Leaving the Human Realm for the First Time

Inside the room, Su Yu stayed put. After a while, a maidservant entered, set down a chest filled with books, and said coldly, "These are materials on the All-Heavens Battlefield. The madam wants you to study them thoroughly." Su Yu nodded and hurriedly asked, "May I ask my martial aunt's... family name?" He had no idea what her surname was, though he knew her given name. The maidservant stared at him as if looking at a fool. "You don't know Ye Batian?" "..." Su Yu froze for a moment, then nodded woodenly. I'm an idiot. Sorry, Ye Hongyan. Now I know. The maidservant shot him another look reserved for simpletons and turned to leave. Could he be an absolute fool? She had been nearby when Ye Batian was mentioned earlier and had heard everything clearly. Yet this idiot still asked for her surname. What an exhausting person. ... Paying her no further mind, Su Yu picked up the books to read. The academies also had books introducing the All-Heavens Battlefield, but the materials here in the All-Heavens Prefecture were clearly more numerous and precise. The All-Heavens Battlefield was massive! Just how massive? In any case, it was certainly no smaller than the Human Realm, only larger. Moreover, it was peppered with entrance portals to various minor realms. Sometimes, as you walked along, you might stumble into a minor realm and inadvertently complete an otherworldly transmigration. If you went unnoticed, you were fine. If discovered, you were usually doomed. If undetected, you could treat it as if you had traveled to another world. Portals to such minor realms were not uncommon across the All-Heavens Battlefield. The human race primarily occupied the Eastern War Zone of the battlefield. That was not to say the east belonged entirely to humans, but humanity was the hegemon of this region. The ceaseless warfare on the All-Heavens Battlefield was not waged solely for defense against invasions. Treasures abounded there: heavenly treasures, ancient ruins, heritages of primordial races, meditation and passing-away sites of Invincibles—one could encounter any of them. Opportunities were plentiful here. There were also unique treasures, such as the Sun Moon Xuanhuang Pond, which produced Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid. A few such sites existed on the battlefield, and seizing resources was another major reason the various races fought. The most renowned of all was located in the central region: the Star Residence within the Sea of Stars. The Star Residence was normally sealed, but it opened once every decade. When that time came, entry was granted irrespective of strength, relying instead on age. As long as one's bone age was young enough, entry was permitted. As for the exact age limit, humans generally had to be under forty, preferably around thirty-five. Exceeding thirty-five meant one might encounter grave dangers. The older and stronger a person was, the more perilous entering the Star Residence became. The books did not elaborate on specific details. Although the human race held the Eastern War Zone, humanity was not entirely united. The same held true for the other major war zones; the god race was divided into many factions, as were the devil race, the demon race, and the immortal race. Humanity's forces mainly comprised the thirty-six prefectures distributed across the Eastern War Zone. Each defended—or dominated—a particular area. The heavenly treasures found within that territory belonged to the occupying force, and minor realms discovered were partitioned in the same manner. Naturally, in critical emergencies, King Daqin, the General Commander of the war zone, possessed the authority to summon all thirty-six prefectures and command unified action. In ordinary times, they fought their own battles. King Daqin was the foremost powerhouse of humanity. The leader of the War God Hall! Even King Dazhou from the Quest Realm had to obey King Daqin once on the battlefield. Provided essential interests were not jeopardized, the Invincibles would heed him. Of course, once core ideologies or vital interests were crossed, King Daqin's words might carry little weight. Near the All-Heavens Prefecture portal lay the base camp. There was more than one base camp; in fact, there were six. Humanity had six portals. One was here in the All-Heavens Prefecture. As for where the other five portals were located, no one knew the entry points within the Human Realm, but large numbers of soldiers and powerhouses guarded the exits. According to some accounts, they were likely distributed in the direction of the three oceanic regions, while another two were very probably in the Twin Sages Prefecture. The texts offered no further elaboration. The All-Heavens Prefecture was the commonly used portal. Nearly all the major prefectures assembled here. The All-Heavens Battlefield held many other mystical peculiarities. The reason this vast expanse was named a battlefield was that fighting here often provoked extraordinary anomalies. This was the proving ground where the myriad races of the heavens made their names! It was also the graveyard where geniuses of all races perished. A peculiar phenomenon governed the All-Heavens Battlefield: whenever one achieved a cross-rank kill, or completed a massacre of a hundred or a thousand foes, one stood a chance of receiving rewards from the worldly laws. Therefore, killing people in this domain could bring immense benefits. "Killing yields benefits?" This was the first time Su Yu learned such a phenomenon existed on the All-Heavens Battlefield. He could not help but frown. No wonder fighting had raged here for so many years. If killing conferred advantages, naturally no one minded keeping the war going. "The worldly rules?" Speechless, Su Yu read on. The books also noted that in ancient times, the All-Heavens Battlefield had likely served as a trial ground for all races, which was why no suppressive restrictions bound anyone here. Any race could enter this region to undergo trials. Of course, that had been in antiquity. Thus, the rules of heaven and earth bestowed rewards here. After all, what kind of trial ground would it be if people didn't kill? "Rewards for killing... damn!" Su Yu cursed softly under his breath. Brutal, but I like it! Naturally, the books did not reveal too much, offering only a general overview: slaying opponents of the same rank yielded minimal rewards, while cross-rank kills were where the real bounties lay. Consequently, cross-rank kills were a frequent occurrence on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Here, leaping ranks in battle was hardly unheard of. Lingyun cultivators slaying Shanhai powerhouses did occur. Of course, such Shanhai opponents were usually very weak, around the first or second stage. Achieving a feat like Bai Tianhao's—slaying a seventh-stage Shanhai, an upper-tier Shanhai—almost never happened. "Almost," meaning it might have occurred, but went unrecorded and never spread. "Cross-rank kills yield rewards. That's intensely alluring for geniuses!" "The stronger the foe slain, the greater the bounty!" Now Su Yu understood why it was called the All-Heavens Battlefield. This place was born for slaughter. As for what the rewards were, they could be Heaven Yuan Qi, worldly willpower, martial techniques bestowed by heaven and earth, or naturally born divine characters. Anything was possible. There was no set quota for receiving a reward. Perhaps killing a single foe would grant one, or perhaps slaying ten opponents across ranks would yield nothing. The rules here were not entirely transparent—or if they were clear, they were kept hidden from the public. Furthermore, an odd phenomenon existed on the battlefield: the greater the genius, the more easily they crossed paths with others. Sometimes it was entirely unintentional. Someone might accidentally step on a teleportation formation, and whoosh—they would be transported right before another genius. That had indeed happened before. Abandoned ancient teleportation arrays dotted the area as well. Some led to minor realms, while others led to perilous death traps, depending entirely on one's luck. Such arrays were rare nowadays. They had been numerous in the past, but countless years of brutal warfare had destroyed most of them. Su Yu flipped through the books rapidly. Before long, he had skimmed through the bulk of the material. This reading gave him a much deeper understanding of the All-Heavens Battlefield. Every decade, a rotation of Invincibles was stationed here. However, with recent tensions escalating, most Invincibles had arrived on the battlefield. Some were currently guarding minor realms, while others had slipped into major realms. The movements of Invincibles were generally kept under extreme secrecy. Frontline armies were abundant here. Nearly every major prefecture maintained an elite corps. The strongest were the Great Qin Prefecture's Iron Eagle Guards, the Great Xia Prefecture's Dragon Martial Guards, and the Great Zhou Prefecture's Huben Guards. Below them were the elite corps of prefectures like the Great Ming Prefecture—such as the Iron Cavalry Guards—along with the Dajin Prefecture's War Dragon Guards and the Great Shang Prefecture's Elephant God Guards. Only after those came second-line armies like the Demon Suppression Army and the Great Ming Prefecture's Tiandao Army. The thirty-six prefectures stationed over ten million troops here. Ninety percent of humanity's elite formations were based on the All-Heavens Battlefield. As for the Great Xia Prefecture, the Demon Suppression Army was now their main presence, since most of the Dragon Martial Guards had withdrawn and returned to the Great Xia Prefecture. Flipping through further records, Su Yu saw that while the exact movements of units like the Demon Suppression Army were classified, a detachment remained stationed at the base camp with a permanent encampment. At other times, no one knew where they had gone to launch raids or wage battles. "Dad should be at the base camp, which means he's right outside the All-Heavens Prefecture portal." Xia Huyou had told him that his father had been transferred to the base camp. As for how to locate his father, Su Yu had no clue for the moment. According to Xia Huyou, many eyes were watching his father, so rushing to meet him would easily arouse suspicion. One step at a time! Su Yu suppressed his excitement and quietly regulated his breathing. This was the residence of a Sun Moon powerhouse; staying here offered a measure of peace. Before heading out, he intended to adjust his condition. Gradually, the divine characters in his mind began to whirl. Earlier, when advancing to the Lingyun Realm, several of Su Yu's divine characters had been on the verge of advancing, but he had held them back. Now, he let them loose. The divine characters began their breakthroughs! His 180 divine apertures drew in the stray willpower drifting around him. Before long, the first divine character commenced its breakthrough to tier four! Little Brother "Blood"! This first divine character began its tier-four metamorphosis. The character grew increasingly translucent and lustrous! Spinning continuously, it unleashed bursts of potent blood qi, conjuring illusions in rapid succession. ... At the same time. Elsewhere in the residence, Ye Hongyan frowned slightly. With a wave of her hand, a halo of light materialized, cloaking the room Su Yu occupied. Her brows knit together. A tier-four divine character? This kid truly possesses astonishing talent. To outline a tier-four divine character in such a short time... No wonder everyone says he inherited an Invincible's relic. With a divine character reaching tier four, entering the Shanhai Realm isn't far off. How old is he? "Another in the mold of Huang Teng and Qin Fang." Huang Teng and Qin Fang were the premier young prodigies of humanity today, both capable of slaying enemies across ranks with overwhelming strength. In the path of warriors, both had attained consummate mastery, proving formidable even to the geniuses of the god and devil races. Among the younger generation on the All-Heavens Battlefield, the two enjoyed towering renown. Naturally, others were making names for themselves as well, such as Wu Qi of the Great Xia Prefecture, Zhou Tong of the Great Zhou Prefecture, Jin Biyue of the Dajin Prefecture... and several personal disciples of Invincibles active from the two Holy Lands. The All-Heavens Battlefield lacked anything but geniuses. Here, those who had opened 144 apertures were everywhere. Cross-rank slaughter was commonplace here. Of course, such leaps were usually performed against weaker foes. If Huang Teng ran into someone from the Primordial God Race, a Shanhai of that caliber would easily thrash him. Leaping ranks to slay fellow geniuses was where true skill lay. Ye Hongyan sensed the aura, shook her head slightly, and chose not to interfere. A tier-four divine character was formidable, but on the All-Heavens Battlefield, powerhouses and geniuses were beyond counting. Once Su Yu arrived there, things might not go as he hoped. He was merely a hothouse flower unhardened by trials. Did he think the battlefield was anything like killing a few people back in the Human Realm? No matter how chaotic the Human Realm became, it was still the rear lines, bounded by rules and safe havens. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, once you left the base camp, danger could strike at any moment, even within the Eastern War Zone. It was not the first time prodigies of the myriad races had slipped into the Eastern War Zone to perpetrate massacres. If your luck ran out and you bumped into a Sun Moon cultivator of an enemy race, one slap would crush you into paste, and you'd have only your misfortune to blame. There was no rule requiring combat against equal ranks! This was not an academy. No matter how brilliant a Lingyun genius you were, if you ran into an enemy Sun Moon who slapped you dead, there was nowhere to plead your case. "This brat insists on coming to the battlefield. He truly doesn't know how good he has it!" Was staying in the Great Ming Prefecture so terrible? Who knew what he was thinking. Joining a garrison was safer; without an army, one became a solo wanderer. Lone wanderers faced the greatest peril—and were also the most formidable. Nearly every wanderer encountered was either a powerhouse or a genius out for tempering. As thoughts crossed Ye Hongyan's mind, she raised an eyebrow. Following the first, a second divine character of Su Yu's advanced to tier four. ... The second character to advance came somewhat as a surprise to Su Yu. It was neither "Thunder" nor "Shade," but "Fire"! It was truly unexpected. This was not the Fire of Inheritance, but the fire of the Five Elements. The fire of armamentsmithing! Even Su Yu was stunned. The "Fire" character had not been outlined long ago, formed on the day of his breakthrough before reaching tier two, and entering tier three only recently after absorbing the residual charm of Sun Moon divine characters. Yet in the blink of an eye, it had reached tier four! He truly had not expected "Fire" to be the second character to advance. It was surprising, yet made sense: over the past few days, his successive forging sessions had bestowed immense benefits upon it. Every successful forging was superb tempering. Among the Five Elements divine characters, the other four had all reached tier three, yet "Fire" had surged from behind to become the second to enter tier four. "The Fire character advanced, and it's quite potent. Should I disguise myself as a member of the Flame God Race? Or perhaps another fire-attuned god or devil race?" Su Yu's top preference was disguising himself as a god or devil; immortals would work as well. The main point was their humanoid form! Some races looked bizarre, making disguises difficult. Yet identities among the gods and devils generally carried deep heritage and clear backgrounds, and many people knew one another, making imitation challenging. Furthermore, when prodigies of the god and devil races attempted to advance to the Invincible Realm... humanity would also sabotage them. Sabotage was a two-way street. It would be laughable if he disguised himself as a god or devil to advance, only to draw a mob of human Invincibles launching an ambush on him. Inside the room, the second divine character completed its advancement. After a while, the process settled. A moment later, a third character advanced. This time it was a fleeting glimmer with minimal commotion, yet Su Yu was certain a breakthrough had occurred: the "Shade" divine character had reached tier four. Su Yu could not fathom why this character advanced, so he decided to act as if it didn't exist. This divine character was always like this, leveling up mysteriously. One just had to get used to it. With three divine characters reaching tier four, none of the others had any hope of making the leap, at least not without major breakthroughs in the short term. However, several characters did climb from tier two to tier three. What brought Su Yu the most joy was the "Shock" character, a naturally born divine character he had comprehended while assisting Old Zhao in forging. After that, it had rapidly reached tier two. A few days ago, halfway through forging, Su Yu had felt this character held promise for a breakthrough. Sure enough, it was advancing now, officially becoming a tier-three character. The "Strength" character from the Great Han King, the "Battle" character from King Dayuan, and the "Quiet" character from King Dazhou all entered tier three as well. These characters had been tier two upon initial outlining, and had advanced together this time. However, the "Combine" character outlined later from King Dasong did not advance, remaining at tier two since it had been outlined too recently. Divine characters advanced one after another. ... Outside, Ye Hongyan initially paid it no heed, but her expression gradually turned strange. Just how many divine characters does this kid have? Having many was one thing, but they were advancing as though it cost nothing, breaking through one by one—some to tier four, others to tier three. Is advancing divine characters really that effortless for you? He just entered the Lingyun Realm! In recent years, the path of Civilization Masters had produced few prodigies. Wu Qi of the Great Xia Prefecture counted as the top talent among Civilization Masters today, while the truly dominant figures were warriors like Huang Teng. Could this kid be about to reverse the decline Civilization Masters had suffered in recent years? The lack of geniuses among Civilization Masters was their own doing. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction had been crippled. Among the other factions, some were inept at combat, while the Single Divine Character Faction, though not weak, simply paled in comparison to those dazzling warriors. "Is the Multiple Divine Characters Faction emerging into the world once more?" Ye Hongyan sighed inwardly. If one spoke of who had been most dazzling in that faction, it was naturally her nephew, Ye Batian. Su Yu belonged to her nephew's lineage as well. Regrettably, things remained while people had changed. Had Ye Batian lived, figures like Liu Wenyan, Hong Tan, and Xia Yunqi today would surely have shone with brilliant luster, perhaps even reaching the upper stages of the Sun Moon Realm. Fifty years could change a great many things. Thinking of her nephew, she turned her gaze toward Su Yu's room, seemingly seeing the scene of her nephew stepping onto the All-Heavens Battlefield for the first time all those years ago. Slaughtering in all directions, shaking the four quarters! The hope of Civilization Masters! The seed to become humanity's first Invincible Civilization Master! Peerlessly domineering, sweeping across the heavens. In her memory, every time her nephew returned, a million soldiers of the All-Heavens Prefecture cheered, and powerhouses of the Human Realm beamed with smiles. Invincibles appeared in person to welcome him home, walking beside him in jovial conversation. Back then, because of Ye Batian, the Ye family basked in glory across myriad realms. Yet such a domineering and formidable man had ended up without even an intact corpse, his Dao-attainment thwarted. All these years, Ye Hongyan had never forgotten that day—the day the Great Xia Prefecture brought back his remains. The All-Heavens Prefecture had fallen silent; the Human Realm had fallen silent. The Invincibles had looked like frost-wilted eggplants: despairing, disappointed, helpless, grief-stricken... King Daqin had guarded the frontier of the All-Heavens Battlefield alone for over ten days without uttering a word, slaying whoever approached until the Invincibles of all races were forced to pull back their people and avoid the Eastern War Zone for a time. Her nephew's death had also extinguished hope in countless hearts. For a Civilization Master... the hope of attaining the Dao was simply too minuscule. At this moment, countless memories flooded Ye Hongyan's mind. Looking in Su Yu's direction, she murmured, "I hope you don't become a second Ye Batian. Ye Batian the Second... is also ruined." She referred to Liu Wenyan. That young man once hailed as Ye Batian the Second—no, he had been a young man back then, spirited and high-reaching. When she saw him last, he was already aged and decrepit, moving Ye Hongyan to sorrow. She had not forgotten when Ye Batian brought Liu Wenyan to visit her. How domineering the master and disciple had been, how full of swagger! Young and old of the Ye family had been utterly captivated by Liu Wenyan. And now? What had become of him? A trapped beast for fifty years, his clan ruined, his family shattered, solitary and destitute. "Sigh!" Not counting Bai Feng, but tracing down from Liu Wenyan: three generations of master and disciple—Ye Batian, Liu Wenyan, Su Yu... None seemed destined for a good end. The more Ye Hongyan thought, the bleaker she felt. Could no one from her nephew's lineage meet a peaceful conclusion? ... At this moment, Su Yu was not dwelling on such thoughts. He was in quite a good mood. As the divine characters advanced, their feedback nourished his willpower, making it stronger and stronger. Su Yu did not dare let his willpower grow unchecked this time; he continuously tempered it with the Mind Expansion Hammer, having no desire to break into the Shanhai Realm prematurely. He would outline his divine characters slowly. He had yet to test just how formidable his ninety-nine-character combat technique would truly be. Moreover, his foundation was not solid enough. He was advancing too fast; he needed to slow down. It was only late June now. Counting from his enrollment last August, it hadn't even been a full year. In less than a year, his willpower had entered the Lingyun Realm and his physical body had reached the Tengkong Realm—a terrifying pace. Any faster, and Su Yu felt his cultivation would become superficial. Better to take his time. How about finishing seventy-two body temperings and bringing his willpower close to Shanhai by year's end? There was still half a year left! Pondering this, Su Yu retrieved more Heaven Yuan Qi to continue tempering his body. Currently, he was only at eleven temperings. It would be best to complete the twelfth before entering the All-Heavens Battlefield. Once twelve temperings were finished, his physical strength would approach the power of six thousand apertures. Going all out alongside his divine characters and his half-opened Yang Aperture, Su Yu felt he would have no trouble fighting ninth-stage Lingyun cultivators. Of course, that excluded the powerhouse lineages among the gods and devils. Continue tempering! Xia Huyou had provided an abundance of blood essence—a full million merit points' worth. Su Yu had extracted nearly a thousand portions of Heaven Yuan Qi in total. Of course, he had given a portion to Xia Huyou earlier, and another portion to Bai Feng. After finishing extractions at the Jingxin Spring and consuming some himself, he had roughly seven hundred portions left on him. At twenty portions per tempering, that was enough to support about thirty-five temperings. Later on, as his strength mounted and his body turned immensely tough, consumption might increase. No matter; it was just blood essence. The All-Heavens Battlefield lacked many things, but never blood essence. This time, Su Yu had no intention of returning until he cultivated his physical body to seventy-two temperings. He would finish his cultivation right there on the battlefield! He would turn that world upside down... Well, provided he didn't encounter overwhelming foes. If he did, running away early was the priority. Throughout that day, Su Yu went nowhere. Since Ye Hongyan had instructed him to stay put, he didn't want to cause trouble for her. The next day was June 20. He still could not enter today. King Daqin would only oversee the base camp tomorrow. As for who held command today, Su Yu neither knew nor cared. Su Yu still did not plan on leaving the room. He could endure solitude! He resumed body tempering. He likely couldn't complete the twelfth tempering today, but that didn't matter. Taking it slow and succeeding in three to five days was just as good. Though he did not step outside, Ye Hongyan came to see him that day. ... Inside the room. Ye Hongyan glanced at the perused books, then saw Su Yu had barely shifted from his spot. She sighed softly in her heart: he was indeed an obedient boy. He could endure loneliness. Regrettably, he was saddled with a troublesome batch of masters and elders. Stepping inside, Ye Hongyan walked straight to the hall and sat down, saying coldly, "Let me inform you of something. Chen Yong has killed again. Now, an Invincible might have their eyes on him." "Who died?" Su Yu asked. "Someone from the Great Xia Prefecture. A deputy commander of the Great Xia Army, a ninth-stage Shanhai. He has started killing Great Xia people as well." Su Yu fell silent for a moment. "The Great Xia Prefecture failed to catch him?" Impossible! This person had been on the list Xia Huyou previously shared, among Chen Yong's likely targets. The Great Xia Prefecture couldn't have failed to keep watch. After a pause, Ye Hongyan said, "The Great Xia Prefecture moved to capture him. A Sun Moon expert attempted to take him, but was blocked. Some suspect Lan Tian intervened. From a fleeting glimpse, Chen Yong... has defected!" Su Yu frowned, his voice dropping low. "Impossible! Unless Lan Tian acted of his own accord, my martial uncle would never collude with him!" Ye Hongyan said indifferently, "Neither your words nor mine count. Though Chen Yong escaped, the fact that he began killing Great Xia's own people means he has completely abandoned any intention of returning." Su Yu said nothing more. Ye Hongyan looked at him. "If one day Chen Yong truly defects, along with Hong Tan, Liu Wenyan, and the rest, what choice will you make?" Su Yu remained silent. "You have no choice?" Su Yu looked at her, his tone grave. "Defection? What constitutes defection? I don't understand what you mean, Martial Aunt! If seeking to survive and preserve one's life is called defection, then... let it be defection!" "Hah!" Ye Hongyan let out a cold laugh. "That rationale is shared by many members of the All-Races Cult. Those who desert also do so to survive, to preserve their lives. Why then call them traitors?" Su Yu was quiet for a while. "It's different! In my eyes, I can face blades from the front, but I cannot forgive knives in the back. Those who defected to the All-Races Cult feared the blades ahead, so they chose to kneel and beg for life! We are different! Please do not conflate the two, Martial Aunt! Facing the myriad races, facing foreign enemies, I believe my martial uncle, my master, and my grandmaster will fight to the end. What we resist are the knives stabbed from behind!" Ye Hongyan sneered. "And what if I told you those knives from behind were meant to ward off the blades from the front? Young man, don't always think so simplistically. How would you choose then?" "This world isn't black and white. Some people are gray." Su Yu fell silent once more. After a long pause, he said, "That's too complicated; I don't want to think about it. I only care about what I can touch, what I can see, and what affects me personally. As for the rest... I won't ponder it. All I know is that they are my martial uncle and my grandmaster. Others... are outsiders after all!" "Don't you think you're being selfish?" "Selfish?" Su Yu thought it over and nodded. "You can say that, Martial Aunt, or understand it that way. I'm incapable of being a saint. Honestly, I think Teacher Liu Wenyan might be a saint. Were I in his shoes, I would have quit long ago." "Liu Wenyan..." Ye Hongyan chuckled, her first genuine laugh. "He's no saint; he's an idiot! Liu Wenyan was influenced too deeply by his master, too deeply by my nephew. In his eyes, the survival and future of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction come first; everything else can be set aside, including his family and himself. Even if it means eking out an ignoble existence, at least the faction survives. He couldn't resist too fiercely. As you know, resisting too fiercely means there is no longer any need for the faction to exist." Su Yu offered no response. Perhaps. He would not become Liu Wenyan. Though taught by Liu Wenyan, that didn't mean he had to emulate everything. At the very least, swallowing insults and sacrificing oneself for the bigger picture were traits he could never learn. Had he possessed that tolerance, he would never have left the Great Xia Prefecture in the first place. Ye Hongyan dropped the topic and stood. "Leave early tomorrow. I'll escort you to the All-Heavens portal. Once you're over there, life and death are in heaven's hands! Don't count on anyone sheltering you. This world lacks anything but geniuses!" Ye Hongyan said coldly, "Never place your hopes on anyone! Don't pin your future on the likes of Niu Baidao or Zhu Tiandao; the only person you can trust is yourself! Don't be foolish enough to believe that your death can resolve everything... That's all lies! Fairy tales! Back then, that fool Batian trusted others, and look at the miserable end he met!" "Don't walk his old path. His path is a dead end." "Niu Baidao believes the future is bright and pins his hopes on tomorrow; he's an idiot, a fool!" "Zhu Tiandao believes forbearance is necessary, that lying low allows for a better explosion; he's equally an idiot. Lie low long enough, and he'll find he's turned into an actual pig head!" "Even a peerless talent like Xia Longwu was ultimately forced to bow to fate. In this era, far too many matters leave people utterly helpless. I hope you don't follow their paths. Their ways may not suit you." Ye Hongyan departed. Su Yu nodded silently. He wouldn't! If he walked a path, it would be his own. ... That day, Su Yu once again immersed himself in cultivation, forgetting all else. In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. June 21. Today, he was entering the All-Heavens Battlefield. Early in the morning, Ye Hongyan waited outside his door. Su Yu emerged from the room and followed silently. Neither spoke another word, making their way along the quiet path toward the All-Heavens Battlefield portal. Soldiers and powerhouses bustled past them along the road. Su Yu paid them little mind, keeping his eyes on his path. After a long walk through checkpoint after checkpoint, a sky-piercing pillar of light appeared ahead. Ye Hongyan spoke her first words of the day: "That is the passage, likely an ancient teleportation array. Once inside, when enough people gather, it will teleport you to the All-Heavens Battlefield!" Su Yu nodded silently. Ye Hongyan waved into the distance, and a Shanhai general hurried over. "Commander Ye..." Ye Hongyan said indifferently, "Send Cui Lang to the All-Heavens Battlefield shortly. I have other matters. Inform me whenever he returns!" "Understood!" ... Once Ye Hongyan left, the Shanhai commander quickly led Su Yu beneath the pillar of light, where dozens of people had already assembled. The Shanhai smiled. "Once we hit a hundred, the teleportation begins!" "One hundred merit points per person! During transit, do not wander or stray, lest you get lost in the passage!" "Once you arrive on the other side, cooperate with their inspections. Do not cause conflict. The Human Realm is peaceful, but that side is a battlefield. Do whatever you're told! If you run around recklessly and get killed, don't say I didn't warn you!" "King Daqin may inspect the base camp today. With luck, you might catch a glimpse of him. Of course, behave yourselves if you do!" "One last thing... I wish you all smooth travels!" As the Shanhai spoke, many more arrived. Wasting no further breath, he offered his parting wish and bellowed, "Activate teleportation!" With that roar, a brilliant radiance surged from the light pillar. Su Yu and the others vanished from where they stood in the blink of an eye. Someone sighed, "Over a hundred people. Who knows how many will return alive? Most are lone wanderers; let's hope they don't wander carelessly." "Who cares about them? Solo wanderers are either confident or arrogant. If they die, they asked for it." "..." Amidst the murmurs of conversation outside the portal, the surroundings gradually settled into silence. As always, when those people returned next time, perhaps more than half would be missing. Such was the harsh reality. And thus, for the first time, Su Yu left the Human Realm and set foot upon the All-Heavens Battlefield.