Published: February 13, 2025
Ye Zhongming had to be cautious.
When Ye Zhongming first encountered the Gu Rui Imperial Clan on the novice battlefield, he had an idea in his mind.
Could that be the pinnacle of mutated plants? No, perhaps the pinnacle of mutated trees?
Actually, that description isn’t very accurate because the Gu Rui Imperial Clan isn’t a mutated type of tree; they are more accurately described as… the pinnacle of wood-type life?
Ye Zhongming knew his description must be inaccurate; if he told Liu Zhenghong, he would certainly be laughed at for his lack of knowledge.
But he felt that the Gu Rui Imperial Clan was indeed such a life form.
Ye Zhongming found it quite magical, then envious, and this led him to think of the Yama Tree.
That fellow had an undeniable talent; originally a treant, he managed to eliminate the "tree" aspect from his identity through sheer stubbornness and innate power. This was not something an ordinary life form could achieve. At least Ye Zhongming himself wouldn’t be able to do it if he were in that situation.
During this process, Cloud Summit indeed helped somewhat, but it was mainly thanks to the Yama Tree himself.
Since such a talented individual was on their side, wouldn't it be possible to… transform him?
This thought had been lingering in his mind, growing stronger as he spent more time living in the universe.
There was no way around it; in front of the Slave Clan, the All Races of the Universe felt like bullied little wives. However, for Ye Zhongming, they were still insurmountable mountains for the time being.
Under this pressure, he had to strive to grow, aiming to become a peak expert as soon as possible, regaining full control over his destiny rather than having to act with caution and cling to a few powerful allies just to survive.
However, simply becoming stronger wasn’t enough; he also needed to have a powerful group of subordinates. Only then could he avoid being overwhelmed. Thus, Ye Zhongming had always paid attention to the possibility of strengthening his subordinates.
The Yama Tree was undoubtedly one of the few individuals Ye Zhongming felt could quickly become a powerful ally through shortcuts.
So, in the following days, Ye Zhongming paid attention to anything related to the Yama Tree and, during his scarce spare time, learned everything he could about the Gu Rui Imperial Clan.
As Ye Zhongming encountered more information, he actually found some valuable items.
What he was now placing in the box for the Yama Tree was among the most important and expensive of them.
“This is a… tree ring obtained from a deceased member of the Gu Rui Imperial Clan.”
Ye Zhongming opened the box, revealing what could be described as a multi-ringed object that resembled jade more than wood.
The moment it was opened, many people took several steps back due to the unexpectedly intense wave of energy that seemed to resemble a mental shock.
“This… In life, this member of the Gu Rui Imperial Clan should not have been far from being a peak expert.”
The white dragon horse spoke rarely, clearly astonished.
Ye Zhongming felt the same way. In the past, he might not have understood this clearly, but now he had seen more than one peak expert and even fought with them, allowing him to recognize how strong the energy contained in this 'tree ring' was and, in turn, speculate on the strength of its owner when alive.
“You can try to absorb or merge it to see if it helps you, but you also know that Sister Hong is not here. Their specialties are in using Sacred Talismans to refine medicines, so they can’t provide you with effective advice. You’ll have to rely on yourself to experiment. If something feels off, remember to stop immediately.”
“And remember to keep it a secret,” Ye Zhongming emphasized to everyone.
This item was something he had secretly purchased for nearly ten million Moon Age Gold.
Now, he could afford it since the construction of Cloud Summit Manor was nearing completion, and he didn’t have high expenses recently. Otherwise, he truly couldn’t have bought it.