No past, no future!
There was only Wan Tiansheng in the present!
The ninth stage of the Sun Moon Realm—truly the ninth stage. Neither an Invincible nor a quasi-Invincible, yet his state was profound and unfathomable.
He had no past and no future, but he roamed perpetually through the river of time, remaining always at his peak, his absolute pinnacle!
However strong he had been in the past, he was that strong now.
However strong he would be in the future, he remained that strong now.
It was a state pushed to the absolute extreme. This was a path he had forged on his own, one that no one could fathom, no one could understand.
The traitor had revealed himself!
Though it was merely a future embodiment, that was enough. Slaying this future embodiment would expose the traitor's true body.
Those Invincibles were currently on the Allheaven Battlefield, gathered in groups of three to five to protect someone's Dao attainment. If anything happened to one, their companions would witness it instantly—unless all three or five of them were traitors.
Down below, Su Yu was overjoyed!
Damn it!
That turtle bastard had finally crawled out. Everyone's struggle hadn't been in vain. No matter what, they had to destroy this guy's future embodiment today. Once his future embodiment was killed, he would have nowhere left to hide!
Su Yu let out a thunderous roar, his blood surging!
Death qi surged outward, blanketing the surroundings!
"Come at me, all of you! Your grandfather will beat every one of you to death!"
Su Yu bellowed, brimming with fiery vigor. He would kill them all, and if he couldn't kill every single one, he would take out at least three to five of these top prodigies on the Heaven Ranking!
Death qi rolled forth in an endless tide!
He resembled an inexhaustible perpetual motion engine. His death qi would never run dry—provided, of course, that the Invincible dead spirit could endure it. Su Yu felt there would be no issue. What had he even done so far? He was only at the Soaring Realm in fleshly refinement; Monarch Xingyue could definitely take it!
He had complete faith in that mighty dead spirit monarch!
"Kill!"
Now, Su Yu held nothing back. Reinforced by the "Strength" divine character and shaken by the vibrations of the "Shock" divine character, his breathing technique churned. Every move, every punch, every palm strike was pushed to the absolute limit!
Rumble!
One punch, two punches, three punches...
Boom!
Empowered by an Immortal King, Dao Cheng took three punches before his physical body blew apart. His sea of will fled, and his physical form restored itself an instant later. Dao Cheng's face looked hideous; it was the immortal race's flesh-and-blood regeneration art.
Su Yu knew that technique as well!
Of course, every instance of flesh-and-blood regeneration demanded an immense expenditure.
Zhan Wushuang lunged at Su Yu with his spear. Su Yu allowed the spear to plunge straight into his flesh as five-element flames erupted. With a hum, the void was incinerated, transforming into a breeze. As the wind swept past, Su Yu vanished, then materialized out of thin air with a punch that sent Zhan Wushuang's flesh and blood flying.
Su Yu battled more than a dozen prodigies all by himself, and almost every Heaven Ranking genius among them was receiving external empowerment.
Those backers might be Immortal Kings, Fiend Kings, or Half-Emperors.
Yet none of them had arrived in person. Perhaps they feared death, harbored reservations, or simply could not make the crossing.
Su Yu didn't care about any of that!
He only knew one thing: power never appeared out of thin air. Since these geniuses were being empowered across the void, it meant their backers were paying an even steeper price and expending even greater strength!
Under such circumstances, while he appeared to be fighting an ordinary Sun Moon, the entity on the other end was likely exerting their full might to maintain the distant link. This was the equivalent of tying down more than a dozen Invincibles!
He was experienced in this!
Take himself, for instance. Although Su Yu hadn't checked, he knew that Monarch Xingyue was probably in a miserable state right now, perhaps unable to fight at all. He only hoped Her Ladyship was fine and that no major battle broke out in the realm of the dead to finish her off.
Even if Xingyue were destroyed, Su Yu would still have an abundance of death qi because he was a castellan.
He had no shortage of death qi!
Death qi continually erupted from the dead spirit passageway, only to be redirected by a special formation into the stone sculpture, which then transferred it entirely to Su Yu through the Castellan Token.
Given this arrangement, even if Xingyue were slain, it wouldn't be catastrophic; he would simply have somewhat less death qi than he possessed right now.
As Su Yu attacked relentlessly, death qi continuously blanketed the surroundings.
The entire battlefield turned into a field of death qi.
Other prodigies, including both human and myriad races' Sun Moon experts, beat a hasty retreat.
None dared rashly charge into the fray now.
These prodigies coordinated well. Whenever Su Yu attempted to kill one, another would intercept him.
Su Yu considered the situation and gritted his teeth. *I won't kill you just yet!*
If he killed them, the Invincibles and Half-Emperors backing them would stop channeling power. He wouldn't kill them; he would drag out the fight and force those mighty experts to continually pump in strength to keep them afloat!
Moreover, the prodigies' goal was still the heritage site and the Wen Tombstone.
Su Yu turned thoroughly vicious, deliberately fighting his way toward the heritage site.
*Let's slaughter our way inside together!*
*We'll wear each other down!*
The Wen Tombstone was right nearby. Those Half-Emperors and Invincibles would likely be reluctant to let it go. As long as they refused to give up, they wouldn't sever the power transmission. He was tying down more than a dozen Invincibles all on his own—weren't they terrified?
Those attempting Dao attainment on the Allheaven Battlefield owed their deepest thanks not to anyone else, but to him!
Because of him, the stone sculpture had shattered the three-life embodiments of over a dozen Invincibles.
Because of him, six Invincibles had come here today—no, seven, including the traitor!
Because of him, over a dozen prodigies had come to seize the Wen Tombstone, heavily empowered by Invincibles and Half-Emperors who continually channeled strength across realms to display Sun Moon might, which perhaps demanded their full Invincible capacity!
He wouldn't kill them. If he did, the Invincibles behind them would see no hope and retract their energy, losing the stalling effect.
Su Yu's mind spun rapidly: *Then stall it is!*
*Stall to the very end!*
As he fought his way in that direction, the others assumed he wanted to seize the Wen Tombstone. After all, rumor had it that the object was intimately tied to the many-character lineage, and Hong Tan and the others had all elevated their strength because of it.
The others moved quickly to block him!
Zhan Wushuang roared furiously, "Moduona, what are you doing?"
Moduona hadn't made a move!
Bastard!
Did he truly believe he was peerless under heaven, invincible to all?
Or did he think ganging up on Su Yu was beneath his dignity?
Was he an idiot?
This was no longer a personal duel. By now, the Wen Tombstone touched upon matters concerning Emperors, concerning entire races!
Most of the prodigies on the Heaven Ranking were already engaged in battle, yet Moduona was merely standing by as a spectator. What was that idiot thinking?
Over there, Moduona offered no reply.
Su Yu was also surprised. What was Moduona doing?
That guy might very well have a Half-Emperor dwelling within him. If he truly joined the fray, as the undisputed number one genius on the Heaven Ranking, possessing an immense physical body and the ability to slaughter Sun Moon experts, his combat power wouldn't necessarily be weaker than Su Yu's. Yet he refused to strike?
To be frank, even Su Yu found it bizarre.
What was he brooding over?
As for ganging up on him... that was only natural. Were their positions reversed, Su Yu would jump at the chance to gang up on someone else. He enjoyed using numbers to bully the few. The only issue was that his own side had always lacked numbers; otherwise, who would willingly fight outnumbered?
Could Moduona truly be that naive?
While Su Yu pondered this, Moduona neither spoke nor moved.
He simply watched in silence.
Intervene?
To have the power of an Invincible or Half-Emperor grafted onto him, continually altering his internal constitution and constantly adapting his vessel to accommodate those Invincibles and Half-Emperors?
Moduona believed certain individuals understood what that truly entailed.
He was unwilling.
He was himself. He was not the next Half-Emperor, nor did he wish to become one. Until the very final moment, he would not intervene. If he truly had to strike, he preferred to wait and see.
While they were locked in frantic combat, an earth-shattering detonation shook the Human Realm. Boom!
The void shattered, and a terrifying force swept across the four directions.
Rumble!
Numerous nearby experts, regardless of race, either perished instantly or were left critically injured, teetering on the verge of death.
With a loud crack, a section of the void ruptured. A golden mask broke in half, revealing half of a handsome face. "Cough, cough..."
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Coughing, the Head of the Yellow Division picked up a small stone, looked toward the illusory Dragon King and the river of time that pierced heaven and earth opposite him, and chuckled softly. "Both past and future have perished. Baiyue Dragon King, if you have the guts, bring your present embodiment across, and I will gladly see you off!"
The Dragon King's figure was ethereal, a faint phantom hovering above the river of time, looking utterly bleak.
Two of his three embodiments were dead!
It had been a battle of three-life embodiments; in truth, the Head of the Yellow Division had only sent a three-life embodiment as well.
Yet through brutal combat, two of the Dragon King's embodiments had been blown apart, leaving only his present embodiment back in the Dragon Realm.
Would he come again?
Come his ass!
This Dragon King possessed extraordinary combat power, but having lost two embodiments, coming now would be nothing short of suicide.
He was filled with reluctance!
The phantom drifted atop the long river, slowly dissipating, yet still clung to its bitter indignation. "Who are you? Are you Xia Chen, or who?"
Even now, he had no idea whom he had been fighting.
As for techniques and methods, the many-character lineage's arts shared many similarities, and after so many years, it was difficult to identify the man's true identity.
"The emergence of another Eternal among the humans is known to the myriad realms. Who are you? A fallen Eternal cannot be resurrected, and among those who still live, you are not among their ranks... Who in the world are you?"
He was not among the deceased, nor did he exist among the living Eternals.
Could he have attained the Dao through a heritage site?
Or was this fellow merely someone's three-life embodiment?
Whose embodiment could be this formidable?
He was on the verge of dissipating. If his present embodiment did not come, he had no choice but to abandon everything and wash his hands of this battlefield. Though he desperately wanted his present body to cross over, an Underworld King had already fallen today, and he had no desire to become the next dead Dragon King.
The Head of the Yellow Division ignored him, and the golden mask swiftly reformed over his face.
*Who am I?*
*I won't tell you!*
Letting the dragon wonder for the rest of his days, vomiting blood in frustration or even dying of rage, sounded far more satisfying. His present embodiment was hiding in the Dragon Realm; crossing the river of time to slay him there was obvious suicide, and the Head of the Yellow Division had no interest in such folly.
It wasn't that he couldn't kill him. Right now, he could cross the river of time, trace the connection of the embodiments, and storm into the Dragon Realm. As a human, he would not suffer suppression there, and he still stood a chance of slaying the opponent.
Yet once he made that strike... he wouldn't be able to return!
Moreover, killing this Dragon King right now would change nothing. Slaying a single Dragon King held little significance.
The Dragon King's phantom dissipated completely.
As it faded, it was laden with intense bitterness and unwillingness.
Nearby, someone cursed loudly, "Failed to kill his present embodiment, let the bastard keep his life, yet he still prattles on without end! You should've crossed over and butchered him on the spot!"
The speaker was none other than Marquis Xia.
Marquis Xia hurled a slash that sent a quasi-Invincible flying, then gasped for breath. "Truce, let's take a breather before fighting again! Head of the Yellow Division... lend a hand, help me chop this guy to death first..."
The Head of the Yellow Division paid him no heed, plunging instantly into another pocket of the void.
Over there, Xuanjia was on the verge of collapse!
Xuanjia was battling the embodiments of two Invincibles—one god, one fiend: God King Tiandang and Fiend King Mohe. Xuanjia was not a true Invincible after all; no matter how formidable his combat power, the combined assault of the two had forced his three embodiments apart.
However, the moment the Head of the Yellow Division joined the fray, divine characters sealed the heavens and earth beneath their coordinated strike. Now, it was the turn of the two Invincibles to look grim!
On another side, Zhu Tiandao was utterly suppressing the Immortal King!
This fellow was astonishingly powerful!
Not only was his personal strength formidable, but his arsenal of tricks seemed limitless.
Invincible divine talismans... he had hurled dozens of them, blowing up massive swathes of space with each detonation. The Immortal King was driven to furious curses, wondering if King Daming had gone completely insane, spending all these years doing nothing but drawing divine talismans for his son.
Yet the most pivotal confrontation remained centered on Wan Tiansheng.
Fiend King Lade harbored reservations; possessing only his future embodiment, he dared not risk his life too recklessly. Consequently, beneath Wan Tiansheng's overwhelming suppressive might, the Faceless Man was repeatedly sent flying.
Wan Tiansheng drifted through the void, remarking indifferently, "You are dead. I have decreed it! Why not merge your three embodiments and cross over in person to fight me? This future embodiment of yours is nowhere near my match! I am granting you the opportunity because I want to execute you with my own hands!"
Merge the three embodiments!
Crossing the river of time and drawing forth past and present—the Faceless Man remained silent. He truly had not anticipated that Wan Tiansheng would be strong to such an absurd degree.
Even joining forces with Lade, the two of them were completely outmatched by Wan Tiansheng.
Filled with rage and bitterness, he said coldly, "Wan Tiansheng, must you force me to defect from the human race? I never intended to betray us! I told you, my grudge with Ye Batian was a personal feud, nothing more! Have you never slain a fellow human in your life? Why must you corner me like this!"
"A personal feud?"
Wan Tiansheng replied coldly, "Then tell me, what kind of personal feud justified assassinating the geniuses of the many-character lineage year after year long after he was dead? A personal feud? You killed him, yet that wasn't enough, and you sought to wipe out the entire many-character faction?"
Unfathomably powerful, he unleashed strike after strike of sword light, repeatedly cleaving the Faceless Man through the void. Only the surging flow of the river of time managed to heal those grievous sword wounds.
The Faceless Man raged, "You forced my hand! You people pressured me again and again, forcing me into the open! If Liu Wenyan hadn't inherited Ye Batian's divine characters back then, none of this would have happened! With his divine characters preserved, how could I know whether he might resurrect? Only by completely severing everything tied to him could I ensure his absolute demise!"
Wan Tiansheng remarked chillingly, "Is that so? You speak with such righteousness, but when all is said and done, you still coveted his divine characters, his cultivation methods, and everything he possessed. Otherwise, you wouldn't have stolen his research data!"
At these words, the Faceless Man flew into a violent rage and snapped, "Utter nonsense! Ye Batian left behind no data whatsoever! Even if he did, I was not the one who took it! After killing him, I dared not even return to the Human Realm—how could I possibly have stolen any data!"
Wan Tiansheng frowned slightly and said no more. Sword qi erupted continuously, slicing the void into ribbons!
Fiend King Lade was clearly fishing in troubled waters and refusing to exert his full strength, piling even greater pressure upon the Faceless Man.
Six—no, seven—Invincible embodiments were still not enough!
Today's Human Realm exceeded everyone's wildest imaginations.
While they were locked in ceaseless combat, a rumbling roar echoed as a fractured sun plummeted from the sky.
"Tee-hee..."
"Dead, dead!"
"Wherever the Sacred Cult stands is sacred ground!"
The sound of that voice sent chills down everyone's spines. In the void, countless Lan Tians laughed and giggled. Through ferocious battle, Lan Tian had finally slain a quasi-Invincible!
With that, nine of the seventeen quasi-Invincibles were dead!
More than half had fallen!
The remaining eight quasi-Invincibles hailed from the fiend race, the Five Elements race, the Archaic Giant race, the immortal race, the Diamond Lion race, the Heavenly Spirit Ape race, the Golden-Winged Roc race, and the Nine-Headed Bird race.
At this moment, the eight experts hurriedly converged.
The pressure was crushing!
Surrounding them, the Primal Cult Master, Liu Wenyan, Marquis Xia, and Niu Baidao were all wounded to varying degrees.
The others had dispersed to provide support elsewhere.
As for Lan Tian, after slaying a quasi-Invincible, he scooped up a carrier and giggled. "I feel like uniting with the Dao! Would everyone like to watch? It's a very fascinating Dao integration. Past and future are dreadfully boring—how about I show you all how I integrate the Dao of the myriad races?"
"Lunatic!"
Marquis Xia cursed furiously. "Be normal! Can't you just attain the Dao normally? You're going to get yourself killed!"
Crazy though this madman was, he had at least returned to provide reinforcement and had slain a quasi-Invincible. Seeing him lose his mind and babble about integrating the Dao of the myriad races, Marquis Xia couldn't help but swear at him. *Stop fooling around, you'll die!*
This fellow truly was capable of getting himself killed!
*Come over here, forget about Dao integration—wouldn't beating these eight quasi-Invincibles to death be far more entertaining?*
He wanted to stop Lan Tian from attempting it, but the quasi-Invincibles of the myriad races wished for nothing more. Lan Tian was insane; his Dao was fundamentally flawed, and the chances of him successfully retrieving his past and future were virtually nonexistent.
Under such circumstances, reckless experimentation would mean certain death.
Let him go kill himself!
Lan Tian ignored them entirely, chuckling softly. "I'm going to integrate with the Dao! What should my first Dao be? The Immortal Dao? The Divine Dao? The Fiend Dao?"
"Integrating myriad Dao... one carrier per attempt. I need carriers, I need ten thousand carriers..."
Everyone regarded him as completely mad!
Because he truly had lost his mind. By his logic, integrating his Dao would require ten thousand carriers. Damn it all, did the heavens and myriad realms even possess that many carriers?
Even if one slaughtered every Invincible and quasi-Invincible across existence, gathering that many would remain an impossible task.
Killing one didn't guarantee a carrier.
Some shattered completely!
For instance, when Wan Tiansheng killed King Minghe, not a damn thing was left behind—the carrier, a drop of Nether River Water Essence, had disintegrated on the spot!
...
The battle of Nanyuan raged with terrifying intensity.
Meanwhile, on the Allheaven Battlefield.
A vast number of Invincibles had been tied down. Six myriad race Invincibles had traveled in person to the Human Realm, while many others were busy empowering their respective descendants in their clash against Su Yu, seeking to seize the Wen Tombstone.
Earlier, several Invincibles had seen their three-life embodiments shattered by the stone sculpture, and none of them dared show themselves again.
All told, nearly thirty Invincible-level experts were out of commission.
That was a staggering number!
At this moment, across the Allheaven Battlefield, rivers of time manifested one after another. Experts of the human race and other myriad races preparing for Dao attainment were opening the river of time, fishing for their past and future.
Over at the Sea of Stars, King Daqin and several others arrived in swift succession.
King Daqin, King Daxia, King Miecan, King Jintian, and King Tianzhu—five Invincibles gathered in person to protect Xia Longwu's path.
Including Xia Longwu, the six of them had just descended into the Sea of Stars when, from all directions, aura after aura of the Invincible Realm surged into the heavens.
"King Daqin, give up!"
A voice called out coldly. "Whether others succeed or fail depends on luck! Xia Longwu must die!"
"The others may be spared, but Xia Longwu... don't even dream of it!"
"As the King of Slaughter, the moment he attains the Dao, the heavens will plunge into chaos! King Daqin, must you make an enemy of the myriad races?"
"Xia Longwu slaughtered the myriad races. His crimes are unforgivable!"
One Invincible after another manifested. In the blink of an eye, a full fifteen Invincibles had revealed themselves.
Every single one was extraordinarily formidable!
This location held several top-tier Invincibles—King Daqin and King Daxia were both immense powerhouses. Consequently, the enemy had deployed vast numbers: fifteen Invincibles to intercept Xia Longwu's Dao attainment.
One Invincible even sneered coldly, "King Tianzhu, come over here! Your future embodiment is about to blow, and your identity has been exposed. Hurry and return!"
"..."
King Tianzhu was speechless. "Lunatics!"
Glancing at the people around him and seeing that they paid it no mind, King Tianzhu said helplessly, "Don't take them seriously, it's definitely not me!"
With that, three King Tianzhus appeared, remarking in resignation, "These bastards are trying to frame me!"
"King Daxia, stop pretending as well! This entire setup was your doing all along. You deliberately made up stories about a traitor, when in truth, you were simply jealous of Ye Batian and Xia Chen, so you intentionally plotted their deaths!"
"..."
King Daxia didn't even bother to respond. King Daqin said coldly, "Must you push things to this point? Two Eternals have already fallen recently. Are you determined to add a few more to that count?"
"King Daqin, you are powerful, but... are three Eternals enough to handle you? If not, how about four?"
"Heh, one each is enough for Tianzhu, Jintian, and Miecan. The remaining twelve are prepared specifically for you and King Daxia. Are you satisfied?"
The Invincibles circled them continuously!
They certainly held King Daqin in high regard, didn't they?
Twelve Invincibles, assembled purely for him and King Daxia!
As for the other three, they were merely ordinary Invincibles; three opponents were more than enough to tie them down.
King Daqin furrowed his brows, his expression heavy.
Under these conditions, the likelihood of Xia Longwu successfully attaining the Dao was virtually nonexistent. He and King Daxia were powerful, but even the strongest had their limits. There was no need for twelve; if just six converged on them, he and King Daxia would find it exceedingly difficult to hold the line.
After all, anyone who dared come to intercept them was no weakling.
They were all elites among the Invincible Realm!
King Daqin frowned deeply. In other regions, experts had already begun preparing their Dao attainment. Attaining the Dao was not something accomplished in a single day; with poor luck, it could take a very long time.
Fifteen Eternals!
Even more than he had anticipated!
The myriad races had truly staked everything to stop Xia Longwu. Intercepting a human expert's Dao attainment carried the risk of perishing; not everyone was willing to take the field.
Back when Ye Batian attempted his Dao attainment, fewer than forty Invincibles had actually intervened.
At that time, the human race had still possessed the strength to fight back.
This time, the human experts had scattered across more than a dozen locations, yet fifteen Invincibles had still gathered here. Besieging forces were deployed everywhere—ranging from three to five in some places, to more than a dozen around King Dazhou's position.
Furthermore, in the boundless void of the Human Realm, more than a dozen Invincibles were stationed as well.
This time, the total number of Invincible experts mobilized by the myriad races was approaching a hundred!
The god and fiend races had each deployed more than ten Invincibles, and even the immortal race had sent their own.
King Daqin looked toward an Invincible within the crowd and sighed. "The immortal race... is thoroughly severing our alliance?"
The Immortal King replied placidly, "The human race has repeatedly defied the will of the myriad races. Eradicating the many-character lineage is a consensus; preventing Xia Longwu from attaining the Dao is a consensus. Time and time again, the immortal race must uphold justice. We cannot sit idly by and watch the myriad realms descend into chaos!"
"Heh!"
King Daxia let out a cold sneer. "If you want to be a whore, don't set up a chastity arch!"
The Immortal King said nothing more, merely remarking indifferently, "Xia Longwu cannot succeed. Even if we fail to kill him, the sovereigns of the various races are preparing and may descend upon this place at any moment. For his sake, does King Daqin truly intend to bury the human realm?"
Once King Daqin and King Daxia fell in battle, the human race would fracture.
There would no longer be Invincibles of such towering prestige capable of barely binding the human race together. At least for now, even with traitors in their midst, the humans remained tentatively united because of figures like King Daqin.
They could still barely weld together the scattering hearts of the people!
King Daqin remained silent!
The Immortal King continued in a detached tone, "If King Daqin withdraws, no one will obstruct Qin Zhen; he will be permitted to attain the Dao! Not just Qin Zhen, but Qin Hao as well—should he attempt Dao attainment in the future, the myriad races will permit it!"
"The Qin family may attain the Dao at will. King Daqin, after several generations, the Human Sovereign will be yours!"
King Daqin looked at him, his gaze ice-cold. "Human Sovereign? Do you truly believe that all I care about is the position of Human Sovereign?"
The Immortal King said calmly, "King Daqin, even if you do not care, someone else will! If you are unwilling to be the Human Sovereign, there are always others who yearn for it. Your very existence blocks them, suppresses them. For certain human powerhouses, your existence is hardly a blessing!"
"Childish!"
With a cold bark, a spear tore through the void, cleaving the Sea of Stars. King Daqin stepped forward, declaring coldly, "Then today, let us see if you can step over my corpse!"
Behind him, Xia Longwu paid no heed to any of this. Abruptly, he tore open the void, revealing a broad river of time.
He roamed atop the river of time, seemingly preparing to fish out his final embodiment to complete the fusion.
...
Just as Xia Longwu tore open the void.
Within Tianmie City.
Castellan Tianhe cast aside the matter of having been beaten by the stone sculpture, walked into the grand hall, and bowed respectfully. "My Lord, I will soon be exercising the castellan's authority. Across the thirty-six cities, the responding castellans shall unite as one! To protect someone's Dao attainment!"
The stone sculpture said nothing.
Castellan Tianhe lowered his head and said, "I know My Lord has no desire to meddle in these affairs, and I know this falls outside My Lord's rules. However... please forgive me, My Lord. I know My Lord has treated me well, but I... I wish to regain my freedom. I do not want to remain a living dead, nor do I wish to become a dead spirit after death!"
At that exact moment, the Tianmie stone sculpture suddenly opened its eyes and said flatly, "Very well. I hope Xia Longwu can help you sever the death qi channel and grant you release. If you had stepped down earlier, I would have a wonderful castellan by now. You useless waste, why didn't you leave sooner?"
"..."
Castellan Tianhe stood dumbfounded.
At such a sorrowful parting, how could you say something like that? You barely spoke a single sentence every few centuries, yet today, when I came to bid you farewell, you uttered words like this!
You actually couldn't wait for me to leave!
Over these centuries, I have served you diligently and conscientiously. Even if there was no great merit, there was immense toil!
It was one thing for me to choose to leave, but for you to drive me away... it broke my heart!
This was him resigning!
Yet before resigning, he had been a dedicated, hardworking subordinate. Instead of urging him to stay, the boss told him to get lost sooner, even asking why he hadn't cleared out earlier!
This was simply too much!
Truly too much!
Tianhe couldn't hold back any longer. He snapped, "My Lord, I personally delivered Su Yu to your doorstep, brought him right to your side, and it was you who chased him away! You personally gifted him a teleportation talisman and let him leave! Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to leave—he would have become an ancient city resident! My Lord, you can't blame me for that, can you?"
*I worked for you for centuries, and this is how you treat me?*
*Don't blame me for speaking the blunt truth!*
*You brought this on yourself!*
Tianmie's eyes went wide. Utterly lawless!
He dared talk back to him!
He was talking back to him!
He actually dared to talk back to him!
For centuries, this fellow had been as obedient as a baby, yet now he dared to talk back!
"Tianhe!"
Tianmie said coldly, "Don't forget: even if you sever the death qi channel, you were converted personally by a dead spirit monarch. That fellow cannot die, and sooner or later, you will be converted all over again!"
*Hmph!*
*If you want to stab each other where it hurts, who's afraid of who!*
*You can't escape.*
Even if you ran away now and severed the death qi channel, that monarch would re-establish the connection sooner or later.
Tianhe threw caution to the wind and refused to back down. "As long as I sever it for a period of time, purge the death qi, and then get converted again, I won't transform into a dead spirit so quickly. That is still a chance at survival!"
Tianmie said coldly, "When that time comes, you will once again become a resident of Tianmie City!"
*You want to challenge me?*
*Think carefully!*
If you don't want to become a dead spirit, your first option is severing the channel, and your second is slaying that dead spirit monarch. You can't achieve the latter, so after some time, you'll have to come crawling back obediently. You want to cross me?
Are you sure?
Are you certain you want me to make your life a living hell?
"..."
Tianhe froze for a moment. *Right!*
*Damn it!*
Even if he severed the channel and purged the death qi, once that monarch reconnected the channel after a while, he would bloody well have to return. He... was he trapped in a loop?
In that case, speaking to the boss of the city like this right now... wasn't that somewhat ill-advised?
Tianhe's attitude instantly reversed, and he offered a warm smile. "My Lord has misunderstood. I didn't mean it that way at all. What I meant was... yes, what I meant was that over these years, I haven't brought My Lord much benefit. I feel deep remorse, and I am unworthy of being this castellan. If Su Yu is willing, I would gladly step down and yield the position to someone better... Once I sever the death qi channel, I will go find Su Yu and beg him to become the castellan, holding two posts concurrently. After all, My Lord is his benefactor and bestowed numerous opportunities upon him..."
Tianmie didn't want to hear it. It stung too much.
Too much nonsensical chatter!
With a glare, Tianhe vanished and found himself standing outside the grand hall. The next moment, a voice sounded by his ear: "If you truly leave, remember to go to him. Fulfill the promise you made, or else, when you return, I will transfer all the death qi entirely onto you!"
*Damn it! You might as well just kill me outright.*
Tianhe cursed under his breath. Su Yu was already shouldering an entire city; did the stone sculpture think Su Yu was stupid enough to come take on this castellan post as well?
Keep dreaming!
He had been foolish enough to let the kid walk away, and now he was pinning the blame on Tianhe. Infuriating!
Whatever, ignore the big rock.
Promise or no promise, he hadn't agreed to anything. If he managed to sever the channel this time... and if there really was no other way out, he would just go hide in the Star Residence Mansion. While people usually died if they didn't emerge, he would rather die than return to be a living dead!
Tianhe grumbled inwardly!
*I'll die before I come back!*
Then again... if it proved too dangerous out there... coming back wasn't terrible either. At least he was a local hegemon. After what had transpired at Xinghong Ancient City, the status of every city's castellan had risen dramatically, and ordinary people no longer dared provoke them.
Being a castellan... was actually not bad.
Tianhe thought to himself, then quickly redirected his attention. Putting all this aside, he had to get through the immediate hurdle first: rendezvous with the other castellans and protect Xia Longwu's Dao attainment. That was going to be a brutal battle!
If Xia Longwu died, all hope of severing the channel would vanish.
Behind him, the Tianmie stone sculpture silently watched him depart, wondering about who knew what. In all likelihood, he was thinking of Su Yu.
*The world is so vast; I want to go out and see it too.*
*Xinghong... fuck your entire family!*
Chapter 488