Transmission into the Realm

Tianmie Ancient City. At the city gates. Su Yu was filled with deep emotion. *I'm back!* Here was where his life had reached its pinnacle, where he had entered its climax—slaying Sun Moons, slaughtering dead spirits, contending against all races of the heavens… Come to think of it, more than two months had passed already! How time flew! After so long, he had returned once more. Su Yu reveled smugly in his nostalgia! Still, it had to be said that his ability to deceive the god race and make a grand splash in Xinghong Ancient City was closely tied to Tianmie Ancient City. It was here that he had learned the breathing technique, which allowed him to trick the myriad races of gods and demons. Otherwise, without the breathing technique, deceiving people would have been rather tricky. Here, he had learned the method of dead spirit reversal; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived until now. Though the treasures he had obtained here were far fewer than those in Xinghong Ancient City, this place had been the launching pad for his dreams. After all, Sun Moons could actually be killed! Returning here filled him with a storm of emotions. Amidst his reminiscing, Su Yu didn't take the main entrance, instead stepping directly into the side gate. Atop the city wall, General Tianmen merely glanced at him without paying him any mind. Over the past couple of days, people from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion had been arriving continuously, and he couldn't be bothered to care. …… At that exact moment, in the rear hall of the Castellan Manor. The Tianmie stone statue suddenly snapped his eyes open! His gaze fell straight upon Su Yu! An Invincible might not instantly notice such a detail, as Invincibles didn't keep their eyes glued to everyone every single second. Yet when someone stepped inside whose death qi was dense enough to identify him as a castellan, the statue opened his eyes and looked… Sure enough, it was that human brat. Word had it that Xinghong had actually charged right out of the sacred city! He had fought his way outside the sacred city! That had to be related to this kid, right? Scrutinizing Su Yu, the stone statue's gaze was none too friendly. *You took my things, brought trouble down upon my head, and then when it came time to convert into a resident, you ran off to Xinghong's place to do it!* *Are you even human?* *You left all the downsides to me and gave all the perks to Xinghong?* *What a waste, passing down my breathing technique and vibration technique to you, not to mention giving you three traversal talismans!* Even if, strictly speaking, someone had supposedly figured out those techniques on his own… Still, that was thanks to his teaching! Tianmie felt quite sour, but he soon consoled himself. It was fine; keeping a troublemaker like this out of Tianmie City was for the best anyway. The kid stirred up chaos day and night. If he dared cause trouble in his city this time, he would… he would pump every last wisp of death qi in the entire city straight into him! *I dare you to cause trouble!* Come to think of it, if that happened, would he be able to leave the passageway and wander around outside? Looking back at Tianhe in the front hall, Tianmie felt a wave of disdain. In the past, he had thought this castellan was passable, but now… utterly useless. Look at Su Yu—even after leaving the ancient city, he seemed to have shouldered an immense amount of death qi on its behalf. And what about you? *Useless piece of trash!* Tianmie closed his eyes at once. Out of sight, out of mind. Whatever, he wouldn't bother! *Brat, you'd better not cause trouble in my city. Let me tell you, if you stir up trouble this time, I'll lock you away for three years to absorb death qi. That's entirely within the rules—I just never bothered doing it before!* Tianmie thought to himself! …… Having just entered the city, Su Yu naturally remained oblivious to all this, and even more oblivious to how his arrival had shone like a radiant star across the night sky, drawing immediate attention. Wearing his mask, he moved like a phantom, flickering away in an instant. This was the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's style! Heaven Hunting Pavilion operatives casually strolling and pausing in the streets—what kind of look was that? What they cultivated was an aura of mystery! Unfathomable and elusive! His figure flickered once, then flickered again… Beside him, another figure was flickering along—another member of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion! Su Yu glanced over, and the other person turned their head toward him as well. Both wore masks; it was best not to pick a fight. Otherwise, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion would come looking for trouble! *Wait, what kind of mask is that?* Su Yu was slightly taken aback. Whether White Masks or Black Masks, all featured facial features. The other person's mask, however, had none, resembling a blank sheet of paper. After a momentary pause, realization struck him! *An elder!* Su Yu's heart skipped a beat. This was a Heaven Hunting Pavilion elder, an important figure! At least seventh stage Sun Moon or higher! He had only schemed to death a handful of those—fewer than twenty so far. This was a powerhouse of elder rank! Which elder was it? Despite his uncertainty, Su Yu quickly cupped his fists, said nothing, and vanished in a flash. Yet the other figure flickered as well, reappearing directly beside Su Yu once more. This time, Su Yu stared at the faceless elder, and the elder stared back at Su Yu. Then Su Yu realized! Ah, damn it. Both of them were heading to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion branch, so naturally they were on the exact same route! "Which department's White Mask?" The elder finally spoke, his voice hoarse and rather low. "Profound Department White Mask!" "Profound Department?" The elder was briefly startled. "Could you be Xuan Jiu?" "……" Silence. Su Yu was stunned. "You're… Elder Xuanjia?" Before the words had even faded, Su Yu's speed surged as he vanished from the spot. Holy hell, his direct superior! That wasn't the main issue—the real problem was that this guy knew his identity! In the myriad realms of the heavens, aside from the stone statue, this was probably the only person who knew who he truly was. A seventh stage Sun Moon or above! He had to be careful and keep his distance! Dangerous! This was Xuanjia. He knew Su Yu, knew he was rich, and knew he was disgustingly rich! He had to be on guard. If he were suddenly killed in an instant, even the stone statue wouldn't be able to save him. In that split second, a jade talisman appeared in Su Yu's hand—one of the three given to him by the stone statue. Positioned over a thousand meters away from Xuanjia, Su Yu was on extreme alert. Meanwhile, Xuanjia was completely speechless. *Did I run into an evil spirit the moment I stepped outside?* *The second I leave, I bump into this guy!* More to the point, was this any way to treat an elder, to treat his direct superior? "Xuan Jiu!" The faceless Xuanjia barked in a low voice, "Get over here! What manner of conduct is this!" *You are my direct subordinate, why the hell are you running!* Su Yu was somewhat reluctant to approach, hurriedly asking through his mask, "Elder, is that really you opposite me?" "It's me! What are you running for? If anyone sees this, wouldn't they get the wrong idea!" "Elder, is it really you?" "Nonsense!" "Then… then will you make a move against me?" "No!" "Elder, I have a very close relationship with Boss Stone Statue of Tianmie City. Seriously, my breathing technique, vibration technique, and even those traversal talismans from last time were all gifts from him. If you lay a hand on me here, Elder, you're dead meat!" "Shut up!" Xuanjia snapped, irritated. Why did you have to think so ill of everyone? When had he ever said he wanted to kill him? Changing the subject, Xuanjia asked, "Have you hidden all those resources of yours properly? Be careful that the gods and demons don't sense them." "……" Su Yu stared silently at the faceless elder across from him. Xuanjia, on the other hand, didn't think much of it. *I'm merely showing some concern for you. As a White Mask under my command, of course I should show some care!* A moment later, Su Yu pinched all three jade talismans, took them out, and pointed them straight at Xuanjia's back. Standing behind him, looking thoroughly submissive, he transmitted, "Elder, did you only just arrive as well?" "I've been here for several days. And can you take those things in your hands away!" Xuanjia was utterly exasperated; he could feel a clear sense of threat. What kind of plaything was that? Divine talismans? Could they really have been given by the stone statue? Whatever they were, they felt remarkably powerful! Both of them kept flickering through the ancient city, flash after flash. After flickering for a while, Xuanjia transmitted, "Are you really going to the Human Realm?" "Yes!" "If you leave for too long, won't there be complications?" "None. Boss Stone Statue told me that if anything happens, he can tear open the void directly and scoop me right out." Xuanjia replied calmly, "Not even a Half-Emperor could directly tear open the void and strike into a minor realm from the All-Heavens Battlefield. Powerful as that stone statue may be, he hasn't reached the realm of a Half-Emperor!" "Elder, 'Half-Emperor' is just an honorific, not a cultivation realm!" Su Yu was exasperated. What do you know? What did you understand? 'Half-Emperor' was an honorary title; the leaders of ancient races were all addressed as Half-Emperors, not as a realm of cultivation. Xuanjia scoffed. "That's ancient history. Nowadays, so-called Half-Emperors represent combat strength! A Half-Emperor is an honorific, but it also signifies combat power. Patriarchs of some ancient races who haven't reached that level of strength rarely dare call themselves emperors anymore! Today, universally acknowledged Half-Emperors are all Invincibles who possess Half-Emperor combat strength!" Many years ago, Half-Emperor had been an honorific; the head of any race was considered a Half-Emperor. The leader of the human race was an Emperor. It simply meant being half a rank below! Today, however, that was no longer the case. Without formidable combat power, one had no right to be called a Half-Emperor. Su Yu was surprised. Was that so? He hadn't known that! In any case, whether a Half-Emperor or an Invincible made no real difference in his eyes—both could squash him to death with a single slap. Right now, he felt quite uneasy. Meeting someone who knew his true identity made him rather nervous—nervous enough that he almost wanted to bump Xuanjia off. After flickering forward for quite a while, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion branch soon appeared before them. Xuanjia transmitted, "Don't speak carelessly. Loose lips sink ships! Understood? There's no need to worry about anything either. Right now, you are Xuan Jiu. Among Heaven Hunting operatives, we know very little about one another!" "Understood!" Saying that, Su Yu quickly added, "Elder, are any of the ten Black Masks under my command coming this time?" "None!" Su Yu said no more. It seemed the Black Masks beneath him weren't up to snuff. "Elder, then can I recruit my own Black Masks?" "You may. Once the Black Masks under you perish, submit an application to headquarters for Black Mask masks, and that will suffice!" "Understood!" Su Yu took that to heart. It seemed it was about time to bump off the Black Masks under his command so he could build up his own faction! Both figures flickered and instantly appeared before the entrance of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. At the entrance, a White Mask stood waiting. Upon seeing the faceless elder, he bowed immediately. "Lord Elder, please proceed inside. Several elders are already waiting on the third floor!" With that, he turned to Su Yu. "This White Mask brother, assemble on the second floor!" The third floor was for elders, while the second floor was for White Masks. As for the Black Masks and Grey Masks, Su Yu didn't know their situation; he hadn't seen anyone, not even on the ground floor. Perhaps their assembly points were elsewhere. White Masks were still considered upper echelons, whereas Black Masks were lower. Most White Masks possessed Shanhai combat strength. For instance, the previous Xuan Jiu had been at the seventh stage of the Shanhai Realm, quite formidable. Powerhouses like that were respected even in the open world. Black Masks, on the other hand, were mostly in the Lingyun Realm. Color Masks included both Tengkong and Lingyun, while Half Masks—also known as Grey Masks—were almost entirely in the Tengkong Realm, serving as the pavilion's odd-job workers. Without another word, Su Yu quickly followed Xuanjia upstairs. Xuanjia headed straight for the third floor, while Su Yu paused at the second floor. At this moment, within a modestly sized hall on the second floor, thirty to forty White Masks had gathered. A total of eighty White Masks had been deployed this time, and roughly half were present here. The moment Su Yu stepped in, his eyes were dazzled. *Damn it!* *They all look identical!* Probing them was practically impossible. They all felt completely the same! White masks, white robes—though a few individuals wore other colors, they still looked largely alike. Frankly speaking, lumped together like this, nobody could tell who was who. Everyone's aura was hazy and obscured. Under such circumstances, distinguishing one another was exceedingly difficult! When Su Yu arrived, quite a few White Masks looked in his direction. Most of these White Masks were standing, while a minority were seated. Seeing him enter, one White Mask spoke in a chilly voice, "State your department and number." *Bang!* The answer he received was a massive fist. Su Yu sent one of the White Masks flying with a single punch. The surrounding White Masks scattered instantly. Naturally, there was little surprise. Nor was Su Yu surprised. Just before Xuanjia had gone upstairs, he had transmitted a sentence to him: White Masks were living beings too, and wherever there were people, there were factions and rivalries; establishing seniority and hierarchy was crucial. Only twelve elders were going this time, and the Human Realm was vast. Some White Masks would take charge of an entire prefecture, and right now was the time to fight for those spots. Having knocked the White Mask flying with a single strike, Su Yu sneered coldly, "Profound Department, Xuan Jiu!" At those words, quite a few White Masks stirred. "The Xuan Jiu stationed in Xinghong Ancient City?" Someone recognized the title. Su Yu asked coldly, "Yellow Department or Earth Department?" The Yellow Department was responsible for intelligence communication, so it was normal for them to know he was there; the Earth Department handled resource transport and might have dealt with him as well. "Yellow Department, Huang San!" That was a high ranking, seemingly an important figure in the Yellow Department. Of course, that was hard to say for sure; numbers didn't dictate everything. Su Yu didn't mind. *In any case, I'll remember you for now, but once everyone blends together later, I might not recognize you anyway.* He glanced across the hall: twenty-four chairs. Su Yu smiled! *What did that mean?* It was well known that the Human Realm had thirty-six prefectures—or rather, thirty-eight, though the All-Heavens Prefecture and Twin Sages Prefecture weren't counted as formal great prefectures by anyone. Now, with twelve elders going, twenty-four high seats had been left behind. Nobody here was a fool; they all understood the implication to some degree. Su Yu swept his gaze across the room—they weren't even full! Scanning the hall, there were forty-two people in total, including himself. Yet only sixteen chairs were occupied; eight were still empty. Was there a trap? He didn't dwell on it. In the ancient city, he feared nothing like that. Not bothering with pleasantries, Su Yu strode over and sat down directly in one of the chairs. No one said a word. Everyone was sharp; unless someone lacked self-awareness, they all knew whether they should sit and whether they could sit. Those below the seventh stage of the Shanhai Realm shouldn't bother sitting. Even if they sat, they'd have to get up later, or else get blasted away. As for the White Mask Su Yu had sent flying, he had already slunk into the crowd, keeping a remarkably low profile and making no mention of what had just happened. In this world, the weak possessed no rights. You were all White Masks; if you questioned someone and received a punch in return, it meant you had no right to question them. There was nothing to argue about! Silence persisted. With Su Yu seated, seventeen of the twenty-four chairs were occupied, leaving seven remaining. Meanwhile, several people kept their eyes on Su Yu. *A powerhouse stationed in an ancient city!* *And the White Mask stationed in Xinghong Ancient City at that!* That was no ordinary individual; his strength couldn't possibly be weak, or he would have died long ago. The one he had sent flying with a punch just now was at the sixth stage of the Shanhai Realm, so Xuan Jiu was at least at the seventh stage or higher. After Su Yu had been seated for a while, several more White Masks gradually arrived. Some took a seat without a word. Others scanned the room, weighed their options, and refrained from taking a seat immediately, instead conferring quietly with White Masks they were presumably familiar with. Fifty people in the hall, sixty people… When the headcount reached eighty, the seats were finally filled completely! All twenty-four chairs, not a single one empty. The required number had been met as well. Su Yu had been waiting the entire time, waiting for the remaining fifty-six White Masks to provoke or challenge the seated ones. As it turned out, he had overthought things. Those people truly didn't come to contest the seats. It was quite bizarre—did they really possess that much self-awareness? Just as he was pondering this, a group of people suddenly walked upstairs! This group looked rather different. There were four kinds of masks—White Mask, Black Mask, Color Mask, and Grey Mask—yet unlike ordinary ones, every single mask bore a golden streak. Recalling past encounters, Su Yu's heart stirred. *Holy crap!* *That looks familiar.* The Bai Yi he had met back then had worn this exact kind of mask. These were members of the direct enforcement bureau answering directly to the four department heads! No one had mentioned that these people would be coming! And when the leading White Mask opened his mouth, Su Yu was even more startled. "I am Bai Yi, Law Enforcer of the Heaven Department!" *Bai Yi!* *Damn it, I know you!* *You owe me a boatload of money!* Su Yu was surprised to run into an acquaintance. That fellow had sold quite a bit of intelligence back in Xinghong Ancient City. *Wait… this guy dealt with the previous Xuan Jiu. Could he recognize me?* Su Yu hurriedly communicated through his mask, "Elder, Bai Yi is here. He met my predecessor in Xinghong Ancient City, right? What should I do?" "Ignore him. White Masks change like the wind; calling you father yesterday and killing your mother today is perfectly normal!" "……" That response left Su Yu dumbfounded. He had no words! Bai Yi spoke briskly: "From the law enforcement bureaus of the four departments, five members have come from each. All of us rank alongside White Masks—exactly twenty people. Combined with the eighty of you, that makes one hundred in total!" "There are thirty-eight prefectures in the Human Realm. Disregarding the All-Heavens Prefecture and Twin Sages Prefecture, the remaining thirty-six prefectures will each have one operative line. Twelve elders will oversee twelve prefectures, while the remaining twenty-four prefectures will rely on everyone seated here!" Bai Yi said flatly, "However, overseeing a prefecture—handling intelligence transmission, transactions, rescues, assassinations, and protection… without formidable strength, it is impossible to accomplish!" "Just like on the All-Heavens Battlefield, what we do here is what we shall do in the Human Realm!" "The elders and White Masks overseeing a prefecture are considered peers; there is no need to report to one another. You will transmit information directly to the law enforcers, who will aggregate it…" As Bai Yi spoke, he looked toward the twenty-four White Masks in the seats. "You all know what these chairs represent, but sitting in them without the necessary strength is simply seeking death! The Human Realm is no minor realm; it is a super realm boasting dozens of Invincibles and over a thousand Sun Moons! If you cannot match a Sun Moon, it is best that you step down of your own accord!" He swept his gaze across the room. Among these White Masks, there were Sun Moon Realm experts; anyone below the seventh stage of the Sun Moon Realm was still classified as a White Mask. Naturally, there were also those who had not yet reached the Sun Moon Realm. Because of the white masks, it was impossible to see through them completely, yet the relative strength of their auras could still be judged. Bai Yi swept his gaze over Su Yu, over the others, and soon fixed upon Su Yu as well as several other White Masks. Without another word, he reached out and struck toward several people with a clawing grasp. Not just at Su Yu alone—a total of eight White Masks faced his palm. All of them were those who had yet to reach the Sun Moon Realm! In other words, sixteen of the seated operatives had actually attained the Sun Moon Realm. Adding the twelve elders, that made twenty-eight Sun Moons. Among the law enforcers, there were likely several Sun Moons as well. This time, the four departments of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion were truly mobilizing on a grand scale, gathering elites from every department. Those deployed were their core elite forces! Facing that palm, someone vanished from the spot in an instant, someone unleashed their divine characters, someone roared in a low voice… Su Yu, on the other hand, remained calm and collected, unleashing a single punch! *Rumble!* A deafening blast echoed! The other Sun Moons had already isolated the surrounding space. Under Bai Yi's palm strike, two were knocked flying, two vanished, and of the remaining four, blood trickled from beneath the masks of some, while others stood firm as mountains. Su Yu was one of those who stood firm as a mountain. The moment he threw that punch, he knew Bai Yi definitely hadn't used his full strength; rather, it was merely a test. That single palm carried destructive force that didn't even reach the first stage of the Sun Moon Realm. Bai Yi, after all, was at the sixth stage of the Sun Moon Realm. "The two who flew back may join the ranks of the other White Masks!" Bai Yi withdrew his palm impassively, his hand aching faintly. Su Yu hadn't used his full power either, but that single punch had erupted with the force of at least two hundred thousand acupoints. The sharp fist energy had stung Bai Yi's hand slightly, though Bai Yi didn't pay it much mind. The two who had been swatted away said nothing, quietly stepping back into the ranks of the other White Masks. As for the two who had vanished, they reappeared. Bai Yi nodded slightly. Both had tricks up their sleeves; vanishing and escaping were skills in their own right. Bai Yi quickly said, "Is anyone else willing to take a seat? We are still short two!" "Can law enforcers take them?" Someone within the law enforcement ranks asked. Bai Yi replied flatly, "They may!" At those words, one Black Mask and one Color Mask powerhouse stepped forward and took seats, hailing from the Earth Department and Profound Department respectively. Bai Yi was brisk, not even bothering to test them this time, as both were in the Sun Moon Realm. "Then the twenty-four seats are filled. Including us, there are seventy-six others here. Excluding myself, Black One, Color One, and Grey One, that leaves seventy-two. Each seated member will choose three White Masks. Four White Masks will cooperate to oversee intelligence and trade for one prefecture! It is best to mix departments; combining the four departments allows each to specialize!" "Meanwhile, I, Black One, and the others will oversee the inspection of the entire Heaven Hunting four-department system!" Bai Yi continued, looking at the standing White Masks, "Once you arrive, cooperate—remember that! Do not think about competing over petty things. If you do not fight for it now, fighting for it in the Human Realm is suicide. Over there, the slightest misstep means total annihilation!" It was perilous! Even with so many Sun Moons deployed, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion still considered it extremely hazardous. Su Yu, meanwhile, was astonished by the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's massive undertaking, while also wondering just how many Sun Moons the myriad races of the heavens were planning to sneak into the Human Realm this time. Weren't they afraid the human Invincibles would wipe them all out in one fell swoop? Bai Yi continued, "Once in the Human Realm, you may recruit some humans into the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, but nothing above Black Mask—only Grey Masks and Color Masks!" "Everyone's Heaven Hunting Tome can still be used once you arrive; the rules remain the same as before!" "The White Masks responsible for overseeing a prefecture will have a special function unlocked on their masks, allowing direct contact with their department's law enforcer. For instance, the Heaven Department can contact me, and the Profound Department can contact Color One! That is because your direct elders might not participate in this operation!" Bai Yi spoke for a long time, outlining various rules and regulations. Finally, he added, "Once we enter the Human Realm, we may be scattered initially and hunted down by humanity. Do not underestimate the human race. Within their borders, Sun Moons are plentiful. Once discovered, humans… especially in the Great Xia Prefecture and Great Qin Prefecture, where the local customs are fierce and aggressive… do not welcome outsiders. They love hunting outsiders to exchange for merit points!" "After scattering, do not panic. Do your best to preserve your lives and obtain rendezvous coordinates from your department's law enforcer. If your law enforcer is killed… then contact your elder. If you cannot reach your elder, wait for a successor to contact you!" "……" One White Mask couldn't help but ask, "Is the human race truly that dangerous?" Could it be more dangerous than the All-Heavens Battlefield? They had all survived the All-Heavens Battlefield; would they fear this? Bai Yi replied coldly, "On the All-Heavens Battlefield, all-out war has not erupted, nor is it the home turf of any single race. While the Human Realm has no suppression force, powerhouses are numerous, and it is humanity's home ground. You think that isn't dangerous? Remember what I said—the Great Xia Prefecture and Great Qin Prefecture are the most dangerous. As for which prefecture you will oversee, you will be notified after arriving in the Human Realm. We will not tell you now. If you are assigned to those two prefectures… pray for good fortune!" It was intensely dangerous! The powerhouses of those two great prefectures loved killing! "What about the Great Zhou Prefecture?" "The Great Zhou Prefecture…" Bai Yi pondered briefly before saying, "It is also dangerous, though the Great Zhou Prefecture prefers closed-door cultivation. There are fewer wandering powerhouses outside their prefectural capital." "Lord Bai Yi, if we wear Heaven Hunting masks into human territory, won't we stand out too much?" "You will!" "Then can we remove the masks?" "If you are human, you can try. If not… you will find that not wearing a mask gets you killed even faster!" Bai Yi remained utterly impassive. If you were human, you could try blending in. If not, humans loved slaughtering demons, gods, and monsters even more—because those people were poor, and the sight of you made them think of blood essence. "If you wear a mask, you can adjust it slightly. It doesn't have to remain strictly a White Mask or Black Mask; you can wear a face veil or cloak over it. Some humans like wearing face veils and cloaks too, so that is entirely permissible!" Everyone gained new insight; those who weren't human didn't necessarily understand human habits. Bai Yi added, "Furthermore, Black Masks, Color Masks, and Grey Masks will arrive later to rendezvous with you. Whichever prefecture they are assigned to, you will be given a communication channel upon arrival to contact them! Or you don't even need to meet—just direct them remotely. It is best not to meet in person, lest you get caught all at once!" Su Yu interjected, "My lord, since we are responsible for intelligence, transport, and trade, will the local treasury be controlled by us, or will resources be transported over by law enforcers each time?" "Controlled by you overseers. The specifics will be discussed after we arrive. If you die before getting there, talking about it now is pointless!" He repeatedly emphasized the danger, causing everyone to grow several degrees more vigilant after several reminders. Bai Yi said no more, quickly declaring, "Begin selecting your teammates now. Tonight, we leave the city, assemble, and set off for the Human Realm!" "Understood!" Everyone chimed in agreement! …… Su Yu began picking teammates as well. Looking around, everyone appeared roughly the same. Of course, their auras varied in strength, but most were in the Shanhai Realm. He didn't know if there were any Lingyun cultivators—perhaps there were, but with everyone's aura obscured, it was hard to tell. Were there any Lingyun White Masks? Of course—he was one! Su Yu mused to himself! He couldn't be bothered to pick through them carefully, calling out briskly, "I need one Yellow Department White Mask and two with strong combat power!" Pausing, he added, "It would be best if Huang Jiu, Di Jiu, and Tian Jiu came along, so it's easy to address each other!" At those words, someone in the crowd actually laughed. "I'm Huang Jiu. Xuan Jiu, let's team up!" There was a Huang Jiu, but as for Di Jiu and Tian Jiu… Well, they existed too—two Sun Moon Realm powerhouses who had previously been seated. Both looked toward Su Yu now, their gazes strange and sharp despite their hidden faces. *We are Tian Jiu and Di Jiu. Why would we team up with you?* Su Yu chuckled and said nothing more. His combat strength wasn't overwhelmingly high—at least, the strength he had displayed just now was merely passable. The only one who took the initiative to step forward was Huang Jiu. Of course, once the stronger operatives finished their selections, choosing the best of the remaining lot, two leftover powerhouses quickly joined Su Yu's group to avoid being dumped with the weakest teams. One was from the Profound Department like Su Yu: Xuan Seventeen. The other was from the Earth Department: Di Eighteen. With that, the leadership for one prefecture was established. Xuan Jiu, Xuan Seventeen, Di Eighteen, Huang Jiu. All were in the Shanhai Realm, including Su Yu, whose displayed cultivation was also Shanhai. Such strength wasn't weak, but compared to the other groups, it appeared somewhat lacking. Other teams had more than one Sun Moon, as the law enforcers of the four departments were among them, and those powerhouses had recruited the law enforcers right from the start. Su Yu hadn't bothered recruiting them. There were plenty of Sun Moons among the law enforcers, but if he recruited a Sun Moon, who would call the shots? Better to let them group with their own kind! A few fellow Shanhai cultivators suited him just fine! At that moment, Bai Yi and the other three law enforcers looked over the teams. Bai Yi nodded slightly. "Then we will proceed according to this arrangement. Remember, everyone has tasks upon reaching the Human Realm! Naturally, tasks come with rewards! The Human Realm is an untapped market, so commissions are high—calculated at a flat one percent, ten times higher than on the All-Heavens Battlefield! In addition, Heaven Hunting sub-rankings are scarce in the Human Realm, practically nonexistent. Those that exist are mostly held on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Therefore, developing that market will rely entirely on your own efforts; you cannot rely on our established market system…" Su Yu's head spun listening to this. It sounded just like doing business… Well, to be fair, they *were* going there to do business! However, humans wouldn't believe for a second that they were just there for business! "Also, you may carry a number of sub-rankings with you to distribute to individuals you deem viable trading partners. The overseer will issue them, and once given out, they will link exclusively to your own Heaven Hunting Tome. Whomever distributes them claims the client—poaching clients is strictly forbidden!" Su Yu silently gave a thumbs-up. This was good. Otherwise, just like on the All-Heavens Battlefield right now, they would have to rely entirely on the platform to assign orders without any room for personal initiative. Without regular clients, they would just be errand runners instead of sales agents expanding a market. He felt a faint surge of excitement. Market expansion? He was great at that! Assigning him to the Great Xia Prefecture would be ideal—he could go expand with Xia Huyou, who had money to burn! The Xia family governed an entire prefecture, so they were loaded. If that didn't work, he could expand with Marquis Xia too. The marquis was wealthy, and the Great Xia Prefecture still held several high-stage Sun Moon god corpses! Of course, being assigned to the Great Ming Prefecture worked as well. Old Zhu's family was filthy rich too! The Great Ming Prefecture had plenty of wealthy folks! Come to think of it… he wasn't going back to do business! What on earth was he thinking! Su Yu warned himself mentally: *Don't dwell on that. I'm going back to deal with my mortal enemies, not to make money for the Heaven Hunting Pavilion or myself. I'm already ridiculously rich!* "Very well, that covers everything. Tonight, we leave the city together!" "Understood!" …… Late at night, the group left the city at extreme speed. Led by the twelve elders. They flew along winding routes that left everyone dizzy and disoriented. Not only that, to Su Yu's surprise, they passed through several gateways along the way—teleportation arrays! He had heard before that formidable races like the gods and demons possessed teleportation arrays within their native realms. He hadn't expected the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to have them as well! Of course, these appeared somewhat unusual, resembling ancient teleportation formations that the Heaven Hunting Pavilion had taken control of or repaired. Several teleports completely erased Su Yu and the others' sense of direction. Over and over, they flew and ran haphazardly. After running for a long time and undergoing another teleportation, Su Yu and the others arrived within a grand formation, where a passageway lay revealed! A Human Realm passageway! Su Yu was thoroughly astonished. There truly was a passageway, likely controlled exclusively by the Heaven Hunting Pavilion—and crucially, nobody else knew about it! At the mouth of the passageway, several faceless elders stood guard as well. The moment they arrived, a faceless elder barked, "Groups of ten! This passage is narrow, enter quickly! Once inside, you will be scattered upon transmission. Pray your luck holds out; if your luck is foul and you land right in the center of a great prefecture… you're dead! Once inside, check your messages—you will be informed which prefecture you oversee!" As the words fell, the faceless elders organized them rapidly. Su Yu was practically shoved forward, lumped into a group. The first row of ten people leapt into the passageway at once, vanishing in the blink of an eye. About thirty seconds later, a faceless elder suddenly said, "One died!" "……" Silence! Su Yu was utterly speechless. Damn it, that unlucky? Where had that person landed? Killed the instant they entered! Shanhai cultivators weren't weak either, and there couldn't be that many Shanhai experts in the Human Realm, right? Wiped out in thirty seconds? Could they have dropped right into the Great Xia Prefectural Manor? …… Meanwhile. Within the Human Realm. Zhu Tiandao looked up at the sky, his expression a mix of surprise and gravity. *Heaven Hunting Pavilion operatives?* In his hand, he had just crushed someone to death, not paying it much mind. He was only puzzled—where had they come from? A realm passageway? Was the Heaven Hunting Pavilion crossing the border? That passageway seemed unstable; it was actually scattering people at random! "Fifth stage Shanhai… White Mask…" Zhu Tiandao muttered under his breath, quickly transmitting a message: "Keep sharp watch and activate the perception mirrors! The Heaven Hunting Pavilion seems to be transmitting across realms. See if you can capture a few alive—there's bound to be more than one coming!" Not only that, but that unstable passageway was likely near the Great Ming Prefecture; otherwise, it wouldn't have landed right on his head by pure coincidence! Well, no big deal. Just White Masks. Let a few Faceless Elders come before talking, and even Faceless Elders wouldn't be enough—bring on the Gold Masks if they had the guts! Come to think of it, would Gold Masks actually come? That was a bit scary! No matter, call his father! His father was in the Human Realm! The next instant, he urgently transmitted, "Dad, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion is transmitting across the border, and the passage is likely near the Great Ming Prefecture! Come quick, let's catch them!" "Received! We're rich! The Heaven Hunting Pavilion is loaded!" At that exact moment, in the Quest Realm, King Daming—who had been watching his grandson farm—vanished on the spot. His voice boomed across the Quest Realm: "My grandson farms, and he farms exceptionally well! If any of you dare damage the farmland again, I'll beat you all to death!" The entire Quest Realm went dead silent! King Daming had returned, and he had returned alone. The moment he came back, he brought his grandson here to farm. Right now, Zhu Guangshen had practically expanded the fields straight up to the Quest Realm's sacred ground. If he kept planting, the area surrounding the Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground would be completely encircled. Was this Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground… about to become the Zhu family's personal property? Some wanted to cry but had no tears, some were choked with grief and indignation, and some prayed for their ancestors to return. This couldn't go on! The Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground was going to be lost! King Daming forbade anyone from damaging the cultivated fields, meaning the Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground would be walled off by farmlands. How were they supposed to enter? Why on earth did everyone in this family share this exact same rotten temperament!