Contest for the Castellan

Hei Mo was dead! At this moment, Su Yu did not dwell on it. Gripped by terror, he ducked into an ancient house and immediately began reversing his death qi. The death qi was simply too ferocious! Moreover, death qi was constantly seeping into the building. Su Yu could sense that the powerful dead spirits were still outside, violently radiating death qi. His face blackened; his entire body was darkening. The death qi swiftly began invading his heart. Sparing no expense, Su Yu consumed vast quantities of Heaven Yuan Qi, continually neutralizing the death qi and strengthening himself. At the same time, he retrieved large amounts of Heaven and Earth Profound Light. While reversing his yuan apertures, he refined the Heaven and Earth Profound Light to bolster his body. The death qi flooded in relentlessly, as though it cost nothing. Su Yu fought with all his might, refusing to let the death qi swallow him whole. Any ordinary resident—even Hei Mo—would have been thoroughly dead by now. But not Su Yu. When he provoked Sun Moon dead spirits, he had never feared death qi erosion; he just had not expected the dead spirits drawn out this time to be so overwhelmingly formidable. His mask vibrated at that moment. "Xuan Jiu, what on earth happened?" "How could Hei Mo die?" "Was it really Hei Mo who died?" "..." Elder Xuan Jia inquired repeatedly. ... Heaven Hunting Pavilion Headquarters. Wearing his faceless mask, Xuan Jia felt tumultuous shock waves crashing through his heart. He swiftly said to the other elders, "Xuan Jiu is inside the city. I'm currently questioning him about the situation, but he hasn't replied yet. He's still alive, hasn't died, but he might have been affected!" "News from outside the city suggests powerful dead spirits appeared. Hei Mo engaged them in battle and died from death qi overload!" "..." Soon, another elder said, "Xuan Jia, have Xuan Jiu investigate the exact situation and report back immediately!" "Understood!" The grand hall fell silent as the elders sank into deep thought. Hei Mo was dead! That meant Xinghong Ancient City was without a castellan. Xinghong Ancient City was a vital ancient city, situated right near the Star Astral Mansion. Right now, the position of castellan... They did not dare let their thoughts stray too far; now was hardly the time to ponder such things anyway. For Xinghong Ancient City was terrifyingly dangerous at present. The living had been wiped out! No, in the entire ancient city, perhaps only one living... clump of dirt remained! The one-month period had not yet elapsed, and Foutuling was still sealed. His name had not been erased from the Heaven Hunting Ranking, so clearly, that fellow was still alive. Of course, once he emerged... who knew if he would think he had traveled through time? Before he was sealed, the world had not looked like this. And the seal lasted only a month. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, nothing happening in a single month was the normal course of events. ... While reversing death qi, Su Yu checked his messages. Not only was Xuan Jia inquiring, but the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's Yellow Division was asking as well. Su Yu was straightforward and quickly replied through the mask: "Elder, this is exclusive intelligence. If it's sold, how are the proceeds split?" "You choose. There are rules. Either a profit split based on how much the headquarters sells—for exclusive intelligence, your cut is ten percent—or sell it outright to the headquarters for a lump-sum buyout of one hundred Heaven Hunting Points!" One hundred Heaven Hunting Points—that was 100,000 merit points. Su Yu was speechless. One hundred Heaven Hunting Points? 100,000 merit points? That was a lot! Yet the Heaven Hunting Pavilion was extortionate. When they traded with Su Yu before, they quoted 50,000 merit points for one drop of first-stage Sun Moon blood essence. Even with a forty percent discount, 100,000 was only worth a little over three drops. With a buyout, under his white-mask status, earning the equivalent of three drops of Sun Moon blood essence was actually quite impressive! Still, wouldn't a profit split yield more? With the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's reach, selling it to hundreds of races and charging each a drop or so would rake in several hundred drops. At ten percent, he would make a fortune! Thinking of this, Su Yu replied directly, "Profit split!" Forget the buyout; he wasn't going to settle for petty change! Xuan Jia wasted no words and quickly asked, "Then tell me, what's the situation right now? What just happened? Give me the specifics..." Su Yu asked promptly, "Elder, can I just tell you directly? No need to report to the Yellow Division?" "Either is fine!" Xuan Jia felt somewhat suspicious. Since this fellow was chatting so breezily, could it be that Hei Mo's death didn't have much to do with him? Just as Xuan Jia wondered, Su Yu said, "If we do a split, I get ten percent. Also, if headquarters makes a profit, don't I get a 0.1 percent branch commission on top of that?" "Yes!" Su Yu understood. Not bad; commissions were calculated separately. Though meager, every bit of mosquito meat was still meat. Right now, he reversed apertures where needed and tempered his body where needed, communicating without hindering his cultivation. He wanted to see whether the death qi was more ferocious or he was! Death qi and yuan qi were locked in an intense battle near his heart. Let's see who outlasts whom! "It went like this: I was on my way to deliver Heaven Yuan Qi to Hei Mo when Su Yu, who had been hiding all along, suddenly leaped out... Wait, that's not quite right. It went like this..." Su Yu adjusted his phrasing... Xuan Jia was speechless. Are you manufacturing fake news? Well, Su Yu and Xuan Jiu were the very same person! "Xuan Jiu, think carefully before speaking. There are still residents in the city; they might have heard something, or even seen it. You must understand that the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's intelligence is the most accurate, which is the foundation of our reputation. If it's fabricated, you must say so. Otherwise, once it's investigated, you will be in deep trouble!" Fair enough! Su Yu thought it through from beginning to end. Soon, he recounted the events, keeping the broad strokes unchanged: Xuan Jiu had been pinned down by a dead spirit, and Hei Mo came out to rescue him. Then... Su Yu suddenly ambushed them, tossed something to Hei Mo, which exploded and detonated the death qi inside Hei Mo's body. Taking advantage of the chaos, Su Yu detonated a divine character, slew a Sun Moon dead spirit with a single blade strike, and drew out three dead spirits that were likely late-stage Sun Moon, or perhaps even stronger—at the peak of the Sun Moon Realm. Su Yu was chased down by one dead spirit, while Hei Mo was corroded by two dead spirits. Hei Mo perished, and Su Yu's fate remained unknown! Perfect! Almost nothing had changed, except that at the final juncture, an extra Su Yu appeared! As for himself, he had been somewhat caught in the crossfire, but since he wasn't the primary target, he quickly hid inside an ancient house, currently shivering in fear! "Su Yu's fate is unknown?" A wave of helplessness washed over Xuan Jia. Hearing this version, he considered it and found it largely plausible. The extra Su Yu was likely Xuan Jiu's own doing, but it made general sense. Even so, Xuan Jia quickly pressed, "Hei Mo had no reason to rescue you—to rescue someone from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion!" Su Yu replied promptly, "He wasn't rescuing me. He was after the Heaven Yuan Qi in my hands! He came out to seize the Heaven Yuan Qi!" "And Su Yu detonated Ye Batian's divine character... He still had one of Ye Batian's divine characters?" "I wouldn't know!" Su Yu claimed ignorance. Xuan Jia was struck speechless again. You wouldn't know? If you don't know, who would! Xuan Jia wondered suspiciously whether Su Yu still had any of Ye Batian's divine characters left. Just how many had he blown up by now! How did Ye Batian end up with such disciples and grand-disciples... Leaving behind a colossal legacy, only for these fellows to detonate it piece by piece—what a reckless waste of heaven's treasures! He also reasoned that a divine character had most likely caused it. Otherwise, Su Yu was merely in the Lingyun Realm. To claim he could slay a Sun Moon was something Xuan Jia wouldn't believe, even if the Sun Moon dead spirit was only in the early stage and possessed low intellect. A Sun Moon dead spirit was still overwhelmingly formidable. Xuan Jia reviewed the sequence of events once more. Finding no major flaws, he asked, "So did Su Yu die or not? What is his state?" Whether he's dead or alive, don't you already know? Su Yu complained internally! "I don't know. He fled, but I saw death qi spilling from him in torrents. He's probably on the verge of death!" Xuan Jia pressed no further on that matter and said, "Then what about your current situation? Do you have any confidence in seizing the castellan token?" "Huh?" Su Yu was surprised. Xuan Jia said swiftly, "Now that Hei Mo is dead, Xinghong Ancient City is masterless. If you, Xuan Jiu, become the castellan, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion will support you with all our might. Your status will rise dramatically, and you might soon become an elder!" "With my current strength, even if I become castellan, wouldn't others target me?" "Naturally!" Xuan Jia said, "People will definitely target you, because every castellan of an ancient city is an overlord-tier figure. And though a castellan is said to be a puppet, they hold immense authority within the city, so someone is bound to move against you!" At this, Xuan Jia added, "Of course, there is another way: it would be best if you never step out of the Castellan Manor! Also, let me remind you: to become the castellan, you need to refine the castellan token. The castellan token is not easily refined. If it were easy, it wouldn't be exclusively ninth-stage Sun Moon experts who become castellans. Be careful not to be struck down in the middle of refining it..." Su Yu said speechlessly, "No one can enter..." Xuan Jia immediately warned, "Don't be careless! Have you forgotten that there are still residents in the city? There might even be Sun Moon experts among them! Now that Hei Mo is dead and caused such an enormous commotion, do you think they have no designs on it? You didn't truly believe that because they never show themselves, they are already dead, did you?" That made immense sense! Su Yu had almost forgotten about those people! Indeed, those people were also residents and naturally wanted to become the castellan. Right now, there were simply a few powerful dead spirits roaming outside; otherwise, someone would have rushed out to fight for the castellan token before long! Su Yu thought it over and asked, "If I become castellan, will the Heaven Hunting Pavilion provide support?" "Of course, provided that you are Xuan Jiu!" And not Su Yu! Su Yu hesitated, then shook his head. Perhaps becoming castellan under the identity of Su Yu was better. Everyone already knew he was inside the city, and that he wouldn't die so easily. As for Xuan Jiu... an inconspicuous member of the Xuan Division becoming castellan would be far too abrupt. A castellan was bound to attract attention from all quarters. Once Xuan Jiu became castellan, that identity would likely be ruined and rendered useless before long. Su Yu was certain of this. Forget it; it was better to preserve the identity of Xuan Jiu! "Understood. Thank you for the reminder, Elder!" This Elder Xuan Jia was quite decent, having pointed out many things, including the city residents, among whom powerful figures might lurk. Even if Su Yu sealed the city, it wouldn't affect them much. Previously, they had refused to come out because they didn't want to court death. But now... Hei Mo was dead, and those people were bound to emerge to contest the position. Furthermore, Hei Mo's death wasn't heavily credited to him. Although he had schemed to kill him, Hei Mo had already been on the brink of death. When the reward from Heaven and Earth descended just now, it had granted only a single wisp of Heaven and Earth Profound Light! Damn it! That was a ninth-stage Sun Moon! To give such a pitiful reward clearly meant Heaven and Earth judged Su Yu's role in it to be negligible—he hadn't even landed the finishing blow. "If I'd known, I would have struck him once myself!" Su Yu cursed under his breath! What a massive loss! As for Hei Mo's corpse, Su Yu had no interest in venturing out to collect it. He couldn't collect it anyway; the corpse would transform into a dead spirit, and not even its yuan qi would dissipate. He had witnessed this when the previous Xuan Jiu died, and there were several quasi-Invincible dead spirits standing guard right now. Su Yu harbored no hopes regarding Hei Mo's remains. The yuan qi hadn't dissipated because there wasn't any left—it had all turned into death qi. It likely remained contained so that after the transformation, the resulting dead spirit would possess sufficient strength. ... While Su Yu was resisting the death qi, over where Hei Mo's corpse lay, a black-cloaked dead spirit appeared. Xingyue arrived. This dead spirit monarch appeared quite satisfied at the moment. Looking at Hei Mo's corpse, she nodded slightly. Not bad; he had died even earlier than anticipated. This was a good thing—her banner would gain another mighty general! The enormous black dragon corpse lay sprawled across the street, already blanketed by death qi, though it had not yet completely transformed into a dead spirit. Xingyue glanced at it and reached out with one hand. The colossal carcass shrank instantly and was caught in Xingyue's grasp. Like a tiny worm, it coiled within Xingyue's palm. "Let us return to the Dead Spirit Realm!" Xingyue spoke, then cast a glance toward the dead spirit still blocking Su Yu's door. She said indifferently, "Let us go!" "Monarch!" That dead spirit felt somewhat dissatisfied and quickly said, "Monarch, why not keep going and transform him completely?" Xingyue replied faintly, "His time to die has not yet arrived." Xingyue could sense that the fellow inside was still steadily reversing death qi at no slow pace, and his strength had been advancing rapidly of late. Xingyue pondered: perhaps... he improved even faster while alive. If he died now, Su Yu's strength was still too weak. The probability of retaining his memories was slim, making further progress difficult. If he could advance to the Sun Moon Realm while alive, that would actually be far better. If he truly died, stripped of his memories, methods, and cultivation techniques, left to cultivate purely on instinct, reaching the Sun Moon Realm might take hundreds or thousands of years, regardless of how astounding Su Yu's natural talent was! The quasi-Invincible dead spirit felt unwilling, but said no more. Beside Xingyue, another of the dead spirits spoke up: "Monarch, he has been constantly slaughtering dead spirits..." "He only kills weak dead spirits; it matters not! If he kills a Sun Moon, your emergence this time will ensure he dares not do so again!" Xingyue remarked coolly. No matter how many weak dead spirits perished, it caused her no heartache. Those at the Sun Moon Realm were considered powerful. Su Yu's kill this time had drawn out three quasi-Invincible dead spirits; he likely wouldn't dare repeat it. At that moment, on the ground, a storage ring and a unique token caught the eyes of the dead spirits. "Monarch, should we shatter the storage ring so that kid gets nothing... And the castellan token... who do you think inheriting the castellan position would be most advantageous to us?" It didn't necessarily have to be left for Su Yu! Would it truly be a good thing if he became castellan? That was hard to say! Xingyue looked at it, saying nothing for a moment. "Let them decide for themselves!" With that, Xingyue gripped Hei Mo's corpse and vanished instantly from the spot. The three quasi-Invincible dead spirits exchanged glances and quickly vanished as well. The monarch did not wish to kill Su Yu right now—or rather, the monarch was subject to restrictions. In that case, they could not kill this annoying fellow! The monarch most likely wanted him to raise his cultivation and strengthen himself before dying. That way, once dead, Su Yu would naturally be far more powerful. Helpless, the dead spirits could not disobey their monarch's command and swiftly vanished from the area. Inside the ancient house, Su Yu sensed the fluctuations of death qi weakening and breathed a sigh of relief. Gone? He did not dare lower his guard, however. Regardless, cultivation came first! He needed to weaken the death qi, eliminating at least thirty percent of it to maintain a ratio of seventy percent death qi to thirty percent yuan qi. That way, it wouldn't be as perilous as before, when the death qi had nearly overwhelmed his heart in an instant. As the death qi and Heaven Yuan Qi constantly clashed and neutralized each other, Su Yu's physical body advanced rapidly. With a resounding boom, he completed another body cast in a short span—Su Yu had achieved his 49th cast! His physical body grew stronger, and his yuan qi surged. In an instant, the death qi was pushed back slightly, though it soon grew stronger in turn! ... At that moment, Xingyue, who had just returned to the passageway, turned her head to look back. A strange glimmer appeared in her featureless eyes. Just how many casts had he completed? Even Xingyue did not know how many body casts Su Yu had accomplished. She only knew that Su Yu was growing increasingly formidable—so formidable that she needed to expend even more death qi to suppress him. Was this an expert who had opened the Zhoutian Apertures and then tempered his body with the Iron-Eater 72 Casts? How many such experts had existed in the ancient era? Probably very few! No one could afford to nurture them! In the ancient era, geniuses were plentiful, techniques were powerful, and resources were abundant, but... could anyone afford to sustain such a genius? From opening apertures all the way through body casting and the nine transformations of yuan qi... how many factions could afford to raise such a gold-devouring beast? While Xingyue watched, the Stone Statue also opened its eyes to look at Su Yu. Hei Mo was dead! The Stone Statue felt a faint trace of complexity. In many cases, castellans were chosen by the stone statues themselves, and Hei Mo was one such choice. Now, he had died far earlier than expected; otherwise, Hei Mo could have lived for many more years. The Stone Statue closed its eyes, pondering it no further. There were matters beyond even its control. In truth, it could have sent a voice transmission warning Hei Mo not to step outside. But it hadn't. It had chosen to look on as a bystander and uphold the rules. Each stone statue possessed a different disposition; it was more dignified and colder than Tianmie. Had it been Tianmie, he might have voiced a reminder. ... At the same time. The outside world was thrown into turmoil. Soon, news from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion spread far and wide. Hei Mo was indeed dead! Three quasi-Invincible dead spirits had emerged once more in the ancient city, causing death qi to invade Hei Mo's heart and leading to his complete demise. And all of this was connected to Su Yu. Su Yu had detonated one of Ye Batian's divine characters to slay a Sun Moon dead spirit, which drew out terrifyingly powerful dead spirits and triggered Hei Mo's fall. As for the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's Xuan Jiu, he was merely mentioned in passing, without much detail. Su Yu! This name once again resounded across the heavens. A ninth-stage Sun Moon expert had died because of him. At this moment, less than three days had passed since Modona and the others had departed. Some had not even left the Sea of Stars before receiving this news. For a time, countless geniuses experienced deeply tangled emotions. This guy was a troublemaker—an absolute master at stirring up chaos! Yet the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's report stated that Su Yu was also blanketed by death qi, with death qi leaking furiously from him, leaving it uncertain how long he could survive. Without Su Yu, the heavens might lose a great deal of excitement. Many geniuses had never had the chance to cross blades with Su Yu. If such a prodigy were to die silently within an ancient city, it would be an immense regret. And Su Yu was destined to leave his mark in the annals of all races. A human in the Lingyun Realm who, across two dead cities, had brought about the deaths of multiple Sun Moon experts—including a ninth-stage Sun Moon—and caused several Invincibles to lose their past or future incarnations... Su Yu was likely the only Lingyun in history to achieve such feats! ... At this moment, the sentiments among all races were complicated. Yet complicated as they were, Hei Mo was dead, and the position of castellan of this ancient city was open for contention. If Su Yu died, the ancient city would unseal itself after three days. When that time came, perhaps they could vie for the castellan's seat! No matter how much of a puppet one became, inside the city, a castellan possessed the strength to battle an Invincible. If one was already a resident of an ancient city, becoming castellan was naturally far better. The various races weren't without members who had become residents; the Heaven Hunting Pavilion had them, and other races naturally did too. However, most of them were not very strong. Meanwhile, a gathering of unaffiliated Sun Moon cultivators—including those with countless enemies—hurried toward the ancient city, eager to seize the castellan token even if it meant converting into a resident. Some had already run out of options; becoming a castellan offered a decent way out. As for eventually dying and turning into a dead spirit... once you were dead, who cared about that! ... Eastern War Zone. Within the Eastern Rift Valley. Several Invincible kings gathered together. King Daxia said coldly, "Hei Mo is dead—good riddance! If that fellow hadn't been hiding in the city, I would have cleaved him in two long ago! That little brat Su Yu is certainly bold enough, actually managing to scheme him to death!" Pausing, King Daxia said indifferently, "Su Yu... possesses extraordinary talent, daring, and meticulousness. Although he has converted into an ancient city resident, I still hope the human race can devise a way to rescue him from that status!" An Invincible muttered in a low voice, "How could we free him? King Daxia, virtually no one has ever broken free!" King Daxia replied coldly, "Virtually no one doesn't mean never! If we can send him into the Star Astral Mansion and grant him several thousand Heaven Yuan Fruits to help him counteract the death qi, then once he emerges, three to five Eternals could help sever the death qi channel. Or we could simply storm the ancient city, break into the Dead Spirit Realm, and slay Monarch Xingyue who controls him. Then he would naturally be fine!" "..." Silence! Storm the ancient city and slay Xingyue. That was King Daxia's proposed solution! Yes, slaying Xingyue would most likely give Su Yu a chance to shed that identity. But... what kind of joke was that? Someone said coldly, "King Daxia, storm the ancient city and slay Xingyue? Are you serious? How many lives of Eternals are you prepared to trade for Su Yu?" Previously, twelve Invincibles had suffered a humiliating defeat there! Some Invincibles had even lost an incarnation without leaving a scratch on their opponent. Are you serious? How many Invincibles would that require? To rescue Su Yu, were they supposed to deploy fifty Invincibles to aid him? What an absurd joke! Abandon the Human Realm? Abandon the Eastern War Zone? King Daxia fell silent. Those refuting him now were not necessarily his enemies or rivals. Everyone had many considerations. Slaying Xingyue carried too high a price. Forget Su Yu—even if an Invincible fell into such a predicament, it might not be worth the human race paying such a toll. For storming the ancient city would likely cost the lives of many Invincibles. Another voice chimed in: "Besides, Su Yu might already be dead. Didn't you see the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's report saying he is shrouded in death qi?" King Daxia said flatly, "Even if you die, he might not! People like him do not die easily!" "You said the same thing about Ye Batian back then! And what happened?" Someone shouted in fury and indignation, "In the end, Ye Batian died, which led to Su Yu's current plight! Xia Wushen, Su Yu's tribulation today was not caused by us! It was caused by Ye Batian, and by your Great Xia Prefecture! Do you understand? Do not try to shirk responsibility, and do not think this was brought about by us!" "And now, Su Yu's string of actions is virtually identical to Ye Batian's! From this day forth, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction will be an even greater target. Whether Ye Batian or Su Yu, both pushed the Multiple Divine Characters Faction to a pinnacle, making it the primary target of extermination for all races!" King Daxia fell silent. Those words weren't entirely wrong. Eighty percent of the hardships faced by the Multiple Divine Characters Faction could be attributed to Ye Batian. Even so, King Daxia said coldly, "I admit that the Great Xia Prefecture bears responsibility, and Ye Batian bears responsibility. But must one hold back and swallow their grievances on the All-Heavens Battlefield? To possess strength yet be forbidden from using it, to possess talent yet be forbidden from displaying it? If so, one will never become a true powerhouse in their entire life!" Everyone fell silent. Part of it stemmed from the human race's predicament, and part from their insufficient strength to suppress the heavens. Otherwise, none of these troubles would exist. King Daqin, who had remained silent all along, spoke with dignity: "Enough, all of you be quiet! We will find a way to deal with Su Yu's matter later! For now, speak no more of Su Yu! Xinghong Ancient City is close to the Star Astral Mansion. The position of the new castellan is critical. Can the human race find a way to slip someone in to compete for the castellan's seat?" An Invincible chuckled and said, "There is someone. I recommend Niu Baidao. Let him go—isn't he nearby? He's not young anymore and has been stuck at the seventh-stage Sun Moon Realm for many years. Let him give it a try; converting into a resident won't be a loss for him. He's the most suitable candidate. Anyone else is either injured or nearing the end of their lifespan, meaning they'd probably turn into a dead spirit the moment the conversion completes. Niu Baidao seems quite healthy..." At these words, King Daming remarked faintly from the crowd, "You still remember Niu Baidao slapping you back then? How many years has it been? Over four hundred years! Back then, you hadn't even reached Eternal. To hold a grudge over a slap from Niu Baidao for so many years—have you no shame?" "King Daming, saying that hurts our camaraderie. Niu Baidao and I settled our grievances long ago; otherwise, could he have lived until today? I'm serious. In the Human Realm, he is the most suitable. He's in good health, his strength is neither too high nor too low, he's up in years, and his potential is limited. Tell me, among all the Sun Moons in the Human Realm, is there anyone more suitable than him?" King Daming thought it over... Well, no. Niu Baidao truly was the most suitable! The catch was that the fellow wasn't actually at the seventh stage of the Sun Moon Realm. If he truly were, he would indeed be quite fitting. The others thought it through and found it quite reasonable as well! "Why not let Niu Baidao give it a shot?" "Exactly! That fellow has had his fun, enjoyed his pleasures, eaten his fill, drunk his wine, slept his sleep... Who has lived a more carefree life than him? He's enjoyed everything there is to enjoy. Let him try his luck. Taking a turn as castellan before he dies would make him a regional overlord and let him taste what it feels like to be an Invincible..." "He lives a far cozier life than any of us!" "Indeed!" "We have to guard the borders, while that fellow sits back raising turtles in the Human Realm!" "..." A chorus of Invincibles laughed, chatted, and calculated. Truth be told, Niu Baidao really was suitable. As for Su Yu... they didn't even consider or count on him. Su Yu's cultivation was too low. Even if he became castellan, it wouldn't be of much use; he would only be able to hide inside the Castellan Manor and never open the gates. Such a castellan would be no different from having none at all! King Daming was speechless. Had Old Niu been targeted? Truth be told, he couldn't refute them. Old Niu was genuinely suitable! He was old, had enjoyed life to the fullest, possessed decent strength, and was right nearby. If not him, then who? Just as he was pondering how to counter the suggestion, his heart stirred, and he glanced into the distance. Not just him—the other Invincibles quickly turned their gazes in that direction as well. Speak of Old Niu, and Old Niu returns! In the distant void, a figure emerged, speeding toward them. Spotting the towering, formidable silhouettes in the void, he laughed heartily. "Greetings to the Invincible Kings!" King Daqin looked at him and asked flatly, "You're back? Did you bring back the two hundred wisps of Heaven and Earth Profound Light?" "Brought them back!" Niu Baidao replied offhandedly, chuckling. "Su Yu said he gave them to me as a gift. So that's that!" Silence. Did Su Yu ever say that? Well, the goods were in his hands, and the Invincibles said nothing. Niu Baidao didn't dwell on it and quickly added, "On my way back, I heard Su Yu offed Hei Mo as well? That kid really delivers!" Laughing heartily, Niu Baidao continued, "Furthermore... Hei Mo is dead, leaving the castellan seat vacant. The human race is probably interested in securing a castellan to gain an advantage, right?" At this, he said self-deprecatingly, "Am I the most suitable? Inadequate strength, advanced age, spending every day eating, drinking, and having fun, and on top of that, holding a grudge with King Dayuan since I slapped him back then..." "Niu Baidao!" Among the powerful silhouettes, an Invincible spoke up: "Must you look for trouble?" Niu Baidao chuckled. "Not at all, forgive me, King Dayuan. I was merely reminiscing about those glorious past years. Seeing that all of you have become Invincibles while I remain so down-and-out, I couldn't help recalling some of those past glories. Alas!" Sighing, Niu Baidao quickly smiled and said, "However... count me out! I recommend Zhou Potian from the Great Zhou Prefecture. He's not young either. Even though he's a prefecture lord, he seems never to have merged his three incarnations. At such an age, let him go be a castellan!" With those words, Niu Baidao smiled broadly. From the endless void, another Niu Baidao suddenly walked out and instantly merged with him. At that moment, Niu Baidao's aura erupted with terrifying strength! The Invincibles stared at him. Some showed shock in their eyes, some remained silent, while others seemed to have anticipated it all along; none spoke. Niu Baidao laughed heartily. "Gentlemen, I may have been a step behind, but aren't I still catching up? I'm still young and strong, so count me out—I can't be this castellan!" King Daqin looked at him, said nothing for a moment, then pondered and asked, "Future incarnation?" "No, past incarnation." Niu Baidao sighed. "If it were my future incarnation, I'd give King Dayuan a sound beating right now, and he wouldn't dare kill me. Unfortunately, it's my past incarnation, so the boost in strength is limited." Among the three incarnations, the present incarnation represented one's current strength. Past incarnations could be strong or weak, but generally did not exceed the present incarnation. Only the future incarnation could be exceedingly strong or exceedingly weak. It might capture a moment in the future when one was feeble, or a moment when one was aged—anything was possible. However, if one managed to capture the most formidable moment of their future—even a moment of Invincibility—they might suddenly erupt with combat strength comparable to an Invincible. That was a quasi-Invincible! It was a highly peculiar state. Some quasi-Invincibles were terrifyingly strong, while others were only slightly more powerful than an ordinary ninth-stage Sun Moon. King Daqin nodded. "The past incarnation is actually very good. Merging the past incarnation first is the orthodox path to attaining the Dao. Merging the future incarnation might make one powerful, but it might also leave one weak, and it makes one susceptible to having their past incarnation severed." Pausing, he looked at Niu Baidao again. "You've been concealing it all this time. Why reveal it today?" Niu Baidao laughed. "King Dayuan wants to send me to become an ancient city dead spirit. Of course I won't agree." King Dayuan said flatly, "Having strength yet hiding it away, deliberately concealing it—what a wretched scoundrel!" Niu Baidao maintained his smile. "I beg to differ. It's not yet time for the final decisive battle. Revealing my strength serves no purpose anyway; after all, I'm not even an Invincible." King Dayuan couldn't be bothered to respond. King Daqin fell into contemplation for a moment, then spoke: "We will discuss this matter later. Xinghong Ancient City is still sealed. Perhaps before we can even intervene, the residents inside will have already seized the castellan token and become the castellan!" The Invincibles spoke no further. King Daqin was right; their chances of picking up an easy advantage were slim.