Chapter Twenty-Six: The Gang Merger

"Well, although things have come to a temporary halt, it is clear that the 'First Faction' is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. It's truly helpless; I only wanted to pass some time in this game, yet here I am, forced to grind levels. It gives me a headache."

'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' looked at the scene before him, still charred by black flames. He shook his head and sighed, a trace of resignation in his eyes. Yet, the slight curve of his lips hinted at an underlying sense of amusement; clearly, he was more than willing to help Ye Yu bring him into the 'Purple Void Illusion'.

At that moment, 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' turned to look at Ye Yu and his companions, his expression suddenly grave. "Do you still wish for me to join your 'Purple Void Illusion' now? You heard what 'Two or Three Idle Words' said, didn't you? The 'First Faction' is a guild capable of standing toe-to-toe with you. They use their wealth to amass enough allied guilds that, collectively, their subsidiary forces might even surpass 'Purple Void Illusion'. You must understand what you are facing; this will clearly give others a pretext to target your people. Even knowing this, are you still willing to invite me? Are you not afraid that because of me, 'Purple Void Illusion' will be subjected to overt hostility?"

Ye Yu remained silent after hearing this, as did everyone else.

Ye Yu found the situation slightly amusing. With a smirk, he turned to look at Luo Feng and the others, his gaze clearly seeking their opinions.

Luo Feng smiled faintly and shrugged, indicating he didn't care. The expressions of the others remained calm, while Huang Hong wore a smile, clearly showing his support.

Seeing this, 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' was momentarily stunned. "What kind of reaction is this?"

"In short..." Ye Yu turned back to 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero', placed his right hand firmly on the man's shoulder, and smiled. "Welcome to 'Purple Void Illusion'. It seems we are destined to enter into a full-scale confrontation with the 'First Faction'."

"Oh? Well, that might actually make things more interesting. After all, there will certainly be more PvP action. I've always liked your guild, but because of my ties to 'Loyalty Eternal', I couldn't leave. I can talk to them and have them become an allied force of 'Purple Void Illusion'."

"Yes, that's no problem. There's no need for a total merger; an alliance is sufficient. You can remain the spiritual leader of 'Loyalty Eternal', and you will naturally handle the negotiations and coordination between the guilds," Ye Yu said, his smile gentle.

"Boss Wu!"

As the battle concluded, voices began to ring out from all around. The entire area was filled with calls for 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero'. These players had been hiding in a safe spot following 'Eye-Catching Cat', and they rushed over as soon as the fighting ended.

They had never expected that the friends of 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' would be such formidable players. The skill displayed in that combat was far beyond their own—a completely different level that they could only look up to.

"Boss Wu, this is no time for jokes. 'Saints of the World' and 'War Song' have failed. Their defeat will inevitably cause a chain reaction of chaos, and many will be questioning their future. What should we do?"

Hearing 'Eye-Catching Cat', 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' remained calm. He smiled and said, "Since we defeated them, one-third of their guild's total resources will be transferred to 'Loyalty Eternal'. That is naturally a boost for our guild. Besides, their leaders are gone; what is there to fear?"

"Their leaders are gone? Boss Wu, what do you mean?" 'Eye-Catching Cat' caught the implication and frowned, asking in a low voice. 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' turned slowly and smiled sheepishly. "I'll likely be busy grinding levels to catch up to the top of the server, so I'll leave guild matters to you. By the way, you can look for new management. I know you're good at managing guilds, and you're beautiful, too, so I'm not worried about you."

'Eye-Catching Cat' looked awkward and distressed. "But... Boss Wu... I don't want to. Everyone wants to follow you! We are at our best when you are here. If you need us to, we will follow you willingly."

"Do you think I don't know that? But do you think 'Loyalty Eternal' would have a peaceful life if I stayed? You know how strong the 'First Faction' is. When it comes to guild management, you are better at it than I am, aren't you?"

'Eye-Catching Cat' fell silent. She knew he was right. As long as he remained in 'Loyalty Eternal', the 'First Faction' would inevitably pursue the matter and deliberately target their resources. If they were besieged by multiple guilds, 'Loyalty Eternal' would truly be at a dead end.

Luo Feng pondered for a moment, stroked his chin, and smiled warmly. "Actually, regarding this, I have an idea. Since you are all willing to follow this guy, and you are skilled at managing guilds, why not drop the idea of an alliance? Even if the 'First Faction' doesn't openly oppose 'Purple Void Illusion', they will still target 'Loyalty Eternal'. It would be better to merge directly into our guild. That way, our resources would skyrocket, leaving the 'First Faction' far behind."

"Merge into your guild? Do you think that's easy? Don't forget that 'Loyalty Eternal' is a top-ten guild."

Ye Yu frowned and countered, "It isn't that simple. We would need to properly arrange the roles and professions of the members. Expansion requires vast financial resources. While we have the fame, we still need members to grind for guild materials. We may have the strength to stand against the 'First Faction', but don't forget that they are a force built entirely on brute-force spending. In that regard, we are at a disadvantage."

"The strength to stand against the 'First Faction'? Who do you think you are?"

A player behind 'Eye-Catching Cat' stared at Ye Yu and his group in astonishment. They were die-hard fans of 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' and didn't recognize Ye Yu's group. While they were strong, they knew that only one guild on the 'Xuantian' server had the capability to rival the 'First Faction'.

"Could it be... you are..."

'Eye-Catching Cat' looked at Ye Yu and his companions, and suddenly, information about a legendary fixed team surfaced in her mind. Could they be from *that* guild?

"Yes, that's right."

Luo Feng nodded. He didn't state it explicitly, but the realization left 'Eye-Catching Cat' stunned. After a long moment, she recovered and smiled. "No wonder you have the same strength as Boss Wu. We are standing in the presence of the legendary 'Xuantian' team, and you are the leaders of that very guild."

'Eye-Catching Cat' realized exactly who they were.

"Greetings to the Guild Master of 'Purple Void Illusion'." She bowed respectfully.

"What?! The Guild Master of 'Purple Void Illusion'?!"

"Is that 'Liang Ye', the number one player on 'Xuantian'?"

"I can't believe it's their fixed team!"

"No wonder Boss Wu is so calm; he has such powerful backing."

"Heaven helps 'Loyalty Eternal'."

The crowd erupted in excitement, their gazes burning with fervor. Ye Yu and his team were the hottest celebrities on the 'Xuantian' server, standing at the very pinnacle.

"But still, can we really just merge into 'Purple Void Illusion' like this? The capital required is astronomical," 'Eye-Catching Cat' asked, hitting the crux of the problem.

"I think that's easy enough to solve," Luo Feng mused. "We can use our ten strongest fixed teams to handle it. It might sound arrogant, but by tackling high-difficulty missions, we can generate significant funds. Our team alone can clear many high-level challenges."

Huang Hong patted 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' on the shoulder. "I agree. And popularity isn't an issue. With your influence and this guy's reputation, we can attract plenty of solo players to 'Purple Void Illusion'. We'll begin applying for territory expansion, starting from level one."

"But the materials are the bigger issue. I have the 'Ancient Heavenly Supreme' condition, and I'm the only one on 'Xuantian' who can create a guild city in the 'Ancient Heaven' map. But materials can't be bought with money; they must be collected from various places. Without them, building the city is impossible."

"That is indeed a key issue," 'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' admitted. "Can we really rely solely on the efforts of our members? Even with your team's strength, it’s a massive undertaking."

Ye Yu and his team fell silent for a moment.

"To be honest, we haven't been back to the guild in a while. We need to return, assess the current situation, and discuss the 'Loyalty Eternal' merger with our management. If you join us, we won't just need territory expansion; we will need to launch the guild city."

Ye Yu asked 'Eye-Catching Cat' and the others to wait for further news.

Times had changed. The dungeons Ye Yu and his team had recently cleared had elevated 'Purple Void Illusion' to new heights. New players joined every day, and the vetting process had become much stricter.

The membership of 'Purple Void Illusion' was growing steadily.

"It’s certainly lively here."

Ye Yu and his group returned quietly to the 'Purple Void Illusion' territory. The bustling activity was far beyond what it had been when they last departed, making it feel as though they had been away for a very long time.

'Cup of Wine Traps the Hero' followed them into a small tavern within the guild territory. The place was packed with players chatting, and the mission boards on the streets were filled with tasks from the auction house server and requests specifically for 'Purple Void Illusion'.