"To destroy something, you must first drive it mad."
Lin Mu's lips curled into a smile as he looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo and ordered, "You two remain hidden around Bibi Dong. If anything happens, notify me immediately. As for the Soul Hunting Operation, handle it as you see fit."
"Yes, sir!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo respectfully accepted the order.
Although they had switched allegiance to Lin Mu, he rarely asked them to do anything, unlike Bibi Dong, who would rather dump all the dirty work on them.
Most importantly, even though they hadn't completed any important tasks, Lin Mu still rewarded them with precious pills.
These were pills powerful enough to instantly reach Level 96!
They had served Bibi Dong for many years without obtaining a single soul bone, let alone a pill even more precious than a soul bone.
"Your Majesty, the Soul Hunting Operation begins tomorrow night, Old Ghost and I will be leaving now."
"Since the Soul Hunting Operation is imminent, you should leave quickly; otherwise, it might arouse Bibi Dong's suspicion."
Lin Mu nodded slightly; he didn't want Bibi Dong to discover this move.
Although Heaven Dou City and Spirit City were far apart, Heaven Dou City had a Spirit Temple, meaning there were many Spirit Temple spies in Heaven Dou City.
"Your subordinates take their leave!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance and immediately bowed to Lin Mu.
Then, they activated all their soul power and flew away at top speed, disappearing from the area in no time.
Seeing the two leave, Lin Mu decisively changed direction and flew toward Heaven Dou City.
In a short while, Lin Mu arrived at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Since Qian Renxue ascended the throne, the guards and maids in the Imperial Palace had all been replaced with her own people, and Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng had been expelled from Heaven Dou City.
As for whether they would encounter any danger along the way, that remained to be seen.
Soon, Lin Mu entered the palace as if no one else was there. The surrounding maids all looked away, pretending not to see him.
In recent days, this general had entered and exited the palace several times, even talking with the Emperor all night; they had long since grown accustomed to it.
A moment later, Lin Mu pushed open the door without knocking and saw Qian Renxue changing her clothes.
Seeing Lin Mu's sudden appearance, Qian Renxue quickly covered her chest, giving him a sharp glare and saying coquettishly, "Why are you back again? And can't you knock?"
"What are you blocking? What haven't I seen?"
Lin Mu pouted, feigning indifference, but his gaze remained fixed on Qian Renxue.
Seeing this, Qian Renxue gave a soft snort; this guy was just pretending to be virtuous.
If she hadn't been exhausted last night, she wouldn't have gotten up so late. Even after so much time, she still felt a warm sensation in her lower abdomen.
A few minutes later, Qian Renxue finally changed her clothes. The dragon robe accentuated her undeniable domineering aura.
"Speak, what brings you here?"
"Are you asking for trouble again, daring to speak to me like that?"
Before the words were even finished, Lin Mu flashed behind Qian Renxue, forcefully slapping her shapely buttocks through the dragon robe.
With a resounding "smack," Qian Renxue's cheeks instantly flushed red.
Every time she wore the dragon robe, this guy liked to hit that spot, accusing her of having a perverse sense of humor, when his own sense of humor was clearly far stronger.
Immediately, Qian Renxue changed her attitude, her delicate body going limp in Lin Mu's arms, softly saying, "Honey, your muscles are so hard~"
Seeing this sly angel about to cause trouble again, Lin Mu immediately coughed and solemnly said, "I just received news that Bibi Dong plans to take action against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue's expression instantly turned serious.
She had heard a little about the Soul Hunting Operation, but she hadn't expected Bibi Dong to be so clearly trying to oppose her at this particular time.
She could ignore the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's attack.
But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had already pledged allegiance to her; if she allowed Bibi Dong to attack them, it would be a slap in the face.
"That crazy woman!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth.
She had her own plans for unifying the two empires, but Bibi Dong's interference had unnecessarily increased the difficulty.
After a moment, she suppressed her anger and looked at the composed Lin Mu, seeking his opinion: "Lin Mu, do you think I should intervene in this matter?"
Unconsciously, she had come to regard Lin Mu as her pillar of support.
On one hand, her heart and soul had been conquered by Lin Mu; on the other hand, Lin Mu's ability to force Emperor Xue Ye to abdicate in just a few days was enough to demonstrate his resourcefulness.
However, this guy always preferred to resolve things with force.
"From the Spirit Hall's perspective, you can stand idly by and let two of the Upper Three Sects be destroyed, which would definitely benefit the Spirit Hall."
After a pause, Lin Mu changed the subject and continued, "But from a personal perspective, helping the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is more advantageous to you. You can use this opportunity to subdue the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in one fell swoop."
Hearing Lin Mu's detailed explanation, Qian Renxue's eyes suddenly lit up.
If she could completely subdue the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it would greatly benefit the unification of the continent.
Logically speaking, now that she controls the Heaven Dou Empire, she only needs to deal with the Star Luo Empire, but she cannot openly use the power of the Spirit Hall.
Moreover, judging from Bibi Dong's reaction, she clearly does not intend to cooperate with her.
With the military strength of the Heaven Dou Empire alone, it is simply unrealistic to annex the Star Luo Empire; after all, the Star Luo Empire's military strength is slightly stronger than that of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Therefore, she must subdue the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Having made up her mind, Qian Renxue asked again, "What do I need to do to completely subdue the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"Simple. Don't send reinforcements now. Instead, wait until they're in trouble before intervening, and wait until they've suffered more than half their casualties. That way, they'll have no choice but to submit to the Heaven Dou Empire."
"I see."
After listening to Lin Mu's explanation, Qian Renxue suddenly understood.
Immediately, she grabbed Lin Mu's arm and pleaded, "Lin Mu, you know the Empire doesn't have particularly powerful Soul Masters. As the Grand General, you certainly won't sit idly by, right?"
"Uh…"
Looking at the empress before him, whose demeanor was so different, Lin Mu's eye twitched. He had planned everything, but he hadn't expected to be tricked by Qian Renxue.
Undeniably, the Heaven Dou Empire's Soul Master strength was indeed weak. If they sent troops to rescue them, by the time they arrived, it would be too late.
Seeing that Lin Mu didn't reply, a resolute and cunning glint flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes.
She suddenly squatted down and slowly bowed her head.
After a long while, Qian Renxue looked up at Lin Mu, her beautiful eyes filled with resentment. It had lasted so long; her mouth was numb.
"Ahem—"
Lin Mu coughed lightly, looking at Qian Renxue with a strange expression. He hadn't expected this woman to have this side to her.