294: The people of the Burning Heaven Palace

This thought exploded like a thunderclap, causing Xuan Yangzi to tremble violently. His expression instantly shifted from pleasant surprise to shock, and then from shock to a complex look interwoven with disbelief, ecstasy, and terror!

He stared intently at the ten seemingly unremarkable Puppets, his throat dry, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Ten Quasi-Emperor Puppets? How is this possible!

It's hard to say if there are even ten Quasi-Emperors in the entire Xuanhuang Great World!

But if it was produced by Junior Brother, then perhaps it wasn't completely impossible?

He felt his head buzzing; one moment he thought he was overthinking things, indulging in wild fantasy.

The next, he felt that given Junior Brother's style, he was entirely capable of it! The two thoughts clashed fiercely, making his face as colorful as if a dye vat had been overturned.

Gu Changge took in Xuan Yangzi's ever-changing expression—at times shocked, at times ecstatic, at times self-doubting—but merely smiled faintly, said nothing more, and took a sip from the teacup beside him.

You can keep guessing.

Xuan Yangzi looked at Gu Changge's calm and composed demeanor, which clearly implied "default approval" plus "watching your joke," and his absurd guess instantly became eighty percent certain!

He forcefully suppressed the excitement that was about to burst through his chest, taking several deep breaths before he managed to keep his voice from trembling too much: "J-Junior Brother... this, this generous gift, Senior Brother, I..."

For a moment, he didn't know how to express the overwhelming waves in his heart, finally settling for a deep bow, everything left unspoken.

He carefully, as if handling the world's most precious treasure, put away the ten Puppets that were "possibly, probably, maybe Quasi-Emperors."

He felt his storage space had become immensely heavy, as if it contained the entire future of the Sect.

Once his emotions had calmed slightly, the shock brought by the Puppets was quickly replaced by a different kind of excitement. It was as if he had suddenly remembered something extremely interesting, forgetting even the recent embarrassment of being beaten up in the tower.

He stepped closer, his face showing a smug "you should praise me" expression, and lowered his voice to Gu Changge: "Right, Changge Junior Brother, I have a funny story for you.

Since the Seven Sect Grand Competition is approaching, I, your Senior Brother, took some time a few days ago to visit the Burning Heaven Palace and conduct a brief investigation using some methods. Guess what I found?"

Without waiting for Gu Changge's reply, he eagerly continued: "Heh! That Third Elder really isn't a good person. He turned out to be a spy planted by the Myriad Law Pavilion next to Lie Tianxiong!

And that Fourth Elder was hiding even deeper—he belonged to the Great Yan Sect!

Even their Grand Elder is restless. Relying on his seniority, he resents the Second Elder managing the Sect, and secretly tried to contact people to stir up trouble!"

Xuan Yangzi spoke with great enthusiasm, as if sharing some magnificent discovery.

"Fortunately, the Second Elder is one of ours. He had already installed his own people in key positions and deeply enjoys Lie Tianxiong's trust, which is why the situation was stabilized."

"From top to bottom in their Sect, among the Core Disciples and deacons, there are really a lot of spies planted! Tsk tsk, Lie Tianxiong, I don't know how he manages his Sect, it's practically been infiltrated into a sieve!"

He paused, his smugness growing even stronger, and spoke in a tone of "not taking credit for success," though clearly full of boasting.

"I, your Senior Brother, couldn't stand the sight of it, so I had to expend a little effort, used some Soul Control Techniques, and 'combed through' things slightly. Now then!"

He spread his hands, smiling brightly, "Aside from Lie Tianxiong himself still holding up the facade on the main stage, from the Old Ancestor in seclusion down to the Elder and Core Disciple below—it can be said that the Burning Heaven Palace, from top to bottom, is now entirely composed of people from our Azure Profound Sect!"

After speaking, he raised his head slightly, secretly observing Gu Changge's reaction, hoping to see an expression of approval or surprise on Junior Brother's face.

He believed this operation was clean and brilliant. Taking down a major Sect without shedding blood was certainly a grand maneuver.

Gu Changge listened to Xuan Yangzi's boasting, his gaze calmly resting on the smug "praise me now" look on his face, watching until Xuan Yangzi's smile gradually became uneasy.

His heart started pounding: Did Junior Brother think I did something wrong? Or were my methods too insidious?

After a long moment, Gu Changge finally raised an eyebrow, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, and slowly said: "Senior Brother certainly has good spirits and a kind heart. Burning Heaven Palace is a vast foundation, and your 'combing' has saved Palace Master Lie Tianxiong a lot of trouble in distinguishing the loyal from the treacherous."

Xuan Yangzi was startled when he heard this, then realized the teasing intent behind the words, his old face reddened, and he gave two dry laughs.

"Cough, cough, Junior Brother is joking. I, your Senior Brother, am also thinking about the overall situation of the Sect, preventing trouble before it happens..."

He quickly changed the subject, his tone filled with the excitement of watching a good show: "Speaking of Lie Tianxiong, he is still in seclusion. I sensed his status when I 'combed through' last time. Good heavens, his cultivation is almost at the Peak of the Heavenly Human Realm! It seems the provocation he received last time was quite significant."

Xuan Yangzi clicked his tongue and continued his own fantasy, his tone full of anticipation.

"Tsk tsk, just imagine, when this old fellow is complacent, feels he's capable again, finally breaks through his seclusion, and prepares to regain his former glory and seize an opportunity to wipe away his previous shame... Heh heh heh..."

He couldn't help but laugh out loud, as if he had already witnessed the comical scene: "The result is, he opens his eyes and finds that from top to bottom, all the core members of his organization have clear eyes, treat him with utmost respect, shout 'Palace Master is mighty,' but in their hearts, they are all thinking, 'Long live the Azure Profound Sect!'

Hahaha! That scene, just thinking about it is hilarious!"

Gu Changge watched Xuan Yangzi's excited demeanor, his face beaming with the thrill of having pulled off a major scheme and now waiting for the fun.

Listening to his lack of psychological burden, and even slightly smug, planning, the hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly.

He silently watched Xuan Yangzi for a few seconds, a flicker of extremely rare, almost bewildered confusion passing through the depths of his eyes.

For a moment, even with Gu Changge's state of mind, he couldn't quite distinguish... was the Azure Profound Sect he belonged to, with its current style of operation, considered orthodox or villainous?

This style—quietly learning all of another Sect's secrets, replacing everyone from top to bottom with their own people, and then waiting nearby to watch the victim's bewildered expression... no matter how you look at it, it bore a striking resemblance to the classic operations of the Puppet masters and Demonic Path magnates in the novels he read in his previous life.

Yet, Senior Brother Xuan Yangzi looked completely at ease, acting as if he had "performed a great service for the Sect," entirely unaware of the implications.

Gu Changge lowered his gaze, gently blew on the tea leaves floating in his cup, and remained silent in his heart.

Forget it. Whether orthodox or evil, as long as Senior Brother is happy and the Sect is stable, that is good enough.

It's just that the atmosphere of the Azure Profound Sect, ever since he brought out the Soul Control Technique, has become a little... twisted?