Meanwhile, at the residence of the Second Prince, Xu Tianyu—
Inside a secret chamber, hidden deep within the estate, Xu Tianyu sat at the head seat, his face grave as he addressed three powerful figures seated below him.
"Grandfather, Uncle, Elder Wang… I've summoned you today to discuss countermeasures."
The maternal clan of the Second Prince was extremely powerful. His grandfather, Song Zhan, and his uncle, Song Peng, were both Soul Douluo-level experts.
This was precisely why Wang Yan had chosen to bet on Xu Tianyu as his candidate.
Song Zhan, the old man with a stern presence, spoke slowly:
"Now that Xu Tianran has been made Crown Prince, countless opportunists will flock to his banner. With each passing day, his power will only grow stronger."
Song Peng, the uncle, sat in silence, his expression dark. The rise of the Song family had only been possible because his younger sister became a favored consort of the Emperor.
Without that connection, the Song family—whose martial spirits were not particularly outstanding—would never have had the resources to produce two Soul Douluo-level powerhouses.
It was precisely because of this tie that the Song family had always been Xu Tianyu's staunchest supporters.
If they could help Xu Tianyu ascend the throne, then the Song family would inevitably reap immense rewards. They might even nurture a Titled Douluo-level ninth-tier soul engineer, transforming themselves into a top clan like the Hongchen family.
From then on, they would stand shoulder to shoulder with the empire itself. So long as they did not rebel, they would remain unshakable—no longer mere pawns on the chessboard, but true players with the right to move the pieces.
In the Sun Moon Empire, only ninth-tier soul engineers counted as the high echelon, as strategic-level powers. Anyone below that tier was still a pawn to be manipulated.
As a middle-aged man, Song Peng lacked the experience of Wang Yan and his father, Song Zhan. Thus, upon hearing Xu Tianran had become Crown Prince, his heart grew heavy, and the pressure suffocated him.
He knew well: if Xu Tianyu failed to claim the throne, the Song family's end would be catastrophic.
While Song Peng sat silently under the crushing weight of this thought, Wang Yan broke the silence. He turned to the Second Prince.
"Your Highness, this is the time for decisive action. The longer you wait, the stronger Xu Tianran becomes. Delay, and the chance to turn the tables will vanish."
Xu Tianyu turned to Wang Yan, only to find in his eyes a terrifying coldness that sent a chill through his bones.
Song Zhan stroked his beard and added with a nod,
"Indeed, Wang is right. We cannot wait. We must strike before Xu Tianran grows into his position. Otherwise, when His Majesty eventually grows too ill to rule and names the Crown Prince as regent, it will be far too late.
Once he governs as regent, Xu Tianran will be as good as an Emperor already. Even ninth-tier soul engineers would have to obey him. At that point, we would be nothing more than fish laid upon the chopping block."
Xu Tianyu felt his sense of crisis sharpen, his chest tightening. He turned back, his voice strained.
"Grandfather, Elder Wang… then what do you propose?"
Song Zhan and Wang Yan, both old men with half their bodies already in the grave, exchanged a meaningful look. Each saw the same thought mirrored in the other's eyes.
Song Zhan spoke:
"Elder Wang, allow me."
Then, with a voice as cold as iron, he declared:
"Alive, Xu Tianran is Crown Prince. Dead, he is not."
The words sent a shockwave through the room. Xu Tianyu broke into a cold sweat, his scalp tingling.
His grandfather meant… assassination.
But assassination was the ultimate taboo in power struggles. Failure brought ruinous backlash. To attempt it against the Crown Prince of all people—there could be no greater risk.
If they failed, he would not even need to wait for Xu Tianran to ascend or govern. His father, the Emperor, would execute him immediately.
Song Peng, who had been silent until now, exploded at his father's words.
"Father, are you insane? To assassinate the Crown Prince—this is a capital crime! If we fail, the entire clan will be executed!"
Song Zhan scowled at his son's outburst.
"Such fuss. Did not His Majesty himself slay his elder brother to seize the throne?
If it succeeds, who will care? So long as the deed is clean—no witnesses, no evidence, a few scapegoats prepared—it will be perfectly resolved.
Do you truly think His Majesty would execute Yu'er merely for the death of Xu Tianran?"
Song Peng faltered. His father's words dragged his mind back to the past—to that infamous night of blood.
On that night, Emperor Xu Jing had turned the palace into a river of gore. The former Emperor, his children, his concubines, and all their allies were wiped out to the last. The stench of blood lingered in the palace for three whole months.
Wang Yan, watching Xu Tianyu's wavering hesitation, pressed again:
"The choice is yours, Your Highness. If you do not agree, we can seek another path."
Xu Tianyu squeezed his eyes shut, his brows knotted in torment.
The chamber fell so silent that even the sound of breathing was clear.
Minutes stretched. Half an hour later, Xu Tianyu's bloodshot eyes opened wide, twisted with grim resolve.
"I've decided. We kill him. If we succeed, I will be the Sun Moon Empire's new Crown Prince.
If we fail… then so be it. It's only death. Xu Tianran will never spare me anyway. What difference does it make if I die a few years earlier?"
With his choice made, Xu Tianyu's entire bearing transformed. His spirit, his energy, even his very presence surged with newfound strength.
Seeing the Second Prince's newfound resolve, Wang Yan, Song Zhan, and Song Peng—all Soul Douluo-level experts—bowed and declared as one:
"Your Highness, we shall not fail you!"
At the same time—
In a branch of the Ordinary Alliance.
Wang Chen sat in his office, cloaked in a black robe and wearing a mask. Quietly, he studied the latest intelligence reports from Mingdu.
Reading the news that Xu Tianran had been made Crown Prince, he murmured to himself,
"The curtain has risen. The attempt on Xu Tianran's life cannot be far now."
His eyes gleamed with unfathomable depth as six pitch-black, terrifying spirit rings rose to circle him.
He had prepared long for this day.
In just three short years, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. Now, he was already a six-ring Soul Emperor.
And that was only because the leap from the fiftieth rank onward required exponentially more soul power than before.
To rise thirty levels in three years—if others heard it, they would call it madness, boastful lies.
But that was not all. His spiritual power had also grown tremendously—now at the realm of a Soul Douluo.
What's more, he had successfully mastered the battle skill Sovereign Over the World, making his combat power soar even higher.
And beyond personal strength, Wang Chen's influence had grown as well.
In secret, he had joined the Ordinary Alliance, and now, he was one of its high-ranking leaders.