Planning Begins

"Feng Yu," Shangguan Ye called softly. Feng Yu immediately understood and withdrew her pressure. The people who had been pinned down all rose to their feet.

"Thank you, Senior." Gu Tianlong no longer had the arrogant, overbearing expression from before.

There was a reason Shangguan Ye had acted so rashly. In his view, as long as the Gu Clan smoothly fell into the hands of Gu Bei and his sister, it could develop at the fastest pace possible. Shangguan Ye did not care about anyone else.

"I never expected you to have recovered, Gu Lan. Since that is the case, from this day onward, Gu Lan will be the first heir, Gu Bei the second heir, and Gu Heng the third." Although Gu Lan and Gu Bei were siblings and either of them could become Patriarch, the proper procedures still had to be followed. Besides, Gu Tianlong himself knew that Gu Heng's character was flawed. Even if he had once been the first heir, he could never be allowed to become Patriarch in the end.

"Why... why did this happen?!" Gu Heng's face twisted grotesquely as he nearly went mad.

"I definitely... won't let you off!" Gu Heng left immediately.

"Gu Bei, I believe that under your and Sister Gu Lan's management, your clan will surely rise to an even greater level." Shangguan Ye patted Gu Bei on the shoulder.

"I have to thank you for today. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word."

"Alright, dawn is almost here. We should be heading back too." Shangguan Ye and the others bid the siblings farewell before leaving.

Nie Li and Xiao Yu returned to their residence, while Shangguan Ye held Xiao Ning'er's hand and continued forward. The people of the Tianyin Divine Sect had already gathered ahead.

"Shangguan, it'll be dawn soon. I have to go back with my sisters," Xiao Ning'er said reluctantly, tears in her eyes.

"Take good care of yourself after you return. If you miss me, just enter the Mountain River Space." Shangguan Ye affectionately rubbed Xiao Ning'er's head, then lifted her chin and kissed her.

After a long while, their lips parted. Under Shangguan Ye's gaze, Xiao Ning'er left with her fellow disciples.

The next day, Shangguan Ye and the others flew northward, beyond the sect.

"Hehe, I never expected the Lingyu Divine Pool, which had existed for over five thousand years and was originally about to dry up, to revive again. And we even killed Xiao Yu once two days ago. What a double blessing!" Hua Ling could not stop himself from laughing.

"Boss! Someone's coming!" one of his underlings shouted from behind him.

"Hm? Someone actually came to this lousy Divine Pool?" Hua Ling looked puzzled.

Several streaks of light flashed by, and Shangguan Ye's group appeared before Hua Ling.

"Xiao Yu, you still haven't learned your lesson? So what if you brought a few of them with you? You'll still die all the same!" As Hua Ling spoke, people continuously appeared behind him. At a glance, there were at least one or two hundred of them.

"Hmph, it's still unclear who will be the one to die," Shangguan Ye sneered.

"Shangguan Ye, I admit that you're strong and have already reached the Heavenly Star Realm, but there's no way you can deal with this many people!" Hua Ling waved his hand, and Shangguan Ye's group of four was instantly surrounded.

Just as they were about to make their move, a powerful pressure descended upon Hua Ling and his subordinates.

"A Heaven Rotation Realm expert!" Hua Ling turned around tremblingly. Behind them stood a group of people, every one of them poised and ready to strike.

"Li Hu? Did Li Xingyun send you? What is the meaning of this? This is a private grudge between me and Xiao Yu's group. It has nothing to do with you!" Hua Ling roared.

"Nie Li and the others are Boss Xingyun's brothers. You aren't allowed to touch them."

"Don't go too far! Our Little Tian Yuan Noble Family is not so easily bullied. Li Xingyun is only the third heir. Tearing things apart with us will only harm him!"

"You sure talk a lot. Do you think our Xingyun Alliance is afraid of you? Young Master Nie Li, how should they be dealt with?" Li Hu asked.

"Kill them!" Nie Li moved first, killing the person closest to him.

"Kill!" Li Hu led the charge. The two sides immediately clashed, but Li Hu of the Heaven Rotation Realm and Shangguan Ye of the Heavenly Star Realm cut through them like slicing vegetables. Before long, Hua Ling's forces were beaten back step by step.

"Li Hu! I admit defeat today, but I will definitely avenge this!" Hua Ling roared furiously. The next moment, Xiao Yu killed him. Hua Ling's entire force had been wiped out, which meant this Divine Pool now belonged to Nie Li's group.

"Distribute these Spiritual Stones among the brothers." Shangguan Ye handed over Hua Ling's group's Spatial Rings.

"This... thank you, Young Master."

"Everyone, wait for me. I'll be right back." Nie Li landed atop the Divine Pool and drew an inscription pattern. The next moment, a black substance flew out. This was the origin of the Divine Pool—the Divine Root. Nie Li grabbed the Divine Root and threw it into the Myriad Mountains and Rivers Painting.

Without the Divine Root, the Divine Pool instantly collapsed.

Several days later, when Hua Ling gathered his men and returned, there was no trace of the Divine Pool left.

"Damn it! Killing me wasn't enough—you even had to destroy the Divine Pool? I'm not finished with you!" With things having come to this, Hua Ling could only rage helplessly.

Meanwhile, at the alliance courtyard of the Heavenly Spirit Institute, Gu Bei and Lu Piao were shouting at the top of their lungs.

"The Demon Alliance is recruiting! Twenty Spiritual Stones every month, with even higher pay for those with Earthly Spiritual Roots or above!" The two shouted with exceptional enthusiasm. People soon began joining, and before long, more and more gathered.

"Everyone, don't worry. As long as you devote yourselves wholeheartedly to our Demon Alliance, everyone will receive a Martial Ancestor-level Cultivation Method. Upon reaching the Heavenly Star Realm, you can receive a third-grade Treasure Artifact. Upon reaching the Heaven Rotation Realm, you can even obtain outstanding or exceptional growth-type demon spirits."

Just like that, the Demon Alliance recruited more than six hundred people on its first day alone.

"Shangguan, there are no longer any major problems with the Gu Clan. It seems we can begin preparing on Long Yuyin and Li Xingyun's side as well," Nie Li said slowly after taking a sip of tea.

"That's right. If we want to oppose the Holy Emperor, we first need to unite the fragmented Feather God Sect. These great noble families must be brought under our control."

"By the way, if you need Divine Roots, couldn't you just take them directly from the Mountain River Space? After all, inside there, only one Spiritual Stone is needed to form a Divine Root, which can then form a Divine Pool," Shangguan Ye said.

"That's true. This would also reduce our losses from going to war with them. But I still won't let them off easily. I want to destroy their Divine Pools and leave them without resources to keep developing!" Nie Li said coldly.

"Our Demon Alliance is gaining momentum, so it will definitely attract certain people's attention. They will surely plant spies within the Demon Alliance. Once its numbers reach a peak, gather everyone together. I'll sense the good and evil within them for the first round of screening. As for the second round, find an opportunity to pretend that the Demon Alliance has begun declining, then see how many remain," Shangguan Ye suggested.

"Alright."

The two exchanged smiles and clinked their cups together.

Over the following days, Nie Li's group purchased Divine Pools that were about to dry up while also seizing other Divine Pools. Meanwhile, Shangguan Ye cultivated frantically in the Mountain River Space, and his cultivation finally began rising from the Heavenly Star Realm, where it had been stalled for a long time.

Boom

With a dull boom, Shangguan Ye successfully advanced to the Heaven Rotation Realm.

"This speed is more like it. Once Nie Li and Long Yuyin encounter Emperor Tian Yuan's inheritance, the resources at his disposal will be countless, and his cultivation speed will become extremely fast." After stabilizing his cultivation, Shangguan Ye muttered to himself.