Or perhaps, he wanted to “obey the Emperor’s orders, but not those who are not loyal.” Starting from the power-holders, he aimed to take that step toward the heavens, becoming the first Supreme Heavenly Emperor in the history of Zhongzhou to command the Nine Provinces with the supreme power of the Saint Relic.

Though the Four Territories Kings had always been obedient and hadn’t acted out of line for tens of thousands of years, as long as there was a central dynasty with an imperial seal, they would nominally acknowledge its authority.

However, just because something hadn’t happened before didn’t mean it wouldn’t.

Perhaps this generation’s Cangming Holy King had acquired some form of power that could break the constraint limiting the use of Saint Relic’s power to the Saint Realm alone. This newfound ability might have triggered ambitious thoughts.

Over the last couple of days, after Lu Chen had calmed down, he had pondered deeply about the Cangming Holy King’s situation and gathered a lot of information about the Four Territories Kings. He analyzed the current situation in Luo Jing to find a way to be swiftly removed from his official post.

As a result, he had many speculations about the sudden interference of the Cangming Holy King.

In fact, he wasn’t the only one. Various forces within Luo Jing, the center of the world, were all racking their brains to guess the Holy King’s intentions and plans. Their goal was to understand his intent for the sake of their respective families, sects, and interests so that they could seize resources and enhance their own power.

In contrast, Lu Chen simply wanted to be legitimately dismissed from his post.

Among various speculations, the most probable one was that the Cangming Holy King had somehow gained the ability to utilize the power of the Saint Relic outside the Saint Realm. Therefore, he might aim to take that step toward the heavens, much like the character Erzhu Rong from Lu Chen’s original world.

Thinking about it carefully, the resemblance was uncanny.

Both found themselves in an era where the Emperor was weak and the Empress Dowager ruled behind the scenes. Both were kings of the northern territories, leading their armies into the capital to seize power, and both managed to oust the Empress Dowager and her offspring.

With this train of thought, Lu Chen became even more convinced that the Cangming Holy King was here to usurp the throne.

To achieve this goal, starting as a power-holding minister and gradually controlling and encroaching upon the imperial power of Great Xia would undoubtedly be the most efficient and effortless method.

If Lu Chen followed this line of thinking, it would involve controlling the capital, taking steps towards becoming the empire’s center, and supporting a puppet Emperor. This was all part of the typical path for a warlord to seize power and reach the pinnacle.

So, following this logic, the next step would be for the Cangming Holy King to strike at a small group while wooing a larger group.

When the warlords and powerful clans extended an olive branch, the Emperor would have to be careful, cherishing his limited life.

Hence, in addition to eliminating the Empress Dowager’s faction, the Cangming Holy King would certainly seek to establish his authority and bestow benefits upon certain influential families. He would cultivate loyal supporters and create a faction of his own. Simultaneously, he would create internal strife by pitting one faction against another among the upper echelons, thus establishing his supreme authority.

If that were the case… then all Lu Chen needed to do was to figure out how to become part of that “small group” targeted by the Cangming Holy King…

With this perspective, everything seemed simpler.

Of course, these were all Lu Chen’s speculations. Although less likely, other possibilities existed. Hence, regardless of his plan, it could only be executed once the Cangming Holy King’s stance was confirmed.

The first significant court assembly after the upheaval in Luo Jing would be the perfect opportunity.

All he needed to do was to carefully observe the Cangming Holy King’s demeanor toward the Empress and court officials during the assembly, as well as any arrangements made afterward. These could provide some clues.

With this in mind and a plan in place, Lu Chen reined in his thoughts, took a deep breath, and hastened his pace towards the Purple Extreme City, where hundreds of heavily-armed Xuanjia soldiers were stationed to guard the entrance.