Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

Outside the mystic realm. Elder Sun and the other elders were too exhausted to even swear anymore. They felt completely powerless. The fellow inside kept making trouble, drastically increasing the burden of sustaining the realm. At this point, even Zhou Mingren lacked the energy to speak, pouring everything into keeping the mystic realm running. Elder Sun and the others were on the verge of collapsing and relied entirely on him to hold things together. In their hearts, of course, they had cursed Zhou Pingsheng up and down a thousand times over. As far as they were concerned, Xia Yuwen and Hu Wensheng would never do something so utterly devoid of conscience. …… Inside the mystic realm. Su Yu continued digesting the willpower he had absorbed from Zhang Hao’s side. It felt amazing! The willpower in this mystic realm was exceptionally dense and remarkably pure. While it did not match what he had absorbed in his teacher's laboratory, it was far purer and far more abundant than that in the fragment chamber. In the fragment chamber, Su Yu had not dared to siphon recklessly. If he drained it dry, future newcomers to their faction would have nowhere left to temper their willpower. After absorbing and digesting for a while, he opened yet another aperture. At this moment, fifty-five divine apertures were unlocked. Su Yu took out a voice transmission talisman and sent a message to Xia Huyou: "Where is Zhou Pingsheng right now?" He had managed to hide in the mystic realm for so long without Zhou Pingsheng detecting him entirely thanks to these people. Xia Huyou, Lin Yao, Zhang Hao, Wu Jia… All of them carried voice transmission talismans. By keeping an eye on that guy, they effectively tracked his movements for Su Yu. "Haven't seen him in person, but he seems to be heading toward Hu Wensheng and his people." Xia Huyou had his own sources of information. His business reached everywhere, including transactions with the Single Divine Character Faction, and he had planted eyes and ears among those who entered. "Hu Wensheng…" Su Yu muttered to himself. Did Zhou Pingsheng think he was hiding near Hu Wensheng? He wasn't even familiar with Hu Wensheng! Of course, he was very familiar with Liu Hong. Right now, anyone who needed to lay low was doing so. If he continued hiding, he was bound to slip up sooner or later. Su Yu's eyes flickered, and he pulled out a different voice transmission talisman. "Teacher Liu, care for a chat?" "……" After what seemed like an eternity, Liu Hong's reply finally came through: "Su Yu?" The transmission talisman he held supported both direct and group communications, but because he didn't know Su Yu's handle, he had never figured out who Su Yu was. Now that the caller addressed him as Teacher Liu, Liu Hong deduced his identity almost immediately, followed by a surge of unease. This was just Su Yu logging a signal on his transmission talisman, right? He definitely didn't know Liu Hong's codename in the public channel, right? Su Yu didn't know he was Yellow Ninety-Nine, right? And Su Yu certainly didn't know about him calling someone 'Grandpa' last night, right? He couldn't be sure! His heart drummed with anxiety. Last night, he hadn't given Su Yu a second thought—could Su Yu have figured it out? That would be utterly humiliating! Even if it killed him, he could never admit to it! "It's me, Teacher Liu. How about doing me a favor?" "What favor?" "I'd like to cultivate in your area for a bit. Teacher Liu, could you cover for me?" "Not a chance!" Liu Hong was at a loss for words. What was this kid thinking? Did he think this was his own living room?! "Teacher Liu, how about taking a mission from the Single Divine Character Slaying Society? You haven't accessed the Society's mission system yet, have you? It rewards divine-slaying points, which are extremely precious. The only reason I'm as powerful as I am today is entirely thanks to the Single Divine Character Slaying Society. "You're a newcomer, so you probably haven't been granted access yet. But I can assign you private missions and transfer divine-slaying points to you. After all, I've been a member for a while and have accumulated some savings." Liu Hong couldn't help replying, "Didn't you claim last time that you founded it?" "Just bragging! You actually believed that, Teacher Liu? I'm just an errand boy!" Su Yu sent back quickly, "Teacher Liu, are you in or not? Ten divine-slaying points. You might think ten points isn't much, but to be frank, a hundred points can buy an Earth rank cultivation method, and a thousand points can buy a Heaven rank cultivation method. Knowing that, you won't think ten points is trivial anymore." Liu Hong did not reply. Su Yu transmitted again, "After this mystic realm concludes, Teacher Liu, you'll probably advance to the Lingyun Realm! Once you reach Lingyun, Zhou Pingsheng will be your biggest obstacle. The ones I'm targeting are Zhou Pingsheng and Zhou Mingren, not you, Teacher Liu… If I become stronger, there's no downside for you, is there?" Liu Hong remained silent. Su Yu continued his transmission: "Did you see the chat on the public channel earlier, Teacher Liu? A newcomer had to call someone 'Grandpa' just to get an answer. What that person said was true. I've consulted my grandmaster and other experts about it. You can verify it with any peak Shanhai cultivator…" At these words, Liu Hong grew deeply unsettled. Was this kid deliberately dropping hints? Did he know that newcomer was him? He shouldn't know! "Su Yu, what are you trying to say?" "God and demon divine characters are indeed unfavorable for advancing to the Sun Moon Realm; they can even sever the path entirely. Unless, Teacher Liu, you're powerful enough to disregard it all. But even my grandmaster couldn't do that and had to rely on a formidable divine character battle technique to offset the repulsion. "Detonating one's own divine characters is not something everyone has the guts to do. Even if someone does, detonating too many risks collapsing the sea of will. "If you agree to cooperate, you can use these ten divine-slaying points to erase one divine character without any lingering harm! Perhaps you think you could just detonate it to kill an enemy, and I believe you have the courage for that. But… what about your core divine character? Detonating your core divine character? Aren't you afraid the backlash will shatter your sea of will? I swear, everything I'm saying is absolute truth. Help me once, and I will help you eliminate a divine character—completely free of side effects!" "……" Liu Hong was shaken to the core. Erase a divine character? Without any negative aftermath? Was that for real? That was an extraordinary ability—provided god and demon divine characters truly posed a threat to his future. He had not verified that claim yet. Just as Su Yu said, Liu Hong had the resolve to detonate any subsidiary divine characters. Taking some injuries to eliminate an enemy was a bargain he would gladly take. However, if he detonated his core divine character, the damage would be catastrophic. The Sun Moon Realm… Did he harbor such ambition? For any genius, the answer was obvious! Sun Moon, Invincible—who didn't desire that? Without that ambition, there would have been no reason to build up such deep foundations and strain to temper himself at every prior stage. Though Sun Moon was still distant, he would reach Lingyun once this session ended. If divine characters truly interfered, the sooner he swapped them, the better! Otherwise, once he reached Shanhai and the divine characters grew immensely powerful, replacing them would require re-nurturing them from scratch, and shattering them would carry terrifying consequences. If it was confirmed that god and demon divine characters would handicap his future, he needed to make up his mind early and switch them as soon as possible. After a moment of inner conflict, Liu Hong transmitted, "Give me a few minutes!" …… Liu Hong went silent. Su Yu was in no rush. He could wait. If it didn't work out, he could hide near someone else. In truth, even without another person to shield him, Zhou Pingsheng would have a hard time catching him if he kept playing guerrilla. It was just that without someone providing cover, he stood a higher chance of being spotted. …… Meanwhile, Liu Hong flew swiftly through the mist. After searching around, he soon found someone. Wasting no words, he cut straight to the chase: "I want to buy information. How many merit points?" "What information?" Xia Huyou looked at Liu Hong, surprised. Buying information at a time like this? Could he be buying Su Yu's location? Without beating around the bush, Liu Hong asked directly, "Do god and demon divine characters hinder advancing to the Sun Moon Realm later on? You're a member of the Xia family; you should know something. Don't feed me lies. Xia family intel is pricey, but usually authentic!" Xia Huyou looked at him with pity. Poor guy. His teacher was a peak Shanhai expert, yet he had been kept completely in the dark. This matter had already circulated through the Shanhai circle earlier. As a member of the Xia family, he naturally knew all about it. "Five hundred merit points!" Xia Huyou demanded an extortionate price, then explained, "Whether this news is true or false, rumors abound. What you're buying isn't a rumor; you're buying the official stance of my Xia family, right? It's easily worth five hundred merit points. Otherwise, even if someone else told you, you might not believe them!" Liu Hong nodded. Indeed, what he sought was the perspective of the masters of the Great Xia Prefecture—the Xia family. As for anyone else, even if Zhou Mingren told him, he would remain skeptical. The Xia family generally wouldn't deceive him on this. Unless it threatened their ruling position, which this didn't. "A hundred points…" Xia Huyou simply closed his eyes. Did this guy think he had never seen money before? Liu Hong was helpless. He had vaguely guessed Xia Huyou's identity; although he hadn't pried, he had pieced together the broad strokes. The fellow certainly wasn't short on cash! Hesitating no longer, Liu Hong nodded. "Fine, five hundred points!" "Pay up!" Xia Huyou produced his merit card directly to link their accounts. Liu Hong was speechless. Did he really need to be like this? Would I skip out on a debt? Would I dare stiff the Xia family? Without arguing, he made the transfer. Receiving the merit points, Xia Huyou beamed, thoroughly satisfied. "The information is true! Of course, there's no definitive conclusion yet, but multiple powerhouses—including Marquis Xia, Principal Wan, Chief Hu, and others—share a consensus: divine characters of gods and demons outlined over the past fifty years likely carry hidden flaws!" Xia Huyou didn't hold back and continued, "Naturally, there's a second school of thought: human divine characters themselves might have innate problems. Human divine characters should inherently be stronger, but they may have been suppressed or cursed." Xia Huyou explained, "This matter is still being tested! But one consensus is already clear: while cultivating human divine characters yields slightly weaker individual characters, breaking through to the Sun Moon Realm is significantly easier." Liu Hong frowned slightly and asked, "Then without cultivating human divine characters, is reaching Sun Moon completely impossible?" "I really ought to charge for this, but whatever, consider it a bonus!" Xia Huyou chuckled. "Not impossible. Experts who outlined god and demon divine characters over the past fifty years can still make the breakthrough if they have what it takes. Take Elder Hong Tan, for instance. But he relies on a divine character battle technique to counteract that repulsion. Do you have one? Even with a battle technique, the repulsive force is immense. Haven't you noticed that Elder Hong Tan hasn't reached Sun Moon to this day? Otherwise, he would have stepped into Sun Moon long ago." Understanding dawned on Liu Hong. He nodded, said nothing more, and swiftly vanished. …… A short while later, Su Yu received a reply. "You can come to my spot. Be careful not to let anyone see you!" "Ten divine-slaying points is too little. Thirty points, or forget the points entirely—I want you to guarantee me three opportunities to erase a divine character!" Su Yu chuckled. Had this guy just run off to verify the intelligence? He hadn't made a peep before, but now he was all agreement. "Deal!" Su Yu didn't care. Three times… a trifling matter. If you want to erase them right now, even better. His grandmaster's little fur ball happened to need divine characters to eat anyway. If Liu Hong provided some fresh, warm divine characters, he would have his grandmaster personally erase them for him. The grandmaster would probably be thrilled. After clarifying Liu Hong's coordinates, Su Yu hurried over. …… A few minutes later. Su Yu arrived. The willpower here was remarkably dense! Su Yu smiled. Liu Hong scanned the surroundings, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and raised an eyebrow. "You're just a Yangxing cultivator. Hunkering down anywhere to cultivate makes no difference. Insisting on coming here is completely pointless!" He felt Su Yu was just creating unnecessary trouble by coming to his location. Su Yu laughed. "Teacher Liu, you don't really think I'm an ordinary Yangxing cultivator, do you?" Liu Hong frowned. Su Yu said calmly, "Behind me stands the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, as well as the Single Divine Character Slaying Society. Do you truly believe I wouldn't know any basic cultural arts?" At these words, Liu Hong's eyes flickered! You know one? Maybe… he really did. Did the Xia family have one? They should. Could the Xia family have passed it to him? Without elaborating, Su Yu said with a grin, "I'll trouble Teacher Liu to provide some cover. I'll cultivate here. You're close to Lingyun yourself, so Zhou Pingsheng won't dare barge in recklessly. Even if he does, you'll spot him well in advance." Liu Hong said nothing more. Zhou Pingsheng seemed to have run off toward Hu Wensheng's area. As for his own spot, there was no need to worry excessively. This time, Su Yu dispensed with courtesy and stopped concealing his presence, sitting down cross-legged out in the open to cultivate. He didn't open all fifty-five divine apertures, opting to unlock around twenty to absorb willpower and strengthen himself. The thirty-six divine aperture art had already been shared with the Xia family. While it was best kept hidden, it wouldn't be the end of the world even if it leaked. Opening twenty divine apertures to absorb willpower and bolster himself was fast enough. At least here, he could absorb willpower openly. Liu Hong had already reached the peak of Tengkong; right now, he wasn't absorbing much willpower, focusing instead on nurturing his divine characters. After all, he had no need to open more divine apertures at this stage. Liu Hong diffused his willpower, projecting illusory figures into the surrounding area while simultaneously keeping an eye on Su Yu. The moment he witnessed Su Yu's absorption speed, he couldn't help cursing internally! Fuck! This brat really possesses a basic cultural art! Not only that, he's already opened quite a few divine apertures! His absorption rate rivaled a third- or fourth-stage Tengkong cultivator! The crucial point was that he was only at Yangxing. To absorb energy so rapidly, he had to have opened far more divine apertures than a Tengkong of the same level—meaning he had opened close to twenty! "Is this a heritage of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction?" he couldn't resist asking. While absorbing, Su Yu replied, "No, it's a heritage from the Single Divine Character Slaying Society!" "Does the Single Divine Character Slaying Society truly exist?" "Believe it or not, it's up to you!" "Then why did you recruit me…" "Because you're one of our own, Teacher… and to disgust Elder Sun and make you all question your lives." "……" Liu Hong was rendered speechless. "Aren't you afraid information about the Society will leak?" "Not at all!" Su Yu said nonchalantly, "It's no secret. This organization has existed for a long time, and its target isn't just our academy's Single Divine Character Faction, but the entire Human Realm, understand? Did you think our academy, relying solely on Principal Zhou, could do anything to the Single Divine Character Slaying Society?" Liu Hong was secretly astonished. Could this be real? "Are those people chatting on the public channel genuinely top experts?" "How would I know?" Su Yu answered irresponsibly, "I'm just a nobody. But because I'm a genius and the current spokesperson for the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, I was brought into the system. Did you think I know every detail?" "Could there be All-Races Sect spies among them?" "I don't care!" Su Yu said indifferently, "As long as they don't screw me over, why should I care about them?" Liu Hong had no reply to that. After a long pause, he asked again, "Then why isn't there any cultivation method exchange or mission system on my end…" "Nonsense. When I submitted the application for you, I noted that you belong to the Single Divine Character Faction. You need to be vetted and observed. How could you be fully integrated into the system so quickly? For now, you've only been granted partial access to the most basic functions." "……" Liu Hong was completely silenced. Watching Su Yu voraciously absorb that willpower, he couldn't help saying, "Absorbing so much, aren't you afraid of bursting yourself?" "Nowhere close!" Su Yu said dismissively, "My cultural art opens a full thirty-six apertures, and I still have over a dozen left to unlock! On top of that, I need to nurture divine characters, reinforce my sea of will, elevate my willpower… I'm far from finished!" Liu Hong cursed silently again! Fuck! Fuck! Thirty-six divine apertures! What did that mean? Didn't that mean once this brat broke through to Tengkong, as long as his willpower and divine characters kept pace, he would instantly become a ninth-stage Tengkong? Even if there were no follow-up arts for higher realms, he could simply switch to the Myriad Characters Scripture afterward. Yet his starting line would be incomparably higher than that of ordinary Civilization Masters! Did he obtain this technique from the Single Divine Character Slaying Society? A basic cultural art was useless to Liu Hong, and a thirty-six-aperture art held no value for him either. Though shocked, he didn't care too much about it; after all, he was about to enter Lingyun and cultivate his thirty-seventh divine aperture. As for securing benefits for his students or others, he couldn't be bothered. Without guessing, he knew getting his hands on that technique would be extraordinarily difficult. If he tried to seize it by force, he might provoke an Invincible expert. He understood that logic well enough. "How long are you going to cultivate?" Liu Hong urged, "Zhou Pingsheng will be patrolling everywhere soon. Once he checks here, I won't be able to explain myself!" "The moment he comes, I'll leave!" Su Yu chuckled. "What's the rush, Teacher? Don't fret, even I'm not worried! Once today passes, my grandmaster will take control of the mystic realm. By then, he won't be able to lay a finger on me!" Su Yu leisurely absorbed willpower. Although it wasn't as satisfying or rapid as absorbing with all his might, cultivating here meant that even if he stirred up a bit of a commotion, it wouldn't draw suspicion. Liu Hong, a peak Tengkong cultivator, was more than enough cover. Su Yu rapidly absorbed willpower, and in the blink of an eye, an hour passed! Suddenly, his willpower trembled slightly. Liu Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he wanted to swear all over again! Another divine aperture opened! So fast! How long had it been? Opening divine apertures in the Yangxing Realm was practically cheating. It was too easy—less than a fifth of the difficulty compared to Tengkong! Another hour passed, and Su Yu's willpower trembled once more as yet another divine aperture unlocked! In Liu Hong's eyes, Su Yu had now opened over twenty divine apertures. In reality, Su Yu had reached fifty-seven divine apertures. If he cultivated on his own, he could open one every half hour. However, fighting a guerrilla war was too exhausting. Doing it this way was much better, even if the pace was slightly slower. Su Yu felt a hint of dissatisfaction, but let it go. He would just have to make do. His speed of absorbing willpower picked up slightly. Liu Hong kept scanning the vicinity. Zhou Pingsheng never showed up, which put him far more at ease. Soon, Liu Hong said, "Thirty divine-slaying points covers three hours. You have to leave after that!" Su Yu was disgruntled! He was right in the middle of a great cultivation session, and this guy wanted to kick him out? It had only been about eight hours since they entered. If he left now, there were still over a dozen hours remaining! "Six hours!" Su Yu didn't mince words. "Or I leave the second Zhou Pingsheng heads this way!" "You…" Liu Hong cursed under his breath! "Then hide yourself properly and don't bring trouble to my door! Su Yu, dragging me down won't do you any good either!" As he spoke, Liu Hong also began cultivating. He didn't dare go all out, lest the commotion become too large and fail to match the absorption profile of a peak Tengkong. …… Meanwhile. Zhou Pingsheng's eyes burned with fury! He had kept watch over Xia Yuwen and Hu Wensheng for two solid hours, and during those two hours, not a single disturbance occurred. Damn it! Bastards! It was definitely one of those two bastards behind it! Otherwise, why had all commotion ceased the moment he kept his eyes on them? In all likelihood, it was Hu Wensheng! That sinister hypocrite! Zhou Pingsheng's rage flared, but unfortunately, he had no evidence. What an absolute scoundrel! While he fumed, nearby, Hu Wensheng frowned and said coldly, "Senior Brother Zhou, why are you here again?" In two hours, he had come seven or eight times! Hu Wensheng said displeasedly, "Senior Brother, do you actually think Su Yu is hiding with me?" Zhou Pingsheng was crossing the line! Would I ever shield Su Yu? Once or twice was tolerable, but coming repeatedly like this made Hu Wensheng thoroughly irritated. Are you here to cultivate, to deal with Su Yu, or just to keep tabs on me? Zhou Pingsheng chuckled softly. "Junior Brother misunderstands. That scoundrel Su Yu is cunning. I'm just searching for him, aren't I? I sensed movement near here several times, but I haven't been able to locate him…" Hu Wensheng cursed inwardly. Incompetent fool! It's been eight hours! In a mystic realm this size, you can't even find a Yangxing brat? God knows how you ever reached the seventh stage of Lingyun! "Since you can't find him, Senior Brother, just give up. Find a spot and cultivate." He still offered a word of counsel, feeling Zhou Pingsheng should just find a place to cultivate rather than wasting time. Yet to Zhou Pingsheng's ears, those words made his fury soar. Telling me to go cultivate? So you can make your move again, stir up trouble, and pin the blame on me? I refuse! Without saying a word, he silently withdrew, though he didn't go far. Not far away, he pretended to cultivate while quietly keeping watch over Hu Wensheng's area. After another while, Zhou Pingsheng snorted internally, ceased his pretense, and abruptly took off. Seeing him leave, Hu Wensheng frowned, thoroughly exasperated. Lunatic! Ever since suffering that setback, that guy had become more and more paranoid. Staring at me for hours—anyone who didn't know better would think I was Su Yu! Too lazy to care, Hu Wensheng resumed his cultivation. …… At the same time. Liu Hong suddenly hissed, "Get out of here, quick! That guy seems to be heading this way!" Su Yu was startled. His sensory jade hadn't changed color yet—how had Liu Hong detected him already? Not daring to delay, Su Yu sprang up and vanished. Liu Hong had no reason to lie about this. Looks like it's back to guerrilla tactics. Su Yu felt slightly annoyed, a ruthless streak rising in him. Why do you keep running around? Fine, I'll just keep siphoning willpower dry wherever I go! As for framing Hu Wensheng… he hadn't even considered it. At this moment, he had no idea Zhou Pingsheng suspected Hu Wensheng. …… Shortly after Su Yu left, Zhou Pingsheng flew over to Liu Hong's location. He glanced at Liu Hong and was about to leave without a word when Liu Hong smiled. "Senior Brother, earlier I thought I heard someone shouting. I was at a crucial stage of my cultivation, so I didn't pay much mind. Did something happen?" Zhou Pingsheng originally hadn't intended to engage, but after a moment's thought, he sneered, "Some people just can't stand being sidelined! Seeing that I've fallen on hard times, they want to kick me while I'm down! Disrupting the opening of the entire mystic realm—I'd like to see how he tries to frame me once we exit!" Liu Hong looked entirely bewildered. He genuinely didn't understand. Weren't you hunting Su Yu? How did someone else get dragged into this? And from his tone, he clearly wasn't referring to Liu Hong, nor to those Yangxing students. The only ones who could warrant his serious attention were Xia Yuwen and Hu Wensheng. A moment's reflection pointed straight to Hu Wensheng. Hu Wensheng disrupting the opening of the entire mystic realm? What did that mean? Just as he was pondering, a violent fluctuation of willpower erupted in the distance. Liu Hong's heart leaped. Su Yu's doing? Holy crap! That kid's absorption speed was terrifying! Even from here, Liu Hong could feel a massive chunk of willpower being drained away in an instant. He had expected Zhou Pingsheng to chase after the disturbance, but instead… Zhou Pingsheng abruptly whipped around and flew straight toward Hu Wensheng! As he flew, Zhou Pingsheng sneered coldly! Not long after I left, another incident occurred. Hu Wensheng, you're playing a fine game! Watching him fly in that direction, Liu Hong blinked! Holy shit! I get it now! Don't tell me Zhou Pingsheng thinks Hu Wensheng is the culprit? Without hesitation, he quickly contacted Su Yu: "I've got intel for you. One thousand merit points!" "What intel?" "One thousand merit points!" "I don't have merit points. Do you want divine-slaying points? They can be exchanged for items!" "Who knows if that's real or fake…" "If you don't believe it, forget it!" "……" Liu Hong pondered for a second, his eyes flashing as a grin broke across his face. He'd sell it! He'd sell it even for free! This was too hilarious! Zhou Pingsheng actually suspected Hu Wensheng! Zhou Mingren's two disciples were about to turn on each other! Originally, Liu Hong had only gained influence because Zhou Pingsheng had been ostracized by the elders. Now, Hu Wensheng had exited seclusion and advanced to Lingyun. Zhou Mingren would inevitably transfer authority to him; after all, an outsider was never as trustworthy as one's own disciple. And now, Zhou Pingsheng suspected him! This was brilliant! "Zhou Pingsheng suspects Hu Wensheng is the one draining all that willpower. He was probably monitoring him earlier. The moment he left, you ran off to absorb willpower, and now he's flying right back there. Do you get it now?" The moment he heard this, Su Yu understood instantly! He was also dazed for a second, blinking in disbelief. Zhou Pingsheng… suspected Hu Wensheng? Fascinating! This was too amusing! "What an idiot…" Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn't expected things to turn out like this. In that case, there might be room to maneuver here! Let Zhou Mingren's disciples fight among themselves! Let them drown in mutual suspicion! Now that would be entertaining! "Then I'll head back to your place to cultivate… In a bit, find an excuse to lure Zhou Pingsheng away and chat with him. That way, he won't suspect you, and I can stir up some more trouble. Teacher Liu, once you reach Lingyun, you still have a shot at the position of branch head…" Liu Hong sneered inwardly! Little brat, trying to egg me on. Do I give a damn about the position of branch head? What a joke! What good is being branch head? What I want is to collect money without doing any work. Being branch head gives you power, but it comes with endless headaches. When trouble strikes, you're the scapegoat! That wasn't even the main point! The main point was that the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was launching counterattacks now, and two Shanhai experts had died last time. Taking the position of branch head would be courting death! Only someone with nothing better to do like Zhou Pingsheng would obsess over that title. Then again, before one possessed sufficient strength, earning the faction's favor and securing more resources was definitely a good thing. "Fine. Come on back first. In a bit, I'll go comfort Senior Brother Zhou…" Liu Hong chuckled. He had nothing better to do anyway. At this point, he had reached his limit and could break through to Lingyun at any moment. But there was no need; breaking through inside the mystic realm was far too conspicuous. Keeping a low profile was wiser. As for Su Yu, had the kid hidden even more divine apertures? He definitely hadn't opened just twenty! Judging by the speed and momentum just now, having thirty apertures open wouldn't be surprising in the least! No wonder Zhou Pingsheng suspected Hu Wensheng! If it were Liu Hong, he wouldn't have believed Su Yu could absorb willpower so fast either. Earlier, he had suggested that several experts surround Su Yu and snatch away his willpower. If they actually did that, a few Tengkong cultivators might not even outcompete Su Yu. "This kid… has truly grown into a threat!" Su Yu was coming into his own! Once he advanced to Tengkong, he would rapidly reach the ninth stage. That was terrifying. Two years from now, during the quota competition, this kid would likely have a hand in it too! "The struggle between the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions…" Liu Hong smiled faintly. What does that have to do with me? On the other hand, his teacher was still in seclusion. Was it because the conflict between his divine characters had grown too severe? Could Su Yu resolve the clash of god and demon divine characters? His teacher originally had almost zero hope of reaching the Sun Moon Realm. But if a few divine characters could be eliminated, could he break through? Even if he ended up slightly weaker, even if he had fewer divine characters, stepping into Sun Moon was an entirely new lease on life! "Single Divine Character Slaying Society… divine-slaying points…" "Eliminating divine characters without lingering harm!" His teacher was already nearing the end of his lifespan. Shattering divine characters now would result in lethal backlash! Yet if there was no backlash, eliminating them might not kill him. The Single Divine Character Slaying Society! Liu Hong, who hadn't taken it too seriously before, now had a glint in his eye. Did this organization genuinely harbor top powerhouses? They probably did! Su Yu even had a basic cultural art that opened thirty-six divine apertures. Behind him stood either an Invincible expert or the descendants of an Invincible! Could it even be… the Xia family? Where did Su Yu get those Heaven rank cultivation methods? Last time, Hong Tan claimed he had passed them down, but Liu Hong didn't believe a word of it. Pure nonsense. If they really belonged to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, wouldn't Bai Feng know them too? Clearly, they belonged to Su Yu. Su Yu hailed from Nanyuan, a tiny place. Either Liu Wenyan had given them to him, or he had encountered some other fortuitous opportunity. Yet Su Yu hadn't been particularly remarkable back in Nanyuan. It could not be ruled out that he had joined the Single Divine Character Slaying Society after enrolling, thereby obtaining these opportunities. "He must have learned them after enrolling!" Liu Hong made his assessment. That had to be it. If Su Yu had known those Heaven rank methods early on, why would he have bothered exchanging for the War God Art? Why would he have clashed with Zheng Yunhui over a scrap like Sky-Breaking Slash… even if they were later revealed to have been putting on an act? "Single Divine Character Slaying Society!" Inhaling softly, he found the prospect intriguing. Perhaps Su Yu approaching him wasn't the start of him getting duped, but the turning point of his rise! "That idiot Lin Yao might have joined as well… I'll just keep an eye on him." Liu Hong weighed his options. He would wait and see whether Lin Yao made any notable progress recently. If even Lin Yao reaped benefits, let alone himself. He would undoubtedly gain massively! Excellent. This is my chance to rise!