Entering the Heaven Ranking Before the Ancient City Gates

Su Yu tore across the landscape like lightning. His speed was astounding. The Calamity divine character in his mind continued to throb, making him want to curse aloud. *Did he really latch onto me? Am I truly that unlucky? Go hunt down Qin Fang!* Along the way, Su Yu tunneled into mountains, merged with flowing water, and dissolved into vegetation whenever he met a forest. His movements were blisteringly fast, yet he still could not completely shake off the impending sense of crisis lingering behind him. He had mastered the five elements escape techniques down to an art, yet he still could not lose his pursuer. …… At the same time. The purple-haired Moduona strolled leisurely through the void, as though merely admiring the surrounding scenery. Arrogance? No, it was supreme confidence. The confidence born of having slain a Shanhai seventh-stage expert—a confidence that made him even stronger than before. The human prodigies were still far beneath him. Even if he encountered a peak Shanhai expert, he was capable of preserving his own life. As for the Sun Moon Realm... unless he met a human Sun Moon expert, neither the Sun Moon masters of the monster race nor the god race would dare lightly slay Moduona. The god race and the demon race still needed to cooperate, and even the current monster race sought to join forces to suppress the human race together. "Su Yu?" Moduona pressed forward. Was that Su Yu ahead? Qin Fang and Huang Teng were old acquaintances of his. He had lost interest in them. Unless those two broke through to the Lingyun seventh stage—or even the eighth or ninth stage—they stood no chance of fighting him on equal footing; even then, it would merely be a slim hope. Sometimes, nurturing a few evenly matched rivals was a form of entertainment. As for the risk of capsizing his ship? Then let it capsize. If one could not suppress their entire generation, how could one attain Dao and reach Invincibility? Even if one became Invincible, they would never reach the stature of figures like King Daxia. Moduona was far more eager to test the caliber of newcomers—such as this fellow whose identity wavered between Cui Lang and Su Yu. That was where the real fun lay, was it not? "Tianmie City!" From afar, he already spotted that incomparably magnificent colossal city, mysterious and steeped in ancient vicissitudes, having stood since time immemorial. Such ancient cities were scattered across the entire All-Heavens Battlefield. Moduona had visited an ancient city once before. Naturally, it had not been Tianmie City. He had obtained several opportunities there, though he had also weathered his share of perils. "Ancient city... Tianmie!" His gaze deepened as he looked toward the majestic ancient city emerging in the distance. He smiled faintly. Did Su Yu and his companions intend to enter the city? That place was by no means guaranteed to be safe. It might prove even more perilous than facing him! The greater one's genius, the greater the danger. Such was the nature of the All-Heavens Battlefield! The All-Heavens Battlefield was a crucible aimed specifically at geniuses. Of course, surviving the danger brought immense opportunities, which was why prodigies achieved their fastest growth here. Moduona continued onward. Would Su Yu enter the city? It was hard to say. Regardless of whether Su Yu entered or not, Moduona intended to see it for himself. Since he had crossed paths with Tianmie City, it was destiny. Heavenly fate. If he did not inspect it, his journey to the Plain of Desire would be wasted. Originally, he had not wanted to come here. The Plain of Desire was only suited for geniuses below high-stage Shanhai; high-stage Shanhai experts were prone to losing their minds here, making this place inhospitable to both high-stage Shanhai and the Sun Moon Realm. Those higher-level cultivators had their own dedicated battlegrounds. Though Moduona was not in the Sun Moon Realm, he preferred operating in those higher realms. Only there could he experience a sufficient sense of crisis—a true life-and-death ordeal. Here, among the younger generation, he was an invincible presence. …… Just as Moduona spotted the colossal city, Su Yu caught sight of it as well. Even from a great distance, he could feel a primordial, desolate aura—bleak yet indescribably magnificent. It stretched between heaven and earth like an insurmountable mountain range. Wary, Su Yu drew closer in silence. At that moment, his Calamity divine character throbbed gently, oscillating faintly from left to right. It remained a mild pulse without intensifying, signaling that while danger was present, it was not immediately fatal. The gigantic city sprawled across the horizon ahead as though boundless. For a time, Su Yu could not even discern where its borders ended. There were many gates! Indeed, an astonishing number of gates. Along just the section of city wall visible to Su Yu, there were seven or eight gates. Should he enter? How did one gain entry? Did they inspect identities, or was it something else? Who in the All-Heavens Battlefield had constructed such an immense fortress? Even the human base camp had only erected a modest fortress, Dongli City, behind which lay an endless expanse of military barracks and tents without any grand city walls. Su Yu opened his eyes wide and looked across the fortress. The most striking sight was two colossal, ancient characters etched into the stone: *Tian Mie!* It was not human script, nor was it the script of gods or demons. It belonged to no race Su Yu was familiar with, yet he recognized it. It resembled a unique script akin to divine characters—once outlined, its meaning became instantly clear. "Divine characters..." Su Yu murmured softly. Indeed, the first thing that came to his mind was divine characters—authentic divine characters, not the script of the god race. The moment he laid eyes on those two characters, he understood their meaning: *Heaven's Annihilation!* At that moment, the golden album within his mind quivered faintly before quickly subsiding into calm. High above the grand fortress, the two colossal characters flickered with a faint gleam before swiftly settling back into stillness. At the same time. Inside the Prefecture Lord Manor, within that unimaginably vast hall, the stone statue opened its eyes once more. It seemed to pierce the endless void, perceiving a great many things, before closing its eyes a moment later. As before, it returned to being an inert, silent statue. …… Concealed in the surroundings, Su Yu hesitated to enter the city rashly. Yet he also worried about Moduona catching up from behind. For a time, he hovered in indecision. Right then, Su Yu's expression shifted slightly. His Calamity divine character pulsed frantically—had Moduona arrived? Just as he considered forcing his way into the city, a silhouette drifted across the void not far away. Moduona glanced in his direction, seemingly noticing him, yet also appearing not to. With just that single glance, Moduona turned and headed toward the largest city gate. Unlike the smaller gates guarded by sentries, the largest gate stood completely unmanned. The massive gate was wide open, yet the immediate area was deserted. Moduona walked over. Even though the gate stood open, he did not step through immediately. Near the smaller gates, various beings came and went. A few recognized Moduona and looked on with trembling hearts. Others who failed to recognize him chuckled softly, "Another blind fool looking to die..." *Buzz!* Demonic flames flared! The being who had spoken was instantly engulfed in demonic fire. Bloodcurdling screams tore through the sky, and in the blink of an eye, that Lingyun expert was incinerated into ash. Moduona did not even spare a glance toward the ashes, acting as if he had done nothing at all. Around him, the passing beings scattered in terror. Beside the deceased speaker stood an ancient elder whose eyes held deep shock mixed with barely concealed fury. "Is the Primordial Demon Race... truly this tyrannical?" Moduona tilted his head toward the elder, who was a Shanhai expert. He inspected the old man and gave a slight nod. "The Primordial Demon Race... has always been this tyrannical!" As his voice fell, his silhouette blurred. *Boom!* Between heaven and earth, only a single fist remained. It shattered the void as if sprouting out of nothingness, slamming squarely into the elder's head. With a sickening blast, the elder's skull exploded. Demonic fire surged once more! A massive black wolf, now headless, was reduced to nothingness by the demonic flames in the span of a breath. "Moduona!" A trembling voice squeaked out the name. With that, all the onlookers retreated even farther. Moduona of the Primordial Demon Race! Lingyun Realm! Yet he had pulverized a Shanhai third-stage black wolf with a single punch. At that moment, terror gripped every onlooker. A great name carried weight, just as a tall tree cast a long shadow. Moduona's reputation was simply too formidable! Ignoring the crowd, Moduona returned to the front of the colossal gate. The gate remained wide open. Taking a gentle breath, Moduona took a step inside! *Buzz!* Flames roared into the sky! Demonic fire mirrored across the void beneath his feet as Moduona advanced step by step, as though bearing an immense burden. One step, two steps... Every single step seemed to drain his entire strength. The domineering might with which he had just slain a Shanhai expert stood in stark contrast to his currently faltering, heavy strides. Hiding in the shadows, Su Yu watched in stunned disbelief. *So strong!* A Shanhai third stage had been completely helpless before him, slain with a single punch. Terrifying! "This guy... is terrifyingly strong, yet he's only at Lingyun seventh stage! Given this level of strength, I'd need to reach at least Tengkong sixth stage before I could fight him!" "..." He had addressed those words to the little fur ball. The little fur ball merely rolled over, unwilling to respond. The strongest Lingyun seventh stage of the Primordial Demon Race—perhaps the strongest Lingyun seventh stage across all races—and you claim you need to reach Tengkong sixth stage to challenge him... The little fur ball could not even be bothered to roll its eyes. *You're not human at all!* Su Yu was entirely serious. Tengkong sixth stage referred to his physical body, which would require at least forty-one temperings. Only by reaching the sixth stage would he have any hope of fighting Moduona. Even then, winning was far from guaranteed; Moduona's current depths remained unfathomable. Perhaps he would need to reach Tengkong seventh stage! "Or maybe... even higher! I can't read this guy at all. How many body temperings has he completed? Thirty-six? How many acupoints has he opened—over a hundred?" There was no way Moduona had only opened a little over a hundred acupoints! As for body tempering, he had likely exceeded thirty-six. Although the Primordial Demon Race cultivation art he had obtained only specified thirty-six temperings, who could say whether this fellow practiced the Primordial Demon Race body tempering method? "Why does he insist on taking that specific gate?" Su Yu was deeply puzzled. There were numerous gates, and many appeared easy to traverse. Various beings entered and exited freely without the garrisoned soldiers blocking them or inspecting their identities. If that was the case, why did Moduona insist on taking that particular gate? Furthermore, had Moduona discovered him? If so, why hadn't he attacked? Instead, he had hurried over to pass through that gate! It seemed as though his goal was not killing Su Yu at all, but simply entering the city. What a bizarre fellow! Countless questions swirled in Su Yu's mind. Moduona advanced step by step, struggling so heavily that Su Yu could see sweat dripping from his forehead. This gate... was sinister! A monster who could obliterate a Shanhai in a single punch struggled just to cross the threshold. What kind of gate was this? What would happen if someone simply flew over the city wall to enter? "They would die!" *Boom!* Su Yu threw a fist backward, his divine characters erupting into a battle technique. With a resounding blast, the void shattered! "Su Yu!" The figure who had just spoken "They would die" swiftly retreated several hundred meters. Wearing a white mask, a chuckle drifted from him: "Were you wondering what would happen if someone flew directly over the wall to enter the city?" Su Yu's gaze turned chillingly sharp, inwardly shaken. *I was only thinking it!* *How did this person know?* As if reading his thoughts, the white-masked figure laughed. "Because... everyone who comes here for the first time has the exact same thought! It's quite easy to deduce, isn't it? Are you curious about a great many things, puzzled by so much?" "Who are you?" Su Yu's eyes were icy. Unable to see through the newcomer's cultivation, his immediate instinct was to flee! "Don't think of running. I harbor no malice." The white-masked figure smiled. "I hail from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, an operative of the Heaven Department among the Four Departments of Heaven Hunting. Su Yu, that was a divine character battle technique you just used, wasn't it? Could you enlighten me on what it's called?" Su Yu glared at him coldly without saying a word. "No need for such hostility... The Heaven Hunting Pavilion is merely an organization that makes no distinction between good and evil, right and wrong. An organization exists solely to facilitate convenience for others and for itself." The white-masked figure chuckled. "I would like to invite you to join the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. Would you consider it?" "I won't consider it!" Su Yu kept backing away. Fearing the man might strike, he added, "Give me some time to think it over. After all, I know far too little about the Heaven Hunting Pavilion..." "Heh!" The masked operative chuckled. "Don't be nervous. My only purpose in coming here was to confirm your identity, nothing more! Furthermore, even if you don't join the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, you can still use your branch scroll to conduct transactions with us." "Transactions?" "Indeed!" The white-masked operative smiled faintly. "Anything can be traded!" "Can you assassinate an Invincible?" "..." The masked man fell silent for a moment before replying, "My clearance is insufficient. Perhaps... when your clearance is high enough, even that won't be entirely impossible!" "..." Su Yu studied the masked figure, his eyes flickering. "Inviting experts and prodigies from all races to join, establishing the Heaven Hunting List, facilitating transactions, and perhaps engaging in mercenary tasks... I'm very familiar with this model!" Far too familiar! This was damn well structured like a mutual aid society! Recruit people, assign them missions, hand out rewards, and the puppet masters behind the scenes always profited. The masked operative remained unbothered, chuckling softly. "To each according to their needs. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion has never claimed to act in the name of righteousness!" Su Yu retreated further and asked, "Is Moduona a member of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion?" The masked man replied calmly, "I don't know. I am only responsible for my assigned duties. I know nothing of what others handle. That, too, is a rule." "Are you responsible for me right now?" "Yes!" The masked operative smiled. "Aren't you curious why Moduona wants to enter the city? Why he insists on walking through that specific gate? Why his passage is so arduous? Aren't you curious about what kind of place this ancient city truly is?" "I am." Su Yu had pulled back a significant distance until his Calamity divine character stopped throbbing violently. Only then did he smile. "Do you buy and sell intelligence? Name your price for that information." "No need." The masked operative spoke placidly. "May I see your true face? Once I've seen it, I will provide the intelligence free of charge, as your compensation." "With the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's vast capabilities, can't you see through my disguise?" "I can." Unprovoked by the jab, a mirror materialized in the masked operative's hand. He smiled faintly. "Forcefully piercing your disguise would make us enemies. As I said before, I have no desire to make an enemy of you. Do you truly wish for me to force the issue? The Heaven Hunting List requires reliable information. As you have seen, we reveal very little; we only need to verify foundational facts... "Currently, your identity as Cui Lang is being questioned, so the Heaven Hunting Pavilion bears a responsibility to determine the truth." "A responsibility?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. The masked operative said calmly, "Yes, a responsibility! If we cannot even determine the identity of a genius, how is the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to stand among the myriad realms? How could anyone trust that our intelligence is accurate?" Su Yu nodded. "I am Cui Lang..." The masked man smiled and raised the mirror in his hand. A beam of white light shot forth. Su Yu instantly concealed himself and fled. The moment he vanished, time and space stagnated. Su Yu stumbled out of the void, slightly startled yet unfazed. He lashed out with the Time combat art, shattering part of the white light with a loud boom. The masked operative paused slightly before quickly jotting down notes. "Proficient in the Time combat art, the heritage of King Miecan." He raised the mirror, directing the beam toward Su Yu once more. Su Yu unleashed his divine characters, prompting the masked man to write again: "Possesses five-element divine characters..." Su Yu abruptly halted, dodging the beam of white light, and hurriedly said, "Easy now! I'm Su Yu. Why must you resort to physical force, Lord Masked Operative..." He had noticed that the fellow was recording his abilities. If the fight continued, he would expose even more secrets. The masked man smiled and said, "You are Su Yu? Can you reveal your true face? As I said, I bear no malice. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion does not hunt prodigies to kill them; when geniuses on the Heaven Hunting List fall... we merely provide a ranking. As for who slays whom, that is your own affair." Su Yu neither confirmed nor denied it. This fellow was far too troublesome! He wanted to enter the city! Just as the thought crossed his mind, the masked operative spoke again: "The ancient city holds both peril and great opportunity. Charging in blindly without knowing anything is never wise! Entering directly might cause you to miss a grand fortune! Even an extraordinary talent like Moduona seeks opportunities from it and chose the main gate. Do you intend to take a side gate? Do you consider yourself inferior to Moduona?" Su Yu hesitated, cursing inwardly. The next instant, his face shifted to reveal his features... The masked man stared at him for a moment, feeling a wave of exhaustion. He said dryly, "Please do not insult my intelligence! And do not insult the reputation of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion! We have visual records of Xia Huyou!" "..." Su Yu cursed under his breath. With a thought, his face shifted once more. Xia Huyou was fairly famous and a direct descendant of an Invincible, so it was only natural that the Heaven Hunting Pavilion recognized him. Now... Just as his appearance shifted again, the masked operative produced a portrait, holding it up for him to see. "You, Su Yu, are hardly an unknown figure. Why skulk around in shadows?" Su Yu caught sight of his own portrait! His heart jolted. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion possessed an intelligence network within the Human Realm as well! Yet admitting his identity was extraordinarily dangerous. Just as he was about to alter his appearance again, the masked operative resumed writing: "Possesses a transformation divine character, suspected tier-four. Possesses aura-concealment techniques and a concealment-type divine character, suspected tier-four..." Writing up to this point, he directly recorded in his booklet: "Wields over ten divine characters. Proficient in the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, Time, and the Expanding Will Art. Possesses innate blood essence. Capable of divine character battle techniques. This individual is definitively Su Yu!" Since Su Yu refused to show his face, the operative simply deduced it himself. At this stage, it was nearly a hundred percent certain to be Su Yu. He said 'nearly' only because the fellow stubbornly refused to admit it. Seeing what the man was writing, Su Yu gave him an odd look. These fellows were truly rigorous—couldn't one even borrow an identity in peace? Did it truly make a difference whether he was Cui Lang or Su Yu? Did they really have to dig to the very bottom? He was utterly speechless. No wonder Xia Huyou had warned that hiding one's identity on the All-Heavens Battlefield was exceptionally difficult. So this organization called the Heaven Hunting Pavilion went out of its way to verify identities, acting as the constables of the myriad realms? Dammit all! At that moment, the branch scroll on Su Yu vibrated. He quickly pulled it out to check. The rankings had shifted. "Heaven Ranking #18: Su Yu, 19 years old, genius of the Great Ming Prefecture, Human Realm, originally from Great Xia Prefecture, multiple divine character faction. Combat record: Slew a Lingyun ninth stage." Meanwhile, Qin Fang—who had slain a Shanhai third stage at Lingyun sixth stage—had dropped to the Earth Ranking, taking first place, while Huang Teng took second place on the Earth Ranking. Su Yu ground his teeth. "Whether I'm Su Yu or not, you've already declared it as fact?" That booklet... was likely a transmission tool that relayed information straight to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. They had updated the records! Just like that, Su Yu was thrust onto the bottom of the Heaven Ranking. He had only arrived a few days ago! He had surged straight from the Yellow Ranking into the bottom of the Heaven Ranking. Su Yu felt profoundly depressed. What did he need such great fame for? It would only paint a target on his back—it was far too dangerous! The masked operative hesitated, thought for a moment, and wrote a few more words. A moment later, the list changed slightly once more. "Su Yu (unconfirmed, pending verification)" A few extra words appeared! Su Yu nearly spat blood. *Damn you, you can even modify the list like that?* The masked man smiled faintly. "Whether you admit it or not, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion will provide our own deductions." With that, he prepared to depart. Su Yu hurriedly shouted, "Where's the intelligence you promised me?" "You did not reveal your true form!" "You never specified a deadline..." With that, Su Yu shifted his appearance to his genuine self. The masked operative paused, glanced back at him, and chuckled. "The geniuses of the human race are truly interesting." To put it bluntly, they were all rather shameless. He had met Qin Fang, he had met Huang Teng, and now he had met Su Yu. All of them shared certain peculiar traits! The next instant, a jade talisman sailed toward Su Yu. Su Yu immediately scorched it with his fire divine character, cleansed it with his water divine character, and inspected it thoroughly with his Calamity divine character... Only after completing this series of precautions did he finally stow the jade talisman away. "..." The masked operative felt utterly exhausted. Truly, he had rarely encountered someone so excessively paranoid! Yet, while paranoid, this fellow had the audacity to pull off insane stunts. If he didn't want to expose himself, why had he charged into Heaven-Severing Valley in the first place? A contradictory, complicated youth. Perhaps this was simply how geniuses were. As the masked operative drifted away, his voice carried over: "If you wish to trade, simply write what you desire on the branch scroll. It functions similarly to a transmission talisman and serves no other purpose." "Heh!" Su Yu made no reply. *No other purpose? What about tracking?* It definitely had tracking capabilities! This fellow had pinpointed his exact location, which was undoubtedly linked to the branch scroll. He knew this item could track him. Still, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's nature was complicated. They did not seem to kill people directly! Or rather, unless someone paid a steep enough price, they would not casually execute assassinations. Putting himself in their shoes, Su Yu fell into contemplation. Perhaps, in their eyes, the geniuses listed on the rankings were their ultimate bargaining chips. Locating geniuses and assassinating them were both commodities; so long as someone paid an adequate price, they would carry it out. Before anyone paid that price, every genius was simply capital in their reserve. While he had been conversing with the masked operative, Moduona was still crossing the city gate, demonic flames raging across the heavens! More and more onlookers gathered in the vicinity. Su Yu watched for a moment before quietly perusing the intelligence provided by the masked operative. What madness possessed Moduona to insist on taking that gate? What made it so special? …… Su Yu paid no mind to the broader world, yet at that very moment, across the myriad realms, every powerhouse possessing a ranking scroll retrieved it. Heaven Ranking #18: Su Yu, unconfirmed! Su Yu! The name of Cui Lang had vanished, replaced by Su Yu, leaping straight onto the Heaven Ranking. Across the myriad realms, only eighteen prodigies stood upon the Heaven Ranking. And now, Su Yu had joined their ranks. He occupied the bottom spot only because the expert he had slain, Lei Jue, had not yet reached the Shanhai Realm. It was also related to Su Yu himself having stepped into Lingyun. His willpower was at the Lingyun first stage, meaning he had not yet displayed the ability to fight across an entire major cultivation realm. Even though his burst strength reached the Shanhai level, and Lei Jue had previously slain a Shanhai, the Heaven Hunting List did not calculate rankings in such a simplistic manner. …… Great Xia Civilization Academy. Xiuxin Pavilion. Messages were relayed through communication channels one after another. The moment Wan Tiansheng retrieved his transmission talisman and looked upon the latest ranking, he tilted his head to gaze at the heavens. A Lingyun battling a Shanhai! "He reached Lingyun..." Murmuring softly, he stared at the ceiling, the sun and moon revolving in his eyes. *What kind of scene did I truly witness back then?* *Who was the Shanhai expert fighting Su Yu?* *What stage of Shanhai?* He had not paid close enough attention. A Shanhai first stage was a Shanhai, and a Shanhai ninth stage was also a Shanhai. Which Shanhai had the boy fought, and from which race? "That wasn't in the All-Heavens Battlefield, and it wasn't supposed to happen now..." He muttered to himself. It couldn't possibly be this soon. It shouldn't be! Only after Su Yu enrolled in the academy had he used the Heaven-Reflecting Mirror to glimpse the future. That glimpse had cost him a century of lifespan! Yet now, not even a single year had elapsed. It wouldn't be a full year until August. *I don't believe it!* *Dammit, wait a little longer!* *I refuse to accept this!* *Had I known what I saw would happen so soon, I wouldn't have looked at all.* Granted, that vision had been merely one out of tens of millions of possibilities. However, given the vast lifespan he had expended to observe it, a shorter timeline meant a far higher probability of coming to pass, as the temporal span was narrow. If the event had been set decades later, it would have been one possibility among millions. Yet if it was taking place in the immediate future, it became one of only a handful of outcomes. That realization was what allowed Wan Tiansheng to confirm it—the closer the event, the greater the likelihood it would occur. "Sigh!" A heavy sigh escaped him. It had come too fast; everything was slipping beyond his control. Moreover, why did that brat have to run off to cause havoc in the All-Heavens Battlefield? Stirring up such an uproar—did he truly believe no one could kill him? No matter how brilliant a genius, before an Invincible, their fate was to be flattened with a single palm. Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside. Fatty Xia had gone as well; perhaps he would look out for the boy. …… Few individuals received these updates directly, but high-ranking figures maintained their own intelligence channels. Great Ming Prefecture. On Yuexin Island. Niu Baidao was entertaining Cui Lang with tea. After drinking for a while, he chuckled, "Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't have to worry for long? Look, nothing to worry about now, right? That kid exposed his own identity!" He spoke casually, but inwardly he was cursing violently! *Dammit all!* *Didn't you go to the ruins to collect Heaven Yuan Qi?* *How on earth did you end up on the Heaven Ranking?* He was about to burst with rage! And here he had been, working tirelessly to hide the boy's identity. Then again, the brat was simply too ostentatious; no disguise could ever hold up. Back in the Great Ming Prefecture, he had been relatively low-key. So low-key that he had only triggered a worldly phenomenon and duped a few Sun Moon experts to their deaths—nothing else, right? So why, upon arriving at the All-Heavens Battlefield, had he turned into a husky unleashed from its cage? Stirring up trouble everywhere he went! Opposite him, Cui Lang sipped his tea and nodded calmly. *I knew he would expose himself, but... my troubles are still massive, aren't they?* Thinking of this, he let out a sigh. "Prefecture Head, I think I'm still finished." "Hmm?" "A friend from the Great Tang Prefecture just sent me a transmission saying that Old Man Cheng suddenly blew up his own courtyard. I'm wondering whether he wants to kill me or kill Su Yu. What do you think?" "..." Niu Baidao had forgotten about that matter! He stared at Cui Lang for a long while before saying, "He probably wants to kill you first, then capture Su Yu and force him to marry his granddaughter. What do you think?" Cui Lang nodded. That was extremely likely!