Su Yu could do nothing about the stone statue. Forget it—if it wanted to go out, let it go out, as long as it didn't stay out all day and night.
Lately, the stone statue seemed to have developed a bit of an addiction.
Perhaps it would pass after a few days.
Meanwhile, Su Yu had just completed his sixtieth physical cast.
His strength had grown even more formidable!
"Silver Wing, hasn't your elder brother arrived yet?"
Su Yu transmitted his voice through the mask. Soon, Silver Wing sent word: "My lord, almost here!"
By now, Su Yu had already taken Silver Wing to meet the Eighth Elder and secured the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's backing to capture Golden Wing. By comparing and cross-referencing the Invincible backing Golden Wing with the one Director Ji had investigated, they might finally determine once and for all who had orchestrated everything from the shadows.
Golden Wing was a powerhouse of the third-stage Sun Moon Realm.
He was far stronger than Silver Wing!
Earlier, it was also Golden Wing who had led the Sun Moons of the Eight Great Families on a wild-goose chase. While Silver Wing was hunting Chen Yong, the Sun Moons from the Eight Great Families had been run in circles by this Golden Wing.
Clearly, either the Eight Great Families' Sun Moons were utterly incompetent, or Golden Wing was genuinely powerful and resourceful.
Su Yu had no intention of dealing with him personally.
Why do it myself when I have subordinates to use?
Now, he had plenty of powerhouses at his command. He had newly recruited three Sun Moons, and among his earlier white masks who kept gathering, there were now a full seven Sun Moons. That didn't even count the two enforcers, Bai Yi and Hei Yi, nor did it count Xuan Jia or the Eighth Elder.
Su Yu's force was by no means weak.
Ten early-stage Sun Moons, two mid-stage Sun Moons, a late-stage Sun Moon in Xuan Jia, plus the Eighth Elder who was always on call.
And that wasn't even counting himself!
There were also plenty of peak Shanhais. A force like this would be considered powerful in any faction.
As for the All-Races Cult, Su Yu was also using these newly subdued cult masters to win over other Sun Moons. If they refused to cooperate, he would simply eliminate them first.
Su Yu thoroughly enjoyed this!
Having so many experts under his command felt exhilarating. Unfortunately, most were only at the early stage of the Sun Moon Realm. It would feel even better if there were more mid- and late-stage ones.
In the short term, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion likely wouldn't interfere with his side of things.
Just as he was thinking, Silver Wing transmitted: "My lord, my elder brother has arrived!"
Su Yu's thoughts stirred. He quickly gestured to Bai Yi and the others, who promptly assembled. Su Yu transmitted: "If we can persuade Golden Wing later, that's ideal. If we can't, everyone move in to capture him. Best not to kill him, so we don't cause unnecessary complications!"
"Understood!"
Everyone responded in unison. With Golden Wing's arrival, Bai Yi and the others were also somewhat excited. If they captured Golden Wing, they might be able to uncover everything.
Su Yu, however, didn't hold out much hope.
It was difficult!
Golden Wing might not even know, and even if he did, he might not talk.
If even a third-stage Sun Moon knew who the traitor was, that Invincible could never have stayed hidden for so long. This fellow probably knew he served an Invincible, but who it actually was... remained to be seen.
Chen Yong had been constantly hunting down the powerhouses who had moved against the multiple divine character faction. Among so many targets, some were bound to be subordinates of that Invincible. Chen Yong was also skilled at extracting blood essence and extracting memories, yet he still hadn't contacted anyone, clearly indicating that Chen Yong hadn't discovered anything either.
...
Outside Nanyuan, near Starfall Mountain.
Golden Wing touched down.
He looked around vigilantly. Seeing Silver Wing waiting there, he relaxed slightly, but soon chided him via transmission: "It's not safe here. Why did you come all the way out here?"
"Elder Brother!"
Silver Wing smiled. "It's fine. All the powerhouses are inside Nanyuan City right now. You couldn't drag them out even if you tried. It's completely fine!"
"Even so, you can't be careless!"
Golden Wing remained wary. The All-Races Cult was ostracized even more than the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, and being cautious was second nature to him.
Landing, Golden Wing surveyed the area. Detecting no danger, he said in a heavy voice, "Why were you in such a rush to find me? What's going on?"
"Elder Brother, it's still about what we discussed before. The Six-Winged God Clan sent people recently, pressing us to do their bidding. Didn't I communicate with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion earlier? I want to take the Six-Winged God Cult and defect to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion!"
Golden Wing frowned. "The Heaven Hunting Pavilion? They devour people without spitting out the bones. None of them are any good! Cooperating is fine, but defecting is out of the question."
"Elder Brother, it's different. At least the Heaven Hunting Pavilion makes no distinction between races—it all comes down to capability! Between us brothers, I'm only at the first stage of the Sun Moon Realm, but you are at the third stage. You're not a weakling like me; you have talent! Once you step into the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm, you might have a shot at reaching the late stage and becoming an elder of immense power and status..."
Golden Wing's brow furrowed. "You sought me out just to convince me to join the Heaven Hunting Pavilion?"
"Yes!"
Silver Wing said earnestly, "Elder Brother, risking our lives for one master is no different from risking them for another, isn't it? Shouldn't we throw our lot in with whoever pays the most? In the myriad realms, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion is the only place that will accommodate us! Whether it's the human race or the myriad races, who would ever truly accept us? Even if they did, we would just be dogs to them!"
Golden Wing still frowned.
Silver Wing pressed on, "Does Elder Brother still pin your hopes on that person behind us? That person can barely protect himself now. Sooner or later, disaster will strike..."
"Shut up!"
Golden Wing's eyes turned cold as he snapped, "Cease your nonsense!"
Silver Wing replied in a low voice, "I'm not talking nonsense. It's bound to happen sooner or later! Can it be hidden forever? Elder Brother, tell me the truth. Is that person behind us the very one the human Invincibles are hunting for? Are they the same person?"
"What same person?"
Golden Wing frowned. "There's no connection!"
Silver Wing shook his head. "Elder Brother, don't treat me like a fool! The traitor who betrayed us set up Ye Batian and has targeted the multiple divine character faction ever since. And the person behind us has done the exact same thing! Starting with ambushing Chen Yong back then, our Six-Winged God Cult has killed plenty of people for him! All from the multiple divine character faction! The multiple divine character faction is so sparsely populated today largely because of the great merits our brotherhood racked up. Chen Yong knew this, which was why he planted Feng Qi inside our cult..."
Golden Wing watched him coldly. "Are you done?"
Silver Wing said sincerely, "Elder Brother, we may not be brothers by blood, but we are closer than real brothers! A hundred years ago, we supported each other, making our way together to the Sun Moon Realm and up to this very day! Now, facing such chaos and turmoil, with experts from all races entering the realm, I want to live—and I want you to live too, Elder Brother..."
Golden Wing said coldly, "Follow me, and of course you will survive! As for the Six-Winged God Clan, we can just brush them off and let our subordinates deal with them. As long as you and I kill Chen Yong or Hong Tan's group, advancing another step won't be difficult at all!"
"Elder Brother, is that really possible?"
Silver Wing looked at him and sighed softly. "We've hunted Chen Yong for so long! And what came of it? When you went after him this time, did you kill him? And Su Yu... Su Yu is now a city lord of an ancient city. Even Invincibles fear him! Can we kill him? Hong Tan is being thoroughly protected by the Great Xia Prefecture right now; it's a blessing if they don't seek vengeance on us... Elder Brother, things aren't like they used to be!"
Shaking his head, Silver Wing sighed. "There's really nothing left for us in the Human Realm. Now that we've reached the Sun Moon Realm, relying on outsiders to help us advance further is harder than ascending to heaven. Every single time, we're putting our lives on the line! Elder Brother, what I mean is... if we sell this intelligence, perhaps we could obtain enough benefits to cultivate all the way to the late stage of the Sun Moon Realm."
"Bastard!"
Golden Wing flew into a rage. "What did you say?"
Silver Wing replied calmly, "I said, sell this information to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion pays extraordinarily high prices for intelligence. We might fetch a fortune!"
"Insolent fool, do you have a death wish?"
Golden Wing was both startled and furious. "Silver Wing, tell me! Have you mentioned any of this to anyone?"
On the surface, the Six-Winged God Cult's hunt for Chen Yong wasn't serving any Invincible; it was supposedly a preemptive strike because Chen Yong was seeking revenge against them.
But if it were exposed that their pursuit of Chen Yong had deeper motives, it would cause immense trouble.
The Human Realm had never stopped investigating the traitorous Invincible.
Silver Wing shook his head. "No. But I hope you will consider it, Elder Brother. We've given more than enough, yet to this day, I don't even know whom I've been risking my life for."
Golden Wing scowled and said coldly, "As long as you weren't shortchanged on benefits, that's enough! Over the years, if not for that lord's support, could you and I have reached the Sun Moon Realm?"
Silver Wing said calmly, "Elder Brother, wake up. Was the support really that great? Fifty years ago, we were both at the peak of the Shanhai Realm. Yes, over these past fifty years, I advanced from peak Shanhai to first-stage Sun Moon, and you reached the third stage... But how many times have we braved life and death? We got a few scraps of benefits, but we nearly lost our lives seven or eight times, and look at how much we did for that person!"
Emotions surged within Golden Wing. After a long pause, he asked, "Silver Wing, what do you want to do?"
"Sell information on him in exchange for massive resources, fly far away, never return to the Human Realm, and start anew across the myriad realms! The Human Realm... is not meant for us! We've been rats for a hundred years, rats in the gutter who never dared show our faces in broad daylight. Other Sun Moons stand lofty and exalted, revered by tens of thousands, but what about us? You and I are nothing!"
Silver Wing said earnestly, "Elder Brother, if we start fresh, I believe things will be far better than they are now!"
Golden Wing stared at him coldly. After a long moment, he said, "Perhaps... you're right. But I need to think it over. Some matters... cannot be decided in an instant. Give me a little more time..."
Silver Wing considered it, nodded, and sighed. "I know your difficulties, Elder Brother. Fine, I will give you time. I hope you will make a decision soon. I don't want to go on like this anymore."
Silver Wing turned to leave, his expression shifting slightly. At the same time, Su Yu and his companions received a transmission: "Unable to persuade him. My lords, make your move!"
At that exact moment, Golden Wing's eyes also flickered.
Silver Wing had changed!
He wanted to betray their master!
The next instant, a long sword appeared in his grip. A vicious glint flashed in Golden Wing's eyes as he swung his blade downward!
Just as the sword slashed down, Silver Wing spun around abruptly, retreating rapidly with a sigh: "I knew it!"
"Hmph!"
So what if you knew?
Golden Wing snorted coldly. You chose betrayal yourself!
At that moment, Xuan Jia struck out with a palm from midair!
Bai Yi and Hei Yi attacked in succession. One was an eighth-stage Sun Moon, and two were sixth-stage Sun Moons—all vastly stronger than him. Striking simultaneously, they caused Golden Wing's expression to change drastically. With a thunderous boom, the colossal palm struck, battering his physical body into tremors and violent shaking.
Bai Yi and Hei Yi each threw a punch. With a massive crash, his physical body was punched straight through!
The next instant, both struck again, sending shockwaves through Golden Wing's sea of will!
Golden Wing's eyes turned bloodshot, dizziness overcoming him as he roared, "Silver Wing, how dare you!"
Silver Wing stood watching from the side, and Su Yu soon materialized beside him.
Silver Wing cupped his fists toward Su Yu, then looked at the swiftly subdued Golden Wing and sighed, "Elder Brother, I didn't want this. You were the one who refused to see reason! Look around, Elder Brother—everything has changed! You even tried to kill me. A century of brotherhood couldn't even match an Invincible who has never once shown his true face. Since that's the case... don't blame your younger brother for being heartless!"
Golden Wing was beside himself with fury!
Right at that moment, Su Yu frowned slightly and punched out. With an explosive blast, he shattered the man's physical body!
Bai Yi and Hei Yi both looked over at him. Su Yu shook his head. "Leaving the physical body intact is too dangerous. Control his sea of will and seal it off, lest he self-detonates his body and causes trouble!"
Beside them, Silver Wing's eyelids twitched. The physical body was destroyed just like that!
Ruthless!
And this Xuan Jiu was terrifyingly strong.
A third-stage Sun Moon, even subdued, possessed an immensely durable physical frame, yet a single punch from him had blown it to pieces.
Su Yu said calmly, "Seal his sea of will. Watch out in case he tries to detonate it, and beware whether that Invincible left something inside his sea of will. Some of those Invincibles love pulling tricks like that!"
The next moment, Xuan Jia landed and chuckled, "Don't worry. I've sealed off all surrounding transmission channels, including sea of will transmissions. It shouldn't be an issue..."
The words had barely left his mouth when a bloodcurdling scream rang out!
The next instant, the spherical sea of will suddenly burst into furious flames!
"No..."
Golden Wing's phantom figure emerged, screaming in agony, "No... my lord... I..."
Boom!
With a colossal roar, the sea of will collapsed, and a bright moon plunged to destruction. The Eighth Elder appeared in a flash, exchanging a grim look with Xuan Jia.
The Eighth Elder said in a low voice, "Retreat first. Dammit, that Invincible left a restriction in his sea of will... Fall back for now. A Sun Moon has fallen, so be careful of being tracked!"
Su Yu frowned. Golden Wing was dead?
Even with his sea of will sealed and his physical body blown apart, he was still killed!
He had sensed something dangerous just now, which was why he had destroyed the physical body. Dammit.
The group swiftly withdrew, while Su Yu handily gathered up the flesh fragments and blood.
...
A short while later.
The group appeared in a different location.
The Eighth Elder sighed. "Killed! The other party had prepared long ago. However..."
His eyes flickered as he continued, "Even with a restriction, it still must be triggered! Especially to kill a Sun Moon from a distance—that Invincible must have sensed the shift, triggered the restriction, and slain Golden Wing!"
Beside them, Silver Wing looked crestfallen, feeling hollow inside. It was hard to tell whether he grieved Golden Wing's demise or the lost fortune he had hoped to reap.
Perhaps it was both.
Ignoring that, Su Yu asked quickly, "Does Elder mean that the Invincible who killed Golden Wing... could his true body be right here in the Human Realm?"
Could someone trigger a restriction across the myriad realms?
The Eighth Elder pondered for a moment and nodded. "It's possible. Otherwise, doing so across the myriad realms... would be far too difficult!"
Su Yu's expression changed!
"King Daming?"
Not only him—Bai Yi and Hei Yi were both startled. King Daming?
Right now, the only Invincible seemingly present in the Human Realm was King Daming!
The Eighth Elder shook his head. "Not necessarily! As you know, Invincibles possess three incarnations: the past, present, and future! All are extremely crucial, and all are the true self! Perhaps... an Invincible left an incarnation behind in the Human Realm! If an incarnation is present, it is essentially no different from being here in person! To strike down Golden Wing from afar, that Invincible's incarnation might well reside in the Human Realm."
Su Yu instantly breathed a sigh of relief!
Holy shit!
Scared me half to death. I thought it was King Daming.
Among the human Invincibles, King Daming was definitely one who had acted on his behalf. King Daming had even caught Su Yu before, and Su Yu had met him face-to-face.
If King Daming were the traitor... Su Yu would have had a hard time accepting it.
When the Eighth Elder said the Invincible might have launched the attack from within the Human Realm, Su Yu had been terrified that it was King Daming's doing!
Now that there was a possibility someone had left behind an incarnation, he felt a bit more at ease.
Su Yu thought for a moment and asked, "Eighth Elder, if an incarnation acts independently, does it still possess Invincible-level combat strength?"
"It can!"
The Eighth Elder explained, "The present body is always Invincible! The future and past bodies vary in strength, making it hard to generalize. Most past bodies are quasi-Invincibles, while future bodies can be Invincible or might fall short of that strength... As long as someone's present body remains on the All-Heavens Battlefield, no one is going to closely inspect whether an Invincible has unified their three incarnations—and doing so would be extremely difficult anyway."
Su Yu understood!
Thinking further, he asked again, "If that person's incarnation is in the Human Realm, could he use it to cross the River of Time, unify the three bodies, and have his true body return?"
He was wondering: if this traitorous Invincible had an incarnation here, could a crisis befalling the incarnation summon his true body back?
The Eighth Elder smiled. "Some Invincibles possess such ability, but it requires someone exceptionally powerful! The River of Time they open would have to span the myriad realms; otherwise... it's nearly impossible!"
Su Yu understood. A formidable Invincible could indeed accomplish it.
He spoke up again, "Then if someone of King Daqin's caliber left his past and future somewhere, couldn't he descend upon that location in an instant?"
"Technically yes,"
The Eighth Elder shook his head. "But it is extraordinarily dangerous. Crossing time still takes time. If he doesn't make it in time, the incarnations aren't unified, and losing one would be an immense blow. If pillars of humanity like King Daqin scattered their incarnations about instead of keeping all three unified... should one be abruptly destroyed, even his present body might collapse. As a bulwark of the human race, he wouldn't dare and cannot afford to take such a risk!"
The Eighth Elder was a quasi-Invincible, which meant he had already retrieved one of his incarnations, so he understood these matters intimately.
Su Yu nodded and said regretfully, "What a shame. Golden Wing might really have known something, yet he was killed!"
With a sigh, Su Yu turned to Silver Wing. "Now that Golden Wing is dead, you might be in danger as well. Could your sea of will also be controlled?"
"No, definitely not!"
Silver Wing started in fright and hastily said, "In my sea of will, there used to be a communication talisman that could reach that Invincible, but my elder brother confiscated it later on, to be used only at critical moments..."
Su Yu quickly looked at the Eighth Elder, who had retrieved Golden Wing's storage ring earlier.
The Eighth Elder quickly probed it, promptly pulled out a jade talisman, and shook his head shortly after. "Useless. If we had seized it earlier, we might have been able to trace something, but it's ruined now. Totally useless!"
Su Yu hesitated. "If we trace back through time, perhaps we can uncover something."
"Time reversal?"
The Eighth Elder chuckled. "It's not that simple. When an Invincible is involved, time reversal is virtually useless. An Invincible can disrupt space-time! Unless the person was completely unprepared and trapped in a dire situation with no means to counter it. Still, we could give it a try!"
They all wore expressions of regret!
What a missed opportunity!
Su Yu, however, didn't give up. He asked again, "Silver Wing, how do you think your elder brother came to know that person? You said you've known your brother for a hundred years. Logically, if he had contact with an Invincible, wouldn't you have crossed paths with them as well?"
Silver Wing said in a hurry, "My lord, I truly haven't lied to you about this. I've never had contact with any Invincible, or I would have been killed long ago! My elder brother... he probably didn't meet that person after getting to know me; he might have known him much earlier! A hundred years ago, my brother was still in the Lingyun Realm while I was only at Tengkong. Back then, he had just returned from the All-Heavens Battlefield..."
"Hmm?"
Su Yu blinked. "What did you say?"
"My elder brother used to be a powerhouse in the military. Later, he seemed to have committed a grave mistake and was cashiered from the ranks, which was why he left the All-Heavens Battlefield."
"Which army?"
"I'm not clear on that. I asked, but he never said. From his mannerisms and habits, though, I knew he came from the military! It was likely the military of the Great Jin Prefecture or the Great Tang Prefecture. Once, when facing a powerful enemy, my brother used the Thunderous Fist, an advanced Xuan-tier combat technique belonging to those two prefectures. Of course, he could have learned it on his own... but he used it with profound familiarity, as if he had practiced it for many years."
Su Yu knitted his brows. Learned in the military of the Great Tang or Great Jin Prefecture?
Golden Wing actually had a military background!
And Chen Yong had been relentlessly hunting down military commanders.
What did that imply?
"The military..."
This meant that the Invincible was likely one who guarded the All-Heavens Battlefield, meeting these men there and recruiting them into his service.
A hundred years ago... Golden Wing had retired from the All-Heavens Battlefield.
Fifty years ago, Ye Batian and his companions were ambushed and slain.
Su Yu shook his head. A few pieces were still missing, but the traitor was exposing more and more clues.
That was fine!
With Golden Wing dead, that fellow might also feel the crisis brewing. Add to that Chen Yong's ongoing killings of those commanders, and Director Ji perhaps unearthing something on his end, the traitor's identity was bound to come to light before long!
Ratchet up his sense of crisis!
Su Yu let out a breath. The traitor's identity was growing nearer and clearer. From the looks of it, a few more prods would corner the dog into leaping over the wall!
"Golden Wing's identity can be investigated!"
Su Yu looked at Silver Wing. "Did he leave anything else behind? Or did he ever mention his real name? Golden Wing can't possibly have been his true name, right?"
"Well... after we met, we always addressed each other as Golden Wing and Silver Wing. His family name... seemed to be Yu!"
Su Yu nodded. That was something worth investigating.
Uncover Golden Wing's original identity!
Surnamed Yu, at the Lingyun Realm a century ago, retired from the military, possibly dismissed for an infraction.
Lingyun was no small cultivation level; there ought to be records.
Once they confirmed his identity and tracked Golden Wing's movements, they might discover something.
Furthermore, he had collected Golden Wing's blood. When no one was around later, he could try peering into it to see if any memories remained.
That Invincible must have left a profound impression on Golden Wing; Golden Wing might even have seen his face.
"And over the years, how many missions did you carry out for that person? Whom did you kill?"
Su Yu asked another question. Silver Wing pondered and replied, "As I recall, we carried out nine missions for him, all assassinations! Almost all the targets were powerhouses or geniuses of the multiple divine character faction! That included ambushing Chen Yong back then, which failed. Later, we received another mission to kill Chen Yong and seize the Multiple Divine Character Combat Technique Monument..."
Su Yu remained impassive without getting angry. Silver Wing was doomed to die anyway; there was no need to waste fury on him.
"What about the other seven times? You said they were almost all from the multiple divine character faction. Does that mean some weren't?"
"Yes!"
Silver Wing nodded. "There was one time when the target wasn't a powerhouse or genius of the multiple divine character faction, but Wan Tiansheng. However, Wan Tiansheng is the academy head and rarely ever left the academy. We never found an opportunity. We staked out Great Xia Prefecture for months and even deliberately killed some students and researchers from the Great Xia Civilization Academy, but we couldn't draw Wan Tiansheng out, so we gave up."
Wan Tiansheng?
Su Yu's heart stirred slightly. Was that Invincible testing Wan Tiansheng?
Back when Ye Batian was slain, an incarnation of Wan Tiansheng had been by his side. Ye Batian and Wan Tiansheng were close friends, a fact many people knew.
Could the one accompanying Ye Batian have indeed been Wan Tiansheng?
If Su Yu were in the traitor's shoes, he would have probed Wan Tiansheng as well.
Of course, Wan Tiansheng had supposedly been at the Shanhai Realm since fifty years ago... That part was hard to explain. Back when Ye Batian was about to attain the Dao, Wan Tiansheng was still only Shanhai. At that time, no one had ambushed Ye Batian yet, so logically Wan Tiansheng had had no reason to conceal his strength.
Why hide your strength for no reason?
Wouldn't greater strength bring more benefits?
Wan Tiansheng hadn't made much of a name for himself on the All-Heavens Battlefield either... Very few knew that when Wan Tiansheng entered an ancient city—Tianmie Ancient City—his entry speed was the fastest. Virtually nobody knew about that.
Back then, harmony reigned in the Human Realm. Why wouldn't Wan Tiansheng reveal his strength?
Was he just naturally deceitful and fond of hiding?
Su Yu was baffled as well. Suspicion aside, if he were that Invincible, he probably wouldn't have been able to prove that person was Wan Tiansheng either. After all, Wan Tiansheng hadn't just started hiding in the last fifty years!
Back then, Ye Batian's mysterious friend had already possessed Invincible-level combat strength.
Who ever hid their power long before an opponent made a move?
Naturally, testing him was inevitable.
Over the years, Wan Tiansheng had probably been tested more than once.
"Wan Tiansheng..."
Su Yu considered this and asked, "Eighth Elder, is there anything special about Wan Tiansheng?"
The Heaven Hunting Pavilion held the most intelligence!
Whether checking records or recalling from memory, the Eighth Elder spoke up after a moment: "Wan Tiansheng, the sixth-generation head of the Great Xia Civilization Academy! Because the academy's first five heads were all world-shaking figures, we have some understanding of Wan Tiansheng as well."
"Wan Tiansheng, ninety-nine years old..."
Indeed, ninety-nine years old—Su Yu already knew that.
When he enrolled last year, Wan Tiansheng's profile stated that he took over the academy headmaster position fifty years ago at age forty-eight. That was also astonishingly talented—a peak Shanhai at forty-eight. Honestly, probably no one believed that a forty-eight-year-old Wan Tiansheng could have possessed horrifyingly formidable strength back then.
Back then, Ye Batian had been much older than Wan Tiansheng. Though called friends, he was at least a generation older.
"He possesses peak Shanhai strength! Some have judged that Wan Tiansheng may have already stepped into the Sun Moon Realm, lying low to avenge Ye Batian... He and Ye Batian were close friends..."
"Wan Tiansheng also hails from the Great Xia Prefecture and is a disciple of the Great Xia Civilization Academy's third-generation head..."
Su Yu said in surprise, "A student of the third-generation head? That doesn't add up. He's only ninety-nine, and the third head fell many years ago. Above Ye Batian, there was also the fourth head. Fifty-one years ago, Wan Tiansheng was forty-eight. Assuming he enrolled at eighteen, eighty-one years ago the third head had already fallen and the fourth head was in charge, wasn't he?"
The Eighth Elder explained, "This is something of a secret lore, a curious tale! At the Great Xia Civilization Academy, the first, third, and fifth heads all belonged to the multiple divine character faction, passed down from master to disciple. Xia Chen's disciple was the third head, and the third head's disciple was Ye Batian... However, the third head had other disciples. His eldest disciple was still alive back then and accepted Wan Tiansheng on his master's behalf, saying that Wan Tiansheng's talent was so extraordinary that it was inappropriate for him to take him as a disciple, so he inducted him on his late master's behalf and called him a martial brother! You can think of it like the current Su Yu. Su Yu was taken in by Bai Feng, but... Bai Feng doesn't really have the qualifications to teach him anything; Hong Tan taking him as an apprentice would make far more sense!"
Su Yu sorted through the lineage, speaking only after a long pause: "So you're saying Wan Tiansheng is actually Ye Batian's junior martial brother, but Wan Tiansheng's teacher wasn't the third head, but Ye Batian's eldest martial brother?"
"Correct!"
The Eighth Elder nodded. "They are martial brothers, but few people know about it. Strictly speaking, you could also view him as a martial nephew. Humans don't fuss too much over such technicalities, and mentorship in academies isn't quite the same as traditional discipleship. Su Yu calls Liu Wenyan his teacher and calls Hong Tan his grand-teacher; in the myriad races, that would be deemed outrageous and insolent. So there's no need to scrutinize it too deeply."
At that moment, Su Yu suddenly took a keen interest in the third-generation head!
Truly!
The third head's disciple was Ye Batian, and he also had a nominal disciple named Wan Tiansheng, accepted on his behalf by his eldest disciple!
The third head had died without leaving much behind except the Demon Battle Ground, which Su Yu had never visited.
The first generation, Xia Chen—Su Yu knew of him.
The second generation left behind the White Dragon.
The fourth generation was Zhao Li's father.
The fifth generation was Ye Batian.
The sixth generation was Wan Tiansheng.
Only the third generation... actually had a relatively low profile, yet under his lineage had emerged two utterly peerless monsters, even if Wan Tiansheng wasn't his direct apprentice in the strict sense.
The Eighth Elder continued, "After Wan Tiansheng's eldest senior brother fell, he went to the Quest Realm for advanced study. Later, when Ye Batian became the fifth head, perhaps out of care for this little junior brother, he would often visit him, answering his questions and debating the Dao with him... Of course, 'debating the Dao' was probably an overestimation of Wan Tiansheng; Ye Batian was mostly just looking out for him."
"After Ye Batian fell, Wan Tiansheng emerged from the Quest Realm to take charge of the Great Xia Civilization Academy. In recent years, the decline of the multiple divine character faction was also related to Wan Tiansheng's inaction. Some believe that having witnessed Ye Batian's fall, he was secretly preserving the multiple divine character faction and protecting Hong Tan's group, suppressing them so they wouldn't stand out—because that lineage is a target for the entire myriad realms!"
Su Yu frowned. "Wan Tiansheng belongs to the multiple divine character faction?"
"Presumably so. However, rumor has it that when he entered discipleship, he had already stepped into the Tengkong Realm... and apparently never received the legacy of the multiple divine character combat techniques. Word outside has it that he actually belongs to the single divine character faction."
Su Yu was secretly astounded. Wan Tiansheng had already stepped into Tengkong before even entering an academy?
What a monstrous talent!
No wonder the third head's eldest disciple felt unqualified to take him as an apprentice. Wan Tiansheng must have been only seventeen or eighteen when he reached Tengkong!
Su Yu frowned. "If so, why haven't the myriad races targeted him?"
"He never leaves!"
Even the Eighth Elder was at a loss for words. "After taking charge of the Great Xia Civilization Academy, in all of fifty-one years, he has stepped outside fewer than three times, each time hurrying there and back. Even if the myriad races wanted to target him... they had no way to do it!"
"..."
A super shut-in?
Wrong!
That was because Old Wan's strength was terrifyingly immense—when he left, nobody had a clue!
You think he's a shut-in? Wrong! He's out wilding in secret every single day!
Only today did Su Yu learn that Wan Tiansheng was technically Ye Batian's junior martial brother and a disciple of the third generation. This Great Xia Civilization Academy... was truly complicated.
No wonder Hong Tan had trusted Wan Tiansheng so deeply from the very beginning, telling Su Yu several times to seek Wan Tiansheng's help if trouble arose. Hong Tan clearly knew, whereas Bai Feng might not have known.
After all, it was an affair from seventy or eighty years ago. With no one bringing it up, Su Yu and his generation naturally wouldn't know.
After the eldest senior brother who took Wan Tiansheng in on their master's behalf passed away, Wan Tiansheng had left the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Many thought Wan Tiansheng originally came from the Quest Realm; few knew he was actually a native of the Great Xia Prefecture.
"Xia Longwu seems to be Wan Tiansheng's student..."
"Strictly speaking, Wan Tiansheng is of Teacher Liu's generation. And if I reckon it from Teacher Liu's side... Xia Longwu and I are fellow martial brothers?"
Su Yu clicked his tongue!
The connection had been made!
We're martial brothers!
Of course, the seniority was a tangled mess. Wan Tiansheng belonged to Ye Batian's generation, yet also to Liu Wenyan's generation... Su Yu's own lineage was just as messy: on one hand, he was Bai Feng's student; on the other, he was Liu Wenyan's student.
In short, if he called Xia Longwu 'Senior Brother,' Xia Longwu... probably couldn't dispute it.
Reckoned that way, they really could address each other like that!
Su Yu sighed inwardly. If only he had known this earlier! If he had known Xia Longwu was his martial brother, he could have been much bolder back in the Great Xia Prefecture!
Turns out the Great Xia Prefecture was filled with my own family all along!
The higher-ups are all from my lineage!
Counting it down, Xia Huyou would even have to call me 'Uncle'!
At this moment, Su Yu's imagination ran completely wild, while the Eighth Elder and the others, assuming he was contemplating weighty affairs, dared not disturb him.
Chapter 470