Three days later.
A message arrived, saying that Emperor Xue Ye invited Su Bai to a banquet.
During these few days, Su Bai had been spending time with Xue Ke and Jiang Zhu.
They often indulged in passionate moments.
Life was quite enjoyable.
Upon receiving Xue Ye's message, Su Bai headed towards the palace.
Emperor Xue Ye's actions were swift.
He said three days and it was indeed three days.
One must know, the palace had been severely damaged by Tang Hao.
Now, being able to hold a banquet meant that it had mostly recovered.
Although the Heaven Dou Royal Family wasn't very powerful, their management was quite impressive.
At the Heaven Dou Palace.
At this moment, Emperor Xue Ye was receiving a distinguished guest.
Even though Emperor Xue Ye was the ruler of Heaven Dou, he still lowered his posture and respectfully said, "Welcome, Pope, to our Heaven Dou Empire."
There were five people who had come.
The leader, clad in golden armor, merely nodded slightly at Emperor Xue Ye's greeting.
His gaze was even somewhat disdainful.
The person was Qian Xunji.
The few people behind him were all Title Douluos.
This time, he came with a purpose.
Seeing Qian Xunji's arrogant attitude, Emperor Xue Ye felt sorrowful.
This was the downside of lacking strength.
After experiencing the incident with Tang Hao, he had maintained a great deal of respect for powerful individuals.
He no longer had the composure he once did.
Qian Xunji walked directly to the throne and sat down.
Emperor Xue Ye's face changed, but he held back.
Qian Xunji crossed his legs, smiling, "Xue Ye, I heard that three days ago, the Heaven Dou Royal Family was beaten to a pulp by Tang Hao. Is this true?"
Emperor Xue Ye's face turned ugly.
He thought to himself, during the Spirit Master Tournament, weren't you the same? What right do you have to criticize me?
If it weren't for Bibi Dong and Su Bai intervening back then, Qian Xunji might have been dead.
And he had the nerve to ridicule the Heaven Dou Royal Family?
It was laughable.
But he didn't dare to say these words.
He nodded, "That did happen."
Clap~
Qian Xunji clapped his hands, laughing, "So, I came to give you a suggestion."
"I'm all ears."
Seeing his compliance, Qian Xunji was satisfied. He said, "I think the Heaven Dou Empire's strength is too weak. If you encounter an enemy as powerful as Tang Hao again, you might not be able to resist. For your own good, I think it's best if our Spirit Hall helps you manage the empire."
This was Qian Xunji's purpose for coming.
He came to subdue the Heaven Dou Empire.
Initially, there wasn't much of an opportunity, but Tang Hao's appearance gave him one.
Most people in the Spirit Hall now obeyed Bibi Dong's orders.
As the Pope, Qian Xunji had become a commander without any real power.
The people he brought this time were those he managed to get from his father, Qian Daoliu.
Although Bibi Dong wasn't the Pope yet, rumors were spreading that the Spirit Hall now had two Popes.
One was naturally Qian Xunji, and the other was undoubtedly Bibi Dong.
But Qian Xunji hadn't abdicated yet.
This was a challenge to him.
Therefore, he had no choice but to scheme elsewhere.
Subjugating the Heaven Dou Empire was part of his plan.
He wanted to develop his own power to counter Bibi Dong.
Hearing this,
Emperor Xue Ye's face turned extremely grim.
It sounded nice to say help manage.
But he wasn't a fool and knew the implications.
If he agreed, the Heaven Dou Royal Family would become nominally extinct.
On the surface, he would still be the emperor, but it would actually be under the control of the Spirit Hall.
If he agreed, he would be the biggest sinner of the Xue family.
"Impossible!"
Despite the opponent's formidable strength and being the Pope of the Spirit Hall, Emperor Xue Ye decisively refused.
"Impossible?"
Heh!
Qian Xunji sneered, threatening, "It doesn't matter if you don't agree. But if another powerful individual like Tang Hao attacks the Heaven Dou Royal Family, then..."
"Oh, right."
Qian Xunji seemed to remember something, asking with interest, "I heard your sons all died in that incident, leaving only a daughter?"
"I have a good idea. How about letting your daughter marry someone from our Spirit Hall?"
"In this way, the Heaven Dou Empire can be under our Spirit Hall's protection, and it would also provide a good match for your daughter, right?"
Emperor Xue Ye's fists clenched in his sleeves.
This wasn't just a hint.
It was a blatant threat.
Using the Heaven Dou Royal Family to threaten him.
No matter which condition, the Heaven Dou Empire would eventually fall into the hands of the Spirit Hall.
The former condition would have Qian Xunji send someone to take action. The latter, though sounding nice, meant that with only him and Xue Ke left, the Spirit Hall would take over after his death.
The outcome was the same.
Therefore, both conditions were extremely difficult for him.
Qian Xunji was using his power to pressure him, and he had no way to counter it.
He could only remain silent.
The scene became tense.
Crack~
Qian Xunji tapped the armrest of the dragon throne.
After waiting for a while without an answer, he grew impatient. He said sternly, "What's your decision? The Pope's patience is limited."
"Impossible!"
Emperor Xue Ye gritted his teeth and shook his head, his attitude resolute.
Even if it meant death, he wouldn't let the Heaven Dou Royal Family disappear in his generation.
Fortunately, Xue Ke was now with Su Bai.
With Xue Ke, the Xue family wasn't completely wiped out.
In the future, Xue Ke would undoubtedly revive the Xue family.
Even if she didn't want to, at least the Xue family's legacy would continue, and that was enough.
"Stubborn!"
Qian Xunji stood up, furious, and threatened, "Since you don't appreciate it, then wait for your Heaven Dou Royal Family's demise!"
"Oh? Who's planning to destroy Heaven Dou?"
At this moment, a teasing voice came.
Su Bai, in white, walked in with Xue Ke holding his arm.
Seeing Su Bai's arrival, Emperor Xue Ye was overjoyed.
Moreover, seeing his daughter's relationship with Su Bai, it seemed they had already become close.
Then, Heaven Dou was saved this time.
"It's you!?"
Upon seeing Su Bai, Qian Xunji's face changed drastically.
Although that incident had happened a long time ago, Qian Xunji still had lingering fears.
He had barely found an opportunity to subdue Heaven Dou, and Su Bai appeared to disrupt it again.
It was just unfortunate that the information he received wasn't complete, and he didn't know that it was Su Bai who drove Tang Hao away.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come foolishly.
Su Bai had no patience to entertain him. He waved dismissively, "Get lost. The Heaven Dou Empire is not something you can meddle with."
Hearing this, Qian Xunji's face turned extremely ugly.
He wanted the Title Douluos beside him to take action.
But those Title Douluos recognized Su Bai.
They looked at Su Bai in fear, and his wish was dashed.
Seeing Qian Xunji not moving, Su Bai frowned, "What, do you want to experience kneeling again? Remember, Qian Daoliu isn't here now."
With that, Su Bai's aura surged.
Qian Xunji's face changed dramatically. Without hesitation, he turned and left.
"Hmph! Let's go!"
**********
This fanfiction is complete on my Patreon. If you want to read it, you can find it at patreon.com/Betek.