Things Have Blown Completely Out of Hand!

Multiple divine character unification! Su Yu had slipped away, but the parting words he had left behind were venomous beyond measure. Yet their credibility was exceedingly high. Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain how a single divine character of Shan Xiong could possess so many distinct traits. Shadow cloaking, phase traversal, seismic oscillation, a barrier that repelled Yuan Qi... In his duel against Su Yu alone, Shan Xiong had showcased five or six distinct traits. Some might not have been readily apparent, but they likely existed nonetheless—such as surging battle intent and auxiliary enhancements that had not visibly manifested. At this moment, the Old Dragon from Great Xia Prefecture spoke up, asking in a soft murmur, "Principal Zhou, can multiple divine characters truly be unified into one?" Was it mere curiosity? Or was it... an attempt to nail this suspicion down as fact? Zhou Polong glanced sideways at the Old Dragon and said impassively, "Whether it is true or false, would you like to see for yourself?" If I say it is false, will any of you believe me? Not a chance! Since that was the case, he could not be bothered to waste his breath. It was entirely pointless! The more one defended oneself, the more guilty one appeared. He had no need for that. The Old Dragon gave a low chuckle. "No need, no need. It's just... completely unexpected!" Zhou Polong fixed him with a stare, and the Old Dragon held his tongue. Zhou Polong... just hearing that name made it obvious he was none too fond of dragons. It was best not to provoke him; this man was by no means weaker than Xia Longwu. Zhou Polong said nothing further. In the next instant, his silhouette gradually dissipated, leaving his fading voice echoing across the courtyard: "From this day forth, whether the dispute between the single and multiple factions continues or ceases, none may carry it out in the name of my Zhou family!" "The feud between Ye Batian, his successors, and me comes to an end!" At this moment, Zhou Polong seemed faintly elevated in demeanor. Watching him depart, Zhu Tiandao knitted his brows slightly. Had this fellow come all this way specifically to bring closure to that ancient grievance? Was he clearing his path to prepare for his Dao attainment? He truly was a shrewd and calculating schemer! The only thing outside his calculations had likely been Su Yu's audacity. Right before taking his leave, Su Yu had thoroughly set him up. That brat was bold beyond belief. Leaving aside whether it was baseless slander, even if it were the honest truth, blurting it out before a crowd would normally risk Zhou Polong slaying him in an incandescent rage. *That kid is growing bolder and bolder by the day!* Zhu Tiandao sighed inwardly, glancing once more in the direction Zhou Polong had departed. Meanwhile, the willpower projection of Great Shang's Prefecture Lord appeared deep in thought. He cast a look at Zhu Tiandao, then shifted his gaze to Shan Xiong, chuckled softly, and instantly dispersed his willpower. "Damn it!" Zhu Tiandao cursed under his breath. Every last one of them sure knew how to run. Glancing around and seeing that the crowd had still not recovered their wits, Zhu Tiandao did not mince words, speaking directly to all present: "Did you all hear that? From now on, the dispute between the single and multiple factions is strictly the internal affair of the single and multiple divine character factions. It has nothing to do with Zhou Polong anymore. Some of you had better stop using Ye Batian's divine character, research notes, and the like to stir up trouble! Anyone who makes trouble over that again is courting death. When you die, don't say I didn't warn you!" Having said that, he added, "And another thing: that lad Shan Xiong... is truly exceptional!" He looked down at Shan Xiong and smiled warmly. "I have a maternal granddaughter. Shan Xiong, would you be interested in staying in Great Ming Prefecture?" "..." Dead silence fell. Shang Tianjiao's expression shifted erratically, but Zhu Tiandao continued with a smile, "You possess the bearing of an Invincible. I think very highly of you. If you can no longer stay in Great Zhou Prefecture, come to my Great Ming Prefecture. I will personally ask my father to serve as your Dao protector!" "Our Great Shang Prefecture can do the same!" Shang Tianjiao could not help crying out. Zhu Tiandao sighed. "Your grandfather is quite the cunning old fox. He saw it long ago, which is why he made his move in advance, not even hesitating to offend my Great Ming Prefecture for it. Truly shrewd and far-sighted... Your grandfather's eye is sharper than mine!" For a moment, Shang Tianjiao had no idea how to respond. How could anyone reply to such words? Zhu Tiandao continued, "Ah well, what a pity. The gates of Great Ming Prefecture will always remain open for you! Shan Xiong, should you ever seek Dao attainment in the future, my father will surely protect your Dao to form a good affinity. As for the contest between you and Su Yu, let it be a gentleman's rivalry." Shan Xiong remained silent, uttering not a single word. Below, Jiang Tao's face paled and darkened repeatedly. He did not sense an ounce of goodwill—only bone-chilling malice! Zhou Polong had proclaimed that Su Yu had the bearing of an Invincible and was superior to both Xia Longwu and himself. In response, Zhu Tiandao had gone even further, overtly attempting to cement Shan Xiong's status as a practitioner of multiple divine characters. Jiang Tao could no longer care about decorum and hurriedly interjected, "We thank Manor Lord Zhu for his high regard. My junior brother is not one for words. Furthermore, he is a pure single divine character civilization master. His divine character merely possesses a great number of traits because of its unique nature..." "Is that so?" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Understood, completely understood! Oh, by the way, Little Jiang, the next time your junior brother spars with someone, don't interfere carelessly. Look at the mess today—Great Shang Prefecture was nearly dragged into it. How improper." At these words, Jiang Tao froze slightly. Zhu Tiandao smiled and added, "No harm done. You are Brother Zhou's disciple, and out of concern for your junior brother, you didn't want Su Yu taking his divine character. I can understand that; after all, Su Yu is an expert in that domain. But... it truly breaches protocol." Jiang Tao quickly bowed. "Many thanks for Manor Lord Zhu's understanding!" What a relief—at least he was not pursuing the matter. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Niu Baidao suddenly cursed from the side, "Fuck! What did you step on me for?" Before Jiang Tao could react, a piercing, agonized screech rang out beside him. In the next moment, a colossal Golden-Winged Peng revealed its true form, and with a sickening crunch, one of its wings was violently ripped straight off its body! Niu Baidao held the severed wing, cursing vehemently, "Out of nowhere, you stomp on my foot! Do you think I'm a pushover? Goddamn it, I'm at such an advanced age, and you step on me? You're just a glorified mount, a beast of burden! You stomp on me—can you afford the compensation?" Up in the air, Zhu Tiandao bellowed, "Old Niu, what are you doing?!" Niu Baidao fumed, "This beast stepped on my foot out of nowhere! Doesn't it know how heavy it is?" The Golden-Winged Peng shrieked in harrowing agony. It possessed the power of the Sun Moon fifth stage! Yet its wing had been severed in an instant by Niu Baidao. Blood sprayed everywhere, but it vanished in a flash, intercepted and gathered by Niu Baidao, who promptly tossed both the blood and the severed wing into his storage ring. Jiang Tao turned deathly pale, a chill seizing his entire being. Zhu Tiandao knitted his brows and barked, "Get out of here! Old Niu, what kind of ridiculous scene are you making? I already said we wouldn't pursue the matter, yet you go and attack someone's mount! Are you trying to slight me? Even when beating a dog, one must look at its master. How am I supposed to account for this to Brother Zhou? I'm docking your salary for a hundred years! For the next century, don't even think about seeing a single copper coin!" "Don't do that, Manor Lord, I was wrong..." "Go! Right now, immediately, lock yourself in secluded reflection!" Niu Baidao wore a look of utter helplessness and muttered, "I'm the same age as your father, yet you treat me like this... Fine, fine, a hundred years it is. How am I supposed to survive the next hundred years?" Carrying an air of grievance and reluctant resignation, Niu Baidao ignored everyone else, shaking his head as he dejectedly took his leave. Silence! Utter and profound silence! What was this? Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys? Jiang Tao was Zhou Polong's eldest disciple, so Zhu Tiandao had not laid a hand on him. But a mount—even one at the Sun Moon fifth stage—what of it? If they wanted to rip you apart, they would rip you apart! Did Jiang Tao dare utter a single complaint? At this moment, Zhu Tiandao appeared thoroughly aggravated. Cursing as he drove Niu Baidao away, he sighed and said, "Little Jiang, explain things to Old Zhou on my behalf. What an absolute mess. Old Niu has lost his mind—so what if he got stepped on once? To actually resort to violence... At his age, he has no sense of propriety whatsoever! Is the Golden-Winged Peng all right? With one wing gone, can it still fly? If not, leave it here in Great Ming Prefecture, and I'll help treat its injuries..." At those words, the Golden-Winged Peng reverted to human form in an instant. With an arm missing and blood still trickling from the wound, it endured the agonizing pain and stammered in terror, "No need, no need to trouble Manor Lord Zhu!" Taking the blame for someone else! The beast was no fool. Jiang Tao could not be touched lightly, but touching it posed no issue at all. If it stayed behind... it feared it would never leave alive. Jiang Tao's face remained pale as he spoke, "Thank you, Manor Lord Zhu. There is no need to trouble you; it is merely a minor wound. Elder Jin is advanced in years and did not pay attention, accidentally stepping on Principal Niu. I apologize to Principal Niu on Elder Jin's behalf." An apology! Having had a wing torn off, it still had to apologize. Zhou Polong had already left! Otherwise, they might have retained a shred of confidence. Now, they had none whatsoever. Provoking the Manor Lord of Great Ming Prefecture was clearly not going to end well. It was best to bring this matter to a swift conclusion. Zhu Tiandao sighed. "Well, forget it then. Truly... I'll have Old Niu offer some compensation later, preparing good food and drink for this Golden-Winged Peng... I hear the Peng race enjoys eating ants. If you need some later, I'll have people deliver plenty of them over." Jiang Tao kept his mouth shut. Ants? Sky-Devouring Ants, most likely! Deliver them where? To Great Zhou Prefecture? That was just courting disaster! Seeing that he remained silent, Zhu Tiandao did not mind in the least. He chuckled and said, "Then that settles this matter. Old Niu grows more petty-minded the older he gets. I will be sure to teach him a proper lesson later." Having addressed him, he turned his gaze to Shang Tianjiao and smiled. "Granddaughter, don't act so recklessly next time. In a duel where the participants haven't settled the outcome, how can you just interfere? Moreover, snatching away spoils of war... that is a grave taboo! The military despises such people the most. If anyone pulled this in the military and a powerhouse saw it, King Daqin wouldn't tolerate a grain of sand in his eye—even your grandfather would be slapped to death for trying to snatch spoils!" Shang Tianjiao was shaken by the bloody display from a moment ago. She kept her head down, not daring to speak. Shan Xiong also lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Lord Manor Lord, all faults lie with me. I beg the Lord Manor Lord's forgiveness!" "No matter, no matter. We are all family here, which is why I gave a word of advice." Zhu Tiandao smiled, but in the next instant, his gaze turned toward the Great Shang armored guards, and he barked, "My granddaughter is young and doesn't know any better, but don't you understand? None of you reined her in or warned her, and instead you fueled her arrogance! Utter wretches! If my Great Ming Prefecture had people like you, I would have slapped you to death long ago! If she sees something valuable on the All-Heavens Battlefield in the future and wants to snatch it—fine if it's from outsiders, but if it's from our own people, will you join in the pillaging as well? Servants are servants, completely devoid of discipline!" He let out a cold snort! A sonic tremor rippled through the air. The armor of the guards remained intact, but their internal organs ruptured, and blood seeped through the seams of their plating. The guards stifled groans of pain, but not one dared speak. None dared express dissatisfaction. They had to accept it! Even if Manor Lord Shang had been present, when Zhu Tiandao spoke like this, they would still have had to listen and accept it. Having punished the men, Zhu Tiandao put on a smile once more. Looking at Shang Tianjiao and Shan Xiong, he remarked wistfully, "A match made in heaven, a truly stunning couple! Backed by both Great Shang and Great Zhou, Shan Xiong, you will attain the Invincible realm soon. In the future, you must remain close with Great Ming Prefecture—a harmonious union indeed! As for your grandfather, I am aware of what happened. Do not grieve excessively; accept my condolences. Though your grandfather sought to seize Ye Batian's divine character for your sake and met a tragic end, that, too, was fate. Before your grandfather perished, you might not have achieved divine character unification yet. It seems his death gave you quite a shock, and now you no longer require Ye Batian's divine character..." The moment these words fell, the eyes of the crowd below flickered with sudden realization. Their minds raced! Shan Tianhao had gone to seize the Fifth Generation's divine character for Shan Xiong's sake! What was so special about the Fifth Generation's divine character? Divine character unification? So he had needed the Fifth Generation's divine character as a reference? And because Liu Wenyan refused to hand it over, Shan Tianhao had wished he could camp out in Great Xia Prefecture every single day, desperate to kill Liu Wenyan? In an instant, several disparate puzzle pieces fell neatly into place! And now, Zhou Polong no longer wanted the Fifth Generation's divine character because Shan Xiong had already succeeded in unifying his divine characters. A powerhouse secretly sent a voice transmission: "Old Li, when Shan Tianhao went to your academy to issue challenges back then, had his divine characters been unified?" "I can't say for sure, but back then, he didn't seem to have this many traits. That barrier repelling Yuan Qi—he never used that before!" It was not that Shan Xiong had never used it; rather, his previous opponents had lacked the strength to warrant it, their physical bodies inferior to his. His physical body was his advantage, so there had been no need to deploy the barrier. Yet under the current circumstances, how could anyone not overthink it? They could also tell that Zhu Tiandao was relentlessly steering their thoughts—it was blatantly obvious. But... it sounded entirely reasonable! How could any single divine character possess so many traits naturally? What nonsense! Divine character unification! Had the Fifth Generation achieved it? Was the Fifth Generation's divine character like this as well? Multiple divine characters, without even needing to form a battle technique, concentrated entirely into a single divine character? What was this supposed to be? So they had needed the Fifth Generation's divine character as a reference before, but no longer required it now? One speculation after another surfaced in everyone's minds. Zhu Tiandao smiled. Below, Jiang Tao opened his mouth several times to speak, but ultimately gave up in sheer helplessness. There was nothing he could say. He feared that if he spoke, Zhu Tiandao would trap and kill him. That man had a thoroughly dark heart. Among those capable of ruling an entire prefecture, very few lacked ruthless methods. Xia Longwu might not be insidious, but his methods were absolute in their ferocity! "All right, disperse, disperse! Two young men crossing hands—conflict breeds camaraderie. Let's say no more about the rest; at least it has concluded pleasantly. Shan Xiong, Great Ming Prefecture still has some Earth Yuan Fruits. Take them with you when you leave; opening physical apertures requires such resources. Cultivate diligently. Oh, right, Great Ming Prefecture also possesses a quota for body-forging in the sacred land. If you need it, consider it a gift. Don't take things to heart! Just treat it as Su Yu's apology to you for fighting without restraint!" All around, experts and students alike were stunned. Holy shit! A sacred land quota—you're actually giving that away? At this moment, they were utterly bewildered. Did Zhu Tiandao truly favor Shan Xiong, or was he doing this deliberately? But... to frame Shan Xiong, was there any need to throw away a sacred land quota? For the next fifty years, no one else from their prefecture could enter. Nor would they have any chance of obtaining Heaven Yuan Fruits! Two fruits every nine years—that amounted to eleven Heaven Yuan Fruits in total! And he was just giving that away for nothing? Even Shan Xiong was caught off guard. Earth Yuan Fruits, a sacred land body-forging opportunity... Great Zhou Prefecture had exhausted its chances, yet Great Ming Prefecture was offering him one? "Manor Lord Zhu... flatters me!" Shan Xiong was gravely injured, his mind in a daze. He knew that Zhu Tiandao could not harbor good intentions, but his head throbbed with excruciating pain, leaving him unable to think clearly. He could only say, "Lord Manor Lord speaks too highly of me. There is no need for this. I thank the Lord Manor Lord for his generosity!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "No matter. If you ever want it, come find me anytime. I shall take my leave now!" Leaving those words behind, he vanished on the spot. The surroundings remained deathly quiet. None of the experts spoke. The students whispered among themselves, looking back toward Shan Xiong again and again. Below the platform, Zhu Hongliang said with jealousy, "He'd rather give it to him than to me! My grandfather is truly biased now—when it comes to geniuses, he invests like a madman! Even Su Yu didn't get that quota, and now this guy walks away with it!" Beside him, Xia Huyou smiled and said, "Brother Hongliang, our talent is mediocre; taking that quota would be a waste. We might as well forge our bodies with god and demon blood essence—it's no worse than the sacred land. For someone like Brother Shan, the resource can be used to its fullest potential. Didn't my Great Xia Prefecture give ours to Huang Teng as well? Did I complain?" "Sigh, true enough!" Zhu Hongliang nodded. "Giving it to Shan Xiong is fine, too. I just hope he remembers the favor later on and doesn't turn around and refuse to acknowledge us." "That shouldn't happen." "..." The two chatted in low voices, but which of the powerhouses present could fail to hear them? Silence still reigned. Shan Xiong's head throbbed painfully. Jiang Tao could no longer care about anything else; he leaped into the air, landed beside him, and urgently transmitted his voice: "Let's go. Leave Great Ming Prefecture immediately! Be swift—return to Great Zhou Prefecture before the news spreads!" They had to leave, and leave now! As for why their master had not taken Shan Xiong with him when he departed, Jiang Tao had no way of knowing his master's intentions. Yet if Shan Xiong did not leave now, once today's events circulated, he would be in immense trouble! His divine character had already drawn everyone's attention. A unified divine character! A multiple divine character practitioner disguised as a single divine character practitioner. A divine character identical to the Fifth Generation's! No, even more exquisite than the Fifth Generation's. He had staged a ruse of self-harm with Su Yu, shattering his own physical body just to direct all attention onto Su Yu. What would outsiders think? What would the myriad races think?! Damn it all! Before the news leaked completely and before the myriad races could react, taking his junior brother back was the only sensible choice. "Let's go!" Jiang Tao barked. The Golden-Winged Peng and the others quickly followed. Seeing this, Shang Tianjiao called out in a hurry, "Elder Jiang, are you..." Jiang Tao said briskly, "My junior brother's injuries are severe. Once he recovers, he will visit Princess Shang, or the princess may visit Great Zhou Prefecture..." Dragged along by Jiang Tao, Shan Xiong's headache worsened. He could only say, "Tianjiao, I am returning to nurse my wounds. Take care of yourself. Next time... next time, don't be so reckless. I know you did it for my sake... but don't act so impulsively again, all right?" "All right, I'll listen to you!" Hearing that he was returning to recover, Shang Tianjiao could no longer stop him. She could only say, "When I have time, I'll go to Great Zhou Prefecture to find you!" "All right!" The moment Shan Xiong finished speaking, Jiang Tao whisked him away at top speed. Enduring the pain, the Golden-Winged Peng hurriedly kept pace. Once outside the city, the Golden-Winged Peng reverted to its true form; missing a wing, it could only rapidly condense a faux wing out of Yuan Qi. Those in the Sun Moon Realm possessed the ability of rebirth from a single drop of blood. It could certainly regenerate, but that required time and a massive amount of Yuan Qi. This place was clearly not suitable for its recuperation. Returning to Great Zhou Prefecture first was the priority! ... Once they had left, the Old Dragon from Great Xia Prefecture looked toward the Primordial Spirit Research Institute, then glanced in the direction where Zhu Tiandao and Niu Baidao had gone. After a long silence, he shook his head and laughed softly. This entire den was full of black-hearted schemers! Every single one of them was formidable in combat, and every single one was truly sinister. What had clearly been a simple duel had been forcibly twisted into Shan Xiong being a disguised practitioner of the multiple divine character faction—a supreme genius of that very path. Was he? At this moment, even he could not say for sure. Baseless speculation was crude. Yet reasonable deduction was far from crude. "Your Highness Huyou, it is time to depart!" the Old Dragon called out. They needed to leave quickly; this matter was far from simple. In the days ahead, there might well be major upheavals. That included Great Zhou Prefecture's response! As well as the shifts this might provoke among the myriad races! Xia Huyou hurriedly replied, "Leaving right away!" With that, he cupped his hands toward Zhu Hongliang. "Brother Hongliang, the next time you come to Great Xia Prefecture, I'll accompany you for a proper chat and tour. I shall take my leave for now!" "Take care!" The two plump figures shared a moment of mutual appreciation, and soon Xia Huyou departed alongside the contingent from Great Xia Prefecture. Outside the city, the great white dragon vanished in an instant. None of the other visitors lingered either; all fled in haste. This matter had to be reported back immediately. Even the envoys from Quest Academy and War God Academy took their leave, disregarding Great Ming Prefecture's polite offers to host them. Leave! Report back! This was a momentous matter. Could divine characters truly be unified? What did unification mean? How could they be unified? Furthermore, Su Yu was astonishingly powerful—frighteningly so. All of these matters required urgent deliberation back home. Unable to care about anything else, the crowds dispersed in waves. For a time, outside Great Ming Prefecture's provincial capital, mounts of every description soared into the sky, while ground-based beasts galloped away and disappeared into the distance. ... At the very same time. Information began converging toward various high-ranking figures via transmission talismans. "Battle between Su and Shan: Su Yu victorious, detonated 144 Yuan apertures. Shan Xiong defeated, physical body shattered, sea of will severely battered!" "Shan Xiong suspected of being a practitioner of multiple divine characters!" "Divine character unification, numerous traits; deliberately concealed strength, accepted defeat against Su Yu to exploit the chance to withdraw from public scrutiny!" "Top Secret: The Fifth Generation's divine character may represent divine character unification. Shan Tianhao's seizure of the Fifth Generation's divine character was entirely to lay the foundation for Shan Xiong!" ... Report after report circulated rapidly. Su Yu had won! Yet that was truly not the focal point. Because Shan Xiong might not have used his full strength. Su Yu was strong, but no matter how strong, he was currently no match for Shanhai. Su Yu was an orthodox genius of the multiple divine character faction with clearly defined divine character battle techniques. Of course, everyone also recognized the hammer that had appeared later—it was the Expanding Will Art, so no one paid it special heed. An orthodox genius merely had more physical apertures open. Shan Xiong, however, was unorthodox. Neither purely single nor multiple, his divine character was now shrouded in mystery. Why had they refused to let Su Yu examine that divine character? Jiang Tao had snatched the divine character away at the first opportunity and had prevented Su Yu from touching it from start to finish. Was it out of fear that Su Yu would kill Shan Xiong, or because they could not let Su Yu see it—fearing that Su Yu, as an orthodox genius and researcher of the multiple divine character faction, might discover something? ... In an instant, these reports began spreading among the highest echelons. Inside the Primordial Spirit Research Institute, at the Four Seasons Pavilion. Niu Baidao laughed heartily. "When it comes to ruthless moves, you're the one who takes the cake, kid! How did you come up with that? To be honest, I don't think his character is a unification of multiple divine characters; it looks more like trait extraction and transference—merging traits from multiple characters and shifting them onto a single one." Su Yu smiled. "Who knows? Besides, trait transference was a secret art of Great Xia Prefecture's multiple divine character faction. It was sealed away decades ago, and the technique was never perfected. Where could he have obtained such a method?" Great Xia Prefecture truly had possessed that technique, but it had indeed been shelved for decades. Moreover, it had been incomplete; back then, Hong Tan had abandoned research in that direction to focus on innate blood essence. Niu Baidao chuckled. "Forget it, doesn't matter! In any case, that brat draws far more attention than you do now. His divine character is bizarre, whereas yours is relatively orthodox. If anyone is in deep trouble, he's in far worse shape than you. That works out nicely—he can draw some of the heat away so everyone stops staring at you." Saying that, he brought out a massive wing. "Use this to nourish your body—it's fresh! You little rascal... a fight is just a fight, why did you have to detonate your own Yuan apertures? You've only opened a bit over three hundred apertures; detonating that many would normally have killed you!" "No matter. At worst, my physical body would have shattered," Su Yu said with a grin. "I could just cultivate it again. From start to finish, opening this many apertures took me less than a year. It's nothing." "..." Fuck! That was a low blow! It really had been less than a year! Even if this brat's body were pulverized, that meant it would only take him under a year to climb from Qianjun back to his current level? Still, Su Yu expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Principal. This is the wing of a Sun Moon fifth stage great demon. Looking at this blood, it should be enough to extract a drop or two of essence blood. That Golden-Winged Peng must be severely depleted this time!" Niu Baidao beamed. "Naturally! That Jiang Tao—it wasn't appropriate to strike him directly. As the eldest disciple of a near-Invincible, dealing with him would easily provoke Zhou Polong. But dealing with a mount is nothing. That mount doesn't belong to Zhou Polong anyway; it's the guardian beast of Great Zhou Civilization Academy, just like that Old Dragon in Great Xia Prefecture." "Thank you, Principal, for venting my anger. You truly are formidable!" Su Yu offered a bit of flattery, though it was genuine praise. Sun Moon fifth stage! Even if it was an ambush, to subdue the beast and tear off its wing in an instant showed that this principal was remarkably strong. "Focus on recovering from your injuries; these are all minor matters!" Niu Baidao laughed heartily. "Great Ming Prefecture doesn't pick fights, but if others pick a fight with us, we aren't pushovers either! During this period, use your recuperation as an excuse to keep a low profile." "Understood!" "I'll be going then!" Niu Baidao did not linger, departing promptly. Before long, Zhu Tiandao sent someone over as well. There was no other business; the messenger merely delivered healing pills to aid Su Yu in restoring his apertures, along with a generous supply of Earth Yuan Fruits. As for everything else, it went unspoken! There was no need for words! The two of them had joined forces to viciously set Shan Xiong up. As for whether people believed it, if Shan Xiong had the guts, he could display his divine character for every powerhouse to inspect. Otherwise, no matter what he did, he would never wash away the suspicion of divine character unification! Having one's divine character inspected by all—unless Zhou Polong abandoned Shan Xiong entirely, there was no way he would agree. What was more, even if it were not divine character unification, it undoubtedly involved classified technical methods. Perhaps even Zhou Polong's personal secret arts! ... Zhou Polong! Indeed, Su Yu had not even considered Zhou Polong in all of this, nor had he dared to frame him. Yet at this moment, rumors had already begun swirling in the outside world. Shan Xiong... was Zhou Polong's disciple! What did Zhou Polong's divine character look like right now? A second Ye Batian? Only now did countless people suddenly recall that this man was a civilization master—a civilization master on the verge of Dao attainment! Was he seeking Dao attainment through the physical body, or... through the same path as the Fifth Generation? How long had it been since Zhou Polong last displayed his power? Vaguely, certain individuals were privy to deep secrets: years ago, some of the Fifth Generation's research data had been stolen. Who had stolen it? Could it... have been Zhou Polong? And from that, Shan Xiong had been born! In this era, there was no shortage of people with vivid imaginations or a penchant for conspiracy theories. Had Zhou Polong's previous demand for the Fifth Generation's divine character truly been for Shan Xiong's sake, or for his own reference? What did Zhou Polong's divine character look like right now?! Who could go and check? ... In the Quest Realm. King Dahan emerged from seclusion once more; the gravity of the situation was immense. He had not summoned anyone else. At this moment, only King Miecan stood with him. King Miecan frowned deeply. "Is it true or false? Damn it all, if this is true, that bastard Su Yu... has harmed Zhou Polong! He could have quietly achieved Dao attainment as an Invincible civilization master! Now things are a catastrophic mess! King Dazhou has always wanted to activate the Human Realm's suppressive power—a fact known to all the myriad races. Now Zhou Polong might be the next Ye Batian... It's over. This is going to cause monstrous trouble!" King Dahan was nursing a tremendous headache as well. "I don't know whether it's true or false! Zhou Polong hasn't fought in many years; who knows what his situation is! If it is true, he will be in far greater danger than Xia Longwu. The myriad races will certainly move against him—without a doubt!" "Sigh, what an utter disaster. Right on the eve of Dao attainment, this had to happen. That Su Yu... is completely reckless!" King Miecan cursed, yet felt helpless. Reckless? Su Yu was not one of Zhou Polong's people. Shan Xiong had challenged him, and Zhou Polong had been the chief culprit suppressing Liu Wenyan for decades. Even if Su Yu had known, he would have jumped at the chance to set him up. Yet for the Human Realm, this was a catastrophic loss. A crisis of the highest order! "Someone must go question Zhou Polong, though he might not tell the truth. No, I must go to the All-Heavens Battlefield to speak with King Dazhou, King Daqin, and the others. If Zhou Polong has a chance of achieving Dao attainment soon, we must concentrate all our power to protect his ascension! Damn it, why did that fool have Shan Xiong challenge Su Yu in the first place? Couldn't he have endured a little longer?!" King Miecan was beside himself with anxiety! The greatest hope, the figure with the highest probability of becoming the very first Invincible civilization master! King Dahan nodded. "Go and return quickly. Over the next few days, I shall patrol the realm to prevent powerhouses from the myriad races from infiltrating in large numbers. I will protect Zhou Polong in secret to keep him from being assassinated!" "Be careful, you must watch over him closely!" King Miecan was in a desperate rush; he needed to reach the All-Heavens Battlefield immediately to inform the other Invincibles and formulate a plan. Was Zhou Polong truly the next Ye Batian? How confident was he? Could he achieve Dao attainment as an Invincible civilization master? If he succeeded, could he truly unlock the Human Realm's suppressive power? ... These very same questions were flashing through the minds of powerhouses among the myriad races. Those who had infiltrated the human domain felt immense turmoil. Some immediately began creeping toward Great Zhou Prefecture, while others returned straight to the All-Heavens Battlefield to confer with their racial leadership! Damn it all! Liu Wenyan and the others might all have been smokescreens! Zhou Polong was secretly pursuing Invincible Dao attainment along the multiple divine character path, only to have his plans completely derailed by Su Yu's wild interference! He had been so close—so agonizingly close to succeeding! Because right now, everyone's attention was fixed upon Xia Longwu. Xia Longwu and his impending Dao attainment! Zhou Polong had almost managed to fish in troubled waters, achieving Dao attainment alongside Xia Longwu. The chances had been immense. Once he succeeded, the myriad races would have had no way to reverse the outcome! It had been so close! A truly terrifying brush with disaster! ... In Great Xia Prefecture. Wan Tiansheng and Marquis Xia sat sipping tea, staring at each other in bewilderment. After a long silence, Marquis Xia asked dryly, "Tell me... is it real or fake? Did Zhou Polong truly cultivate the path of multiple divine characters in secret, standing just one step away from successful Dao attainment? Did he suppress the multiple divine character faction on the surface just to divert the attention of the myriad races? Did Great Zhou Prefecture even reach an understanding with the gods and demons to suppress the faction just to grant him the opportunity to attain the Dao...?" Wan Tiansheng's thoughts were in disarray. After a long while, he replied with a bitter sigh, "I don't know! It's truly impossible to tell! That Su Yu... constantly gives us these impossible conundrums!" A truly colossal conundrum! At this moment, even he was uncertain. Could it be true? Had Zhou Polong truly embarked upon the path of multiple divine characters in secret? Given his talent, there was indeed a possibility. In that case... wasn't everything ruined at the final hurdle? Regardless of whether it was true or false, the myriad races would never allow him to achieve Dao attainment easily! Wan Tiansheng looked up at the sky. Earlier, he had felt that everything remained firmly within his grasp. Now... why did he feel that things were slipping beyond his control? Where had the problem begun? Su Yu! Yes, Su Yu. A single offhand remark from that kid, perhaps blurted out purely to frame his rival, had ended up priming a powder keg that was about to blow up both the myriad races and the human race alike!