Call the Elders When Trouble Comes

Su Yu had returned. Outside, ancient cities stood in dense ranks, blanketing heaven and earth. The Nine Realms were suppressed to the point where they could barely raise their heads... No, they weren't suppressed; they were penned in. Thirty-five ancient cities completely surrounded the entrances to the Nine Realms. The experts of the Nine Realms felt like weeping: *Whatever you do, don't fight!* *And if you must fight, don't drag the battle into our homes!* *This is far too dangerous!* Living next door to Xinghong Ancient City truly demanded immense courage and deep reserves. Su Yu stepped out of Yunxiao Ancient City. The moment he crossed the gate, dragon roars shattered the firmament. Above the ancient cities, several massive dragons soared through the sky. A golden dragon radiating an immensely powerful aura swept a wary gaze across the city. Its colossal draconic eyes locked onto Su Yu, and its booming voice shook all four directions. "Su Yu! Since ancient times, the Sea of Stars has been the territory of the dragon race! The dragon race has no wish to stir up needless trouble with the ancient city alliance, but Xinghong Ancient City must relocate out of the Sea of Stars. It shall not take root here!" Once an ancient city established a firm foothold in the Sea of Stars, a new hegemonic faction would take root in their waters—a direct conflict with the interests of the dragon race. Thus, even knowing the ancient cities possessed stone statues, the dragon race had to step forward at this moment to force Su Yu to abandon this ambition. Su Yu chuckled. "This expert of the dragon race must be joking. The history of Xinghong Ancient City... is likely older than that of your entire dragon race. How does that make the Sea of Stars the dragon race's territory? Besides, telling me to relocate is useless. How about I call Lord Guardian out to have a little chat with you?" The golden dragon circled in the sky above, its voice rumbling like thunder. "Su Yu! The dragon race also possesses Eternals, and we possess Half-Emperors! Taking root here is a direct challenge to the dragon race. The Dragon Realm cannot be moved, but an ancient city can. It is merely a relocation. Do you truly insist on making an enemy of the dragon race?" Su Yu curled his lip, then broke into a smile. "You jest, venerable dragon. I have no such intention! Still, on a matter like this, my word alone doesn't count. How about this: I'll pass your message along to the Ancient City Guardians. Would that suffice? You can't force me alone to make such a monumental decision. If the Guardians refuse to pack up and leave, could I possibly force them?" With that, Su Yu smiled amiably. "Harmony brings prosperity. There's really no need for your dragon race to provoke dozens of Invincibles over such a trivial matter. Does the dragon race truly want to wage an all-out war?" Su Yu laughed heartily. "I speak bluntly, so please don't take offense. Let's just sit down and talk things through properly. Over a minor detail, is there any reason to trigger a war between Invincibles? It's utterly unnecessary. Let's set this aside for later. At the very least, wait until I unify the ancient cities. Before they're unified, my words don't hold much weight anyway, right?" Having said that, Su Yu rose into the air and called out with a smile, "Hold on a moment, everyone. I just received orders from Lord Hongmeng, the head of the thirty-six Guardians, commanding me to take over Yuhong Sacred City! Is the castellan of Yuhong Sacred City present?" "What about me?!" Right then, a voice filled with depression, grievance, complicated melancholy, and bitter sorrow echoed across the sky. Tianmie! *What about me?!* *Why is it Yuhong now?!* *Is it still not my turn?!* Su Yu cupped his hands toward Tianmie Ancient City, slightly surprised. Above the city, Castellan Tianhe hovered in the air to oversee the realm, but... what was with the blood covering his entire head? Su Yu didn't dwell on it. Perhaps something had gone wrong with the man's cultivation? Paying it no further heed, Su Yu quickly smiled and called out, "Lord Tianmie, please wait a moment. Lord Hongmeng ordered me to take over Yuhong Sacred City, so let's settle this one first. Is Castellan Yuhong present?" At that moment, a massive black tiger flew out from one of the ancient cities... Su Yu froze. *A big tiger?* Given the name Yuhong Sacred City, he had assumed the castellan would be female. Could that not be the case? Or perhaps... this was a tigress? He couldn't tell at all. Besides, what breed of tiger was this? It was so pitch-black that one wouldn't even be able to spot it in the dead of night! The fierce tiger flew forth, looking rather weak and listless as it spoke: "Castellan Su wishes to take over this city? That would be for the best..." Yuhong Ancient City could barely hold out any longer. Su Yu could clearly see that now. This tiger was most likely not naturally black; it was so thoroughly shrouded in death qi and on the verge of death that it had been stained pitch-black. As for revealing its true form, it probably lacked even the strength to maintain a human guise. *Was it really this severe?* …… Right at that moment, the void trembled, and powerful figures materialized one after another. Someone sent a voice transmission: "Whenever Su Yu takes over a city, that city's ancient stone statue can leave the city to do battle! If he doesn't take over, does that mean no stone statues can leave? Everyone, should we stop him? Things were fine in the past when the lords of the ancient cities couldn't step outside. Now, Xinghong and Yunxiao have stepped out in succession. If a few more stone statues leave their cities, the balance of power across the entire All-Heavens Battlefield will be overturned!" All around, a massive number of experts gathered. Seeing Su Yu prepare to fly toward Yuhong Ancient City, another voice transmitted: "Su Yu has unlocked the combat strength of the ancient city stone statues. Kill Su Yu, and everything is resolved once and for all! Of course, doing so right now carries trouble and danger, but once Su Yu truly liberates those ancient stone statues, the myriad realms will face yet another uncontrollable faction. Don't forget, Su Yu is human after all!" The human race was never an easy neighbor. A vicious cycle! When the human race was weak, the myriad races oppressed them. When the human race grew strong, they sought revenge. And after their revenge, the myriad races would bide their time, waiting for an opportunity to strike back... This was the endless cycle! Time and again, the myriad races would invariably choose to suppress the human race, and the human race would invariably choose to exact vengeance. Now, Su Yu was human too. The human race was already formidable enough. If they formed an alliance with these ancient city stone statues, dealing with them in the future would become nearly impossible! Kill Su Yu? Should they strike or not? If they didn't kill him, what if this alliance actually succeeded? Earlier, they had hoped the other ancient city castellans would cause trouble, but now Yunxiao and Xinghong had appeared one after another to intimidate the entire realm. Those castellans relied entirely on the stone statues, so who among them dared to speak out? Just look at the castellans of Changping and Shanqi—both had quieted down completely. Merely saying a few words had nearly gotten them beaten to death, and by their own backers no less! Who else would dare speak recklessly? At this stage, the myriad races had no choice but to step out into the open. Invincible experts manifested once again. A major war had erupted barely over a month ago, claiming the lives of quite a few Invincibles. Today, the Invincibles truly had no desire to show themselves, but circumstances gave them no choice. Su Yu felt a faint flicker of shock inside. *Damn!* *Is this really necessary?* *Aren't the myriad races being a bit too impatient?* Just then, several more formidable dragons arrived in the void, their Invincible auras flaring. A celestial dragon circled in the sky, colossal beyond measure, gazing down at the ancient cities and fixing its gaze upon Su Yu. A strange look surfaced in its massive draconic pupils as it spoke slowly: "Su Yu, the dragon race has no intention of starting a conflict with you. Move every last ancient city out of the Sea of Stars! This is not merely my will, but the will of the Dragon Emperor himself! As your human race often says, one mountain cannot contain two tigers. We are not looking for trouble, but how can we allow another to snore peacefully beside our bed?" That was a fair point! Put in their shoes, if a powerful faction insisted on taking root right outside his doorstep, he would want to drive them away too. However... if not in the Sea of Stars, where else could they go? Su Yu smiled. "Everyone, you misunderstand. I have no intention of gathering all the ancient cities in the Sea of Stars permanently. We're merely holding a meeting. The ancient cities suppress dead spirit passageways and cannot roam about freely. Once the meeting concludes, everyone will return to their respective posts. Only Xinghong Ancient City will remain here. As for the dragon race, Xinghong Ancient City has stood in the Sea of Stars for countless years. Are you trying to drive us away now?" Civil words first! A negotiation was a negotiation; there was no need to clash head-on with these major races right away. "That will not do either!" the dragon race Invincible said coldly. "It was acceptable before, but now, so long as you, Su Yu, remain castellan, Xinghong Ancient City may not continue to stand in the Sea of Stars!" It was not the stone statues they feared, but Su Yu himself! And Su Yu truly warranted their apprehension. This fellow never did anything good. He had sealed ancient cities multiple times, slaughtered countless Sun Moon Realm cultivators, and even caused Invincibles to lose their three incarnations over it. Now, the Star Residence Mansion was about to open. Xinghong Ancient City controlled a critical choke point. Allowing Su Yu to station himself here was far too perilous and fraught with complications. Su Yu raised an eyebrow. They were determined to force him out. It seemed refusing to leave would not be an option. This wasn't just the dragon race's stance; clearly, none of the myriad races wanted Xinghong Ancient City stationed here. Su Yu smiled and said, "Aren't the experts of the dragon race crossing the line? Between the ancient cities and your race, who came to the Sea of Stars first is hard to say, isn't it? I've already conceded ground, stating that only a single ancient city will remain here. Why be so aggressive? If we truly tear all face away, what good will it do?" Even as he spoke, a Castellan Token in his sea of consciousness flickered with light. "Lord Hongmeng! Lord Hongmeng! The dragon race is forcing our sacred cities to relocate, refusing to let us take root in the Sea of Stars. They're demanding that even Your Lordship's Hongmeng City be moved away! My Lord, what should I do? How about we just pack up and relocate?" In any case, Su Yu couldn't overpower the dragon race on his own, so he consulted the Old Turtle first. If the Old Turtle wanted to move... then they would move. If the Old Turtle refused to step forward, relying solely on Xinghong and Yunxiao might not be enough to deter the dragon race. The dragons possessed Half-Emperors and immense strength, ranking among the top five factions in the myriad realms. Su Yu had no desire to provoke such a colossal power without good reason. It wasn't his trouble anyway. At worst, he would simply relocate. …… Inside Hongmeng Ancient City. It had been peaceful for tens of millions of years, yet barely after Su Yu had left... he had already stirred up trouble for him. The Old Turtle opened his eyes, gazing up at the sky and out over the rolling blue expanse of the sea, feeling somewhat helpless. *I knew appointing a castellan was a bad idea.* He would rather suppress the ancient city entirely on his own. Castellans were born troublemakers. Hetu had been like that, and Su Yu was clearly no different. The dragon race had never picked a fight with the ancient cities in tens of millions of years. Their sudden hostility now was clearly prompted by the threat Su Yu posed to them. …… Meanwhile, above the ancient cities. Within the various ancient cities, the stone statues also released suppressive auras that shook heaven and earth. However, the only ones capable of genuinely threatening the myriad races were Xinghong and Yunxiao—only those two could leave their cities, while the others could not. At this moment, a Demon King stepped forward, surveyed the ancient cities, and said slowly, "The demon race has no intention of meddling in the affairs of the Sea of Stars. The Demon Emperor has already ordered our forces in the Sea of Stars to withdraw. However, the Demon Emperor has also stated that the myriad realms should not plunge into another great war. Su Yu, if you remain obstinate and insist on your course, the myriad races will inevitably join forces once more. Whether it be the ancient cities or the human race... Su Yu, all of them will be dragged into war because of you!" "..." Su Yu watched him silently for a long moment before finally saying, "The Demon Emperor is still alive? He even finds time to care about this? Furthermore, if you want to fight the human race, go fight them. Why waste your breath on me?" Su Yu chuckled with amusement. "A single man feeds himself and the whole family is full... Well, no, I still have a father. Go ahead and beat my father to death! Once you do, we'll throw caution to the wind and fight to the end. I can easily pull out of the Sea of Stars and focus entirely on blocking the gates of your Demon Realm. Does the Demon Emperor think he has too many three-life embodiments and wants to lose a few more? Once I cripple your Demon Realm, how about I deliver some benefits to the god race and the immortal race?" Why was the Demon Realm so full of busybodies? They had to stick their hands into everything! Just as the thought crossed his mind, a figure stepped through the void, glanced at Su Yu, then turned toward the demon race Invincible and said softly, "The Demon Emperor has decreed: the demon race shall not intervene in the affairs of the Sea of Stars!" Moduona! His purple hair fluttering, Moduona looked toward the Invincible and said calmly, "Demon King Daduo, there are still pressing matters awaiting your handling back in the Demon Realm. You had best not concern yourself with such trivialities!" This left Su Yu stunned, and the surrounding onlookers reacted with subtle expressions. *This... something is happening within the demon race!* Internal strife? Or was someone testing the Demon Emperor, seeking to usurp power? The Demon Emperor had lost two of his three incarnations. Although he had later killed an Invincible himself to recover his past incarnation, his future incarnation had yet to be restored. Had some demon expert grown impatient? Attempting a coup? Such things were common! It was true across all races: when a clan lacked a supreme powerhouse capable of suppressing all opposition, individual ambitions would naturally flare up. Everyone wanted to be number one. Being second was pleasant, but having someone pressing down from above was suffocating. Given an opportunity to take the top seat, such individuals would never let it pass. Evidently, Demon King Daduo had likely come to stir up trouble on purpose—or perhaps to rally the other races and exert pressure on the Demon Emperor. Su Yu chuckled inwardly. Truly, wherever living beings gathered, a world of strife existed. And here he had thought the demon race was united as one! Now it seemed the Demon Emperor's injuries had spurred no small amount of scheming within the Demon Realm. The demons were almost ready to bring their infighting out into the open. As he pondered this, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear. Su Yu's heart stirred as someone whispered softly, "Daduo is the Demon Emperor's man!" Su Yu was taken aback. Moduona! Daduo was the Demon Emperor's man? What did that mean? He felt somewhat bewildered, but an instant later, an inkling of understanding dawned on him. Beside his ear, Moduona's voice came again: "The Blood Fire Demon race has been restless. Currently, most demons active outside belong to the Blood Fire Demon race. The Demon Emperor wishes to provoke another war to inflict heavy losses on the Blood Fire Demons operating outside!" At that moment, enlightenment struck Su Yu! *Damn!* These old foxes were doing this intentionally. The Demon Emperor had deliberately sent Daduo to pick a fight because he knew Su Yu had an explosive temper, hoping Su Yu would batter the Blood Fire Demon race into ruins! As for weakening the Demon Realm's overall strength... the Demon Realm's strength did not necessarily represent the Demon Emperor's personal power. Then whom did Moduona represent? The Blood Fire Demon race? These fellows operated scheme within scheme; not a single one was easy to deal with. Moduona telling him this was clearly intended to keep him from being provoked into declaring war against the Blood Fire Demon race. Su Yu mused over this, looking up at the experts hovering above, feeling thoroughly exasperated. What was everyone playing at? He was just a small fry, yet they constantly kept their eyes fixed on him, scheming against him. Some conspirators even wanted to use him as a tool to eliminate their rivals. Indeed, almost no one in this world was innocent. As for this demon, Demon King Daduo probably couldn't wait for Su Yu to go stir up trouble for the Demon Realm. Even the demons had learned to play mind games? While he was still lost in thought, Demon King Daduo looked down at Moduona and said indifferently, "Moduona, instead of focusing on your cultivation, what are you doing out here? Besides... since when is it your place to convey the Demon Emperor's decrees?" Moduona replied calmly, "The lords all have urgent matters and cannot leave. I am conveying it on their behalf. Does Demon King Daduo suspect I am fabricating the Demon Emperor's orders?" "Hardly!" Daduo smiled, then turned to Su Yu with a playful expression. "In that case, so be it. Su Yu, watch yourself! Xinghong Ancient City is far too close to the Sea of Stars; the myriad races will not permit you to take root here. Su Yu, you had best behave and depart from the Sea of Stars as soon as possible!" Su Yu glanced at him, then suddenly laughed. "I'm a direct man, not fond of conspiracies and schemes. I don't understand the games you play. Trying to use me as a knife... my blade isn't sharp enough, so why bother? If you truly want something done, how about I give you a suggestion: throw either the Blood Fire Demon King or the Demon Emperor into an ancient city. I promise I will beat them to death—one hundred percent guaranteed. If I fail, I'll pay with my life!" "..." *You're being far too direct!* Everyone was rendered speechless. Su Yu surveyed the hostile experts. Did this mean they wouldn't let him leave the city? Or what? A stalemate like this couldn't continue. Just then, an additional figure appeared beside him—Yunxiao stepped out of the city once more, transmitting: "Ignore them. Go to Yuhong Sacred City and take charge of it!" There was no time to waste bantering with these fools! Yunxiao was far more decisive than Xinghong. After concluding her transmission, she declared coldly, "Do you seek war? Dragon race, withdraw immediately!" The dragon race Invincible fixed its massive eyes coldly upon Yunxiao. "Guardian Yunxiao, the ancient cities have stayed out of the wars of the myriad realms for tens of thousands of years. Do you intend to alter your stance today, abandoning the ancient rules for the sake of a single Su Yu? Can you, Yunxiao, make decisions on behalf of all the sacred cities?" A moment later, Xinghong also strode forth from his ancient city, radiating boundless, terrifying might. He said aloofly, "The sacred cities have the rules of the sacred cities. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Dragon Realm was not even located in the Sea of Stars. This place is no territory of the dragon race!" The next instant, an expert of transcendent, immortal bearing stepped forward, smiling genially. "Guardian Xinghong, please do not be angry. The myriad races merely seek peace for all heavens and realms. The sacred cities have refrained from entering disputes for tens of thousands of years, and the matter of Su Yu carries far-reaching consequences. The crux of the issue is that he is still human! I believe the Guardians are well aware of the struggle between the human race and the myriad races. Once a great war erupts, living beings across the realms will suffer devastation..." Su Yu had no choice but to raise his hand like a schoolchild, looking aggrieved as he said, "Everyone, aren't you overestimating me? I'm just a Lingyun Realm cultivator on the verge of death. All I wanted was to play boss. Is there any need to make things so hard for me? As for the human race... I'm practically turning into a dead spirit now; how can I even count as human? If you want to fight the human race, go fight them yourselves. Why bully a mere child like me?!" Sighing helplessly, Su Yu produced a ball in his hand, stroked it, and said with resignation, "What's the use of beating me to death? If they kill me, little fur ball, will you be the castellan instead?" "Okay!" the little fur ball promptly agreed. *Sounds great, I want to be the boss too!* Su Yu smiled and looked all around. Since the myriad races had personally shown themselves, he no longer held back or spoke vaguely. He smiled and said: "Fellow castellans, the current situation is rather complicated! It seems the myriad races don't want our ancient cities to form an alliance, nor do they want me, Su Yu, serving as the bridge of communication. As for being a boss or leader, that was just a joke. With my meager strength, how could I dare claim to be an alliance lord? It was all in jest. I merely hoped to serve everyone and establish a channel of communication... "Now, the myriad races are present, and the Guardians are present as well. Everyone, give me a straight answer: can our alliance still happen?" Over at Tianmie Ancient City, Castellan Tianhe, his face covered in blood, chuckled upon hearing this. "Of course it can! Humble folks like us just want peace of mind! Contending for hegemony over the heavens or reigning supreme across eternity are not things we should worry about. The sacred city alliance must be established! At the very least, let outsiders see that the sacred cities possess the strength to fight back, so they don't constantly bring trouble to us miserable wretches!" Once he finished, another castellan said in a deep voice, "Su Yu, whether you wish to form an alliance or become the alliance lord matters little to me! I only want to know: what will we gain, and what must we pay?" Straight to the point! Su Yu smiled. "This senior is direct enough! Well said. Alliance or no alliance, it all boils down to a single word: profit! Without benefits, why would we ally? It would be utterly pointless!" Su Yu looked around at the castellans, ignoring the experts in the sky, and smiled. "Let me briefly explain the benefits of an alliance. "First: confidence! Take my predecessor, the Dark Demonic Dragon. How pitiful he was, acting like a dog for others! When ordered to open the city, he didn't dare; when ordered to seal the city, he didn't dare! A dragon on the brink of death, yet he still had to play the cowardly grandson! "A few threats from King Daxia of the human race, a few threats from Demon King Blood Mairo of the demon race, a few threats from White-Haired God King of the god race, a few threats from Dao King of the immortal race... How pathetic! But once the alliance is forged, those kings will no longer dare act so brazenly!" Su Yu smiled. "This, I can guarantee! If any stray Invincible comes barking, we fight if we can! I won't claim too much, but if three to five Invincibles dare provoke us, the sacred cities will arrive in an instant, and blasting a few to pieces will be no problem at all!" The moment Su Yu said this, several Invincibles turned cold. Su Yu paid them no mind and continued, "That is the first benefit: giving everyone backbone! You're already castellans, nearly dead, practically dead spirits—why live so stifled and humiliated? "Second: extending your lifespan!" The castellans turned their gazes toward him one after another. Many even had to restrain themselves from taking a step out of their cities! Even the Invincibles who had been about to speak held their tongues! Yes! This was Su Yu's true leverage. He had acted completely without restraint all this time, and the stone statues had fought for him seemingly because he could manipulate death qi. Could it be that he truly possessed the ability to dispel death qi? He had to! Su Yu smiled. "Everyone, once the alliance is established, I can offer you a promise. The castellans... of course, not all of them for now, but a portion of the castellans can transfer roughly thirty percent of their death qi to the Lords Guardians!" The moment these words fell, a castellan exclaimed in shock, "Is that truly possible?!" Transferring death qi! At the same time, the stone statues were conversing among themselves. "Xinghong, Yunxiao, is this kid spouting nonsense? We're already under immense pressure as it is. The castellans exist precisely to share our burden; how could we possibly bear even more death qi?" "Exactly! Unless this kid takes over as castellan, but he..." "..." Yunxiao, however, didn't seem particularly concerned. She sent a voice transmission: "The Boss's intention is for this kid to act as a transit hub connecting all the cities! Even without taking over the position of castellan, he could take up posts like gatekeeper in various cities... allowing the castellans to transfer their death qi to him. That way, he can neutralize a portion of it himself, or transfer the rest to Guardians who have spare capacity, like Xinghong..." Xinghong: "..." *Me?* *What does this have to do with me?!* *Why should I bear death qi?!* Xinghong was speechless. *Then what about you, Yunxiao?* …… While the statues were conferring, the castellans' eyes flickered with intense interest. A female castellan spoke in a sweet, delicate voice, "Castellan Su, you cannot joke about such things. If we can truly bear thirty percent less death qi, this elder sister will be the first to support you as alliance lord! If anyone objects, as long as they can achieve what Castellan Su promised, I would be equally willing to support them!" "Castellan Su, is what you say true or false? You said not everyone—so who can reduce their death qi? What must we do? We won't be expected to lay down our lives for you, will we?" Su Yu retorted bluntly, "What's wrong with risking your lives? What, do you expect benefits handed to you for free? That's not something I care to hear! Sacrifice and reward are always proportional! If you only want rewards without paying a price, only want benefits without drawbacks... you are entirely free to stay out of it! Surviving on the All-Heavens Battlefield, did you honestly expect to reap without sowing? We are all veterans of the battlefield, not children!" *You just claimed you were a child moments ago!* Several people wanted to retort, but held back. Su Yu was young, and he played both sides of every argument. What could anyone say? Su Yu continued bluntly, "Risking your lives... is standard procedure! Expecting benefits without putting your life on the line is sheer nonsense. As for specifically who gets to enjoy the reduction of death qi, that is something we can discuss privately. There's no need to let the myriad races listen in and meddle!" Su Yu smiled again. "That is the second benefit. Third: fighting for benefits we previously couldn't obtain! For example, slots for the Star Residence Mansion. Regardless of whether we want them, the myriad races must grant them! Right now, we are scattered, so when the myriad races refuse to give them, what can you do? I refuse to believe none of you are interested in the Star Residence Mansion. Even as living dead, entering it allows you to gamble for an opportunity, doesn't it?" Upon hearing this, an Invincible in the void spoke in a gloomy, cold voice: "Obtaining entry slots may not be so simple. Su Yu, you make it sound far too easy!" Su Yu laughed. "Yes, yes, it won't be easy. No matter; our ancient cities lack many things, but we certainly don't lack people about to die! We can just give it a try. A bunch of desperate daredevils and short-lived ghosts—do you think we fear your threats?" Too lazy to waste more words on them, Su Yu continued, "Fourth: I am currently an elder of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. I have already discussed things with several Invincible Department Heads. If possible, resources can be exchanged for carriers! I will find ways to help the castellans enter the Quasi-Invincible Realm or even attain the Dao... Of course, I don't possess that much wealth, so everyone will have to find ways to fight and seize resources on their own!" At these words, many turned their gazes toward a faceless elder hovering in the void. Seeing everyone staring at him, the elder remained speechless for a long moment. True, Su Yu... seemed to have indeed reached an understanding with several department heads, allowing him to serve as an elder. But things were not at all as Su Yu portrayed them! Su Yu didn't care in the slightest. Utilizing the secrets he had just learned, he spun grand tales: "The Heaven Hunting Pavilion doesn't lack carriers! Across multiple Great Cataclysms, whenever the All-Heavens Battlefield was sealed and the Star Residence Mansion opened, outsiders couldn't enter—only the Heaven Hunting Pavilion entered once every ten years, without fail! The carriers they obtained number at least eighty, if not a hundred! Protected by the Heaven Hunting Ranking, they can endure here indefinitely. The Star Residence Mansion is their personal treasure vault, inexhaustible! Therefore, there is no need to worry about a shortage of carriers. On this point, I have also reached an agreement with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion..." "Su Yu!" the elder roared in fury. "How dare you speak such drivel!" This was practically trying to get the Heaven Hunting Pavilion killed! Su Yu laughed. "Elder, your status isn't high enough. If you don't understand, don't spout nonsense! Why are you screaming blindly? Could I possibly know less than you? If you don't believe me, have the experts of the various races go back and ask the elders and Half-Emperors of their clans whether the All-Heavens Battlefield gets sealed once every few thousand or ten thousand years. And whenever it was sealed, it remained so for millennia, during which only the Heaven Hunting Pavilion harvested treasures! You don't understand, yet you insist on pretending you do. Ask the Invincibles present—some of them likely know about this! Next time, if you're ignorant, don't babble in front of me! A mere high-stage Sun Moon Realm cultivator who probably only joined the pavilion after this current cataclysm—what could a minor figure like you possibly know?!" At these words, the experts all around exchanged glances. Some were genuinely in the dark, but others knew a thing or two. An Invincible murmured gloomily, "What Su Yu says is not false. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion... possesses the greatest wealth of treasures in all the heavens. They have entered the Star Residence Mansion far more times than any of the myriad races!" The elder stood frozen, awkward and utterly speechless. *It was true?!* *Damn!* *I really had no idea. This is... so embarrassing.* He truly hadn't known. The pavilion had always claimed carriers were exceedingly rare. Yet judging by Su Yu's words, there were plenty? *If there were so many, why haven't we seen them?* Su Yu sneered. "I am a sacred city castellan. The sacred cities have stood in the All-Heavens Battlefield since ancient times—what secret could escape my knowledge? The Heaven Hunting Pavilion possesses at least a hundred carriers! Of course, knowing this is enough; there is no need to dig too deep." The castellans had previously been unaware, but now their eyes flickered with shifting emotions. Reducing death qi, facilitating connections with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to exchange for carriers, granting everyone a chance to advance! This... they were already being tormented to death by death qi. If this truly succeeded, it would be an immense blessing. As for laying down their lives, Su Yu was right: if you wanted benefits, how could you not risk your life? On the All-Heavens Battlefield, as long as the stakes were high enough, countless individuals would gladly risk their lives for you! Su Yu chuckled and said, "For now, those are the benefits I'll mention! Actually, there are others. For instance, you might have forgotten that I am an exceptionally brilliant cultural researcher of the human race. I previously developed a longevity cultivation method that can actually counter death qi. However, it is only suitable for humans. But if you castellans don't mind letting me study you, or capture a few hundred of your kin for my research, I might just develop a technique to combat death qi for your races as well. As for my own technique, I am human, so it isn't suited to you. Even if you obtained it, you couldn't use it, and a technique that doesn't fit is a joke no matter how powerful it is!" By this point, the castellans were thoroughly swayed. Even those who had prior agreements with the powerful races felt their hearts waver! The agreements with the major races promised little more than some Heaven Yuan Qi, along with empty promises that carriers might be provided when they were ready to attain the Dao—certainly not right now. At best, they might promise to help slay the Dead Spirit Monarch responsible for converting them. In reality, that was virtually impossible. Most had simply been gambling on a slim chance. Yet what Su Yu offered were possibilities that could actually be realized! The castellans fell into deep contemplation. Soon, a castellan asked, "Then Castellan Su, what exactly must we do? What must we pay?" Su Yu smiled. "Simple: just obey orders! For instance, right now, these Invincibles wish to prevent our alliance. Under normal circumstances, you'd have no way to deal with them. But now... you do. If all the castellans join forces to knock them into the ancient cities, I promise the Lords Guardians will personally beat them to death! How about it?" Total silence fell across the surroundings. The next instant, an expert barked coldly, "Su Yu, you certainly have a big mouth!" Su Yu looked up, smiling. "You don't believe me? I think you will!" Right at that instant, he received a reply. The next second, the death qi churning off Su Yu's body erupted with terrifying intensity! Boom! A colossal ancient city descended from the heavens! "You blocked the path of my Hongmeng City... You broke the rules. Not good!" In that exact moment, a stone statue slowly flew out from the ancient city. It looked toward Su Yu with profound resignation. *Damn it, I knew I wouldn't get any peace. Yunxiao, that girl screwed this turtle over!* Before the Invincible could even react, his expression warped as he plummeted straight into the ancient city. With a thunderous crash, he smashed several hundred ancient houses to rubble. "You even destroyed ancient houses. You deserve death!" The words were spoken at a leisurely, unhurried pace. Calm and composed, the Old Turtle drifted toward the Invincible. Around them, the other experts scrambled backward, their expressions shifting drastically! *What is happening?!* *Why has the final ancient city descended?!* The crowd watched, stunned. Within the ancient city, the massive stone statue blotted out the sky, its colossal limbs bearing down upon the Invincible! "Damn you!" The fallen Invincible hailed from the dragon race. In that instant, he transformed into a colossal dragon. His three incarnations converged into one, stepping out from the River of Time. The Old Turtle paused. "I was only going to kill one incarnation, and you went and merged them all?" *Now you've made it awkward for me to hold back!* *If I kill you now, you'll be dead for good.* Earlier, only the dragon's future incarnation had been present, yet it had merged all three on the spot? The Old Turtle couldn't be bothered to say more. Intimidating the dragon race would suffice. His four limbs stamped down! *Crack!* The River of Time snapped cleanly in two. The giant dragon shuddered violently, letting loose an enraged roar. Its tail lashed out, shattering the void, yet the giant turtle paid it no mind, letting the tail whip against its petrified shell without budging an inch. Instead, the dragon's tail was instantly reduced to mangled flesh and blood! Chills ran down the spines of the surrounding Invincibles! This wasn't an Eternal... this was a Half-Emperor! The stone statues truly possessed Half-Emperor powerhouses! The giant turtle bore down directly! Rumble! No matter how desperately the colossal dragon tried to tear through space, it couldn't escape. It was crushed until its flesh was pulverized and its bones shattered, its furious roars resounding through all heavens! At that exact moment, a dragon phantom manifested above the Dragon Realm in the distance. The next instant, a spatio-temporal passage opened. A giant dragon stepped out, proceeding with caution as it surveyed the surroundings. Its eyes first locked onto the little fur ball on Su Yu's shoulder with clear apprehension. Turning toward the stone statue, its expression shifted repeatedly before it called out in a resonant voice: "Guardian Hongmeng, why make an enemy of my dragon race? Since the sacred cities wish to stand in the Sea of Stars, everything can be discussed. Why must we resort to slaughter..." Before its words could finish, a cataclysmic boom erupted. The giant dragon inside the ancient city was directly crushed to pieces, one of its incarnations exploding in a blast of gore! "Ahhh!" A bloodcurdling scream rang out. The dragon reversed time in an instant, manifesting another incarnation—only for it to be crushed into bloody mist with another thunderous blast! When the final incarnation appeared, the dragon's eyes were completely consumed by despair! The Dragon Emperor's phantom frowned, gazing into the ancient city as a faint murderous aura drifted from its form. In the next instant, the giant turtle tossed the final incarnation out of the city. With a loud crash, it tore through the void and vanished into the distance. The giant turtle looked at the Dragon Emperor's phantom, its tone still unhurried. "A slight punishment! Let this matter end here! The sacred cities seek no hegemony and hold no desire for slaughter; everything is done solely to guard the dead spirit realm!" The giant turtle slowly withdrew into the city as the city's presence began to fade, yet its voice echoed across all directions: "Within the rules, the sacred cities fear nothing! I hope you will not force the sacred cities to break those rules. Otherwise... calamity will fall upon all heavens!" The Dragon Emperor's phantom remained silent for a moment before gradually dispersing. All around, the remaining dragons fled in an instant. Su Yu had summoned yet another Half-Emperor—an ancient Half-Emperor. At this moment, everyone's thoughts underwent a complete shift: *This bastard truly knows how to rope in backers!* Three of them now! If this continued, who among the myriad races would dare provoke him? Meanwhile, Su Yu wore a terrifyingly radiant smile! Because the death qi was so overwhelmingly dense, his grin appeared ghastly beyond measure. His entire body had begun to turn black; had his aura not still lingered, everyone would have assumed he had already transformed into a dead spirit! Judging by this sight, he had indeed paid a terrible price. Su Yu coughed up blood... Black droplets trickled down, dissolving into death qi the moment they struck the ground. Looking like a man with one foot in the grave, Su Yu laughed. "Everyone, return to wherever you came from! Why bother quarreling with me? My life is worthless. If I truly lose my mind, dragging down a few Invincibles with me is well within my power!" The surroundings were deathly quiet. *Are you truly about to die, or are you faking it?* Right now, everyone wished he would drop dead on the spot just to spare them further trouble. This fellow had barely begun picking a fight, and two incarnations of a giant dragon had already been blown to bits! Lately, the stone statues had destroyed far too many three-life embodiments! If this went on, the Invincibles of the myriad races would soon be reduced to single-life Invincibles! In every direction, experts let out heavy sighs. Some departed, while others vanished back into the void. This attempt to block him had proven utterly useless—except to prove that Su Yu was even more difficult to deal with than before!