tiandou City, both clans relocated and became affiliated with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Wuhun Hall had not captured Yang Wudi's younger brother, Yang Wushuang, so they couldn't discover the Po Yi Clan's forbidden poison "Seven Colors." Now, Xue Ye had been poisoned with a carefully prepared compound poison by Dolphin Thorn Douluo, and even he didn't possess an antidote.
However, Yang Wudi had a method to stimulate Emperor Xue Ye's vitality and briefly awaken him, though he would die shortly after waking.
This proposal was flatly rejected by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. He didn't want his father to die and believed that a solution could still be found.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's letter requesting help was sent to Dugu Bo, and naturally, Xu Mingxi became aware of the news.
After reading the letter describing Emperor Xue Ye's critical condition, his expression shifted repeatedly, and in the end, he could only sigh.
Due to his arrival, the plot had changed dramatically. Tang San was born six years earlier and was now only twelve. Qian Renxue could no longer wait and had begun to act against Emperor Xue Ye.
"Mingxi, you've read the letter too. What should we do?"
"Senior Dugu, please be patient."
The incident had occurred suddenly, and Xu Mingxi hadn't made any prior preparations. But he couldn't let Qian Renxue succeed so easily in stealing the nation.
At this moment, if Xue Beng died, even if the person wasn't the real Xue Qinghe, he would have to become him. Otherwise, the Heaven Dou Empire would descend into chaos and possibly face total destruction.
Compared to Qian Renxue, Xue Beng's ascension to the throne actually aligned more with the Star Crown Sect's interests. His father had been poisoned, and his brother replaced through murder. If Xue Beng didn't lead troops to attack Spirit Hall, how could he justify sitting on the throne?
Furthermore, once news of Spirit Hall's conspiracy spread, the Star Luo Empire and the other great kingdoms would never stay indifferent. They still understood the principle of mutual dependence.
Xu Mingxi turned to look at the Eighth Elder. A previous event, when Poseidon had appeared on stage at the Clear Sky Sect, gave him a chilling idea.
"Eighth Elder, we've recruited many blacksmiths to refine the metals used for making soul guides, right?"
"Yes, they're now at the foot of the Star Crown Sect. We're paying them well, and so far no one has questioned their departure."
"Good. Then I want to know if among them is any soul master with a hammer-type martial spirit—preferably similar to the Clear Sky Hammer. The higher the soul power, the better."
The Eighth Elder thought for a moment and nodded. Although the others didn't know what Xu Mingxi intended, they could guess something from his criteria.
Mingxi might be planning to do something under the guise of the Clear Sky Sect. Let him. The more chaotic the continent became, the better it would be for the Star Crown Sect.
To get a clearer picture of the situation, Xu Mingxi followed Dugu Bo to Heaven Dou City. More importantly, his current training had reached a bottleneck.
He had already thought it through—if he wanted to quickly break through to the fourth level of soul power, he would likely have to rely on the torso soul bone and the crystal orb given by the Sun and Moon Gods.
At this point, Heaven Dou City was in chaos. Xue Qinghe convened the ministers to discuss major affairs, but Prince Xue Xing suddenly burst in with the fourth prince, Xue Beng.
Before the ministers and generals, Xue Xing presented several pieces of evidence he had gathered against Xue Qinghe for undermining the power of the Heaven Dou Empire.
At first, no one cared—it was just a typical power struggle. But Xue Xing was determined. He knew that if Xue Qinghe seized power, he and Xue Beng would be purged. At the very least, their current statuses would not be maintained.
Xue Xing could not tolerate such an outcome. He would rather die than lose his power and become a nobody, disregarded by all.
"Ministers, generals, have you never wondered why the second and third princes died? I say—it was Xue Qinghe who poisoned them. He's the true killer behind the scenes."
Xue Xing had no evidence and didn't even know whether Xue Qinghe had really killed the two princes. This was just a desperate struggle with no other options left.
However, that one sentence made the ministers and generals fall deep into thought. Based on personal interest, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe did seem the most likely to act. If the more talented second and third princes were still alive, he would never have ascended the throne.
But now, after all these years, the two princes were gone, and many of the ministers had already aligned with Xue Qinghe. They had no other choice.