Gu Zhen’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the man standing on the ground. Even with the difference of the altitude the two stood in, he didn’t feel like looking down for some reason.

His eyes then turned to Old Man Zhao, as a minute and rapid change of emotions happened in them between the short period of time his gaze traveled from one place to another.

His face did not show any changes despite that, as he still projected an impression of calmness and confidence that was not swayed or perturbed by anything.

Madam Liang was the next one he turned to, and then the Azure Eagles, lingering on each of them. .

Finally, his eyes returned to Wu Long, but then moved to his side to look at Shen Min. After lingering on her for a bit longer, he opened his mouth.

“I suppose back to drawing board it is then…”

As he said that, the tension in the surroundings finally eased, almost as if a pot of water which temperature that was growing and growing, coming closer to the boiling point and then rapidly cooled down.

His eyes flickered as he still looked at Shen Min, a new rapid change of emotions happening in them, and then turned to Wu Long with a tranquil and steady gaze, a little glint in them.

“Why argue and fight if we can all live peacefully”

Gu Zhen smiled as he looked around the faces of people, his tone lighthearted and calming, as if a pacifist was addressing and quelling warring sides.

“As you wish, Tower Master”

“As you say, it is not something to fight over, hahaha”

“We should try and find other ways to resolve our differences”

The people on the Alchemy Tower side instantly turned their demeanor around, advocating for peace.

“Madam Liang, will you not be joining me after all?”

As all of the mood turned awkward with one side still hostile and tense while the other completely ignored that atmosphere and made attempts at lighthearted jokes and banter, Gu Zhen turned his gaze back to the beautiful lady standing among the people from the Azure Eagle’s side.

“Hahaha, Tower Master must be joking”

“I am just surprised to see you there and not among the independent neutral people, like in the past”

He chuckled, his gaze although calm, somewhat giving an unnerving sensation. But Liang Yuhan did not falter, simply shrugging it off with a brilliant smile.

“I just finally saw who I would be if I continued to stay on the sidelines without picking a side. I don’t like that company” .𝒎

Her green eyes threw a quick glance at the people who still stood in the distance, instantly making them uncomfortable as they averted their eyes to not see the look in hers.

“Haha, I guess that’s true. But then again I thought that you would pick a winning side, smart woman as you are”

“Which is why I am here”

“Haha, I guess time will tell. Though I must say I regret your choice. Be careful as there is rarely room for regret”

He chuckled, and turned his gaze to Wu Long for the second time, glancing at him as if in passing, but there was much more meaning in that gaze than the entire conversation he just had.

“Tower Master… my subordinate…”

The man with the saber on his back hesitantly raised his voice as a man was still kneeling before Wu Long. A glimmer of hope ignited in his hollow eyes full of despair but…

“Leave it be, he’s useless now anyway”

Gu Zhen didn’t even turn to the man as he spoke, and a sound of a spear taking off a head followed after, as Wu Long didn’t wait for a whole drama either, but did earn a killing gaze from the man with the saber.

“Well then, until better times, we will not stop at a standoff next”

He then threw in a few last words, turned and the flames flew back toward the horizon, followed by their side’s people. The man with the saber lingered a moment longer as his gaze was crossed with Wu Long’s and then followed, disappearing into the distance as well.

Gu Zhen’s meaning was clear, that their side would not tolerate another such strike and that the true stalemate began. Whoever openly and directly attacked the other side, would start a war.

The neutral side immediately left the scene and the mercenaries hurried away as they did not feel like remaining with such powerful enemies when their higher ups left.

And the Azure Eagles along with their allies, Old Man Zhao and Liang Yuhan floated down to where Wu Long stood with Feng Yi and Shen Min, as well as the men from the Thousand Eyes.

“What is the meaning of this, you said you would make a maneuver! Instead you just nearly started a war!!!”

The eldest Azure Eagle raised his voice.

“It would have been better if it happened, Senior Zhao can’t keep his returned state of strength for long. When do we have a chance if not now?”

Liang Yuhan spoke with dissatisfaction in her voice.

“Hah! Speak for yourself! It is you people think you can win if you just start the conflict.

And you youngster! You have been behaving quite recklessly and selfishly as well! Do you not know your actions have repercussions for all of us?”

Another of the Azure Eagles spoke up, the younger one Wu Long saw the last time Zhao Xieren arrived on the continent from the Central Sea.

“I know exactly what my actions are bringing”

“Wha-…?! You dare-!”

As Wu Long calmly responded, the man became indignant, but was held back by another Azure Eagle.

“We still need him to cure Lingfei. Even if he is arrogant. Though I am a little concerned with the lack of progress on that front…”

“There have been setbacks but I am working on her cure”

“You better. She is the only one who can bring the glory to the Azure Eagle Race and show our noble ancestry… if only someone like her would have been born outside this wretched caged world…”

The man arrogantly spoke with raised chin even when he expressed lament and sighed which caused a sharp look from Shen Min.

“Haa~ we’ve failed after all, he saw through the lack of unity in our efforts”

Old Man Zhao sighed as the people around Azure Eagles gasped.

“So you did instigate this on purpose!”

“How shameless, do you think you are the only ones who deserve to decide our fates?”

“If you want to go out with a bang feel free to do so on your own!”

“You-…”

As they understood the implications of his words, as well as the nods and expressions from Liang Yuhan and Wu Long, their voices began filling with anger and indignation.

“Silence, Senior Zhao is still the one who is keeping us safe. And the fact he is against Gu Zhen does not mean he will not end your life like that fellow over there”

The eldest Azure Eagle raised his hand to stop the ruckus before Old Man Zhao snapped out of his depressed state, to not cause a scene.

“Wu Long…”

Feng Yi raised her voice as she looked slightly worried.

Wu Long only smiled with disappointment as he sighed, giving her a soothing look that told her they would talk later.

“Anyway, we better not cause waves this time, or the war would start, and the first one I will come to kill even if all hell breaks lose and I am going to perish after, is the one who causes the mess”

The eldest Azure Eagle proclaimed and especially looked in Wu Long’s direction, as it was now pretty obvious who the main instigator of the conflict was.

The group of Seven Bound Realms cultivators dispersed, and the small group of conspirators, after checking on the body of the enemy Zhao Xieren slayed before, moved to a small town they were in a day ago.

As Wu Long, Shen Min, Feng Yi, Zhao Xieren and Liang Yuhan entered a room and sealed it with formations, they stopped in their spots, and gradually smiles started appearing on their faces as they looked at each other.

Feng Yi breathed out nervously as she started lightly laughing.

“Hah, I told you not to worry, even if your acting was bad my illusion would have covered it up. Not everyone is abnormal like our handsome here, it actually works on most people, even in higher realms than me”

Liang Yuhan chuckled as she saw that, while Wu Long checked his communication jade as his smile widened.

“Hehe, it seems our second ‘fat prey’ was caught as well”

“Still, hehehe, I must say that Azure Eagles do have some good acting skills. I thought they stuck their back feathers so high that they wouldn’t see their own asses”

Old Man Zhao laughed.

“But even then, the crown jewel of our little play has been you Min’er. I told you your ability would still be useful even if not for a full-scale fake persona”

Wu Long turned to Shen Min who smiled slightly shyly but visibly pleased by his praise.

“It was you who told me that if I could partially mask emotions I could partially suppress memories. Hehe, as a result my outer shell really thought our goal was to start a war”

Wu Long patted the beauty on the head as she closed her eyes with a blissful expression.

“Haa~ but to think we would have to fake being for the war to be at peace”

Feng Yi sighed at the contradictory tactic.

“Well, if he saw we wanted an extension of the stalemate, he would have known it benefits us somehow and that he loses something, so he might have just started the conflict there and then.

But if he saw that it was the desperate wish of us only and the Azure Eagles were not on board…”

Wu Long shrugged his shoulders.

“Mm, the fact he has a person on the inside of the people siding with us also helped as no one was told anything anything except for the Azure Eagles”

Liang Yuhan nodded.

“But still, we have to be careful anyway. We might have thrown that bastard off on this one, but that slimy weasel will be closely monitoring everything now”

Zhao Xieren revealed a sharp look after that period of happiness over the success of their little ruse.

“Mm, that is indeed true, the first phase was successful, and the next period is the most important one, of this false peace, in which a Cold War would start in full”

Wu Long nodded, knowing better than anyone that the really important part was only beginning now.

𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ