Su Yu Is Dead?

The Dark Magic Dragon was willing to shelter everyone? Su Yu's mind stirred slightly. Perhaps this was his opportunity. Of course, were there any lone experts right now? They couldn't be too strong—a Shanhai, or perhaps a Lingyun, would be best. There were still quite a few people within the ancient city. Aside from the foreign experts who had rushed in, a large number of cultivators had already been scattered throughout the ancient city from before. They were merely hiding inside ancient houses now; Su Yu was far from the only one sheltered within one. Yet, with massive swarms of dead spirits congregating across the city, those people dared not step outside. Now that the Dark Magic Dragon had offered protection to everyone, would they dare to come out? Just as the thought crossed Su Yu's mind, someone inside the city called out loudly, "Lord Castellan, does 'all living beings' include cultivators from us minor races?" It was a Shanhai! He pushed his door open and shouted his question, his face etched with terror and despair. They were very likely going to be buried alongside Su Yu—collateral damage in the Invincibles' hunt for him. Earlier, that Sun Moon dead spirit had already broken into several houses and slaughtered the occupants. If they didn't leave now, once more dead spirits gathered and breached the houses further inside, they would all perish. At present, only the Castellan Manor was safe. Right at that moment, someone barked coldly, "No! Su Yu is a master of disguise. If he slips in among the crowd, we will have endless trouble!" "Why?" This time, another creature roared in sheer despair, "This is a war between your gods, demons, and the humans! Why must we become the sacrificial lambs? You brought this disaster upon us, so why must we bear the consequences?" They were unwilling to accept this! To reach this level of cultivation—whether Lingyun or Shanhai—had cost minor races countless resources and immense effort. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, their strength was subpar, consistently ranking at the bottom of their cultivation peers. And now, they were being forced to die as collateral for the genius of a powerful race. How unfair the heavens were! One cultivator wept tears of blood and bellowed, "Our race has many Sun Moons as well! Sacrifice us today, and tomorrow our Sun Moons will bear an eternal grudge against you! Across the All-Heavens and Myriad Realms, the major races may be mighty, but if our minor races unite, we dare to turn the heavens upside down!" "Heh!" A cultivator from a major race sneered in derision. A minor race without even a single Invincible dared utter such grand words? Unite? Without an Invincible backing them, what could an alliance even accomplish? Was the Thousand Domains Alliance not considered strong? Yet they didn't have a single Sun Moon. They could barely protect themselves, and what else could they do? If the major races wanted to slaughter them, they would slaughter them! Minor races were born to be vassals and slaves! The major races couldn't even be bothered to reply. If they all died here, who would care? In any case, a massive crowd of living beings could not be allowed into the Castellan Manor, lest Su Yu slip in among them. Some of the more ruthless experts were even scheming: if these fellows truly were let inside, they would slaughter every last one afterward. Better to kill an innocent by mistake than let the target slip through! Without killing Su Yu, none of them could rest easy! Compared to slaying Su Yu, what did the lives of a few geniuses and experts from minor races matter? "Cease your clamor!" "Cower properly inside your ancient houses! If your luck holds, you might survive this ordeal!" An expert stated coldly, "If your luck is rotten, then pray for mercy!" "Damn you!" Someone roared in fury from within an ancient house. But before the echo of his roar could fade, a flash of light streaked through the air, instantly executing that Shanhai cultivator! On the god race's side, a seventh-stage Sun Moon of the Tianyi God race lowered his weapon with an impassive expression—it was a longbow. From a vast distance, he had shot the cultivator dead with casual ease! The next instant, another Shanhai dead spirit formed, but the Sun Moon couldn't have cared less. Right now, the city had no shortage of a stray Shanhai dead spirit or two. Silence fell! Across the ancient city, cultivators were seized by dread, rage, and despair. Yes, killing Su Yu was difficult for these Sun Moons because he was far too adept at hiding. Yet slaughtering these Shanhai and Lingyun cultivators was as easy as turning a hand. Leaving the ancient house's door open was simply courting death. In the next breath, countless doors slammed shut. While dead spirits would not charge inside through an open doorway, living beings certainly could. Shooting down a minor race Shanhai from across the distance filled countless beings with terror and wrath. Yet they were entirely powerless! This was the nature of the gods and demons; this was the power of the major races. If you babbled too much, they wouldn't waste words on you—they would simply wipe you out! *** Inside an ancient house, Su Yu gave a soft snort. To kill him, these fellows were truly ruthless. Of course, he felt no pity for the experts of those minor races. This was the reality of the world: the strong preyed upon the weak. If you were weak, there was nothing to be done when you were slain. If you feared death, you should never have left your realm, never set foot on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Once here, you either killed or were killed. For those minor race experts to reach their current realm, they had certainly killed plenty themselves. To avoid being slain, one's only choice was to become strong. At this moment, Su Yu's conviction grew firmer than ever. Nothing compared to one's own strength. Only when he was powerful enough to slaughter whoever tried to kill him would he be truly invincible. A powerful conviction, an unyielding will! His sea of will was solidifying, firming up his cultivation realm! Such was the nature of a Civilization Master. When your conviction held firm and your mind was stirred, it could prompt a breakthrough and grant you greater strength. This was a Civilization Master! At this moment, having absorbed the third text of will, Su Yu officially stepped into the seventh stage of the Lingyun Realm. His physical body was advancing toward its fortieth casting. If he displayed his strength now and was recorded killing an opponent, his seventh-stage Lingyun cultivation might be logged by the Heaven Hunting Ranking. And once it was recorded... Su Yu might not remain first on the Heaven Ranking. After all, his previous kills of Sun Moons had not relied on his own genuine cultivation strength. Entering the seventh stage of the Lingyun Realm now might cause his rank to drop. Then again, it might not. Su Yu didn't care either way! Whether he was first or second on the Heaven Ranking held little appeal for him now. Having witnessed so many late-stage Sun Moons and seen true Invincibles, what was the Heaven Ranking's number one? Merely a candidate for proving the Dao to Invincibility... It wasn't even on par with the Dao Proving Ranking, so what was there to care about? His conviction burned ever fiercer! Inside his sea of will, divine characters shone brilliantly, and his divine apertures expanded to their limits. Drop after drop of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid was consumed. Of the 310 drops, he burned through a full ten in short order! Even for a Sun Moon, ten drops was by no means a small amount. By this point, each of Su Yu's divine apertures blazed like the radiant light of the sun and moon. Twenty-five divine characters linked together into a long saber. Su Yu manifested the blade and slashed through the air! *Buzz!* A powerful wave of willpower rattled the ancient house, crashing against the walls. After a while longer, a loud boom resonated as the fortieth casting was completed. At this point, Su Yu had achieved ten body castings. A day and a night had passed, and he had consumed 140 strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light—a better result than expected, though still a terrifying expenditure. Right now, his physical strength exceeded eighty thousand acupoints of force. Beyond forty castings, each subsequent casting required far more resources, grew vastly more difficult, and took considerably longer. Su Yu pushed the door open a crack and peered toward the distant Castellan Manor. Experts were continuously flying in that direction. There were experts from the major races, as well as several Sun Moons from minor races. You could slaughter Shanhai cultivators. What about Sun Moons? Several Sun Moons of the minor races had gathered together with grave expressions. They didn't dare get too close, yet they still flew toward the Castellan Manor. Several Sun Moon dead spirits were already roaming the city. If they didn't seek refuge in the manor, they would follow in the footsteps of the Sun Moons in Tianmie City. No one wanted to die! Especially after cultivating to such heights. Su Yu observed in silence. At this stage, he was remarkably strong. Naturally, he could not match these Sun Moons, but consuming the blood essence of an eighth- or even ninth-stage Shanhai should pose no issue for him now. With his Yang Aperture opened, he even stood a chance of consuming the blood essence of a first-stage Sun Moon. Should he kill a few more Sun Moons? Granted, the difficulty was immense. Or should he slaughter some peak Shanhai dead spirits to draw out more Sun Moon dead spirits, bogging down the cultivators and denying them the chance to enter the Castellan Manor? While turning these thoughts over in his mind, Su Yu stepped out of the ancient house. Transforming into a dead spirit! He surged toward the manor. At this moment, hordes of dead spirits were rushing that way to intercept and slaughter the living, death qi billowing into the sky. Su Yu was exceedingly bold, swiftly drawing close to the god race's contingent. There were only three god race experts here. Zhan Wushuang, accompanied by two high-stage Sun Moons. As the three flew toward the manor, they didn't forget to scan the dead spirits and obliterate any in their path. Since they were heading into the manor anyway, they weren't afraid of drawing out a few more. Compared to their ordeal in Tianmie City, things were far easier this time. There were simply too many experts present; the dead spirits couldn't do anything to them. Moreover, only a single mid-stage Sun Moon dead spirit had appeared so far. How could such strength kill these high-stage experts? Su Yu approached, not daring to get too close. After observing quietly for a moment, he quickly withdrew. Not a shred of hope! Setting aside the two high-stage Sun Moons, even Zhan Wushuang was someone he might not be able to defeat—this was an expert who had slain a Sun Moon. Soon, Su Yu shifted direction and rapidly approached the demon race. From far away, he chose to abandon the idea and flee! The demons were even stronger! Furthermore, Modona suddenly cast a glance in his direction, jolting Su Yu with alarm. Not daring to linger, he slipped away at once. The moment he left, Modona looked toward the wildly swirling dead spirits, his brow furrowing slightly. Between geniuses, there was often a faint resonance. When that dead spirit drew near just now, he had felt a subtle prickle of intuition. Was that Su Yu? He wasn't certain, nor did he say anything. If he spoke up, it would inevitably be a Sun Moon who slew Su Yu, which had nothing to do with him. To Modona, if he didn't kill Su Yu with his own hands, someone else doing it wasn't worth a single copper to him. Beside him, the two high-stage Sun Moons didn't sense much of anything, for Su Yu posed no threat to them whatsoever. Su Yu quickly moved toward the dragon race, but found no opportunity there either. By now, he spotted Qin Hao blocking the manor gates, as well as Zhu Guangshen and the others, yet he had no way to communicate with them. A voice transmission would never escape the notice of these experts. Gradually, more and more experts congregated before the manor. The pressure on Qin Hao and his companions mounted exponentially. Even Gushan stepped forward at this juncture, speaking up, "Qin Hao, blocking the path serves no purpose! I am not worried about dying, but if this continues, I fear the few of you will be besieged by everyone!" He truly wasn't worried about his own safety. A quasi-Invincible! Regardless of whether his ranking was near the bottom, he was a figure on the Dao Proving Ranking—a peak ninth-stage Sun Moon existence. Frankly speaking, unless an Invincible dead spirit appeared, killing him was near impossible! However... he wanted to go inside the Castellan Manor and look around. To view the stone sculpture. Before Qin Hao could speak, Zhu Guangshen suddenly smiled and said, "Senior Gushan, you may enter. In fact, not just you—aside from the god, demon, immortal, dragon, Five Elements, nether, and Tianyuan races, everyone else may enter to seek refuge!" Gushan paused slightly, and the surrounding experts cast peculiar looks. They... could enter? They understood! Qin Hao also glanced at Zhu Guangshen. It made sense; blocking everyone was useless, but holding back the gods and demons might make the Invincibles outside hesitate to act. After all, nearly every one of those races had two high-stage Sun Moons present, and most had brought their clan's geniuses along. If they died here, the loss would be far too severe. Zhu Guangshen had singled out seven major races, encompassing over a dozen late-stage Sun Moons and several top-tier geniuses. This also eased the pressure on their own group. Gushan chuckled! "Fine, play your games, then. I'm going in. These dead spirits... truly are a nuisance. The death qi's corrosion makes me want to vomit!" He had no interest in playing along with these people. If everyone in the city died, he would probably be the second to last to perish, with the last being the Dark Magic Dragon—after all, that fellow was the castellan here and held the geographic advantage. Since that was the case, he wouldn't waste time with them. The experts of the other races were also growing restless, eager to move. The mighty gods and demons watched with darkening expressions. They could still suppress minor races, but there were numerous top-hundred races and ancient races present. If they weren't permitted inside and were blocked off... it would cause immense trouble. These were all races backed by Invincibles! On the periphery, Su Yu smiled as well. The people of the Zhu family truly had brains. Blocking the other races served no purpose and only made enemies! Stopping these particular factions was enough. Of course, it was still a massive headache. Sure enough, on the god race's side, Zhan Wushuang's face turned icy cold as he said, "General Qin, must you insist on this? We are seven races; can you truly hold us back?" Finishing his words, he turned a sinister glare toward Zhu Guangshen. "Is the Zhu family of the Great Ming Prefecture stepping forward this time as well? Accumulating strength hasn't been easy for the Zhu family. How many high-stage Sun Moons do you even possess? Three high-stage Sun Moons are gathered right here. If you fall, things will not go well for the Great Ming Prefecture hereafter!" Zhu Guangshen chuckled. "Zhan Wushuang, how about we both take a step back? Let's stop fighting. When the ancient city opens, we'll all leave. We will take Su Yu with us and confine him within the Great Ming Prefecture, never to leave for all eternity. What do you think?" "Not interested!" Nearby, Xuan Wuji said coldly, "A promise from the human race should be treated as nothing more than a joke." Zhu Guangshen laughed. "Xuan Wuji, we're allies—how can you speak like that? You're helping outsiders instead of your own people. In human terms, that's called biting the hand that feeds you, being a traitor, a human traitor..." Xuan Wuji had no interest in trading barbs with him. By now, experts from the other major races had begun trickling into the Castellan Manor. Meanwhile, the Dark Magic Dragon looked down upon them from his palace within the manor grounds, neither stepping outside nor uttering a word. The gates were wide open; enter if you could. He had given plenty of face to the Invincibles. As for those who couldn't enter, or expecting him to take action against Qin Hao and the others—forget it. King Daxia and King Daming were still outside. There was no need for him to genuinely infuriate two of the human race's greatest powerhouses over such a matter. For a time, over a dozen Sun Moons confronted one another before the city gates. Among the seven races, the Tianyuan race had only sent one high-stage Sun Moon, as had the nether race, leaving twelve high-stage Sun Moons present. The human race had four, while the two from the Five Elements race were quite content to stall for time. Ten against four, with two dragging their feet. The situation fell into a deadlock. They could still kill them if they fought. Ten killing four was guaranteed, but since they weren't from a single race, anyone unlucky might die in the process. Who would be willing to stick their neck out first? Once again, an impasse was reached. Su Yu watched quietly for a moment, then lingered no longer. Fortunately, the humans hadn't been foolish enough to block everyone; otherwise, the trouble would have been catastrophic. In this state, it was far safer. *** Inside the city, chaos reigned. Outside, Invincible figures suppressed the void. Divine light erupted from their eyes as they peered into the city, where death qi churned violently, yet they could see very little. However, intelligence was continuously being transmitted by the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. This time, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion had truly reaped a fortune. Qin Hao and the humans were blocking the geniuses and Sun Moons of several races. If they attacked the city now, they would lose high-stage Sun Moons and their clan's geniuses. Was it worth it? At the very least, no one present could make that decision. It couldn't possibly be worth it! Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji, Modona, Mingyue, Dao Cheng... Trading so many geniuses, along with so many Sun Moons, for Su Yu and Qin Hao's group was simply too poor a bargain. At this moment, beside God King Pingyu on the god race's side, a white-haired God King said placidly, "King Daxia, must we maintain this stalemate? How about this: kill Su Yu this time, and I guarantee that when Xia Longwu attempts to prove the Dao, I will not intervene. Pingyu will not either..." When a God King spoke at such a juncture, his word carried weight. On the demon race's side, a Demon King of the Primordial Demon race also said calmly, "The same goes for me!" "Likewise!" All at once, four or five Invincibles made their pledges. As long as King Daxia stayed out of this, at least four or five Invincibles would refrain from targeting Xia Longwu—Invincibles who would otherwise have been guaranteed to strike him down. With that, Xia Longwu's hopes of proving the Dao would surge dramatically. King Daxia remained silent, not uttering a single word in reply. The white-haired God King grew somewhat impatient. "King Daxia, even if this stalemate drags to the end, it will still end in your retreat! Put it this way: seven God Kings of my race have already departed for the East Rift Valley to chat about life with King Daqin and the others. The demons have sent theirs, as have the dragons, the nether race, and the Tianyuan race..." If you don't make a decision, we will truly launch an assault on your Human Realm! At this moment, King Daxia felt a profound sense of helplessness. He was exceptionally strong! Yet he could not slaughter all the Invincibles gathered here. These races had joined hands to pressure them. The human race's own Invincibles would inevitably harbor grievances; their unity was far from absolute, and they still didn't know who the traitor was. If a true war erupted, an Invincible might fall. To cause the death of an Invincible for Su Yu's sake... If Su Yu could prove the Dao to Invincibility, it might be justified, but if he couldn't, the loss would be far too devastating! King Daxia's silence gave the others hope, and several faces broke into smiles. Pressuring him step by step! King Daxia would yield! His grandson needed to prove the Dao, and the human borders were in crisis. If he refused to yield, even the human side might resent him! Your grandson proving the Dao is troublesome enough; drawing the wrath of multiple Invincibles for the sake of Su Yu—isn't that just piling trouble on top of trouble? King Daxia said nothing. Beside him, King Daming's eyes flickered as he laughed. "By the way, what about me? Aren't you going to offer me some sweet benefits? If you don't, remember that I'm no weakling either. Su Yu belongs to my Great Ming Prefecture; deciding to kill him just like that isn't giving me much face!" The white-haired God King gave a faint smile. "King Daming, are you deliberately stalling for time? Does it serve any purpose?" "None at all!" King Daming chuckled. "It's been so many years since we last met, so why not chat a bit more? I'm worried that next time you might die unexpectedly, and we won't get the chance! White-Haired King..." The white-haired God King stared at him; King Daming was utterly tiresome! He wasn't called the White-Haired King... but let him call him whatever he liked. Slaying Su Yu was a foregone conclusion. Right now, twelve Invincibles had gathered here—two humans and ten from the other races. Such a gathering of Invincibles was a rare sight indeed. The will of two human Invincibles could not alter the outcome. And the human race could send no more Invincibles, because numerous enemy Invincibles had gathered at their borders. These two were the absolute limit. Two of the top five Invincibles were already away; if a few more left, the human borders would be forfeit! King Daming didn't care. What harm was there in dragging things out? To tell the truth, he felt utterly helpless right now. Su Yu... neither he nor Xia Wushen could save him. Since that was the case... he would buy the kid a little time and see if he could find a way to escape on his own. *** Inside the city. Su Yu roamed about while frantically devouring Heaven and Earth Profound Light to continue his body castings. By now, almost no living souls wandered the city. The moat was deserted as well. Did Su Yu dare step outside? Stepping out would likely invite a fatal strike from an Invincible. Thus, Su Yu decisively abandoned that notion! As for whether an Invincible might fail to notice him lurking at the bottom of the river... he harbored no such illusions. Staying inside the city was far safer. "Is there truly no other way?" Su Yu sighed. Was he genuinely out of options? Must he be forced to hole up inside the city forever? Or wait until the Invincibles attacked, drawing out dead spirits, and convert himself into a resident? That was likely his only way out. "Let it be, then!" Moreover, he should let Qin Hao and the others stand down. Su Yu didn't want to owe an overwhelming favor; if this continued, they might be killed. Of course, fighting hadn't broken out yet, so it wouldn't happen immediately. Right at this moment, an Invincible outside barked coldly once more, "Qin Hao, cease your obstinacy! In two days, we will assault the city! Those who do not enter the Castellan Manor... shall be buried with him!" The Invincibles no longer wished to delay; it was a tedious matter. The outcome was already decided! The Invincible said coldly, "In two days, we assault the city. In five days, the rest of you will emerge and search the houses that still contain living beings. By then, the dead spirits will have receded, and high-stage Sun Moons will guard the houses where the living remain!" The arrangements were laid out with crystal clarity! In two days, they would assault the city, drawing out powerful dead spirits to slaughter everything inside! In five days, the dead spirits would retreat, and very few living souls would remain. Guarding those few houses at that point... if Su Yu hadn't died, he would certainly be inside one of them. He would have nowhere left to run. Disguise as a dead spirit? Would that work? Did he think the dead spirits provoked by an Invincible's assault would be fools? They would see right through him in an instant! If an Invincible dead spirit was drawn forth, Su Yu couldn't deceive a living Invincible, and he certainly wouldn't deceive an Invincible dead spirit either. Therefore, his death was certain. This was an ultimatum! The assault would begin in two days. Outside, neither King Daxia nor King Daming made a sound. Su Yu felt no disappointment; rather, he felt a slight sense of relief. Good—this meant King Daxia and King Daming could hold out no longer! Their silence was also an unspoken message to Qin Hao and his companions: in two days... give up! There was no other choice! For a man as proud as King Daxia to remain silent meant he had encountered an insurmountable dilemma. Su Yu could guess the gist of it... nothing more than threats to the borders, holding Xia Longwu over his head... a simple matter. Weighing the two, Su Yu wasn't surprised in the least; he could never outweigh the safety of the entire Human Realm. He felt no bitterness; in fact, he owed them a debt of gratitude. Had the two Invincibles not arrived, the enemy Invincibles might have launched their assault the moment they reached the city. At the very least, they had bought him a little time. "Two days?" Su Yu smiled. That was fine; he would continue cultivating and convert himself into an ancient city resident while he was at it. When they emerged five days later, their so-called search for houses with living beings wouldn't include ancient city residents, would it? As for the complications of becoming an ancient city resident... he cast the thought aside. Finding an ancient house, Su Yu quickly slipped inside. *** At this moment, he discarded all other thoughts. Cultivate! Grow stronger, even by a fraction. Three hours later, the forty-first casting was complete. Heaven and Earth Profound Light was consumed once more—this time a staggering eighteen strands! Five hours later, the forty-second casting was complete, consuming twenty strands. Even more terrifying! Eight hours later, the forty-third casting was complete, burning twenty-two strands. Three castings had devoured sixty strands. The further he progressed, the more frightening it became. Twelve hours later, the forty-fourth casting was complete, consuming twenty-four strands. By now, twenty-eight hours had elapsed, and Su Yu had accomplished only four castings, burning through eighty-four strands. Added to the previous 140 strands, he had consumed 224 strands—nearly half his supply. Not bad; he had completed fourteen body castings. Su Yu was reasonably satisfied! His physical acupoint power now stood at a whopping 120,000 acupoints of force! At this moment, he had officially surpassed Modona's strength when the demon was at the seventh stage of the Lingyun Realm. In terms of raw stats, Su Yu's physical power was equivalent to the sixth stage of the Tengkong Realm, while his Civilization Master cultivation stood at the seventh stage of the Lingyun Realm—identical to Modona's level back then. He still had a fair amount of Heaven and Earth Profound Light remaining. Although the consumption had reached over twenty strands per casting and might only suffice for ten more... or perhaps fewer, it didn't matter. Su Yu still possessed plenty of treasures. Even if it was all consumed, he still had a vast supply of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid. If the chance arose, he could trade with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. With another thousand strands, Su Yu was certain he could achieve seventy-two castings; in all likelihood, he wouldn't even need that much. In any case, through this entire swindle, he had scammed enough resources to fuel his body castings all the way through. He had even scammed a vast portion of the resources needed for the subsequent Nine Transformations of the Lingyun Realm. Right now, more than ten hours remained before the Invincibles attacked. He might still manage to complete the forty-fifth casting. Wasting no time, Su Yu continued to forge his body, but this time, he attended to another matter as well. Night fell! Su Yu tossed out another jade talisman stained with his blood. Soon, a dead spirit materialized. It began inscribing and drawing, but this time, an anomaly occurred. With a loud boom, the dead spirit detonated! Su Yu's eyes flickered. Just now, he had felt a massive surge of death qi from the ancient house invade his body, yet it had failed to convert him. The dead spirit had actually exploded! Su Yu was astonished! What did this mean? As he puzzled over it, another dead spirit appeared—a Shanhai dead spirit. Taking the jade talisman, it began inscribing and drawing. A moment later, an even more potent wave of death qi corroded inward from the house. Su Yu possessed immense resistance to death qi. Moreover, he still held nine unused halos from Tianmie Ancient City. Right now, this death qi struggled to invade him. As for converting himself, that death qi belonged to him, not an external source. *Boom!* The Shanhai dead spirit abruptly exploded! Su Yu watched, dumbfounded. What in the world was this? I didn't kill it! By all rights, this was his third time tossing out a jade talisman. After three offerings, there was no requirement for continuous time; he should have been able to convert into a resident by now. After another moment, an early-stage Sun Moon dead spirit appeared! It glanced at Su Yu and took over the task, carving Su Yu's likeness onto the wooden plaque! The carving seemed arduous and strained! *** At the same time. In the rear hall of the Castellan Manor, the stone sculpture opened its eyes and gazed in that direction, its expression shifting faintly. Converting into a resident? This was likely the first Heaven Ranking genius—the first number one on the Heaven Ranking—since ancient times to choose conversion into an ancient city resident! At this moment, he saw the Sun Moon dead spirit carving. The stone sculpture watched in silence, pondering: *What choice should I make?* Simultaneously, a dead spirit manifested beneath its feet. This dead spirit possessed remarkably lively eyes as it looked in the same direction, chuckling softly. "Fascinating. Is this... a peerless genius? He actually chose conversion... Interesting! Truly interesting! According to the ancient rules, while he lives, he is responsible for guarding us; once he dies, he becomes one of our own!" The stone sculpture said nothing. This dead spirit was immensely powerful. Turning its gaze outside the city, it laughed. "How amusing. The Eternals of the All-Heavens and Myriad Realms seem poised for a great war, forcing even a genius of this caliber into the sacred city to become a living dead... What a pity! I even feel heartache on their behalf!" The dead spirit turned to the stone sculpture and laughed. "Guardian Xinghong, do not think of intervening. This was his own choice; we did not force him. The sacred city suppresses us, yet grants us a glimmer of hope—such was the agreement of old. He chose this himself, did he not?" Xinghong gazed toward Su Yu. After a long silence, he said calmly, "Before he dies, he is not a dead spirit! You may not kill him directly... otherwise, I will stop you!" "Naturally!" The dead spirit chuckled. "He will live. However... I see him enveloped in death qi, which has nearly assailed his heart. Sooner or later, he will become a true dead spirit. Xinghong, this is my domain. When he dies, he will be my subordinate, and I shall hold him in high regard!" The dead spirit laughed heartily. "By the way, is he on the Heaven Hunting Ranking?" "Number one on the Heaven Ranking!" "Good heavens..." The dead spirit's smile broadened. "I had a rough guess. His physical body is terrifyingly robust! How many castings has he undergone? He has even opened the Zhoutian Apertures... Such a genius was rare even in ancient times. Have I struck it rich this time?" Xinghong ignored him. The dead spirit laughed again. "Those fellows outside are clamoring to attack the city. You heard them, right? When they strike, that will be my cue to appear. It's been quite a few years since I came out for some fresh air. Being a dead spirit is one thing, but the Dead Spirit Realm is truly wretched and suffocating! I'll slaughter a few living beings while I'm at it to replenish my resources; too many dead spirits have been consumed..." Xinghong closed his eyes, paying him no heed. The Invincibles outside might be bringing trouble upon themselves. Su Yu... had converted into a resident! Once he died, given his monstrous talent, he might have a chance of retaining his memories. Granted, the chances were slim, but upon becoming a dead spirit, it wouldn't take many years for him to become a dead spirit monarch, with the hope of recovering his memories. If that came to pass... and the dead spirits broke through the sacred city, those fellows could look forward to endless trouble! He did not intervene. He was colder than Tianmie and adhered strictly to the rules. He was a stone sculpture, and he acted solely according to the rules. Since Su Yu had chosen this path himself... at least he was still alive for now. There was nothing he could do, nor did he wish to do anything. From this day forth, the realm of the living had lost a peerless genius. Upon converting into a resident, whether in several centuries or in mere days or years, Su Yu was doomed to die, corroded away by death qi. As for Su Yu reversing death qi, he had seen it, but was uncertain whether it would truly suffice. *** At this moment, the Sun Moon dead spirit continued carving for Su Yu. After a time, this Sun Moon dead spirit seemed unable to endure the strain, its death qi trembling violently! Right then, an entirely different dead spirit manifested, casting a glance at Su Yu. Su Yu's eyes widened, his mind reeling in shock—this... this was definitely not the gaze of an ordinary dead spirit; it held true intelligence! The dead spirit ignored him and began carving. Su Yu felt boundless death qi enveloping him! From the crown of his head downward, it blanketed him completely, covering his body, his organs, and every inch of his being... leaving only a tiny region around his heart untouched. This was the living dead! The moment that tiny patch around his heart was submerged... Su Yu would become a full-fledged dead spirit. The dead spirit glanced at his heart, a faint flicker of doubt appearing in its eyes. Without scrutinizing further, it smiled—yes, it smiled—and vanished in an instant. Yet an ancient, resonant voice echoed by Su Yu's ear: "After you die, I will personally come to receive you!" Su Yu's mind shook violently! It could speak! A dead spirit could speak! *He will personally come to receive me?* *What does that mean... receive me into becoming a dead spirit?* Countless questions flooded Su Yu's mind! A dead spirit capable of speech—what level of power did it possess? An Invincible? Or a peak Sun Moon? At this moment, he hastily began reversing the death qi, only to find the conversion efficiency was abysmally low! Of course, he could still convert a trickle, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. At his heart, the miniature figure let out a sigh as well, seeming to find this... extraordinarily troublesome! If the rate of reversal failed to keep pace with the corrosion of death qi, Su Yu was as good as dead! This kid... ah! Words failed it; the little figure was thoroughly helpless. Perhaps... this truly was his only path to survival: seeking life through death! Su Yu paid no attention to this. When his conversion was fully complete, a slight tremor ran through his heart. At this moment, the ancient city's corrosive effect on him vanished! Only the death qi within his body continued to spread. Neither the ancient house nor the ancient city corroded him any longer. Outside the door, Su Yu staggered out. This time, he did not reverse his death qi, yet when the dead spirits saw him, they acted as though he didn't exist. Some weaker dead spirits even took a detour upon spotting him, appearing somewhat fearful... It seemed his rank was higher than theirs! Su Yu felt a hollow void inside... *Have I become a living dead?* Even though he had mentally prepared himself, even though he had reversed death qi countless times before, he still could not conceal the crushing sense of loss. He... had become an ancient city resident! A living dead! And at that very moment, across the All-Heavens and Myriad Realms, every holder of the ranking felt their hearts jolt violently! The ranking trembled wildly! At the very top of the list, Su Yu's name began to fade. It dimmed for a moment, reappeared, then dimmed once more... Repeating three times, in the final instant, the name belonging to Su Yu vanished entirely! Stunned! Inexpressible shock! Everyone was utterly dumbfounded. Su Yu... was dead?! How could that be?! Because never before—or at least, not in the past several centuries—had a genius on the ranking chosen to convert into an ancient city resident. They had no idea that doing so would erase one's name from the ranking. Nor did they care about the reason! All they knew was that Su Yu's name... had vanished from the Heaven Hunting Ranking. First on the Heaven Ranking: Modona! Across the entire ranking of 630 individuals, Su Yu existed no longer. The heavens shook! At this moment, even the headquarters of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion shuddered. Su Yu was dead? How did he die? Hadn't they said the assault on the city had yet to begin? Why was he dead? This... was simply unbelievable!