Chapter 156: The Method to Remove Xue Beng
As Luo Ling spoke, the expression on Qian Renxue's face gradually turned serious. She had always focused solely on playing the perfect role of the crown prince, never thinking beyond that.
Luo Ling watched her sink into thought but didn't interrupt.
In the original events, Qian Renxue's eventual plan to usurp the throne failed because the slow-acting poison she had used on Emperor Xue Ye was discovered by Dugu Bo.
To Luo Ling, that strategy had been extremely foolish.
There was no need for poison at all. All she truly needed was the nobles' backing and the right moment—Emperor Xue Ye could then be "removed" easily.
Heaven Dou Empire had only one titled Douluo, Dugu Bo, and even he did not fully serve the imperial family. With the power of Spirit Hall, executing an emperor without leaving any trace would not be difficult.
Death didn't have to come by poison—accidents worked just as well.
The method didn't matter. What mattered was that Emperor Xue Ye would die.
As long as Xue Qinghe (her alias) was not linked to it, her succession would be seamless.
No one wanted to see a wastrel like Xue Beng sitting on the throne anyway.
After some silence, Qian Renxue finally recovered her composure. She looked at Luo Ling, her cheeks faintly red, and snorted, "You don't need to lecture me about the past. Just tell me how you plan to get rid of Xue Beng!"
Luo Ling smiled faintly and dropped the topic of her disguise. His gaze sharpened. "Isn't there already a perfect opportunity before you?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"The current prison break case—why not make use of it?" Luo Ling's tone was calm, yet his words carried weight.
Qian Renxue frowned. "You want to pin the jailbreak on Xue Beng? Impossible. Father wouldn't believe it, and Xue Beng has no reason to do something like that."
Luo Ling shook his head, his smile widening. "Of course Xue Beng isn't the one behind the jailbreak. But what if he's connected to the people who did it?"
He leaned forward slightly. "You've already concluded that the culprits were a group of evil soul masters. So what if Xue Beng were one of them?"
As the possibility sank in, Qian Renxue's eyes lit up faintly.
"Xue Beng doesn't have to be the perpetrator," Luo Ling continued. "What matters is that he becomes known as an evil soul master. I doubt Emperor Xue Ye—or the nobles—would ever allow such a man to inherit the throne."
Luo Ling's words opened an entirely new line of thought for her.
She had never considered framing Xue Beng in that way.
Taking a slow breath, Qian Renxue composed herself and asked, "How do you plan to make him into an evil soul master? It's not enough to simply accuse him—no one would believe it."
Luo Ling chuckled lightly. "You don't need to worry about that. Turning Xue Beng into an evil soul master is nothing to me. Just wait and see."
Her gaze turned complicated. She had heard rumors of this famed Holy Son before—his twin martial spirits, his mysterious power—but meeting him in person stirred an unexplainable sense of wariness.
"Alright then, that settles it," Luo Ling said as he rose from his chair. "I still have matches to attend."
Qian Renxue made no move to stop him, but her eyes lingered on his departing figure, her thoughts clouded.
…
Outside Heaven Dou City, within a desolate mountain cave.
Yu Xiaogang and Flender, along with the others, stood watching Tang San at the center of a vast ritual circle.
The cave was filled with corpses—hundreds of them—most being spirit masters, the strongest having reached the Soul King level in life.
This ceremony was far grander than the one they had held at Soto City's cemetery, and the sacrificial power this time would go entirely to Tang San alone.
With Tang San now at spirit power level 43, this ritual might raise him several levels in one stroke.
"Tang San, are you ready?" Yu Xiaogang's tone was solemn, almost priest-like.
Perhaps he had performed too many of these rituals—each one starting with prayers to the so-called "Primordial God." He now truly believed himself a devout follower.
"Teacher, I've memorized the entire prayer long ago. There will be no mistakes," Tang San replied, scratching his head.
Yu Xiaogang's sharp gaze snapped toward him. "I'm not talking about the words, but your attitude!"
"When you pray for divine power, you must be reverent! Only then will the god bestow his blessing!"
His fanatic expression made it clear—he truly viewed himself as a priest of that false deity.
Tang San's careless look faded. He grew serious, lowering his gaze reverently.
The ritual began. Tang San closed his eyes, reciting the prayer while the magic circle beneath him blazed with crimson light.
It shone brighter than any sacrifice before. Within seconds, all the corpses turned into streams of blood and light.
Flender and Zhao Wuji watched in both awe and envy but said nothing. Their time would come.
This ceremony was for the sake of the tournament; the next one, they promised themselves, would be their own. They already knew the circle and incantation—they could perform the offering to the "Primordial God" independently.
As time passed, the red radiance grew denser, painting the cave in blood-like mist.
At that same moment, inside Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Luo Ling felt a surge of immense power flood into his body.
In an instant, his spirit power broke through level 60—and it kept climbing.
Since he hadn't yet absorbed a spirit ring, much of the energy was instead consumed by his martial spirit.
The force persisted for half an hour before dissipating, leaving him in a strange, heightened state.
He could now sense his followers more vividly; his martial spirit was evolving—awakening to something deeper and more mysterious.
What exactly was his martial spirit?
Luo Ling frowned slightly, pondering, before pushing the thought aside.
Back in the cave outside the city, Tang San had also completed his absorption. The bloody aura in the air faded as he opened his eyes.
The once-dark pupils now bore faint scarlet lines, and his face held unrestrained joy.
"Teacher, I've reached level forty-seven!" Tang San exclaimed.
A jump of four entire levels—astounding progress. Last time, at Soto City's graveyard, he had advanced five levels but was only a Soul Elder then. This time, the gain meant far more.
Yu Xiaogang smiled, clearly pleased.
Tang San released his spirits—the Blue Silver Grass now veined with blood-red patterns, giving off a sinister aura.
He summoned the Clear Sky Hammer as well; it too had gained a faint red sheen, far more ferocious than before.
"Level forty-seven," Yu Xiaogang said with satisfaction. "After you absorb the corpses from the Spirit Hall prison, you'll definitely reach fifty. That will put you at peak form for the tournament finals."
(END CHAPTER)
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