The moment Heavenly Venerable Li Tian stopped walking, it was clear that Yi Tianyun had struck a nerve. His guess had been right, there had to be something unusual behind why Li Tian chose to stay in the mortal world.
He had been born in a third-grade God Territory and had no natural connection to the mortal world. The two were leagues apart. Yet he preferred to remain here, which surely meant this place held some significance for him.
Maybe it was an old friend who had come from the mortal world, someone who died during the chaos of war, and he returned here to mourn. Situations like that were all too common. Heavenly Venerable Li Tian had cultivated for untold tens of thousands of years, his past was surely filled with such stories.
Yi Tianyun had aimed straight at this weakness. If he could use it as an opening, perhaps he really could get him to help. Just because Li Tian didn't want to get involved didn't mean it was impossible. All he needed was the right approach.
"You're from the mortal world?" Li Tian asked. He clearly didn't know much about Yi Tianyun, unlike Jian Si Heavenly Venerable.
"Yes, born and raised!" Yi Tianyun smiled and patted his chest. "If you're looking for someone or someplace, that won't be a problem at all!"
He wasn't exaggerating. With the Evil Spirit Roulette at his disposal, finding someone was surprisingly easy, as long as he had some kind of clue.
Jian Si's eyes lit up. It really did look like they had found a breakthrough. He had never known that Heavenly Venerable Li Tian had memories like these haunting him.
Li Tian thought for a while, then finally nodded. "Truth is… I am looking for someone, my descendant, you could say. A long time ago, I had a dao companion who came from the mortal world. During a God Territory War, I asked her to stay away… but when it was all over, I discovered she had died. She was caught in the crossfire."
His fists clenched, and his eyes reddened. Most cultivators weren't so emotionally attached, but it was clear this woman had held deep meaning for him.
Now Yi Tianyun and Jian Si understood why Li Tian refused to take part in the God Territory War. That war had taken his beloved. Asking him to get involved again was like reopening an old wound.
"Senior Brother Li Tian, I'm very sorry… I didn't mean to bring up something so painful," Yi Tianyun said, shaking his head.
"It's fine. It's all in the past now. Just fate, I guess…" Li Tian sighed. "The God Territory War is cruel. There will always be heavy casualties, countless innocents caught in the middle. But it's unavoidable unless someone unimaginably powerful intervenes. I certainly can't."
These wars happened on a fixed cycle, and no one had ever changed that. Unless someone could defy the heavens themselves, there was no stopping it.
And who could possibly wield such power?
"Though my dao companion passed, I heard that she was pregnant at the time… I was ecstatic when I found out and started searching immediately. But I never found her. Some say the child died, others say her bloodline may still exist. I just want to find someone, anyone, who carries the Strength God Bloodline. But the mortal world is so vast… it's like searching for a needle in a haystack."
Li Tian shook his head. "Maybe they're not even in the mortal world. Maybe they're already in the God Territory. Either way, I haven't been able to find anything. But… do you know of anyone with the Strength God Bloodline?"
"Strength God Bloodline?" Yi Tianyun's eyes suddenly sparkled. One person instantly came to mind, Xiao Wu!
A long time ago, he had recruited a quiet, simple man named Xiao Wu, unremarkable in speech, but terrifyingly strong. That was the Strength God Bloodline. Now, he was one of Yi Tianyun's top generals in the Three Realms God Territory.
His bloodline was very diluted, so he couldn't unleash its full potential. But under Yi Tianyun's guidance, he had still reached the level of a Star Monarch, quite impressive.
In the Three Realms, he was a trusted and loyal commander. Though his personality hadn't changed, still honest and humble.
"Yes, the Strength God Bloodline. We'll start there. If we find someone with that, we can investigate their ancestry," Li Tian said. "Do you know anyone like that?"
"To be honest, Senior Brother Li Tian… there is someone like that in my territory. I can take you there right now if you'd like?" Yi Tianyun replied with a calm smile.
"That coincidental!?" Li Tian's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Just that coincidental. No need to wait, shall we go now?" Yi Tianyun smiled again. Even if Xiao Wu turned out not to be Li Tian's descendant, his bloodline alone would be enough to interest him. Li Tian might be moved to lend his strength.
"Let's go. Right now!" Heavenly Venerable Li Tian was clearly eager. He hadn't expected any news, let alone something this promising.
Jian Si scratched his head and muttered, "Man, what are the odds? If my junior brother manages to win him over too… he's just scary."
With Li Tian personally leading the way, their speed was incredible. It didn't take long before they arrived at the Three Realms God Territory.
"There, he's training disciples right now," Yi Tianyun said, pointing to Xiao Wu, who was overseeing a group of disciples lifting massive boulders.
Xiao Wu wasn't slacking off either. He carried a stone several times larger than the others and ran alongside them.
"Keep up! If you want to grow strong, you have to push yourselves! Back then, I had no status, no strength, I built myself up with these two hands! And the key is following the right person. If not for Emperor Tianyun, I'd still be farming in my village!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter. His constant use of "I" in that rustic dialect made him endearing. He was approachable and down-to-earth, a leader without airs.
Truthfully, he didn't even need to train with them. But he did it to boost morale, to lead by example.
Little did he know that above him, two Heavenly Venerables were watching closely.
Li Tian carefully observed Xiao Wu for a while, then his eyes suddenly gleamed. "That really is the Strength God Bloodline! I can't believe you have someone like that here!"
"It was just luck. I noticed his terrifying strength and promoted him. He's a little slow-witted but works incredibly hard. His talent is average, but… if you can help him awaken the bloodline's power, I think he could become truly extraordinary," Yi Tianyun said.
He was genuinely happy for Xiao Wu. Even if there was no blood relationship, he was confident that Heavenly Venerable Li Tian would help awaken that dormant power. And when that happened, Xiao Wu's potential would soar to new heights.