John slowly raised his head.

"If you intend to make a move against me, you had best weigh your own strength carefully."

The five High Gods were stunned at the same time.

At that moment, the High God from the Tower of Myriad Treasures suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"Hehe..."

He shook his head and looked at John with a meaningful gaze.

"Your Excellency John may not know this. The Shadow Divine Court relies on its overwhelming strength and specializes in raiding planes and plundering their source essence. Every member of the Divine Court bears an enormous amount of karmic sin. Although obtaining resources is easy for them, surviving cosmic tribulations is extremely difficult."

"Most importantly..."

At this point, the High God from the Tower of Myriad Treasures paused slightly. His gaze seemed to glance, intentionally or otherwise, at the High God from the Shadow Divine Court.

"The internal hierarchy of the Shadow Divine Court is extremely strict. Superiors and inferiors are divided with absolute clarity. The weak have no basic dignity before the strong."

After saying this, he closed his mouth and said no more, stopping at just the right point.

The eyes of the Shadow Divine Court’s High God instantly turned cold. The baleful energy surging around him spread outward like something tangible, and faint cracking sounds echoed from the void.

He spoke coldly.

"The strong prey upon the weak. That is the eternal law of the universe. My Shadow Divine Court acts in accordance with the heavenly order. What is wrong with that?"

After his words fell, he turned toward John. His tone carried a hint of condescending charity.

"John, we can grant you treatment equivalent to a Demigod Limit powerhouse. We will gift you an independent living plane as your private territory, and we can also appoint you as the deputy leader of a plundering squad."

He raised his chin slightly and emphasized,

"Normally, only High God-level powerhouses are qualified to hold the position of deputy leader."

The moment these words came out, the High God from the Tower of Myriad Treasures immediately smiled and cut in. His tone was unhurried, yet carried a clear sense of confrontation.

"Although the Shadow Divine Court has a Sovereign presiding over it, who does not know that my Tower of Myriad Treasures has branch strongholds across countless universes? In terms of treasures and accumulated resources, my Tower of Myriad Treasures does not consider itself inferior to anyone."

He looked toward John, his tone becoming a little more sincere.

"As long as Your Excellency John nods and joins my Tower of Myriad Treasures, we are willing to grant you treatment equal to that of a High God. At the same time, we can establish a branch stronghold in the human plane and have a High God-level powerhouse from my Tower of Myriad Treasures personally guard it to protect your race."

"With a branch of my Tower of Myriad Treasures stationed in the human plane, even the Shadow Divine Court would not dare act rashly."

"Hmph!"

The High God from the Shadow Divine Court snorted coldly when he heard this, but did not say anything more.

John listened quietly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two High Gods. His eyes flickered slightly.

He was quickly weighing the pros and cons.

What would he lose by not joining a faction?

In his previous life, he had never taken even half a step out of the myriad-race universe until his rebirth. But in this life, he had already faintly sensed that the true secret realms, trial grounds, and ancient ruins deep within the cosmic starry sky were almost all divided up and controlled by top factions.

It was like the trial space inside the myriad-race universe. That was nothing more than leftover scraps at the outermost edge.

The truly valuable opportunities were all in the hands of those great powers.

If he did not join, he would forever be unqualified to touch them.

That was the first point.

And what would he lose by joining?

It seemed...

There would be no substantial loss.

After John figured this out, he no longer rejected the idea of joining a great power.

However, the reputation of the Shadow Divine Court did not seem very good. Moreover, they had only offered him the position of deputy leader...

A real man born between heaven and earth should never remain beneath others for long.

John directly crossed the Shadow Divine Court’s invitation off in his heart.

However, his expression did not change. He merely nodded slightly and said,

"Seniors, allow me to consider it."

When the High God from the Shadow Divine Court heard this, his expression changed slightly.

He had held a high position in the Shadow Divine Court for many years. It had always been he who selected others. When had anyone ever brushed him off like this?

He knew that John’s words were only an excuse. Displeasure surged in his heart, but with the other factions present, it was inconvenient for him to flare up. His gaze merely turned a little colder.

"You fail to appreciate kindness," he muttered under his breath.

His voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, yet it drifted clearly into John’s ears.

John did not even lift his eyelids.

The High God from the Tower of Myriad Treasures, however, smiled and nodded.

"No matter. Your Excellency John may take your time to consider. The doors of my Tower of Myriad Treasures will always be open to you."

At that moment, another voice calmly entered the conversation.

"I come on behalf of the Demon King Council."

The one who spoke was the gray-robed old man who had remained silent all this time. Now, he finally opened his mouth, his tone calm and composed.

When John heard this, his gaze paused slightly. He looked at the old man with some surprise.

Hm?

Did he not know about the grudge between the Demon King Council and himself?

"Hehe."

The gray-robed old man seemed to see through John’s doubts and smiled faintly.

"Your Excellency John, there is no need to worry. The Demon King Council is vast, far beyond your imagination. I know that there have been some past conflicts between our organization and you, but that was merely the personal conduct of a certain branch faction within the Council."

"As long as you join the Demon King Council..."

He paused, his gaze looking directly at John.

"That little grudge between you and the Council will naturally be written off."

The gray-robed old man continued,

"The Demon King Council also has Sovereign-level powerhouses presiding over it and is one of the top powers of the current era. It possesses countless resources and powerhouses as numerous as clouds... Although internal competition is fierce, as long as your strength is sufficient, you can obtain everything that matches it."

"Conditions."

After listening, John spoke directly and decisively.

The gray-robed old man nodded slightly.

"A squad leader position, full access to all cultivation resource permissions within the Council, and a large amount of contribution points upon joining. In addition... I will personally step forward to settle the old grudges between you and the Demon King Council."

He added calmly,

"What do you think of these conditions?"

Not much.

John’s expression remained unchanged, but he sneered inwardly.

Grudges?

Who was afraid of whom?

Did he care about the Demon King Council helping him settle anything?

But he still did not directly refuse. He merely repeated that all-purpose answer indifferently.

"Everyone, allow me to consider it."

The gray-robed old man’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a cold snort that was neither heavy nor light.

As he sized John up, a different meaning quietly appeared in his gaze.

This child’s potential was boundless. Since he already had a grudge with the Demon King Council and was unwilling to join...

He absolutely could not be allowed to remain.

However, before he could say anything else, the High God from the Eternal Summit had already spoken with a light laugh.

"Your Excellency John need not worry about certain factions scheming against you."

His voice was gentle as jade, yet carried calm and unshakable confidence.

"As long as you join my Eternal Summit, we can promise, in the name of the Lord of the Summit, to protect both you and the safety of your race."

After he finished speaking, his gaze swept intentionally or otherwise across the High Gods from the Shadow Divine Court and the Demon King Council.

The warning in his eyes was unmistakable.