Su Yu opened his eyes.
Inside his sea of will, the "Suppress" divine character had been beaten into submission. However, that single divine character left his sea of will feeling somewhat overstretched.
Su Yu's sea of will was actually not weak; its breadth approached the peak of the Lingyun Realm.
Yet he already possessed many divine characters, and quite a few were Tier 4.
Now, with the addition of a peak Sun Moon divine character, it was stretched near its limit.
Su Yu looked toward Liu Wenyan. By now, Liu Wenyan had barely regained his composure, telling himself over and over to maintain his dignity, to stay calm, unruffled, poised...
"How did you do it?"
He had told himself to stay calm, but he truly couldn't hold it in.
That was a peak Sun Moon divine character!
Just how had he pulled it off?
Su Yu gave it some thought and said, "There isn't a divine character that can't be beaten into submission. Teacher, divine characters actually possess spirituality—they're all gluttons for punishment. Beat them into submission and they'll fall in line!"
"..."
*I want to curse!*
Liu Wenyan complained internally.
Beaten into submission?
Could you even beat a peak Sun Moon divine character?
Besides, brawling with a divine character inside your own sea of will—weren't you afraid of blowing it to pieces?
Was this brat fooling him, or was he being serious?
Fine, no use dwelling on that.
Liu Wenyan asked urgently, "Does your sea of will feel like it can hold it?"
Su Yu nodded. "It can, but it feels stretched. And that's just a single divine character. As expected, my sea of will is still too weak. I need to keep expanding it."
His sea of will was merely equivalent to that of an average Civilization Master at the peak of the Lingyun Realm. But among the two teachers whose seas of will he had visited, Zhao Li's was at least equivalent to a fourth- or fifth-stage Shanhai Civilization Master, while Liu Wenyan's was even more terrifying—Su Yu estimated it was likely the size of a Sun Moon expert's.
Compared to them, he was truly lacking.
If Zhao Li were in his place, he could easily hold three to five Sun Moon divine characters, or push it to six or seven if he strained himself.
As for Liu Wenyan, his sea of will hadn't been large back then either, but when the divine characters were passed down to him, they had been sealed. Now, a sealed divine character was useless; what both Su Yu and Liu Wenyan needed were unsealed divine characters.
*He can hold one!*
Liu Wenyan was already deeply shocked. This kid's sea of will was slightly stronger than he had imagined. After all, Su Yu already housed quite a few divine characters in it.
"When you say you can hold it, you don't just mean holding it passively, but also unleashing its combat power. Can you do that?"
Su Yu assessed it and nodded. "I can, but the consumption is colossal. I felt it just now—this divine character requires an immense amount of willpower to support. With the current strength of my willpower, I'm afraid I can only use it once."
Su Yu was speechless. That was far too few.
His willpower was indeed a bit weak.
"That's already formidable!"
Liu Wenyan marveled with a deep sigh. "To be honest with you, it's hard for me to use it even once. Last time I killed a Sun Moon, it was only because I detonated several divine characters to provide a surge of willpower. If I want to unleash Sun Moon combat power, I have to detonate more divine characters."
Unleashing Sun Moon combat power was never simple for him.
The main issue was the lack of a power source!
All those divine characters were now considered his, meaning he had to provide the power himself. Divine characters were like sharp, mighty weapons, but such weapons needed a power system, and the sea of will had to supply that energy.
Liu Wenyan's willpower was simply too thin; there was nothing he could do about it.
Su Yu was left speechless. *So when you came to rescue me this time, you were actually prepared to blow up some divine characters?*
At that thought, Su Yu spoke again. "Teacher, the Fifth Generation's divine characters might truly not be suitable for you! I've seen your sea of will—it's immense, yet it lacks an abundant reservoir of willpower. Yes, detonating divine characters is hard to accept, but no matter how painful it is, you should raise your own strength."
Su Yu urged, "Teacher, even if you don't detonate all of them, just detonate a portion. Cultivate to the Sun Moon Realm and keep two or three powerful peak Sun Moon divine characters. When the time comes and you have enough willpower to fuel them, you might be able to unleash peak Sun Moon combat power. Even if it falls short of the multiple divine character faction or the Fifth Generation, it would still be peak Sun Moon strength on par with the single divine character faction..."
His teacher's conditions were simply too advantageous!
He could easily cultivate to the Sun Moon Realm on his own, retain one or two peak Sun Moon divine characters, possess the early-stage Sun Moon combat power of the multiple divine character faction, and unleash peak Sun Moon power akin to the single divine character faction at critical moments.
Su Yu couldn't understand what his teacher was holding on to.
Just for the sake of a keepsake?
How could the living let themselves be shackled by the dead!
Right now, personal strength was what mattered most.
Su Yu continued, "Teacher, truly. You might think it improper or disrespectful to the Fifth Generation for me to say this, but in my eyes, there's no need to cling to it anymore. I'm sure you know a bit about the current situation..."
He paused, his tone dropping low. "Grandmaster Hong Tan is promoting the disassembly art in the Great Xia Prefecture. The moment you heard about it, you should have realized what it implies. Martial Uncle Chen Yong was forced to go out and kill people; before long, he'll be branded a traitor to humanity and hunted down... Teacher, the multiple divine character faction has long been fraught with peril! The same goes for you, and for me!"
Su Yu said calmly, "I'm not afraid of being implicated, and I have the confidence to keep walking forward. Besides, I haven't been in the faction for very long. But what about Grandmaster Hong Tan? Martial Uncle Chen Yong? Teacher Bai Feng? None of them can run! They've endured a lifetime, swallowed humiliation for a lifetime, and so have Senior Xia Yunqi and the others... Teacher, are you doing all this just to cling to the Fifth Generation's legacy?"
Liu Wenyan looked at him and took a deep breath. After a long silence, he suddenly said, "I understand everything you've said. I know it all. Keeping my teacher's divine characters and his divine character battle technique isn't purely out of sentimentality..."
"Then what for?"
Liu Wenyan remained silent for a moment before saying, "The ancient cities!"
"What?"
"The ancient cities!"
Liu Wenyan said in a heavy voice, "Rumors surround the ancient cities that after people die, they all turn into dead spirits. Whether they were ancient city residents or not, they might all become dead spirits. I've been wondering... after my teacher fell all those years ago, did he turn into a dead spirit?"
Sighing softly, he murmured, "If my teacher turned into a dead spirit, he certainly won't have his divine characters anymore. But he was so powerful; perhaps he retained a shred of his sapience. A divine character battle technique is the most vital legacy of a Civilization Master... I wondered whether keeping this might allow him to return one day!"
"..."
Su Yu was stunned.
He stared blankly at his teacher. "Teacher, are you... all right? Can an Invincible turn into a dead spirit after dying? And he died outside the ancient cities... can that even turn someone into a dead spirit? You want to resurrect a dead spirit? How is that even possible!"
"It's not resurrection,"
Liu Wenyan explained. "It's restoring his sapience. A divine character battle technique is the most important possession of a Civilization Master. If he retrieves it, perhaps he can regain the sapience he had in life. Though he would still be a dead spirit, he wouldn't be a muddled, mindless one."
"Can the Fifth Generation even become a dead spirit?"
"I don't know."
Liu Wenyan shook his head. "I've never seen such a powerful dead spirit, nor have I ever heard of one. But I grew up on the All-Heavens Battlefield and understand some of its marvels. I've also heard rumors about the ancient cities. They say... the ancient cities suppress the Dead Spirit Realm! Thirty-six ancient cities suppress the entire Dead Spirit Realm, each serving as an entrance to it! When living beings die, they all become dead spirits!
"Of course, it's all legend, but I wanted to wait and see... If all the divine characters are shattered and only one or two remain, even if my teacher truly turned into a dead spirit, he would never be able to restore his divine character battle technique."
Su Yu was at a loss for words.
Liu Wenyan's words made him realize that the ancient cities held deeper secrets, but he didn't care much about that right now. What bothered him more was that Liu Wenyan actually believed the Fifth Generation could return.
*I give up on you!*
*If he really returns as a dead spirit, you might be the first person he kills!*
"Teacher!"
Su Yu said gloomily, "Aren't you going to spare a thought for the living? What about Grandmaster Hong Tan? What about my martial mothers? What about Grandpa Liu, your only living relative? How can you be so selfish! For the sake of bringing your teacher back, you cast aside the lives of those who place all their hopes on you! Teacher, aren't you being too selfish, too heartless?"
Su Yu said bluntly, "You're far too selfish! They've dedicated their entire lives to you and to the Fifth Generation. And now, you still set their lives aside. You clearly have the means to rapidly become a Sun Moon and possess peak Sun Moon combat power, yet you choose to give it up just for the Fifth Generation's return..."
At this point, Su Yu sighed. "You haven't let me down, but you've let down all those people—the ones who believe in you! Just because they believe in you doesn't mean they believe in the Fifth Generation. The Fifth Generation died long ago. Have they followed you and refused to give up all this time just for a dead man? I don't believe it! The one they believe in is you, not the Fifth Generation. Yet... you want to abandon them!"
Liu Wenyan forced a bitter smile. "I haven't abandoned them..."
"That is precisely what you are doing!" Su Yu stated decisively.
"That's the truth—you are abandoning them! Let me ask you: what strength will you possess six months from now? Six months from now, I suspect the Great Xia Prefecture will be engulfed in chaos, immense chaos, and many will die! The Xia family is already preparing a way out; Xia Huyou has even braced himself for the fall of the Great Xia Prefecture! Can Grandmaster, Teacher, and the others survive that?
"What about my martial mothers? What about the elders who helped you? What about the experts of the multiple divine character faction who rushed from various prefectures to assist you?"
Su Yu's voice grew impassioned. "Selfish or not, if it were me, I would never abandon the living—those who love me, help me, and support me—for the sake of a dead person! Teacher, if this is your choice... then go and uphold the faction alone. I, for one, will go back and fight alongside them! Because they have helped me!"
Liu Wenyan felt utterly powerless. He looked at Su Yu, a look of helpless sorrow on his face. "I was passing divine characters to you—how did I end up being selfish and cold-blooded..."
"Right now, you are!"
"..."
Liu Wenyan was deeply troubled. "How about... I really can't bring myself to do it. Tell you what, I'll pass them all to you, and you can shatter them yourself to cultivate."
He couldn't bring himself to do it; the Fifth Generation had been his teacher.
Yet after hearing Su Yu's words, Liu Wenyan wavered. Deep down, he had known all of this, but he had been deceiving himself!
Wu Yuehua, Hong Tan, and the others—even if they knew some of it, they never said a word.
They trusted him unconditionally!
No one spoke up, no one pointed it out, and life went on.
Even his eldest uncle from the Liu family had said nothing, held no grudges, placed no blame.
Now, with Su Yu laying it bare, someone had finally broken the silence.
Su Yu didn't hold back. "Teacher, I'll borrow a few divine characters first. If you don't want them anymore, I'll shatter them to cultivate. If you still want them, I'll return them to you! But I can't absorb that many, nor do I have the foundation to step straight into the Sun Moon Realm. You do. Whether you shatter them to cultivate is up to you!"
Liu Wenyan sighed. "You brat... you really know no taboos!"
He truly was ruthless!
Su Yu wouldn't stand on ceremony. He said directly, "Teacher, why don't you give me one or two more divine characters? I've realized I can't sustain them on my own. I can only shatter one divine character to provide power and support the others! Give me two more: one with immense destructive power, and one useless character that can serve as a power source."
Su Yu's eyes lit up. "I'll shatter one divine character first, then activate the 'Suppress' divine character to pin down the opponent, and finish them off with the high-damage character! I'll even earn heaven-and-earth rewards, all at the cost of shattering a single peak Sun Moon divine character!"
Was it worth it?
Not necessarily!
Yet Su Yu felt it was more than worth it!
Three divine characters should be enough to kill one or two Sun Moon experts, right?
Killing a Sun Moon expert yielded immense benefits.
His strength would definitely increase!
As for Liu Wenyan, whether he shattered his or not was his own business.
Liu Wenyan was utterly speechless. This kid was genuinely willing to part with treasures. If an Invincible Realm expert got their hands on Ye Batian's divine characters, they would probably study them, not shatter them. Yet this kid could only think about blowing them up.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Wenyan suddenly gritted his teeth. "Fine! Kid, your sharp tongue... I have no idea who you learned it from! Maybe you're right. Maybe I've been too stubborn. I'll give you two more. I'll keep eleven divine characters, shatter some to cultivate and enter the Sun Moon Realm, and keep one or two as trump cards..."
Su Yu was overjoyed. His teacher had actually agreed!
Wasn't this old stubborn goat notoriously unyielding?
Yet he had agreed!
Liu Wenyan said no more. Some things weren't beyond his understanding or desires, but... there had always been a hurdle in his heart, a balance constantly tipping back and forth. Today, that balance had finally tipped.
*Teacher, I'm sorry!*
*The most important thing you left me... I might have to let it go.*
*If it were just me, I wouldn't give it up. But just as Su Yu said, there are many people waiting for me.*
*I thought I still had time, but now... perhaps I don't.*
*My junior brother is about to make his move in the Great Xia Prefecture, and this kid is stirring up storms on the All-Heavens Battlefield. If he kills a Sun Moon, it will inevitably trigger an uproar, yet the multiple divine character faction lacks a pillar of strength to stand up and support him.*
*Right now, my junior brother is still weak. It has to be me.*
*It's been over fifty years. Teacher, I'm sorry.*
Liu Wenyan thought to himself. *As for all those who still harbor expectations and hope for your divine characters... I'm sorry to them as well. Perhaps I was never suited to inherit these divine characters in the first place. After all, I am not you.*
At this moment, Liu Wenyan finally reached a decision.
In truth, this inner conflict had been ongoing for years. Today, Su Yu had simply torn away the veil, leaving him unable to deceive himself any longer.
In fact, when Bai Feng had told him to shatter some non-human divine characters, the scales had already begun to tilt.
Otherwise, those divine characters wouldn't have been shattered either.
At this very moment, Liu Wenyan had finally made his choice.
***
Having made up his mind, Liu Wenyan didn't waste any more words.
He quickly said, "You want two: one to shatter for power, and one for high destructive output... Can your sea of will endure the shock of a peak Sun Moon divine character detonating?"
Su Yu considered it and shook his head. "It will probably cause turbulence, but that's fine. I won't be absorbing it alone; there's another little thing that can absorb it too."
Liu Wenyan paused slightly. "The thing that helped you pull the divine character earlier?"
"Yes."
"..."
*Bizarre!*
Liu Wenyan muttered inwardly, but held his tongue. Su Yu quickly continued, "Teacher, since you're ready to shatter divine characters, why don't the two of us pull off a big job together? The heaven-and-earth rewards don't discriminate between young and old! Once we pull off this job, we'll flee back to the Human Realm. If that doesn't work, we'll find a small realm to dive into. With our strength, if the enemies send Sun Moons after us, their cultivation will be suppressed to Shanhai—they'd just be courting death! Would they really dispatch an Invincible just to hunt us down? Even if an Invincible comes, once suppressed to Sun Moon in a small realm, we might just be able to kill him too!"
Su Yu gritted his teeth and said, "As long as we're bold, our lives won't be so miserable! Humans aren't suppressed by small realm forces. If the two of us cultivate to the Sun Moon Realm in a small realm, even if an Invincible shows up, we'll beat him to death!"
"..."
*Your guts are truly big enough to tear the sky!*
*Truly!*
This was the first time Liu Wenyan had ever heard a Lingyun say, *Let's not be afraid—even if an Invincible comes, we'll beat him to death.*
This brat... was truly reckless.
He was genuinely untamed, free from all restraint.
Leaving the Human Realm was like escaping a cage for Su Yu; he was letting loose with a vengeance.
*Go kill people together?*
After thinking it over, Liu Wenyan shook his head. "I'm not good at concealing my strength. I don't have your profound methods, so it's too easy for me to be exposed."
Su Yu nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Teacher, how about this: I have an idea! I'll need your cooperation."
"Speak."
"I want to trap and slaughter that group of Sun Moons!"
Su Yu thought it through and explained, "I'll wait for the city gates to open, enter alongside them, and then find an opportunity to slaughter dead spirits. I'll kill a bunch of Shanhais, provoke Sun Moons, and lock the city gates once more, trapping them all inside! It would be best if you enter at that time as well. It's difficult for me to slay Sun Moon dead spirits, but if you unleash your full power, you might have the strength to wipe out a batch of them... Then you and I can use our talismans to phase out of the city. Once high-stage Sun Moon dead spirits appear—especially if several show up—the inner-ring houses will open up. As for those Sun Moons who entered, I doubt a single one will make it out alive!"
Liu Wenyan blinked. *What does he mean... trap and slaughter all the Sun Moons?!*
This kid was truly vicious, his heart pitch-black!
"Are you sure?"
"Of course!"
Su Yu gritted his teeth. "If we don't turn things completely upside down, it won't be worth the price we're paying. Would we shatter a peak Sun Moon divine character just to kill one or two Sun Moons? No, I want to bury a massive number of them! Once they're dead, we run!"
Liu Wenyan drew in a sharp breath. *Fucking ruthless.*
*I like it!*
"Are you certain you can escape?"
"I can!"
Su Yu took out a jade talisman and handed it to him. "Teacher, this is a traversal talisman. It lasts at most three days. One day has passed, so it has two days of effect left. As for the city gates, they should open roughly half a day early. Within that half day, we kill a large number of Sun Moon dead spirits, slay several Sun Moons, seal the city, phase out, and leave them trapped to die!"
There should be a time window between the traversal talisman's duration and the city gates opening.
There was no need to worry about that. The traversal talisman held a special energy; once it dissipated, the effect was gone, just like the one Su Yu had used before.
If the traversal talisman expired right when the city gates opened, they would simply abandon the plan.
After discussing a few more details with Liu Wenyan, Su Yu added, "This is also to conceal my identity in the future. That Heaven Hunting Ranking is annoying, but if I kill Sun Moons this time, or even peak Sun Moons... no matter how many people I kill or how strong I become later, my ranking won't fluctuate! At worst, I'll disguise myself as an old man. If an old man is strong, he won't be listed on the ranking anyway. It's completely normal for killing people not to affect the list."
*That actually makes sense!*
Liu Wenyan pondered for a moment and said, "So, my goal is to slay some Sun Moon dead spirits, and I'll enter after everyone else has gone in, right?"
"Yes!"
Su Yu added, "Teacher, kill as many Sun Moon dead spirits as you can. Once the gates are sealed and more Sun Moon dead spirits are slain, numerous high-stage Sun Moon dead spirits will emerge. I refuse to believe a swarm of high-stage Sun Moon dead spirits can't wipe those bastards out! The Invincibles probably haven't arrived yet, thinking this group is enough to deal with me!"
"Nonsense!"
A gathering of experts like that wasn't enough to deal with you?
They just hadn't expected that instead of running, you were planning to slaughter them all. You truly are wicked.
Pulling off something like this meant you could only flee or live under a false name from then on.
Ruthless indeed!
"Can you really slaughter those dead spirits and lure out Sun Moons to seal the city?"
"Of course!"
Su Yu nodded. "Don't worry, I won't kill too many dead spirits at first. I'll find a Sun Moon expert to kill. I noticed that killing a Sun Moon also lures out Sun Moon dead spirits, just like killing Shanhais drew out Shanhai dead spirits before... The moment a Sun Moon dead spirit appears, the city will seal itself!"
Liu Wenyan took a deep breath. *I've never done something this massive in my entire life. Can this really work?*
"What if people from the human race come too?"
"The human race?"
Su Yu froze for a moment. To be honest, he hadn't considered that, because he felt no one would come to save him.
*Right, what if humans show up?*
*If they come to rescue me, they'll just be a hindrance!*
*No one will actually come to save me, right?*
*If they do, I don't have enough traversal talismans—I only have two!*
Su Yu scratched his head. Liu Wenyan felt helpless as well. This kid truly hadn't counted on anyone coming to his rescue. Thinking about it, it was rather tragic; for such a prodigy, people might genuinely not come to save him, which was why Liu Wenyan had rushed here himself.
On one hand, he was proud of Su Yu—the kid didn't need help, had escaped on his own, and was even vicious enough to plan a counter-kill.
On the other hand, he grieved for Su Yu. If not for the label of the multiple divine character faction, given the prowess Su Yu displayed right now, the Invincibles of humanity would definitely protect him.
*Will reinforcements come?*
Liu Wenyan didn't know either!
With that in mind, he cautioned, "You should still scout things out as much as possible. If someone truly comes to save you and you end up screwing them over, it won't be easy to explain."
"True!"
Su Yu nodded. Human experts might indeed come. If nothing else, with Qin Fang here, humans might arrive—not necessarily for him, but Sun Moons would likely show up.
As for his side... unless Hong Tan came, who else would come to save him?
Whatever, he would go take a look later.
If someone really came to rescue him... it would be somewhat awkward. Of course, if people came to save him, he couldn't let them die, nor could he accidentally wipe out his own allies.
*There probably won't be anyone, right?*
Right now, Su Yu felt that if someone came to rescue him, it would actually be troublesome. He didn't need it; he and Old Liu were enough, and they could run fast.
Of course, if there really were people... they could guard the perimeter.
The moment the city gates sealed and Sun Moon dead spirits emerged, some experts might sense the danger in advance and flee immediately. If several experts stood outside and blocked the gates... that would be beating a dog behind closed doors!
That way, the plan would be even better.
Or they could keep Liu Wenyan from entering the city and swap him for another expert capable of slaying Sun Moon dead spirits, which would be safer for Liu Wenyan.
However, Liu Wenyan would gain rewards for killing enemies, whereas an ordinary expert wouldn't. They would see how things unfolded!
***
Meanwhile.
Having bypassed the Desire Sea Plain and nearing the city gates, the Shadow Guards had no idea they were already being regarded as an awkward burden.
Su Yu didn't need rescue!
Not only did he not need it, he might even feel burdened with having to worry about them,
lest he end up dragging them to their graves!
At this moment, Su Yu was inheriting the second and third divine characters.
The second was a divine character with formidable offensive power: "Slaughter"!
The character for massacre!
Su Yu already possessed the "Kill" divine character, which was Tier 4 and by no means weak.
Now, having acquired a divine character meant for slaughtering all living beings, he had completed the pair for killing and slaughter.
The third divine character was one without much utility: "Rain". It could summon torrential rain and was considered relatively potent, though it hadn't reached peak Sun Moon. Detonating it as a power source was quite fitting.
With that, Su Yu had acquired three Sun Moon divine characters.
Liu Wenyan had eleven divine characters remaining.
The old man had hardened his resolve!
Forget it, at this point, there was no need to hesitate. Out of the eleven divine characters, he would keep the one or two most crucial ones. The rest would be shattered to power his kills this time, and whatever remained would be shattered later to fill his sea of will!
After all, these divine characters weren't his, so shattering them wouldn't cause significant backlash as long as his sea of will could endure it.
As for himself, he still had twenty-four human divine characters. His divine character battle technique had only eighteen base points, requiring no additional characters.
By shattering so many Sun Moon divine characters, he would quickly be able to fill and perfect his sea of will.
Most of his own divine characters were currently Tier 3, not yet Tier 4.
Absorbing some of the residual divine character essence would make reaching Tier 4 effortless.
Residual divine character essence couldn't be absorbed by just anyone, but it posed no issue for him, as the Fifth Generation's divine characters had assimilated with his sea of will, effectively sharing the same origin.
The master and disciple continuously discussed, refining their plan.
Here in Heaven-Severing Valley, shrouded by the blade qi of an Invincible, even those skilled in divination would find it exceedingly difficult to calculate anything.
Moreover, no one would have imagined that Su Yu had not only left the city, but was also preparing to counter-kill the experts hunting him. No one considered that a Lingyun would dare to do such a thing.
To possess such colossal audacity!
Yet now, he did!
After deliberating for a while, Su Yu set off first to scout the situation alone, keeping his voice transmission talisman active. Once the city gates opened, he would notify Liu Wenyan to head over.
Su Yu also had Liu Wenyan discard his sub-ranking token; carrying that while on the run was far too dangerous.
He had no idea where Old Liu had obtained that thing.
A counter-hunting plan was swiftly finalized and set into motion.
***
Outside Tianmie City.
The number of experts was growing.
In another two days, perhaps less, the city gates would open.
At present, many had gathered outside simply to watch the spectacle, though many were also there to kill Su Yu.
There was still one day left before the gates opened.
A squad approached from the distance—not a particularly strong one, consisting of seven or eight individuals led by a Shanhai, while the rest were Lingyun and Tengkong cultivators.
Su Yu was mingled among them.
This was a makeshift squad assembled outside, all of them having come to watch the show and see if any opportunities or fortuitous encounters presented themselves. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, danger and opportunity were two sides of the same coin.
When traveling alone or in pairs, people couldn't trust one another. But in a group of seven or eight, they felt somewhat safer.
There were quite a few small squads like this outside the city.
Su Yu followed along. Compared to when he had first entered the city, the outside was far livelier now.
Naturally, no one stood directly before the city gates. Even if the Sun Moon experts couldn't be seen and remained concealed in the void, no one dared encroach upon that territory, lest fighting erupt at the entrance the moment the gates opened, leading to certain death.
The smart ones all chose to keep their distance from that area.
The Shanhai leading Su Yu's group was an expert of the monster race from the Sea of Stars. Transformed into human shape, his exact species was indiscernible; probing would easily cause offense, so no one looked into it.
At this moment, the monster Shanhai transmitted his voice: "Everyone, stay close together. Don't wander off, and be careful not to offend any experts! There are quite a few Sun Moons here right now. The humans, gods, and demons don't get along; at the slightest disagreement, a massacre could erupt. If trouble strikes, run immediately! Look out for yourselves!
"Some of us came here for opportunities, while others hope to catch an expert's eye and be taken as an apprentice. But don't get your hopes up too high—it's possible, but the probability is exceedingly low!"
Indeed, that was one of the reasons so many had gathered.
If one performed well here, experts from the gods, demons, immortals, monsters, or humans might take them as a disciple; such things had happened before.
Catching the eye of an expert from a major race and being taken as a disciple—even receiving a few casual scraps—was enough to satisfy geniuses from minor races.
Meanwhile, Su Yu swiftly used his perception jade to scan the number of experts within a thousand meters.
Especially the Sun Moons!
Naturally, he also wanted to see if any human experts had arrived, so he could assess whether to give them a heads-up and tell them not to get in the way or enter the city courting death.
Yet there was no need to look further; he already knew a human expert was present.
One fellow hadn't bothered to conceal himself at all, exuding a murderous aura as he lingered near the city gates.
Zheng Ping!
Su Yu was surprised, yet not entirely shocked. Since this man had been in the vicinity all along, it was only natural for him to come here.
To be fair, experts from the Great Xia Prefecture were certainly not lacking in blood and grit.
Without grit, they wouldn't have carved out a reputation on the All-Heavens Battlefield.
*Zheng Ping is here!*
That was fine too!
Su Yu muttered inwardly. It was good; the man would definitely know which human experts had arrived. As for Zheng Ping... he should be dependable, right?
Depending on the situation, he would communicate with him.
*As a mere early-stage Sun Moon, don't go into the city to die. There's no need. Just quickly escort Qin Fang away. Probably no one will stop Qin Fang anyway, lest they provoke King Daqin and fail to kill me in the process.*
Yet no one knew Su Yu's inner thoughts.
*A mere early-stage Sun Moon...* If those words were spoken aloud, people would probably think he had gone mad.
Of course, Su Yu himself wasn't invincible.
But the ancient city was a coffin!
That place was wonderful, truly marvelous—a place made specifically for dying.
A horde of dead spirits was the blade Su Yu intended to wield.
Not only was this blade exceptionally sharp, but he also didn't have to worry about it chipping.
In such an ideal place, if he didn't bury a batch of Sun Moons, it would be an insult to the enthusiasm they had shown in coming to surround and kill him. For a mere Lingyun like Su Yu, how could he possibly justify attracting so many experts otherwise?
Scanning within a thousand meters, Su Yu detected twelve Sun Moons. Counting Zheng Ping, that made thirteen!
They truly thought highly of him!
Su Yu sneered coldly in his heart. *It'd be best to slaughter every last one of you!*
Chapter 396