Chapter 282: The Conditions of the Snowy Night
"Your Majesty!"
Just as Emperor Xue Ye was about to have Xue Qinghe head to the Sunset Forest to bring the Nine Star Palace into the camp of the Heaven Dou Empire, Ning Fengzhi quickly interjected, "We must absolutely not join forces with the Nine Star Palace against the enemy. This is an act of inviting a wolf into the house. Has Your Majesty forgotten that Xiao Yu has the daughter of the former Pope of the Spirit Hall by his side?"
The person suddenly mentioned, Qian Renxue, had a slight change in her expression.
Emperor Xue Ye was also taken aback upon hearing this. The story of Xiao Yu and Qian Renxue, two soul emperors who appeared at the Soul Master Tournament and dominated all the other geniuses, eventually becoming a couple, was widely known and praised in the soul master world.
Seeing the hesitant look on Emperor Xue Ye's face, Ning Fengzhi seized the opportunity to continue promoting his plan for the three major clans to unite as one. Oh, no, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan had already perished. It should now be the plan for the two major clans to unite.
"Your Majesty, now that the Haotian Sect has come out of seclusion and joined forces with the Star Luo Empire, and with the mysterious help of the Sea God Island, the Spirit Hall is under this pressure that it has turned to deal with our clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan. In my opinion, they are our best partners!"
"Father, absolutely not!"
Qian Renxue quickly spoke up to dissuade him. If Xiao Yu found out that it was because of her existence that the plan failed, even if he didn't say it out loud, he would inevitably feel a sense of estrangement towards her. And that Huo Wu, who always competed with her, would probably mock her even more.
Qian Renxue felt a bit angry inside and glanced at Ning Fengzhi with resentment, saying, "The empire and Star Luo have had long-standing grievances. Suddenly cooperating with Star Luo might dishearten the soldiers on the border!"
"Prince, you are right!"
General Ge Long supported Qian Renxue.
He was not a member of Xue Qinghe's faction. As the highest military official of the Heaven Dou Empire, he had to be a pure subject, and the only one he was loyal to was the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The reason he supported Qian Renxue at this moment was entirely to voice the concerns of the military.
Over the years, although Heaven Dou and Star Luo had not had a large-scale war involving hundreds of thousands of people, there had been constant small-scale conflicts, with thousands of soldiers being lost each year.
With Ge Long's support, Qian Renxue felt more confident and continued, "As for the Haotian Sect, they have the title of the number one sect in the world, but their actions are always timid and lack the courage of a true man. Has Father forgotten that twenty years ago, they closed their mountain gate under the pressure of the Spirit Hall and abandoned the four affiliated clans like worn-out shoes? Who can guarantee that one day in the future, the Haotian Sect will not abandon the Heaven Dou Empire like they abandoned the four affiliated clans because the situation is not favorable?"
Emperor Xue Ye's expression changed again, and his internal balance tilted towards the Nine Star Palace.
After all, Ning Fengzhi's guess about the Nine Star Palace was just a guess, while the actions of the Haotian Sect were a clear example.
One of the four affiliated clans, the Force Clan, eventually settled in Heaven Dou City and naturally had dealings with the Heaven Dou royal family. Emperor Xue Ye was very clear about how miserable the Force Clan was before they came to Heaven Dou City!
Ning Fengzhi's gaze towards Qian Renxue had completely changed. It seemed that the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire had made it clear that he was betting on the Nine Star Palace.
A glimmer of killing intent quickly flashed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
Although it was just a moment, Qian Renxue's real cultivation had already reached the high-level soul duelist. Her strong spiritual perception allowed her to see all the changes on Ning Fengzhi's face.
No wonder Xiao Yu had gradually been distancing himself from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect since Ning Fengzhi and others rescued Tang San and the hundred-thousand-year-old soft-boned rabbit. It seemed that the head of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was determined to get on the same ship as the Haotian Sect.
Qian Renxue let out a cold, inward laugh and continued, "As for my master's concern that the Nine Star Palace might side with the Spirit Hall because of the existence of the former Pope's daughter, I believe there is absolutely no need to worry about this. If Bibi Dong truly intended to court the Nine Star Palace, she wouldn't have included it in the list of targets for this operation!"
"Moreover, as far as I know, the position of the Pope of the Spirit Hall was originally passed down through the Angel Soul line. We originally thought that because the former Pope died suddenly without leaving an heir, the position was passed to his apprentice, who is the current Pope, Bibi Dong."
"But now that the former Pope clearly has a grown-up daughter, and yet Bibi Dong still clings to the papacy without relinquishing power, I suspect there are some unknown secrets at play."
When Qian Renxue spoke, she forcefully suppressed the hatred in her heart. To a certain extent, this was her true feelings.
Initially, her father had died unexpectedly due to Tang Hao, and she was still young at the time. It was understandable that Bibi Dong temporarily took over the position of Pope. But now that she had grown up, Bibi Dong still held onto the power.
She secretly courted the contributors from the Hall of Tribute and even promoted Hu Li'ena, who was inferior to her in every way, to be the Holy Maiden and the papal candidate of the Spirit Hall.
In Qian Renxue's view, this was a betrayal of the Spirit Hall!
Emperor Xue Ye frowned deeply, and it was clear that he was deep in thought.
Xue Qinghe's high regard for the Nine Star Palace meant that there must have been close cooperation between them. Even before the soul-hunting operation, Xue Qinghe had already planned to bring Xiao Yu over to the Heaven Dou Empire's side. Now, it was just a matter of seizing the opportunity.
As a ruler, although not an outstanding one, if Emperor Xue Ye couldn't see through this ploy, he might as well abdicate early.
Emperor Xue Ye was pleased to see the good relationship between Xue Qinghe and Xiao Yu.
Xue Qinghe was his favored successor, and the strength of the Nine Star Palace was above the three major clans. With such a powerful ally, once Xue Qinghe ascended to the throne, it would be a great help in stabilizing the domestic situation and deterring various forces abroad.
The only thing Emperor Xue Ye was still concerned about was the existence of the former Pope's daughter in the Spirit Hall, as mentioned by Ning Fengzhi earlier, and whether it would affect the future decisions of the Nine Star Palace.
If Emperor Xue Ye knew that the successor he was supporting and the person he was worried about were actually the same person, he might have been so angry that he would have died of apoplexy on the spot.
After a long period of contemplation, Emperor Xue Ye finally made a decision. He stroked his graying beard and said, "The Haotian Sect is hard to trust, and Star Luo is an old enemy of the empire. There are too many drawbacks to joining forces with them. The Nine Star Palace is truly our best partner for cooperation."
"However, the former Pope's daughter from the Spirit Hall must be guarded against!"
He paused for a moment and then continued, "Qinghe, I have a task for you!"
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue immediately bowed and clasped her fists, waiting for Emperor Xue Ye's command.
"Your younger sister, Xue Ke, is also of marriageable age. I want you to act as a matchmaker and draw a red thread between your sister and Xiao Yu. As long as Xiao Yu agrees to this marriage, I can treat him with the status of a duke!"
(End of Chapter)
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