Chapter 2014: Unexpected, right?

Zu'an lightly coughed. "Prince Qi, matters of the heart require mutual affection. When other things are mixed in, it's no longer pure."

There was no real connection between him and Zhao Xiaodie to begin with, so marriage was naturally out of the question. However, Prince Qi had publicly offered his daughter's hand in marriage, and a direct refusal would be too much of a public snub. Thus, he came up with a reason to politely decline.

Who knew, the women nearby immediately perked up their ears. Mutual affection? Seriously?

Rage value from the women: 111111111...

Seeing the sudden surge in rage value in the background, Zu'an was dumbfounded. "..."

Fortunately, at this moment, Zhao Hao spoke up, easing his awkwardness. "Zu'an, you know perfectly well that because of you, Zhao Jing has suffered losses in troops and generals, and his reputation has plummeted over the years. Otherwise, he wouldn't be desperate enough to take such extreme measures now. You've pushed him so hard; do you really think he can tolerate you?"

"Even taking a step back, even if he reluctantly tolerated you, how could the ministers under him tolerate you? You saw it yourself a few days ago; those people were desperate to see you dead."

Zu'an nodded slightly. "The Emperor makes a good point."

Hearing his tone, Prince Qi immediately grew anxious. "Have you forgotten that many of those who wanted you dead before were his trusted ministers? On my side, we've suffered losses in troops and generals over the years, and we're precisely in need of talented people. In contrast, his side is fully staffed now; how could they possibly allow an outsider like you to climb above them?"

Zu'an couldn't help but nod as well. "Prince Qi also makes a good point."

Zhao Hao: "..."

Zhao Jing: "..."

Both realized this kid was playing hard to get, unwilling to easily declare his allegiance.

At this moment, Zhao Hao looked towards Yan Xuehen, who was burdened by worries. "Daoist Master Yan, I presume Li Changsheng's involvement in this matter was merely his personal act. You have always been of noble character; there's no need for you to stoop to his level. As long as you help me, I can forgive Baiyujing for its past actions."

Yan Xuehen's eyes flickered slightly. She was indeed afraid this matter would implicate Baiyujing.

At this moment, Prince Qi exclaimed, "Fairy Yan, Li Changsheng and many disciples of Baiyujing were involved in this matter. Given Zhao Hao's temperament, how could he possibly pretend nothing happened? Once he's free, he's bound to settle accounts. As the saying goes, 'in for a penny, in for a pound,' you might as well choose to stand with Li Changsheng and achieve an unparalleled feat. Hasn't Baiyujing been suppressed enough by him over the years? If I ascend to power, I will certainly abolish those restrictive measures; on the contrary, I will strongly support your Nine Daoist Sects."

Yan Xuehen knitted her delicate brows. She had no interest whatsoever in achieving any great feats, but she also knew that he was speaking the truth. Li Changsheng had participated in treason; how could Zhao Hao easily let Baiyujing off the hook in the future?

Seeing that she still didn't respond, Prince Qi turned his gaze to Yun Jianyue again. "Cult Master Yun, your distinguished cult's Marshal Lu also participated in this matter. In a way, we are natural allies. After this matter is successfully concluded, I will announce to the world, restore your reputation, lift your bounties, and allow your Holy Cult to stand openly before all people."

Zu'an listened, secretly impressed. He had to admire Prince Qi's ability to maneuver and negotiate. No wonder his reputation was so high in previous years; he was widely regarded as a virtuous prince.

Yun Jianyue, however, secretly frowned. As the leader of her cult, she was astonishingly unaware that Lu Sanjuan had participated in this matter.

Over the years, Lu Sanjuan had led the righteous army on campaigns everywhere. His reputation grew louder and louder with each battle, and his prestige within the cult grew increasingly high.

He was subtly becoming too powerful to control.

It should be known that the Demonic Cult was not a monolith. Just as the Daoist sects were divided into Nine Sects, the Demonic Cult also had many different factions.

Yun Jianyue and Lu Sanjuan were leaders of different factions. In the past, when the imperial court was powerful and they had this common strong enemy, everyone set aside their differences and fought together. But in recent years, their rifts had grown deeper.

Now, something so significant had actually been hidden from her, allowing the entire Holy Cult to unknowingly face such a huge risk!

As soon as she thought of this, a surge of fury ignited in her heart.

At this moment, Zhao Hao couldn't help but curse, "Zhao Jing, you truly are a prodigal son who sells off his family's inheritance without a second thought! It took generations of our efforts to reach this point, yet you've sold it all away!"

It was no wonder he was angry. A hundred years ago, the influence of Buddhism and Daoism was astonishing. People only knew of those sects, not the imperial court. The Zhou Dynasty, using the opportunity of the great war against the demon race, and with the efforts of several generations of emperors, finally managed to suppress the forces of Buddhism, Daoism, and even the Demonic Cult. Yet, this fellow Zhao Jing, as soon as he came to power, sold off all those years of effort!

Zhao Jing was equally unyielding. "Hmph," he scoffed, "that was just you suppressing various schools of thought for your own selfish desires. Only by allowing a hundred flowers to bloom can there be collective progress."

Seeing both sides arguing fiercely, their faces red and necks strained, Ru Hua lightly coughed. "Have you forgotten this poor monk's presence?"

The scene immediately fell silent. Indeed, he was currently the most powerful person present. If anyone was to be swayed, it should be him.

Zu'an said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, Prince Qi, it's not that I don't want to help. It's just that an Earth Immortal is not someone I can deal with. I truly wish I could help, but I'm powerless."

Zhao Hao then said, "Although he just ambushed me, he was also injured by me. He is no longer at his peak strength. If the few of you work together, you can deal with him."

Zu'an and the women exchanged glances. In the end, they still didn't move.

A faint smile appeared on Ru Hua's face. "Your Majesty, don't trouble them. Benefactor Zu is a smart man; he clearly doesn't want to get involved in this mess. This is a matter between us, so there's no need to trouble others."

After speaking, he walked step by step towards his opponent. He walked very slowly and cautiously; it was clear that Zhao Hao's formidable reputation preceded him, and even though Zhao Hao was severely injured now, he still had to proceed with caution.

Zhao Hao, however, remained calm. "Ru Hua, are you not curious why I've remained so unhurried until now?"

Ru Hua's steps faltered. "I am indeed somewhat puzzled."

Just now, the other party said it was because of Zu'an and his group. Now it seems Zu'an and his group clearly intend to remain neutral. There's no reason they would be his trump card.

Zhao Hao looked at Prince Qi, a hint of mocking smile playing on his lips. "Zhao Jing, are you very pleased with yourself for being able to injure me this time?"

"Indeed, I am somewhat pleased," Prince Qi snorted. "You proclaim yourself invincible, but you're nothing more than this."

Zhao Hao said indifferently, "I merely didn't foresee Ru Hua's century-long scheme. However, all your machinations are just a joke in my eyes."

Prince Qi burst out laughing. "Look around you! Your former friends, your confidants, and a host of loyal Embroidered Uniform Guards and Imperial Bodyguards are all dead. Now you yourself have fallen to such a state. Don't you find it laughable to say such things?"

"Ignorant," Zhao Hao sneered. "When you obtained the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture,' did you think it was destiny? But I regret to inform you that what you cultivated was a forgery of mine. And I should thank Zu'an for it."

Zu'an's eyes narrowed slightly. Zhao Hao deliberately called him out at this moment, clearly trying to sow discord between him and Prince Qi, to prevent the two from joining forces again.

Who knew Prince Qi was very calm. He glanced at Zu'an and said indifferently, "Imperial Brother, I know you too well. How could you let me get my hands on such a cultivation method? So, from beginning to end, I never believed that cultivation method was real. My previous efforts to obtain it were merely to lull you into a false sense of security. Didn't expect that, did you? Are you very disappointed?"

As he spoke, the corners of his lips curled slightly upwards. He had the satisfied feeling of having seen through the other's scheme and turned it to his own advantage.

This fellow Zhao Hao, who thought so highly of himself—after a lifetime of scheming, wasn't he still just a clown in my eyes?

Zu'an was a bit surprised, thinking to himself that neither of these brothers was easy to deal with. Prince Qi, being able to contend with the Emperor for so many years, truly had some skill.

Who knew Zhao Hao showed no surprise at all. "Oh, it seems you're not as foolish as I imagined," he said, "but you're not as clever as I imagined either. Do you think I only provided you with one forged 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' all these years?"

"Aren't you curious," Zhao Hao continued, "why you lingered at the Grandmaster level of the Life Soul Realm back then, and why you suddenly broke through to the Earth Immortal realm? Did you really think it was your destiny?"

Prince Qi seemed to realize something, and his expression immediately changed drastically.

At this moment, Zhao Hao reached out and made a grasping motion towards him from a distance. A spiritual soul phantom, no longer able to resist, was sucked out from Prince Qi's body and directly into Zhao Hao's palm.