Plan to leave the planet.

Yao Jun's room did not have any windows, but there was an array in the ceiling that drew in the sunlight from the outside world and used it to light up the room. Because of that, the first rays of the sun were also transmitted into Yao Jun's room while he was cultivating. It was also right after the sun rose that the door to his room was thrown open, the loud voice of Leylan bringing Yao Jun out of his cultivation state.

"Good morning, Brother Yao! I come bearing a bountiful harvest of food and drinks!"

Yao Jun opened his eyes and turned his head towards Leylan. Leylan had taken out several trays of small fruit and what seemed to be small pieces of bread, as well as several small mugs filled with various types of wine. Seeing Yao Jun glance at the trays in his hands, Leylan quickly spoke up, a slightly awkward smile on his face.

"All the food I have brought is small things that we can eat while walking. I figured that we could check out the eastern part of the outer circle. Since that is where the armory and the medical area is located, most of the outer disciples train in the various courtyards located in the eastern part. But it takes a few hours to walk there, so I figured we should eat while walking."

Yao Jun gave a slight nod of his head and stood up, stretching his body. Leylan then handed him a bit of fruit and a slice of bread, and the two headed out, Seshio silently following behind them while Felicia entered the room to start cleaning. By now, Yao Jun had already stayed with them for a little over two weeks, so he had already gotten used to the silent Seshio and the diligent Felicia.

Yao Jun was slightly anxious to leave the clan and find a Heaven's Secrets Company branch where he could buy information, but he had already talked with Leylan about allowing him to leave with the recruits that would be following Leylan's elder sister out of the clan, so all he could do for the moment was wait for her to return.

While they were walking and chatting, Yao Jun saw that the courtyard was even more full than usual, everyone training harder than usual. Their preferred form of training was mock battles, but Yao Jun rarely watched their battles, as the way they fought irked him. Seeing so many more people than usual train, he could not help but let out a slight comment.

"There seem to be more people training now, they are also training quite a bit harder than they did when I first arrived here."

Leylan stopped talking, his gaze sweeping over the courtyard and the people currently training. He could not help but shake his head slightly, letting out a chuckle as he explained.

"That is because Elder Sister will return in about two weeks, but she might surprise us and show up earlier. They all want to leave a good impression on her in hopes that they will be recruited into the army."

Yao Jun could not help but raise an eyebrow. He already knew that these were the lowest members of the World Tree clan, they were not even people who held the blood of the World Tree clan. To have all of them train so hard just to be able to join the army, Yao Jun had to admit that the World Tree clan had some loyal disciples.

"They are quite eager to join the army and fight for your clan, admirable."

Yao Jun expected Leylan to look a little proud, but Leylan ended up shaking his head with a wry smile, explaining the situation to Yao Jun with a somewhat bitter voice.

"I wish. No, what most of them want is a chance to get closer to Elder Sister. Elder Sister is not only beautiful, but she is also strong and has a high status within the clan. If they manage to court her, they will be ascending to the heavens with a single step."

Yao Jun once more raised an eyebrow, a slightly unbelieving gaze sent towards the people training. Joining the army simply to court a woman, a woman they most likely did not even love? Yao Jun could not see it as anything but foolish. Leylan suddenly stopped in his steps, looking as if he had remembered something as he spoke to Yao Jun in an excited and hurried voice.

"I must warn you, Brother Yao. My Elder Sister has very high standards, so if you try to court her, you must do your best. If you manage to court her, we will truly become brothers!"

Leylan had an excited voice, but Yao Jun looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. Why would he be trying to court Leylan's elder sister? With Guo Luo waiting for him, what need was there for any other women?

"Court her, why would I do that? I have a wife waiting for me on my own planet."

This was the first time Yao Jun had ever mentioned that he had a wife, or at least someone that he considered to be his wife, to Leylan. When they chatted and exchanged information, Yao Jun generally avoided giving too many personal details, especially about Guo Luo. Leylan looked at Yao Jun with a shocked expression as he spoke out.

"You aren't going to court her? I thought that was the reason you asked me to help you join the recruits that were going to follow my Elder Sister when she returned. Was I wrong?"

The way Leylan acted, it seemed like he truly believed that Yao Jun had wanted to join the army just because he wanted to court his elder sister. He quickly shook his head, wrapping his arm around Yao Jun's shoulder as he let out a laugh.

"Well never mind that, there is no problem with you already having a wife. My father already has 11 wives, and he is still finding new ones. As long as you manage to impress my Elder Sister enough, I am certain that she won't mind you having one or two extra wives."

Yao Jun knew that there were quite a few cultivators that had several wives. Most cultivators lived for quite a few years, often far beyond normal human lifespans, but it was rare for them to have wives that lived as long as them. So having several wives was nothing strange for them. But Yao Jun only needed Guo Luo.

"Like I said, I already have a wife, I am not looking for any more. I simply want to follow the other recruits because it will be easier to find information about how I can return to my own planet."

Leylan once again could not help but look shocked. He quickly started talking, as if he was trying to defend his elder sister and convince Yao Jun about how great his elder sister was.

"Really? My Elder Sister is a true beauty you know? And if you marry her, not only will the two of us be true brothers, you will probably join her in controlling the clan's army. And furthermore..."

Before Leylan managed to finish his words, he noticed that the air around Yao Jun had turned somewhat cold. Seshio tensed up, ready to act if Yao Jun were to attempt anything, but Yao Jun simply spoke out in an annoyed voice.

"Leylan. I have no interest in other women. Don't bring this up again."

Yao Jun had already told Leylan twice that he already had a wife, but Leylan still kept on pressing, causing Yao Jun to be somewhat annoyed. Having someone try to convince him to marry someone other than Guo Luo truly annoyed him. Leylan let out a light laughter, waving his hand to Seshio, and then spoke out in a relaxed voice, as if he was truly not bothered by Yao Jun's attitude.

"Right, right. Sorry about that, I got a bit too excited at the thought of having you as a brother, please forgive me. But rest assured, Brother Yao, I will do my best to convince my Eldest Brother and Elder Sister, allowing you to follow the other recruits. Would you like me to prepare a few items that you can bring along with you?"

Yao Jun fell silent for a short moment after hearing Leylan's question, fondling his chin as he gave it some thought. An image appeared in his mind, so he turned towards Leylan and spoke up.

"I would like it if you could prepare everything necessary for painting a few pictures."

Hearing such a normal request from Yao Jun, Leylan could not help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. Bringing painting supplies to the battlefield, would that not just take up space in the interspatial ring?

"You paint, Brother Yao?"

Leylan had never heard Yao Jun mention that he painted, he also did not think that Yao Jun looked like a person who enjoyed painting. From what he knew, Yao Jun was constantly training when the two of them were not together. He seemed more like a person who only trained, not someone who had a hobby like painting. Yao Jun slightly shook his head, a gentle look in his eyes.

"No, but my wife enjoys painting, so I figured I would see what it is like."

Yao Jun did not paint, nor did he know how to paint. But Guo Luo loved painting, and he had looked at her paint several times, silently entranced by her focused look. It was unknown when he would meet her again, and the only thing he had to remind him of her was the cottage they had built inside his God Gate. If he managed to teach himself painting, he figured he could draw a picture of her that he could carry with him. Leylan let out a slight laugh, removing his arm from around Yao Jun's shoulder and giving him a few pats on the shoulder.

"I see. Don't worry, I will make sure that you receive everything that you could possibly need for painting."

The two continued to walk and chat, Leylan occasionally greeting some of the people that passed by them. After they had walked for a few hours, a youth who was slightly over three meters stopped in front of them, dipping into a deep bow as he greeted Leylan in a highly respectful voice.

"Greetings, Young Master."

The youth was clearly from the same race as Leylan, had green eyes, a sharp chin, and light brown hair that was tied into a thick bun at the back of his head. His body was surprisingly muscly, but he had the lowest cultivation Yao Jun had seen here so far, only at the late stage of the 4th Houtian Sky. Yao Jun had no way of knowing how old this youth really was, so he was uncertain if his cultivation was considered high or low for his age. After the youth greeted him, Leylan pat Yao Jun on the shoulder and introduced the youth to Yao Jun.

"Junior Brother Kirkis. Brother Yao, this is Zeleon Kirkis, he is one of the Junior Brother's who has already been chosen to follow Elder Sister once she returns. The cultivation of the two of you is not too far apart, so you might end up in the same unit."

Yao Jun knew that the army of the World Tree clan was divided into several divisions, each division only containing people who had a somewhat similar cultivation level. With a similar cultivation level, it would be easier for the people to work together and operate arrays.

After introducing Zeleon, Leylan's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He swiped his interspatial ring and took out a white crystal that was releasing a faint golden light. Leylan looked at the crystal for a short while, before putting it away and sending an apologetic smile towards Yao Jun.

"Sorry, but I must leave for a bit, my Eldest Brother is calling for me. Junior Brother Kirkis, continue showing Brother Yao around."

Leylan left immediately after speaking out, his body blurring as it grew transparent. After only a short second, he had completely vanished, not leaving a trace of himself. Seshio had also vanished, leaving only Yao Jun and Zeleon standing in the hallway, which had become strangely devoid of other people. Zeleon turned towards Yao Jun and furrowed his eyebrows, his voice slightly cold as he spoke.

"So you are the one that the Young Master has taken a liking to? You, a stranger from a different race, will be joining the army as well?"

Yao Jun could tell that this Zeleon was somewhat hostile towards him, most likely because he was a stranger, but Yao Jun could not be bothered with him, so he merely gave a short response.

"That was my intention for the moment."

Yao Jun was only joining the army so that he could leave this planet in an attempt to find information about his own planet. If he did not manage to find a branch of the Heaven's Secrets Company on the planet they traveled to, he would leave the army and travel to a different planet. Zeleon furrowed his eyebrows further, seemingly displeased with Yao Jun's attitude. He took a step forward, towering over Yao Jun as he spoke.

"I don't care what your reason for joining the army is, but you best not even think about trying to court General Diana. She will be my woman."

Yao Jun did not immediately understand who Zeleon was talking about, but he quickly understood it. Leylan said that the people training were doing it to try and court his elder sister, so this General Diana was probably his elder sister. Yao Jun did not flinch when facing the towering Zeleon, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

"So her name is Diana. Don't worry, I don't have the slightest interest in that woman."

Leylan had always referred to her as Elder Sister, so this was actually the first time he had ever heard what her name was. Yao Jun did not share too much personal information when they chatted, nor did he ask Leylan too many personal questions, they mostly only chatted about their respective planets, with Leylan talking a great deal about his own clan. Zeleon narrowed his eyes when he saw Yao Jun shrug, his voice turning even colder as he spoke.

"She is not Diana, she is General Diana. You will not disrespect her by referring to her with her name, you are not worthy of that."

Yao Jun could not help but raise an eyebrow when he saw how angry Zeleon got at him for using Diana's name. But he really did not feel like arguing with Zeleon over something so silly, so he merely shrugged his shoulders and stepped forward, pushing past Zeleon.

"Whatever you say."

before Yao Jun could walk away from Zeleon, he felt Zeleon's hand land on his shoulder, forcefully stopping him and turning him around. Zeleon had a steely gaze, glaring at Yao Jun as he almost spat out the words.

"Stop! You must apologize for disrespecting the General, get down on your knees!"

Even Yao Jun's patience had a limit, and he was starting to slowly approach it. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Zeleon with a displeased gaze as he spoke out in a slightly chilly voice.

"Why would I do that? In the first place, I didn't even disrespect her."

Wanting him to get on his knees and apologize just for referring to someone by their name? Yao Jun had long ago been taught by his father that a man must not easily kneel, a teaching he had firmly engraved in his heart. Seeing Yao Jun refuse to follow his orders, Zeleon turned completely cold.

"You refuse to acknowledge your wrongdoings? In the army, people like you are heavily punished. Allow me to show you how we punish people like you."

Right after he spoke, Zeleon took half a step backwards, put one knee on the ground, tucked his right fist close to his chest, and punched out with his right fist, a satisfied and proud smile on his face. Zeleon looked proud, but Yao Jun looked at the oncoming fist with a disinterested expression.

Zeleon had spent so much time on preparing the punch that Yao Jun was confident he could get out at least two punches of his own before Zeleon managed to finish his. The punch was also traveling very slowly, at least to his eyes, as if Zeleon was trying to show off the might and grace of his fist.

Since Zeleon had decided to attack, Yao Jun did not feel the need to hold back. His eyes narrowed as he entered a combat ready state, not even the slightest change in the surroundings able to escape his notice. Just as Yao Jun started raising his arm to retaliate, he noticed something not far away from him.

Thanks to Ba-Shei giving him control over darkness, he could feel that there was someone that had fused with a nearby shadow, keeping a close eye on every action Yao Jun was doing. The person was clearly far stronger than him, Yao Jun only able to notice them thanks to his ability to control darkness.

Seeing how closely the shadow was paying attention to even the slightest fluctuation in Yao Jun's aura, he managed to somewhat guess what the shadow was thinking, a slight mutter escaping his lips as he glanced at the shadow.

"So that is what's going on..."

Yao Jun lowered his slightly raised arm, allowing the punch to land on his face and slightly split his lips. He could only come up with two possible reasons as to why the shadow was keeping such a close eye on his aura, one was that the shadow was trying to keep an eye on Yao Jun, preventing him from harming others, the other was that the shadow was keeping an eye on him to figure out what laws he was cultivating.

Since that was the case, Yao Jun decided that his best course of action was to simply do nothing. After all, if they found out that he did not cultivate any laws, how would he go about explaining that? Seeing his punch hit, the proud smile on Zeleon's face only grew wider, sending out another slow and fanciful punch.

Punch after punch hit Yao Jun's face, but he did not flinch or move in the slightest. While traveling through the spatial rift, his body had been continuously destroyed and then slowly healed by the orb of blood. Not only traveling through the spatial rift, Yao Jun had continuously strengthened his body thanks to the way he fought, as well as through absorbing Demonic beasts. The strength of his body was already something that this Zeleon could not imagine. So while his punches managed to split Yao Jun's lips and cause his nose to bleed, they were unable to damage him.

After Zeleon had hit Yao Jun several times, the blood from Yao Jun's split lip had become smeared all over his own face. Zeleon was caught up in the euphoria he felt from delivering what he considered perfect punches, so he was just about to send out another punch when a cold voice rang out, bringing him back to his senses.

"Are you done yet? I still have more touring to do."

Yao Jun's eyes were cold as he looked at Zeleon. Zeleon wanted to say something, but he quickly noticed that Yao Jun had not even moved half a step back after receiving so many punches. His eyes darted around the place, lingering on the shadow Yao Jun had spotted earlier. Only after seemingly receiving a signal from that shadow did Zeleon quickly dash away, leaving Yao Jun alone with a bloody face.

While Zeleon was hitting Yao Jun, Leylan was on his way to the office of Gilberd. He quickly reached the outside of Gilberd's office, a small one room house that was made out of coiled branches and was located at the very core area of the World Tree clan. He did not even knock on the door, simply entering it and announcing his presence.

"You called for me, Big Brother Gilberd?"

Gilberd was sitting at the desk, drinking a cup of warm tea. When Leylan entered the office, Gilberd glanced over at him, speaking out in a matter-of-fact voice that left no room for discussion.

"I plan on sending that boy, Yao Jun, to follow Little Diana and the new recruits. I simply called you over to inform you of that ahead of time."

Hearing Gilberd's words, Leylan's expression rapidly distorted. He stormed over to the desk, slamming both hands onto the table and shouting out in a loud and disbelieving voice.

"What?! You plan on sending him to the battlefield, to a place where he could die?!"

Leylan shouted out in a loud voice, but even if someone were to be right outside the office, no one would be able to hear his words, as the entire place was covered in various arrays. Leylan's voice was loud, but Gilberd seemed to barely notice it as he continued to talk in a calm voice, sipping his tea.

"I plan on giving him a mid grade Earth rank armor and weapon, as well as one Fleeting Cloud talisman and one Striking Thunder talisman. All those mixed together with the fact that the battlefield they are heading to is the Scorched Valley, there is almost no chance of him dying. Little Diana will also keep an eye out for him, just in case things truly go wrong. And besides, according to Old Shade, you have promised Yao Jun that you will convince me to let him follow Little Diana."

Leylan's expression did not improve, even after he heard Gilberd say that he was planning on giving Yao Jun such valuable items. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Gilberd, once more shouting out.

"That is just something I said to appease him, I would never send him to the battlefield! We need to keep him inside the clan, have him foster good feelings for the clan, maybe marry someone from the clan, and then have him fight for us sometime in the future! Why are you sending him to the battlefield!?"

Leylan had never planned on talking with Gilberd or Diana about letting Yao Jun follow the recruits, he had simply planned on saying that they had refused, using the reason that it was too dangerous for someone with such a low cultivation. Gilberd put down the cup of tea, calmly narrating his thoughts to Leylan.

"He is a complete stranger. We know nothing of his laws, we are unable to figure out what type of bloodlines he has in his body, and we know nothing about his motives. We need to find out whether or not he might be a spy. Sending him to the battlefield and forcing him to fight our enemies, his possible masters, will allow us to see if he is a spy or not. If he hesitates or refuses to kill the enemies, he is most likely a spy and we will detonate the arrays in the armor and weapon, killing him. If he does not hesitate and willingly fights for us, while he might still be a spy, we can at least trust him a little, testing his allegiance further. At that point, the weapon and armor will have been well spent."

Yao Jun had continued to give Gilberd a headache, so he decided on the easiest approach he had available, sending Yao Jun to the battlefield. During the heat of battle, it would be far easier to see where his allegiance actually was. Hearing Gilberd's calm reasoning, Leylan took several deep breaths and then started talking, his voice calm and his eyes narrowed.

"When I used my laws of destiny to check how our clan would do, I saw that a great disaster was coming for us. At that point, it was you who told me to use the secret technique to try and find something that could change the destiny of our clan. I used the secret technique, lowering my cultivation by two great realms, and I found something to change our destiny. We need Yao Jun, he is the answer we are looking for."

Leylan specialized in the laws of destiny and had previously had a high cultivation, but to find something that could change the destiny of a clan as great as the World Tree clan? That was something he could only do after paying a great price. Gilberd looked at Leylan with serious eyes, shaking his head and letting out a sigh.

"But he is a stranger, someone we cannot trust. And you must not forget, what you found by using that secret technique was something that could greatly change the destiny of our World Tree clan. You did not find something that would save us, but something that could alter our destiny. What if he alters our destiny for the worse, what if trusting him ends in the eradication of our entire clan, of everything we have fought to preserve for countless years? We cannot simply trust strangers and allow them to change things as they wish, especially in times like these."

Even if Yao Jun was someone that Leylan had discovered through the use of that secret technique, Gilberd was still not willing to risk the lives of everyone in the World Tree clan and bet everything on him. Leylan leaned in closer, his voice slowly growing louder as he spoke, his last sentence coming out as a shout.

"Our clan has gone unchallenged and unchanged for countless years, had it not been for the sudden reemergence of the Final Fire clan and Primordial Sea clan two years ago, we would still be unchallenged and unchanged. Can't you see that we are stagnating!? Stagnant waters breed only death and rot, now is exactly the time to trust others and try to change things!"

Just as the two brothers were looking at each other, one agitated and one calm, the shadows next to the desk started to wriggle and grow, turning into a human shape that kneeled on the ground.

"My lords, forgive me for interrupting."

Gilberd looked at the human shape, Old Shade, his brows furrowing in confusion. He could not quite explain why, but he felt an uneasy feeling as he questioned.

"Old Shade. You were supposed to keep an eye on that Yao Jun and see if you could figure out what laws he is using, why have you come here?"

Old Shade lowered his head, speaking in a voice that was filled with shame.

"I was discovered. Everything was going as planned, but the boy noticed me before anything could happen. I am uncertain if he figured out what I was planning, he might simply believe that I was only there to make sure he was not wounded. Forgive me for my failure."

Leylan and Gilberd could not help but start slightly when they heard Old Shade's words, their mouths opening slightly as they found themselves at a loss. Finally, it was Gilberd that broke the silence.

"He...noticed you?"

Old Shade was Gilberd's oldest and most trusted aide, an expert at espionage and assassination. If he so wished, he could become one with the shadows, entering a dimension consisting solely of darkness. And he had been noticed by a little boy who was only at the 3rd Mortal Earth? Leylan's expression distorted slightly as he turned around and headed for the door.

"I will return to him soon and try to explain it, let's hope this didn't sow the seeds of distrust in him."

When Leylan reached the door, the voice of Gilberd rang out from behind him, containing unquestionable authority.

"Little Leylan. He will be joining Little Diana once she returns, father has already agreed to my plan. Tell him that we will bring him a weapon and armor within the coming days."

Leylan stopped for a short second, but then let out a slight sound in acknowledgement and left the office. He closed the door behind him and rapidly headed towards Yao Jun, easily able to tell his location thanks to the special clothing they had given him. When he reached an area close to Yao Jun, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then put a wide smile on his face and walked the rest of the distance, speaking out in a loud and cheerful voice when he spotted Yao Jun.

"Brother Yao! I have good news, my Eldest Brother agreed to let you follow Elder Sister and the other recruits. I also made him promise to hand over a mid-grade Earth rank weapon and armor for you, as well as two life saving talismans. As long as you have those, nothing can happen to you."

He quickly arrived in front of Yao Jun, his face twisting slightly when he saw the traces of blood on Yao Jun's face and robe. Yao Jun had cleaned away most of it, but there were still clearly noticeable traces. Leylan took out some cloth and water from his interspatial ring, handing it to Yao Jun as he spoke out in an apologetic voice, even giving a slight bow.

"I also heard that you had a run in with Old Shade, he is one of the people working for Eldest Brother. Eldest Brother doesn't fully trust you, so he made Old Shade and Junior Brother Kirkis test you. I will have them both punished, but I hope that you can forgive them, at least this one time, on account of my face. Should it happen again, you don't have to care about my face, just slap them around as you please."

Leylan did not bother lying, as that would only make things worse if Yao Jun ever managed to learn the truth. Yao Jun wiped his face, cleaning away the remaining traces of blood. He then let out a slight smile and spoke in a calm voice, his thoughts impossible to read.

"No need to bother with all that, not like I suffered any wounds anyway."