The smile on Xu Tianran's face stiffened for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal. He had not expected the Holy Spirit Cult to look down on him so much, showing him no respect whatsoever.
A dragon swimming in shallow waters was mocked by shrimp. If he were still the Crown Prince of the Sun and Moon Empire, who would dare speak to him like that?
Anger surged within Xu Tianran, but he still did not dare fall out with the Holy Spirit Cult.
After all, he was the one seeking cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult. Whether or not they worked with him made little difference to them. But for Xu Tianran, it mattered immensely. Without the Holy Spirit Cult, his plan could never succeed.
Therefore, no matter how furious or humiliated Xu Tianran felt, he still had to keep smiling and swallow the insult. He could not truly break with the Holy Spirit Cult and end their cooperation.
Even so, Xu Tianran intended to fight for as many advantages as he could.
After all, he still held a few bargaining chips. First, he could provide cover for the Holy Spirit Cult. Because of their identity, the Holy Spirit Cult could not openly interfere in the struggle for the throne.
This was an internal matter of the Sun and Moon Empire. If the Holy Spirit Cult, as outsiders, interfered, it would amount to meddling in state affairs.
Although Xu Tianran did not fully understand his father, Xu Jing's thoughts, putting himself in his father's place, if he were emperor, he certainly would not want to see the Holy Spirit Cult interfering in the princes' struggle.
The emperor allowed his sons to fight precisely so he could select the most outstanding, intelligent, and powerful prince to become emperor of