My Crazy Upgrade System

Yi Tianyun had long since returned to the Imperial City, and it was his return that caused the news to leak. The Imperial City was teeming with spies, making it impossible to go unnoticed unless one remained in hiding indefinitely.

Ren Zhirou had been doing just that, hiding within the Imperial Palace without ever stepping out. She didn’t want to disrupt Yi Tianyun’s plans, nor did she want to cause him any worry, so she had remained secluded.

Now that Yi Tianyun had returned with Ren Long, Ren Zhirou was overjoyed. She had never imagined that her brother was truly still alive!

"Brother, I knew you were safe!" Ren Zhirou threw herself into Ren Long’s arms, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Little sister, of course I’m fine... But without Yi’s help, I really wouldn’t have made it out." Ren Long was overcome with emotion. He gently guided Ren Zhirou out of his embrace and looked at her gaunt face. "You’ve lost weight. It must have been so difficult for you all these years."

"Tianyun, thank you!" Ren Zhirou beamed, her smile so radiant it instantly outshone the flowers around them.

"You’re welcome," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile. "I told you before that I would help you, but you wouldn’t let me."

’Of course, my cultivation was so low back then that I couldn’t have helped even if I wanted to. I probably would have needed Ren Zhirou to save me instead.’

"DING! Hidden chain quest ’Aid the Empire Goddess (Part 1)’ successfully completed. Reward: 50,000,000 Experience Points, 1,000,000 Madness Value, Ren Zhirou’s Goodwill +200, and the title ’Imperial Guardian God’."

"DING! New quest accepted: ’Aid the Empire Goddess: Repel the Dragon Chancellor’s Invasion (Part 2)’. Reward for repelling the invasion: 50,000,000 Experience Points, 100,000 Madness Value, and Empire Goodwill +50! If the Dragon Chancellor is successfully killed, all rewards will be doubled!"

"DING! Congratulations to Player ’Yi Tianyun’ for successfully breaking through to the ninth level of the Core Transformation Stage!"

After completing the quest, he had finally broken through to the ninth level of the Core Transformation Stage. The speed was astonishing. ’Based on the massive amount of experience from the quest, I should be able to reach the peak of the Core Transformation Stage soon. Then I can officially advance to the Void Spirit Stage.’

’Interesting. A doubled reward for a successful kill.’

’That’s a neat little bonus. If I let the Dragon Chancellor escape, I won’t get the extra reward. This means killing him isn’t a mandatory objective. I just need to drive off the enemy army, not annihilate them.’

’Still, if I can kill him, the doubled experience is nothing to sneeze at. Besides, the Dragon Chancellor is an enemy. Not killing him would be like letting a tiger back into the wild—he’ll only cause more trouble later.’

’This Dragon Chancellor... if I get the chance, I’ll kill him.’

’I don’t know how strong the Dragon Chancellor’s cultivation is, but he’s definitely not weak. How could someone who was once a contender for the title of Great Emperor be anything but powerful?’

"Tianyun, what are you thinking about?" Ren Zhirou asked, seeing Yi Tianyun staring blankly into space.

"It’s nothing. I was just thinking that the Dragon Chancellor will be furious when he finds out Ren has returned. He might even launch an all-out assault on the Imperial City!" ’Of course, this wasn’t just a guess. The quest prompt made it clear that the Dragon Chancellor was certain to attack.’

"That’s certainly a possibility," Ren Long said with a cold smile. "The Dragon Chancellor has always coveted the throne, so an immediate attack wouldn’t be surprising. However, with their current forces alone, I doubt they can breach our defenses. Even if we’re not at full strength, we are not to be trifled with!"

"What if they ally with the Netherworld Empire?" Yi Tianyun asked.

"Ally with the Netherworld Empire?" Ren Long froze, his expression darkening. "You’re saying the Dragon Chancellor would team up with the Netherworld Empire?"

"That’s right," Yi Tianyun said grimly. "Among the people who came for Zhirou before, I suspect some were from the Netherworld Empire. Either that, or they were trained by them—the Martial Arts they used were exactly the same."

"If that’s the case, things will be much more difficult," Ren Long said. "I remember the Netherworld Empire’s National Preceptor is incredibly powerful and has studied the Celestial Dragon Treasure extensively. If he gets involved personally, I’m afraid the Treasure’s might will be significantly diminished." The main reason Ren Long hadn’t been worried was their ability to wield the Celestial Dragon Treasure. With it, who could possibly stand against them?

But with the National Preceptor in the picture, the situation changed entirely. He could suppress the Celestial Dragon Treasure. As formidable as the Celestial Dragon Treasure was, it wasn’t invincible.

At this, they all fell silent, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.

"Doesn’t the Celestial Dragon Empire have any other powerful experts?" Yi Tianyun asked. "Someone at the Ancestor Level, perhaps? Or your father..."

"Well..." Ren Long looked embarrassed. "They all left. We don’t know where they went. The last we heard, they left to search for our ancestors and have never returned."

"No way to contact them?" Yi Tianyun asked.

"If there were a way to contact them, I wouldn’t be this worried," Ren Long said grimly. "With them here, we wouldn’t fear the Dragon Chancellor, or even the entire Netherworld Empire!"

It wasn’t that they were orphans. Their parents had chosen to leave after Ren Long took power. They weren’t dead, just... searching for ancestors. The situation was quite awkward. Their son was about to lose his empire, and they hadn’t even come back to check on things.

"It looks like we can only rely on ourselves for now." Yi Tianyun gave a wry smile. ’The Celestial Cloud Mansion is fairly strong now, but we’re not in the same league. We can’t possibly contend with an Empire-level power. The disparity is just too great.’

"Yes, we can only rely on ourselves," Ren Long said resolutely. "I believe in our strength. We will defend the Celestial Dragon Empire! We won’t let them lay a single finger on it!"

"Alright!" Yi Tianyun, feeling Ren Long’s powerful resolve, grinned. "Then let’s be the ones to protect this place. We’ll show them what we’re made of!"

"Tianyun, you don’t have to stay," Ren Zhirou said, worried. "You’ve already helped us so much..."

"I’m the Imperial Guardian God. How could I possibly leave?" Yi Tianyun said with a smile.

"Guardian God?" Ren Long started, then clapped a hand on Yi Tianyun’s shoulder. "That’s right! You are our Empire’s Guardian God! I, Ren Long, have never had a brother in my life. I wonder... would Yi be willing to become my sworn brother?"

"Sworn brothers? The honor would be all mine," Yi Tianyun said with a grin.

"Excellent! Then we shall be sworn brothers!" Ren Long laughed heartily. "Little sister, what do you think?"

"That’s wonderful! One is my dear brother by birth, and the other is the brother I’ve come to know. It’s perfect for you to become sworn brothers!" Ren Zhirou clapped her hands happily.

"Then what are we waiting for? We don’t need any grand preparations." Ren Long produced a jug of wine, poured two cups, and handed one to Yi Tianyun. He smiled, "Come. I don’t stand on ceremony. Once we clink these cups, we are brothers from this day forward!"

"Alright!" Yi Tianyun hadn’t known Ren Long for long, but the man was heroic and magnanimous—truly a dragon among men. More than that, he had been willing to sacrifice his own life to save him. Yi Tianyun was deeply moved. That act alone made him a man worth calling a brother!

Adversity reveals a person’s true character. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, Ren Long’s actions proved, without a doubt, that he was a brother he could trust!