Old Zhu Takes Action

"A divine art?" Up in the sky, the previously silent Blood Fire Demon God looked down at Su Yu and said slowly, "Divine arts and yuan arts, I have heard of them; they do exist across the myriad realms. But a cultural art... even if such a thing exists, it has only ever been mentioned in legends..." The Demon God stared at Su Yu with a peculiar look in his eyes. "Whether a technique is powerful or not is important, yet not truly that important. What I am more curious about is whether you inherited this, or acquired it by other means?" If it was an inheritance, was it from a ruin, or through another method? For instance... passed down by a truly formidable, supreme expert! And if it was inherited from a ruin, then the ruin here... was terrifying beyond measure! He looked toward the stone cliff, sun and moon revolving in his eyes. Was this the ruin? Earlier, he hadn't paid it much mind. Most ruins currently discovered by humanity could only allow one to reach the Sunmoon Realm at best. To him, a ruin capped at Sunmoon was of little use. But what if this was an Invincible-tier ruin? By then, Blood Rakshasa had already rushed to his side, no longer attacking the Old Heavenly Horse and the Mountain Antelope. He quickly sent a voice transmission: "Cult Master, strike now to prevent complications!" It was time to kill! Slaughter all these people, take Su Yu away, and as for the ruin... there was no rush to open it right now. They could find another opportunity to return, or simply make a killing today and flee. The Demon God ignored him, letting his gaze fall on Su Yu before swiftly shifting to Ji Xiaomeng and Li Minyu. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Lan Tian and Ji Hong?" Those two were quite interesting! Wasting no words, he reached out with a claw toward Ji Xiaomeng at blinding speed. With a boom, a powerful surge of willpower erupted from Ji Xiaomeng, yet it couldn't hinder the massive hand in the slightest. That willpower was sufficient against Shanhai experts, but against a fifth-stage Sunmoon like him, the gap was far too vast. A colossal hand blotted out the sky! Tracing the thread of willpower, the hand seemed to reach into the void. A moment later, a muffled grunt echoed from the void. With a crash, the void shattered! "Ji Hong..." The Demon God murmured with a chuckle. "Time to leave. Ji Hong has sensed it!" Lan Tian had sensed it as well! Here, two Sunmoon figures had possessed the girls with wisps of divine sense. The Demon God cared little for their motives; their true bodies were bound to be quite a distance away. Having shattered the divine sense protecting Ji Xiaomeng, he left both her and Li Minyu alone for the moment—he still had uses for them. With that, he raised his hand to blot out the sky once more, grabbing toward Jin Yuhui and Zhao Tianbing! Better to kill two Sunmoons first! Both men roared furiously and struck at the same time. Jin Yuhui's divine characters erupted, while Zhao Tianbing drew a longsword that radiated heaven-shaking might, terrifying to behold. Rumble! Deafening blasts resounded unceasingly as the surrounding mountain ridges were leveled to the ground. Jin Yuhui bellowed, "What are you all standing around for? Join forces and kill him!" This bastard from the Blood Fire Cult wanted to slaughter them all! A fifth-stage Sunmoon! With that kind of strength, even in the Great Xia Prefecture, few could take him down. The Blood Fire Cult had truly gone all out this time, dispatching an expert from the Blood Fire Demon race to infiltrate in person. They had originally assumed that a single Sunmoon would be more than enough to deal with Su Yu and his companions. Who could have foreseen that in the end, it would draw out so many powerhouses? ... On the perimeter. Zhu Tiandao was preparing to make his move. Director Hou sent a voice transmission: "Prefecture Lord, are we not waiting any longer? I feel Jin Yuhui might call for more help..." Why not keep dangling the bait? Things had already reached this point anyway! "No. If we keep fishing, we'll end up hooking all the Sunmoons in the Great Xia Prefecture, and that'll make it harder for us to act!" As Zhu Tiandao spoke, he chuckled, "Besides, it's time to reel in the net. If we don't, I'm worried trouble will brew. It's already troublesome enough as it is!" With that, Zhu Tiandao stepped into the void and said, "Stay behind. Maintain the grand formation for me. Don't let a single one escape! Seal all information and cut off all communications!" "Understood!" Director Hou said no more and hurriedly manipulated the formation. In an instant, the entirety of Starfall Mountain was enveloped in a layer of gray mist. This was an array talisman crafted by King Daming himself! Unless one reached the seventh stage of Sunmoon or higher, none could hope to escape. ... Inside Starfall Mountain. The fierce battle raged on. The Shanhai experts hesitated. Who should they attack? Should they join forces? Just moments ago, they had been trying to tear each other to pieces. Was it appropriate to join forces now? Would they be backstabbed? Burdened with various worries, none of them made a move. After all, there were two Sunmoons holding the line; they wouldn't die so easily. Meanwhile, the expert of the Blood Fire Demon race said indifferently, "Join my Blood Fire Cult, and you may live today. Jin Yuhui, do you really think you people can walk away cleanly today? If I release even a fraction of the recordings, what do you think your fate will be? Unless you're confident you can make me stay! But is that possible?" He smiled. "Don't worry, you won't need to come with me. You can continue being your academy heads, continue being your elders. Unless a critical moment arises, the Blood Fire Cult will not order you around. If a day comes when you become strong enough to kill me, I will gladly return the recordings to you... "The Blood Fire Demon race can provide you with everything you desire..." He was tempting them! Right now, could you kill me to silence me? If not, your only choice is to defect to the Blood Fire Cult! In truth, he looked forward to their surrender. There were so many people—a massive haul. One Sunmoon and multiple Shanhai experts. If he could recruit them, the Blood Fire Demon race's strength in the Human Realm would skyrocket! "The wise submit to circumstances!" He attacked relentlessly, suppressing Zhao Tianbing and Jin Yuhui and beating them until they coughed up blood. Both were first-stage Sunmoons, whereas he was a fifth-stage Sunmoon—and a demon at that, inherently adept at combat. Even working together, they were no match for him. "You cannot escape..." The Blood Fire Demon God chuckled. "Outside, I've laid down a Blood Fire Demon Array. Ji Hong sensed something, but it will take him a long time to get here. Even if he does, it will take time. And even if he notifies the Xia family, they'll need time too. The Great Xia Prefecture is still very far from here!" "I haven't given you much time!" The Great Xia Prefecture was thousands of li away. Even if a ninth-stage Sunmoon rushed over, it would take a while. The Blood Fire Demon God said grimly, "Besides, once the Xia family arrives, who knows who they'll kill! At worst, I'll just walk away. But what about you? The Xia family didn't touch you in the past not out of fear, but because they didn't want to fall out with certain figures in the Single Divine Character Faction. But now, with ironclad proof, do you think you can escape death?" He laughed. "If you claim Su Yu framed you, the Xia family might find it hard to judge. But with three Shanhai envoys from the Xia family present, do you think they'll believe you?" Jin Yuhui's face was dark, and he remained silent. The Blood Fire Demon God said faintly, "Yu Hong, join forces and kill those Xia family envoys. I'm not forcing you; this is what you must do to save your own lives!" Hu Hao barked, "Yu Hong, are you truly going to do this? Fully join the All-Races Cult? If you don't join, even if it's a capital offense, it won't implicate your clan. But once you join the All-Races Cult, even your descendants will be condemned! Are you truly going to throw away all regard for them?" If they didn't join, these people would still die. Yet without joining, even if guilty, even if executed, their families generally wouldn't be dragged down! Whether one was a true member of the All-Races Cult made a significant difference. Yu Hong's gaze turned chilling! She didn't care about Hu Hao's words in the slightest. If she was going to die, what did her family or anything else matter? She didn't want to die! At this moment, Yu Hong spoke: "Head Jin, will there be Sunmoon reinforcements?" If so, she would wait. If not, she had to make a choice immediately! Jin Yuhui said nothing. When he saw Zhao Tianbing, he had contacted a Sunmoon, but he didn't know where that person was now. Afterward, all communication in this area had been completely cut off. He hadn't thought much of it, assuming it was the Demon God's doing. Now, unable to establish contact, he had no idea whether the reinforcement was halfway here or nearly arrived. Seeing his silence, Yu Hong's expression shifted repeatedly. Suddenly, with a boom, she lunged toward Xia Wen! Xia Wen's face was icy. "You truly intend to join the All-Races Cult. Yu Hong, you lot truly are a cancer! The Xia family should never have spared you!" "Go tell that to the underworld!" Yu Hong snorted coldly and shouted, "What are you waiting for, strike! It's death either way, so fight for a chance at life! Do you all really want to perish here?" In the distance, the Demon God burst out laughing! His laughter shook the heavens! "A wise choice! Jin Yuhui, who are you waiting for? In the Great Xia Prefecture, the Single Divine Character Faction still has Zhou Mingren, who isn't weak. If you asked for help, unless I'm mistaken, it must be that fellow from the Great Shang Prefecture. It'll take him quite a while to get here. Unless he was nearby from the start—which I doubt..." The Demon God smiled! Zhou Mingren most likely wouldn't come, because he was genuinely in seclusion attempting a breakthrough to Sunmoon. Besides, a horde of eyes in the Great Xia Prefecture was fixed on him. The only Sunmoon reinforcement who could realistically arrive was from the neighboring Great Shang Prefecture, seeing as an elder from Great Shang was already involved in the fray. How long would that person take to arrive? Jin Yuhui's expression changed over and over. Suppressed by the Demon God, his yuan qi and willpower grinding away, he finally let out a long sigh. "Kill! Kill Hu Hao and the others!" The moment these words left his mouth, Yu Hong, Old Zheng, Elder Li, Tang Yunfei, Qiu Yunhua, and Wang Ming all breathed a sigh of relief. At this stage, they had no other choice. Jin Yuhui sighed inwardly; he had fallen. He never expected to meet his downfall here today. With the Blood Fire Demon God holding leverage over them, the future would be grim. "Hahaha..." The Blood Fire Demon God laughed wildly! Securing a Sunmoon and multiple Shanhais in one go—this deal was well worth it! More importantly, there was still Su Yu! At this moment, he intensified his onslaught, instantly battering Zhao Tianbing until blood sprayed and several mountain peaks shattered under the impact. In the distance, Su Yu frowned. Did Old Zhu run off? No way! He should have stepped in by now! ... Meanwhile. In the void, Zhu Tiandao scowled at the figure blocking his path and gritted his teeth. "What are you doing?" Marquis Xia said darkly, "The Xia family will do the killing!" "On what grounds?" Zhu Tiandao was displeased. "This is Great Ming Prefecture territory!" "The Xia family will do the killing!" Marquis Xia gritted his teeth, insisting that the Xia family handle the execution! Dammit! They had tolerated them time and time again, yet these scoundrels had turned traitor at the drop of a hat! Killing Su Yu... he had anticipated that. What he hadn't expected was that they would agree so easily to defecting to the Blood Fire Cult. "The Xia family will do the killing?" Zhu Tiandao pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Fine!" With a wave of his hand, the formation shifted, and Marquis Xia was swept away into the depths of the void. Zhu Tiandao curled his lip. "Screw off! Trying to reap what I sowed? Keep dreaming! Everything's mine!" Xia Xiao'er still thought he could contend with him! Reach the ninth stage of Sunmoon first! With eighth-stage strength, he'd better call Xia Longwu instead! He hadn't even cashed in on this favor yet, and Xia wanted to take the credit. If Su Yu saw the Xia family coming to the rescue while he hadn't shown up, what if the boy had a change of heart and ran back? Could he let the cooked duck fly away? "Old man, don't come back yet. Just keep an eye on the Xia family. If Xia Longwu or King Daxia tries to come here, stop them. Your son's striking it rich this time!" He sent a message to his old man. Stay there and watch the Xia family. No way was he letting the Xia family swoop in and claim the spoils! This time, the Great Ming Prefecture was going to do a massive favor. Killing so many Shanhais might bring some trouble, but... what was there to fear? Did the Great Ming Prefecture, with nothing to lose, fear anything? If they pushed King Daming too far, he'd dig up the ancestral graves of the Single Divine Character Faction! ... The next instant, Zhu Tiandao's figure materialized. The Demon God was still laughing heartily when suddenly his expression shifted. He whipped his head around. Behind him, a middle-aged figure emerged, smiling at him. "Thanks a lot. My Great Ming Prefecture is so poor, we're short on Sunmoon god and demon corpses..." As he spoke, he reached out, several divine characters manifesting. Sun and moon flared in the Demon God's eyes, yet in the blink of an eye, the divine characters locked him firmly in place. With a loud pop, the sun and moon in the Demon God's eyes shattered. His eyes widened as he stared at Zhu Tiandao in sheer terror. "Zhu Tiandao! Your Great Ming Prefecture..." "The Great Ming Prefecture is quite proactive when it comes to eradicating demons and upholding justice!" Zhu Tiandao cut him off. We're not slackers, so don't slander us. Everyone present was stunned. Zhu Tiandao! Zhu Tiandao of the Great Ming Prefecture! Zhu Tiandao of the ninth stage of Sunmoon! Beaming, Zhu Tiandao let his divine characters flow, his ninth-stage Sunmoon might laid bare. In the blink of an eye, he restrained his opponent. A four-stage gap, combined with being the descendant of an Invincible, made dealing with such foes child's play. The Zhu clan had only one Sunmoon—him. Whatever good treasures King Daming had were naturally funneled into him. Zhu Tiandao was far from weak; even among ninth-stage Sunmoons, he was formidable. Compress, compress, compress further... The Demon God's body shrank smaller and smaller until, at the limit, with a boom, his flesh exploded, reforming an instant later. Sunmoon cultivators could regenerate from a single drop of blood. Unfortunately, it was futile. In the span of a breath, the Demon God was obliterated seven or eight times. Then, with a resounding roar, an illusion manifested as a bright moon plummeted from the sky! It was the phenomenon of a Sunmoon's death! Zhu Tiandao looked completely relaxed. With a chuckle, he reached out and snatched the fleeing Blood Rakshasa into his grasp. Sun and moon revolved, and with a boom, Blood Rakshasa's sea of will collapsed, killing him instantly! Reaching out once more, he caught Yun Fei of the Divine Dragon Cult in his palm. At this moment, Zhu Tiandao held a miniature world within his hand. Gripping Yun Fei, he glanced at Su Yu and laughed. "Su Yu, nicely done! This time, you truly baited quite a few big fish. The Xia family didn't dare purge them, but my Zhu family dares!" With that, a boom sounded as he crushed Yun Fei into mist. "The All-Races Cult scoundrels are all dead..." In the blink of an eye, two Shanhais and a fifth-stage Sunmoon Demon God had fallen! A powerhouse near the Invincible Realm! Su Yu watched in awe, slightly mesmerized. Was this the ninth stage of Sunmoon? The fifth-stage Sunmoon Demon God who had been incomparably domineering and insufferably arrogant moments ago was crushed so effortlessly? All dead! And from the moment Zhu Tiandao appeared until now, barely any time had passed. Ahead, Jin Yuhui's expression shifted erratically before he quickly said, "Many thanks to Prefecture Lord Zhu for the rescue! To lure out this Sunmoon Demon God, we expended immense effort as well..." Over there, Yu Hong and the others trembled and chimed in hastily, "Many thanks, Prefecture Lord Zhu! We received word early on and thought we could take down this Demon God, but we underestimated him and nearly fell. Fortunately, Prefecture Lord happened to pass by..." Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Passing by?" "I wasn't passing by." He looked at Yu Hong, then at Jin Yuhui and the others, chuckling, "How could I be passing by? I was already here before you even arrived. Isn't that right, Su Yu?" Su Yu smiled. "Indeed, Prefecture Lord is wise! Under your plan, the traitors to humanity and the remnants of the All-Races Cult were caught in one fell swoop. Your name will surely echo throughout the Human Realm!" "Flattery, just flattery," Zhu Tiandao laughed. "I'm actually a bit disappointed I couldn't bait an eighth- or ninth-stage Sunmoon. That Lan Tian must have realized I was here and fled exceptionally fast. A pity. If we had taken him out, the Great Ming Prefecture would have truly made a name for itself!" Zhu Tiandao maintained his smile, while Yu Hong and the others turned pale. What did this mean? Even Hu Hao couldn't help shouting, "Su Yu, what is the meaning of this...?" Su Yu said calmly, "My thanks to all seniors for your efforts! However... I will not accept any favors. This was a mess caused by the Great Xia Prefecture itself, breeding a whole nest of traitors. It was only right for the Great Xia Prefecture to step in. Even without you all, I would not have died!" He offered thanks, but owed no gratitude. Of course, not to everyone. People like Zhao Tianbing, Feng Qi invited by Chen Yong, and Zhao Mingyue who had followed in secret... To them, he owed favors. As for the Xia family members... including Xia Wen and Xia Wu, returning the favor once to Xia Huyou was enough. He owed nothing to the rest. Including the three Shanhai great demons—they had fought for their own survival; Su Yu owed them nothing. Su Yu said evenly, "The Great Xia Prefecture has fallen into such chaos. This time, the Great Xia Prefecture ought to thank me and Prefecture Lord Zhu for helping clean out some trash. In terms of merit, I believe I have contributed significantly to the Great Xia Prefecture!" That was nothing but the truth. Zhu Tiandao laughed. "Precisely! Not a single one of those fellows from the Great Xia Prefecture is reliable... My Great Ming Prefecture is far more dependable!" At that moment, Zhao Mingyue flew over swiftly from the distance, looking at Su Yu with a slight frown. "Su Yu, what do you mean by this...?" "Senior Zhao... this student has already joined the Great Ming Prefecture!" Su Yu bowed in gratitude. "I am deeply thankful for Senior coming to my aid! If the Multiple Divine Characters Faction still acknowledges me, I am a student of the faction. If not, then I am not! The Great Xia Prefecture is too unjust!" Su Yu shouted, "The Single Divine Character Faction's suppression of dissent has gone beyond mere suppression—they want total extermination! Even so, no one intervenes, no one inquires! Shanhai and Sunmoon experts strike against me. If this is still called suppression, then murder no longer exists in this world! "Head Wan speaks of rules, the Xia family speaks of rules, but right now... how many actually follow their rules?" Su Yu said coldly, "Since that is the case, I shall enter the Great Ming Prefecture! I handed over the aperture fusion art, the Soul Devour Art, the basic cultural art, and even the divine character battle technique disassembly art discovered by my teacher—the Xia family knew of it all. And what was the result? My teacher was still punished and sent to the Sinners' Camp! He is a sinner—is that not laughable?" What Vanguard Camp! It was simply a camp for sinners! Su Yu barked coldly, "A genius like my teacher is branded a sinner! Killing a man in the Xia family's so-called war zone makes him a sinner? When all he killed was scum, that makes him a sinner? Grouped alongside bandits and murderous maniacs? "Claiming it was to protect the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, to stop those people from taking deadly action... laughable!" Su Yu said calmly, "Utterly laughable! When we face crisis and assassins, we never see the Xia family step up to uphold justice! Since we are all here, we might as well speak plainly. The one the Xia family is guarding against is that traitorous Invincible—what does that have to do with us? If your War God Hall and Quest Realm cannot uncover them, or if you don't care even after finding out, why must we bear the brunt of it all? "Has anyone ever upheld justice for the Multiple Divine Characters Faction? "Justice lives in the hearts of the people. Does no one know there was foul play behind the death of the Fifth Principal? "Far too many people know! "Yet even knowing, they continue to indulge it! "The Xia family was the backing of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, and the Great Xia Prefecture was the faction's root. When the Fifth Principal died, it was only right for the Xia family to exert effort!" Su Yu said indifferently, "The circumstances of the Fifth Principal's death are complicated, and I do not know the details. The only thing I know is that the Fifth Principal killed an enemy Invincible of the myriad races. That alone is enough! Even if the Fifth Principal had selfish motives, even if he was arrogant and overbearing back then, he died on the battlefield, not in the rear!" Su Yu declared loudly, "I only want to know: dying on the battlefield after slaying an enemy Invincible, does he count as a hero or not? "If he does, then shielding the Multiple Divine Characters Faction today is the duty of the entire Human Realm! It is not a personal favor! "Does the Xia family want to treat shielding my Teacher Liu as a favor? "Then let them!" Su Yu shouted, "My teachers can endure it, but I cannot! I do not see this as a favor, nor do I feel I owe them anything! Shielding heroes and their descendants—is that not what the Human Realm ought to do? If even this cannot be done, what expert would dare go to the battlefield to fight and die? "If that is the case, why fight at all? For whom? For a bunch of strangers who are vested beneficiaries? "If that is how it is, let the myriad races breach the Human Realm!" Su Yu roared, "Even the myriad races know to value talent, to win over hearts, and to honor those who die in battle as heroes. Yet how does our human race act?" "..." Silence. Su Yu gave a cold laugh. "Therefore, I owe nothing to the Xia family, nor to the Great Xia Prefecture. Strictly speaking, my father is still in the Demon Suppressing Army, shedding blood to protect humanity and the Great Xia Prefecture. Even if he is weak, he is fighting on the front lines. Yet today, this is how the Great Xia Prefecture treats the descendants of heroes. Is this what a major prefecture of the Human Realm looks like? "Since it has come to this... this student chooses to defect today!" "Su Yu, how dare you question the Xia family, question the Human Realm..." At this moment, Jin Yuhui cursed, "Everything has cause and effect! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction has brought countless disasters upon the Human Realm..." Before he could finish, Zhu Tiandao reached out with a grab! Jin Yuhui roared furiously as his divine characters flared, but it was futile. A large cluster of his divine characters was shattered in an instant, and Zhu Tiandao caught him in his palm. Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Alright, save your breath! Truth be told, everyone can see the chaos in the Human Realm and the inaction of the War God Hall and the Quest Realm. We just can't be bothered to curse at them, not that we don't know. What's the point of bringing this up now? My father is the second-in-command at the Quest Realm, and even I think the Quest Realm and War God Hall are unreliable. You're a traitor, what right do you have to speak?" Zhu Tiandao smiled, then turned to Su Yu. "You spoke well. But... people are somewhat selfish by nature; cursing won't change anything. Just find a way to change it yourself! The law of the jungle applies to the Human Realm as well. As for the rhetoric about protecting humanity and safeguarding the Human Realm, there was some sincerity in it over three hundred years ago. Nowadays, it's just a slogan. Don't take it too seriously!" As the lord of a prefecture, for Zhu Tiandao to utter such words would be shocking if leaked. Zhu Tiandao didn't care. Squeezing Jin Yuhui until he coughed up blood, he chuckled, "You are an academy head of the Great Xia Prefecture, a Sunmoon expert. Executing someone like you should be left to the Great Xia Prefecture and the Quest Realm..." Su Yu frowned, remaining silent. Yet the next moment, Zhu Tiandao laughed. "However, my father is the second-in-command of the Quest Realm, you know? If my father says you can be executed, then you can. No need to care about the Great Xia Prefecture!" With that, he declared with a smile, "By order of King Daming, Jin Yuhui has betrayed humanity and defected to the Blood Fire Cult of the All-Races Cult. He shall be executed! Behead him!" As for whether it was an actual decree from King Daming, it didn't matter. It was his father; he could say whatever he wanted! With a tremendous crash! Sun and moon shattered, and a bright moon plunged from the sky! Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "There, a Sunmoon executed! I'd say I've accomplished quite a feat!" Turning to Su Yu, he smiled. "Who else? Call their names. Call one, and I'll kill one. What's the big deal? Kid, even if the Quest Realm and Great Xia Prefecture invade my Great Ming Prefecture over this, I'll protect you to the end. Rest assured, toward our own people, my Great Ming Prefecture has only one word—generous!" "..." Su Yu couldn't help but laugh, bowing. "Prefecture Lord is wise!" Invade the Great Ming Prefecture... hardly likely. Zhu Tiandao was certainly putting a shiny coat on his own deeds. Zhu Tiandao paid it no mind. At this moment, Yu Hong and the others were terrified, fleeing madly in all directions! Zhu Tiandao strolled leisurely through the void, casually grabbing one person. "This is Tang Yunfei of Jiutian, right? Deserves to die!" Bang! Exploded and perished! "Qiu Yunhua... I recognize you. Deserves to die!" Bang! Everyone trembled in horror! One Shanhai after another was slain, shaking them to the core. Jin Yuhui was dead, Tang Yunfei was dead, Qiu Yunhua was dead... Zhu Tiandao executed the Shanhais one by one! Su Yu watched silently from below, saying nothing as he observed. Old Zheng was killed, Elder Li was killed, Wang Ming of Wendao Academy was killed, the old ox of the Barbarian Ox race was killed, the old fox of the Fox race was killed... Finally, Zhu Tiandao caught Yu Hong and looked at Su Yu with a grin. "I see you hold quite a grudge against her. Want to kill her yourself?" Yu Hong's face was filled with terror. "No, please don't... Su Yu, don't kill me..." Su Yu asked calmly, "Tell me, were you the one who leaked information back then, leading to the death of my senior sister's parents?" "No..." A bloodcurdling scream rang out as Zhu Tiandao squeezed until her physical body began to rupture. Yu Hong shrieked, "It wasn't me! It was... Zhou Pingsheng! Yes, it was him! He entered around the same time as Chen Yong, and he was jealous of him... He notified the Six-Winged God race, and the Six-Winged God Cult ambushed Chen Yong and the others..." Su Yu said calmly, "The Six-Winged God Cult?" "Yes..." "Understood." Su Yu nodded slightly and smiled. "Prefecture Lord, please execute her. I fear she would dirty my hands..." The nerve of this kid! Zhu Tiandao was speechless. You think she'll dirty your hands, but she won't dirty mine? Bang! Yu Hong exploded, wiped out entirely! At this point, the fallen Shanhai experts included Cloud Tiger, Barbarian Ox, Old Fox, Yu Hong, Elder Li, Old Zheng, Tang Yunfei, Qiu Yunhua, Wang Ming, Yun Fei of the Divine Dragon Cult, Hong Chen of the Demon Scorpion Cult, and Blood Rakshasa of the Blood Fire Cult, along with two Sunmoon cultivators, Jin Yuhui and the Blood Fire Demon God. Twelve Shanhais! Two Sunmoons! In addition to countless Lingyun and Tengkong cultivators! Total silence fell over the surroundings! At this moment, everyone remained speechless. This slaughter had claimed multiple Shanhais and a Sunmoon from the Great Xia Prefecture—the losses were staggering! Furthermore, six Dao Protectors from the Myriad Races Academy had died. Five foreign students had died! This was bound to cause serious trouble! Right at this moment, the void rippled, and Marquis Xia, his face grim, broke through the formation and walked out. He glanced at Su Yu without saying a word. Then he looked at the fallen experts, still remaining silent. Currently, all the surviving experts belonged to humanity's side. Silence. In this battle, the Single Divine Character Faction had lost far too many people, surpassing even Marquis Xia's expectations. Zhu Tiandao paid it no mind, saying casually, "Old Xia, since you're here, speak up. What should we do with these people? You know that right now, some news cannot be leaked!" Marquis Xia ignored him, looking first at Su Yu's three great demons, then at the Old Heavenly Horse and the Mountain Antelope. He said in a low voice, "Five great demons... my Xia family is not unreasonable. Come here; a portion of your memories must be sealed. The more you know, the faster you die. You understand this!" The demons dared not raise any objection. With Zhu Tiandao and Marquis Xia present, they knew all too well that knowing too much meant a swift death. Marquis Xia didn't seal their memories directly. Instead, he knocked them unconscious and said in a heavy tone, "Let an Invincible apply the seal, so no one can unravel it!" With that, he looked at the remaining Shanhais. "Hu Hao, Xia Wen, Xia Wu, once you return, enter seclusion to heal your wounds!" "Understood!" the three replied hastily. "Zhao Mingyue, Feng Qi... as for you two..." Marquis Xia frowned. "You both belong to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. I shouldn't need to say more, right?" Zhao Mingyue said gravely, "Rest assured!" Marquis Xia said no more and finally turned to Zhao Tianbing. This was the real headache! Seeing his gaze, Zhao Tianbing felt exasperated. After a moment's thought, he said, "How about this: I'll swear in my junior brother's name. If I leak a word, my junior brother will self-detonate. How about that?" Marquis Xia: "..." Zhu Tiandao: "..." Zhao Tianbing said helplessly, "Why look at me like that? My junior brother is my closest kin right now; I don't have descendants. I'm a Sunmoon; even an Invincible would find it hard to seal my memories. What else can I do? You can't expect me to commit suicide, can you?" Meanwhile, Su Yu chuckled, "Senior Uncle Zhao, I trust you. Besides, there's nothing here that cannot be spoken of." Both Zhu Tiandao and Marquis Xia couldn't be bothered to answer him. Nonsense! You have nothing to fear, but certain matters truly cannot be made public right now. Marquis Xia looked toward Water Person and the others, remarking flatly, "These fellows are too weak. Might as well kill them to keep information from leaking..." Suanni shivered violently! Holy crap! They were going to die? "No need!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "There is no need to trouble the Marquis. I will bring them to the Great Ming Prefecture. Within the Great Ming Prefecture, these fellows won't be able to stir up any waves!" "Are you truly going to the Great Ming Prefecture?" Marquis Xia sighed. "Now that these people have been slain, the Xia family will purge a batch and intimidate another. The Great Xia Prefecture will be far better off moving forward..." "No need. My thanks to the Marquis!" Su Yu said no more; everything that needed to be said had been said. He would not stay in the Great Xia Prefecture. At this stage, those who wavered between two sides never met a good end! Zhu Tiandao grinned ear to ear, casting a beaming look at Su Yu. That's the spirit! Marquis Xia sighed once more, turning to the students. "Lan Tian might know..." Zhu Tiandao laughed. "It's fine, he doesn't know much. His divine sense was shattered early on. It broke right when Su Yu unleashed the disassembled divine character battle technique, so he knows nothing of what followed. His student here... are you taking her, or am I?" "I'll take her!" Marquis Xia looked at Ji Xiaomeng and said in a deep voice, "Did Ji Hong discover something?" Otherwise, why would he have his daughter keep an eye on Li Minyu? Truth be told, even Marquis Xia hadn't known Li Minyu was connected to Lan Tian. Furthermore, Ji Hong knew yet didn't report it. What was that fellow thinking? Ji Xiaomeng said pitifully, "Grandpa Xia, I don't know anything! How about you seal my memories, then tell my father to keep it a secret? Please don't kill me, okay?" Marquis Xia had a headache. Kill what? Ji Hong was a Xia family subordinate... Well, once someone reached the Sunmoon Realm, the Xia family had little control over them anyway, nor did they care to enforce it. Once they returned, he'd have to have a serious talk with Ji Hong. So many deaths in a single day—they needed a good reason, a solid pretext... Just as he was pondering, Su Yu said calmly, "How you handle it is the Great Xia Prefecture's business, which is beyond my control! But Prefecture Lord Zhu, I want to make part of the recordings public. I don't want certain people to be heralded as heroes who died eradicating the All-Races Cult!" He looked at Marquis Xia. If you dare do that, I dare release the recordings and slap the Xia family in the face! It wasn't beyond the Xia family to pull something like that! Or rather, any ruler might do so. To maintain internal peace, to appease the remaining experts of the Single Divine Character Faction, to keep the Great Xia Prefecture from falling into turmoil, and to keep the public in the dark, they were very likely to publicize it that way! Claiming these people had died fighting valiantly against the All-Races Cult! Peace and prosperity for the realm! As for the higher-ups knowing the truth, that would remain among the higher-ups. But Su Yu refused! He wanted to make it public. He wanted the Single Divine Character Faction to be spurned by thousands! Marquis Xia frowned. "Those who remain might not be your enemies. If you do this, the entire Single Divine Character Faction across the Human Realm will hate you!" Almost all of his enemies had been slain this time! The higher-ups would naturally receive word of the event; what need was there to stir up the entire world? Su Yu ignored him, looking toward Zhu Tiandao. "Prefecture Lord, may I make it public?" Zhu Tiandao also felt a toothache coming on. After a moment's thought, he said, "Edit out the parts unsuitable for public viewing. The rest, do as you please..." "Zhu Tiandao!" Marquis Xia barked in a low voice, "If you do this, the public's morale will be shaken! Seeing such chaos within the Human Realm will cause unrest throughout the entire realm!" What he said was the truth! Presently, the masses believed that humanity was united, standing together against external foes! Because of that, the Great Xia Prefecture had a fierce fighting spirit and countless soldiers. Once this video spread, countless people's faith would crumble! Zhu Tiandao shrugged. "Destruction precedes creation. What does it have to do with me? The situation in the Great Xia Prefecture is severe, but my Great Ming Prefecture is perfectly fine. Everyone knows the Civilization Masters of my Great Ming Prefecture spend their time indulging in romance and poetry. What does this have to do with me?" Seriously! Everyone in the Great Ming Prefecture knew their Civilization Masters were fond of leisure and romance. This was your Great Xia Prefecture's mess—what did it have to do with him? "You..." Marquis Xia's head felt as big as a bushel! If this truly spread, the Great Xia Prefecture would suffer massive repercussions. At that moment, a cold voice rang out: "Second Uncle, bring them back. If it spreads, let it spread! It matters not! The Great Xia Prefecture is in need of a baptism as well!" The next instant, the voice vanished. Zhu Tiandao raised an eyebrow. Marquis Xia sighed, speaking no further. Xia Longwu! He had sent a voice transmission! Su Yu also frowned slightly. Xia Longwu... was he really going to allow him to disseminate the recordings? What did this mean? He had expected the Great Xia Prefecture to firmly object. Marquis Xia said no more. Reaching out, he swept several people into his grasp and vanished on the spot. "Su Yu, the Great Xia Prefecture... welcomes you back anytime! Certain things are not as you imagine. The Great Xia Prefecture... also has its difficulties." "Su Yu understands!" Su Yu replied, "I hope the Marquis will not forget what you promised me earlier!" "Sigh, I won't!" Marquis Xia's voice faded, laced with unspeakable regret. As soon as he departed, Zhu Tiandao's face broke into an ecstatic grin, turning toward Su Yu with his teeth on full display! "Last time, I mentioned my granddaughter and you didn't agree. I won't bring her up this time. I have a daughter who isn't very old either..." "..." Silence descended all around. Some people hadn't left yet! Holy crap! At this moment, those left behind stared dumbfounded. Was... was this really necessary? You're the Prefecture Lord of the Great Ming Prefecture! Su Yu was completely speechless. After a long while, he finally said, "Prefecture Lord, um... did I expose too much this time?" "Doesn't matter!" Zhu Tiandao waved it off. "Your opportunities are yours. But... ahem, you can share a bit with others when appropriate. We'll give you benefits in exchange. If not, once you marry into the Zhu clan, what's yours is ours anyway. Same thing, right?" "..." Zhu Tiandao didn't care. Forcing him to hand it over was bad, and he might not give it all anyway. Once he became part of the Zhu family, one of their own, could he refuse to share? When he had sons and daughters, wouldn't he pass it down to them? Cultivators could afford to wait and lived long lives. He would definitely see it within his lifetime, so what was there to fear! Once you reach the Great Ming Prefecture, you think you can escape? A young lad—could he really have no interest in women? At worst, I'll father a few more daughters myself. We're all cultivators with long lifespans; I'm bound to have one you like, right? When the time comes, whatever belongs to you, Su Yu, will belong to my Zhu clan! Zhu Tiandao grinned, thoroughly unbothered. Once in the Great Ming Prefecture, he would be a man of the Zhu family!