My little sect, which disappeared a thousand years ago, has become a sacred site!

After the Southern Wilderness Giant Ape Clan fled in disarray, Nanming Qiwu, after much deliberation, decided to take the other three peak-level Half-Immortal ancestors from his clan to visit Gu Changyuan.

Gu Changyuan's current strength and influence already place him among the top in the Nine Heavens Realm. Befriending him would be entirely beneficial to the Nanming Phoenix Clan.

Gu Changyuan's gaze slowly swept over the four people, his face showing no sign of rejection, his expression indifferent.

He had previously heard disciples such as Tu Shan Youyao and Lu Jiuyi mention that when they went to the Southern Territory for training, they encountered some minor troubles and received help from the Nanming Phoenix Clan.

Although it was only a small, insignificant act of assistance, it was hardly a great favor.

But since the other party had helped his disciple while he was away from the Holy Land, Gu Changyuan would not be cold to him, nor would he turn a blind eye to it.

Gu Changyuan waved his hand casually.

"It's just a trivial farce, nothing to brag about."

He paused, then continued:

"I've heard from my former disciple that the Heavenly Demon Pavilion once received some assistance from the Southern Phoenix Clan. If I have the opportunity in the future, I'd like to pay them a visit."

Upon hearing Gu Changyuan's words, Nanming Qiwu and the three elders beside him were momentarily surprised, their faces showing a hint of bewilderment.

Did the Southern Phoenix Clan help the Heavenly Demon Pavilion?

How come they didn't know about this?

However, upon further reflection, Gu Changyuan specifically emphasized that it was "what the disciple said" and stressed the "some help".

This suggests that it wasn't a great favor; it's likely that some elders in the clan had a chance encounter with the disciples of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion while traveling and offered a small helping hand.

They had all been in seclusion, and although some of them had awakened, they had never come out of seclusion.

They only chose to emerge from seclusion when Gu Changyuan destroyed the Ten Thousand Demon Alliance in the Demon Realm and used two major magic arrays to attract the attention of the entire Demon Realm.

Therefore, the interaction between the clan elders and the Heavenly Demon Pavilion most likely occurred during their seclusion, and they were unaware of it.

Even if the interaction is small, there is still a connection.

Nanming Qiwu secretly rejoiced.

She lowered her eyes slightly and spoke humbly:

"It's just a small favor, no need for you to be so concerned, senior."

"Back when the Heavenly Demon Pavilion was operating in the Southern Territory, our clan merely fulfilled our duties as hosts; it was nothing to boast about."

Gu Changyuan shook his head, his tone becoming more serious:

"Even a small favor would have been helpful to my disciple at the time."

"I was away back then because of some things. Now that I'm back, I will naturally help my disciples repay the kindness they have received."

Of course, if they have ever been bullied in the past, I will help them get revenge.

His first words were gentle and peaceful, but the tone of the second half of his sentence suddenly changed, becoming cold and sharp, carrying an undeniable pressure that instantly swept across the entire room.

These words struck like a thunderbolt, startling all the surrounding forces.

They immediately began to recall whether they had unintentionally offended any disciples of the Celestial Holy Land or the Heavenly Demon Pavilion in the past, fearing that Gu Changyuan would remember them and retaliate against them in the future.

Nanming Qiwu's expression remained unchanged, but he felt a slight chill in his heart.

This senior colleague defended his own without any hesitation or righteous indignation.

She took a deep breath and said:

"If you insist on giving me a gift in return, you may visit my Nanming Phoenix Clan when you come to the Southern Territory in the future."

Although our clan has no precious treasures, we do have some simple tea and wine, which we would like to offer for your enjoyment, senior.

She didn't directly mention what she would give in return, but instead invited Gu Changyuan to visit the Nanming Phoenix Clan.

This way, you can avoid giving a hasty reciprocation gift and feel more comfortable in the relationship.

If Gu Changyuan is willing to go, the connection between the two clans will naturally become closer in the future.

Upon hearing this, Gu Changyuan nodded slightly, his tone softening somewhat:

"Of course. After this matter of the Immortal Emperor's Secret Realm is over, if there is still time, I will definitely go to the Southern Territory to pay a visit."

"Then my Nanming Phoenix Clan will respectfully await your arrival, Senior."

She paused, then added:

"With the secret realm about to open, we will take our leave now so as not to disturb your rest any longer."

Gu Changyuan nodded.

Nanming Qiwu, along with the three elders, turned and flew back to his own group.

Gu Changyuan watched their retreating figures, a shrewd glint in his eyes.

One of the reasons he chose to establish a relationship with the other party was that he included them in his next plan.

Now, the five major families of the Central Continent of the Human Realm have fully joined the Celestial Sacred Land, and their cultivation feedback system has been established.

Gu Changyuan then turned his attention to the demon realm, wanting to subdue its top races and strengthen his own power.

And the Southern Phoenix Clan was naturally on his list.

Today's chance encounter is just the beginning.

Thinking that the secret realm would open in two days, there wasn't much to do since I came early.

With a wave of his right hand, Gu Changyuan conjured a celestial ship in the sky.

"Let's go back to the Immortal Ship and rest first."

As Gu Changyuan spoke, he moved and landed on the deck of the immortal boat.

A group of disciples followed closely behind.

Twenty figures landed one after another on the immortal boat.

Below, countless cultivators looked up at the silver-white immortal ship, their eyes filled with envy.

It has the strength, the prestige, and the immortal ship.

This is the profound heritage of this sacred land of heaven and man.

The room atop the fairy boat is spacious and bright, with windows on all four sides.

Gu Changyuan sat down in the main seat, with his disciples sitting around him on both sides.

The room was packed with twenty people, yet it didn't feel crowded at all.

Gu Xing'er did not return to her own seat, but went straight to Gu Changyuan's side and handed the four spatial rings that she had extorted from the giant ape clan to her master.

"Brother, I just took a look."

She placed the ring beside Gu Changyuan, speaking casually.

"There doesn't seem to be anything I need here, so please take it."

Gu Changyuan glanced at the four rings, raised his hand and ruffled Gu Xing'er's hair, a smile playing on his lips.

"Little girl, your performance just now was a bit too fake."

He joked, "You'll need to work on your acting skills more in the future."

Gu Xing'er pouted, about to retort, but Gu Changyuan continued speaking.

"Look at you, such a weak and pitiful little girl."

"If you encounter an enemy in the future, just pretend to be weak in front of them, and then launch a surprise attack when they're off guard—isn't that much more successful than a direct confrontation?"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

The corners of the disciples' mouths twitched in unison.

No, Master, isn't this a bit too sinister?

What kind of master teaches their disciple to feign pitifulness and launch a sneak attack?

This approach is way too unconventional.