Gathering in Nanyuan

Now that the fake ruin was in place, the next step was to lure out that traitorous Invincible. Therefore, the plan was not yet complete. For any of this to work, that Invincible had to feel a sense of crisis. Both Director Ji and Hong Tan were crucial figures, and the intelligence on Ji Hong's end could not be leaked through the Great Xia Prefecture—it was best handled by the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. …… Accompanied by Xuan Jia, Su Yu headed toward the Great Xia Prefecture once more. Skill bred boldness. Or rather, having no fear because one had backing. In broad daylight, wearing nothing more than simple cloaks, Su Yu and Xuan Jia slipped into the Great Xia Prefecture without the slightest rigor. Xuan Jia could not hold back. "Aren't you being a bit too perfunctory?" Unconcerned, Su Yu explained, "This really isn't being perfunctory. The more open and aboveboard we act, the less anyone suspects us. Elder, do you believe the Xia family hasn't noticed our arrival?" Had he never heard of the dark spot under a lamp? The Xia family nine times out of ten had not noticed them. They had walked in so openly—what kind of spy would ever be that brazen? Xuan Jia was speechless. You're only this brazen because you know that even if the Xia family catches you, they won't do anything to you! Soon, the two arrived outside the Yuqiang Department. Looking at the departmental compound, Xuan Jia sent a voice transmission: "Are we going straight to see Ji Hong? Does he know your identity? If he calls the Xia family to arrest you, it'll be a massive headache!" Su Yu shook his head. "We won't meet him directly. First, we communicate and leave him a Heaven Hunting sub-ranking." He added, "Along the way, I also need to escort my teacher and the others. They have to go to Nanyuan to break through their realm. We'll shadow them in secret to prevent anyone from intercepting and killing them on the road!" "You really treat me as your hired thug!" Xuan Jia grumbled. "It's completely normal for the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to protect them." Su Yu paid the complaint no mind and sent a message directly to the Eighth Elder: "Eighth Elder, Hong Tan and the others intend to head to Nanyuan to investigate the ruin. I request that Elder Xuan Jia accompany me to escort them so they can arrive safely, proving that the ruin truly exists and that the Civilization Tomb Stele is real!" "Approved!" The Eighth Elder considered the matter and deemed it necessary. Before long, Xuan Jia received a mission notification from the higher-ups. Xuan Jia felt utterly drained. Damn it all, that works too? Su Yu did not care in the slightest about people knowing. If he wanted to escort Hong Tan and the others, he directly applied for mission support from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. Who could argue with that? "You're ruthless!" Xuan Jia shook his head in exasperation before asking, "Do you really think someone will try to assassinate them?" "Undoubtedly!" Su Yu smiled. "It's only natural. Everyone knows by now that the Civilization Tomb Stele might be connected to the multiple divine character faction. Won't people worry that if they go, they'll simply inherit the ruin? Actually, I suspect the ones interfering might not even be from the myriad races. I never overestimate human nature!" Xuan Jia understood his meaning. Su Yu was implying that certain major prefectures housing their own multiple divine character factions might make a move on Hong Tan's group. Xuan Jia hesitated. "Surely it wouldn't be that vile?" Su Yu said faintly, "Elder Xuan Jia, you might have been away from the Human Realm for too long. The Human Realm... really is that vile! I'm not as extreme as before, thinking there are no good people in the Human Realm, but I know there are plenty of wicked ones!" Xuan Jia fell silent. Neither spoke further. Soon, Su Yu spotted someone about to enter the Yuqiang Department. With a casual flick of his wrist, a Heaven Hunting manual drifted toward her and landed behind her. Oblivious, Ji Xiaomeng kept walking. People passing in and out of the Yuqiang Department looked at her in surprise. It was one thing for the director's daughter to carry a sub-ranking, but why be so showy about it? She was even wearing it strapped to her back on purpose! That was a bit much! Ji Xiaomeng did not notice the Heaven Hunting sub-ranking on her back and continued inside. Seeing everyone staring, she gave them sweet smiles, greeting them from time to time, though she found it a bit strange that their looks seemed different than usual. …… Xuan Jia asked in amusement, "You know her?" "I do. Ji Hong's daughter!" Su Yu smiled. "Let's go. Ji Hong will have the Heaven Hunting sub-ranking soon enough; there'll be plenty of time to communicate. Let's pull back first. The multiple divine character faction should be setting off soon—I can already sense the movement!" The two flickered and vanished from before the Yuqiang Department. Inside the main hall of the Yuqiang Department. Ji Hong saw his daughter and immediately noticed the Heaven Hunting sub-ranking on her back. Reaching out, he snatched it and charged out of the building without a single word. He scanned the surroundings, his brow furrowing. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion had come? What audacity! The Great Xia Prefecture was conducting a full-scale manhunt for them, yet these people still dared to show up. After searching and finding no one, Ji Hong swiftly returned to the hall. Ji Xiaomeng looked at him, still bewildered. "Dad, what's wrong?" "Nothing!" Ji Hong hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Don't run around these days. It's best if you stay in the academy and don't come out. I have matters to attend to and will likely be very busy." "Oh!" Ji Xiaomeng's eyes rolled playfully, and she beamed. "Dad, can I go to Nanyuan, then?" "No!" Ji Hong said sternly, "You cannot go to Nanyuan. It's very chaotic there right now. What kind of strength do you even have? Remember, stay in the academy at all times. If chaos breaks out there too... find a way to head to the Great Qin Prefecture." Ji Xiaomeng blinked, looked at her father, thought it over, and nodded without further argument. Ji Hong gave her a few more reminders before waving his hand. "Go on. Unless necessary, don't return to the Yuqiang Department for now." "Oh, Dad, then... can I go to the All-Heavens Battlefield?" "The All-Heavens Battlefield?" Ji Hong frowned slightly. After a long pause, he said, "We'll see. If it comes down to having no other choice, you can try. Staying at the base camp is relatively safe." "No, I was planning to go find Su Yu. We were classmates, after all. I could see if he might avenge you." Ji Xiaomeng spoke with apparent innocence. Ji Hong's brow knitted tightly. "Avenge what!" Ji Xiaomeng giggled and skipped away without answering. Clearly, she understood more than she let on. Once she was gone, Ji Hong sighed softly and said nothing more. Holding the Heaven Hunting sub-ranking in his hand, he hesitated for a time before entering a line of text: "I am Ji Hong. Who are you?" "Xuan Jiu!" Ji Hong had already guessed as much; the Heaven Hunting Pavilion member coming to see him at this moment was most likely this person. "What do you want with me?" "I am very interested in the information you mentioned last time, Director Ji. Name your price! That includes your daughter, Ji Xiaomeng. She is so young—surely you don't intend to drag her down to the Yellow Springs with you?" …… Outside the city. Su Yu swiftly replied: "Director Ji, sell the information to us, and our Heaven Hunting Pavilion will find a way to escort your entire family out of the Human Realm. Whether you settle in a minor realm or are brought to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's headquarters, we will guarantee your safety! The Heaven Hunting Pavilion has the power to shield you!" "I have no idea what you're talking about!" Su Yu chuckled. "Director Ji, why play dumb? Don't tell me those were merely words spoken in a moment of panic last time. I imagine you are also worried—worried that if you die, the information will never get out! And you... perhaps you have also begun to suspect the Xia family. Among those you suspect, is King Daxia included?" The moment these words were sent, Ji Hong fell silent. Su Yu deduced that either Ji Hong truly did not know the plan, yet his investigation had pointed toward King Daxia; or he knew the plan and was merely playing along right now. Su Yu had not asked Wan Tiansheng about this. He believed Wan Tiansheng likely had not revealed his identity either. In that case, he would play the scene as if it were real and let things run their course without overanalyzing. If Ji Hong did not know the plan and had hesitated to inform the Xia family, that meant... the Invincibles included in his intelligence might genuinely include King Daxia. Could King Daxia be the traitor? It was hard to say; anything was possible. Of course, King Daxia was privy to the grand plan. If King Daxia were the traitor, he either would not appear this time or would eliminate Wan Tiansheng. In short, if King Daxia truly were the culprit, the game was already unwinnable. While keeping in touch with Ji Hong, Su Yu lurked alongside Xuan Jia, waiting. Around midnight. Someone left the city! Not just one or two, but several people. Hong Tan, Xia Yunqi, Zhao Mingyue, Hu Ping, Wu Yuehua... All of them set off. This time, the Great Xia Prefecture's multiple divine character faction was turning out in full force. Su Yu's gaze grew complicated. All these main actors were heading to Nanyuan; the grand curtain in Nanyuan was about to rise. Apart from them, the Great Xia Prefecture had also dispatched a Sun Moon expert for escort. General Zhao! The strength Zhao Rui had displayed previously was fifth-stage Sun Moon. Now that Su Yu had grown powerful, it was still difficult to gauge their true cultivation. At their level, unless they went all out, discerning their exact Sun Moon stage was nearly impossible. Xuan Jia transmitted his voice: "With Zhao Rui escorting them, their safety is reasonably guaranteed. Hong Tan himself is at the Sun Moon Realm, and the others are all multiple divine character experts close to Sun Moon. We most likely won't need to intervene!" "Follow them!" Su Yu did not elaborate. Regardless, following them and being cautious was the right move. If this group were wiped out, he would have little attachment left to the Human Realm. Caution never hurt anyone! Ahead, the group moved at high speed. Behind them, Su Yu and Xuan Jia trailed closely. Along the way, Su Yu continually monitored their surroundings, expanding his perception jade to its limits, though it could only survey a radius of a thousand meters. On his perception jade, Zhao Rui's light point was neither exceptionally intense nor particularly faint. It felt roughly around sixth- or seventh-stage Sun Moon. As for Hong Tan, the sensation he gave Su Yu was only around first-stage Sun Moon. Su Yu could not tell whether his grandmaster was intentionally suppressing his aura or simply had not broken through yet. With perception jades, when an enemy deliberately held back their strength, it was often difficult to make an accurate judgment. The journey remained uneventful. It was quiet, and seemingly safe. Yet Su Yu dared not lower his guard. The "Calamity" divine character throbbed several times, suggesting someone might be observing and probing in secret. …… Meanwhile. News that Hong Tan and the other multiple divine character experts were heading for Nanyuan spread swiftly. The Great Xia Prefecture was coming to investigate the ruin. Near Su Yu's former residence, the entire neighborhood was now completely locked down by several Sun Moon commanders of the Dragon Martial Guards, barring anyone from entering, leaving, or probing. …… Elsewhere. A shadow swayed in the night and rapidly melted away. The moment the shadow vanished, a figure materialized in its place, murmuring, "Chen Yong, you certainly run fast!" He had been hunting Chen Yong for a while now, but Chen Yong possessed a dizzying array of methods. Several times he had nearly killed Chen Yong, only for the man to slip away! The pursuer glanced in the direction Chen Yong had disappeared and chuckled. "Nanyuan?" Chen Yong was going to Nanyuan? It seemed even he had received word that a ruin had appeared in Nanyuan, along with the Civilization Tomb Stele. "Nanyuan, is it?" With that thought, the figure vanished, heading toward Nanyuan to have a look. …… At this moment, countless geniuses also began converging toward Nanyuan. A ruin! Multiple divine characters! …… At this very moment, in the boundless void. A colossal sphere spanned the emptiness—the Human Realm. Just as King Daxia frequently roamed along the edges of the God Realm, powerful figures now lingered in the endless void near the Human Realm. There were several ways to force entry into the Human Realm. Passages were the safest, creating the least disturbance. One could also force an entrance through the endless void outside the boundary walls, but the commotion was immense and the difficulty staggering. That required forcibly shattering space—the space of a major realm, no less. Ordinary Invincibles could scarcely manage it, and the disturbance upon entering was so vast that Human Realm experts would instantly detect it. Yet right now, across tens of thousands of li in the boundless void, phantom figures appeared at intervals. Across the realm barrier stood another powerhouse. "Go ahead and try!" A cold snort pierced through the boundary wall—the voice of King Daming. "This king would like to see just how many of you aren't afraid of dying and dare to force your way into the Human Realm!" "King Daming... The boundary wall is difficult to breach, but there is more than one passage into the Human Realm. Why not let us in and spare your Human Realm some losses?" King Daming ignored them. He knew these beings did not dare force entry; their presence was merely meant to pin him down. If they truly intended to infiltrate, some had probably already slipped in through the passages. The ones out in the open were ironically the ones who dared not move. Of course, if King Daming paid them no heed... it was hard to say. With a single lapse, someone might genuinely dare to force their way inside. …… The Human Realm was descending into turbulence. Su Yu, however, had no time to worry about others. He knew people were secretly scouting for information and intelligence. If nothing went wrong this time, so be it. If trouble arose, it would likely involve top-tier experts. "Elder, stay alert!" Su Yu transmitted, and Xuan Jia gave a slight nod. Just then, Su Yu's heart stirred, but he quickly reined in his impulse and did not act. More than a dozen masked figures suddenly lunged out, charging straight at Hong Tan's group. The strongest among them was at Shanhai, while the weakest were merely at Soaring. Su Yu frowned. Coming to throw their lives away? Against Hong Tan and his companions, this handful of people was practically offering themselves on a platter—what could they possibly accomplish? Sure enough, on Hong Tan's side, no one else even moved. Zhao Rui simply swept his spear outward, and with a thunderous boom, all dozen or so masked attackers were struck down, dying instantly. Su Yu's brow furrowed. Throwing their lives away this cleanly? A Soaring cultivator might not understand the situation, but could a Shanhai really be that clueless? Were they courting death? As he was pondering, Xuan Jia transmitted: "Death warriors. Raised through special methods and techniques, not through regular cultivation!" Su Yu asked in bewilderment, "Then why send them to die?" Even for death warriors, raising someone to the Shanhai Realm could not have been easy. To throw them away like this for nothing? In Su Yu's mind, assassinating Hong Tan's group should have required a top expert delivering a thunderous strike. He could not grasp the thought process of those behind the scenes. Just as he was thinking this, the flesh and blood of the slain death warriors suddenly detonated, sending up thick plumes of smoke. In the distance, Wu Yuehua shouted, "Back away! Damn it, it's corpse rot poison!" Su Yu was unfamiliar with poisons and did not know how potent this one was. Xuan Jia, however, recognized it instantly and said hastily, "Stay back. This stuff is similar to death qi—its corrosive power is extremely high. It corrodes a person's origin qi and can even corrode the sea of will!" Su Yu frowned. A poison master? He knew poison mastery was a discipline in the Human Realm. Wu Yuehua was a divine alchemist and could act as a poison master in a pinch. Was this poison truly that terrifying? He thought for a moment, saw a faint wisp of poison gas drifting toward him, and casually caught a tiny trace of it in his hand. No matter how toxic a poison was, it shouldn't be able to kill a Sun Moon cultivator in an instant; otherwise, everyone would cultivate as a poison master. That slender wisp of poison gas immediately burrowed into Su Yu's physical body, specifically targeting his apertures. Su Yu knit his brows, assessed it, and jolted his body slightly, shattering the wisp of poison. "It's decent. It could probably poison a Shanhai to death. Now I see why they used death warriors—when Shanhai death warriors detonate, the poison gas gains Shanhai-level corrosive force, formed from their origin qi and life force." Xuan Jia transmitted: "Exactly. The other party likely doesn't have Sun Moon death warriors, or else it would be Sun Moon corpse rot poison!" Su Yu nodded. Sun Moon death warriors were hardly easy to produce. Without another word, he quickly instructed the little fur ball in his mind: "Smell this poison's scent for me. That poison master might be lurking nearby!" These people had grown smarter now; they no longer showed themselves directly. They hid in the dark and released poison. Among Hong Tan's group, quite a few were still only in the Shanhai Realm. At that moment, waves of pill qi erupted from Wu Yuehua to neutralize the toxic fumes, but her face grew pale at a visible rate, clearly taking a heavy toll on her. Zhao Rui and the others continually unleashed origin qi to shatter the poison clouds. Was the person in the dark trying to wear them down? Su Yu did not know, nor did he care to figure it out. Unleash the dog... no, unleash the fur ball! The little fur ball had a very keen sense for such auras. A poison master was still a Civilization Master—a warrior could never formulate this kind of poison. As long as willpower was involved, the little fur ball could likely track them down. With that, the little fur ball zoomed out from his head. Xuan Jia gave a slight start, staring at the seemingly nonexistent fur ball, his eyes flickering. "The Ancient God Devourer race?" "Elder knows of them?" "I do. That race is extraordinary. Be careful—in ancient times, an Invincible of that race struck down an Invincible of the god race with a single strike. That might have been their ancient emperor. Don't go provoking that existence." "I already provoked him. The little fur ball's father is likely that very existence!" "……" Silence. Xuan Jia was at a total loss for words. You really have colossal guts. You actually dared capture their bloodline? "You're far too reckless. Let me tell you, someone in the Heaven Hunting Pavilion deduced that that existence might be an ancient Invincible—an ancient-era God Devourer Half-Emperor. Of course, it's not certain if they're the same individual, but if so... his strength might not be inferior to the Half-Emperors of the gods and demons. Even King Daqin might not be able to defeat him!" "I'm not afraid. I'm an ancient city lord. I can command thirty-six ancient Invincibles!" "……" Damn it! Xuan Jia was left speechless. Meanwhile, the little fur ball swiftly darted through the void, transmitting a voice to Su Yu: "Smells good, hurry! There's a smelly one ahead, I smell it!" Impressive! Su Yu inwardly gave it a thumbs-up. As expected of a glutton, it could tell delicious from stinky with absolute clarity. For a poison master, smelling a bit foul was only natural. He and Xuan Jia swiftly vanished through the void. Over on the other side, Zhao Rui seemed to sense something. Frowning with intense vigilance, he stared toward the spot where they had disappeared, origin qi coiled tightly in his spear, ready to unleash an earth-shattering strike at any moment. …… In a forest several thousand meters away from Zhao Rui's group, three experts waited quietly, watching the figures enveloped in poison gas in the distance. "Poison Venerable, this Shanhai-level poison gas shouldn't have much of an effect on them, right? Wu Yuehua is a top-tier divine alchemist—she can neutralize it." Between the three, a cloaked old man replied in a raspy voice, "Our mission is merely to wear them down! To probe whether they have any hidden backups. The rest is none of our concern!" Saying so, he patted the black-robed figure to his left and let out a dry, raspy chuckle. "Xiao Qi, when you go over later, even if you can't kill Zhao Rui, make sure you wound him severely!" "Understood!" The black-robed figure's voice was equally dry. The masked person on the left who had spoken earlier sneered internally. The thing was already a puppet, yet he still acted as if it were real—what was the point of talking to it? The black-robed figure on the left was not even considered a living person anymore. Yet its aura fluctuated at the level of an early-stage Sun Moon. This was the poison master's trump card: a Sun Moon poison human. Even for a top expert like Zhao Rui, dealing with such a creature would be troublesome. As for Hong Tan and the others, it would be even worse. …… While they were conversing, Su Yu and Xuan Jia swiftly arrived. Probing the area, Su Yu raised an eyebrow. There were clearly three people, yet only two light points appeared—one Shanhai, one Sun Moon. The Sun Moon was roughly only first stage—the cloaked figure in the center, who was likely the main target, the poison master. The one on the right was a Shanhai expert. As for the black-robed figure on the left... the perception jade did not pick it up, though some Sun Moon aura was leaking from it. Su Yu was puzzled, but Xuan Jia saw through it at a glance, transmitting: "Also a death warrior, but... its sea of will was completely destroyed. It's essentially half-dead!" Su Yu understood. Xuan Jia quickly asked, "What do we do? Kill them?" "Kill them!" Su Yu answered decisively. Why keep them alive? Without a word, Xuan Jia appeared behind the poison master in an instant. Sensing something, the poison master flared with black qi, but in the next breath, a palm strike from Xuan Jia shattered him to pieces! Yet no phenomenon of a falling Sun Moon appeared! At that moment, the little fur ball flashed across the air and slammed into a sphere with a thud. Opening its mouth, it prepared to swallow it! Su Yu was startled. This thing eats anything! That's a Sun Moon sea of will, and belonging to a poison master at that—you dare eat even this? Without hesitation, he threw a punch! A thunderous boom echoed like crashing ocean waves. In the next instant, a shrill scream rang out as the sea of will exploded, and the Sun Moon fell. Reaching out, Su Yu caught several divine characters. One of them seeped with poison gas. This was likely the man's primary divine character! A Sun Moon divine character! As the poison gas corroded him, Su Yu paid it no heed. Death qi surged from him, instantly scattering the poison. He realized that while this poison attempted to mimic death qi, it was not genuine death qi after all; before his own death qi, it was completely outmatched. It was dispersed in a heartbeat! Having blown away the poison, Su Yu tossed the first-stage Sun Moon divine character to the little fur ball. The remaining ones were all at the Shanhai Realm, so without a second glance, he threw them all over as well. "Eat up!" "Okay!" The little fur ball happily swallowed them and scurried back into Su Yu's sea of will—it had food again. As for Su Yu, he had long looked down on Shanhai divine characters. Even first-stage Sun Moon ones were merely average in his eyes. The other person shouted aloud, "I have secrets—" Bang! Su Yu's fist smashed him to pieces, and he casually extracted a drop of blood. "No need. I can look through your secrets myself!" Not bothering with further words, he ignited flames, extracted a drop of the poison master's blood essence, scooped up the motionless black-robed figure, and swiftly departed. Xuan Jia did not interfere. In the blink of an eye, both were gone. …… The moment the poison master fell, inside an underground hall. Someone sighed. "Poison Venerable is dead!" "Useless trash!" "And to think he vowed that even if he couldn't kill Hong Tan's group, he would severely wound them!" "Forget it. Let's give up! The All-Races Cult cannot take on these missions anymore; our losses are too great. Poison Venerable was a Sun Moon expert—his body was frail, but he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. For him to die so quickly means they simply cannot be touched. Let's drop it!" Someone suggested giving up. This was a gathering place for the cult masters of the All-Races Cult. They had currently formed a loose alliance, but times were hard. Experts from the myriad races had infiltrated and aggressively ordered them to carry out dangerous missions. Some of their own backers had also commanded them to undertake perilous assignments. Someone said in a low voice, "If all else fails, let's defect to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion! The myriad races don't care about us at all. Aside from the Primordial Cult Master and Cult Master Lan Tian, none of the rest of us are even acknowledged! If this continues, we'll all end up as cannon fodder!" "The Heaven Hunting Pavilion will also use us as cannon fodder!" "That's different! The Heaven Hunting Pavilion is a mixed bag, but at least they don't have blatant racial divisions. As for us... we are shunned by the humans and ostracized by the myriad races, treated as running dogs and cannon fodder. We might as well join the Heaven Hunting Pavilion! Look at the comparison: that Xuan Jiu killed people from the Xia family, and when the Xia family retaliated, did the Heaven Hunting Pavilion punish him? But us... do we dare kill someone from the Xia family? If we kill them and face retaliation, who will stand up for us?" "A running dog is just a running dog. Do you really expect your masters to go to war with the Xia family for your sake?" "If we join the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, we at least have some strength. By serving under an elder, we could become white masks in a few years, freeing ourselves from the control of the myriad races and the suppression of the human race." At this point, some were genuinely considering defecting to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. Among them, Yin Yi of the Six-Winged Divine Cult hesitated before speaking: "That Xuan Jiu may speak harshly and domineeringly, but he is direct and decisive! He holds quite a bit of status in the Human Realm now. Why not defect under Xuan Jiu..." "He's only a white mask!" "What's wrong with a white mask? Even the elders of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion might not have his standing!" "……" The various cult masters traded remarks, abandoning any thought of ambushing Hong Tan's group. It had only been a probing action, but Poison Venerable had died too fast. Forget it, they would give up. Whoever wanted to kill them could go right ahead! From now on, they would take no more missions and follow no more orders from the myriad races or their backers. If this went on, the All-Races Cult would be wiped out entirely by these assignments. Everyone treated them as cannon fodder, targets, and pathfinders. Lately, the ones dying in the greatest numbers were from the All-Races Cult. They were thrown in to test the waters for everything! …… Hong Tan and his companions had also witnessed the half-moon falling, feeling a mix of surprise and vigilance, but they did not go over to investigate. Having cleared the poison issue, the party moved on quickly. They didn't linger. Meanwhile, Su Yu was sifting through the memory fragments inside the blood essence. Xuan Jia watched in amazement; this kid truly knew how to do everything. Soon, Su Yu remarked, "This Sun Moon was Poison Venerable, cult master of the Heaven Poison Divine Cult—a complete piece of trash! A total idiot! He took an assignment from the All-Races Cult to probe them. That Shanhai was a bit interesting, though... it looks like he came out of Nanyuan City!" Su Yu smiled coldly. "I knew it. Nanyuan City is a mixed bag, and more than one party is colluding with the All-Races Cult. Long ago, someone told me that the All-Races Cult contains swindlers, traitors, and running dogs, as well as thugs kept by major factions. When dirty work needs doing, they do it through the All-Races Cult." The composition of the All-Races Cult was complex! It contained every kind of person! Some were raised by major powers; when certain deeds could not be done openly, they were carried out through the All-Races Cult. As he was speaking, Su Yu received a message from Bai Yi. He laughed! "The All-Races Cult wants to talk with me!" Xuan Jia asked in surprise, "Talk about what?" "Cooperation, alliance, even defection!" Su Yu said with amusement, "Interesting!" "Sheep walking into a tiger's mouth—and delivering themselves!" Xuan Jia was at a loss for words. You fools of the All-Races Cult, you're actually delivering yourselves to his doorstep? Su Yu would love nothing more than to wipe you all out. Now this was something! He had seen people court death, but never quite like this. The All-Races Cult had not been weak originally, but after several encounters with Su Yu, many of their Sun Moon experts had died—five had fallen in the Great Ming Prefecture because of him, and another had just been killed here. All told, quite a few Sun Moon cultivators of the All-Races Cult had died by Su Yu's hands. And now, judging from what the All-Races Cult was saying, were they about to hand over their last remaining assets? Su Yu grinned. "Elder, that's not the right way to put it. I'm not a bad person; I'm a good person. I will have a proper discussion with them about cooperation. At the very least... even trash should be put to good use!" Leaving those words behind, Su Yu swiftly caught up with Hong Tan's group. Once he escorted Hong Tan and the others safely to Nanyuan, he would go meet those All-Races Cult figures. He wondered if he would see Lan Tian and the Primordial Cult Master this time. In the All-Races Cult, those two were the strongest and the most enigmatic. Even though Lan Tian's identity had been exposed, no one could find him. Moreover, a question lingered in Su Yu's mind: did Lan Tian have a connection to Wan Tiansheng? In the past, when people claimed Wan Tiansheng hadn't realized Zhao Ming was an undercover Lan Tian, Su Yu had believed it. Now... Su Yu doubted it. Had Wan Tiansheng truly failed to notice that Zhao Ming was Lan Tian? Impossible! That man held total command over the academy; how could he not know Zhao Ming's true identity? He remained deeply skeptical! Did Lan Tian have some sort of connection with Wan Tiansheng? All of this required Su Yu to investigate on his own. Counting on Wan Tiansheng was useless—that man would never tell him anything and loved keeping everything shrouded in mystery. …… With Poison Venerable dead, the rest of the journey was peaceful. By dawn, Hong Tan's group entered Nanyuan and rendezvoused with the Sun Moon commanders of the Dragon Martial Guards. Relieved, Su Yu stopped shadowing them. He had other business to attend to—meeting the experts of the All-Races Cult. Meanwhile, the arrival of Hong Tan's group immediately drew the attention and scrutiny of everyone in the city! The Civilization Tomb Stele was rumored to be connected to the multiple divine character faction. Furthermore, this ruin belonged to an ancient Civilization Master. With Hong Tan and the others arriving, would some unexpected development occur? Could it trigger a major upheaval, perhaps even causing the ruin to open directly? In an instant, the gazes of experts across the myriad realms converged upon Nanyuan, and waves of powerhouses swiftly began gathering toward the city.