Storm Gathers at Nine Stars

Dawn broke. Yunxiao Ancient City bustled with life once again. Residents emerged, and storefronts began opening their doors. Su Yu stepped out of the old house as well. As for the miraculous opportunities supposedly hidden within these ancient dwellings, he had stayed in so many without encountering a single one that he wrote off the rumors as hot air. He didn't care in the slightest. Stepping out onto the street, he was greeted by a lively clamor. Whispers and debates concerning the disaster in Tianmie Ancient City were on everyone's lips. "Utterly catastrophic!" "Indeed, a tragedy of all-heavens proportions!" "More than twenty Sun Moon experts, including several senior mighty figures of the high Sun Moon tiers, were completely wiped out. Not a single one survived!" "That's barely the half of it! A vast swath of experts who usually operated nearby were also slaughtered!" "I heard thirty percent of Tianmie Ancient City's residents perished! Corpses literally paved the streets!" "Only a handful of geniuses made it out alive; everyone else died. Word is that over a dozen Invincible Realm experts went there yesterday and clashed with the ancient city's undead, shattering heaven and earth..." "Stop spouting nonsense. Where would a dozen Invincibles come from? Tianmie Ancient City isn't that far from here. If that many Invincibles were fighting, the tremors would have shaken us to our core!" "Regardless, a mountain of people died, heaps of experts were butchered, and quite a few Invincibles showed up." "..." Creatures across the city engaged in fervent discussion. It was a bizarre sight: a goat conversing with a leopard, the leopard chatting with a bird, and the bird exchanging remarks with an insect... Such was the All-Heavens Battlefield. In other places, harmony like this was virtually impossible. But here in an ancient city, fighting was strictly forbidden, making it a sanctuary where mortal enemies could actually engage in peaceful exchanges. "I heard that Su Yu escaped! Not even the Invincibles could catch him!" "Do you think an all-heavens war will erupt over this, with the myriad races uniting to wipe out the human experts?" "Hard to say. My brother sent word that along the human border, in the vicinity of the East Rift Valley, over a dozen human Invincibles made an appearance. Their collective aura suppressed the world for thousands of li. Humanity is still formidable; the other races might not dare pick a fight with them..." Humanity was indeed still powerful! This time, with more than ten Invincibles garrisoning the border and exerting overwhelming pressure over heaven and earth, conflict on the frontier hung by a thread. Yet had the gods and demons truly made up their minds to go to war against humanity right now? A dozen or so Invincibles did not represent humanity's full strength. A conservative estimate placed the human Invincibles at around forty. Only a few prefecture-founding Invincibles had fallen over the years, and there were also those who had subsequently attained the Dao, along with several who had achieved it by seizing control of minor realms. With so many Invincible Realm experts, if a massive war erupted and failed to wipe them out completely, a single human Invincible breaking into a great realm would cause catastrophic bloodshed. At present, the myriad races lacked the confidence to wage such a war. It wasn't that they lacked the power to eradicate humanity itself, but rather that they couldn't guarantee their ability to eliminate every Invincible who fled the Human Realm once its borders were breached. While some human Invincibles had attained the Dao within the Human Realm, others had done so in the all-heavens, and still others in minor realms. Without absolute certainty, attacking humanity would bring endless disaster. Residents and passing experts resting in the city alike argued incessantly. Over twenty Sun Moons and dozens of Shanhai and Lingyun experts had died in a single event. It had been years since a battle of such scale had occurred—and it had all been caused by one person. No, two people. Su Yu and Liu Wenyan. Those two humans were terrifyingly ruthless. Pitting the ancient city's rules against so many experts had inspired some cutthroats to begin analyzing the incident, attempting to simulate whether they could mimic Su Yu's methods to orchestrate similar slaughters in other ancient cities. It was a textbook engagement. A quintessential battle of using the weak to defeat the strong, and the few to overcome the many. The only critical hurdle was how to escape the ancient city oneself and avoid being slain by the undead. Many experts were dissecting the battle, hoping to borrow its lessons for future use. Ancient cities were plentiful, and who in the All-Heavens Battlefield didn't have a few blood enemies? If they could emulate Su Yu and lure their rivals to their deaths, that too would be a triumph. Su Yu listened as he walked. He even overheard someone claiming to sell Su Yu's secret technique for evading the undead... Fine, so the myriad races had their share of charlatans too! Su Yu was thoroughly impressed. Indeed, there were no good people in the All-Heavens Battlefield. Some might look weak or appear kind, but the moment they stepped outside the city gates, they would gladly murder and rob you. Ignoring the chatter, Su Yu continued strolling down the street. He wanted to see how he could acquire reliable intelligence. The rumors circulating on the streets were far too messy, a tangled mix of truth and falsehood. For instance, the claim that over a dozen Invincibles had clashed in the ancient city was pure nonsense; had that many Invincibles fought, the shockwaves would have been palpable even here. As he was browsing along the storefronts, an elderly human not far away caught sight of him. The old man's eyes lit up, and he hurried forward, hailing him warmly. "Brother, you look unfamiliar. New in town? Which prefecture are you from? Seeing how powerful and imposing you are, could you be a warrior from the Great Qin or Great Xia Prefecture? One look tells me you are a powerhouse!" Su Yu glanced at him. Back during his lectures at the academy, the instructor had warned that upon entering the All-Heavens Battlefield, unless dealing with the military, one must never trust another human encountered in the wild. Outside human territory, talk of shared racial brotherhood was meaningless. It was completely normal for humans to ally with demons to slaughter gods. It was just as normal for gods to team up with humans to butcher their fellow gods. By that same token, it was equally ordinary for humans to join hands with other races to hunt down their own kind. Back in the Human Realm, that was called being a traitor or an All-Races Cultist; in the All-Heavens Battlefield, it was called survival of the fittest. They were two entirely different concepts. Of course, doing so within the boundaries of the Human Realm would invite certain death if discovered. Humanity maintained a formidable organization known as the Evil Cleansing Army, specifically tasked with purging such individuals and hunting down unauthorized infiltrators. The Evil Cleansing Army answered directly to the Invincibles and was personally commanded by figures like King Daqin. Pulling such stunts within human territory was suicidal. Seeing this old man butter him up right off the bat, Su Yu knew the fellow was either trying to make a sale or setting a trap. Though Su Yu wasn't a weathered veteran, he was well aware of the malice lurking in the hearts of men. Thoughts flashing through his mind, he replied coolly, "Brother, you certainly have a keen eye. I do hail from the Great Xia Prefecture. As for being powerful, you flatter me; I'm merely scraping by out here." The old man chuckled. "Too modest!" Su Yu cut straight to the point. "What are you trying to sell me, Brother?" "..." The old man gave a dry laugh, not particularly embarrassed, and hastily explained, "Here's the deal. A few days ago, my brothers and I managed to slay a flying dragon. Its inner core is extraordinarily beneficial to warriors. One of my sworn brothers was wounded and urgently needs funds, so we're looking to sell it. We were afraid selling it to other races might end up strengthening the enemy, so after much thought, we figured it was best to offer it to one of our own..." He smiled enticingly. "One look at you tells me you're a top-tier cultivator of the warrior path. A flying dragon core aids in physical casting and transforms origin qi remarkably well. Its effects are exceptional. Are you interested, Brother?" Su Yu cast a sidelong glance at him and said flatly, "No need. Flying dragon cores carry side effects." "Wait, brother, we can negotiate the price..." Su Yu looked at him once more and said, "This is my first time in Yunxiao Ancient City, so I'm not familiar with the layout. If you point me to a reliable place to fence goods at a fair price, I might consider that flying dragon core." Fencing goods! It was blunt, but the old man didn't mind. In this environment, it was standard practice. Upon hearing this, the old man eagerly said, "Then you've asked the right person! When it comes to offloading miscellaneous loot in Yunxiao Ancient City, three establishments possess the most reliable reputations! The first, without question, is the Heaven Hunting Pavilion!" Su Yu kept his expression neutral, though he was inwardly astonished. *They're that brazen? The Heaven Hunting Pavilion operates openly here?* On second thought, this was an ancient city. It made sense; even knowing the Heaven Hunting Pavilion had members stationed here, almost no one would dare pick a fight. "The second is the Thousand Realms Alliance." "The third is the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower!" Su Yu knew little about any of them, though the dossiers Ye Hongyan had provided previously contained brief introductions. He was unfamiliar with the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower, but he had heard of the Thousand Realms Alliance. It was an organization formed through a coalition of minor races—minor meaning they possessed no Invincibles. Any race without an Invincible was classified as a minor race. The Thousand Realms Alliance was managed by a cadre of ninth-stage Sun Moon experts. All of them were lords of minor realms who ruled over their respective domains, rarely venturing outside. In times of war, even if several Invincibles entered their minor realms, it was difficult to do anything to them. Of course, human Invincibles were an exception. The greatest ambition of these minor realm lords was to advance to the Invincible Realm and elevate their tribes into the top hundred races. With an Invincible presiding, they could solidify their domain and no longer worry about hostile Invincibles invading their home turf. Once an Invincible was crowned within their realm, any invader would suffer domain suppression. Even ten hostile Invincibles might not succeed in slaying a defending Invincible inside their home territory. As for the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower, he truly knew nothing about it. Though the name sounded grand, it might not be a massive enterprise; it could simply be a small shop, which was also common. Su Yu nodded and said plainly, "Let's head to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion first. Guide the way, Elder Brother. Once I sell off some items and free up some capital, I'll buy your flying dragon core." The old man offered a strained smile. "Brother... anyone who frequents this place knows the Heaven Hunting Pavilion has black hearts. While their prices are decent, they turn their noses up at ordinary junk. And when it comes to truly rare treasures, those bastards only pay standard base rates... If your goods are average, you'd be better off going to the Thousand Realms Alliance or the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower." "If something catches their eye, they might offer a premium. The people at the Heaven Hunting Pavilion never offer premiums. They strictly stick to standard rates, so you'll never get a pleasant surprise." Su Yu laughed. "I know. But at least their prices are transparent, and that's enough for me. My brothers told me that the other two shops sometimes recognize a hidden treasure beneath a layer of dust and still buy it at the price of scrap. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion has never had that reputation..." "You truly know your way around, Brother!" The old man gave him a thumbs-up, grinned, and pressed the matter no further. The youth seemed savvy; perhaps he had frequented the area around Tianmie Ancient City. Su Yu smiled and said nothing more. A few casual remarks were usually true across the board, and even if he slipped up slightly, it wouldn't matter. Judging from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's modus operandi, transparent pricing was standard; they were ruthless gougers, but otherwise reliable. Moreover, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion specialized in trading intelligence. Visiting their establishment might allow him to exchange information. As Su Yu followed the old man down the street, he casually fished for gossip, such as details regarding Tianmie City. The old man didn't mind chatting; the entire city was buzzing with the same topics today. As they drew near the pavilion, the old man sighed enviously. "It's such a hassle for minor figures like us! We have to visit their shop in person to do business. I've heard that for major figures and top prodigies, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion offers dedicated, one-on-one door-to-door service! With a single sub-ranking talisman, you can contact them whenever you like, and they'll attend to you around the clock. Alas, there's no hope for me in this lifetime. Maybe if I reach the Sun Moon Realm, I could score a sub-ranking..." Su Yu was speechless. So in their eyes, only prominent figures could possess a sub-ranking? Then again, it made sense. Not only did the item allow immediate communication with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, but an operative would deliver services in person no matter the danger. It truly was an extraordinary asset. Yet Su Yu had gathered so many that he hadn't thought twice about them. Almost every genius he had killed carried one. From start to finish, he had obtained at least seven or eight copies, all of which he had casually discarded. Evidently, the geniuses he butchered were already titanic figures in the eyes of this Tengkong Realm elder. Su Yu smiled. "I've heard people talk about that item as well. I wonder if someone like us could ever get our hands on one..." "There's no hope for me, but you might have a shot, Little Brother. You look quite young. In a few years, once your strength grows, perhaps the Heaven Hunting Pavilion will take notice of you." Su Yu laughed. "From your mouth to heaven's ears! I hope so." As they spoke, they arrived before a spacious storefront. It was a two-story street-facing establishment, wide and expansive, its main doors thrown wide open. The name "Heaven Hunting Pavilion" was etched in text of will—an ancient script identical to the characters emblazoned on the city gates. One might not formally recognize the glyphs, but a single glance conveyed their meaning clearly. *Heaven Hunting Pavilion, Yunxiao Branch.* Su Yu stepped right inside. The ground floor was a broad showroom furnished with several tables. Surprisingly, the tables were crafted in the human style, accompanied by sofa chairs that appeared to originate from the Human Realm as well. The old man wasn't surprised. The Human Realm produced an abundance of these goods at cheap prices, so it was only natural for the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to use them. Those operatives were notoriously stingy. Races like the Immortals, Gods, and Demons preferred fashioning their furniture out of precious spiritual materials, while the Dragons were obsessed with forging everything from gold, silver, and jewels. The pavilion couldn't be bothered with that expense. Human goods were the best option: affordable without looking shabby. The moment Su Yu stepped through the entrance, a young woman with cat ears approached quickly, greeting him with a sweet voice. "May I help you, honored guest? Please, have a seat so we may speak comfortably. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion's reputation ranks first among the myriad realms. If you can imagine it, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion can achieve it." Su Yu was sorely tempted to reply: *Bullshit.* *Last time, I asked you to wipe out the Gods and Demons, and you ignored me completely.* Within his sea of will, the little fur ball was equally indignant: *Liars! I've been asking you for ages how to find fragrant divine characters to eat, and you never answered me!* One person and one ball grumbled in unison. The old man glanced at Su Yu and chuckled. "Little Brother, I'll wait for you outside. If you're interested later, we can negotiate the price for that flying dragon core." Su Yu smiled. "Thank you, Elder Brother. Don't worry, if my haul sells well, it'll be a trivial matter!" Once the old man stepped outside, the cat-eared girl smiled and chimed in, "Honored guest, our Heaven Hunting Pavilion also carries flying dragon cores, and at very reasonable prices. You might consider purchasing one from us!" "No need. Your goods are too expensive." Su Yu didn't waste time on pleasantries and sat down directly. Across the showroom, several other tables seated customers who were also being attended to by female or feminine personnel. *The Heaven Hunting Pavilion isn't even deploying masked operatives here! Shameless! Resorting to cheap gimmicks!* Drawing out a material used for forging civilized armaments, Su Yu remarked, "This is a fine treasure. I fished it up from the depths of the Sea of Stars with immense difficulty, nearly getting mauled to death by seven or eight monster beasts. Take a look and tell me what it's worth." "..." The cat-eared girl glanced at it and took out an apparatus, evidently an appraisal tool. She quickly scanned the dark iron piece Su Yu had produced, then offered a polite yet slightly awkward smile. "Honored guest, this is merely ordinary Rainbow Light Earth Steel. If transacted in origin qi liquid, a piece of this size is worth roughly thirty drops..." It was a dismal price. "That low?" Su Yu cursed inwardly. *Nonsense! In the Human Realm, this would fetch at least two hundred merit points! Buying it for thirty drops of origin qi liquid is pure extortion!* Of course, he had done this intentionally. He would never casually bring out truly valuable goods. Feigning displeasure, Su Yu asked, "Can't you bump it up a bit?" The cat-eared girl smiled without answering. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion never raised its offers. Take it or leave it. Su Yu muttered a curse under his breath in the human tongue. Their previous exchange had been conducted in the universal language, and whether the girl understood human speech or not, she kept silent. "Fine, I'll sell it. But I don't want origin qi liquid..." Su Yu swiftly changed tack. "I'm planning to head out and strike it rich. Do you sell intelligence here? I want to buy information on the harvesting grounds for Earth-Sea Divine Metal, including the threat levels of the surrounding area, specific production sites, and whether there have been any recent disturbances. The more detailed, the better!" He didn't mention needing data on the Sea of Stars directly, but Earth-Sea Divine Metal was an armament-forging material native exclusively to its waters and commanded a steep price. From his past studies in armament forging, Su Yu knew a fair bit about it. That material could only be harvested from a single specific region. The cat-eared girl responded promptly, "We do sell that. Please wait a moment, honored guest!" She busied herself with the appraisal device before looking up. "Honored guest, there is a wealth of information concerning this material. If you only require the production sites and the immediate threat levels, the cost is modest. However, if you wish to know recent regional developments and comprehensive danger assessments, the required intelligence dossiers are extensive... and quite expensive!" "How much for the complete package?" "Ten thousand drops of origin qi liquid, or thirty thousand human merit points." Su Yu stared at her in dead silence. *To hell with you! Your Heaven Hunting Pavilion is running a highway robbery!* *Charging me thirty thousand merit points for some casual intel?* The cat-eared girl maintained her pleasant smile, though an underlying hint of awkwardness lingered. That was simply how the prices were set; she had no authority to change them. If he didn't want to buy, so be it—he clearly couldn't afford it anyway. Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, she politely added, "If you possess a Heaven Hunting sub-ranking or are a recognized genius listed on our rankings, you are entitled to a twenty percent discount." Su Yu replied irritably, "If I were one of those powerhouses, would I even bother coming to this crummy shop? I'd just have your pavilion provide direct, one-on-one service!" The cat-eared girl held her tongue, offering no rebuttal. *He clearly understands how it works!* After venting his annoyance, Su Yu added, "Forget it, I'm not buying that dossier; your prices are outrageous. I'm new to Yunxiao City. Give me a general overview of the city—nothing confidential, just publicly available information. Keep it cheap!" "We have that. The standard edition costs one hundred drops of origin qi liquid." Cursing under his breath, Su Yu handed over an additional seventy drops of origin qi liquid to balance the sale of his metal, leaving the shop with a copy of the dossier in hand. *** Exiting the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, Su Yu continued to grumble aloud. Internally, however, he was already scheming. He wondered if he should adopt a different identity later to purchase more dossiers. Naturally, he couldn't buy everything from a single merchant; the costs were exorbitant, and it would draw too much attention. It would be far wiser to buy piecemeal from different shops and stitch the information together himself. That way, he could avoid tipping off the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to anything unusual. That organization was far from benevolent. At the very least, he needed to ascertain the distribution of factions across the Sea of Stars, their strength, local danger levels, where opportunities could be seized, and where Invincibles were stationed... Rejoining the old man outside, Su Yu didn't dwell on the matter. After a brief round of haggling, he purchased the flying dragon core for forty drops of origin qi liquid. Forty drops of origin qi liquid took a Tengkong Realm cultivator a few months to condense. The price wasn't outrageous—translating on the black market to roughly one hundred and twenty merit points. But for a Tengkong, over a hundred merit points was no small sum; it constituted a substantial transaction. If the old man spent months condensing liquid himself, he wouldn't be able to cultivate during that time. Why risk life and limb in battle if not to cultivate faster? Having acquired the core and sent the old man on his way, Su Yu continued wandering the streets while perusing the dossier he had bought from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. It proved remarkably thorough, detailing various publicly known facts. The City Lord of Yunxiao Ancient City was also a ninth-stage Sun Moon hegemon—a female, or rather, a vixen! She belonged to the Azure Fox race. The fox race had numerous branches. The clan that had previously crossed Su Yu in the Great Xia Prefecture—nearly exterminated by the prefecture's wrath—was known as the Seven-Color Bright Fox race. That branch was relatively weak and had been pushed to the brink of destruction by the Great Xia Prefecture. The Azure Fox race, by contrast, was one of the stronger branches. While they had no Invincible presiding over them, they boasted numerous Sun Moon experts. By some unknown means, this ninth-stage Sun Moon vixen had managed to become the city lord here. Her true name was not widely known; people simply addressed her as City Lord Qingyu. She maintained a low profile and rarely showed herself. Su Yu didn't dwell on her. What interested him more was the stone statue in the City Lord Manor. Could he go take a look? Examining the dossier closely, he found a brief explanation. Access to the rear hall of the City Lord Manor was permitted, but not to just anyone. One had to be either a genius listed on the Heaven Hunting Ranking or a Sun Moon Realm expert. Only those figures were allowed inside the manor to observe the stone statue. "Forget it then!" Su Yu felt a pang of regret. There was no way he could get in! As for the other prominent shops in the city, the dossier provided overviews of both the Thousand Realms Alliance and the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower. It didn't disparage them; the Heaven Hunting Pavilion evidently didn't view them as serious rivals, offering reasonably fair assessments. Both also dealt in intelligence, though their information lacked precision—serving only as general estimates that couldn't be taken as absolute truth. Only now did Su Yu learn the background of the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower. It was a substantial organization founded long ago, though still later than the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. It had been established right after the All-Heavens Battlefield first opened a thousand years ago. In the beginning, only the realm passages of the powerful God and Demon races and certain ancient clans had opened. It wasn't until over four hundred years ago that the human passage was unsealed; humanity had by no means been the first to enter. The All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower had been founded nearly a millennium ago, likely backed by the dominant God and Demon races. It had clearly been established by the great races upon the opening of the battlefield, though the dossier didn't specify whether it was backed by the Gods, Demons, Immortals, or Dragons. In any case, it certainly wasn't humanity! Its functions mirrored those of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, likely established to counter the pavilion's influence, though its success had clearly been mediocre. However, the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower had one claim to fame: a roster known as the Sun Moon Dao-Attainment Ranking. No one dared rank the Invincibles. But the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower had boldly created a ranking of ninth-stage Sun Moon experts on the verge of attaining the Dao. That required immense audacity and undoubtedly possessed the backing and sanction of Invincibles. Among top-tier experts, this ranking enjoyed considerable renown and circulation. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion had avoided compiling a similar list, disdaining it as inherently inaccurate. In this era, treacherous schemers abounded, making such rankings prone to massive margins of error—unlike the Heaven Hunting Ranking, which was compiled and ordered by a divine armament that blanketed the entire All-Heavens Battlefield. Su Yu read through the accounts with relish. Of course, he didn't see the actual Dao-Attainment Ranking. Ordinary cultivators couldn't view it without paying a hefty price, and Su Yu saw no reason to waste his money. *** After touring the city and making various stops, Su Yu located the other major shops. Along the way, he continued eavesdropping on street gossip. The incident in Tianmie Ancient City remained a sensational topic. Confirmed reports stated that every Sun Moon expert inside had perished, while several geniuses had made it out alive. The Invincibles had not entered the city, nor had an all-out clash erupted. As for which geniuses had escaped, it was hardly a secret; one only needed to check the rankings. While few held sub-rankings, Yunxiao Ancient City was not devoid of young talents. Glancing at the roster was enough to paint an accurate picture: Modona, Daocheng, and a few others had survived, though their numbers were remarkably few. Listening to this, Su Yu was not surprised. Geniuses were notoriously difficult to kill. They had Invincibles backing them. Take Jiu Xuan, for instance; she had simply been unlucky to run into Su Yu's plot, otherwise she would likely have survived. The same went for An Mintian, who had almost fled the city before his misfortune crossed paths with Su Yu. "Still alive..." Su Yu smirked. That was fine. If they were alive, he would simply kill them next time! At present, he feared none of them. Apart from Modona, whom he still felt might be stronger than him, there was only Daocheng, who had now reached the third stage of the Shanhai Realm... evidently elevated by heavenly rewards. Su Yu didn't dwell on it. Daocheng's swift leap to the third stage of Shanhai was likely driven by an surge in willpower and the fusion of divine apertures. He had certainly possessed tier-four divine characters already. When willpower advanced so rapidly without time for tempering and solidifying, Daocheng—who could previously slay fifth-stage Shanhai experts across cultivation stages—would be fortunate now to cross stages and slay a sixth-stage Shanhai. His future potential had actually been diluted. Whether he could defeat a seventh-stage Shanhai was a massive question mark. Had Su Yu not forcibly suppressed his own growth, advancing to the fifth or sixth stage of Lingyun would have been effortless. Yet there was no need! Once he reached the fifth or sixth stage of Lingyun, killing seventh- or eighth-stage opponents would yield almost no heavenly rewards. His current state was optimal: picking off targets allowed him to stack rewards continuously. In this place, higher realms weren't inherently better. Which of these true geniuses didn't suppress their cultivation until they could suppress it no longer before breaking through? The lower you kept your realm, the wider the gap when fighting across stages, and the greater the harvest. *Daocheng survived and even killed a seventh-stage Sun Moon... Interesting. Was Ming He slain by him?* *Long Zhan and Long Wuyou killed a second-stage Sun Moon as well... yet their rankings barely budged. Looks like they relied on external assistance and didn't contribute much themselves.* Su Yu quietly gathered this intelligence while picking up bits and pieces about the Sea of Stars. The Sea of Stars was not far from here. Passing Yunxiao Ancient City and traveling roughly two thousand li forward brought one to its shores. All told, it sat roughly ten thousand li from the human base. While it sounded distant, it wasn't truly that far; the main obstacle was the Plain of Desires in between, which made direct transit treacherous for experts and frequently forced them to take detours. "Two thousand li isn't far!" Su Yu calculated that if he didn't rush, it would take only a day or two. Yet the Sea of Stars was unimaginably vast! Minor realm entrances were exceptionally dense in that region. Among the monster races, the Dragon Realm's entrance was situated there. Giant dragons were a frequent sight, making them one of the undisputed hegemons of the Sea of Stars. He would need to exercise caution; the dragon race had numerous offshoots and affiliated species. The sea was dotted with countless islands, some claimed and others wild. Ancient cities existed there as well. As pieces of intelligence coalesced in his mind, Su Yu visited several storefronts to purchase basic maps and overviews of the Sea of Stars. To avoid suspicion, he casually threw in dossiers on the Immortal Realm, Demon Realm, and God Realm as well... He had to prevent anyone from noticing his intent and deducing that he was heading toward the Sea of Stars. *** That night, Su Yu remained within the ancient city. Sitting inside the house, he cross-referenced his materials to determine his next destination. "I need a place with plenty of geniuses, abundant treasures, plentiful opportunities, and where Invincibles won't set foot..." Su Yu continuously narrowed the scope. Ideally, it would resemble the Plain of Desires, where powerful experts easily lost their way. By powerful experts, he meant those at the Sun Moon Realm or Invincible Realm at the very least. As for Shanhai... they didn't matter. If even Shanhai cultivators couldn't enter, it would truly be a wasteland populated only by weaklings, and there would be no point in going. For Su Yu, seeking out a location wasn't purely about fleeing pursuit; he also wanted to seize benefits and strengthen himself. After studying the materials for half the night, Su Yu circled a single location on an expansive map! It was an immense island situated amidst the waters! "Nine Stars Island!" Su Yu murmured, "Nine minor realm entrances open onto that island—a truly rare spectacle! Nine major races dominate the island, but none have achieved dominance, and none are willing to relinquish the areas around their passages, making it quite chaotic..." "They are considered part of the Thousand Realms Alliance. None possess an Invincible, but they have numerous Sun Moon experts." "Because nine realm entrances are concentrated there, Invincibles generally avoid visiting to prevent triggering diplomatic crises. After all, nine whole realms are involved." "Since Nine Stars Island isn't far from the Star Astral Mansion, it serves as a vital strategic outpost. The dominant races all maintain footholds there, though their garrisons aren't overly formidable to avoid provoking the hostility of the nine realms." "None of that matters as much as its proximity to the Star Astral Mansion. With the mansion set to open soon, unique treasures occasionally manifest in that area. Recently, quite a few geniuses have traveled there ahead of time to keep watch." Su Yu rubbed his chin. It was an excellent spot. The only question was whether his destination would be anticipated. Geniuses loved crowding where the action was; wherever geniuses congregated, more would follow! That was common sense! Having escaped the ancient city, heading there was entirely logical. "Should I find somewhere else to cause a bloodbath first before heading over?" Su Yu mulled it over for a moment, then decided that would be like burying his head in the sand. Forget it—he would just go. With nine realm entrances on the island, if things went south, he could simply slip into one of the minor realms to hide! Minor realms lacked Invincibles. If he went into hiding, even ninth-stage Sun Moon experts would struggle to detect him unless they ran directly into him. That made it relatively safe. Having plotted out his retreat routes, Su Yu began scouring through related dossiers. He needed to be thoroughly prepared before setting out; charging in blind would be foolish. *** While Su Yu was formulating his plans, outside Tianmie Ancient City... Daocheng sat cross-legged beyond the city gates for a long time before rising and heading in a specific direction—the path leading toward the Sea of Stars. Nearby, Tianduo, who had been purging death qi from his body, suddenly stood up and walked in the same direction. Behind him, Modona had been perusing dossiers. Seeing Tianduo move, he asked indifferently, "You're going to the Sea of Stars?" "Yes!" Without turning around, Tianduo replied, "The Sea of Stars is where Su Yu is most likely to go. If not one of the ancient cities there, then Nine Stars Island or one of the isles near the Star Astral Mansion. I'm going to see for myself..." "If you run into him, you will die," Modona stated flatly. "Are you looking for him?" "No, I am going to temper myself!" Still without looking back, Tianduo said, "If he goes there, chaos will follow shortly. His lust for slaughter outstrips anyone's. I am going to temper and strengthen myself. Modona, I will not lose to you!" He walked away. Modona didn't care. Looking down at his dossiers for a moment, he murmured, "Nine Stars Island, nine realm passages... He might indeed go there. Invincibles won't set foot there to avoid triggering a backlash from the nine realms. It truly is a good spot!" He nodded slightly, concurring with Tianduo's assessment. If Su Yu were to go anywhere, the likelihood of choosing that island was remarkably high. Modona chuckled. "Not many showed up this time, just a bunch of old relics. How dull!" "Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji, Ming Yue... it will only become interesting once all of you arrive!" Su Yu's slaughter this time had claimed only old relics. Where was the fun in that? Not a single powerhouse on the Heaven Ranking had fallen. How boring! Modona smiled, retrieved a transmission talisman, and thought, *I don't know if this will reach them, but whatever...* He swiftly sent out a message, then drew out his Heaven Hunting sub-ranking talisman. "Notify everyone on the Heaven Ranking on my behalf: I am heading to Nine Stars Island. Su Yu might go there as well. Tell them to come join the fun!" A reply from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion came swiftly: "Is the information confirmed?" "A conjecture. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion can verify it yourselves!" Modona sent his reply, then added, "I forgot to mention: make sure to invite Zhouhun, who dropped to the Earth Ranking, as well as humanity's Qin Fang... The more people, the merrier. Ye Batian's lineage and Zhouhun's Tianyuan race are mortal enemies; without Zhouhun there, it would lose all meaning!" "Understood!" The Heaven Hunting Pavilion gave its confirmation. Through the sub-rankings, the message was rapidly dispatched to one prodigy after another. *** At this moment, Su Yu had no idea that while he was merely planning to go there, others were already heading out to wait for him. Geniuses thought alike. Wherever there was chaos, wherever geniuses congregated, and wherever there were viable escape routes, that was where they went! Regardless of whether Su Yu intended to go initially, once the island descended into chaos, the probability of his arrival would skyrocket. He wouldn't even need to be forced; the sheer presence of the geniuses would serve as irresistible bait. As the rumor began to circulate, a massive influx of experts set off toward Nine Stars Island. Su Yu was completely unaware that a mere passing thought of his had prompted others to set the stage on his behalf. At this very moment, one Heaven Ranking prodigy after another who had remained in the shadows began converging on that location. Others might fear Su Yu, but they did not. Slaying a fellow genius on the Heaven Ranking was precisely what they lived for.