Prefect Niu Arrives

Inside the city, screams of despair echoed incessantly! Some had already been driven mad. They had no desire to convert into residents; given their current condition, the death qi might penetrate their hearts the moment they converted, killing them on the spot. Having reached the Sun Moon Realm, they understood at least a little about the process and consequences of converting into ancient city residents. ... At that moment. After Su Yu slew another dead spirit and locked down the city once more, several weaker or injured Sun Moons began exchanging barely perceptible voice transmissions. A moment later, an expert at the sixth stage of the Sun Moon Realm, his face an ashen death-gray, spoke up: "Fellow Daoists, could you lend us some Heaven Yuan Qi so we can dispel some of this death qi..." He added sincerely, "The Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground in our domain is small, and we didn't carry much Heaven Yuan Qi with us when we set out. We are willing to trade other precious treasures for it..." Several powerful Sun Moons frowned slightly. Other treasures... In a prolonged city lockdown, what good were other treasures? No matter how formidable the treasure, could it preserve their lives? Just as those Sun Moons were about to refuse, Modona suddenly spoke: "I'll trade. Seniors, do not think of dragging everyone down to die together. It hasn't come to that yet!" At those words, the faces of several Sun Moons from weaker races changed. Without elaborating, Modona looked at Zhan Wushuang and the others, calmly saying, "Each of us should contribute a bit and trade with these seniors. We are all walking the same path; why force these seniors into a fight to the death with us right now?" Zhan Wushuang said coldly, "You certainly know how to play the good guy!" Clearly, he was not surprised by Modona's words. He knew what those Sun Moons were thinking, but he hadn't cared. Meanwhile, the Sun Moons who had been transmitting messages earlier turned pale. Looking at the Sun Moons from the major races, they saw only cold indifference. The major race experts were evidently not surprised by their intentions either. At this stage, those below late-stage Sun Moon were on the verge of collapse. All of them were seasoned veterans. Even if the geniuses were young, they were knowledgeable and experienced; how could they not foresee their intentions? If they refused to give Heaven Yuan Qi, it would be only natural for those desperate cultivators to kill a few geniuses, or even take them hostage to threaten the Sun Moons. Or worse, they could kill Sun Moon dead spirits to mimic Su Yu, luring out even more powerful dead spirits to wipe everyone out... When living beings were pushed to this point, knowing they were about to die, not wanting others to fare well either was entirely natural human nature. Dragging a few others down with them as burial partners... If Su Yu were around, they would naturally target Su Yu. With Su Yu absent, these major race experts and geniuses became the prime targets. Besides, this disaster had been triggered by the major races in the first place. The desperate Sun Moons had thought their prior secret discussion was covert, never imagining that the others seemed to have anticipated it all along. The Sun Moon who had spoken experienced a shift of expressions, then lowered his head and said, "Thank you. Demon Lord Modona misunderstands..." Modona said calmly, "No matter. I simply do not wish to cause more trouble for ourselves at a time like this. Besides, this isn't an absolute dead end. If we truly want to leave, there are still ways..." Everyone's eyes lit up. Yet Modona shook his head. "They are extremely difficult. First: escape through the dead river moat! The survival rate is only ten or twenty percent." "Second: more Invincibles arrive and reach an agreement with the dead spirit monarchs in the city. That was what happened last time, but all the Sun Moons perished!" "Third: find a way to lure out the Dark Fiend Dragon, kill him, seize his castellan token, and forcefully open the city gates to leave!" "Fourth: Hei Mo is merely a puppet castellan; the true guardians are the ancient stone statues in the rear hall. Perhaps some terms can be reached with them..." "Fifth: find Su Yu, kill him, or pin him down, and we can leave after three days!" "Sixth: reach an agreement with Su Yu. Although he has become a resident, he is not dead yet. As long as a person lives, there is hope and there are needs. I believe Su Yu will not be content to remain a living dead. He still wants to reverse destiny and return, unwilling to sink forever into the Dead Spirit Realm!" Having said this, Modona looked at the others, primarily the geniuses, and stated indifferently, "If all else fails, we can convert into residents as well, which will allow us to survive for a long time. If Su Yu dared to do it, neither you nor I lack the courage... Therefore, this is not a dead end!" Zhan Wushuang remarked coolly, "The best option is still to reach an agreement with Hei Mo. If we kill Hei Mo, he is the castellan, which will likely draw out an Invincible dead spirit. Moreover, he is at the ninth stage of the Sun Moon Realm; killing him won't be easy!" Killing him was technically possible. With sixteen late-stage Sun Moons and six early-to-mid-stage Sun Moons present, slaying Hei Mo was within their capability, especially since Hei Mo was heavily wounded. However, what if a dead spirit monarch appeared after his death? Modona nodded. Not far away, Xuan Wuji furrowed his brows and asked, "Did anyone see which area that Sun Moon dead spirit appeared in earlier? Perhaps we can trap Su Yu!" Modona and the others held little hope. Sure enough, a late-stage Sun Moon expert who had patrolled earlier sighed. "That Sun Moon dead spirit appeared abruptly. By the time we went to investigate, it had likely already moved some distance, but we can confirm it was within the inner three rings!" In any case, it was within the inner three rings; where exactly remained unclear. At this juncture, searching house by house might still offer some hope of finding him. Thinking of this, Xuan Wuji said, "There aren't many residents in the inner three rings. There are only about three thousand houses in total, and at most three hundred are occupied. We still stand a chance of keeping watch over these houses." Although they would be somewhat spread out, there were over twenty Sun Moons here, and the geniuses were no pushovers either. He was at the eighth stage of the Shanhai Realm and could battle Sun Moons; Zhan Wushuang was the same. Both could be counted as Sun Moon combatants. With so many experts, could they really fail to guard the inner three rings? As long as they could lock it down, there wouldn't be much of a problem. Nearby, Mingyue, who had remained quiet all this time, said in a low voice, "Difficult! If we spread out, we must be wary of Su Yu's sneak attacks. Furthermore, the death qi outside is thick, and hordes of dead spirits will harass us, including Sun Moon dead spirits. If we hold out for three days, quite a few of us here will likely die..." Caught between a rock and a hard place. Yet everyone knew that at this stage, they had to save themselves. Otherwise, they would all die here! Modona stood up and said, "It is still better to head near the city gate. If worst comes to worst, we can have Invincibles breach the gate again and break out instantly. It takes time for Invincible dead spirits to appear, so we won't necessarily die!" "..." The crowd looked at him in silence. At this point, was there any Invincible still willing to take such a risk? What if the stone statue and Invincible dead spirits appeared instantly and slew the Invincible? Sacrificing an Invincible in exchange for some geniuses and Sun Moons? "Only an Emperor would do!" someone muttered in a low voice. The gods and demons both had Half-Emperors; perhaps having a Half-Emperor come would suffice. The dragon race had their Dragon Emperor as well, the immortal race had their Ancient Immortal Emperor, the nether race had their Nether Emperor... If one such expert came, this problem might be resolved. However, none of them had that kind of status. Not even Modona! First place on the Heaven Ranking came and went, but a Half-Emperor was one per race, and they had been in seclusion for centuries without emerging. In hundreds of years, the Half-Emperors of the gods and demons had appeared only once, when the Human Realm passage had opened. Under these circumstances, expecting a Half-Emperor to come to your rescue was impossible unless you were his son! Everyone was gloomy and suffocated! Some even verged on despair and madness. The eyes of several individuals were bloodshot. If this continued, they felt like cutting loose and going on an indiscriminate slaughter. Being relentlessly harassed by dead spirits without being able to kill them—because killing them only brought greater trouble—the ancient city had cast a psychological shadow over all of them. Being beaten without being able to strike back: if this went on, no one could bear it! Ignoring them, Modona walked straight toward the city gate. He intended to wait there; at the very least, he could leave instantly the moment an opportunity presented itself. If all else failed, he could dive into the moat. If he didn't die, he would naturally get out! Staying in the inner ring was slightly safer; the ancient houses were sturdy enough that Sun Moon dead spirits couldn't break in. However, being here was too close to the Castellan Manor, too close to where the stone statue and dead spirit monarchs appeared. Running to the city gate would take time, and in such a crisis, the faster one could escape, the better. Su Yu... Modona murmured the name in his heart. That fellow was ruthless enough. But then again, how could one gain a foothold without being ruthless? Put in Su Yu's shoes, forced to convert into a living dead, he would do the same—slaying as many as possible. As he stood and walked away, two demon race Sun Moons immediately followed. Soon, several other geniuses stood and followed as well. Modona possessed immense providence; everyone knew this. The higher one was on the Heaven Ranking, the greater one's providence, and the same applied to Su Yu. Otherwise, how could a mere Lingyun force back more than a dozen Invincibles surrounding him? An ordinary person would have died long ago. They, too, possessed great providence and would not die easily. Even if they plunged into the moat, they might survive even when Sun Moons perished. At that moment, the heavily wounded sixth-stage Sun Moon from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion stepped out of an ancient house and shouted, "Su Yu, I know you are nearby! I come from the Heaven Department of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's Four Rankings Division!" "Even if you kill us, it will bring you no benefit whatsoever—not even heavenly rewards..." Ancient city residents were still living beings, so killing others would technically yield rewards. Only dead spirits received none! However, Su Yu was not killing them directly, but trapping them to their deaths through scheming. In truth, killing them this way yielded no benefits. Bai Yi shouted again, "If you have any demands, we can negotiate! If you fear revealing your whereabouts, you likely possess some ancient city tokens and can command dead spirits to fetch a sub-ranking. I guarantee the Heaven Hunting Pavilion will never track your location. This is the reputation our pavilion has upheld across countless years!" "Through the sub-ranking, we can converse directly!" "Su Yu, you are still alive, you are not dead! As long as you live, there is still hope, isn't there?" "To live means you must cultivate, you need resources, and you need a way to free yourself. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion can provide all of these to you, and the various races can provide them as well!" "..." He shouted for a while, and a moment later, among the countless dead spirits, one suddenly walked toward him. He froze for an instant. The others also stirred. Several late-stage Sun Moons immediately locked their gazes onto this Shanhai dead spirit. Soon, several late-stage Sun Moons tore through the air, tracing the path the dead spirit had arrived from to investigate. Moments later, they returned, shaking their heads—they found nothing. At that moment, the Shanhai dead spirit woodenly dropped a jade talisman. Bai Yi picked it up and inspected it; it was an audiovisual talisman. The next moment, Su Yu's voice emanated from the talisman: "Hand over all your storage rings and all your treasures first, and then I will believe your sincerity!" "..." "Hmph!" Someone scoffed coldly. Whoever believed that was a fool! Su Yu lacked any sincerity; he had never intended to let them leave at all. Bai Yi retrieved a sub-ranking and tossed it to the Shanhai dead spirit. However... a burst of death light erupted from the Shanhai dead spirit, shattering the sub-ranking on the spot. Evidently, Su Yu had given no instructions to bring anything back. In reality, the dead spirit was no longer under Su Yu's control; it had only been tasked with delivering the item, not returning with anything. Su Yu had delivered that single sentence without the slightest thought of carrying anything back. He had likely expected that these people would not comply. "Su Yu!" At this moment, Modona called out, projecting his voice loudly: "You can take a sub-ranking so we can communicate. What do you say? I guarantee the demon race will not track your location!" Zhan Wushuang said coldly, "Neither will the god race!" "Nor will the immortal race!" "..." The geniuses voiced assurances on behalf of their races that they would not track Su Yu. Yet Su Yu paid them no heed whatsoever. Only a fool would believe them! Don't talk about credibility—credibility wasn't worth a copper! Right now, interests came first. Compared to credibility, once they killed Su Yu, no one would ever care about whatever guarantees had been made. ... Inside an ancient house. Su Yu tapped lightly against the wall. Could he truly trap and kill everyone? Would trading for some benefits work? He shook his head. He didn't need benefits! He hadn't even digested all his good stuff yet. He didn't really care about a few resources. Besides, the resources these fellows carried on them... were probably quite substantial, right? After all, they had come here to purchase ancient corpses! Su Yu licked his lips. If nothing else, the fake items he had forged were immensely valuable. "They're wealthy all right, but I don't dare take it..." Su Yu chuckled. Unless he had real backing and certainty. Unfortunately, he lacked both. "If that dead spirit monarch appeared again and I went robbing alongside her... that would feel great!" Su Yu mused to himself with a trace of helplessness. That dead spirit monarch could be considered the head of his house guards, couldn't she? Unfortunately, she was disobedient and didn't heed his commands. Otherwise, bringing a dead spirit monarch along to kill people would be truly exhilarating! Gritting his teeth, he thought: Forget the goods—once you're dead, everything belongs to me anyway! I want to kill! Kill as many as I can. Consider this my contribution to the human race, right? With so many experts and geniuses killed by me, the human race will probably be thrilled. They ought to thank me for eliminating so many formidable enemies! Right at that moment, Bai Yi's voice came through again, shouting suddenly, "Su Yu, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion has made contact with an expert of your human race! Your human expert, Niu Baidao, says he wants to talk with you and is willing to accept benefits on your behalf outside. I know you don't trust us. As long as you cease killing after three days and let us out, people outside will pay sufficient treasures in exchange for our lives!" Prefect Niu? Su Yu's heart stirred. Prefect Niu had come to the All-Heavens Battlefield? From the sound of it, he might be rushing over here now; otherwise, why speak of receiving benefits outside on his behalf? "Prefect Niu is here..." Su Yu frowned. His coming was very dangerous. Right now, every race was suffocating with pent-up rage; what if they vented their fury and took out Old Niu? ... Just as Su Yu was pondering. Outside. At the edge of the Sea of Stars, Niu Baidao had not visited the All-Heavens Battlefield or the Sea of Stars in years. Beside him, dressed in black, Ye Hongyan accompanied him. With a cold expression, she stared at the old fellow and said coldly, "What are you dawdling for? And making decisions on Su Yu's behalf—did you even ask him?" Niu Baidao smiled faintly. "I haven't made any decisions; I'm merely inquiring about Su Yu's thoughts. Hongyan, he is trapped in the ancient city. No matter how many he slaughters, it accomplishes nothing in the end. Right now, taking whatever benefits he can get is what matters... Besides, Su Yu cannot kill everyone." Niu Baidao sighed. "Do you think the Invincibles are truly terrified? They were merely caught off guard earlier. But the ancient city still has rules. Once those Invincibles regain their bearings, more of them will soon move to breach the city—without entering it... They will simply wait at the city gates to extract their people. Even I can see that those stone statues and dead spirit monarchs cannot leave the city! Do you think they haven't realized that?" They had realized it! It was just that the prior losses had been too immense, and the Invincibles hadn't recovered from the shock yet. Moreover, they feared disruption from the human race's Invincibles. Consequently, they were hesitant to act recklessly. Otherwise, even if Su Yu locked down the city, he could hardly do anything to them. Once these geniuses and experts truly reached their limit, Invincibles would undoubtedly arrive to reinforce them again. None of the races were willing to abandon so many experts and geniuses. Modona, Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji... All of them represented their respective races' prestige, the pinnacle of strength among the younger generation. Furthermore, the Star Astral Mansion was about to open; the various races would never allow them to perish at this time. When the Star Astral Mansion opened, these individuals would all enter it. As for how many treasures and benefits the Star Astral Mansion held, the human race was not entirely certain, because in past years, the human geniuses who entered had never ventured deep. Take the Great Xia Prefecture, for instance: their previously prepared candidates to enter were Huang Teng, Bai Feng, Wu Lan, and others, all around the Lingyun Realm in strength. The Great Ming Prefecture was even worse, throwing in a mix of Lingyun and Tengkong cultivators. As a result, they could never obtain substantial benefits. Among the myriad races, on the other hand, the gods and demons routinely sent their top-tier geniuses, reaping enormous harvests. Under such circumstances, with the opening of the Star Astral Mansion fast approaching, the Invincibles would certainly come again. Of course, if the captives could leave smoothly, there would be no need to take such risks. Ye Hongyan remained silent. Niu Baidao turned his head and said, "You can stop seeing me off here. The Sea of Stars is dangerous..." "I walk my own path; what does it have to do with you!" Niu Baidao chuckled. "We're both hundreds of years old, why still be so stubborn... We're an old married couple after all..." Ye Hongyan's face remained cold! Staring coldly at him for a while, she said in a low voice, "Back then you couldn't save Batian, and now you can't save Su Yu either. Niu Baidao, you've always been such good-for-nothing trash..." Niu Baidao smiled amiably. "Now why say that... These fellows provoke Invincibles at the drop of a hat; what do you expect me to do? I'm quite helpless too! Sigh!" Sighing, he resumed his smile and said, "Su Yu is still alive, isn't he? Since he's alive, there is hope. A living dead... isn't truly dead. Staying in the ancient city might even be better for him; at least within the ancient city, he has the means to protect himself." "Bullshit!" Ye Hongyan fumed, "Trapped in an ancient city, how many years can he live? No one in an ancient city has ever broken through to Invincible! So many ancient city castellans are at the peak of the Sun Moon Realm, yet not a single one is on the Dao Attainment Ranking! With no progress possible, he will die sooner or later..." "Aren't all people destined to die?" Niu Baidao chuckled. "Truly, as long as he lives, it's fine! Those fellows hailing from the Great Xia Prefecture—their talent for seeking death only surpasses one another. Those who live long are just so-so, and for those who live short lives, dying is par for the course. It's no great loss, really..." "Niu Baidao!" Ye Hongyan flared up with rage! Niu Baidao chuckled and said no more. Stepping through the air, he ascended over the Sea of Stars and soon stepped into its expanse. Ye Hongyan continued following him, which he didn't mind. Looking around, he smiled and remarked, "Surprisingly, I haven't encountered any female cultivators from the myriad races this time..." Ye Hongyan glared at him coldly. Niu Baidao hastily explained, "If I met any, I'd beat them to death! Don't misunderstand; all these years, I've been unswervingly faithful to you. Whoever tried to seduce me, I chose to beat them to death!" "Hmph!" Niu Baidao chuckled and said nothing further. They flew onward at extreme speed. Following him, Ye Hongyan was somewhat surprised. "Your speed has increased considerably. Have you reached the eighth stage of the Sun Moon Realm?" "..." Niu Baidao sighed internally. Even my own wife doesn't know my true strength. Truly, women can't be relied upon; she looks down on me far too much. Never mind, no need to explain! Flying onward, after some time, an island radiating multicolored clouds appeared ahead: Tianxia Island. Niu Baidao did not enter the island, waiting nearby for a moment. Shortly afterward, Qin Hao, Zhu Guangshen, and the others arrived. They had not departed earlier; King Daming had left them on Tianxia Island. Naturally, King Daxia had delivered a slash to Mingguang City in passing. Now, the entire city was split clean in two, presenting a remarkably spectacular sight. The bounty notice at the city gate had vanished long ago. As for the Sun Moon Realm expert of the Brightlight Bird race overseeing the city... he was currently being roasted by King Daxia and the others in the East Rift Valley. This fulfilled what a human had said when Su Yu first arrived: if human experts saw that bounty, they would inevitably find trouble. King Daxia had seen it on his departure and conveniently swung a slash, slaying a bird, and the Brightlight Bird race hadn't dared utter a peep. Hanging a bounty for Su Yu had pleased the gods and demons but offended the human race. If the humans couldn't discipline the gods and demons, could they not handle a mere Brightlight Bird race? And they had encountered the exceptionally bloodthirsty King Daxia. Were it not for certain reservations, it would have been entirely normal for him to charge straight into the Brightlight Bird Realm. With no Invincible overseeing their realm, if King Daxia truly entered, he could exterminate the entire realm! Upon seeing Niu Baidao, Qin Hao bowed slightly and said, "Prefect Niu!" Niu Baidao was of high seniority, belonging to the same generation as Qin Hao's father. At present, there were still some Sun Moons from that era alive, but they were either heavily wounded and on the verge of death or in secluded cultivation; very few actually roamed outside. Niu Baidao was an anomaly, frequently traveling about to "rescue respectable women." Qin Hao also saw Ye Hongyan and greeted, "Greetings, General Ye!" He didn't call her Madam Niu... saying so would displease Ye Hongyan. Niu Baidao chuckled. Beside him, Zhu Guangshen was all smiles as well, hurriedly saying, "Teacher Niu... you've come too." Niu Baidao had taught many people; he had instructed nearly all of King Daming's descendants. Addressing him as "Teacher" was entirely natural. "Mm!" Niu Baidao said with a smile, "Just checking in on that kid Su Yu's situation!" With that, he said helplessly, "We agreed he'd just go out for a stroll. Now look at what happened—he's vanished entirely!" He then asked, "Did you see him when you left?" "No!" Qin Hao sighed. "He should still be alive, but he has definitely become a resident. What a pity!" "Nothing to pity," Niu Baidao said with a laugh. "A monstrous talent must undergo all kinds of tribulations. That way, though things are tough now, the future will be smooth sailing! A person's tribulations are predetermined. If you suffer more today, you will suffer less tomorrow. Su Yu is enduring various trials now; if he survives this catastrophe, he will certainly soar to the heavens in the future!" He then added, "Let's go have a look anyway! That kid trapped those experts and geniuses. If this continues, I expect the Invincibles will return. He won't kill many of them and won't gain any real benefits. What the kid needs right now isn't killing more people; that's of little use." Qin Hao flew alongside him, asking as they moved, "Is there truly no way to kill them?" "No way—at least, no way to kill them all," Niu Baidao shook his head. "Scaring the Invincibles works for a moment, not forever! Soon, Invincibles will arrive, and things will become even messier." "The Invincibles won't dare enter the city either!" Niu Baidao laughed. "That's true, which is why they will certainly be much more vigilant this time and refuse to enter the city." Qin Hao nodded. They flew together toward Nine Stars Island—well, Nine Stars Island was gone; now only Xinghong Ancient City remained. The group consisted entirely of experts, so their pace was swift. Before long, an ancient city floating on the sea came into view. Near the ancient city gate, several experts were gathered, and they turned their gazes toward them. Upon seeing Niu Baidao, someone recognized him and said coldly, "Niu Baidao, you're still alive!" "Haha, by pure luck, pure luck!" Niu Baidao cupped his fists with a laugh. "I recognize you! Back in the day, I followed some Invincibles into the God Realm and wiped out your entire family. To think you're still alive—truly not easy..." Niu Baidao spoke with a wide smile, yet his words nearly drove that Sun Moon mad. He was telling the truth! In those years, he had genuinely followed a band of Invincibles who founded the prefectures into the God Realm and Demon Realm, exterminating families. He remembered it; his memory was quite good. Niu Baidao's seniority within the human race was exceptionally old, which was also why he seldom came to the All-Heavens Battlefield—there were enemies everywhere, nothing but trouble. People were constantly trying to pick fights with him! Niu Baidao was all smiles. Counting him, they had six late-stage Sun Moons on their side, so he wasn't particularly worried about these people picking a fight. Many late-stage Sun Moons from the gods and demons were trapped inside the city, and several had already died earlier. Late-stage Sun Moons were hardly everywhere. At the moment, only two late-stage Sun Moons from the god race were present outside, though neither was weak: one was at the ninth stage of Sun Moon, and the other at the eighth stage. The one who had spoken was not a late-stage Sun Moon. Niu Baidao laughed for a bit, then continued, "Harmony brings wealth, everyone. Don't be so hostile toward me. I'm here to save people, not to kill! Su Yu and I have a great relationship; he listens to me and can release your people. Don't go stirring up trouble. If those geniuses truly get killed, none of you will have a good time answering for it back home, will you?" At this point, a giant dragon roared in anger, "Your human race opposes the gods and demons, and now the grandson of my Gold Dragon race's Grand Elder is trapped inside! Last time, your human Su Yu trapped and killed our race's Long Dou, and now you want to make an enemy of our dragon race as well?" "..." Niu Baidao sighed wearily, "Little dragon, don't roar at me. Su Yu isn't part of the human race! Just treat him as a race of one. If he truly counted as the human race, your besieging him would mean making an enemy of the human race! The dragon race doesn't yet have the qualifications to oppose the human race. When you hunted him, we didn't interfere; when he kills you... go take it up with him. Doesn't that make complete sense?" Niu Baidao chuckled again, "Stop going on about becoming enemies or not. To put it bluntly, it's only because you all banded together that you pose a threat to the human race. Otherwise, does your dragon race have thirty Invincibles? If we charged into your lair and wiped out your Dragon Realm, what could you possibly do about it?" The smile never left Niu Baidao's face. "Don't bother with such talk; it's utterly useless! Let's negotiate properly and leave out the empty threats. If you truly want to make an enemy of the human race, come talk after more than half your dragon race's Invincibles are dead. Don't act like a fool acting as the vanguard before the gods and demons have even spoken! Come to think of it, the dragon that my prefecture's prefect rides also belongs to the Gold Dragon race. In a way, we're practically family, aren't we?" "..." Hearing this, the dragon grew even more furious. "Niu Baidao, tell Zhu Tiandao to return our race's prince..." "Now, don't be like that. Your Gold Dragon patriarch has plenty of descendants—at least thirty gold dragons! My prefecture's prefect holds lofty status; he only caught one. That little dragon is living quite comfortably right now—if you asked it to come back, it might not even want to, right?" Niu Baidao chuckled. Indeed, the dragon mount Zhu Tiandao had captured was a descendant of the Gold Dragon patriarch. Not a first-generation descendant, but of the grandchild generation. Its strength was not weak either, having reached the Sun Moon Realm. In Zhu Tiandao's own words, as a prefect and the direct son of an Invincible, he needed prestige; without a descendant of an Invincible as a mount, he'd lose all face. After squabbling with the dragon for a while, Niu Baidao laughed. "If you keep dragging this out and death qi inundates the city, killing everyone inside, then there won't be any need to talk. Keep your eyes open, everyone—the dragon race is deliberately trying to get your races' geniuses killed! Otherwise, why would this fellow keep wasting time arguing with me?" "..." The dragon was struck speechless and clamped its mouth shut immediately. Because right now, he truly was delaying Niu Baidao's time. Niu Baidao laughed amiably and looked toward a faceless expert in the distance—an elder of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. Smiling, he asked, "Has the Heaven Hunting Pavilion made contact with Su Yu?" "No!" "Expected. Who told your Heaven Hunting Pavilion to have such a foul reputation? If you tried tracking him, only a ghost would trust you." Niu Baidao pondered and said, "Have your pavilion members inside the city speak to him and say that I have arrived and wish to talk with him... Actually, forget that. How about this: toss a sub-ranking into the city center, and then have all your people retreat to the city gate, hover in midair, unleash your auras, and make your presence visible to all. That way, he'll feel reassured that you aren't scheming against him!" "..." The crowd stared at him with cold expressions. Niu Baidao smiled. "Do you want to negotiate or not? If not, I'm leaving. I know you still have alternatives and want to wait for Invincibles to arrive, but let me make this clear: King Daxia and King Daming haven't left yet, they are right nearby. The moment your Invincibles arrive... our race's Invincibles will charge straight into the city, slaughter a bunch, and then run!" Their faces darkened! This was precisely what they feared! If that truly happened, everyone inside the city would truly be buried! The human Invincibles wouldn't even need to kill their people; they could just breach the city and enter to draw out Invincible dead spirits, and even those at the city gate might not escape! The safest option was naturally to open the city gates. In accordance with the rules, allowing everyone to leave freely. The next moment, a powerhouse emerged—a figure at the peak of the ninth stage of the Sun Moon Realm, ranked on the Dao Attainment Ranking, hailing from the demon race. He said coldly, "Do as he says. Tell those fellows inside the city to gather at the city gate. I want to see just what Su Yu is playing at!" Niu Baidao beamed and said placidly, "What can Su Yu possibly do? He was forced into becoming a living dead and is destined to die sooner or later. At most, he'll ask for a few thousand strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light, tens of thousands of drops of Sun Moon blood essence, a few drops of Invincible blood essence, several hundred Heaven armaments, a few dozen God armaments..." "..." All around, the silence was terrifying. Niu Baidao chuckled heartily. "Just a joke! How could that be possible? I was just saying it for fun, it's not what Su Yu asked for, don't take it seriously!" Inwardly, however, he scoffed: It would be a miracle if Su Yu released anyone without extorting a massive fortune!