Inviting the Five Great Families to Join the Heavenly Sacred Land

Bai Ling'er lay on her stomach on the bed, swinging her legs, her tone casual.

"It's not like we don't know that Master likes fluffy things."

She paused, a trace of helplessness in her voice.

"But we aren't demon cultivators, nor do we have true forms. In comparison, Junior Sister Youyao definitely has the advantage. A fluffy little fox burrowing into Master's embrace—who could refuse that?"

Yue Lingxi sat to the side, her expression tranquil.

"Actually, there's no need to be so anxious."

Her voice was calm, as if she were merely stating a fact.

"If she can pave the way and get Master to open his heart even a little, it will be much easier for the rest of us later on."

She paused, her gaze falling on the moonlight outside the window as if pondering something.

"To be honest, compared to before, Master seems completely closed off to that sort of thing now. It's not that he's deliberately avoiding it, but rather like... he can't feel it at all."

Ye Qingxue tilted her head slightly, looking at Yue Lingxi.

Bai Ling'er also stopped swinging her legs and looked up.

Although Yue Lingxi couldn't completely see through Master's current soul state, she could faintly sense it—there seemed to be a void within him.

Hidden extremely deep, and extremely small.

If it weren't for her innate, acute perception regarding the soul, it would have been absolutely impossible for her to notice.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ling'er nodded thoughtfully.

"I've felt it a bit too."

She thought for a moment and said,

"It's as if Master was once deceived by a terrible woman, and then he sealed his heart and locked away his love, becoming completely numb to these matters."

...

Gu Changyuan stayed at the Heavenly Demon Pavilion for another two days before planning to head to the Zhuge family in the Central Continent.

Hearing that their Master was going to the Central Continent, Ye Qingxue, Bai Ling'er, and Yue Lingxi naturally chose to accompany him without hesitation.

For one, they could keep their Master company, and for another, they could assist him when necessary, demonstrating the strength of the Heaven and Earth Holy Land.

After saying goodbye to Tushan Youyao, Luo Qingchen, and the other disciples, Gu Changyuan took Ye Qingxue and the other two girls, instantly appearing above the teleportation plaza of the Zhuge family in the Central Continent.

The moment Gu Changyuan stepped out, three figures dashed over from a short distance away. They moved incredibly fast, landing in front of Gu Changyuan in the blink of an eye.

Zhuge Dancheng, Xuanyuan Feiyue, and Gongsun Xiangming.

The three Immortal King realm grand patriarchs bowed in unison.

"Senior."

Gu Changyuan nodded in response.

Over the past five years, he had set up teleportation arrays in the Gongsun, Xuanyuan, Dugu, and Shangguan families, granting teleportation privileges among the five great families.

Now, the interactions between the five great families were much closer than before. They exchanged what they had for what they lacked, shared resources, and saw an overall increase in their collective strength.

The ultimate reason Gu Changyuan had chosen to set up these teleportation arrays in the first place was for today.

Before coming to the Central Continent, he had sent a message ordering the influential figures of the five great families to gather at the Zhuge family to discuss important matters.

Upon receiving the directive, Zhuge Dancheng, Xuanyuan Feiyue, and Gongsun Xiangming did not hesitate at all. They immediately sent people to contact the Dugu and Shangguan families, assembling the patriarchs and family heads of all five families. They all rushed to the Zhuge family, awaiting Gu Changyuan's arrival.

Zhuge Dancheng took a step forward and said respectfully,

"Senior, the gathering directive you requested has been fulfilled. The patriarchs and family heads of the five families are all waiting in the main assembly hall."

Gu Changyuan nodded once more.

"Good, let's go."

He took a step and flew toward the assembly hall.

Ye Qingxue, Bai Ling'er, and Yue Lingxi followed closely behind, while the three great ancestors, Zhuge Dancheng, Xuanyuan Feiyue, and Gongsun Xiangming, brought up the rear.

The doors to the conference hall were wide open, and people were already seated inside.

There were not many of them, but each was a pivotal figure within the Five Great Families.

All of the Five Great Families were present.

The crowd sat on chairs lining both sides of the hall, conversing in low voices.

Their expressions varied, some looked expectant, some calm, and others nervous.

When Gu Changyuan's figure appeared at the entrance of the hall, everyone stood up in unison.

"Senior!"

They bowed together, their voices uniform and their postures respectful.

Gu Changyuan nodded slightly, stepped into the hall, walked straight to the seat of honor, and sat down.

The three women, Ye Qingxue and the others, took their seats beside him.

The three great ancestors, Zhuge Dancheng, Xuanyuan Feiyue, and Gongsun Xiangming, walked to their respective seats and sat down.

Gu Changyuan raised a hand, gesturing for everyone to take a seat.

The hall fell silent.

Everyone's gaze landed on the figure sitting in the seat of honor.

Gu Changyuan's eyes swept over everyone present before he slowly spoke:

"I have gathered you all here today to discuss a certain matter."

His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears with absolute clarity.

"You all should be well aware of the situation in the Wanluo Immortal Realm."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew a few degrees heavier.

"With the rise of the Imperial Court, many factions across the entire Immortal Realm have been suppressed, and the Five Great Immortal Families are no exception.

Due to the Imperial Court's suppression, they have long since gone into hiding, and their circumstances are extremely dire."

Gu Changyuan paused for a moment before continuing:

"As it is in the Upper Realm, so too is it in the Lower Realm.

The immortal path of the Jiuxiao Realm has been severed, and the Five Great Families' connection with the Upper Realm is almost entirely cut off.

If the Imperial Court sends even stronger envoys to the Lower Realm, I am afraid they will not be dealt with as easily as before."

Hearing this, the crowd in the hall wore solemn expressions and nodded slowly.

They knew in their hearts that Gu Changyuan was speaking the truth. The Imperial Court's power was monstrous, and their ambitions were vast.

Moreover, they possessed profound foundations and many bizarre methods that the families had never heard of or seen before.

Last time, the three Immortal Kings were already somewhat difficult for Zhuge Dancheng, Xuanyuan Feiyue, and Gongsun Xiangming to handle.

Had Gu Changyuan not happened to be there, they truly would not have known how to resolve that final formation.

Not to mention what would happen if the Imperial Court sent down envoys of an even higher echelon in the future.

Although all five of their families had established contact with Gu Changyuan, it was ultimately just a connection through the younger generation.

How could they ensure that Gu Changyuan would choose to go all out to help them when the enemy army launched a surprise attack later?

Gu Changyuan took in everyone's reactions before shifting the topic:

"Therefore, I have a proposal."

His gaze swept across the room as he enunciated every word clearly:

"I want the Five Great Families of the Jiuxiao Realm to join the Heavenly Human Holy Land."

As his words fell.

Silence descended upon the hall.

No one spoke, but everyone's expressions were shifting.

Shock, doubt, contemplation, weighing the pros and cons...

Gu Changyuan did not wait for them to speak and continued:

"I know what you are thinking, what benefits are there for you to join the Heavenly Human Holy Land?"

He leaned back in his chair, his tone calm and resolute:

"First, safety."

"The Heavenly Human Holy Land has me.

As long as I am here, the Imperial Court can forget about touching anyone from the Holy Land.

If you all join the Heavenly Human Holy Land, you will be people of the Holy Land. In the future, any people from the Imperial Court who come to the Lower Realm...

If any threat arises against your clans, I will strike immediately to eradicate it.

You should all know full well that I have the power to do so.