Nine Stars City, Here I Come!

"Foutuling!" Su Yu muttered the name. That fellow hid his abilities remarkably well. Su Yu also had to be careful that Foutuling didn't sell out his whereabouts, meaning he should put as much distance between them as possible. Failing to kill Foutuling or capture him left Su Yu feeling a bit regretful. Still, there was no helping it; eight or nine times out of ten, things in life didn't go one's way. There was always going to be some regret! Helplessness aside, Su Yu had to find another way. Right now, that fellow was bound to be extremely vigilant, and tracking him might not even yield results. "Time to look for Tianduo and the Little Golden Dragon..." Now that Foutuling was on guard, it would be difficult to encounter an opportunity as good as this one again. Besides, that guy had an absurd number of trump cards! "The Little Golden Dragon and Tianduo... The dragon probably has quite a few tricks as well. Tianduo might have fewer." Su Yu didn't dare underestimate that dragon; he had heard an Invincible had stepped in on its behalf. Its grandfather was an Invincible golden dragon and the Grand Elder of the Golden Dragon clan. Tianduo, on the other hand, was a descendant seventeenth or eighteenth generations removed from a demon king. Though he was of Invincible descent, the relationship was fairly distant. Gods and demons lived long lives, had numerous descendants, and traced their lineages back through ages. By Tianduo's generation, unless one possessed extraordinary talent, you might not even get an audience with an Invincible; that was the norm. Still, being an Invincible's descendant was worth something, and the status was somewhat useful. "My primary target should still be Tianduo..." Su Yu thought to himself. The Little Golden Dragon might possess a method to contact an Invincible, and the Dragon Realm was close to here. Targeting the Little Golden Dragon was far too perilous. His clash with Foutuling had actually served as a wake-up call. *Su Yu, you aren't that powerful!* *Your kills against Sun Moons were just flukes born of favorable timing, advantageous terrain, and the Fifth Generation's divine characters. You aren't a Sun Moon, and you won't be able to kill another one. At absolute best, you can only wrestle with a seventh-stage Shanhai!* *And compared to a Sun Moon, a seventh-stage Shanhai is nothing but scum!* *Su Yu, see yourself clearly. At most, you're just a speck of dirt who can barely measure up to a Shanhai. Stop overthinking things. There are plenty of Sun Moons here—don't go believing you're all-powerful!* Su Yu inwardly warned himself! *Don't let it go to your head!* After slaying several Shanhais and Sun Moons, he had grown quite arrogant, even looking down on the geniuses of the gods and demons. But in reality, look—even a piece of trash like Foutuling had nearly done him in. And above Foutuling, there were many other geniuses. By Su Yu's reckoning, even if Foutuling hadn't made the Heaven Ranking, his rank had to be higher than Huang Teng's, right? Could Huang Teng currently kill a fourth- or fifth-stage Shanhai? Probably not! Reining in his ego, Su Yu pondered for a moment and quickly shifted his form, turning into an Ironwing Bird! A Mountain-Breaking Ox... He had initially thought that was low-profile enough, but then he realized he had been wrong. Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence was so coveted that he probably wasn't the only one hunting them; Foutuling had likely been lured in by the ox disguise in the first place. No wonder! No wonder he hadn't crossed paths with a single member of the Mountain-Breaking Ox race across the vast Sea of Stars, and not even Tianxia Island had any. They likely didn't dare travel alone. An Ironwing Bird was bottom-tier enough, wasn't it? A Lingyun Realm Ironwing Bird had a bit of strength, but its blood essence was practically worthless. Surely no one would target him now? Su Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief! Keep it low-key! Now that his trail had been exposed, there was no telling if Foutuling would broadcast it far and wide. He had to be cautious. …… Nine Stars Island. It was vastly larger than Tianxia Island. Here, the entrances of nine realms radiated their presence, dividing the entire island into numerous territories. Calling it an island was an understatement; it was truly colossal—so vast that if placed in the Human Realm, not even a single major prefecture could compare to its scale. There wasn't just one city on Nine Stars Island, but many. Among them, each of the nine realms maintained a city of its own. Furthermore, the nine realms had joined forces to construct another massive metropolis in the center of the island, safely away from their respective realm entrances: Nine Stars City. Beyond these newly built cities, an ancient city also stood on Nine Stars Island. Of course, few people visited the ancient city. Still, it wasn't entirely abandoned. When pursued by formidable enemies they couldn't hope to match, many would flee into the ancient city for sanctuary. The entire island teemed with living beings. Because the entrances to the nine realms converged here, countless beings from those small realms had relocated to Nine Stars Island. Being close to the Star Residence Mansion, the island's yuan qi was vastly denser than within the nine realms. Every ten years, Nine Stars Island reached a peak of unprecedented hustle and bustle. Geniuses from every path converged! This place was unlike the Plain of Desires, where the geniuses were predominantly in the Tengkong and Lingyun Realms, with Shanhais being a rarity. Here on Nine Stars Island, apart from Invincibles rarely showing up, Sun Moons were a common sight. In recent days, fierce battles had erupted ceaselessly, offering the island's residents plenty of spectacles to watch! This upcoming excursion into the Star Residence Mansion was bound to be thrilling. And this was merely the prelude! Among all races, countless geniuses remained unseen; some simply hadn't ventured to the All-Heavens Battlefield. Not coming to the battlefield didn't make them weak. Within certain small realms, some geniuses were already conquering all directions within their territories. Within certain ancient races, geniuses who had been cultivating in seclusion were also emerging one after another. The Star Residence Mansion was about to open, and currently, as many as nine floors had been discovered. Tengkong served as the baseline, Lingyun formed the main body, and Shanhais were not uncommon. The more formidable the genius, the higher the floor they could enter, and the greater the peril. For those advanced in age and high in cultivation, entering was unimaginably dangerous. This was one of the greatest opportunities across the All-Heavens Battlefield. Some had obtained staggering fortunes here, fusing their divine apertures within a single day to step into the Sun Moon Realm. Others had stumbled upon Heaven armaments, wielding them to slay Sun Moons and seize fortunes. Still others had accomplished nine transformations of their yuan qi in an instant, using primordial rarities as their foundation... In short, as the opening of the Star Residence Mansion approached, powerhouses of all races were gathering around Nine Stars Island. Under normal circumstances, they might not have arrived until year's end. Their early arrival this year was tied to Su Yu—or rather, to Moduona, who had been the first to alert the Heaven Ranking geniuses. Otherwise, so many geniuses wouldn't have gathered on Nine Stars Island all at once. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, the rule of genius convergence drove those who hadn't originally intended to come to feel compelled: *If they went, then I must go too!* Along the way, Su Yu witnessed plenty of slaughter. Sure enough, once he disguised himself as an Ironwing Bird, fewer people came looking for trouble. Harassing the weak simply wasn't worth the effort. Slaying a weak race offered meager spoils. Whether that was a tragedy or a blessing for weaker races was hard to say, but at least many geniuses disdained slaughtering their combatants. He landed on the island! Chaos and relentless fighting raged across the island as well. Su Yu avoided them as best he could! Once ashore, Sun Moons became far more prevalent. From what he knew, at least twenty Sun Moon Realm experts from various races were gathered here, including late-stage Sun Moons like Qin Hao and that powerhouse riding the giant eagle he had spotted previously. Most of them congregated in Nine Stars City. As for the other cities, the radiated realm power of the various territories caused discomfort to these Sun Moons. Furthermore, lingering right on someone else's doorstep was inherently unsafe. Each of those nine small realms had ninth-stage Sun Moons presiding over them—some had more than one. If they took action at the entrance of a realm passage, they could potentially unleash combat strength nearing that of an Invincible. Thus, unless absolutely necessary, outside Sun Moons avoided going there to prevent provoking trouble. The entirety of Nine Stars Island was not wholly lawless. Nine Stars City fell under the governance of the Thousand Domains Alliance. The nine realms were, in fact, members of the Thousand Domains Alliance. Inside the city, things were kept relatively peaceful. Under normal circumstances, people gave the alliance some face. After all, it was a coalition of hundreds or even thousands of races. Even if they weren't entirely of one mind, the Thousand Domains Alliance generally stood together when facing the dominant races. Failure to unite meant their small realms would be invaded! In the four battle zones of east, south, west, and north, almost all small realms situated within the territories of the four major races had fallen! This was one of the reasons for the Thousand Domains Alliance's swift rise. At present, their sole shortcoming was the lack of an Invincible overseeing them; they possessed only a cadre of powerhouses capable of wielding Invincible-tier strength within their home realms. Su Yu had learned all this beforehand. So although he had never visited Nine Stars Island, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him. Rather than traveling alone, Su Yu paid a hundred drops of yuan qi liquid to join an escort group. This was a group that made a living off precisely this trade. Escorting travelers into the cities! Whether to Nine Stars City or any of the others, they took anyone who paid. They charged a set fee! Their main service was ensuring the overland safety of travelers across the island. The group consisted mostly of powerhouses from weaker races, or experts from the island's nine realms. They handled the troubles travelers might run into on the road. For instance, Su Yu's group was led by a sixth-stage Shanhai expert, accompanied by two first-stage Shanhais and ten Lingyun cultivators. Thirteen experts received travelers at the island's entrance. Excluding the escorts, their party totaled thirty people, including Su Yu. At a hundred drops of yuan qi liquid per head, that came to three thousand drops. If they moved quickly, reaching Nine Stars City took only a single day, making it quite lucrative. Three thousand drops of yuan qi liquid was worth nearly ten thousand merit points in the Human Realm. Split among thirteen people—even after paying a cut to the Thousand Domains Alliance—each person walked away with nearly five hundred merit points per trip. It was exceptionally profitable! A trip every three days... Su Yu tallied it up. One could earn several thousand merit points a month, far outstripping what an elder made in the Human Realm. Of course, the danger was equally immense. Danger lurked at every turn in this place. Moreover, such money-making opportunities arose only once every decade; far fewer people visited the island in ordinary times. …… Most in the group hailed from weaker races. There were Tengkongs and Lingyuns, but no Shanhais. As long as a Shanhai didn't stir up trouble, traveling alone posed little risk, and if real trouble did occur, an escort squad wouldn't be able to resolve it anyway. Su Yu even spotted a Wanshi Realm cultivator! To be frank, outside of military units, one rarely saw a Wanshi wandering out in the open among the major races. Especially all the way out in the Sea of Stars! Wandering around elsewhere was one thing, but coming to the Sea of Stars as a Wanshi... Su Yu genuinely suspected the fellow was in disguise. Not just Su Yu, but even the leader—the sixth-stage Shanhai expert from the Sky Eagle race—looked upon the Wanshi fellow with suspicion, glancing back at him as he guided the party forward. Within the group, that Wanshi cultivator trailed a tail behind him. Noticing the stares, he spoke up helplessly, "Seniors, please stop staring at me. I really haven't hidden my strength! Even if I had the ability to disguise myself, I'd pose as a Tengkong or a Lingyun. Who on earth would disguise themselves as a Wanshi in the Sea of Stars? That's even more conspicuous than a Shanhai! I hail from the Lu fish race of the Dishan Realm. A few days ago, powerhouses clashed and fought their way right into our realm. Those of us stationed at the realm passage fled the Dishan Realm just to save our lives, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire..." The Sky Eagle leader asked in surprise, "The Dishan Realm? Who fought their way into the Dishan Realm?" The passage to the Dishan Realm wasn't located here, but it wasn't too far away either. And it was guarded by a Sun Moon! What about the guarding Sun Moon? The Lu fish youth shook his head. "I don't know them. They were terrifyingly strong. Even our guardian powerhouse fled. Still... one of them was likely a human, and the other was probably a demon powerhouse. Both were late-stage Sun Moons. Our guardian was a late-stage Sun Moon himself, yet he was scared off..." At these words, the others in the group grew intrigued. Someone chimed in, "The Dishan Realm isn't considered weak. While the Lu fish race has no Invincibles, there are several other minor races in the Dishan Realm, along with a few ninth-stage Sun Moons. Who possessed the sheer audacity to invade the Dishan Realm?" "A human... The strongest human around here—could it be Lord Qin Hao of the Great Qin Prefecture?" "And the demon... To dare clash with Qin Hao, could it be a powerhouse from the Primordial Demon race? Or the Blood Fire Demon race?" "Did the fight end?" "Did anyone die?" "..." The crowd buzzed with chatter, and Su Yu was somewhat surprised as well. The Dishan Realm and the Lu fish race—he knew of them. He had looked up records once; it seemed one of them had killed him in his dreams before. They possessed ox tails and chicken wings, and were considered a neutral race that rarely left the Dishan Realm. Someone had fought their way into their home, forcing them to flee as refugees? How miserable! Come to think of it, he had never consumed Lu fish blood essence and had no idea what useful traits it possessed. But since the race wasn't particularly strong, it probably lacked unique skills. However, Lu fish flesh was known to neutralize poisons, making it a decent commodity. Since everyone was discussing the matter, Su Yu casually joined in, "I heard the Primordial Demon race is currently entangled with the dragons over that Dragon Blood Ancient Tree. These demons... provoking enemies everywhere. As expected, the demon race is as overbearing as ever!" The leading Shanhai barked, "Watch your mouth! The demon race is formidable. If a passing demon overhears you, most wouldn't bother, but beware running into the Blood Fire Demon race!" Those guys were madmen! Speaking ill of demons—did he have a death wish? Su Yu offered an ingratiating smile. "Forgive me, my lord. I meant no offense, only admiration for the demon race's sheer might! My lord, quite a few geniuses from the demon race have arrived this time, haven't they? I don't care much for the others, but Lord Moduona from the demon race is peerlessly mighty. He held first place on the Heaven Ranking for so long... Have you seen Lord Moduona in Nine Stars City, my lord?" At the mention of Moduona, everyone fell silent, turning their eyes toward the Sky Eagle Shanhai. Hearing this, the Sky Eagle wore a look of trepidation and lowered his voice, "I had the fortune of seeing him once. Strong—terrifyingly strong! Though I am a sixth-stage Shanhai, before Lord Moduona... I didn't even have the will to fight. I felt only boundlessly dwarfed!" Su Yu silently scoffed. *Was it really that exaggerated?* He had seen Moduona too, albeit from a fair distance. It hadn't seemed that absurd! Su Yu didn't actually care about Moduona; his true target of interest was Tianduo. But since Tianduo wasn't quite as renowned, Su Yu had to steer the conversation himself. After waiting for the guide to finish, Su Yu sighed with feeling. "The geniuses of the Primordial Demon race truly are formidable! Entering the city this time, I wonder if we'll get to see some of these geniuses, particularly those of the Primordial Demon race. Aside from Lord Moduona, I wonder how powerful their other geniuses are..." "The Primordial Demon race is mighty, so of course they have plenty of geniuses. Aside from Lord Moduona, the most active one right now is probably Lord Tianduo!" Someone in the group spoke up. Su Yu inwardly cheered—*Well done, perfect teamwork!* Su Yu picked up the thread seamlessly. "Lord Tianduo... I know of him as well. Lord Tianduo entered the Earth Ranking, but... his rank was a bit low. I checked earlier, and he was previously..." Before he could finish, someone interrupted, "That was before! It's not low at all now. A few days ago, Lord Tianduo reached rank 12 on the Earth Ranking. That's already incredible!" "Rank 12 on the Earth Ranking?" Su Yu put on an amazed expression. "It's been quite a while since I had the chance to check the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Lord Tianduo has climbed all the way to 12th!" "Of course! A few days ago, Lord Tianduo killed a second-stage Shanhai powerhouse. Combine that with the fact that quite a few people on the Earth Ranking have died, and Lord Tianduo rose rapidly..." Indeed, quite a few had died! Of the 72 spots on the Earth Ranking, Su Yu had personally killed several. Jiu Xuan was one, An Mintian was another. Dao Cheng had advanced to the Heaven Ranking, though his rank had slipped recently, which Su Yu hadn't paid much attention to. Come to think of it, Su Yu was actually familiar with most of the top ranks on the Earth Ranking. Of course, he had never seen Zhouhun, who held first place. Tianduo had climbed to 12th; that was swift progress indeed. It seemed that fellow had been very active lately. "Is Lord Tianduo in Nine Stars City as well?" "Yes, though he heads out every few days. He stays at the demon race's envoy post. Even if you go there, you won't be able to see him..." Su Yu nodded. *He's staying at the demon envoy post. Got it.* *He heads out every few days. Got that too.* Gathering this intel had been simple enough, though there was no guaranteeing its accuracy. Su Yu then said with envy, "Lord Ying Yun, are there many Sun Moon powerhouses in Nine Stars City? Do you think any Sun Moon might accept disciples?" The Sky Eagle powerhouse was speechless. "Dream on. There are at least eight or ten thousand people with the same idea as you. Who has time to bother with beings from minor races like us? As for Sun Moons, of course there are many. Our race even has a third-stage Sun Moon Sky Eagle powerhouse stationed in the city, yet even I haven't been able to see him!" A third-stage Sun Moon giant eagle! Su Yu's heart stirred, recalling the giant eagle he had encountered upon entering the Sea of Stars—the one that had nearly eaten him while carrying an unimaginably formidable powerhouse. Su Yu hurriedly asked, "A third-stage Sun Moon master? My lord, your race actually has a Sun Moon Realm expert stationed in Nine Stars City? That's incredible..." The Sky Eagle Shanhai shook his head. "Don't get your hopes up! Our race certainly has Sun Moon powerhouses, but that senior... forget it, we can't form a connection. Just like your Ironwing Bird race—some of your powerhouses serve under the god race, but can you go cozy up to the gods?" "No..." Su Yu looked dejected, then feigned understanding. "Does my lord mean... that Sky Eagle senior is serving a powerhouse? But he's already a third-stage Sun Moon—which great lord is worthy of a Sky Eagle senior's allegiance?" The Sky Eagle Shanhai sighed. "Of course there is one. A third-stage Sun Moon is like the heavens to us, but to those standing at the absolute peak, it's nothing remarkable. The one our senior follows is a powerhouse named on the Dao Attainment Ranking! Lord Gu Shan of the Primordial Giant race!" "The Primordial Giant race!" Su Yu's heart stirred once more. He knew of this race—an ancient clan known as the Primordial Giants, possessing terrifying strength. Su Yu was familiar with the giant race; back then, Hong Tan had captured three Shanhais, one of whom was a giant: Ju Shan of the Mountain Giant race. The other two were Xue Yue of the Bloodthirsty race and Du Yan of the Demon Eye race. Ju Shan was merely a member of the Mountain Giant race, which was vastly inferior to the Primordial Giant race. Even so, the Mountain Giant race ranked decently on its own and possessed considerable strength. Looking at the giant race as a whole, their collective might was staggering. They were not inferior to the Five Elements race. Now Su Yu finally knew the origins of the powerhouse he had seen before: a Primordial Giant expert, an ancient powerhouse named Gu Shan, a ninth-stage Sun Moon master! The Dao Attainment Ranking was likely the list compiled by the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Su Yu asked curiously again, "My lord, just how many powerhouses are on this Dao Attainment Ranking? Last time I inquired at the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Pavilion, they wouldn't sell it to me, saying I wasn't qualified to buy it..." Su Yu wore a sullen pout! The Sky Eagle Shanhai chuckled. "Of course! Unless you've stepped into the Shanhai Realm or are a genius on the Heaven Hunting Ranking... that list isn't made public!" "After all, it involves a group of grandmasters on the verge of attaining the Dao. If it were circulated too widely, any dispute over who is ranked higher or lower could incur their wrath... The All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Pavilion has been raided several times by Sun Moon masters over this very issue!" Sun Moon masters nearing Dao attainment might let it slide if they didn't care, but if they took offense at being ranked, you'd be lucky not to be hacked to death. It was only because the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Pavilion had formidable backing that it hadn't been torn down long ago. Su Yu was quite intrigued and whispered, "My lord... do we have any chance of buying a copy of this ranking?" Ying Yun chuckled and gave a slight nod. "You can, but don't ask me... I wouldn't dare sell it! Once you reach Nine Stars City, you can buy it from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. The All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Pavilion won't sell it to you, but the Heaven Hunting Pavilion will... And after selling it, they just claim it was created by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and has nothing to do with them. Those folks at the Heaven Hunting Pavilion love slapping their rivals in the face!" Su Yu was surprised and couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion was actually selling a ranking compiled by the All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Pavilion... Just as he was thinking this, Ying Yun added, "It's quite normal. The All-Heavens Myriad Treasures Pavilion also sells their Heaven Hunting Ranking. Sub-rankings are hard to come by, yet everyone wants timely information—such as which genius made the list or which genius fell... The Heaven Hunting Pavilion's sub-rankings are unattainable for ordinary folk, even harder to get than the Dao Attainment Ranking. So the Myriad Treasures Pavilion sells their listings too, though without the special functions, of course." Su Yu nodded again. *I've really had my eyes opened today.* *Undermining each other, are they! Got it!* He would buy both rankings to take a look once he arrived. Lately, he hadn't dared carry his Heaven Hunting sub-ranking on him, leaving him in the dark about specifics and relying on rumors. Reviewing the latest battle records of the various geniuses would help him make a baseline assessment of their strength. As for the Dao Attainment Ranking, he wanted to see whether Xia Longwu was ranked first as the ninth-stage Sun Moon with the greatest hope of attaining the Dao across the myriad realms. Also, he wanted to see where Old Zhu was... to bolster his own confidence. Old Zhu might not even be on the list—a lowly ninth-stage Sun Moon. There had to be heaps of ninth-stage Sun Moons among the myriad races! To say nothing else, almost all the current manor lords of the Human Realm's thirty-six prefectures were ninth-stage Sun Moons. There were also veterans like Cheng Mo of the Great Tang Prefecture. The Human Realm had plenty of Sun Moons, with a considerable number at the ninth stage. Su Yu conservatively estimated there were no fewer than fifty! And that was the bare minimum! The thirty-six prefectures alone had dozens of manor lords. Then there were generals of elite legions, manor lords like Zhou Polong, and wounded veterans in recuperation... Among the myriad races, even clans without an Invincible usually had one or two ninth-stage Sun Moons. Excluding the major races, those minor races alone easily had hundreds of ninth-stage Sun Moons, didn't they? Add in the major races... Totalling it up, Su Yu figured it was entirely normal for there to be over a thousand ninth-stage Sun Moon masters. Of course, most of them stayed cooped up in their home realms. Take the nine realms of Nine Stars Island: they had over ten ninth-stage Sun Moons among them, but none would step outside. Within their realms, they commanded strength nearing that of an Invincible and could battle Invincibles. Outside... an Invincible could casually strike them dead! With so many ninth-stage Sun Moons, Su Yu felt Xia Longwu might not necessarily be the absolute strongest; there could well be others more formidable. At the very least, Xia Longwu didn't seem to have slain a ninth-stage Sun Moon, though he had killed several eighth-stage ones. He usually didn't bother calculating it, but doing the math now filled Su Yu with a sense of helplessness. There were too many races and too many powerhouses. Far too many Sun Moons! The myriad races might not literally number ten thousand—Su Yu had never counted—but there were easily several thousand races of varying sizes. Even weak ones usually had one or two Sun Moons. Major races had hundreds or thousands. All told, the Sun Moons across the myriad races numbered at least several thousand, if not tens of thousands. Invincibles numbered several hundred as well. Perhaps even more! The god, demon, immortal, human, and dragon races alone accounted for over three hundred Invincibles. The more he thought about it, the more insignificant he felt! With all this in mind, what right did he have to be arrogant? Sun Moons were too numerous to count. The Shanhais he had killed could be overlords in small realms or elders in the Human Realm, but in the grand scheme of things, what did that amount to? No one knew what Su Yu was thinking; had they known, they would probably have cursed him to death! *What kind of act are you putting on?!* The myriad races of the heavens had carried on their lineages for countless years, and their populations were beyond measure! Averaged out, those capable of cultivating to the Shanhai Realm were truly one in a hundred million. Those reaching the Sun Moon Realm were even fewer. It was all accumulated through immense spans of time! Yet here he was, a nineteen-year-old human, measuring his own strength against these Invincibles and Sun Moons. …… Walking and chatting, the party made good time. They encountered several skirmishes along the way, but Ying Yun led them around each one. Even when the combatants were merely at the Lingyun Realm, he steered clear. There was no need to get involved! Nor was there any reason to show off! There were plenty of monsters among Lingyun cultivators. The first and second spots on the Heaven Ranking were held by Lingyuns, and a large swath of the Earth Ranking consisted of them as well, slaughtering Shanhais like child's play. Not every Lingyun was weaker than a Shanhai. The first rule of survival on the All-Heavens Battlefield was to know your place! For those who didn't, no matter how strong you were, someone would always come along to suppress you! Su Yu observed the route carefully as they went, committing it to memory to prepare for his escape routes. Once his deception began, he might have to make a swift getaway afterward. It was best to scout the lay of the land now so he wouldn't run the wrong way and deliver himself to his enemies' doorstep. *Target to impersonate... tentatively Tianduo!* Foutuling would actually have been a better choice, but Su Yu hadn't captured him. That made things troublesome! Now, Su Yu didn't even want to capture him anymore; he just wanted to kill him to keep his own identity secret. While Su Yu was lost in thought, a battle erupted in the void far ahead! Everyone looked toward the commotion. Ying Yun took one look and said hurriedly, "Take a detour quickly! It's Shizun of the Stone race, and his opponent isn't weak either—likely a Heaven Hunting Ranking genius... Sigh, when encountering these geniuses, even Shanhais are helpless!" His words carried utter resignation! Shizun! Su Yu's eyes flickered. He recognized this stone man. Back when Lei Jue had pursued him, this stone man had attacked Lei Jue the moment he laid eyes on him, thrashing him so severely that Lei Jue had no choice but to detour around him. Lei Jue was a ninth-stage Lingyun while Shizun was only at the seventh stage, yet Shizun had suppressed him—and Lei Jue was someone who had slain Shanhais. It was easy to imagine how formidable a genius Shizun was. In the sky, the stone man fought with savage ferocity! He disregarded his opponent's strikes entirely, throwing punch after punch. Sonic booms reverberated through heaven and earth, a relentless barrage that seemed endless! A moment later, his opponent fled swiftly. Shizun pursued in hot haste, though his speed was somewhat lacking. Once they were gone, Ying Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief. "There are far too many geniuses around here right now. Shizun ranks 13th on the Earth Ranking, just one spot below Tianduo. From what I could see, his opponent was likely Fu Shan, ranked 15th on the Earth Ranking! He belongs to a branch of the giant race—not Primordial Giants, but Dragon Strength Giants, rumored to be descendants of giants and dragons..." The onlookers enjoyed the spectacle, marveling at the display. Su Yu didn't pay much attention to that, focusing instead on some gossip. It was said that Shizun had an awful relationship with Foutuling! Whenever Shizun saw Foutuling, he would look for a fight. Su Yu wondered: was Foutuling unable to beat this guy, or was he deliberately playing weak? Shizun was undeniably strong, but judging purely by physical resilience from the punches thrown just now, Shizun was actually slightly weaker than Su Yu's own physical body. Yet earlier, even unleashing sixth-stage Shanhai power hadn't allowed Su Yu to kill Foutuling. As for the seventh-stage Shanhai power, that had come later when countering the wood thorn. *Shizun...* Thoughts raced through Su Yu's mind. Shizun and Foutuling were archrivals, but was it an act or real? If it was real... perhaps Shizun could counter that fellow. One made of earth, one made of stone. The two shared similar elemental affinities. As he pondered these matters, a massive city loomed in the distance. Nine Stars City had arrived! It was immense. Su Yu didn't dwell on its size, but his divine character "Calamity" twitched slightly. Clearly, there were many in the city who posed a threat to him. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a thunderous boom erupted above the city! A massive white dragon collided violently with a fiery demon god! "Long He, are you buying or not? If not, get lost!" The ancient demon god barked coldly, throwing a punch while the white dragon's tail swept across. The pressure shook the heavens! Long He raged, "Dawo, don't push it too far! You bought that Dragon Blood Ancient Tree for a mere ten drops of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid, and now we're offering ten times that amount, yet you still refuse!" "Hmph! Five hundred drops—not a single drop less!" "Damn you!" "..." The terrifying auras of the two powerhouses blanketed the sky and earth. Right then, another giant soared into the air and shouted, "You two, brawling inside Nine Stars City is crossing the line! You are both powerhouses of dominant races—must you make fools of yourselves before the juniors?" Beside Su Yu, the Sky Eagle Ying Yun didn't dare speak aloud, transmitting his voice instead: "The demon race and the dragon race are clashing again over the Dragon Blood Ancient Tree. The powerhouse who just stepped in is the City Lord of Nine Stars City, one of the members of the Thousand Domains Alliance's Elder Council. He possesses tremendous strength and is a late-stage Sun Moon powerhouse as well..." The beings from the weaker races trembled like leaves. Arriving here and immediately witnessing three late-stage Sun Moons appear filled them with both excitement and anxiety. Hadn't they come to the All-Heavens Battlefield and Nine Stars Island precisely to broaden their horizons and see true powerhouses? Today, they had certainly gotten an eyeful! Ranked geniuses, Sun Moon powerhouses, gods, demons, dragons, immortals... While they were awed and nervous, Su Yu didn't care much. Late-stage Sun Moons... he had seen plenty. These three didn't feel as strong as that Ming He from before. Nor were they as mighty as Mo He of the Primordial Demon race, let alone that Primordial Giant Su Yu had spotted earlier. Su Yu watched for a moment, sensing a full-blown fight wouldn't break out. Sure enough, under the mediation of the Nine Stars City Lord, the demon and the dragon soon descended and vanished from sight! Su Yu took a deep breath. Thrilling! He loved this! Witnessing a Sun Moon standoff the moment he arrived—this place was even more exhilarating than the ancient cities.