Hong Zhencheng was extremely surprised by Ye Yu’s proposal. In his eyes, Ye Yu was a being of unparalleled power—at the very least he was at the threshold of the Ancient God Peak. A High God like that ought to be roaming the Celestial Realm, chasing ever higher realms. Why, then, had he suddenly decided to join the Wuliangdian Divine Alliance?
Although there were Ancient God–level figures in the alliance, Hong Zhencheng felt something was off. It was as if a voice echoed in his heart: Ye Yu shouldn’t be looking at a second-rate alliance like theirs. If he wanted alliance connections, he ought to join something like Jiyuege, the premier Divine Alliance! And on top of that, he’d announced he was “starting from zero,” joining with only New God–realm cultivation! Hong Zhencheng simply couldn’t understand such behavior.
Yet under Ye Yu’s repeated insistence, he relented. Wuliangdian was a casual, free-wheeling alliance, and membership required only a recommendation. Hong Zhencheng could serve as Ye Yu’s sponsor. Everything went smoothly. Ye Yu obtained his Wuliangdian Divine Alliance credentials, along with a handbook and a Communication Stone. The first page of the manual stated the core principle of the alliance: if you’re not convinced, fight! The following sections explained the output formats for various languages and the protocols for requesting assistance within the alliance.
The Communication Stone issued was exclusively for summoning reinforcements. Each helper was required to pay twenty Divine Stones—that was the rule. No amount of personal favor could waive the fee. Charging for service was the eternal rule, and also the binding agreement. Ye Yu couldn’t help but laugh when he read all these regulations. He hadn’t expected a Divine Alliance to have so many formalities.
Of course, Ye Yu hadn’t joined Wuliangdian simply to dispense justice. His sole goal from the start was to deal with Old Ge—Ge Lao—the veteran of the Divine Realm! When extinguishing those demons trapped by the Impermanence Soul-Lock Bell, Ge Lao himself had said that those imps were hidden so perfectly that even Ancient God–realm experts wouldn’t notice them without careful inspection. Yet that old fellow had merely glanced at them and uncovered their secret. That alone proved his cultivation was extraordinarily profound.
Ye Yu’s cultivation, it turned out, was nothing but show. But Ge Lao’s cultivation really was formidable! Therefore, Ye Yu decided to remain in Wuliangdian for a while. First, to lie low and evade Wu Qian’s attention. Second, to see if he could extract some artifact secrets from Ge Lao. Not necessarily a lifesaving divine treasure—at the very least he wanted to learn more about divine artifacts. He didn’t want to repeat the last time, when he’d been ambushed and had no idea what hit him.
So every few days Ye Yu went to chat with Ge Lao. He even spent a fortune on premium tea leaves, brewing tea for the two of them. Through these meetings, their relationship grew more familiar. Only one thing remained awkward: whenever Ge Lao spoke to him, he never looked Ye Yu in the eye. Ye Yu really wanted to ask: “You’re both gods now—can’t you just stop giving me the side-eye?” But that question was too risky, so he never dared utter it.
Seeing Ye Yu hesitate, Ge Lao abruptly tossed him a book. “Kid, you’ve been hanging around all this time just for this thing. Why so coy?” Ye Yu opened the cover and saw six big characters: Divine Realm Artifact Compendium. “Nice name—truly the beauty of simplicity,” he thought. A smaller line on the cover read: “Compiled up to Year Nine of the Divine Calendar, Month Seven, Day Thirty-Eight Million.” What did that mean?
Ge Lao explained calmly, “In the Divine Realm, geniuses abound—many have mastered the forging arts. Divine artifacts are constantly evolving. This Compendium hasn’t been updated in over eight hundred years, but if you read it cover to cover, you’ll understand over ninety percent of the artifacts in the realm. You won’t have to worry about anyone sneaking surprises on you again.”
“Don’t think you’ve been loitering here just for this book,” Ge Lao added with a grin. Ye Yu felt a surge of surprise—he hadn’t expected Ge Lao to see through him so thoroughly. Before Ye Yu could speak, Ge Lao raised his hand again. “Save the thanks. I just find your temper agreeable, so I gave it to you outright. If it’d been that fool Hong Zhencheng, I’d have dangled it for another year or two. Now you’ve got it—come by for tea any time. Don’t vanish after you get what you want!”
Ye Yu cupped his fists and replied, “Rest assured, Old Ge, our tea sessions will continue daily. You once told me that gods, like humans, have boundless greed. I find that very true.” Now that he had the Compendium, he thought, he should plan how to pry a divine artifact or two out of Ge Lao’s hands in the future.
Ge Lao straightened up and laughed, pointing °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° at Ye Yu, “All right, kid—you’re frank. You really aren’t afraid I’ll think you greedy!”
Ye Yu chuckled, about to reply, when the Communication Stone in his hand suddenly glowed red. A stranger’s voice rang out from it:
“I, Nangong Yantian, request assistance punches from all deities still in the alliance. Those who receive this message, assemble at the entrance. It is extremely urgent; please do not delay!”
Ye Yu stared at the stone, intrigued. So this was how they summoned reinforcements—quite interesting. Ge Lao said gravely, “That kid Nangong Yantian has probably pissed off another alliance again. Otherwise, he’d never call for backup. Want to go see? It could be dangerous for someone of your cultivation!”
“Of course I’m going,” Ye Yu said eagerly. “Wuliangdian’s tradition is: if you’re not convinced, fight!” With that, he transformed into a streak of light and sped off. Time must not be wasted—even dream time! His active skill One Breath Golden Body had just cooled down; he intended to seize the chance to start reaping subservience points.
