Xu Tianran's Revenge, Shrek's Infighting

Those who had taken part in the assassination plot soon realized a terrible truth.

Xu Tianran was alive, which meant they would be next to die.

And so it proved. At first, Xu Tianran chose not to make an open break.

He knew what he needed most was not frenzied revenge, but a chance to use the assassination attempt to reshuffle the Sun Moon Empire's entire court.

In that process, the Holy Spirit Cult, formed by Evil Soul Masters, became the sharpest blade in his hand.

As Xu Tianran's cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult deepened, shocking incidents began to occur across the empire.

Princes encountered beast tides or Evil Soul Master attacks while traveling. Senior generals who commanded troops died mysteriously on the front lines.

More simply vanished for all manner of bizarre reasons, never to be seen again.

On the surface, none of it seemed connected to the crown prince. Every investigation turned up a plausible explanation, or no leads at all.

But the empire's senior officials knew the truth. Xu Tianran's revenge had to be behind it.

Even so, no one dared say a word. No one dared speak the truth aloud.

Killing one's own kin was a Xu Family tradition.

Besides, those princes had struck first. They had broken the rules, so the crown prince's retaliation was only to be expected.

The old emperor was deeply pained by it.

He knew his sons and brothers were killing one another. He also knew Crown Prince Xu Tianran was using the opportunity to eliminate everyone who had opposed him.

But he no longer had the strength to stop or restrain him.

His health had declined steadily over the years, and his energy had dwindled. Managing court affairs and keeping a firm grasp on the situation were growing beyond