A Farce

The Invincibles of every race tacitly agreed to settle the distribution of quotas this way. Battles below the Invincible realm held within the ancient city would keep casualty rates low, which aligned well with everyone’s expectations. Just as they had nearly finalized the participants, a voice suddenly resonated across the island. Xuan Wuji called out clearly, “My lords, Xuan Wuji has something to say!” Among the Immortal race, Dao King looked toward Xuan Wuji and asked with a slight smile, “Xuan Wuji, we are discussing the matter of the quotas. What do you have to say? Could it be that you don't wish to enter the battles to contest for a slot?” “No!” Xuan Wuji walked forward through the air, bowed deeply, and said, “My lords, please grant Xuan Wuji the chance to speak!” Everyone turned to Xuan Wuji with strange looks in their eyes. What was this fellow trying to say at a time like this? Dao King looked around at the others and smiled. “Shall we hear him out?” The others nodded slightly. Hearing him out wouldn't hurt. The various races still had some tolerance for a Heaven Ranking prodigy like Xuan Wuji. Because he was a genius. Seeing this, Xuan Wuji straightened his expression and said solemnly, “What I wish to say today is that someone here is unfit to participate—indeed, completely unqualified! He should not even be permitted into the Star Residence Mansion! Recently, a massive number of disciples from various races were slaughtered. Perhaps my lords have not paid close attention, but in truth, the casualties are catastrophic. Most major races have likely suffered losses... “Furthermore, this person’s motive for murder is utterly horrifying! “This person must never be allowed into the Star Residence Mansion, or disaster will surely follow!” Dao King said indifferently, “Wuji, killing is commonplace on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Casualties are completely normal. You are overthinking it. Let us not waste everyone’s time over minor matters!” “No, Lord Dao King, this matter must not be taken lightly!” As Xuan Wuji spoke, he produced a jade talisman, took a deep breath, and said, “Someone gave me this talisman. When I viewed it, a chill ran down my entire spine. I have endured for many days. I believe the person who sent me this talisman was afraid that no one else could uphold justice for them, so they sought out my Immortal race... hoping our Immortal race would champion righteousness!” With that, he cast the jade talisman into the air. In the next instant, a scene unfolded before everyone's eyes. *Splat!* Accompanied by gruesome sounds and the crunch of breaking bones, a Flying Tiger was slain. In the projection, Zhan Wushuang turned his back, silently picked up the corpse, extracted its blood essence, and departed swiftly without once looking back. In the blink of an eye, another slaughter: a Mountain-Breaking Ox was cut down. Soon after, a Giant Crab was slain. The killing continued without pause! Countless corpses were displayed before their eyes. Someone screamed in despair, “Zhan Wushuang, why?!” Another shrieked miserably, filled with agony and indignation. At this moment, the scene was projected across the entire island. Below, amid the crowd, Zhan Wushuang’s expression was deadpan as he watched in silence without uttering a word. Around him, experts from small races scattered back one after another, hatred flickering in the eyes of some. Over among the God race, several experts also frowned slightly. He had killed far too many! Crucially, Zhan Wushuang had attacked indiscriminately, even targeting the weak. This was outright slaughter! And the number of affected races was exceptionally high! Not one or two, but hundreds. What on earth was Zhan Wushuang doing? As a prodigy of the God race, killing a few weaklings was ordinarily no big deal. However, this indiscriminate massacre, hunting prodigies and experts of minor races across the board, had now been laid bare before everyone. It made it exceedingly difficult for the God race, which always paraded itself as righteous, to face the other races. *What is Zhan Wushuang playing at?!* Some God race experts cursed inwardly. Wasn't he just asking for trouble? Worst of all, he had been filmed doing it. Of course, no one was a fool. Capturing so many scenes clearly meant someone had stalked Zhan Wushuang; it wasn't a chance encounter. Otherwise, how could so many scenes of murder have been recorded? ... Up in the void. Xuan Wuji sighed. “My lords, I believe everyone recognizes the person in these images! A prodigy on the Heaven Ranking behaving so recklessly! As an expert of the Primordial God race, renowned for matchless prowess and capable of battling Sun Moon cultivators, he actually went around slaughtering the weak of lesser races... When I first saw these images, I too was incredulous. Only after verifying it through various channels did I confirm that everything shown is real!” He quickly added, “Even more terrifyingly, he continuously collected blood essence. I consulted several individuals, and some deduced that he might be cultivating some demonic art, or simply concocting innate blood essence!” He didn't mention Su Yu, nor did he need to. Zhan Wushuang had fled back from Su Yu's side, and immediately afterward, he had begun killing and harvesting blood essence. Paired with the mention of innate blood essence, everyone naturally connected the dots to Su Yu. For the God race, killing a few experts of small races was actually not the end of the world. Under normal circumstances, locking Zhan Wushuang in solitary confinement would suffice as an explanation to the outside world! Yes, that was the nature of the heavens! No one could demand Zhan Wushuang forfeit his life to atone for those people—not even now. Although this peak prodigy of the God race had suffered defeat at Su Yu's hands, he was still ranked second on the Heaven Ranking. Yet Xuan Wuji had never expected this evidence to take Zhan Wushuang's life. He was confident that several minor races, as well as the Immortal race, Demon race, and human race, would seize this moment to attack and make choices that served their own interests. It was time to take the God race down a peg. Sure enough, the moment the images finished playing, before the God race Invincible could speak, Demon King Moge remarked coldly from the side, “What insolence! To slaughter the myriad realms so brazenly, even daring to murder the vassals of my Demon race at will—what audacity!” Several minor-race Invincibles caught Moge's cue, and one immediately raged, “Preposterous! The God race is an overlord of the heavens! We have always treated you with respect and extended courtesy to every member of your race, yet today, a God race prodigy has slaughtered our innocent kin with impunity!” “Zhan Wushuang has fallen to evil!” “...” Expert after expert voiced righteous indignation. As for whether they were genuinely angry... Having reached the Invincible realm, who cared about the deaths of a few random people? Unless their direct descendants had died, getting killed while roaming the All-Heavens Battlefield was just standard fare. Yet today, everyone acted utterly incensed! ... To the side. Su Yu watched for a while as if none of this had anything to do with him, then chuckled. This was getting interesting. He glanced at Xuan Wuji and smiled. *Someone gave this to your Immortal race?* *Are you sure you didn't record it yourself?* Of course, at this stage, who recorded it was irrelevant. What mattered was that Zhan Wushuang's slaughter of minor-race cultivators had incited public outrage, right at the crucial juncture of contesting entrance quotas. Zhan Wushuang was at the eighth stage of Shanhai, and so was Xuan Wuji. These two were the strongest at that level. If they removed Zhan Wushuang and disqualified him from the competition, the God race's plan to sweep dozens of eighth-stage Shanhai slots would crumble in an instant. Furthermore, it might even reduce the total number of slots the God race could contest. If not strike now, then when? Indignation surged through the crowd! At this moment, the White-Haired God King spoke aloofly and coldly. “Everyone, it is merely a projection. Across the myriad heavens, there are countless ways to disguise oneself. Just like Su Yu, who frequently impersonates others! Su Yu can even unleash distinctive racial skills via innate techniques. Who can confirm this projection is genuine? Someone is clearly slandering my God race prodigy!” They refused to admit it! The White-Haired God King felt a surge of irritation. He glanced at Zhan Wushuang, looked toward the Immortal race, and snorted inwardly. What a calculating move! They wanted to force Zhan Wushuang out of the competition right now, even barring him from the Star Residence Mansion. If they succeeded, the God race's losses would be severe. It wouldn't be a matter of losing a single spot. At eighth-stage Shanhai, the God race had originally planned to claim at least thirty quotas. Now... they might lose them all in one fell swoop! “Not Zhan Wushuang?” Moge remarked casually, “From what I saw, God Transformation was clearly used several times in those scenes. Aside from Zhan Wushuang, the only outsider known to use God Transformation is City Lord Su, who performed it using innate blood essence.” Moge looked at Su Yu. Seeing so many eyes turning his way, Su Yu smiled and said, “Why are you looking at me?” He looked down at Zhan Wushuang, then over at the White-Haired God King. Right then, the White-Haired God King's voice transmitted into his ear: *“Su Yu, Wushuang killed those people for your sake. If you take the blame for him, the God race will reward you handsomely!”* After all, Su Yu already had countless messes on his hands! If Su Yu took the fall, Zhan Wushuang would be off the hook. This wasn't just about Zhan Wushuang; it involved dozens of entrance quotas! As for Su Yu killing people... would that surprise anyone? It wouldn't be strange in the slightest for him to impersonate Zhan Wushuang to kill. Su Yu, however, sneered in his heart. *Why should I take the rap for you people?* *Do I look crazy to you?!* Seeing Su Yu's expression, the White-Haired God King’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly transmitted, *“Didn't you want Heaven and Earth Profound Light? A hundred strands... If that's not enough, two hundred!”* All the races were present. Even if the God race didn't care about the opinions of the minor races, the other major races were watching them closely at this critical juncture. No matter what, they had to offer some kind of posture—even if they didn't execute Zhan Wushuang, they would have to confine him! Su Yu stroked his chin. Dao King remarked leisurely, “City Lord Su, slaughtering the experts of the myriad races is no trivial matter! Consider carefully before answering, City Lord Su!” Su Yu smiled, looked at the White-Haired God King, and transmitted, *“One carrier, and I'll resolve this for you!”* The God King's expression shifted erratically. A carrier! However, if Su Yu truly took the blame for Zhan Wushuang, allowing Zhan Wushuang to enter the Star Residence Mansion alongside dozens of other slots, the trade would still be worthwhile. The value those people created would vastly exceed a single carrier. The White-Haired God King cursed inwardly, yet had no choice but to transmit, *“Deal!”* Su Yu beamed and spoke aloud. “Don't all look at me! It's just a projection; who can say whether it's real or fake? Is it hard to forge something like this? Xuan Wuji, why don't you tell me where you got it?” Su Yu smiled. “Everything has an origin, doesn't it? Tossing it out without a source might make the God race think you're deliberately framing Zhan Wushuang.” Xuan Wuji replied calmly, “City Lord Su does not need to know the source. The person feared retaliation. Right now, Zhan Wushuang has a large amount of blood essence on his person. If you don't believe it, search his storage ring and the truth will be clear! He must be carrying blood essence corresponding to the slaughtered races!” Reversing time was useless because traces had already been destroyed. Other methods were similarly difficult, but one thing was certain: Zhan Wushuang had to be carrying a vast amount of blood essence from those races right now. That was ironclad proof. Even if Su Yu wanted to take the blame, Xuan Wuji would give him no opportunity to do so. What he wanted was for the God race's reputation to be dragged through the mud, leaving them without their leading genius when entering the Star Residence Mansion. With infighting in the Demon race and Zhan Wushuang barred from entry, the Immortal race would easily take center stage once inside. As long as he took down Zhan Wushuang, the Immortal race would claim total victory this time! A bloodless conquest! Xuan Wuji added impassively, “Furthermore, I believe City Lord Su knows very well who Zhan Wushuang took that blood essence for!” Su Yu chuckled. “I do! I commissioned Brother Wushuang to purchase a batch of blood essence for me, and I even paid for it. Has Brother Wushuang finished the purchase?” With that, he looked down at Zhan Wushuang and smiled. “Brother Wushuang, have you acquired the blood essence I asked you to buy?” Zhan Wushuang frowned slightly. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, “I bought a batch!” “Then hand it over!” Still frowning, Zhan Wushuang promptly tossed a jade box upward. Su Yu caught it with a grin. Over to the side, Xuan Wuji frowned. “City Lord Su, that blood essence wasn't purchased. Zhan Wushuang extracted it by murdering people!” “Listen to you!” Su Yu laughed. “How should I know where he got it? Maybe he bought it from the White-Haired God King! I couldn't care less! I paid the money, so the goods are mine. As for whether the killer was Zhan Wushuang... who can say? Unless an Invincible reverses time, changing one's face is far too easy. And as for racial techniques... What a joke. Zhan Wushuang isn't the only Primordial God race member around; there's a whole crowd of them. Who knows which Primordial God had nothing better to do and went out on a killing spree...” *Smack!* Right at that moment, an eighth-stage Shanhai Primordial God cultivator in the crowd was sent flying by a palm strike from a ninth-stage Sun Moon Primordial God standing beside him. The attacker roared furiously, “Insolent wretch! Tianqi, you dared impersonate Wushuang to go around slaughtering experts of all races? Today, I will cripple you!” “...” Su Yu grinned and looked at the White-Haired God King. The White-Haired God King remained expressionless. He had caught Su Yu’s drift: Su Yu wouldn't take the blame himself; he would simply take the reward and let the God race find a scapegoat from within their own ranks. As long as it wasn't Zhan Wushuang, anyone at eighth-stage Shanhai would do. As for whether they would actually hand over the carrier Su Yu demanded... Su Yu wasn't certain, nor did he particularly care. Even if he hadn't spoken up, the God race would likely have chosen this route eventually; they had simply panicked earlier, fixated solely on keeping Zhan Wushuang out of trouble. Now that they had caught on, their cooperation was seamless. Below, the ninth-stage Sun Moon expert looked up at the various Invincibles with a face full of fury and said in a heavy voice, “My lords, it is my failing for not disciplining my disciple properly! Tianqi went on an indiscriminate rampage, and fearing my discovery, he audaciously disguised himself as Wushuang. I will certainly give everyone an explanation! I shall destroy his physical body, forbid him from leaving the God Realm for a thousand years, and subject him to a century of subterranean fire and a century of thunder strikes...” “...” The gazes of the surrounding experts grew peculiar. Xuan Wuji frowned. “Senior, why bother? The one who acted was clearly not Tianqi. Zhan Wushuang, having reached this point, have people like us lost the courage to own our deeds? Did you really need a clansman to take the fall for you?” Strictly speaking, geniuses like Zhan Wushuang were fairly straightforward. That was the truth! Or in Su Yu's words, they cared about face to a fault. At this moment, the White-Haired God King's expression shifted as he transmitted, *“Wushuang, you are more important than Tianqi. That punishment was just empty words for show, harmless in the end. At worst, you can compensate him later. But under no circumstances may you admit to the killings!”* Otherwise, Zhan Wushuang wouldn't be able to participate, and the God race's losses would be disastrous! As for giving an explanation to the myriad races, it was purely superficial. If destroying the body of an eighth-stage Shanhai Primordial God wasn't enough for them, what was? Taking him back to the God Realm for punishment—did they really expect to supervise it personally? If they dared visit, they were welcome to try! Did they honestly expect a life for a life? If they truly pushed for an execution, the God race would love to see which race dared offend them to the death! As long as appearances were maintained, the matter would naturally blow over. Yet right at that moment, Zhan Wushuang suddenly spoke up. “Those people weren't killed by me. I didn't kill anyone at all.” He looked toward Xuan Wuji, then glanced at Dao Cheng, saying calmly, “After my body was destroyed by Su Yu, I spent all my time recovering. I had no time to do any of this. Xuan Wuji, why frame others for your own deeds? Do you lack the courage to own up to your actions? Dare you claim you weren't the killer? Perhaps... Dao Cheng had a hand in it too! What is your Immortal race plotting? Do you wish to become the supreme rulers of the myriad realms?” Xuan Wuji frowned. What was going on?! This completely went against Zhan Wushuang's character! He even began to wonder if Zhan Wushuang had been swapped out. Backed into a corner like this, Zhan Wushuang should have confessed. He and Dao Cheng had calculated this thoroughly: even if the God race refused to admit it, Zhan Wushuang himself would have owned up to it. Yet... Zhan Wushuang had denied it! Bizarre! While he was still reeling, Zhan Wushuang continued evenly, “Xuan Wuji, how about this: you and I will invite the Eternity-tier experts of the Destiny race and Tianyuan race to jointly cast the Curse of Heavenly Mandate upon us. Whoever lies will die in the ancient city next! How about it?” Xuan Wuji said darkly, “Zhan Wushuang, you are the murderer. Why should I swear the Curse of Heavenly Mandate with you?” Zhan Wushuang replied calmly, “Because I didn't kill them. I suspect these projections are entirely fake. Tianqi only confessed because he feared you were framing me and wanted to shoulder the blame on my behalf... But I don't need it, because I didn't do it! You were the one who slaughtered them to frame me! Projections can be fabricated, but the Curse of Heavenly Mandate is the simplest test. Let us swear an oath: for every prodigy or expert of the myriad races who recently died, whoever killed them shall suffer heavenly retribution once per life taken. Is that fair?” He looked at Xuan Wuji with complete composure. “Why deny deeds committed by yourself and Dao Cheng? You only invite ridicule! If you have the guts, take the oath right now! The Immortal race harbors grand ambitions indeed—seeking to throw my God race into chaos while the Demon race is destabilized and the human race faces collective extermination!” “...” Xuan Wuji stared at him, then sneered coldly after a pause. “Zhan Wushuang, after losing to Su Yu, you've even lost your...” *BANG!* A tremendous roar erupted! Xuan Wuji was sent flying by a violent slap. Over by the Immortal race hall, Dao King's face darkened as three stone statues hovered right before his palace. Su Yu said calmly, “Did my earlier words fall on deaf ears? Calling me by name over and over—do you wish to die? Immortal race, does your kind lack all decorum? It's one thing for Dao King, but a mere Xuan Wuji? Are you tired of living?” In the distance, blood leaked from Xuan Wuji's mouth, a massive handprint stamped across his cheek! Su Yu watched indifferently. “Out of respect for your ancestor, King Xuanhe, I'll spare your dog of a life! Cross the line again, and I will surely kill you!” Fury blazed in Xuan Wuji's eyes! He had been struck across the face by Su Yu right in front of everyone—an utter humiliation! Bastard! Su Yu sneered, wearing an expression of blatant disdain as the three stone statues instantly vanished from before the Immortal race hall. Dao King frowned and looked at Su Yu, who remarked impassively, “Dao King, no need to look at me like that. If your grandson Dao Cheng kept calling you by your personal name, would you be pleased? Showing no regard for hierarchy or respect! The Immortal race prides itself on discipline, yet look at you now—every single one of you lacks basic manners!” Dao King took a deep breath, swallowed his fury, and looked at Xuan Wuji, transmitting, *“Do not pick a fight with Su Yu, and do not call him by name in public again. Do you understand?”* Why go looking for a beating? Su Yu had already erupted over this once before, but... people were simply accustomed to it. Su Yu was just too young. Maintaining respectful titles at all times proved genuinely difficult. Often, people simply blurted it out unthinkingly. And now look at the result. The guy was practically looking for excuses to make trouble; before anything even happened to Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji had already been slapped into utter humiliation! Below, the onlookers watched, dazzled by the unfolding chaos. Some humans who had previously been indignant now kept their heads down, completely at a loss for words. Utterly ruthless! Xuan Wuji was an Immortal King's descendant, and in most people's eyes, the Immortal race was perhaps the foremost power in the myriad realms. Yet right in front of multiple Immortal Kings, Su Yu gave him not a shred of face, slapping Xuan Wuji until he flew through the air. If Su Yu dared treat an Immortal race prodigy like this, whose face would he ever spare? As for those who had been scolded or crippled earlier, no one dared harbor grudges anymore. If they wanted to utter his name, they had better do so strictly in their minds. Anyone who dared speak his name aloud within his hearing might very well meet a grim end. As for Zhan Wushuang, he glanced at Su Yu with slightly conflicted eyes. From Su Yu, he had learned a truth: Sometimes, there was truly no need to care about saving face. If you cared about face, you wouldn't survive. Back then, had he insisted on preserving his dignity, Su Yu would have slaughtered him. He had chosen shamelessness, agreeing to run errands for Su Yu, and so he had lived. Today, when Xuan Wuji tried to provoke him with talk of dignity... it barely registered. Whatever face he had to lose had already been thoroughly discarded. He had lost to Su Yu, had his physical body obliterated, and then crawled back alive by begging for scraps from Su Yu. What face did he have left to maintain? As for swearing an oath with Xuan Wuji, he had only framed it around who had killed more, not that he hadn't killed at all. Because he knew he hadn't killed that many. Since he hadn't, Xuan Wuji and his cohorts had to be responsible for the rest. At this moment, the entire scene felt like an absurd farce. With Su Yu stirring the pot, everyone's thoughts grew tangled. Zhan Wushuang had definitely killed people! Yet he refused to admit it, even challenging Xuan Wuji to an oath, while Xuan Wuji dodged the challenge and shifted the topic. In truth, the Invincibles had largely deduced what had happened. Zhan Wushuang had certainly struck some deal with Su Yu to go out and harvest blood essence. And Xuan Wuji had undoubtedly trailed him all along, perhaps... killing plenty of people himself along the way to orchestrate an even bloodier affair. ... Up in the sky. Su Yu sneered lazily. “As I see it, this matter is easily resolved. Why not ban Zhan Wushuang from the God race, and ban Xuan Wuji and Dao Cheng from the Immortal race? Problem solved!” The moment these words fell, King Dazhou laughed as well. “I believe that works!” Moge added coldly, “That might be the most sensible thing City Lord Su has said all day. The Demon race agrees!” *If you two races want to stir up trouble, neither of you gets to enter!* Curious expressions appeared on the faces of the other races, and someone chuckled, “This matter indeed requires a thorough investigation to provide everyone with an explanation. Why not do as City Lord Su suggests? Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji, Dao Cheng, and the others will temporarily step aside, and a final decision can be made once the facts are cleared up!” *You wanted to make trouble, right?* *Splendid! We were just worrying that your two races were too strong anyway!* Su Yu burst out laughing. “The Immortal race... Xuan Wuji... Dao Cheng... A pair of sheltered fools who only know how to play petty schemes, daring to make clowns of themselves before the Invincibles of the myriad races with their sloppy frame-up—how boring! Those who lack brains are useless everywhere. With all that time, you might as well have assassinated Zhan Wushuang directly! Tedious! Knowing Zhan Wushuang was going to kill people, wouldn't hiring a third party like the Heaven Hunting Pavilion to record it have been ideal? But no, you insisted on trailing him in secret and doing some killing of your own on the side... Morons!” “...” The entire crowd turned to stare at him. Su Yu smiled casually. “Why are you looking at me? I wasn't the one who did it; I'm just guessing! The situation basically boils down to that. Wouldn't kicking them all out settle it? It's not like they killed my people anyway. Minor races are truly pathetic: slaughtered like pigs, yet too terrified to utter a single complaint! Who dares cross the great God and Immortal races? They can butcher whoever they want! It's just the tragedy of small races; once you get used to it, there's no need to take it to heart!” Someone remarked coldly, “City Lord Su must be joking. There is currently no proof of that...” Su Yu yawned. “Spare me the lecture. It's not like my son died! I don't care how many of your people perished! Besides, having reached the Invincible realm, who actually cares about the deaths of a few Shanhai or Sun Moon cultivators? To be frank, I'm not even an Invincible and even I don't care. For true Invincibles, isn't the death of Shanhai and Sun Moon figures no different from stepping on an ant?” “Enough!” The White-Haired God King frowned. “Do we truly need to make a spectacle of ourselves before the juniors?” He looked toward Xuan Wuji, furrowed his brows, and said in a low voice, “Xuan Wuji, where did you actually get this footage?” Xuan Wuji's expression fluctuated for a while before he muttered sullenly, “Forgive me, my lord... I was likely deceived!” With that, he struck downward with a palm toward an eighth-stage Shanhai cultivator from a minor race. With a tremendous boom, the target exploded into mist. Xuan Wuji gritted his teeth and said, “It was this scoundrel who lied to me! I took his words as truth. It seems I misunderstood Brother Wushuang and was used as someone else's tool!” “...” A complete farce! Killing an expert from a minor race brought the curtain down. Su Yu chuckled. Both sides likely realized that continuing this would only drag them both into trouble, so settling for a truce was the better option. Clearly, both sides had reached an unspoken consensus in an instant. They would treat it as though nothing had happened! Zhan Wushuang wouldn't admit to it, and neither would Xuan Wuji. Could anyone actually search their memories? As for reversing time, that was utterly impossible. Dao King sighed inwardly and said, “Wuji, do not act so rashly in the future! You are too young, too impulsive, falling for another's deception like that... Fortunately, it was merely a misunderstanding. Let the matter rest here!” With that, he looked around at the others and smiled. “As for the culprit who slaughtered the kin of various races, we will conduct a thorough investigation afterward. Let us not allow minor issues to disrupt the greater picture. The opening of the Star Residence Mansion is fast approaching. Everyone, time is precious and cannot be squandered.” Su Yu couldn't be bothered with any of this. At that moment, he transmitted to the White-Haired God King with a smile: *“Lord God King, isn't it time to hand over my carrier? You see, Brother Wushuang is completely fine. I resolved a massive crisis for you! Without me muddying the waters, it would not have been easy for Brother Wushuang to slip away. If he were disqualified, the God race's losses would have been colossal!”* The White-Haired God King felt a surge of rage. *You expect a carrier just for spouting a few lines? Did you truly think carriers were that easy to obtain?* *Keep dreaming!* Moreover, it had only been a private verbal agreement; he had no intention of honoring it. He outright ignored Su Yu! *If you want it, come take it yourself. You won't get a damn thing from me!* Su Yu didn't mind in the slightest. His smile remained bright and placid. *If you won't give it, so be it; I don't really care. But... God race, the carrier you owe me will have to be repaid sooner or later.* *Just you wait and see!* Right then, King Dazhou's voice sounded in Su Yu's ear: *“You shouldn't have muddied the waters. Squeezing Zhan Wushuang out would have benefited the human race! Of course, this is merely advice, not a demand. The God race is hardly benevolent; there was no need to meddle, especially when it earned you a blood feud with the Immortal race.”* This dispute should have been left to the God and Immortal races to tear into each other. Su Yu gained little by interfering. It wasn't worth it, nor was it necessary, and it had needlessly provoked the Immortal race. The Immortals had clearly aimed to eliminate Zhan Wushuang from the board. Su Yu merely smiled and said nothing. The Immortal race... so what if he offended them? Why let the Immortal race reign supreme? Without Zhan Wushuang around, wouldn't the God race be far less entertaining? Besides, Zhan Wushuang was his brother! At that moment, Su Yu waved down at Zhan Wushuang and smiled. “Brother Wushuang, don't be afraid! It's all in the past now. If you ever run into trouble, feel free to come find me anytime! Don't forget to deliver the rest of the blood essence I commissioned you to buy as soon as possible!” Zhan Wushuang ignored him, silently retreating into the God race formation. Still, everyone understood to some degree that he and Su Yu likely had an agreement. The two had clearly colluded; otherwise, Zhan Wushuang wouldn't have handed over that blood essence just now. Meanwhile, Su Yu chuckled and transmitted to the White-Haired God King again: *“Lord God King, there's no need to harbor hostility toward me. If the ancient city allies with the God race, your race won't lose out! Brother Wushuang and I forged our friendship through battle, and that's the sturdiest kind! Right now, the Demon race is destabilized and the Immortal race is watching like a tiger stalking prey; the God race will likely be targeted. What's bad about cooperating with me? I've always been fond of the God race's experts. If your lordship doesn't mind, marry a God race goddess to me! An alliance through marriage works too—I, Su Yu, am very easy to talk to!”* “...” The White-Haired God King frowned slightly. *An alliance through marriage?* *Are you serious?* In the next instant, Su Yu's voice transmitted again: *“Of course, the dowry must be generous. Three to five carriers—my demands aren't high!”* *Get lost!* The God King raged inwardly. *What are you daydreaming about?!* *Why does this fellow's behavior seem so familiar...* Suddenly, his eyes fell upon Xia Huyou below, and his heart jolted before he cursed silently. *Right, the Xia family!* Xia Longwu's son! That fellow held a noble status as well, yet he acted as vulgar as a butcher. Over the past few days, he had been running around proposing marriage alliances to every major and minor race, and surprisingly, quite a few had actually been tempted. He had high status and prestige, and it was said he would soon take over as Great Xia's Prefectural Lord. Crucially, his demands for marriage alliances were relatively modest: ten strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light, three to five drops of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid, a dozen or so Earth armaments... and that was it. For an entire race, such items were indeed a drop in the ocean. Forming a marriage connection with the Great Xia Prefecture and establishing ties with King Daxia and the Blood Butcher King was actually an appealing proposition. The problem was... there were damn well too many of them. At first, no one knew. Before long, word leaked out that within a short span, the fellow had run to seventy or eighty different races proposing marriage, leaving countless factions nearly bursting with fury. Did this even count as a marriage alliance? Not only that, the guy hadn't even spared the pathetically tiny races. Two days ago, he had scurried over to the Fire Swine race. The Fire Swine were dirt poor and weak, so when he saw there was nothing valuable to fleece, he pondered for a moment before demanding that they give him a thousand fire swines as guards... *Are you sure they'd still exist as living swine once they reached the human realm?!* The White-Haired God King looked back toward Su Yu and took a deep breath. *Shameless!* The humans were growing more shameless by the day! Or rather, this generation—this era's humans—were all utterly shameless. Perhaps it was driven by the precarious situation. In past eras, humans had been domineering and valiant, never so base and brazen! Too exhausted to bother with Su Yu, the White-Haired God King declared in a heavy voice, “Let us waste no more time on trivial matters. Now that the participant quotas are set, every race shall mobilize their personnel today. The competition for entry slots begins tomorrow! Furthermore, contests are strictly limited to opponents within the same cultivation stage; participating across multiple brackets is forbidden!” He was looking straight at you, Su Yu! Su Yu shrugged, smiling without contesting the rule. Arguing was pointless anyway; the other races would never permit it. Otherwise, Su Yu alone could easily sweep hundreds of quotas. Was there anyone among the myriad races in the same realm who could best Su Yu? None had been found so far! Su Yu toyed with the blood essence in his hand and chuckled. It had been quite a while since he unlocked a new page in the booklet; today, he might finally activate a few. He hoped there would be some Civilization Master blood. As for tomorrow's contest for quotas, he didn't care much. With him around, could the ninth-stage Lingyun slots possibly slip away? Even if he didn't need them himself, he could always sell them. Moreover, the ancient city had secured twenty participant slots this time; the other fellows should at least be able to grab a few, right? Across thirty-six ancient cities, it wasn't as if every single one of them was completely useless. ... While Su Yu remained relaxed and carefree, Xuan Wuji and Dao Cheng were left wearing expressions of utter helplessness and frustration. Dao Cheng sighed, fiddling with his divine character, falling silent. They had believed their scheme was brilliant, yet... in the eyes of others, it was nothing more than a joke. He glanced up at Su Yu, who hovered above within the ancient city, his gaze wavering uncertainly. Was this fellow truly impossible to deal with? The grudge for his killed wife, the grudge for his killed teacher—could they truly never be avenged?