Re-entering the City

Outside the city gates. More and more cultivators gathered, while the death qi that had previously blanketed the ancient city began to gradually disperse. The Sun Moon dead spirits had likely already departed. Having failed to kill the one who had slain their kin, and with that person's aura vanishing from the city altogether, the early-stage Sun Moon dead spirits had no way of entering the inner-ring buildings. Continuing to wander aimlessly was pointless. Though dead spirits possessed little intellect, their actions still followed rigid rules. By now, it was about time for them to withdraw. High in the void, the gathered experts conferred among themselves. "It seems no one has died over the past two days. Was Su Yu forced into hiding inside one of the ancient houses? Or did he have no choice because everyone else retreated inside?" "Probably. With death qi that thick, not even an abundance of Heaven Yuan Qi could keep him alive outside." "Su Yu entered the city quite early. It's been several days now." "..." Su Yu's name was repeatedly mentioned by these experts. Third on the Heaven Ranking, successor to the multiple divine character faction. Ranking third on the Heaven Ranking was actually not the main issue; it was his latter identity that proved crucial. Furthermore, the possibility that Su Yu possessed an Invincible heritage site was another massive concern. On top of that, he had released several cultivation methods that bolstered the overall strength of the human race. And he might very well hold the inheritance stele of the multiple divine character faction... All these factors combined made killing Su Yu an absolute necessity. They had to crush the humans' unrealistic ambitions! They could not let humanity harbor delusions of activating the suppression within the Human Realm! Even if the human race had once ruled as emperors over the myriad realms in ancient times, those days were gone. The unique advantage of humanity was that they suffered no suppression when venturing into the myriad realms. If they were granted a stable, impenetrable homeland on top of that, no one would be able to keep them in check! Su Yu had to die, Hong Tan had to die, Liu Wenyan had to die, and the entire lineage of the multiple divine character faction in the Great Xia Prefecture had to be eradicated. As for those in the other prefectures, they were of little concern. As long as they didn't come to the All-Heavens Battlefield, hardly anyone paid them any mind. The Fifth Generation's lineage was different. Moreover, the root of the entire multiple divine character faction lay in the Great Xia Prefecture, and that lineage inspired far too much dread. "How much longer until the gates open?" "One or two hours at most!" "Then it won't be long!" "First, locate the geniuses of each race, arrange escorts to see them safely out, and then surround and eliminate Su Yu!" "We need Sun Moon cultivators stationed outside as guards. Also... beware of human rescue attempts. Keep a tight watch on Ye Hongyan and the others!" "..." The gods and demons were strategizing, as were the immortals. In fact, aside from the humans, experts from all the other races were conferring on how to smoothly eliminate Su Yu. Engaging in massive clashes inside the city ran the risk of provoking dead spirits. If it was merely killing Su Yu, the issue wouldn't be too severe. What they feared most was erupting into an all-out battle with Sun Moon experts like Ye Hongyan inside the city. If a Sun Moon cultivator was slain, summoning Sun Moon dead spirits that sealed the city once more would cause immense trouble. At this moment, Ming He was in discussion as well. She sent a voice transmission: "Mo He, we cannot allow the human experts to enter the city! Once they get inside and a battle breaks out, if one or two Sun Moon cultivators die, it will be a disaster! If ancient dead spirits are summoned and the city is sealed again, we will be in serious trouble!" Mo He was an expert from the Original Demon race. Hearing this, he pondered for a moment before replying, "We will use releasing Qin Fang as leverage to force the humans to abandon rescuing Su Yu! I will keep an eye on Ye Hongyan. As for Zheng Ping... there is no need to worry about him too much. The Great Qin Prefecture seems to have sent no one, but we must still watch out for human experts lurking in the shadows..." "Agreed!" A host of experts rapidly exchanged voice transmissions. It was best to bar the human experts from the city to prevent battles that might cause Sun Moon dead spirits to appear. Of course, one or two dead spirits wouldn't pose much of a threat to them directly. However, a sealed city was a nuisance. As long as they kept the human experts pinned down, everything would be fine. The experts of the various races were more than enough to overwhelm them. ... While they were calculating their moves, Ye Hongyan was doing the same: how could she naturally refrain from entering the city? She had come under the pretext of saving Su Yu. If she didn't enter once the gates opened, anyone with eyes would grow suspicious. And then there was that fool Zheng Ping... It would be best if someone forced her to remain outside. She needed to project overwhelming hostility! Only by making them terrified—terrified that she would immediately kill someone the moment she set foot in the city, summoning dead spirits and inciting chaos—would they dare bar her from entering. With that thought, Ye Hongyan suddenly transmitted her voice: "Zheng Ping!" Zheng Ping started slightly. *You finally reached out to me!* "General Ye!" "Find an opportunity in a moment to kill that Xuan Armor fellow! There are too many Sun Moon experts here. If we don't kill one to intimidate the rest, the smaller races won't be scared off. Kill the chicken to warn the monkeys! Pin Ming He down for an instant, and I will slay that fellow!" "..." *Damn it!* *You vicious woman, I only cursed you in secret, and you're sending me to my death!* Ming He was a high-stage Sun Moon, while he was merely at the first stage. The gap between them was terrifyingly vast. Sending him to intercept Ming He? Wouldn't that be suicide? "Rest assured, Ming He won't anticipate us suddenly striking to kill. When she attacks you, she will definitely hold back a portion of her strength—after all, our races are nominally allies. I will give it everything I have to slay that Xuan Armor fellow, and I'll come to your aid immediately..." Zheng Ping was speechless. He wasn't afraid of death, but... being urged to throw his life away by this woman felt thoroughly unpleasant. Besides, striking to kill right now served no purpose. Why not enter the city and kill there! His thoughts mirrored those of the others: at worst, go inside, make a bloody mess, draw out the dead spirits, and drag everyone down together. If you attacked now, even if you succeeded in killing your target, the others would never give you another chance to enter the city. Were they supposed to just stand out here and watch? That was too much of a trap! When the time came, experts would certainly block them from setting foot inside. Zheng Ping couldn't fathom a woman's mind! He wondered if something had gone wrong with Ye Hongyan's head. What was she thinking, striking now? Ye Hongyan barked another voice transmission: "Follow orders! I am a garrison commander of the All-Heavens Prefecture, and you are merely an academy principal. Do as I say!" "I'm not part of the All-Heavens Prefecture!" Zheng Ping retorted, complaining that she had no authority to command him. "Are you going to do it or not? Su Yu is no longer part of your Great Xia Prefecture; are you deliberately trying to get him killed? Zheng Ping, I never expected you to harbor such malice!" Ye Hongyan snapped at him. As for telling him the truth, there was no need. The more people who knew, the messier it would become. Who knew whether this idiot Zheng Ping would go blabbing about it to everyone? The Great Xia Prefecture had no shortage of fools, especially among those who followed the path of the warrior. Zheng Ping felt helpless. Truth be told, he had no choice but to rely on Ye Hongyan here. Hearing her put it that way, he had to relent: "Fine, I'll cooperate! But let me make this clear: if Su Yu really gets surrounded and killed, it will be due to your poor command!" "Cut the chatter!" Ye Hongyan replied coldly, telling him he only needed to hold Ming He for a single instant. Once she killed that Xuan Armor fellow, who would dare let her in? Even if she failed to kill him, it wouldn't matter. Her sheer aggression would force these experts to block her with all their might, refusing to let her enter. In truth, even if she did nothing, she suspected they would bar her anyway. Still, acting was better than doing nothing. Above the ancient city, the death qi grew fainter and fainter. ... Inside the Castellan's Residence. Tianhe continued to drink his liquor—or rather, dead spirit liquid—to keep himself from being completely corroded by death qi. As he drank, he gazed into the distance toward the city gates. With a soft sigh, he remarked calmly, "Did that little human fellow leave?" There had been no commotion for a while. Now, with the city gates on the verge of opening, the city remained completely quiet. If that boy were still here... he likely wouldn't be this quiet. The gap-toothed old man bowed. "He probably left. Given how ruthless he is, he would have wreaked havoc in the city otherwise." With no movement until now, he had likely truly departed. "Good, then!" Tianhe nodded. Leaving was for the best. It saved them from having the experts of the various races clashing here, disturbing the peace. From the looks of it, those experts were bound to return empty-handed. Of course, there was still Qin Fang. However, the Sun Moon experts wouldn't dare lay a finger on him. If you killed Qin Fang today, King Daqin might personally step in tomorrow to slaughter Modona, Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji, and the rest... If things escalated to that point, an all-out war would erupt. As for Su Yu... he belonged to an abandoned lineage. Leaving was good! It gave him some peace and quiet as well. It seemed the one in the back couldn't tolerate that brat either and had sent him packing. A fine outcome. "Then we don't need to bother!" Tianhe chuckled softly. "Once they retrieve their geniuses and conduct their search, they will find nothing of Su Yu. In a few days, things will quiet down. That's for the best. With all this commotion, Tianmie City hasn't conducted business for days." The old man smiled. "Once they leave, the ancient city will return to its former prosperity!" "That would be ideal!" The two chatted, both in reasonably good spirits. The ordeal was nearly over. With Su Yu, the central figure, gone, what was left to fight over? It was pointless! Neither humanity nor the other dominant races were prepared to trigger an all-out war right now. Humanity had offended too many factions, while the gods and demons were waiting for their Half-Emperors to break through and refused to launch an offensive now due to the heavy casualties it would incur. Both sides were hesitant. Without Su Yu, a war was impossible to spark. In the depths behind them, the stone statue rested with eyes closed. Its mood wasn't bad either! Over the past two days, without that boy causing trouble, everyone else had been remarkably well-behaved. It could peacefully remain a stone statue without having to meddle in outside affairs, which was quite pleasant! As for outside the city... the stone statue couldn't care less. Even if an Invincible war broke out out there, so what? What did it have to do with him! I am merely a stone statue. Fight among yourselves all you want; just don't cause trouble in my domain. Having guarded this place for countless eras, I have seen through far too much. It wouldn't be the first time I've witnessed the death of an Invincible. Just don't die here; even if you die right at the city gates, it has nothing to do with me. I will quietly remain a stone statue. Unchanging through eternity. ... The moment for the city gates to open drew closer and closer! The atmosphere grew tense. Right at that instant, a voice echoed in Zheng Ping's ear: "Strike!" The moment the word fell, a sword ray flared. *Creak!* Even space was torn open! The sword ray was intensely ferocious, but the enemy hadn't been entirely unprepared either. The Xuan Armor expert had remained cautious all along, dreading being targeted by the humans. Now, both shocked and furious, he chose not to meet the strike head-on. Instead, he darted rapidly toward Ming He nearby. That damned human lunatic actually dared try to kill him in front of so many experts! He was only at the third stage of the Sun Moon Realm; how could he withstand someone at the seventh stage? Ming He acted instantly as well. A multicolored ribbon whipped forth with a sharp sweep. At that precise second, a saber beam erupted! *Boom!* The void cracked. Zheng Ping poured every ounce of his strength into a reckless, desperate saber strike aimed straight at Ming He! It all happened in the blink of an eye! Cultivators like Su Yu barely had time to register what was happening before four Sun Moon experts erupted into battle! Ye Hongyan's sword qi remained entirely unaffected, paying no heed to Ming He. As for Ming He, the ribbon she had just cast out was violently struck by the saber beam. She was furious. Zheng Ping had a death wish! The ribbon whipped around, striking directly at Zheng Ping! *Buzz!* It pierced through the void! With a wet tear, Ye Hongyan's sword landed first, hacking directly into the Xuan Armor expert's flank. An explosive shatter resounded as one of the mechanical limbs on his armor burst apart! "Save me!" The golden-armored expert roared, severely wounded in an instant by Ye Hongyan. Meanwhile, Zheng Ping took a blow to the arm from Ming He's ribbon, the flesh and blood on his limb instantly shredded away. The gap between two early-stage Sun Moon experts and two seasoned powerhouses was simply immense. Ye Hongyan completely ignored Zheng Ping. Relentless, she ripped through the void again and thrust her sword forward! She aimed straight for the crown of the Xuan Armor expert's head! "Die!" A bone-chilling force engulfed the surroundings, freezing the earth solid! Ye Hongyan's power was exceptionally grim and frigid. The icy force cracked the golden-armored expert's armor, prompting him to flee in a frantic panic toward Ming He. Just as Ming He was about to pull back her ribbon to rescue him, Zheng Ping bellowed with abandon and unleashed another slash! *Boom!* It felt as though heaven and earth were being cleaved in two! "You court death!" Ming He was enraged! Earlier, she had held back out of hesitation, neither killing him nor inflicting severe wounds, only injuring his arm. Who could have thought Zheng Ping would fail to recognize her mercy! Furious, she struck out once more toward Zheng Ping. Ye Hongyan, on the other hand, showed no intention of turning back to aid him, pressing forward with absolute killing intent toward the golden-armored expert's head! "Enough!" At that moment, the Original Demon expert stepped forward and unleashed an overbearingly domineering punch that shattered the void, targeting Ye Hongyan's sword! Ye Hongyan's expression shifted slightly. Snorting coldly, she spun around with a whoosh. With a thunderous boom, her sword deflected the ribbon Ming He had launched at Zheng Ping. The Xuan Armor expert, overcome with lingering terror, scrambled frantically to Ming He's side. He cursed vehemently in his heart! That lunatic! Provoking the humans this time had truly brought no good. If not for Mo He of the Original Demon race stepping in, he would have faced mortal peril! Ming He reeled in her ribbon and looked at Ye Hongyan, speaking coldly, "Ye Hongyan, give up on that thought!" If she wanted to slaughter someone from the Xuan Armor race to intimidate the masses, she could abandon all hope! No one was going to let her succeed! Ye Hongyan retreated to Zheng Ping's side, paying him no heed. She glanced at Mo He and Ming He, sneering coldly, "He will die sooner or later! If I can't kill you, do you think I can't kill him? If he doesn't die now, he'll die eventually! I will slay him!" "..." The Xuan Armor expert felt like weeping. How many experts from his race had Su Yu killed already? He had no idea how Hong Kai and the others had provoked that monster in the first place, leading to their deaths and the subsequent siege against Su Yu. In the end, hadn't even Cheng Kai perished? What more did they want! The sorrow of belonging to a weak race was laid bare in this single moment. Just then, the nine city gates began to tremble slightly. They were opening! Ming He hurriedly sent a voice transmission: "We cannot let this woman enter the city. She will definitely go on a slaughtering spree! Mo He, I cannot suppress her alone. Block her outside the gates!" Mo He said nothing, tacitly agreeing. Shortly after, Mo He transmitted, "I will hold her and Zheng Ping. However... it is best to leave another Sun Moon expert, preferably a high-stage one. We must be wary of more human experts arriving; we don't need so many entering the city anyway!" With that, he looked toward the Ice Snow God Race expert and transmitted, "Bing Hong, stay behind with me. With the two of us joining hands, even if another high-stage Sun Moon human arrives, we will have nothing to fear!" He was at the peak of the seventh stage of the Sun Moon Realm! And Bing Hong also wielded the strength of the seventh stage. This time, apart from the humans, six high-stage Sun Moon experts had arrived: Ming He of the immortals, Bing Hong of the Ice Snow God Race, Mo He of the Original Demon race, Na Dazhi of the Blood Fire Demon race, Long Dou of the Celestial Dragon race, and Lei Huo of the Thunder God race. Two from the gods, two from the demons, one from the dragons, and one from the immortals. There were plenty of other Sun Moon experts as well. Leaving two high-stage Sun Moon experts outside was more than enough. Mo He was immensely powerful, easily capable of keeping Ye Hongyan in check. The remaining experts could all enter the city. Bing Hong of the Ice Snow God Race didn't say much, simply transmitting, "Lei Huo, please bring out An Mintian of my race." "Understood!" Lei Huo responded coldly via voice transmission: "Rest assured, if I run into Su Yu, I'll hack him to pieces with lightning!" He held a personal grudge—Lei Jue, whom Su Yu had killed, was his direct descendant. On the immortals' side, Ming He intended to escort Dao Cheng out; the dragons were there to retrieve Long Zhan and Long Wuyou; the Original Demons had come for Modona and Tianduo... As for the Blood Fire Demon race... they were here purely for the pleasure of killing. That was par for the course! Wherever there was conflict, the Blood Fire Demon race was sure to follow. Those lunatics cared for little else, and their faction was exceptionally strong among the demons. Besides, several leaders of the Blood Fire Demon Sect in the Human Realm had been wiped out because of Su Yu. It would be stranger if these madmen didn't seek trouble with him. With their deliberations complete, a decision was quickly reached. Two high-stage experts would remain behind, along with two early-stage Sun Moon cultivators. Four Sun Moon experts would prevent human reinforcements from breaking in, while the rest would enter the city to hunt down Su Yu! Su Yu was certainly hiding in one of the ancient houses! This time, the search might take several days. They had to prepare for a protracted battle. Mo He transmitted once more: "If you encounter Qin Fang of the humans, let him go. Killing Qin Fang would provoke the Great Qin Prefecture, and that isn't worth the trouble!" "Understood!" None of them wished to kill Qin Fang anyway. Killing Su Yu would be cause for celebration across all races, whereas killing Qin Fang would only bring endless trouble. Even a fool knew which choice to make. With their tasks assigned, they waited for the gates to open. Right at that moment, the nine portals swung open with a resounding boom! The city gates vanished! They were open! Inside, the death qi had mostly dispersed. The three Sun Moon dead spirits had disappeared. While some weaker dead spirits still lingered, it was at least relatively safe. "Enter the city!" *Rumble!* Figures surged toward the city. At that moment, Ye Hongyan let out a sharp cry and moved to charge in as well! Yet Mo He threw out a punch! "Stay right where you are!" Mo He barked coldly, "Qin Fang will leave the city on his own. Ye Hongyan, as for saving Su Yu... impossible! You humans had better think carefully about whether it is worth waging war against all races for the sake of a single Su Yu!" "Bullshit!" Ye Hongyan roared and lunged forward again. *Rumble!* Outside, battle instantly erupted! The two Sun Moon experts fought high into the sky, but Ye Hongyan was firmly suppressed, unable to advance into the city. Just as Zheng Ping attempted to slip inside, Bing Hong appeared in an instant. Rather than attacking, he used frost power to freeze the void, stating calmly, "Do not force me to kill you!" Furious, Zheng Ping roared toward the heavens! "Are there no experts coming to humanity's aid?" He was enraged! He felt utterly helpless! With two high-stage Sun Moon cultivators barring the way, how could they enter to mount a rescue? Su Yu was doomed! Yet he was powerless to change a thing! "Where are the people from the Great Qin Prefecture?" He was incensed. Why hadn't anyone from the Great Qin Prefecture come? Because they knew Qin Fang wouldn't be killed? As for the Great Xia Prefecture... he had nothing left to say. With Manor Head Xia absent, relying on Marquis Xia was already a stretch, and the fact that he had been allowed to come was good enough. The Great Xia Prefecture didn't have many high-stage Sun Moon experts to spare—could they expect Marquis Xia to lead a rescue mission in person? And from the Great Ming Prefecture, the arrival of Ye Hongyan alone was already beyond expectations. What else could be done? Zheng Ping roared in anger and frustration... Ye Hongyan listened with utter indifference. *What are you shouting for, putting on such a tragic show? Anyone listening would think Su Yu had already died. The fellow is right down there—what is there to yell about!* Meanwhile, Su Yu and the crowd around him looked in all directions. Some wanted to enter, some were terrified, and someone whispered, "Ancient city tokens... so many dead spirits were slain. Could there be ancient city tokens left inside? With the dead spirit turmoil, it's perfectly normal for tokens to be lying around..." With a whoosh, someone darted into the city! No one stopped them! Neither Mo He nor Bing Hong had any intention of barring them. If they wanted to go in, let them; it was better if they died inside anyway! They had no pity for such weaklings! While keeping Ye Hongyan suppressed, Mo He called out coldly, "You may enter the city, but until Su Yu is dead, no one is permitted to leave! Su Yu was able to disguise himself as Cui Lang, so he could just as easily masquerade as someone else! Think carefully before you enter!" Entry was permitted, but leaving was forbidden! It was as simple as that! If you wanted to go in and court death, they wouldn't stop you. But if you wanted to leave... that was out of the question until Su Yu was killed! At this point, Su Yu, disguised as a member of the Ironwing Bird race, hastily shouted, "Your Excellency is wise! We will never leave the city until Su Yu is dead! We only wish to gather a few ancient city tokens and would never dare cause trouble for the lords!" With that, he dashed toward the city as well. His purpose in speaking up wasn't to show off, but to entice more people to enter, paving the way for Liu Wenyan's subsequent entry. Human experts were barred, but what about the weak? What about those in the Tengkong Realm? The more people who entered, the better. Only when more died could more dead spirits be drawn out! As soon as the ancient city tokens were mentioned... sure enough, many were tempted! Indeed, after such dead spirit turmoil, there had to be ancient city tokens left behind! Going in to try their luck was a massive opportunity! An ancient city token held immense value; selling one to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion could fetch a fortune in resources! Figure after figure swarmed into the city! Mo He paid them no mind. They could enter if they wished; as long as they weren't Sun Moon cultivators, he couldn't be bothered to look at or manage them. They were allowed in but not out—it didn't matter how many entered, a bunch of reckless fools! Streaks of light broke through the air, rushing into the city. Liu Wenyan, who had just arrived, hadn't changed much either. He had merely dyed his white hair black, making himself appear many years younger. Stripped of his usual refined scholar's demeanor, he looked somewhat sneaky and cautious as he crept toward the city. No one paid him any attention! He was too weak! Even though he was human, that didn't mean they had to kill every single human they saw. Slaying a weakling served no purpose. Mo He swept his gaze over the area and detected no hidden strength among them. Enter as you please! If humans weren't afraid of dying, let as many enter as wanted to—a bunch of idiots! With so many Sun Moon experts inside, most of whom held grudges against humanity, if humans wanted to go in and scavenge scraps, let them! Their sole responsibility was to intercept human Sun Moon powerhouses! Even if Shanhai cultivators went in, it wouldn't matter! ... Liu Wenyan made his way inside smoothly as well. Su Yu, having entered earlier, checked the duration of his traversal talisman. It hadn't reached three days yet. Calculating the time, he realized it was close—roughly seven or eight hours remained. That meant he had to leave within seven or eight hours, preferably within five, to prevent the talisman from expiring. ... The moment Su Yu stepped into the city, the stone statue snapped its eyes open! *Damn it!* It cursed violently in its heart! That bastard had actually returned! Curse him! Since you came back, why did you even bother leaving in the first place? You might as well just stay in the city forever; what a waste of my brief peace and quiet! The stone statue was furious and annoyed! I just wanted to quietly be a stone statue. Why did you come back in? With so many Sun Moon cultivators arriving this time... don't tell me you're planning to kill people again? The stone statue was at a loss for words and closed its eyes once more. Out of sight, out of mind! ... Meanwhile, the Sun Moon experts entering the city disregarded the death qi and everything else. Following their prearranged plan, they instantly fanned out, encircling the entire inner area starting from the eighteenth ring! A Sun Moon expert barked coldly, "No entry within the eighteenth ring!" As for the outer ring, they had already swept their senses over it and found no occupied houses. All of them belonged to ancient city residents. Unless Su Yu had become a resident, he couldn't be in the outer areas. The inner ring, on the other hand, was difficult to probe. Some of the ancient houses were deeply enigmatic. Even the Castellan's Residence was shrouded in a layer of death qi, obscuring it from view. The death qi had yet to fully dissipate. Inside the city, some dead spirits continued to wander. These Sun Moon experts planned to search house by house starting from the eighteenth ring to root out Su Yu. If that fellow was hiding, he could only be in those locations. The dense death qi in the inner rings interfered with willpower probes. Only there could Su Yu conceal himself. Yet with so many Sun Moon cultivators present today, wanting to escape was sheer fantasy! Ming He and several other experts ignored the death qi entirely, floating overhead and flying into the deeper sectors! One Sun Moon after another released their auras, immense and overpowering! The entire ancient city was blanketed beneath their staggering pressure. Su Yu had to die! ... Su Yu didn't care about any of that. Shortly after entering the city, he immediately found a spot that the Sun Moon senses hadn't swept over and instantly transformed into a dead spirit! With the sensing jade, he had no fear of being discovered by anyone below the Invincible Realm. If an Invincible came, fear would be useless anyway; he would be dead either way. Transforming into a dead spirit, Su Yu wasted no words, instantly shooting a blast of death qi toward a demon beast not far away. What nerve, daring to enter the city as a mere Tengkong cultivator—did they truly think dead spirits were benevolent? At that moment, blasts of death qi erupted across various locations! Those familiar with the ancient city bolted quickly, dodging the death qi. Those less acquainted were caught off guard and instantly attacked. In no time, screams filled the air! When dead spirits killed people, no new dead spirits would emerge. Su Yu, however, was an exception! With a single strike, he slew a demon beast, and a new dead spirit soon formed. He then slew another dead spirit... which split into two, both growing somewhat stronger! The slaughter had begun once more! Su Yu's objective was to draw out a Sun Moon dead spirit to seal the city, while Liu Wenyan's task was to slay that dead spirit to summon an even stronger one to wipe out the experts who had entered. Their roles were clearly defined. The simplest way to lure out a Sun Moon dead spirit was to slay several Shanhai dead spirits, or simply kill a living Sun Moon cultivator! Before that, he needed to throw the situation into chaos. Increase the number of dead spirits! Stir up turmoil! Without chaos, how could they fish in troubled waters? Furthermore, he needed that fool Qin Fang to get the hell out of here instead of adding to the mess! If Qin Fang didn't leave and ended up dead, it would be difficult to explain. That fellow was far too unreliable and had caused him trouble several times already! Kill, kill, kill! The dead spirits steadily multiplied. Inside the city, the number of living cultivators grew as well. More and more people poured into the city. Su Yu deliberately scattered several outer-ring ancient city tokens, throwing the crowd into disarray. Amidst the chaos, some began to fight and scramble for them. While they were hesitant to outright murder, people somehow ended up dying inexplicably. Death and spilled blood lured out even more dead spirits. The Sun Moon experts in the inner ring couldn't care less about their lives! A bunch of weaklings—no matter how much chaos they stirred up, summoning a few Shanhai dead spirits was the absolute limit. It was better if they all died anyway; who had the time to save them? The Sun Moon experts began sectioning off their search. They inspected house by house! At this moment, the ancient city was an inescapable net; Su Yu had nowhere to run. Meanwhile, Su Yu began advancing toward the inner ring! He needed to find a Sun Moon cultivator and kill them first! Naturally, the commotion would be massive. Once slain, a heavenly reward would inevitably manifest, so he had to figure out how to escape the ensuing pursuit, as he didn't want to leave the city immediately. *Perhaps I can kill several Sun Moon experts... gather them together and slaughter them all?* Su Yu pondered. Would that work? He wasn't entirely sure how powerful Ye Batian's divine characters truly were. Could they kill someone at the third or fourth stage of the Sun Moon Realm? Otherwise, the dead spirit summoned would be too weak to wipe out those experts, especially with so many high-stage Sun Moon cultivators present. *If all else fails, I can heavily wound the target and let Teacher deliver the killing blow, then flee while I remain in hiding?* Without a heavenly reward giving him away, he might be able to evade pursuit. He needed to take down a formidable opponent before running, and he wouldn't rest until a late-stage Sun Moon dead spirit was summoned! Thoughts flashed through his mind! Su Yu pressed forward, wandering the streets disguised as a dead spirit. ... Meanwhile, in the inner ring, geniuses emerged from the houses looking utterly wretched. If they didn't come out now, they would perish. Qin Fang was among them! Right now, Qin Fang moved cautiously until he spotted a Sun Moon expert. The expert noticed him as well. Their eyes met, and the Sun Moon cultivator gave him a peculiar, eerie look, saying, "Wait by the city gates. As long as you aren't Su Yu in disguise, you may leave!" Not just Qin Fang—other geniuses received the same treatment. Because Su Yu had once disguised himself as Cui Lang, any genius or expert wishing to leave the ancient city had to gather at the gates for verification before being permitted to depart. Otherwise, no one was allowed to leave. Qin Fang nodded and backed down. With a swarm of Sun Moon experts arriving, it was best to keep his head down. Riding his Flying Tiger, which was nearly corroded into a dead beast, he bolted rapidly toward the city gates, intent on getting out first. He had no clear idea what Su Yu's current situation was, only knowing that there had been no commotion over the past two days. From other directions, experts and geniuses who had originally remained in the city were also scurrying toward the gates. In the outer ring, a Sun Moon expert barked, "All experts and geniuses previously staying in the city, assemble at the city gates! You will only be permitted to leave after your identities are verified. No unauthorized departures!" No one was exempt! This time, they were dead set on killing Su Yu. "Verification at the city gates?" Su Yu's mind stirred slightly! Indeed, there would be Sun Moon cultivators stationed at the gates... Why did he have to go to the inner city? He could just kill one right at the gates! If he killed one there, Mo He and the others wouldn't even need Ye Hongyan and her group to fight them—they would rush in themselves to kill him! There were far too many Sun Moon cultivators in the inner city! *What if... I just lie in wait at the gates?* Realization dawned on Su Yu, and he sprinted back toward the city gates. Qin Fang was running as well. As he ran, he noticed a dead spirit tailing him... He cursed under his breath. *Stupid dead spirit, a mere Tengkong creature dares pursue me!* *I won't kill you now. Just you wait—if you're still there when I reach the gates, I'll thrust my spear through you and run outside!* *No, I'll stab you after they verify my identity!* Su Yu couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention, though he had spotted Qin Fang. He felt some pity, but mostly disregarded him. *I'll do my thing, and you do yours. Just don't cause me trouble, and that'll be the best outcome. This guy came all the way here, didn't kill a single person, accomplished nothing, and nearly got himself corroded to death.* Even Su Yu couldn't help pitying him. Soon, Su Yu returned to the city gates. Sure enough, two Sun Moon cultivators were stationed there, standing just inside the city. They blocked the nine portals, barring anyone else from leaving. His opportunity lay right here!