The Human Realm.
Nanyuan.
Su Yu waited for a while. One by one, geniuses walked in. Some had Sun Moon cultivators guarding their path, yet only the geniuses took their seats; the Sun Moon experts remained outside.
There were not many people—only thirteen including Su Yu.
Immortals, fiends, gods, dragons, underworld beings, the Five Elements race, the Archaic Giant race, the Heavenly Spirit Ape race, the Tianyuan race...
Each race had sent only a single quasi-Invincible, though the Heaven Hunting Pavilion had two quasi-Invincibles this time.
All were the top geniuses of their respective races.
For the fiend race, it was without question Moduona who had arrived. The immortal race, however, had not sent Xuan Wuji, but Dao Cheng—an old acquaintance as well.
For the Five Elements race, Foutuling was naturally present.
Zhou Hun of the Tianyuan race, Long Yingyue of the Dragon race, Ming Yue of the Underworld race, Gu Zhu of the Archaic Giant race...
All were powerhouses on the Heaven Ranking!
Of the eighteen spots on the Heaven Ranking, more than half had shown up today.
Earning a spot on the Heaven Ranking conferred a considerable status within one's race.
Most of them were in the Shanhai Realm, with a few in the Lingyun Realm. Yet every single one gave Su Yu the impression of immense strength—not a whit weaker than some Sun Moons.
As soon as everyone arrived, Zhou Hun of the Tianyuan race, draped in a black robe that shrouded him from head to toe, let out an eerie chuckle. "So you are Brother Xuan Jiu. I have long heard your great name, and we finally meet."
Along with his words, Su Yu's sea of will trembled faintly. The divine character "Calamity" gave a throb, and a wisp of black qi vaguely surfaced in his sea of will.
However... it vanished in an instant.
The little fur ball gave a yawn and casually gulped it down, only to spit out a mouthful afterward with utter disgust, as though it had just tasted something filthy.
Revolting!
Zhou Hun, however, gave a slight shudder. In that very instant, with a deafening boom, a fist smashed forward!
Zhou Hun stumbled back dozens of steps. Su Yu, on the other hand, was taken aback. He wasn't sent flying by that?
Even though it wasn't his full power, Zhou Hun was merely at the third stage of Shanhai.
I actually failed to knock him flying?
I mobilized the power of nearly a hundred thousand apertures, didn't I?
"Enough!"
Moduona said indifferently, "Zhou Hun, stop showing off your useless curse-killing arts if you have nothing better to do."
Zhou Hun, having been knocked back by Su Yu's punch, showed no anger. Nor did he seem injured. He gave a chilling smile. "Just playing around. No need to be upset. Everyone says Xuan Jiu is quite young, and that had it not been for the death qi's interference, he would have made the Heaven Hunting Ranking long ago. I was merely having a bit of fun with Brother Xuan Jiu."
Su Yu said coldly, "If you want to play, there will be plenty of chances! Save that talk for when you reach the ninth stage of Shanhai. Right now... you're not worthy!"
"I will get there."
Zhou Hun chuckled darkly. "Fair enough. Now is the time for serious business. Honestly, there isn't much to discuss. The other races won't be an issue, but what do the immortal race, Archaic Giant race, Five Elements race, and Ape race say? If you're unwilling, then withdraw. It's as simple as that."
At those words, Foutuling chuckled. "Let's hear it first. If the plan is feasible, there's no reason we can't give it a shot, right?"
As he spoke, he looked toward Su Yu with a grin. "Senior Xuan Jiu, what do you think?"
Su Yu said indifferently, "This time, there are fourteen quasi-Invincibles. If it's inconvenient for the immortal race to act, they can simply pull out, sparing themselves the trouble of being branded allies of the humans and forced into battle! The other races, together with our Heaven Hunting Pavilion, have thirteen quasi-Invincibles. Wouldn't breaching Nanyuan be child's play? On the Nanyuan Xia family's side, the strongest is merely Xia the Second, an eighth-stage Sun Moon. Even hailing from the Xia family and wielding the sharpness of the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, a single quasi-Invincible can suppress him with ease."
On Nanyuan's side, it seemed Marquis Xia was the only truly formidable figure.
"As for the Zhu family and Qin family—Zhu Tiandao is, after all, the direct son of an Invincible, a ninth-stage Sun Moon, so it would be best to assign a quasi-Invincible to keep him down. Qin Hao is King Daqin's second son; assign another quasi-Invincible to suppress him!"
Su Yu continued calmly, "Three quasi-Invincibles are enough to suppress those peak Sun Moons! As for the rest, what is there to fear? The remaining experts will wait for the Xia family's trump card, which might very well be Nan Wujiang. With ten quasi-Invincibles, they can certainly hold their own against him. Once Nan Wujiang appears, that traitorous human Invincible will have no more scruples, and he may step forward in person to slay Nan Wujiang..."
Su Yu made it sound simple, but Zhan Wushuang frowned slightly. "It isn't that simple! Nan Wujiang... everyone says the Primordial Cult Master is Nan Wujiang, but don't you think this trump card was exposed too quickly? Even if the Primordial Cult Master really is Nan Wujiang, the plan hasn't even begun, yet the Xia family leaked this trump card. The information came from Lan Tian's mouth. Can Lan Tian's words be trusted?"
Saying so, he looked toward Moduona. "Lan Tian was brought under your sway, while Primordial has cooperated with our god race for many years. The likelihood that Primordial is Nan Wujiang... I don't think it is very high. When Nan Wujiang fell in battle, Primordial had actually already appeared—in fact, slightly earlier. Could it be that he had prepared this identity that far back?"
Moduona asked, "You didn't know Primordial's true identity, yet you cooperated with him?"
"We did," Zhan Wushuang explained. "But as you know, this is the Human Realm after all. We had Sun Moons maintaining contact with him and even met him in person, but... that doesn't mean we could truly see through him! When Primordial first cooperated with us, he was only at the first stage of Sun Moon. A hundred years have passed since then, and he has stepped into the quasi-Invincible Realm with monstrous talent. If he really is Nan Wujiang, that means we misjudged him all those years ago, and he has been concealing himself the entire time."
Having said that, Zhan Wushuang asked, "Is there an issue with Lan Tian?"
"Him?" Moduona replied placidly. "Hard to say. Our relationship with Lan Tian can only be described as a partnership! Back then, Lan Tian was captured on the Allheaven Battlefield, but we didn't kill him. He claimed he wanted to forge a Human Realm where the myriad races lived in peaceful coexistence. The one who dealt with him was Devil King Zhimor, and Devil King Zhimor had his own calculations. As for the specifics, even I am not privy to them. Thus, whether Lan Tian's claims are true or false is difficult to tell."
Su Yu interrupted, "Whether it's true or not, just guard against it! In any case, if we join forces, dealing with the Xia family won't be difficult. What everyone truly worries about is whether the Xia family possesses the combat power to counter an Invincible. If they really do, then we withdraw. With over a dozen quasi-Invincibles, it's not as though we won't even have a chance to pull back."
After a beat, he added, "The Tianyuan, god, and fiend races all know the identity of that traitorous Invincible, don't you? If worse comes to worst, just have him take action!"
Zhou Hun gave an eerie chuckle. "Who knows who he is! That individual did cooperate with our race's Invincible back then, but that doesn't mean we know his identity. Why probe for this, Brother Xuan Jiu? If we knew, we would have spoken long ago."
Heh!
Su Yu remained noncommittal. Even if you knew, you wouldn't say.
Without pursuing the matter, Su Yu continued, "If we act, then it's decided: our pavilion's Eighth Elder will handle Xia the Second, while the Third Elder and the other quasi-Invincibles wait for the Xia family's hidden cards to emerge. The Zhu family will be left to the god race, and the Qin family to the fiend race. As for the War God Hall and the Quest Realm, you two just need to keep a slight eye on them!"
There was no elaborate plan—just overwhelming combat power!
Nor was there any need for intricate plotting. The main variable was simply whatever means the Xia family had to counter an Invincible. It was that straightforward.
At that moment, Long Yingyue of the Dragon race said coolly, "Once the Xia family is crushed and unable to resist, how will the ruins be divided?"
Su Yu replied calmly, "By everyone's own capability. Does that even need asking? If any of you acquire the Civilization Tombstone, you can sell it to my Heaven Hunting Pavilion; the price will be generous."
Moduona and several others nodded. Soon, Moduona asked, "Dao Cheng, will your immortal race participate?"
Dao Cheng remained silent for a moment before speaking: "We will wait and see how things unfold first."
Zhan Wushuang said coldly, "If that is the case, then whoever does not participate will be attacked by all of us jointly if they try to seize the ruins later!"
"Agreed!"
The others nodded. If one refused to pay the price yet wanted the spoils, naturally things wouldn't be so easy.
"Command the Sun Moons of the minor races to besiege and kill the remaining humans!"
"Agreed!"
"When exactly do we strike?"
"Let the quasi-Invincibles of each race discuss that in person!"
"Fine!"
"..."
The group quickly reached an accord.
Su Yu was merely the convener. For the rest, these geniuses had no need to obey him and wouldn't listen anyway. It was all a formality—a bunch of people sitting down to discuss cooperation, while in truth, every quasi-Invincible had their own agenda.
With the discussion concluded, Su Yu prepared to depart.
Dao Cheng, who had barely spoken throughout, suddenly spoke up: "Brother Xuan Jiu, let us walk together."
"Hm?"
Su Yu turned his head, his heart tightening slightly. What was this?
Did you recognize me?
Impossible!
Keeping his composure, Su Yu said, "Very well!"
The others watched them leave. Once they were gone, Zhan Wushuang suddenly remarked, "Did Dao Cheng discover something? There were rumors before that Xuan Jiu was connected to Su Yu, or might even be the same person. Could it be..."
He glanced at the others. "Did any of you sense anything?"
The resonance between geniuses was always the sharpest!
Moduona said indifferently, "There is a slight resonance, though not very strong. It is certainly true that Xuan Jiu is a genius. As for whether he is Su Yu... everyone is welcome to go to Xinghong Ancient City and test it out again."
Test out my foot!
The others ignored him. Going there to test it was practically courting death.
Even though Xinghong Ancient City had quieted down over the past two days, poking at it again might thoroughly enrage Su Yu. Anyone who went there to test the waters would die in vain.
"Foutuling, you've dealt with Su Yu several times. Do you think Xuan Jiu resembles Su Yu?"
In the crowd, Foutuling, who was just about to escape into the earth, chuckled and said, "Well... that's hard to say! It's true Su Yu is skilled in disguise. Back when he posed as Tianduo, I nearly failed to see through him. But this Xuan Jiu possesses formidable strength around the third stage of Sun Moon. Could Su Yu... truly improve this quickly?"
He was somewhat suspicious, yet far from certain.
As for Su Yu's eruption in the ancient city, frankly speaking, in Foutuling's eyes, that didn't mean much either.
If Su Yu truly had disguised himself, it wouldn't be unprecedented. It was just that the stone statue's intervention had been rather unusual.
"Whether he is Su Yu or not... it doesn't matter anymore, does it?" Zhou Hun chuckled eerily. "If he isn't, there is no need to care. If he is, this is the Human Realm, not the ancient city. Even if he possesses third-stage Sun Moon strength, what can he do? There are numerous quasi-Invincibles gathered right here."
Did it really matter whether he was or wasn't?
Everyone smiled. Soon, they went their separate ways.
...
Meanwhile, outside.
Dao Cheng walked alongside Su Yu. Su Yu wondered what this fellow was actually up to.
After walking for a bit, Dao Cheng suddenly asked, "Are you Su Yu?"
Su Yu replied flatly, "If you think I am, I am; if not, I am not. Dao Lord Dao Cheng, would it make any difference whether I deny it or confirm it?"
Dao Cheng gave a soft laugh. "True enough. However... there are still a few things I wish to say. This time, it will be very difficult for the Xia family's plan to succeed! There are too many constraints! Drawing out the traitorous Invincible is neither simple nor easy! Even if Liu Wenyan truly reaches the ninth stage of Sun Moon, so long as that person refuses to show himself, can the Xia family really ferret out his identity?"
"What is Dao Lord Dao Cheng getting at?"
Dao Cheng looked at him and smiled. "In truth, the one with the greatest hope of drawing that person out is still Su Yu! Su Yu is the genuine genius! I refuse to believe he will simply be corroded to death by death qi. He is living quite comfortably in the ancient city, guarded by an ancient stone statue. In fact, he is the most dangerous one—the one who poses the greatest threat to that traitorous Invincible..."
Su Yu nodded. "That makes sense."
Dao Cheng chuckled softly. "Therefore, if one truly wants the Xia family's plan to succeed and draw that fellow out, it cannot rely on Liu Wenyan and the others. In my view, it still hinges on Su Yu! Killing Su Yu on the Allheaven Battlefield... is simply too difficult! He has the ancient city to rely upon. Even Devil King Rade and the others had their physical bodies blasted apart by that stone statue, and the traitorous human Invincible would be no exception. Only by slaying Su Yu here in the Human Realm can that threat be permanently eliminated!"
Su Yu nodded once more. You think almost the same way I do.
Sure enough, we are both smart people.
Pity you did something foolish earlier. The first time around, you just had to find trouble with me, and your fiancée ended up blown apart by me. What a shame.
Su Yu said impassively, "Are you telling me all this because you think I am Su Yu, hoping I'll reveal my identity to lure out that Invincible?"
Dao Cheng gave an eerie smile. "Not at all. Brother Xuan Jiu misunderstands me. However... I am merely saying what if. What if Brother Xuan Jiu truly is Su Yu? That would be terrifying. A Su Yu at the third stage of Sun Moon, a white mask of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion—or perhaps even an elder! The castellan of an ancient city! All these identities blended into one. If Su Yu does not die, the moment he discovers that traitor's identity one day, Liu Wenyan and the others might be powerless against that person, but Su Yu? With ancient non-human Invincibles backing him, he fears nothing!"
Dao Cheng smiled and continued, "If Liu Wenyan and the others fail to become Invincibles, the human Invincibles might not necessarily stand up for them. But Su Yu does not need them to. He only needs to maintain good relations with those stone statues. Once all thirty-six stone statues step forth, they could forcibly pummel that traitor to dust!"
"Liu Wenyan does not possess the conditions to slay an Invincible. Su Yu does!"
Su Yu turned to look at him, smiling faintly. "Yet if Su Yu reveals his identity, that Invincible will come to kill him... Dao Lord Dao Cheng truly has quite a scheme. Still, I am well aware of the grudge between you and Su Yu. Don't you plan to slay him with your own hands?"
Dao Cheng sighed. "Difficult, far too difficult! And so, I actually hope Brother Xuan Jiu is Su Yu. If that is the case, perhaps... even an Invincible won't be able to kill you?"
Dao Cheng smiled.
Whether Xuan Jiu was Su Yu or not didn't matter. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, these words might actually convince Su Yu to reveal his identity. An Invincible would come to kill him—an Invincible hidden deeply in the shadows.
And Su Yu, here in Nanyuan, had no ancient city to lean on.
Su Yu laughed. "Alright, that's quite interesting... You know, now that you mention it... I've actually got an idea! How about this: Brother Dao Cheng, post a mission and have people from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion shout these words outside the city to pass the message along to Su Yu. Who knows, perhaps he really will show up!"
Dao Cheng looked deeply at him and smiled. "Very well!"
Xuan Jiu, Su Yu...
He repeated the names silently in his heart. Whether he was Su Yu or not, as long as these words reached Su Yu's ears, it would suffice.
Su Yu's threat was far greater than Liu Wenyan's.
Anyone with discerning eyes knew this!
Even if Liu Wenyan reached the ninth stage of Sun Moon, as long as he hadn't achieved Invincibility, he possessed no capital to kill an Invincible. Only Su Yu possessed that capital—or rather, in the entire Human Realm today, aside from the Invincibles themselves, only Su Yu, a non-Invincible, had such power.
If King Daqin's son asked King Daqin to kill a fellow Invincible, would King Daqin do it?
Never!
Su Yu could!
Those ancient stone statues did not care whom they killed. Plenty of humans had died in the ancient city as well; during the dead spirit slaughter, the stone statues had shown no preferential treatment toward humanity.
Putting himself in that Invincible's shoes, Dao Cheng felt that if he were that traitor, he wouldn't fear Liu Wenyan and his ilk at present, but he would certainly dread Su Yu discovering his identity and leading the stone statues to butcher him.
Therefore, if there was a chance to kill Su Yu outside the ancient city, it was well worth attempting.
Dao Cheng left.
Beside him, Xuanjia sent a voice transmission: "Did he figure it out?"
"Not really. Just testing the waters."
Su Yu sighed internally. A truly outstanding person really couldn't stay hidden.
He had tried so hard to conceal himself: having the stone statue assist in the disguise, taking off the mask in person, unleashing third-stage Sun Moon strength, using racial talent skills, slaying Xia Xinyi...
With so many smokescreens, there were still people who suspected him!
He could only say that he was simply too exceptional. So exceptional that whenever these people saw someone so outstanding, they immediately thought that in all the heavens, perhaps only Su Yu was capable of it.
Indeed, genius is a lonely burden.
Su Yu lamented silently for a while!
...
The next day.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and everyone felt the mounting pressure.
Early in the morning, signs of an advancement to the Sun Moon Realm appeared within Nanyuan City. It seemed to be Chen Yong's aura. As expected, having stepped into the ninth stage of Shanhai earlier, Chen Yong was now making his push toward the Sun Moon Realm.
Liu Wenyan, on the other hand, showed no signs of advancing just yet.
In the void, figures of quasi-Invincible experts manifested one after another.
"Let us not wait any longer. If Liu Wenyan actually succeeds, it will not be good for us."
"There is no need to wait. Why not launch the attack now!"
"..."
Several experts began exchanging voice transmissions.
Waiting served no purpose!
If they delayed further and allowed Liu Wenyan to make his breakthrough, it would only cause needless trouble.
...
On the other side.
Zhu Tiandao had joined up with the forces from the Great Qin Prefecture. At that moment, his expression was grave. "They can't hold back anymore and are about to strike. Qin Hao, can the three of us second sons manage this time?"
Qin Hao paused slightly, then quickly realized what he meant and was left speechless.
What did he mean, "the three of us second sons"?!
Well, he, Marquis Xia, and Zhu Tiandao were indeed all the second sons of their respective families.
Qin Hao took a deep breath as well, looking toward the void with a somber look. "There are too many of them. It's difficult! I think the three of us might die here."
Saying so, he gave a faint smile. "If we die, so be it! Even if we die, it won't be easy for these fellows to leave the Human Realm alive!"
He then asked, "Where is Lord King Daming?"
"Over by the Boundless Void," Zhu Tiandao replied, shaking his head. "Don't count on him. We can't!"
King Daming couldn't leave. If he left, foreign Invincibles could easily breach the Human Realm—true bodies descending directly into their midst!
He added, "Including my father, there are eight Invincibles holding the line in the Boundless Void. They can intercept any Invincibles attempting to force their way in, but because they are holding off those Invincibles, they won't be able to intervene inside our borders."
Zhu Tiandao inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled.
His heart weighed heavy.
Fourteen quasi-Invincibles!
He could sense them!
Even though those experts weren't actively radiating their pressure, their mere presence brought the void to a standstill. Fortunately, there were no ordinary mortals present; otherwise, they would have been suffocated to death on the spot.
Qin Hao flicked his spear, casting a glance at the crowd gathered on the outer perimeter in the distance. He smiled faintly, then shook his head. "We can't rely on those fellows. Sigh, four hundred years ago, human Sun Moons like them would never have stood idly by. Over all these years, the Invincibles focused too much on the Allheaven Battlefield, neglecting the Human Realm and the shifting hearts of men. Several centuries have passed; the older generation died in battle, and most of the new generation have forgotten certain truths. Hopefully... our blood can awaken them!"
Zhu Tiandao said flatly, "Awaken them with your own blood if you like. I have zero interest in using mine to wake those bastards up."
Even as he spoke, several elderly figures flew through the sky from afar.
Some were from the Quest Realm, others from the War God Hall.
All of them were advanced in age!
Among them, some had hair white as snow, some looked sallow and withered, and some wore helpless expressions...
Elder Wang of the Quest Realm was among them as well.
They flew straight toward the group. Leading them was an old crone whose teeth had already fallen out. Coughing a few times, she asked with a smile, "Little Zhu, Little Qin, a grand battle is about to begin, isn't it?"
The old crone glanced upward and laughed raspily. "We are old... In many matters, our voices no longer carry weight. Having spent years in seclusion, there are things we couldn't manage, nor had the power to manage. Count us in."
Zhu Tiandao looked at the group. Behind him, Hu Qi broke into a grin. "Old Sister, you're still alive!"
The old crone looked at Hu Qi and smiled faintly. "Barely clinging to life. I must have given you something to laugh at, little sister..."
Hu Qi smiled brightly. "I knew it. I knew we'd have another day fighting side by side! It's just that shameless Niu Baidao—he ran off to seek Dao verification! Old Sister, tell me, is heaven truly blind? Even a shameless old scoundrel like him gets to verify his Dao one day..."
The old crone laughed. "Don't speak of him like that. In his youth, his talent was startling; he just had bad luck. King Daming, that sham of a scholar who could barely read a handful of characters, ended up inheriting an ancient Civilization Master ruin instead. Otherwise, the one who became an Invincible would have been Niu Baidao. The two of them were only a hair's breadth apart back then..."
Zhu Tiandao was utterly helpless. Grandmas, you're old and free to gossip, but could you at least do it out of my earshot?
That's my father!
My Zhu family are cultured people!
A lineage of Civilization Masters!
The two exchanged a few more words, and the elderly newcomers swiftly merged into the ranks.
Here, counting the Xia family, the human Sun Moons totaled more than eighty.
At this moment, there were roughly twenty Sun Moons inside the city, representing the accumulated strength of the Xia family. Outside the city, Zhu Tiandao's side had over thirty Sun Moons, bringing the fighting total to more than fifty Sun Moon experts.
There were still twenty to thirty Sun Moons who did not budge, remaining on the periphery as onlookers.
Zhu Tiandao didn't care; whether they joined or not was entirely up to them.
This was already considerably better than expected.
All around, Sun Moons were gathering as well.
Su Yu had not been completely stripped of command. He had chosen not to enter the city, opting instead to intercept the Zhu and Qin families on the outer perimeter. The troops originally under his command remained with him.
At this moment, he led a host of Sun Moons closer to where the two families had gathered.
War was on the verge of erupting.
...
Inside the city.
Atop the city walls, all of the Xia family's Sun Moons had assembled: several minor realm garrison commanders, various generals, and newly minted Sun Moons like Xia Yunqi. In total, the Xia family fielded more than twenty Sun Moons.
Marquis Xia looked ahead, his expression grim and cold.
Beside him, every Sun Moon radiated swelling battle aura.
Facing them was a host of over a hundred Sun Moon powerhouses. The foreign races boasted more than a hundred Sun Moons, and at this moment, each and every one stood primed for battle.
Hong Tan stood among the defenders. With a smile on his face, he said softly, "Marquis, it seems the Xia family hasn't fought a battle of this scale in many years, has it?"
"Mm!"
Marquis Xia said calmly, "We fought one when the Xia family founded the prefecture, though back then it was mainly my father who took part. There hasn't been anything on this scale since."
He chuckled. "Truth be told, Longwu has fought far more major battles than I have. I've rarely seen a spectacle like this myself. You could call this a first for me!"
After sharing a laugh, Marquis Xia suddenly roared, "The myriad races enter our Human Realm, enter the territory of my Great Xia Prefecture—are you preparing to assault my Great Xia Prefecture by force?"
"Withdraw immediately!"
Marquis Xia bellowed, and the Sun Moons behind him roared in unison, "Withdraw!"
Their voices shook the clouds.
A moment later, a transparent barrier rose. Inside the city, divine talisman masters poured out their full strength to sustain the newly erected formation. While not extraordinarily resilient, it could hold for a short time.
Beast tamers summoned their mounts and waited inside the city, ready to charge out of Nanyuan the instant the city was breached.
Warriors held their blades in waiting, while Civilization Masters readied their respective techniques.
Every Shanhai and every Lingyun stood waiting.
Waiting for the great war!
They might be weak, but at the critical moment, they could form battle arrays to besiege and kill fellow Shanhais, or even Sun Moons!
The Great Xia Prefecture did not fear war!
The Xia family had waged campaigns for centuries. In recent decades, Xia Longwu had led armies across the heavens. If nothing else, courage and killing intent had been thoroughly forged into their bones.
The worst outcome was merely death!
Their morale surged like a rainbow!
It clashed head-on against the oppressive auras of the experts outside the city.
Outside the city, quasi-Invincibles unleashed their auras one after another, pressing down upon Nanyuan.
The quasi-Invincible of the god race manifested outside Nanyuan, looking toward the city as he said calmly, "Xia family, hand over the members of the multiple divine character faction, and we shall call off this affair. Otherwise, centuries of the Xia family's heritage will be reduced to ash! Surely that is not what either of us desires!"
Marquis Xia looked at him and sneered, "What the fuck are you spouting?"
The god race quasi-Invincible took no offense; he was long past the age of being provoked by foul language. He said placidly, "Peace among the myriad races, working together to forge a golden age for all races—this is what all races desire! The multiple divine character faction is the greatest obstacle to this dream! Humanity has enjoyed centuries of peace, with major wars being rare. The only exception was when Ye Batian sought Dao verification, resulting in catastrophic casualties. Today, that day has arrived once more. Does the Xia family truly intend to abandon the Great Xia Prefecture, built over centuries, for the sake of just a few individuals?"
To condemn the heart before the body; to assail the mind before the walls.
The god race expert continued, "The Xia family may be willing to die for them, but ask the soldiers under your command—are their hearts entirely free of resentment? Are they all willing to die for Hong Tan and his fellows? All of this could have been avoided!"
"We are willing!"
Behind Marquis Xia, expert after expert bellowed with fury!
Their killing intent pierced the heavens!
Marquis Xia sneered. "A clumsy tactic!"
"No, I speak the simple truth," the god race expert replied indifferently. "They may claim to be willing, but... do not forget that they have clans, families! If the Xia family falls, devastation will sweep the land. The hundreds of millions of humans in the Great Xia Prefecture will be forced to leave their homes, fleeing to perilous lands just to eke out a living. Without the Great Xia Prefecture's protection, great demons will soon run rampant, devouring mortals... Starving corpses will stretch for tens of thousands of li; millions will float dead in the waters...
"Is this truly what your Xia family wishes to see?
"Do hundreds of millions of living beings not outweigh Hong Tan and a handful of others?
"As long as you surrender them, we will not kill them. They need only visit our respective realms as guests. Our races will treat them with courtesy and await their natural passing..."
The god race expert smiled faintly as he concluded, "This is also the promise of the myriad races: we will not take their lives!"
It was merely imprisonment!
Naturally, the various races didn't mind granting them comfortable treatment—housing them in grand estates, providing fine food and drink, assigning servants to attend to them. Those were trivial matters.
They would simply let these people pass away with the flow of time, forbidding them from cultivating and cutting off their lineage for good.
Such a solution would also soften the resentment of the human race.
Marquis Xia sighed. It sounded so noble.
He couldn't let this fellow continue speaking. The god race had a real knack for swaying hearts. Any high-level expert could do it, of course; usually they just didn't bother.
If he let this creature drone on, undermining troop morale would not bode well.
"Then how about I invite your whole damn family to be guests in my Xia family instead?!"
With a cold sneer, a beam of blade qi pierced heaven and earth. Marquis Xia roared furiously, "If you want war, then war it is!"
Buzz!
Blade qi swept across the heavens!
"Stubborn fools!"
The god race expert snorted coldly, sending a palm strike out that blanketed heaven and earth.
At the same time, other experts struck out in succession!
War had broken out.
Just as Su Yu turned to look, his eyes nearly burst with fury. In that instant, a black-robed powerhouse flickered in and out of the void, sneering as a flash of pitch-black light gleamed from his hand. In the blink of an eye, Nanyuan City's defensive formation shattered.
Inside the city, countless cries of agony rang out.
One divine talisman master after another dissolved into pools of corpse fluid. A single strike from the Tianyuan race's curse-killing arts had utterly demolished the formation, and the Civilization Masters who had anchored it perished in an instant.
Boom!
Su Yu had no time to think. Beside him, dozens of Sun Moons rapidly assembled—not just from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, but from other races as well—and charged toward the Zhu and Qin families!
The great battle had erupted!
In an instant, the experts of the three great human families were forced onto the defensive.
Zhu Tiandao and his peers paid no heed to the chaos below, tearing through the air into the skies above. Marquis Xia and his allies did the same; high-stage Sun Moons soared into the void to battle the quasi-Invincibles!
Boom!
In what seemed like a heartbeat, General Zhao, having just charged into the void, was struck by a punch that sent him vomiting blood and tumbling downward. Yet almost immediately, General Zhao roared and charged back into the void!
One high-stage Sun Moon after another tore into the skies.
Down below, the foreign races besieged the human Sun Moons. Lacking the support of those high-stage Sun Moons, the humans instantly fell into a disadvantage.
Su Yu gritted his teeth. Still not coming?
Is Head Prefect Wan not going to intervene?
The disparity was simply too vast!
If this continued, people would begin dying in moments. If Head Prefect Wan didn't show up, how could they fight this?
Of the fourteen quasi-Invincibles, six or seven had yet to strike, remaining as onlookers. Figures like Gu Shan of the Archaic Giant race were still watching from the sidelines.
Once they joined the fray, the three families would have no hope of holding them off.
Suppressed!
Completely and utterly suppressed!
Su Yu gritted his teeth. If worst came to worst, he would erupt right now and kill as many as he could...
"Don't be rash!"
At that moment, Xuanjia beside him suddenly sent a voice transmission: "Don't be rash. Wait a little longer!"
"Elder..."
Su Yu's heart stirred. Xuanjia quickly continued, "They are still probing, wary that the Xia family might produce unexpected reinforcements. Wait a little longer... Wait until the battle becomes fierce and they are locked in slaughter. Once that happens, none of them will be able to run even if they want to!"
Su Yu's heart tightened. "Then... then people will die in battle..."
Xuanjia went silent for a moment before replying, "This is war!"
It was as simple as that!
Su Yu actually didn't want anyone to die... Xuanjia didn't know what to say to that. It was impossible. In war, dragging these people into the quagmire would inevitably cost lives.
A sense of powerlessness washed over Su Yu, but he said no more.
This was war!
War had broken out!
Chapter 484