Finally Leaving the Great Xia Prefecture

"Many thanks for the high praise, Mansion Master!" Su Yu could not be bothered to say more. Zhu Tiandao had only this single flaw: whenever he had a spare moment, he was either trying to peddle his granddaughter or sell off his daughter. Women only got in the way of serious business—did he not know that? By now, Marquis Xia had taken quite a few people away, including several greater demons. Su Yu was in no rush about that either; he could let Zhu Tiandao negotiate the matter of the three greater demons later. Hu Hao and the others from the Xia family had also been escorted away by Marquis Xia, along with the young heavenly horse and its companions. Only their own people remained behind now. They were not well-acquainted, but they were unquestionably on his side. Men like Chen Yong's friend Feng Qi, Zhao Li's senior brother Zhao Tianbing, and Teacher Liu's romantic confidante, Zhao Mingyue. "Thank you, seniors!" Su Yu bowed in gratitude. He had not asked them to come, yet they had rushed to his rescue out of concern for his safety. That was a favor he would not forget. Zhao Mingyue looked at him and sighed softly. "You have your own path. Before coming here, even I never anticipated such an outcome. Since you have made your choice, see it through to the end! The Multiple Divine Character Faction... well, that is fine too. Life in the Great Ming Prefecture is easier than in the Great Xia Prefecture. It is good for you to remain there." With that, Zhao Mingyue did not elaborate further. "I will take my leave now. If you ever need help, you can send word back!" She said little else, as there was not much left to say. Zhu Tiandao valued Su Yu, which was a good thing. In the Great Xia Prefecture, Su Yu might never have received such regard. At least on the surface, the Xia family could never show him overt favoritism. The Xia family acted as neutral arbiters; they could not show blatant partiality, lest the outside world believe they favored the Multiple Divine Character Faction. "Thank you, Mistress!" "..." Zhao Mingyue froze for an instant, then suddenly broke into laughter. Her usually aloof, frosty expression softened into a brilliant smile, and a moment later, she tore through the sky and departed. Beside him, Zhu Tiandao eyed him with an odd expression. Mistress? What was going on here? Su Yu said calmly, "Teacher Liu Wenyan is also my teacher." "Cough, cough, cough..." Zhu Tiandao nearly choked. You rascal! This kid really had nerve! He actually knew about this history and chuckled with amusement. "Zhao Mingyue, Hu Ping, Wu Yuehua... You little brat, you only dare say that here. If you said that in front of the other two, hahaha..." He truly wanted to see Su Yu utter that in front of those two women. It would undoubtedly be quite a show! Nearby, Feng Qi, who had previously intervened to intercept Elder Li, smiled as well. "Senior Uncle Liu's situation... is indeed somewhat complicated." Turning to Su Yu, he added, "Few people know that I am still alive. Su Yu, I know of you; Brother Chen has mentioned you to me many times. If you ever run into trouble, you can look for me, though I rarely show myself in public..." With that, he tossed a voice transmission talisman to Su Yu. "We shall meet again if fate allows. Storm clouds gather over the Great Xia Prefecture, and great upheaval will come sooner or later. I hope that when that time arrives, you will possess sufficient strength... or whatever. If not, just stay safely in the Great Ming Prefecture." Having said his piece, he too departed. Zhao Tianbing looked at Su Yu, then glanced at Zhu Tiandao, chuckling. "What a pity. The Great Ming Prefecture got a bargain. In truth, you could have sought refuge with me back then. I still carry a bit of weight in the Great Zhou Prefecture!" Zhu Tiandao shot him a glance, but Zhao Tianbing paid it no mind. Both of them were at the Sunmoon Realm; neither outranked the other by much. "My junior brother has a stubborn temper. I urged him long ago to come with me to the Great Zhou Prefecture, but he flatly refused. Forget it, let him be. As for you... take care of yourself. Trust no one. In this world, the only true thing is to rely on yourself!" After offering this counsel, he casually tossed a ring to Su Yu. "A storage ring. This thing isn't of much use, only really needed by warriors. My junior brother asked me to bring some models from the Great Zhou Prefecture for you—puppet models. Keep them for yourself." He then cast a glance toward the place where the Sunmoons had fallen and sighed softly. "Jin Yuhui could be considered an old acquaintance. Who would have thought... what a pity!" A Sunmoon Realm expert! In the Human Realm, such a person was a figure of great stature. Yet today, he had been slain on the spot, and even in death, he had died in disgrace. A complete humiliation! Sighing, Zhao Tianbing shot into the sky and vanished. At this moment, only Su Yu, Zhu Tiandao, and a few small demons remained in the clearing. Su Yu glanced toward the spot where the Sunmoons had perished and smiled. "Mansion Master, could we delay just a little longer? Two Sunmoons have died here; it would be a shame to waste it. I would like to cultivate for a bit." "Suit yourself." Zhu Tiandao did not mind waiting a little longer. Su Yu nodded and turned to look at the small demons. "Go cultivate. Consider it your reward. Two Sunmoons have fallen, and after fighting so hard today, this shall be your compensation!" Using the death of Sunmoons to cultivate! Even Invincibles could rarely afford such extravagance. This time, it was simply a fortuitous coincidence. Without needing Su Yu's instructions, the little fur ball had long since scurried over to Jin Yuhui's side, stealthily devouring divine characters. Sunmoon divine characters! Of course, Jin Yuhui had not fully advanced; only his primary divine character was at the Sunmoon Realm, while the rest were at the peak of the Shanhai Realm. Even so, the residual power released as these divine characters shattered was exceptionally potent. Right now, the resonance of the divine characters was in no way inferior to the resonance when Marquis Xia and the others had shattered divine characters back then. Saying no more, Su Yu sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. He absorbed the residual power of the divine characters! At this moment, his yuan apertures opened one after another, and his divine apertures also began to unseal directly. Not only that, inside Su Yu's mind, a new divine character gradually took shape. *Jie*—Tribulation! Surviving a tribulation! Tribulations upon tribulations! He was merely in the Yangxing Realm, yet Sunmoon experts had come to kill him. In a single battle, over a dozen Shanhai experts and two Sunmoons had been slain. This was a tribulation. A great calamity! Now, this calamity had passed, but Su Yu knew that the road ahead was bound to be fraught with endless trials. Whether it was the divine character disassembly art, the divine arts, or his mysterious tome, each brought its own trials. Once news of these things spread, he would become a thorn in the side of all races, and even in the eyes of certain humans. Today, he had escaped this cage, but who could guarantee that the Great Ming Prefecture would not become the next? Shackles and entanglements would always accompany him. From the day he discovered that tome, Su Yu should have realized that he was fated never to escape this great calamity—perhaps a calamity spanning the heavens themselves. Analyzing the cultivation arts of all races, absorbing their blood essence... This tome was the root of all these tribulations. With clarity dawning in his heart and mixed emotions surging within him, the divine character for *Tribulation* was born from his very soul. *Perhaps my entire life will be accompanied by tribulations.* *In today's battle, I broke free from the cage, yet I have also pushed myself to the brink of danger. If anyone in either the Great Ming Prefecture or the Great Xia Prefecture harbors malicious intentions, disaster will befall me sooner or later.* These myriad realizations stirred complex emotions in the eighteen-year-old Su Yu, leaving him feeling somewhat lost about the future and slightly melancholy about today's events. Had he won? No! No matter how many Shanhais or Sunmoons had been slain, certain things remained unchanged. ... To the side. Zhu Tiandao's eyes flickered. What kind of divine character was that? An innate divine character! This kid had outlined another innate divine character. A genius! A genuine genius! Cultivation methods and secret arts could all be inherited, but this innate divine character had been comprehended by Su Yu himself. If that was not genius, what was? Even without everything else, Su Yu would still be a peerless, monstrous talent. To comprehend yet another innate divine character at such a moment was truly terrifying. "This divine character... carries a bit of an ominous air!" The faint, misty miasma radiating from it made him realize that this character was likely not like the fire-of-inheritance character from last time. This seemed to be of a calamitous nature. A moment later, Director Hou arrived. Looking at Su Yu, his eyes also showed shock. Comprehending a divine character on his own? Truly terrifying! After another moment, the void trembled as a white-haired elder descended. The surrounding space locked down. Tugging at his beard, the old man looked at Su Yu, then turned to Zhu Tiandao, asking with a chuckle, "Are you sure this is worth it?" "Worth it!" Zhu Tiandao laughed. "Dad, not only is it worth it, we made a massive profit!" "Then that's fine!" The old man smiled and said with a chuckle, "That Xia Longwu brat... formidable! What a pity, I don't have such a strong grandson!" Xia Longwu was the grandson of King Daxia. "He is very formidable?" Zhu Tiandao asked. The old man nodded. "Formidable. Didn't you ask me to block him? Old Xia didn't return, so I was keeping an eye on that Xia Longwu brat. That fellow... his physical body tore through past and future, cutting right through my obstruction. You heard that voice transmission earlier, didn't you? That was a voice from the future. That kid is terrifying; his physical body already shows signs of becoming an Invincible..." Zhu Tiandao's expression changed slightly. "That strong? That shouldn't be possible. Everyone cultivates Heaven-rank arts, so how could he be so powerful? It's not like he's Ye Batian!" Stroking his beard, the old man remarked wistfully, "That's why I say Old Xia gave birth to a good grandson..." "He didn't give birth to him!" "..." The old man glared at Zhu Tiandao. "Old Xia's eldest gave birth to a good son, happy now? I insist on saying Old Xia gave birth to a good grandson, is that a problem?" "Fine by me!" Zhu Tiandao shrugged indifferently. The old man sighed wistfully again. "What a pity. If my eldest were still around, he certainly wouldn't be inferior to Xia Longwu." Zhu Tiandao did not want to speak. You're doing it too! Again! "Big Brother was finished when he was nine years old; stop bringing him up every single day!" The old man sighed and glanced around, ignoring him. Soon, his eyes fell upon the stone cliff. His gaze shifted slightly, and a moment later, he laughed. "Ruins, my foot. It's a vault. Wonder whose it is... the Heavenly Archer Cult's, probably?" Zhu Tiandao was speechless. He had genuinely thought there were ruins here. The old man could not be bothered to dwell on it. Looking around once more, he shook his head. "Your perception and eyesight are truly lacking! Someone was here just now and only left moments ago. It's all because of a useless fellow like you. Don't stop me; if I look around, maybe I can catch him!" "Lan Tian?" "Yeah." Zhu Tiandao frowned. "What is Lan Tian trying to pull? Could he know something..." "It doesn't matter." The old man was unconcerned. "Lan Tian probably has his eye on Su Yu. No harm done. That fellow is rotten to the core, yet not in the conventional sense. He's so twisted that he genuinely believes himself to be a good person acting to save humanity. Even if he knows some of Su Yu's secrets, he won't spread them. He's probably planning to recruit Su Yu." When a person was so twisted that they genuinely believed themselves to be righteous saviors of the world, it became impossible to predict their behavior. At times, they would do things that defied all belief. "His disciple was taken away by Xia the Second..." "Taken away, my foot!" King Daming retorted casually. "How could Xia the Second have the ability to take away one of Lan Tian's people? In the entire Great Xia Prefecture, only two or three people could manage that, and Xia the Second isn't one of them. I took a look at that girl on my way back; her sea of will was already gone, taken by Lan Tian. What Xia the Second carried back was just an empty husk. Whether it's real or fake is hard to say." Such was the terrifying nature of the Modification Faction! Zhu Tiandao clicked his tongue in wonder. "Lan Tian hasn't been in the Sunmoon Realm for very long, has he? What's his strength now?" "Hard to say, but at least seventh-stage Sunmoon," King Daming smiled. "That fellow has modified himself to a terrifying degree; having immense strength is only normal. Forget it, since I can't catch him, I can't be bothered with him." Pausing, he added, "This old man still has business to attend to. As for the Great Ming Prefecture..." He glanced at Su Yu. "Don't be too hasty. Take it easy. Store up grain, build walls high, and bide your time before claiming the throne. The Great Ming Prefecture is in no hurry; we don't need to contest the temporary gains of a single day! Let them fight among themselves; we won't get involved. Winning first doesn't mean winning in the end!" "What if Su Yu spreads any cultivation arts..." "Whatever!" the old man said, then added, "Just spread them in small circles; don't make a massive fuss. Even if he wants to establish the Multiple Divine Character Faction, that's fine too, but don't go spreading it all over the place. It's troublesome. At the very least, don't expand beyond the Great Ming Prefecture into other prefectures for now..." Zhu Tiandao nodded. The old man continued, "Also, you useless bastard, show some backbone! Everyone else is seeking the Dao, while you're still stuck. To put it nicely, we fear no one, but to put it bluntly... people don't even take us seriously!" King Daming grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Old Xia might not even be my match, yet what has happened? The Great Ming Prefecture versus the Great Xia Prefecture... go ask around! My lifelong reputation has been thoroughly ruined by you!" Zhu Tiandao said helplessly, "Dad, can you blame me for that? It's a genetic issue!" "Cut the nonsense!" Having said that, King Daming cast a final glance at the little fur ball, which was busily absorbing divine characters, his eyes glinting. "That little thing... tell Su Yu not to flaunt it around, and not to run around carrying it everywhere." "Hmm?" "I seem to have encountered that race before..." King Daming sounded somewhat uncertain. "Devouring divine characters... I seem to have seen it, though I can't recall clearly and can't be sure. Over three hundred years ago, not long after I achieved the Dao, when I was fighting someone, something appeared for an instant and vanished, swallowing an Invincible's sea of will. I'm not sure if it was one of these things." "..." "An Invincible?" Zhu Tiandao swallowed hard. Don't joke around! "I can't be certain." King Daming looked at it a while longer before saying, "In any case, just make sure he doesn't run around recklessly with it! Why on earth would that thing follow Su Yu?" Forget it, he could not be bothered to pry; they would just have to be careful themselves. Finally, he concluded, "The divine character disassembly art... that is the core of many things, at least for Civilization Masters. King Daxia is a brute; he doesn't understand. The Xia family follows the path of warriors, so they don't quite get it either! I traced it back just now, and it is still incomplete. I saw that even Shanhais have difficulty splitting them. It's hard for us to develop this since we aren't of the Multiple Divine Character Faction. It's best left to Bai Feng and Su Yu..." He pondered for a moment before continuing, "If we old fellows could split and combine them into battle techniques... that would change everything. The Great Ming Prefecture should allocate more resources to him. This must be developed. Once it is done, I can even pull a few old friends over." "Bai Feng is in the Vanguard Camp!" "No problem!" King Daming laughed. "I'm stationed on the All-Heavens Battlefield anyway; I'll help keep an eye on him. It's not convenient to pull him out right away, lest we break protocol. Once he kills a few enemies and leaves the Vanguard Camp, I'll bring him back!" "Alright then!" Zhu Tiandao nodded. Seeing that the old man was about to leave, he asked, "Dad, if you leave, what if Xia Longwu attacks?" "..." King Daming felt utterly exhausted! Having a son like you is truly exhausting. My poor eldest son died too young, or the Zhu family wouldn't be in such a pitiful state. "Xia Longwu would have to be bored out of his mind to come attack you; he looks down on you!" After mocking his son, he quickly added, "The Invincible currently overseeing the Quest Realm is King Dahan; if anything happens, ask him for help. Over at the War God Hall, the one currently stationed there is King Miecan. That fellow had another fight with the Dragon Silkworm King a few days ago and is back resting. I see Su Yu seems to have cultivated his *Time*; if he runs into real trouble, he can seek him out too. If he refuses to help, throw his *Time* into a latrine, record a video of it, and broadcast it across the entire Human Realm!" "..." Zhu Tiandao was speechless. You're setting your own son up! King Miecan would beat me to death! "What are you afraid of? Your father is still alive!" King Daming said a few more words before concluding briskly, "I'm heading out. The Primordial Demon race and Primordial God Race have both been restless lately; I need to go keep watch. Old Xia and the others have already gone over." "Dad, Su Yu seems to know divine arts and cultural arts!" "I noticed." King Daming shook his head. "Not of much use. Not everyone can cultivate them, including me. If I were to open divine apertures now, how many could I open? When that kid develops a method for fusing divine apertures, or uncovers the yuan-divine aperture, then you can notify me..." He quickly added, "It's probably adapted from the cultural arts of the Five Elements race, deduced and merged together. I sensed the aura of the Five Elements. Very few people can adapt to it. Coming up with two sets of seventy-two apertures is already enough. I took a look, and it requires too many apertures; unless one is a peerless genius, they can't cultivate it at all. It wastes too much time and offers little practical use. The Zhu family doesn't have that kind of peerless genius, so what's the point of you plotting for it!" "..." Zhu Tiandao thought about it and nodded. That made a lot of sense! King Daming continued, "Don't fixate on that; it's useless. Focus on the yuan-divine aperture—that is the key!" King Daming chuckled. "Have Su Yu visit the Bai family more often. Back then, Bai Tianhao seemed to have erupted with a yuan-divine aperture, but I couldn't quite understand the notes that fellow left behind; it wasn't the same path..." "Does the yuan-divine aperture truly exist?" "Very likely!" King Daming said. "That is the true key. If the yuan-divine aperture exists, a ninth-stage Sunmoon erupting with it might be able to fight an Invincible! If the younger generation masters the yuan-divine aperture, they might even be able to skip the Kaiyuan Realm entirely..." The old man sighed sorrowfully. "Your big brother died young. A nine-year-old in the Qianjun Realm, yet he was ruined by the Kaiyuan Realm! If Kaiyuan weren't needed, and apertures could be opened directly to enter Qianjun, your big brother wouldn't have taken such risks back then..." Here it comes again! Zhu Tiandao sighed helplessly. Old man, Big Brother has been dead for several centuries. Give it a rest! A living person is standing right here! Am I not your son? King Daming quickly composed himself and smiled. "Divine arts, innate blood essence, ruins—these things are only suitable for peerless geniuses. What is truly useful to the human race are aperture fusion methods, yuan-divine apertures, and the divine character disassembly art. Don't lose sight of what's important! At your age, don't be like outsiders, acting foolish and unable to distinguish what matters!" Everything else was secondary! Zhu Tiandao nodded. "Dad, what do you think about me having a few more daughters?" The old man tugged at his beard, looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "Forget it. Have your third son have a few more. As for you... look in the mirror. If you actually have a pretty one, it might not even be yours. I've always had my doubts about your third son..." With that, the man vanished into thin air. Zhu Tiandao's face flushed through several colors before he turned to Director Hou, who was standing beside him like an invisible ghost. "Did you hear anything?" "Huh?" Director Hou seemed to wake from a daydream, startled. "What is it, Mansion Master?" Zhu Tiandao glanced at him. "How does Old Third look?" "Quite good!" "Does he look like me?" "Remarkably so!" Zhu Tiandao nodded. "Indeed, he looks quite like me. When he was a teenager, I specifically tested his bloodline—he was carved from the exact same mold as me." Director Hou kept his mouth shut. Why on earth did you test your own son's bloodline? Do you lack that much confidence? Mutations happen all the time; have a little more faith! ... While they chatted, Su Yu's yuan apertures reached 338. As for divine apertures, he had opened another two, bringing the total to 110. At this moment, Su Yu was reflecting on the faint sense of realization he had experienced earlier when erupting with 180 divine apertures. The yuan-divine aperture truly did seem to exist! He had an inkling that he had caught a glimpse of it back then. The moment he struck down Zhou Pingsheng, he had felt something. The yuan-divine aperture... 180 divine apertures, 360 yuan apertures. When all those apertures were unsealed, the yuan-divine aperture might very well emerge! After an unknown amount of time, Su Yu opened his eyes. He glanced at the demons who were still cultivating, paid them no further mind, and turned to walk over to the chatting Zhu Tiandao, bowing slightly. "Mansion Master, could you help me open this vault?" "Sure!" Zhu Tiandao was also curious. "Where did you learn about this vault?" "From a corpse." "..." Zhu Tiandao was speechless. As he walked, he said, "You shouldn't speak carelessly about such things, lest you invite trouble. Even some Invincibles are quite superstitious about that." "I understand." Zhu Tiandao wasted no words. He walked up to the stone cliff and inspected it closely. In truth, he had examined it long ago. Now, smiling with casual ease, he waved his hand, and an entrance suddenly opened in the stone wall. The doorway swung open, and Zhu Tiandao peered inside. "A few minor mechanisms, nothing dangerous." Stepping inside, he spoke as he walked, "The cult master of the Heavenly Archer Cult was no weakling; he was a seventh-stage Sunmoon expert in his day! Paired with the other Sunmoons of the Tianyi God race, he had the power to slay a ninth-stage Sunmoon. Unfortunately, they ran into Xia Longwu and were completely wiped out!" "Among the Great Ming, Great Xia, and Great Shang prefectures, the Heavenly Archer Cult was likely the strongest back then. If this is their vault, there should be quite a few good things..." As he spoke, he waved his hand to disarm several mechanisms without explaining further. Soon, a massive cavern came into view. The interior was brightly lit! "Mediocre..." Zhu Tiandao swept his gaze across the room with a hint of disappointment. After securing the place so tightly, there was nothing truly extraordinary. It was all fairly ordinary goods—at least to him. Then again, the owner had only been a seventh-stage Sunmoon cult master. Compared to a Mansion Master like him, the difference was vast. Su Yu, on the other hand, said nothing. He was searching for that box! The box the Heavenly Archer Cult master had valued so highly! Soon, he spotted it on an inconspicuous little shelf! It matched his memories perfectly! Su Yu stepped forward and picked up the box. It was heavy, yet looked exceedingly plain—just a box of dark iron. Su Yu attempted to open it, but could not. Zhu Tiandao also glanced over, slightly surprised. "Dragon horn?" "What?" "This was crafted from a dragon horn, the sturdiest part of a dragon. I almost overlooked it. Judging by the looks of it, a Sunmoon dragon?" With a casual wave of his hand, the outer layer of dark iron crumbled instantly! The next moment, a golden hue was revealed. "What could possibly be stored in here to warrant crafting a box from a dragon horn? This material would make a top-tier weapon!" At this moment, even Zhu Tiandao felt curious. Su Yu held the box, looked at it, and asked, "Mansion Master, can you open it?" "I can!" Zhu Tiandao looked at the box, pondered for a moment, and said, "However, forcing it open might damage the contents inside. A Sunmoon Realm expert placed restrictions on it. If you give it to me, I can wear it down in ten to fifteen days. If you do it yourself, it'll take about a year..." "Oh." Su Yu understood. He promptly shoved the box into the storage ring Zhao Tianbing had just given him. Zhu Tiandao: "..." Damn it! I just said it would take me ten to fifteen days, what do you mean by that? I'm curious about what's inside too! You actually just stashed it away! Su Yu said nothing, pulling out storage rings and single-use containment talismans to pack away everything in the cavern. Right now, he had no time to take inventory. Once he reached the Great Ming Prefecture, he could sort through it at his leisure. Regardless, there was plenty of good stuff! Su Yu recognized Earth Element Fruits, and he spotted an entire crate of them! There were also crates upon crates of premium materials for crafting cultural weapons. Having collected everything, Su Yu walked out of the cave. ... Outside, many corpses still lay on the ground. By now, they had all been gathered together. The cloud tiger, fox, and wild ox were all greater demons, and their corpses remained intact—all valuable treasures. Su Yu did not hold back and asked directly, "Mansion Master, can we take these demon corpses back?" "Sure!" Zhu Tiandao swiftly manifested his divine character, instantly storing away the several greater demons, and chuckled. "The Xia family didn't take these corpses earlier, so watch out—they might come asking for them later." "Those are the Mansion Master's spoils of war!" Su Yu grinned. Give them back? Like hell he would! With that, he began searching the other bodies. Twelve Shanhais and two Sunmoons. Aside from the demon god's corpse, which Zhu Tiandao had claimed, all the rest were here. Su Yu searched them and, if nothing else, gathered quite a collection of merit cards. After pocketing the merit cards, he glanced over toward where Ji Xiaomeng had been. Sure enough, Li Minyu's merit card was gone. Su Yu smiled and asked, "Mansion Master, what was the deal with Director Ji?" Ji Xiaomeng had followed him this time specifically for Li Minyu. "Ji Hong..." Zhu Tiandao thought for a moment before saying, "That fellow was good friends with Lan Tian in the past. Perhaps he caught wind of Lan Tian's presence and figured Lan Tian might show up since there were ruins around you. He might have discovered some secret of Lan Tian's... I can't be bothered with it. It's the Xia family's business. Ji Hong is a shrewd man; could it be that he stumbled upon some massive secret that he couldn't share with the Xia family, so he went to investigate it himself?" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. Su Yu's heart stirred slightly. A massive secret? What secret? Forget it, that was not his concern. "What now?" Zhu Tiandao asked, brushing the matter aside. "Should I take you back to the Great Ming Prefecture?" "No need..." Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "I will head south on my own to Tiandu Prefecture! Along the way, I will expose the true face of the Single Divine Character Faction. I ask the Mansion Master to bear with me!" "Handle certain parts yourself!" Zhu Tiandao smiled. "I won't say more on the rest. It's the holidays right now, and all the academies will be on break for half a month before classes resume. Just arrive at Tiandu Prefecture when school starts!" He then added, "I'll have Old Hou follow you secretly. It's better to be cautious, even though the chances of trouble in the Great Ming Prefecture are slim." "Thank you for your trouble, Director Hou!" Beside them, Director Hou smiled, saying little. Su Yu added, "As for those three greater demons, I will have to trouble the Mansion Master to negotiate with the Xia family. Even if they cannot be returned to the All-Heavens Battlefield, both my grandmaster and I promised them their freedom. If all else fails, bring them to the Great Ming Prefecture. When certain matters are no longer secrets, I will honor that promise!" "A small matter!" Zhu Tiandao agreed readily! By now, dawn had broken completely; it was December 29th. "Then I shall head back first!" Zhu Tiandao said no more, recalled his grand formation, and vanished on the spot. Director Hou smiled and said, "I will follow in secret." "Thank you, Director!" "Don't mention it!" Director Hou was very polite, vanishing before his eyes a moment later. Su Yu said nothing further. Gathering his spoils of war, he turned around and flicked a burst of yuan qi, igniting a blaze that began to incinerate the corpses! He looked back toward Nanyuan, then toward the Great Xia Prefecture. *Today, I am leaving.* *Formally entering the Great Ming Prefecture!* Zhu Tiandao and the Zhu family were more generous than he had anticipated. Perhaps it was a facade, but he no longer had any choice. "Great Xia Prefecture... Great Xia Civilization Academy..." Su Yu murmured softly, leapt into the air, mounted the Suanni, and shouted, "Let's go! To Tiandu Prefecture!" On this day, Su Yu defected from the Great Xia Prefecture and formally set foot toward the Great Ming Prefecture. ... On this day, the four corners of the realm were shaken! The peerless genius of the Great Xia Prefecture, Su Yu, had defected from Great Xia... or rather, had been forced out of the Great Xia Prefecture! Traveling south, Su Yu crossed Starfall Mountain. In the nearest major city of the Great Ming Prefecture, he publicly broadcast a recording, instantly rocking the entire Human Realm! That day, hundreds of thousands of people witnessed the recording! A great battle at Starfall Mountain! An earth-shattering battle! The Single Divine Character Faction, led by Sunmoons and supported by dozens of Shanhais, had colluded with the All-Races Cult and the Dao protectors of non-human students from the Great Xia Civilization Academy to ambush Su Yu! In the end, Su Yu had slain multiple Lingyun experts with his own hands. Zhu Tiandao had anchored the realm, and the Zhu family of the Great Ming Prefecture had intervened, slaying two Sunmoons and more than a dozen Shanhais at Starfall Mountain! The entire world was shaken! In decades, this battle was second only to the one fifty years ago that had nearly wiped out the Multiple Divine Character Faction! The recording had been heavily edited. For instance, the segment where the Sunmoon Demon God coerced Yu Hong and the others into launching a sneak attack had been removed. From beginning to end, in the eyes of all who watched, that Demon God had been in cahoots with Jin Yuhui and the rest from the start! The Head of Jiutian Academy had committed treason; Elder Yu Hong and multiple other elders had committed treason; an elder of the Great Shang Prefecture had committed treason; an elder of the Cloud Tiger race had committed treason... On this day, the Great Xia Prefecture's scandal spread across the world, swept through the Human Realm, and even began circulating toward the myriad realms of the heavens! A shocking scandal! With so many high-ranking figures committing treason at once, the Great Xia Prefecture... had lost all face, its prestige utterly shattered! A top-three prefecture, known for its fierce populace and peerless martial glory, had on this day become the laughingstock of the entire world, drowned in universal condemnation! Only yesterday, people had swelled with pride that Su Yu was a native of the Great Xia Prefecture; today, no one dared mention his name. Even cultivating the aperture fusion method left a bitter taste in their mouths. A genius of the Great Xia Prefecture, ambushed by countless experts, ultimately forced to flee Great Xia and journey south to seek asylum in the Great Ming Prefecture... this was the Great Xia Prefecture's absolute disgrace! The entire world was shaken!