Slaying a Sun Moon

Xinghong Ancient City. Su Yu stepped out of the ancient house. Seeing the death qi thin considerably, he knew that the dead spirits had likely withdrawn. As for himself, he had now purged about thirty percent of the death qi infesting him, leaving him in decent shape. He removed his mask. He no longer needed it. Right now, he was Su Yu! Walking toward the spot where Hei Mo had fallen, Su Yu remained cautious, though far from panicked. There were plenty of residents scattered throughout the ancient city. This time, several would surely be tempted, but how many Sun Moons could there be among them? Su Yu himself had reached forty-nine physical casts. His body could unleash an explosive burst exceeding the force of 190,000 apertures, and his physical defense was even stronger. Ever since his thirty-sixth cast, a natural defensive barrier had materialized around him, meaning his physical defense surpassed 200,000 apertures of force. The weak had zero hope of piercing his physical body. On top of that, he could open his yang aperture, swallow Sun Moon blood essence, and bolster his strength with divine characters... Su Yu's comprehensive combat power was far greater than any outsider could imagine. Moreover, the 144 yuan apertures tied to his Heaven-Cleaving Blade were on the verge of completing their first transformation! The First Yuan Qi Transformation! Once completed, the power within those 144 apertures would grow exponentially stronger. Su Yu was not yet certain just how immense the amplification would be. However, it was bound to be formidable. Now that Hei Mo was dead, Su Yu had far fewer misgivings. Even if Sun Moon residents remained in the city, they had been forced to hide in ancient houses for days on end and had undoubtedly suffered heavy death qi erosion. How much combat strength could they muster? Su Yu surveyed his surroundings as he made his way down the street. A few dead spirits still lingered. Aside from the three quasi-Invincible dead spirits who had departed, the rest remained, including a Sun Moon dead spirit. That was why the city gates remained sealed. Su Yu was not far from where Hei Mo had died. Before long, he arrived. Ahead of him, someone else had already reached the scene. At this moment, Su Yu was not the only bold soul around. The figure had assumed humanoid form, radiating the aura of a Sun Moon. Catching sight of Su Yu, the figure's expression shifted slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Are you Su Yu?" "I am!" Su Yu spotted two items on the ground: a storage ring and a pitch-black token. The Sun Moon regarded Su Yu with wary eyes. "Su Yu, your cultivation is on the weaker side. Even if you obtain the castellan token, you likely won't be able to refine it. The token would probably trigger your death qi. How about this: the castellan token belongs to me, and the storage ring is yours?" A Sun Moon was actually negotiating terms with Su Yu. Because he was wary! Truly wary! Su Yu possessed only Lingyun-level cultivation on the surface, but anyone who actually treated him as a mere Lingyun would be an absolute fool. Su Yu looked at him, remaining silent for a long moment before answering, "They're both mine. I'm the one who plotted Hei Mo's death. Are you trying to reap what I sowed?" The Sun Moon expert replied in a low rumble, "Su Yu, you are a genius, but right now, you are also an ancient city resident! The city is sealed off. You don't honestly believe you can slaughter Sun Moons at will, do you?" Surprised, Su Yu countered, "What does that have to do with you stealing my prize?" "The castellan token does not belong to you!" Death qi also wafted from this Sun Moon expert as he said in a hushed tone, "This belongs to the ancient city. Think carefully, Su Yu. Even if you claim the castellan token, can you withstand the attacks that will follow?" "Can you?" Su Yu chuckled. "Are you at the first stage or the second stage of the Sun Moon Realm? You think you can hold them off?" The Sun Moon stared fixedly at him. "I am a member of the Thousand Domains Alliance. If I secure this, with the realm lords of the Nine Realms nearby, the major races will grant me some face. But not you. The moment you become castellan, every mighty race will come looking for trouble. Su Yu, if you fight me for this, you will only hasten your own death!" "Reasonable!" Su Yu nodded and grinned. "Yet I'm the one who orchestrated Hei Mo's demise!" The Sun Moon expert gave him a profound look. "That is why I will leave the storage ring to you. I will not touch it!" Had this been an ordinary Lingyun or Shanhai from a minor race, he would have swatted them dead with a single palm. Yet this was Su Yu. That was why he was negotiating, haggling, and making concessions. The storage ring could go to Su Yu; Hei Mo's ring might not even contain anything extraordinary, since Hei Mo had to cultivate and grind down death qi. The true prize was the castellan token! By now, other figures were faintly gathering in the vicinity. Several residents wanted to pick up a windfall. Even knowing the danger, even understanding the troubles that came with becoming castellan, a castellan was still far better off than an ordinary resident. Yet the moment they saw the two standing on the street, many hastily retreated. One was a Sun Moon. The other was Su Yu. The very Su Yu who had plunged the entire ancient city into chaos! And Hei Mo had fallen to Su Yu's plot. Curious, Su Yu asked, "Senior, may I ask which race you belong to? Are you strong for a Sun Moon? How much aperture force can you unleash? If you're too strong, I know when to step aside and can concede. But if you aren't..." Su Yu's voice turned chillingly indifferent. "I've killed Sun Moons before, and more than one. What do you think, Senior?" The Sun Moon expert's expression shifted slightly. Ye Batian's divine characters? He still had more? Where on earth did Ye Batian get so many divine characters? How many had already been detonated! This was precisely what he feared, which was why he had been willing to negotiate amicably with Su Yu. "I hail from the Red Frog Race..." Su Yu found the name somewhat familiar! He recalled it. Back when he was deducing aperture fusion methods, he had referenced the Red Frog Race's Aperture Fusion Art, which was fairly decent, opening twenty-two apertures. Their racial innate skill was quite formidable as well. Though the race itself was not mighty, their innate skill was remarkably stealthy. A peculiar skill called Void Breaker. Su Yu had tested it once before. It was insidious and underhanded; the tongue extended through the void, capable of striking suddenly for a lethal blow. At that thought, Su Yu's eyes flickered. Could this fellow already be preparing that exact move against him? Was his tongue currently lurking in the void around him? Su Yu actually knew the technique as well, but it was repulsive. If he stuck out his tongue and the frog stuck out his tongue, clashing tongue-against-tongue, what would that even look like? Disgusting! Su Yu had no desire to use it, but having mastered their innate skill, cultivation art, and other secrets, he now had a solid plan. His perception jade continuously pulsed with detection, while the Tribulation character swept the area. He also had the little fur ball stay alert. If this fellow dared flick his tongue, Su Yu would sever it instantly! Keeping his thoughts concealed, Su Yu said, "Senior, the Red Frog Race is hardly a powerful one. Even if you've reached the Sun Moon Realm, without a tremendous fortuitous encounter, you are merely an ordinary Sun Moon. From what I see, you are most likely at the first stage, suppressed by death qi to boot. You might not even match a regular Sun Moon. Must you fight me for this opportunity?" With that, Su Yu offered a faint smile. "I have no wish to slaughter needlessly, and you aren't worth shattering another divine character. If you are willing, once I become castellan, I can appoint you Commander of the Guards!" The Red Frog Sun Moon studied him intently, his voice low. "Su Yu, do you truly have another of Ye Batian's divine characters?" "You don't believe me?" The Red Frog did not answer. He was skeptical, yet he dared not dismiss the claim entirely. He was torn! Conflicted! With such a fortuitous chance within reach, he was loath to let it go. The chance to become an overlord of an ancient city! Su Yu, however, grew impatient and cursed inwardly. When Hei Mo was being slain, none of you dared show your faces, and now you want to swoop in and reap the spoils! In the shadows, several experts lurked. Su Yu's perception jade detected them. There were no other Sun Moons, but several Shanhai cultivators were waiting in ambush. Even Shanhais dared to contest this? Granted, Shanhais from the mighty races were not weak. Even so, unless they were peerless geniuses from the god or demon races, slaying a Sun Moon as a Shanhai was an impossible feat. Within Su Yu's 144 apertures, blade qi steadily coalesced. His yang aperture opened slowly. A drop of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence sat under his tongue. The Force character began empowering his flesh, his divine character battle technique reshaped into a great blade, the Shock character stood ready, and his divine apertures flared open simultaneously... A faint, ominous aura began radiating from Su Yu. Looking back at the Red Frog Sun Moon, he warned coldly, "Senior, back down! You are an ancient city resident, which makes you an ally of sorts. There can't be many Sun Moon residents left in the city. I've even reserved the post of Guard Commander for you. Do not seek your own death!" The Red Frog Sun Moon's expression flickered with hesitation. "Su Yu, you lack the ability to hold this city unless you hide in the Castellan Manor your entire life. If you do that, death will claim you sooner or later anyway... Su Yu, if you help fulfill my ambition, I will..." *Hum!* In the next instant, a terrifying ray of blade light erupted into the heavens! Fulfill your ancestors! Fulfill your death! Reasoning politely achieved nothing, did it? I was the one who killed Hei Mo and nearly died at the hands of quasi-Invincible dead spirits, yet an initial-stage Sun Moon like you thinks he can reach the skies? As the blade slashed out, blade qi surged straight into the clouds! Simultaneously, through the void behind Su Yu, a tongue whipped out toward the back of his head with venomous speed. A Sun Moon was no greenhorn; they were all cunning old schemers! The Red Frog had prepared to shed all pretense from the start! Yet this slash carried genuine Sun Moon power. Unleashed, it was far stronger than an ordinary first-stage Sun Moon—consuming blood essence allowed Su Yu to match a first-stage Sun Moon, not to mention his opened yang aperture and full combat capacity. The blade swept down, and the Red Frog's expression warped in horror. He retreated at mad speed, twisting through the air. Yet his tongue continued its silent, deadly trajectory toward the back of Su Yu's head. He wanted to pierce Su Yu's skull! Without a head, how could you survive? At that exact moment, Su Yu gripped the blade in his right hand while a massive hammer suddenly appeared in his left. With a deafening boom, his left hand swung the hammer backward! The hammer crackled with thunder, flames, and blood qi... A single hammer swing rocked the entire surrounding space! The hammer struck before the blade could even land. A resounding clang rang out, followed by a sickening crunch as the tongue protruding from the void was battered into a bloody mess! "Argh!" The Red Frog shrieked in agony as flames surged along the tongue through the void, racing toward his mouth. The air instantly filled with the scent of roasted meat. In the next instant, the Red Frog roared furiously and bit down, severing his own tongue! The flames halted abruptly, stopping just before his mouth. With a thud, a charred, massive tongue crashed to the ground. The Red Frog instantly reverted to his true form—an enormous red frog that leaped into the air and fled frantically toward the distance. Terror! Pure, unadulterated terror. He did not know if Su Yu had detonated a divine character, but he knew one thing with terrifying clarity: Su Yu genuinely commanded the power of a Sun Moon. At that very moment, a sonic boom tore through the air! Blade light cleaved through the void! The blade slashed down with a squelch, opening an abyssal gouge across the frog's massive back, splattering blood and shattering bones. "Mercy...!" The Red Frog wailed piteously, then bellowed, "Stop! If you force me to risk my life, you'll die too...!" A crescent moon materialized! The Red Frog manifested his crescent moon, hurling it toward Su Yu with an imposing aura. He was not trying to kill Su Yu, only to entangle him and prevent pursuit. Su Yu's brow furrowed slightly as he murmured, "Are Sun Moons this weak?" Pitiably weak, in fact! Truly! He sensed and measured it: at full power, the Red Frog could muster roughly 300,000 apertures of force at best. Of course, Su Yu had never slain a Sun Moon from a weak race before. He had not realized the gap in strength. Now, he understood. Whether due to the suppression of death qi or not, the power the Red Frog unleashed was vastly inferior to Su Yu's expectations. He was barely stronger than a dead spirit, differing only in possessing intellect, knowing how to flee, and knowing how to scheme. Even without consuming blood essence, Su Yu's explosive force exceeded 200,000 apertures. Now, he had swallowed Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence. The Mountain-Breaking Ox race was easily counted among the top hundred races. A first-stage Mountain-Breaking Ox was vastly superior to a Red Frog. Su Yu wasted no more time. His form blurred and vanished, leaving behind an afterimage. The fleeing Red Frog had barely gained any distance when he abruptly froze, snapped backward, and fled in the opposite direction! *Hum!* Another blade slash cascaded down! At the same time, a cage descended from above—the Five Elements Purgatory! It enveloped the Red Frog in an instant. The frog roared, stomping violently to smash the cage apart. He was a Sun Moon, after all; Su Yu's willpower was not overwhelming enough to trap him easily, though it would have been more than sufficient against a Shanhai. The Red Frog shattered the cage and moved to escape, only for his vision to blur! Nearby, a peak Sun Moon dead spirit appeared, radiating an overwhelming aura. The Red Frog's face drained of color, but an instant later, he realized—an illusion! Yes, an illusion! Yuan qi surged into the heavens! An aperture flared to life—his Sun Moon aperture. This was fake, an illusion! When battling a Civilization Master, one had to beware these tricks! *Boom!* The illusion shattered, but by then, the blade crashed down with thunderous force. The Red Frog shrieked again; where his back had been slashed earlier, one of his hind legs was now severed clean off! "Su Yu!" A shrill roar echoed! At that precise second, Su Yu reversed his yuan apertures, transforming into a dead spirit, and drove a fist forward—a strike completely saturated with death qi! He had swallowed dead spirit blood essence before! The punch landed with unbridled might, sending the Red Frog flying. The frog's expression warped in absolute horror; this punch carried less destructive force than the blade qi, but upon impact, the death qi within the Red Frog's body flared uncontrollably. Su Yu shifted forms with blinding speed. *Rumble!* Fist after fist, slash after slash, all dripping with death qi! In the blink of an eye, the Red Frog let out a desperate bellow, and his physical body was completely blown apart. His sea of will manifested, hovering in the sky like an ocean, but in the next instant, concentrated death qi flooded in, and with a deafening rumble, the sea of will collapsed! Obliterated! Expression indifferent, Su Yu reverted to human form, glanced in all directions, and barked coldly, "Back into your houses! Or step forward and try your luck!" In that moment, a Sun Moon dead spirit materialized in the sky. A Sun Moon crashed down! A massive cloud descended—the heavenly reward for slaying a first-stage Sun Moon. And this time, the reward was far greater than ever before, terrifyingly bountiful. Because Su Yu had slain him with his own strength. Naturally, he had leveraged the death qi inside the Red Frog, yet Su Yu had practically crushed this Sun Moon beneath his heel! ... In the surrounding streets. Several experts fled in terror. Chilling! Slaying a Sun Moon across realms was that simple? The Red Frog Sun Moon had barely resisted; his tongue had been severed, followed by a grievous injury from the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, before being battered to death by Su Yu! Su Yu possessed far too many methods! Divine character resonance, dead spirit transformation, the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, Five Elements Purgatory, illusions... Through relentless wearing down, bolstered by death qi, he had effortlessly eliminated the Red Frog. Not even bones remained! In such a state, the Red Frog did not even transform into a dead spirit. Whether other mechanisms for transformation existed, Su Yu did not know, but this time, no dead spirits arrived to escort him. Clearly, with both physical body and sea of will obliterated, the transformation process was disrupted. The heavenly rewards were vast! A torrent of willpower poured into Su Yu's body, filling his sea of will. Slaying a Sun Moon single-handedly rewarded him with exceptionally pure willpower, bringing him immense delight. The little fur ball surreptitiously absorbed it as well. Su Yu paid it no mind; there was plenty, so let it drink its fill. He absorbed the energy while hovering in midair, leaving the castellan token, storage ring, bone fragments from the Red Frog, and miscellaneous debris untouched below. He remained suspended, his aura potent, relentlessly drawing in the willpower. Some residents opened the doors of their ancient houses, peeking at Su Yu in silence, not daring to utter a word. Su Yu! Their hearts trembled with shock. He had truly slain a Sun Moon right before their eyes! He was already an overlord-tier figure! Even if other Sun Moon residents remained in the city, none dared show their faces. They could not be certain if this was Su Yu's full power, nor whether he had detonated one of Ye Batian's divine characters. They had not felt particularly overwhelming divine character energy earlier, but Su Yu's physical strength had been terrifying. "Innate blood essence!" Some residents were aware that the human race was researching this. Su Yu had exhibited the aura of the Mountain-Breaking Ox race earlier. Could it be innate blood essence? Sun Moon-level innate blood essence? That was possible? If so, how many more methods did Su Yu have in store for them? Was he lingering right now to bait them into attacking? Baiting the remaining Sun Moons in the city? Indeed, those who hailed from the Great Xia Prefecture were devils, bloodthirsty demons! Just like Xia Longwu—no, even more ferocious than Xia Longwu! ... At this moment, the outside world witnessed another small crescent moon collapse. It seemed another Sun Moon had fallen, though a relatively weak one, likely at the first stage. No one knew when Sun Moon deaths had become routine; before this, the fall of a single Sun Moon would cause shockwaves across the entire All-Heavens Battlefield! In decades of conflict between humans, gods, and demons, very few Sun Moons perished—one every three to five years was already considered significant. Yet this year, in less than two months, dozens of Sun Moons had fallen one after another, including ninth-stage Sun Moons. "Is there any news from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion?" "Who died?" "Are they fighting over the castellan token?" "Who killed him? Who won?" "..." Those outside the ancient city buzzed with curiosity and intrigue. They knew battles would erupt within the city for the castellan token, and that Sun Moons would clash. They just had not expected a Sun Moon to fall so quickly! This time, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion was somewhat slow to deliver intelligence. Only after a considerable wait did someone announce, "The Heaven Hunting Pavilion has released the news! Na'er of the Red Frog Race is dead! He wasn't killed by other residents—he was slain by Su Yu! Su Yu consumed Sun Moon innate blood essence and forcefully crushed the Red Frog. Now, no one in the city dares contest him..." "Su Yu!" The moment that name was uttered, silence fell over the perimeter of the ancient city! That kid again! He has already turned into a living dead man—can't he just lie low for once? "Does he want to become castellan?" "That isn't the point! Everyone, the crucial point is that he can extract Sun Moon-level innate blood essence!" Someone gasped in shock, "Is that real? Wasn't human innate blood essence restricted to the Lingyun Realm? How has Sun Moon level appeared!" "Nonsense, Su Yu is a genius, a master researcher! Perhaps he developed it himself. Have you forgotten how many cultivation arts he deduced in the Human Realm? Regardless of whether he found an Invincible ruin, it proves his extraordinary talent and immense potential on that path!" "Terrifying!" "Truly terrifying. Fortunately... fortunately, he has become a resident!" Some sighed in relief. He was doomed to die. Otherwise, a figure like Su Yu would simply be too dreadful! ... The news spread like wildfire. The battle for the ancient city's castellan had begun, with Su Yu forcefully slaying a Red Frog Sun Moon. Now that no other resident dared contest him, the seat of castellan was very likely to fall into Su Yu's hands. This revelation rocked the myriad realms. Could Su Yu become the first Lingyun ancient city castellan in all history? The news rippled through every realm. ... In the Human Realm! Zhu Tiandao instantly crushed his chair to splinters. He was speechless for a long time! Fuck! Ancient city castellan? You went out into the battlefield weak as an ant, and shortly after, you took down a ninth-stage Sun Moon, and now you're about to become an ancient city castellan? ... Great Xia Prefecture. Wan Tiansheng glanced at the report casually, unfazed. He was calm now, choosing to pretend he knew nothing. A Lingyun slaying a Shanhai... that was all he recalled! As long as Su Yu remained a Lingyun, what he had foreseen still had a chance to manifest. If Su Yu broke past Lingyun... then he had simply misjudged. He merely wondered what good becoming a castellan would do. Could he run around carrying the ancient city with him? Without lugging the city along, Su Yu was still Su Yu. Meeting a Sun Moon or an Invincible would still spell danger. "The Red Frog Race, a weak race, first-stage Sun Moon..." He murmured to himself. Innate blood essence? If this kid could swallow Sun Moon blood essence, it meant his physical strength was terrifyingly robust! Just what level had he reached? Otherwise, even with Sun Moon blood essence, you had to have the body to endure it. Most Shanhais couldn't do that! The boy's physical strength might have reached the high stages of the Shanhai Realm! Terrifying! It was only because his name had vanished from the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Otherwise, slaying a Sun Moon would surely raise his rank... well, there was nowhere left to rise! He had already been ranked first on the Heaven Ranking! "Stay calm." One got used to it with time. Wan Tiansheng set it aside, thought for a moment, and suddenly transmitted his voice elsewhere: "Hong Tan, your grand-disciple, Su Yu, just killed another Sun Moon on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Right now, he's vying to become the ancient city castellan. Oh, and you know Hei Mo, the castellan of Xinghong Ancient City? Su Yu killed him too. Hong Tan, happy?" "..." At this moment, in the newly reopened Multiple Divine Characters Academy. Hong Tan was writing when the brush in his hand instantly shattered. "Teacher?" Beside him, Bai Feng was fiddling with something. Seeing his teacher snap the brush, he could not help but grin. "Teacher, are you stunned too? Even I didn't expect to recover to the ninth stage of the Soaring Realm so quickly! Teacher, I'll step into the Lingyun Realm soon! Hahaha!" He was thrilled! He was finally about to reach Lingyun. It had been brutal; ever since his realm fell last year, he had finally clawed his way back to his peak. Soon, he would enter the Lingyun Realm! Before long, he, Bai Feng, would be a Lingyun genius again! Hahaha! He was in high spirits! Hong Tan stared at him with an exceedingly strange look. News from the All-Heavens Battlefield traveled swiftly, but ordinary people had no access to those channels. Yet he knew now. Hong Tan looked at Bai Feng, paused, and spoke: "Not bad. Ninth-stage Soaring. Within three months, you will surely step into Lingyun. Very good!" Bai Feng nodded and smiled. Indeed, it was good! Quite splendid! Hong Tan pondered briefly, then asked, "Do you know how strong a Sun Moon is?" "No idea. One palm strike would slap me to death." Bai Feng shrugged and chuckled. "Don't worry, Master, I won't get arrogant. You are a Sun Moon; you could slap me dead with one palm. I understand!" Hong Tan hesitated before asking, "Do you know where your disciple is right now?" "You mean Su Yu? Disguised as Cui Lang, he seemed to have gone to the All-Heavens Battlefield... Has he returned?" News from the All-Heavens Battlefield truly had not reached Bai Feng. His sole source of information was Hong Tan. And Hong Tan had not told him earlier. Seeing Bai Feng so ecstatic, Hong Tan thought for a moment and said, "Over a month ago, on June twenty-first, Su Yu entered the All-Heavens Battlefield. Did you know that?" "Oh..." Bai Feng did not think much of it. It was August fifteenth now. Nearly two months had passed since Su Yu entered. "Did he stir up trouble?" "Yes!" Hong Tan said calmly, "Nothing major. In Tianmie Ancient City, he killed twenty-some Sun Moons, six of them in the late stage. Then a few days ago, he ran off to the Sea of Stars and killed another nine Sun Moons, one of them in the late stage. Then this morning, he killed the castellan of Xinghong Ancient City, Hei Mo, a ninth-stage Sun Moon. Oh, and just moments ago, he slaughtered another nobody at the first stage of the Sun Moon Realm... Nothing serious! All told, he's only killed thirty-some Sun Moons and a dozen geniuses on the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Twelve Invincibles encircled him—no, two were human, so only ten Invincibles besieged him, and they failed to kill him..." He looked up at Bai Feng's wide-open mouth and gave a faint smile. "Good disciple, you've done well. You're about to enter Lingyun. Congratulations!" "Oh, right, I forgot to mention. He might become the weakest ancient city castellan in history—an overlord of a territory!" "..." Bai Feng's mouth remained wide open! What did that mean? What was going on? What are you talking about? I can't understand a word! Did Teacher misspeak, confusing Sun Moon with Soaring? He swallowed hard and offered a dry laugh. "Teacher, Su Yu killed thirty-some Soaring cultivators, right?" "Sun Moons!" "Soaring cultivators, Teacher, right?" Bai Feng repeated, clinging to his last shred of stubbornness! You must have misspoken! Right?! Hong Tan looked at him with pity. Bai Feng could not take it anymore and erupted, "Teacher, are you enjoying this? You're only a first-stage Sun Moon yourself!" Only! What use is provoking me? You're only a Sun Moon too, and a first-stage one at that! Hong Tan ignored him. I already know; I've already been through the shock and grown numb to it. Soon, he hesitated before adding, "He might die soon. He converted himself into an ancient city resident..." Bai Feng froze, the smile vanishing completely. Moments ago, he was shocked, incredulous, and a little proud—isn't my disciple amazing? Yet now, he stood dumbfounded, finally croaking with difficulty, "He... became an ancient city resident?" He had been to the All-Heavens Battlefield; he knew what ancient city residents were. Under normal circumstances, ancient city residents did not live long! Hong Tan replied calmly, "Yes. Otherwise, he would have been slain by the Invincibles long ago. Ten Invincibles besieged him, and on our side, only King Daxia and King Daming arrived. They couldn't hold them off. Su Yu was forced to take this path. Furthermore, he was converted personally by an Invincible from the dead spirit realm. It cannot be reversed unless that dead spirit monarch dies!" Bai Feng's lips twitched as he forced a hollow laugh. "It's fine, it's fine! Let me tell you, that kid has so many tricks up his sleeve—far too many. He has great fortune and great luck. Teacher, he'll be fine. You think he'll die, but he won't..." Hong Tan fell silent, refusing to say more. He lowered his head and resumed writing, his voice tinged with desolation. "Go back and cultivate. Once he dies, our Multiple Divine Characters lineage will likely face total extinction. Perhaps that is for the best. If it ends, let it end! You insisted on following me, yet I could give you nothing and help you with nothing. From now on, the Multiple Divine Characters lineage... let it become history!" "Teacher... I... I'm not resigned..." Bai Feng's eyes suddenly reddened. "That idiot, why did he go to the All-Heavens Battlefield? Is he insane! In the Human Realm, at least he wouldn't provoke Invincibles..." "Invincibles?" Hong Tan replied softly, "With his temperament, it was only a matter of time. Perhaps... you made a mistake back then. You shouldn't have taken him as a disciple. However happy, proud, and boastful you were back then... is how much you regret it now!" Everything traced back to that trip to Nanyuan. Had Su Yu never joined the Multiple Divine Characters lineage, he might never have reached this point, becoming an enemy to the myriad races. Bai Feng gritted his teeth. "I... I want to see him one last time!" "You cannot go, and no one will protect you on the way." Hong Tan kept his head down. "Stop thinking about it. Just wait. Wait for your martial uncle to return. Our lineage should unleash its final brilliance." "Teacher... he's too young!" Bai Feng murmured, "He's only nineteen. Teacher, his life has been too short. It shouldn't be like this..." Hong Tan remained silent, head bowed. Another brush appeared in his hand; the previous one had already been crushed to dust. A new one appeared, only to shatter again... Irritated, Hong Tan slapped Bai Feng out of the room! I know he's young! Yet I am powerless! As a mere Sun Moon, I cannot change a thing right now! Only this upcoming opportunity to sweep everything clean might... give Su Yu the slimmest chance, allowing the human Invincibles to rescue him! "I... can only wait for this chance..." Hong Tan whispered softly. Forgive me, I truly am powerless.