"I'll keep that in mind."
Yi Tianyun nodded, feeling a genuine sense of admiration for this senior brother. Rising to such a status from the Divine Wood Race was nothing short of astonishing.
It was just like him, as a human, he had constantly been looked down upon, never favored by other cultivators. His situation had been miserable, yet he had persevered. That was no small feat.
At least he had the Crazy System backing him up, giving him the power to rise against the odds. But what about this Senior Brother Long Ming, what had he relied on?
"Well, he'll definitely relate to you. The human race is even lower in status than the Divine Wood Race. That shared struggle will help you two connect," Heavenly Venerable Jian Si remarked.
"I doubt that matters much. In the end, it all comes down to strength," Yi Tianyun replied with a smile.
"...That's crude, but true," Jian Si scratched his head, conceding with a laugh. "It really is all about strength..."
Then Jian Si led him straight toward the upper floors of the divine tower. Regular beasts weren't allowed to trespass, but they were exceptions, they could go wherever they pleased.
At the top, Jian Si waved his hand, and the wall before them opened up, revealing an entrance. He and Yi Tianyun flew inside, and as soon as they landed, the door sealed shut behind them.
"Jian, is this the junior brother you mentioned before?"
The man before them, Senior Brother Long Ming, was unmistakably of the Divine Wood Race. It was obvious from the thick bark covering his body and the tree branches growing from his sides. But what stood out most was, he had the features of a dragon!
Naturally, the Divine Wood Race didn't look like this. His transformation had come from absorbing the bloodline of a great dragon. That dragon blood had altered his physical form into its current state.
"So he had a fortunate encounter after all… Without that, it would've been nearly impossible to rise this far."
Yi Tianyun looked at Long Ming's dragon-headed, tree-bodied form. It was bizarre, but undeniably imposing. A faint, but overwhelming draconic aura radiated outward from him.
His cultivation had reached late-stage Mid-level Heavenly Venerable, stronger than Jian Si by a noticeable margin. Truly impressive. Even with the dragon bloodline, without proper training afterward, reaching such heights wouldn't have been possible.
"Yes, this is the junior brother I mentioned. He's quite talented, he even founded his own God Territory. At the very least, his strength is comparable to a half-step Heavenly Venerable!" Jian Si smiled, deliberately holding back the full truth. "I brought him to meet you, just so we could all get acquainted."
Heavenly Venerable Long Ming studied Yi Tianyun from head to toe and nodded. "God Monarch cultivation… A human, and yet ruling over the Chaos God Territory, not bad. But breaking through to Heavenly Venerable is no small feat. You'll have to work much harder. Technically, you're not really one of us yet, but since Jian vouched for you, I'll allow a preliminary meeting."
"As a greeting gift, here, take this."
As he spoke, Long Ming plucked a branch from his body and tossed it gently toward Yi Tianyun, letting it float into his hands.
The moment Yi Tianyun touched the branch, he felt an overwhelming surge of life force and the powerful energy of a Heavenly Venerable. With this, not only could he sense Heavenly Venerable power more deeply, but it could also be used to heal injuries, comparable to high-grade healing pills.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Long Ming!" Yi Tianyun appreciated Long Ming's demeanor. He wasn't aggressive or arrogant, maybe he really was more sympathetic toward Yi Tianyun as a fellow outcast from a low-status race.
"Senior Brother Long Ming, my junior brother has a favor to ask of you," Jian Si grinned. Standing beside them, Yi Tianyun had the distinct feeling Jian Si was about to pull a trick, classic setup behavior.
"What is it?" Long Ming asked. "What kind of issue can't you solve that you're dragging me into it?"
"It's simple. Junior Brother here wants to participate in the God Territory War, and he's asking the three of us to help protect his God Territory during the conflict," Jian Si said plainly.
"Absolutely not!" Long Ming's expression darkened. He looked at Yi Tianyun and said sternly, "So overambitious. This won't help you at all. And besides, it's impossible. We're not even true fellow disciples. I won't lift a finger!"
His words were firm and carried a hint of irritation. Clearly, this crossed a line for him.
"Then, what would it take for Senior Brother Long Ming to lend his support?" Jian Si asked with a smile.
"Looks like he's already bought you off," Long Ming shook his head. "I don't know what treasure he gave you, but I absolutely will not help, unless he becomes a true fellow disciple. Otherwise, it's out of the question."
"So if he becomes a true fellow disciple, you would help?" Jian Si asked again for confirmation.
"Yes. That's the requirement. No exceptions," Long Ming answered without hesitation. In his view, Yi Tianyun still had a long road ahead before becoming a Heavenly Venerable, so he wasn't worried about painting himself into a corner.
"Great!" Jian Si slapped Yi Tianyun on the shoulder. "Junior Brother, take it out and scare him!"
"Alright."
Yi Tianyun knew this was coming. He calmly took out the Myriad Venerable God Tower and placed it before them.
"The Myriad Venerable God Tower!?" Long Ming stood up in shock, staring in disbelief. After carefully inspecting it, he confirmed, it really was the Myriad Venerable God Tower. "H-How did you get this!?"
Just moments ago, he had been calm and composed, like nothing could faze him. Now, he looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
"Senior Brother Long Ming, this is Junior Brother's trophy. He killed Heavenly Venerable Slaughter God and took the Myriad Venerable God Tower. That mysterious figure everyone's been searching for, was him!" Jian Si grinned. "If Master hears about this, I bet he'd immediately accept him as a disciple. That would make us true fellow disciples."
"Oh, and one more thing, I already tested his strength. It's formidable. He's cultivated the Hao Han Divine Art to the fifth layer, which fully activated the attack imprint inside Slaughter God's body. That's how he finished the fight. As for how dangerous it was, no idea, but it must've been extreme."
"So, Senior Brother Long Ming, do your words still count?"
Jian Si chuckled, clearly pleased with having trapped his senior brother. First, he baited him into setting a condition, then he sprang the surprise.
Yi Tianyun stood to the side, smiling awkwardly. He wondered what Long Ming would think of being caught like this.
"Jian, you really haven't changed, still as sneaky as ever!" Long Ming sat back down and laughed. "Fine, I'll agree. Just saying it out loud would've been enough, I was already willing. Our original mission was completed by Junior Brother. Helping him now is just returning the favor. Why not?"
Jian Si smacked his own forehead and sighed. "Turns out you'd have agreed anyway. I wasted all that effort..."
Yi Tianyun shrugged from the side. Looks like Heavenly Venerable Long Ming, was in!