"Senior Brother Xu, hurry up and eat!" Yang Chan eagerly placed the prepared dishes in front of Xu Fang, then gazed at him with a look of pure happiness.

  To be honest, Xu Fang hadn't expected his system to be this powerful, but this kind of enthusiastic attention was a bit overwhelming for him.

  If he truly had no feelings for Yang Chan, it would be one thing, but the problem was that he didn't dislike her at all. This left Xu Fang utterly confused about what to do.

  "Mhm, you eat too, you eat too!" Xu Fang replied casually, picking at the food. As a Great Luo Golden Immortal, he no longer needed to consume mortal food. Eating was merely a way to satisfy his taste buds, as it provided no other benefits.

  However, unlike the usual bland and unappetizing meals, Yang Chan's cooking was actually quite delicious.

  "Xu Fang, what do you need me for?" Just then, a voice rang out from above, and a figure appeared at the entrance of the cave.

  "Third Prince!" Xu Fang stood up, relieved that Nezha's arrival had broken the awkward atmosphere between him and Yang Chan.

  "Nezha, what are you doing here?" Yang Chan muttered when she saw Nezha.

  "I asked the Third Prince to come. Junior Sister Yang, why don't you go and focus on your cultivation for now?" Xu Fang said to Yang Chan.

  "Oh, okay." Yang Chan stuck out her tongue playfully and then turned to leave.

  Nezha, on the other hand, looked as if he had seen a ghost. Was this really the same Yang Chan he knew?

  "Third Prince, I apologize for summoning you so abruptly," Xu Fang said with a smile. If what Yang Jian had said was true, then Nezha could definitely become a powerful ally.

  "Divine General Xu, what exactly do you need me for?" Nezha wasn't particularly arrogant. After all, Xu Fang had earned his place in the Heavenly Court through sheer strength, and his rank was far higher than Nezha's nominal position as a vanguard.

  "Third Prince, let's not beat around the bush," Xu Fang said, casually setting up a soundproofing formation. Nezha frowned slightly but didn't say anything.

  "The Heavenly Court is unjust, and the people are suffering. We want to give the Heavenly Court a wake-up call!"

  Xu Fang's words shocked Nezha. He had considered many possibilities, but he never expected it to be something like this. However, when he thought of Sun Wukong, who was still trapped in the Eight-Trigrams Furnace, he couldn't help but feel that there was some connection.

  "Xu Fang, overthrowing the Heavenly Court won't be easy, will it? Moreover, you command the Divine Strategy Army, one of the Jade Emperor's strongest arms. Now you're telling me you want to overthrow the Heavenly Court? Aren't you afraid I'll report this to the Jade Emperor and have you punished?" Nezha didn't sit down but stood there, staring at Xu Fang.

  "Third Prince, since I've sought you out, it's because I've heard things about you. There's no need to test my resolve. As for overthrowing the Heavenly Court, a few of us alone can't do it. But if we can give the Heavenly Court a warning, make them realize they can't always look down from on high, I think that's possible." Xu Fang hadn't expected Nezha to jump straight to overthrowing the Heavenly Court. That wasn't even something he had considered.

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  As much as he wanted to do it, trying to overthrow the Heavenly Court, which was ruled by Quasi-Sages, with just a few Great Luo Golden Immortals was a joke...

  "Third Prince, I understand your concerns, but I can assure you that when the time comes, we'll deal with Li Jing first, ensuring he has no chance to use the Linglong Pagoda. Moreover, whether we succeed or fail, none of us will lose our lives. If we can seize this opportunity to unleash our true nature, I believe our paths of cultivation will become much smoother!" Xu Fang continued.

  This was true. Ever since he had joined the Heavenly Court, his cultivation had barely improved. But after making his decision and leveraging the power of the many demon kings of the Northern Uttarakuru Continent, he had successfully broken through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. With his mind now clear, he was even approaching the mid-stage of Great Luo Golden Immortal.

  If he had truly become the Jade Emperor's most loyal subordinate, not only would breaking through to the mid-stage of Great Luo Golden Immortal be difficult, but even reaching the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm in the first place would have been nearly impossible.

  And now, even as a Great Luo Golden Immortal, his position was precarious. If he had remained a Supreme Golden Immortal, what could he have possibly achieved?

  Nezha was deep in thought. He knew Xu Fang's words made sense, but making this decision was still difficult for him.

  After all, he wasn't as free and unrestrained as Yang Jian. Moreover, there was still some tension between him and the Jade Emperor, though his main issue was with his father. If he truly followed Xu Fang's plan, it would be no different from rebelling against the Heavenly Court.

  The most critical point was that Xu Fang wasn't trying to overthrow the Heavenly Court! The Jade Emperor would still be on the throne. So what would happen to him afterward?

  "Brother Nezha, if you trust me, then agree to this!"

  At that moment, Nezha's expression changed. The voice that had just transmitted to him was none other than Yang Jian, who was far away at the Mouth of Guan River.

  "Very well, tell me what needs to be done, and I'll follow your lead," Nezha said, exhaling deeply as he spoke directly to Xu Fang.

  "Third Prince, you can return for now. Once I deal with Li Jing, that will be your time to act freely. And if I fail to deal with Li Jing, you can remain uninvolved and safe." Xu Fang smiled. He knew about Yang Jian's transmission—after all, any transmission had to pass through his soundproofing formation.

  Now, Xu Fang was in a very good mood. Originally, he had only planned to recruit Yang Jian, but Yang Jian had brought Nezha into the fold as well. With the addition of the 30,000 Divine Strategy Army troops and Sun Wukong, they now had the combat power of four Great Luo Golden Immortals. With this, they might just have a chance to turn the tables.

  After leaving Mount Hua, Nezha didn't return directly to the Heavenly Court. Instead, he made a detour to the Mouth of Guan River.

  He and Yang Jian were close. Back in the day, they had both been fearless and unruly, and their masters were fellow disciples, which naturally brought them closer. That was why, after receiving Yang Jian's transmission, the hesitant Nezha had agreed so readily.

  When he arrived at the Mouth of Guan River, it was as if Yang Jian had anticipated his visit. Yang Jian and the Meishan brothers had already prepared a feast. Nezha didn't stand on ceremony and immediately sat down to drink with them.

  "Second Brother, just how capable is this Xu Fang? Is he really worth you going this far?" Nezha asked abruptly.

  Back in the day, they had both rebelled against the Jade Emperor, so they knew full well what the consequences could be. And now, if the situation escalated further, it would be even harder to resolve.

  "All things in heaven and earth, including you and me, are merely chess pieces. The only good thing is that we finally have a chance to act according to our own will. I have a feeling that the opportunity to break through to the late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal realm is coming," Yang Jian said cryptically, continuing to urge Nezha to drink.

  In truth, Yang Jian had gone to Kunlun Mountain to seek guidance from his master, Yu Ding Zhenren, about this matter. But in the end, he hadn't been able to find anyone and had returned empty-handed.

  His decision to go through with this was, as Yang Jian had said, a matter of recognizing that all things in the world were merely chess pieces. What they were about to do might just be a way to disrupt the entire chessboard.