Upheaval Across the Heavens

Su Yu continued testing, but soon his brows furrowed slightly once more. It required opening quite a few apertures! This Vitality Stimulation could be considered a specialized martial technique, requiring 108 apertures to operate. Naturally, the Tongtian Aperture was among them. With so many apertures required, if an aperture-opening path in a human cultivation technique didn’t match, opening additional apertures would become immensely difficult once one reached the Lingyun or Shanhai Realm—especially after the apertures merged into one in the Sun Moon Realm. "Anyone who opened fewer apertures early on would need to supplement fifty or sixty more..." Su Yu clicked his tongue. For Sun Moon experts like Hu Qi, this would be a massive headache. Opening more apertures in a Sun Moon physical body was exceedingly difficult! "Heaven Yuan Qi is actually quite suitable for opening apertures." That was also what Heaven Yuan Fruits were used for. However, opening even a single aperture at the Sun Moon Realm would consume an exorbitant amount of Heaven Yuan Qi. "Moreover, this Vitality Stimulation primarily repairs the physical body. If the sea of will is decaying, is it of any use?" Su Yu felt his physical body grow noticeably younger, but he sensed little difference in his sea of will. Those whose physical bodies were deteriorating could certainly use this technique to stimulate vitality. However, if their sea of will had decayed, this method would be of little help. "In the end, divine skills and opening divine apertures are required to resolve that. I'll need to capture and kill some Civilization Masters to extract their blood essence." Su Yu strongly suspected that between the Civilization Master branch and the warrior branch of the immortal race, their basic Yuan arts and racial skills might differ. Regardless, he had achieved tangible results for now. Elders like Hu Qi had mostly suffered physical injuries and physical decay. As for warriors, because their willpower was inherently weak, wounds to their sea of will were far more debilitating. Even as he continued testing, Su Yu didn't stop cultivating. Having opened 360 apertures, he could practice any technique. Since stimulating his vitality accelerated his absorption of Heaven Yuan Qi for body casting, he naturally seized the opportunity. In the path of the Civilization Master, Su Yu’s current rate of advancement was not fast. This was primarily due to a lack of massive amounts of willpower. On the warrior path, however, he could advance rapidly; casting his body a few more times would cause his strength to soar in no time. Inside the room, vast amounts of Heaven Yuan Qi were consumed. Body casting required consumption, and stimulating vitality did as well. Wisps of golden Heaven Yuan Qi were expended, making his physical body sturdier by the minute. The only slight annoyance was the occasional "poof, poof, poof" escaping him. This technique really couldn't be used in front of others. Using it would simply be too humiliating. No matter how effective it was, it remained an embarrassment. Even among the immortals, probably no one dared use it in public, lest it ruin their image. Having found a technique to repair the physical body, Su Yu was in high spirits. Soon, he also tested the innate skill Flesh Rebirth. It consumed a massive amount of Yuan Qi to regenerate flesh and blood. A fairly decent innate skill! Flesh Rebirth was vastly different from recasting a body. Flesh Rebirth was meant for healing wounds, whereas recasting a body meant the physical form had been destroyed, forcing one to start from scratch and forge a new Kaiyuan Realm body. Back during the Battle of Starfall Mountain, Hu Hao—the Great Xia Dao Protector operating in secret—had his body destroyed and was forced to recast it, cultivating all the way from the ground up. Had he possessed a method like Flesh Rebirth back then, he could have swiftly condensed his flesh and restored his Shanhai Realm body. He wouldn't have been reduced to crawling his way back up step by step as he was now. …… Results continued to pour out of Su Yu's research institute. Just as he began refining the Vitality Stimulation method, the Primordial Spirit Aperture Opening Art—also known as the Body Strengthening Art—began circulating on a limited scale, starting with Great Ming Prefecture. The several War Academies across Great Ming directly discarded the War God Art, replacing it with the newly minted Primordial Spirit Aperture Opening Art. With that, Great Ming Prefecture became the first to complete a full overhaul of its foundational cultivation techniques. The Civilization Academies all switched to the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art, while the War Academies fully transitioned to the Primordial Spirit Aperture Opening Art. Academies were gatherings of geniuses. For the students, adopting a more powerful technique did not slow their progress; instead, it sped them up. No one was unwilling. In the military, however, replacing techniques could not happen quite so fast. Opening 126 apertures, no matter how fast, still demanded considerable time and innate talent. Right at this moment, the Primordial Spirit Research Institute unveiled yet another technique: the Primordial Spirit Foundation Building Art, a Xuan-tier intermediate cultivation art opening 54 apertures, derived from the Dual Wu Aperture Fusion Art. It incorporated the 36 apertures of the Dual Wu Aperture Fusion Art. In other words, opening 54 apertures allowed one to swiftly enter the Wanshi Realm, with all the apertures needed for aperture fusion fully included. Such a method was far better suited to ordinary people. It was also far better suited to standard soldiers! It was considerably stronger than the old Qianjun Art, opening an additional 18 apertures, while the military's geniuses began practicing the Primordial Spirit Aperture Opening Art. By this point, Great Ming Prefecture began an accelerated transition across all cultivation methods. The foundational version, the Primordial Spirit Foundation Building Art; the genius version, the Primordial Spirit Aperture Opening Art; and the version for Civilization Masters, the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art—in an instant, the name of the Primordial Spirit Research Institute spread throughout the world. For an entire major prefecture to overhaul its cultivation arts reflected Great Ming Prefecture's absolute trust in the Primordial Spirit Research Institute, its faith in Su Yu himself, and its utter satisfaction with the techniques. Not only that, but Great Qin Prefecture also began adopting the arts one after another. First, the academies within its borders adopted the Primordial Spirit Research Institute's suites of arts in full. Following that, the military began phasing out their old methods as well. By then, Su Yu's name overshadowed everyone else's, once again becoming the hottest topic of discussion across the Human Realm. Academies and armies alike began their transitions. Exchange channels were opened up to the general public as well. By this time, the earlier Aperture Fusion Art had already yielded impressive results. In Great Xia Prefecture, the first to adopt it, statistics showed that nearly ten thousand new Wanshi Realm cultivators had emerged over the past three months alone. They were concentrated mainly within the prefectural army and the War Academies. Conversely, fewer Civilization Masters were breaking through to the Tengkong Realm. There was no helping it. Students in the Yangxing Realm were all busy opening divine apertures. Even if they couldn't open all 72, every single one counted. Opening up to 36 would let them rapidly reach the ninth layer of the Tengkong Realm later on. Everyone was holding back. The number of people breaking through naturally plummeted, unless someone was driven into a corner and simply could not suppress their surging willpower any longer. Anyone who could hold it down did everything in their power to suppress it. The warriors were growing stronger, while the Civilization Masters were laying low. Of course, this also spurred many Civilization Masters to invest more time in their physical bodies. Since the Civilization Master path demanded patient grinding, they might as well temper their flesh in the meantime. It was no longer like before, when everyone raced against the clock hoping their willpower would advance as quickly as possible. Nowadays, anyone who failed to suppress their willpower and rushed headlong into Tengkong became the butt of jokes. "So-and-so only opened nine divine apertures before failing to hold back and had no choice but to break into Tengkong..." Yes, it was treated as something one only did when left with no other choice. As a consequence, the prevailing culture across the entire Civilization Master community underwent a seismic shift. Under these circumstances, staying in the Yangxing Realm to nurture multiple divine characters appeared to be an excellent way to suppress willpower breakthroughs. And so... the Multiple Divine Characters Faction truly began to revive! It wasn't because of the disassembly art! It was because of the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art! This was an outcome Su Yu had never anticipated. He had misjudged the talent of others, assuming everyone was like him and capable of effortlessly suppressing their willpower. Just because he could open 180 divine apertures before advancing didn't mean others could do the same. Opening divine apertures naturally accelerated the absorption of willpower, causing cultivation to rise even faster. Yet no one wanted to advance to Tengkong, which would slow subsequent divine aperture openings. Unlike the past, when nobody wanted to linger in the Yangxing Realm, everyone was now desperate to outline more divine characters just to drag out their time! Grinding until all 72 divine apertures were opened was ideal! Any excess willpower could be channeled into opening apertures or nurturing characters. If one character didn't consume enough, they would nurture two, three... even ten or more was fine! What did it matter if they spent seven or eight years in the Yangxing Realm? After that, they would breeze straight through Tengkong and into Lingyun, whereas previously, even thirty years might not see them reach Lingyun. In the past, people couldn't bear the thought of failing to reach Tengkong for seven or eight years, or languishing in Yangxing for over a decade. Now, they were more than happy to endure it. Besides, opening more divine apertures at the Yangxing stage gave immense combat strength; with enough apertures open, one wasn't weaker than a subpar Tengkong cultivator. Their combat power barely suffered, their potential was vastly greater, and if they learned divine character battle techniques, they could match Tengkong experts. Since that was the case, why rush to advance? Why not choose the Multiple Divine Characters Faction instead? Under these unexpected conditions, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction—once on the brink of extinction—began to rise again! Su Yu was far from the only one taken by surprise; countless others were stunned as well. …… "The Multiple Divine Characters Faction is actually reviving because of a single cultivation art!" It was unexpected! It was shocking! Yet it made total sense! Many had believed that only the perfection of the disassembly art would revive the faction. In reality, the disassembly art revived those above Tengkong, while the Yangxing stage had begun its resurgence entirely due to the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art. In the northern lands of the Human Realm. Great Zhou Prefecture! Great Zhou Civilization Academy. At this moment, an Elder Council meeting was underway. An elder uttered these words with boundless emotion: because of a single art, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was rising again. A complex look filled this elder's eyes. Once, Great Zhou Prefecture had possessed a Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Just last year, shortly after Su Yu entered his academy, Shan Xiong had crushed several of its students and teaching assistants. Despondent, disappointed, and utterly exhausted, the sole elder of Great Zhou's Multiple Divine Characters Faction had announced they would no longer recruit students. That very elder was the one speaking now. His feelings were beyond intricate! His emotions were tangled past reckoning. He had persevered for fifty long years without glimpsing a shred of dawn, witnessing only decline, decline, and relentless decline. Yet just as he had announced that the Multiple Divine Characters Faction no longer existed in Great Zhou Prefecture, it was rising again—all because of one manual! Now, numerous students in Great Zhou Civilization Academy were asking whether the Multiple Divine Characters Faction would reopen. Could the Divine Character Battle Technique Monument be opened for them to learn battle techniques again? Because the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art had also made its way to Great Zhou Prefecture. According to Su Yu's terms, without an active Multiple Divine Characters College, the art could not be disseminated. While other prefectures had already begun practicing and transitioning their techniques, the students in Great Zhou Prefecture were in an uproar. When can we exchange for the art? When can we switch our techniques? When will the Multiple Divine Characters College reopen? In the council meeting, the elder sighed with profound nostalgia and turmoil. Could the Multiple Divine Characters Faction truly rise again? Could it rise on the back of this one manual? The faction that had withered for fifty years was suddenly showing signs of recovery. In Great Ming Prefecture, Su Yu was deducing cultivation arts; in Great Xia Prefecture, Hong Tan was reopening his college and preparing to deduce the disassembly art. All of it was promising news. Where, then, did that leave Great Zhou Prefecture? Should they drift with the tide, or resist with absolute resolve? Or... just as they had back then, remain the vanguard suppressing the Multiple Divine Characters Faction? Could they even keep it suppressed now? In the past, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction had suffered plenty of drawbacks: it demanded immense talent, and being stuck in the Yangxing Realm for years was a massive barrier. But now, people didn't care about being stuck for years; getting stuck for seven or eight years was practically desirable if it meant opening all their divine apertures! They wished they could stay stuck for a few more years! Consequently, former drawbacks had flipped into advantages! How absurd! Who could have ever imagined that people would choose the Multiple Divine Characters Faction specifically because its consumption was enormous, nurturing its characters was arduous, and it kept you in Yangxing for ages? These were no longer flaws; because of a single art, they had turned into selling points! It was laughably ironic! The faction's resurgence was almost theatrical! As the elder finished speaking, silence settled over the chamber for a moment before someone said coldly, "To this day, not a single person has actually broken through to Tengkong using this Primordial Spirit Cultural Art. Once all 72 divine apertures are opened, can one truly step smoothly into Tengkong and Lingyun? It hasn't stood the test of time, yet we are rashly overhauling our techniques—this is gambling with everyone's future!" "Su Yu broke through," the solitary Multiple Divine Characters elder replied softly. The speaker dismissed it. "How do you know Su Yu broke through because of this technique? Who knows what secrets he's hiding? The Primordial Spirit Cultural Art is impressive, yes, but we cannot switch arts so hastily! Furthermore, if everyone stalls at Yangxing, what will we do for the next few years?" The man continued harshly, "Great Zhou Prefecture produces over a hundred Civilization Masters each year. If this keeps up, the number of new Civilization Masters over the next seven or eight years might not even reach double digits! "No matter how good a technique is, we must consider practical reality. If everyone flocks to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, what will happen when frontline combat strength falls short? "Moreover, with everyone opening divine apertures, the required willpower and texts of will are astronomical! "The same goes for the Primordial Spirit Aperture Opening Art—its consumption of Yuan Qi is an astronomical figure as well!" The elder gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone, I do not deny the sheer power of Su Yu's arts, but this... this spells massive trouble! The Yuan Qi in the Human Realm only revived not long ago. In the past, people cultivated Huang-tier and Xuan-tier arts, but now, everyone is practicing Heaven-tier arts. The consumption is five to ten times greater than before, and the Human Realm has a vast population. Have you all considered the consequences and what this will lead to?" At these words, someone sighed. "What else is there to consider? If this continues, war will erupt! If not internal conflict, then external war! Plundering resources, seizing Yuan Qi, conquering Yuan-rich small realms, waging war, shedding blood, thinning out the population... slaughter will soon become the mainstream!" That was the reality. When the Human Realm's expenses exceeded its income because everyone practiced powerful arts, what choice was there? External conquest! Slaughter! Killing would cull their own population while plundering others' resources. Because of a handful of cultivation manuals, the strategic posture the Human Realm had maintained for centuries might be upended. It sounded ridiculous, but it was reality. It was entirely driven by these cultivation arts! Just as these arts had triggered the resurgence of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, the principle was the same. It could not be reversed! Everyone supported it—unless... the techniques were banned! "Everyone, war... war may very well erupt because of this!" Someone lamented, "Once war breaks out, rivers of blood will flow. Su Yu shouldn't have released these techniques..." Another voice countered in a low tone, "You cannot say that! Su Yu releasing these techniques makes humanity stronger; that is a good thing. While it has accelerated the onset of war, that is an unavoidable reality. In truth, it should have been done more slowly. It shouldn't have flooded the Human Realm all at once, but rather phased in gradually!" Seeing the discussion veer in that direction, the Multiple Divine Characters elder let out a soft sigh. "Everyone, now is not the time to debate this. Great Qin, Great Ming, and Great Xia are all adopting them. If we don't, Great Zhou Prefecture will soon fall behind! What we must decide right now is whether to reopen the Multiple Divine Characters College. If we don't reopen it and refuse to transition our techniques, the upcoming recruitment of new students in a few months may shock everyone—it is entirely possible not a single student will enroll!" Su Yu hadn't imposed harsh restrictions on Great Zhou Prefecture, but he insisted that an active Multiple Divine Characters Faction must exist. For Great Zhou Prefecture, where the faction had already been dissolved, suddenly reopening it was an utter slap in the face. Just last year, they had dismantled the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Were they supposed to eagerly reopen it themselves this year? "We cannot reopen it..." "If we don't, new students won't come and old students will be furious. Who will bear the responsibility for that?" "Hmph, if we do reopen it, let me ask you: who will bear the cost of all those resources? Grinding for ten years in Yangxing just to open seven or eight divine apertures—what practical use is that?" "Have the academy students step onto the All-Heavens Battlefield to wage war!" "Nonsense! Great Zhou Prefecture's overarching strategy is that a large-scale war should not be initiated right now. Committing heavy troops will quickly trigger a massive war!" "Indeed. At the very least, it cannot happen now. The Academy Head is preparing to attain the Dao. If war breaks out at this critical juncture, what will he do?" "..." Elder after elder raised arguments and counterarguments. Should they reopen or not? Should they practice the arts or not? Su Yu's techniques had backed them into a corner! Soon, someone sighed. "Everyone, even if we don't practice them, the other prefectures are. What good does holding back war do for us? Other prefectures will soon spark regional conflicts, and if we lag behind, we will only take a beating! When that happens, the gods and demons will see the other prefectures as tough nuts to crack and Great Zhou as an easy target. Refusing to learn will look like an utter joke! "Su Yu... decades from now, that kid will either be remembered as a saint or a sinner!" Someone voiced this melancholy truth. Perhaps the Human Realm would be plunged into a massive war because of Su Yu, erupting into total conflict before humanity had built up sufficient strength. The tragedy of three centuries ago might repeat itself. Or perhaps it would be even worse! Over three centuries ago, the gods and demons hadn't been fully prepared either, and the immortal race had meddled. Now, the gods and demons were ready, and the immortals were watching like predators. If total war broke out now, the Human Realm's predicament might be far more dire. Crucially, today's Human Realm was not nearly as unified as it had been three hundred years ago. Soon, another spoke up. "Su Yu has spurred the growth of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction and bolstered humanity's foundational strength. Of course, what he improves is the foundation, and immediate results won't be visible right away. In my view, if Hong Tan's disassembly art bears fruit and proves effective for Civilization Masters above Tengkong, that will be the true key. The combat strength of Civilization Masters will see an enormous leap!" "Don't forget that the gods and demons are actively targeting us!" "So what if they are?" someone snapped. "Does being targeted mean we should drink poison to quench our thirst, ignoring everything and abandoning humanity's future? It was precisely your endless reservations that led to the decline of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, the strongest combat branch of Civilization Masters! "At worst, we pick up our weapons and fight, just like we did three centuries ago!" "All of you, shut up!" An elderly voice barked, "What are you bickering for? This matter is of paramount importance; we must ask the Academy Head to decide!" None of them could reach a conclusion. The situation was simply too complex. Not practicing the arts was bad, but practicing them carried grave risks as well. The room fell silent. After a moment, a chilling voice echoed from the void: "Since every major prefecture is learning them, Great Zhou Civilization Academy shall be no exception. Reopen the Multiple Divine Characters Faction." "Academy Head, then Shan Xiong's prior challenge becomes a joke, and Shan Tianhao died for nothing!" Some voiced their discontent. Wouldn't that make them a laughingstock? "Then let Shan Xiong challenge Su Yu. If Shan Xiong wins, it will prove that divine character masters remain powerful even without Su Yu's arts. If Shan Xiong loses, it will prove that Su Yu's arts are truly formidable!" At these words, someone frowned. "Shan Xiong is currently in seclusion and should emerge soon, likely at the eighth or ninth layer of Tengkong! As for Su Yu, his current strength is hard to gauge, but if he completed his body casting with the Zhoutian Apertures, his prowess on the warrior path will be formidable. His physical body is likely far stronger than Shan Xiong's!" From the darkness, Zhou Polong's voice echoed again, icy and distant: "Then doesn't that even things out? Shan Xiong is a year older and began cultivating earlier. Only if his body is inferior can the true power of a divine character master be shown. If his physical body were stronger than Su Yu's, what would be the point of being a Civilization Master?" "Academy Head..." Someone voiced deep worry. "Then... what if... what if Shan Xiong loses...?" If that happened, Great Zhou Prefecture would lose face entirely. Shan Xiong had swept through the Tengkong cultivators of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction across every major prefecture. If he stumbled before Su Yu, a single defeat would turn all their prior efforts into a farce. "Win or lose, do we still have a choice at this point?" Zhou Polong said coldly, "If Shan Xiong loses, it proves Su Yu's arts are undeniably powerful. If he doesn't lose, but never challenges him, then everything done before remains futile! If you don't even dare to fight him, how can you speak of suppression? Didn't Su Yu claim before that he would challenge Shan Xiong? Accept the challenge, then!" Some felt helpless, while others were filled with dread. The dispute between the single and multiple divine character factions had ostensibly come to a close, yet in the blink of an eye, the entire situation had been turned on its head! And the pivotal figure behind it all was Su Yu. Of course, it was Su Yu now, and soon it might be Hong Tan. Once the disassembly art truly enabled Shanhai and Sun Moon experts to restructure their battle techniques, the Single Divine Character Faction would suffer total defeat! Masses of Single Divine Character experts would swiftly cross over to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Su Yu influenced the Yangxing stage, while the disassembly art influenced everyone above it! In Great Xia Prefecture... how long would it take Hong Tan to produce results? …… Just as Great Zhou Prefecture reached its decision, far out on the All-Heavens Battlefield, beyond the Vanguard Camp, at the very frontlines! Terrifying pressures that reached the heavens erupted one after another! Auras crisscrossed in all directions as experts from the gods, demons, humans, dragons, immortals, and monsters flickered into view. "Qin Guang!" "How about we make a trade?" A booming voice resounded. At the frontline position, a middle-aged man stood holding a long spear, his expression indifferent. "Speak!" "Hand over two people in exchange for a century of peace for your human race!" In the distance, an expert's voice shook the heavens. "You know who I mean! Within this century, no one will obstruct Xia Longwu or Qin Zhen from attaining the Dao. Qin Guang, this trade is well worth it! In a hundred years, your human race might see ten or more attain the Eternal Realm! "If Xia Longwu and Qin Zhen attempt to attain the Dao, they are doomed to die. Who among the myriad races would permit it? Two bloodstained butchers—who would allow them to become Eternals? "Qin Guang, take a step back, and all realms will see peace! "Hand over those two—or perhaps three—and my race will withdraw ten thousand li, swear not to invade for a century, and bind ourselves by an oath across the myriad realms!" A tempest had already swept through the myriad realms! Handing over a few individuals could even pave the way for a butcher like Xia Longwu to attain the Dao! At the frontline post, the spear-wielding man said coldly, "What audacity. You seek to sow discord among humanity." "Heh, I know you understand our intent! Sowing discord? Perhaps! Qin Guang, just because you refuse does not mean others will! You have descendants, friends, and disciples who all wish to attain the Dao! Do you truly intend to fight us to the bitter end? Handing over a few weaklings right now in exchange for a century of peace and the chance to attain the Dao—Qin Guang, can you truly make the decision for all of humanity?" It was blatant division! Trading a century of peace for a few lives! Two people meant Su Yu and Hong Tan; a third would be Liu Wenyan! All of them belonged to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction! All of them hailed from the lineage of the Fifth Generation! For the sake of these three, the myriad races were even willing to call off their massive impending operations to besiege and kill Xia Longwu and Qin Zhen! Even if you, King Daqin, know we are driving a wedge among you, what can you do? Even if you aren't tempted, what about the other human experts? You, King Daqin, cannot suppress every Invincible. Do not assume all human Invincibles are ready to embrace death right now! "Trading a few minor figures to grant your human race multiple Invincibles, including men like Xia Longwu—aren't you willing?" King Daqin stood with his spear, staring into the distance. Without another word, he thrust his spear forward! Heaven and earth seemed to overturn! With a tremendous rumble, the space between worlds was cleaved apart. In the distance, the voices faded, and silhouettes rapidly vanished in every direction. King Daqin turned toward the Human Realm war zone. He remained silent and motionless. After a long while, he said coldly, "If we hand over a few people today for a century of peace, tomorrow they will push their luck and demand an Invincible for another century of peace. A hundred or a thousand years later, humanity will have grown accustomed to trading our own people's heads for peace! When that day comes, humanity's backbone will be broken! "I do not care what you think, whether you harbor grievances or reluctance. I care nothing for the chaos in the rear, but at the frontlines... there is only battle, never retreat! "Internal strife is humanity's own business! "Anyone who dares offer human heads to foreign races... can be killed, ought to be killed, and must be killed!" From the void, a calm voice remarked, "Brother Qin worries too much. Everyone understands that the foreign races are merely trying to divide us." Qin Guang said coldly, "Understanding is one thing, but some might still feel that sacrificing a few people to yield several Invincibles is worth it. Especially if people like Xia Longwu attain the Dao—humanity's strength would surge dramatically... Wouldn't that be better than chasing mirages?" Qin Guang paused, then added in a heavy voice, "Everyone, a century... is not the future of humanity. Humanity can have a future of a thousand years, ten thousand years, or even longer. Do not break your own backbone for the sake of a mere hundred years!" Silence fell. After a long while, someone sighed. "We all understand the principle, but... Brother Qin, Xia Longwu and the others are soon due to attempt their breakthrough!" What could be done? There was no way around it! If Xia Longwu attempted to attain the Dao, he would almost certainly die, and the others would be in grave danger as well. If they could just trade a few people... At this moment, that thought sprouted in more than one mind. Sacrificing Su Yu and a couple of others could potentially yield over a dozen Invincible Realm experts—a staggering prospect! Qin Guang said coldly, "If the myriad races attack, then we slaughter them! Over the years, some of us have fallen, but Eternals among the myriad races have perished as well! We haven't lost out! If we sue for peace, we must let them see humanity's might and bloodlust! Begging on our knees will never bring peace—it will only bring the executioner's blade!" No one wanted to spend an entire lifetime fighting. Yet even if peace were sought, one had to terrify the enemy until they were forced to beg for peace themselves. Taking the initiative to sue for peace, begging on bended knees, would only invite slaughter. King Daqin understood this all too well! Even he had never dreamed of fighting forever. A total victory was impossible; humanity was not as mighty as the gods or demons, nor as powerful as the immortals. Among the myriad races, humanity ranked roughly fourth or fifth, with the monster race sitting above them. If the monster race was combined with the dragon race, they were definitely stronger than humanity. However, the dragons viewed themselves as an independent race and did not consider themselves monsters; separated, they were inferior to humanity. The best possible outcome of the war across the heavens would be for humanity to gain the power of realm suppression. Only then could they advance to attack or retreat to defend. Yet he knew the myriad races would never grant them that opportunity. For now, the best strategy was stalling. However... the unrest within the Human Realm was already sending ripples across the myriad realms. Su Yu, Hong Tan, and their peers were progressively stepping into the limelight, strengthening humanity and reviving the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, causing the myriad races to feel the pressure. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction could not be allowed to rise! This placed the Invincibles in a complicated bind. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction... might truly hold the key to unlocking the Human Realm's suppression power. Yet the myriad races would never allow humanity that chance. A resurgence meant total war! How should they choose? If total war erupted and the myriad races launched a joint assault, humanity would not hold out for long. If the Multiple Divine Characters Faction were wiped out again under those circumstances, the loss would be catastrophic. If the faction could guarantee the awakening of realm suppression and offer a glimmer of hope, perhaps everyone would find the resolve to hold the line! And yet, even Ye Batian had died! Ye Batian, unmatched in history, had perished. There were many reasons for his death, but the most crucial was that he had failed to attain the Dao. Had he succeeded, he would not have died! That was the crux of the matter! Ye Batian's Dao was flawed, imperfect! Ye Batian's demise had also shattered the confidence of many Invincibles in the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Back then, quite a few Invincibles had sacrificed immensely to support Ye Batian's rise. Now, those very people had grown somewhat disheartened. At the frontline post, King Daqin's gaze turned complicated. It was too fast—the myriad races had reacted far too quickly, bringing pressure to bear this very day! They had granted humanity no time to prepare! Where should they go from here? Protect Su Yu and his peers, thereby triggering an all-out war across the realms? Or... He dared not dwell on the thought! He feared that even he might waver! He looked into the distance, toward the Human Realm and toward the distant future. Where, truly, was humanity headed? What should I do? Now, I don't even dare fully trust the comrades at my side!