602: Chapter 602 I Have to Pretend

Gu Changge held his teacup and looked up at Xuan Yangzi, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening slightly.

His tone carried a hint of playful teasing: "Senior Brother, this flight of yours was quite long. It seems you've gained a lot?"

Hearing this, the embarrassment on Xuan Yangzi's face grew even more pronounced. He glared fiercely at Gu Changge but found himself unable to retort.

He couldn't exactly say he'd been sent flying by an egg and had witnessed such an eyesore of a scene, could he?

He could only cough lightly and change the subject, saying stiffly:

"Stop making fun of me! Let's put aside what just happened for now!"

"By the way, regarding the integration of the three major Immortal Domains, there are still some details I need to discuss with you..."

As he spoke, he deliberately avoided the direction of the gray egg and quickly sat down at the stone table. However, his gaze remained somewhat erratic; clearly, the scene from earlier had given him quite a shock.

Meanwhile, the gray egg in the stone pit seemed to sense his avoidance, and its shell moved slightly.

It emitted a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer, as if mocking him or asserting its dominance.

Gu Changge looked up at him with a half-smile, his tone carrying a hint of mockery:

"Are there still matters regarding the fragments of the three major Immortal Domains? Our 'overwhelmingly domineering' Sect Master Xuan Yangzi."

Xuan Yangzi's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly, and the composure he had just regained instantly collapsed.

A trace of helpless and amused exhaustion appeared on his face.

"Junior Brother, stop teasing me."

He put down the teacup and unconsciously pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Domineering? That's all just an act."

"Is that so? I think you're doing quite well, Senior Brother. You have quite the Aura. Even from afar, I could sense a bit of a murderous intent."

"Those newly recruited Earth Immortals were quite intimidated by you."

Gu Changge picked up his teacup and gently blew on the floating foam.

Xuan Yangzi shook his head with a bitter smile. This time, his smile carried a genuine sentiment and a slight urge to complain that could only be revealed here.

"I have to act, Junior Brother."

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice.

"You didn't see it for yourself—those Earth Immortals from the Nether Ruins and those old ghosts from the Ancient God Tomb."

"Which one of them isn't a wily old fox who has soaked in mountains of corpses and seas of blood for thousands of years? They're all shrewd, every single one of them."

"If I don't act fiercer, tougher, and more inscrutable than them, they might kowtow and surrender on the surface."

"But who knows what kind of schemes they're plotting to bite back later or feign compliance while secretly defying orders."

"This Sect Master role..."

Xuan Yangzi poured himself another cup of cold tea, watching the ripples swaying in the cup.

"One must act until they even believe it themselves; only then will the people below truly believe and truly fear. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep things under control."

As he spoke, he rubbed his temples again, which seemed tight from maintaining a majestic demeanor for so long.

Gu Changge listened quietly, the smile in his eyes deepening. He pushed a plate of freshly made, steaming pastries toward him.

"Try some, they're freshly made."

Xuan Yangzi looked at the delicate yet homely plate of snacks, momentarily stunned. Then, the last trace of tension in his eyes completely dissolved, replaced by a genuine warmth.

He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

The soft, sweet pastry melted on his tongue, carrying a perfect amount of warmth that settled comfortably from his throat to his heart.

All the exhaustion from conquests, the mental strain of scheming, the forced majesty, and the embarrassment of being 'educated' by that egg earlier seemed to silently dissolve in this bite of pastry and the simple company of his Junior Brother.

"It's still better here."

He whispered, his voice trembling slightly after shedding all his burdens.

Gu Changge refilled his hot tea and calmly got down to business:

"The three domains are newly settled, and people's hearts are not yet won. The Hundred Immortals Alliance lost an Immortal Lord and a Heavenly Immortal; they definitely won't let this go."

"What are your plans next, Senior Brother?"

When it came to official business, the last trace of laziness in Xuan Yangzi's eyes quickly vanished, and he sat up straight.

His fingers unconsciously traced the stone table, as if sketching a map of the territories.

"Integration must be fast, but it must also be stable."

His tone was steady and his logic clear.

"I plan to use the 'Chengyun Immortal Domain' as the Foundation and core, setting the Ancient God Tomb and Nether Ruins as two auxiliary domains."

"The Earth Immortals from the original Heiyan, Yunmiao, and Nether sects will be broken up and reorganized, interspersed with Earth Immortals from the Chengyun and Cangyun realms to form the 'Sky-Patrol Guard'."

"They will be led by various Peak Masters to cross-patrol the three domains. This will allow for monitoring while also accelerating Fusion."

Xuan Yangzi paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:

"As for those newly joined Earth Immortals, place them on the front lines against the Hundred Immortals Alliance."

"Whether they are loyal or treacherous, whether they are mules or horses—it will be clear at a glance in the face of blood and fire."

"Very prudent." Gu Changge nodded slightly; this was indeed a mature and steady strategy.

Xuan Yangzi fell silent for a moment, his expression grave:

"Time. What we need most right now is time. I don't know when the Hundred Immortals Alliance will come."

"Hundred Immortals Alliance..."

Gu Changge repeated the name in a low voice, then closed his eyes slightly.

An invisible and intangible Divine Sense quietly rose from Zizhu Peak, swept past the barrier of the Xuanhuang Great World, and vanished into the boundless Chaos.

This Divine Sense traveled through the chaotic Void Realm, like a gentle breeze brushing over the water's surface, leaving no trace yet perceiving everything.

Soon, everything about the Hundred Immortals Alliance was clearly presented in his mind.

"Hundred Immortals Alliance..."

Gu Changge repeated the name in a low voice, then closed his eyes slightly.

An invisible and intangible Divine Sense quietly rose from Zizhu Peak, swept past the barrier of the Xuanhuang Great World like a wisp of the most secretive breeze, and vanished into the boundless Chaos.

Deep within the Chaos, turbid Qi surged and Laws were in disorder. If an ordinary Cultivator stepped into it, they would be torn apart by the turbulence in an instant, their Divine Soul destroyed.

But Gu Changge's Divine Sense moved as if through an uninhabited land, ignoring the violent air currents and Law fragments within the Chaos.

In just an instant, his Divine Sense crossed billions of miles of chaotic territory and landed on a massive fragment of an Immortal Domain.

That was the headquarters of the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Countless Cultivators could be seen shuttling back and forth, their Auras powerful and their pressure like mountains.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron, without a hint of restlessness—only a suppressed gloom and a trace of imperceptible anxiety.

Unlike the panic of the people in the Underworld Hall previously, those seated in the hall now were all high-ranking members of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

Among them, four figures dressed in purple robes with unfathomable Auras and immortal power flowing around them were precisely the four Immortal Kings of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

In the center of the hall, a giant water mirror floated. On the water mirror were scattered records and sensory impressions regarding the Xuanhuang Great World left behind by Shen Hanchuan's Divine Soul imprint.

Those were the fluctuations of the world's Origin that he had secretly recorded when he approached the barrier of the Xuanhuang Great World.

Beside the water mirror, a Divine Soul transmission Jade Slip also floated. It was the "Grade A" top-secret report Shen Hanchuan had sent back earlier, which clearly stated.

A Great World with a flourishing Origin and complete rules has been discovered in the Lower Realm. The Chengyun Immortal Domain is the closest Immortal Domain fragment to this Great World and can serve as a springboard for seizing the Xuanhuang Great World.