Advancing Floor by Floor

At this point, Su Yu had finally gotten a grasp on the inner workings of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion. A hit list! A literal by-name assassination registry! "Ruthless," Su Yu muttered. He wasn't talking about himself, but rather the previous Time Master. How monstrous did you have to be to create a directory spanning the heavens and myriad realms, recording every single prodigy and powerhouse? *I could sleep and chase girls at home, and whenever I see the directory update, I'd go out and reap a harvest.* Of course, it probably hadn't been harvested too frequently, or someone would have caught on long ago. Even so, the casualties had definitely been immense. Su Yu strongly suspected that anyone who made the ranking in those days either died while on it or ended up dead shortly afterward. "Heh, sowing chaos across the heavens—is that the Hunting Heaven Pavilion's actual job?" "They definitely have to stir things up. Otherwise, when too many geniuses die, it's pretty hard to explain!" "The Hunting Heaven Pavilion..." Su Yu muttered under his breath. The organization's stated purpose seemed to have always been throwing the myriad realms into chaos. Had that been true in antiquity as well? Su Yu was actually mistaken. In antiquity, the Hunting Heaven Pavilion had not been created to sow chaos. The reason it behaved that way now... was because the scholar required it. *** Meanwhile, in the outside world. With everyone fleeing, Su Yu and Hetu had slaughtered their fill, and the death toll had stabilized. About half remained. Roughly eighteen hundred people. On the Heaven Hunting Ranking, the presence of many more individuals flickered out, extinguished by death. Yet at this moment, inside the Hunting Heaven Pavilion, the scholar frowned slightly. So many names had vanished from the Heaven Hunting Ranking, yet something felt off. He watched the turbulent Heaven Hunting Ranking suspended in the void, his brow knitting slightly as he murmured, "So many have died, so why does it feel like... nothing has changed at all?" The Hunting Heaven Pavilion had been antiquity's organ for observing the heavens. It surveyed all under heaven! In antiquity, it was also called the Jiantian Pavilion, though people privately referred to it as the Hunting Heaven Pavilion. For countless years, only he, Marquis Jiantian, knew that whenever a ranked expert died—even if the pavilion hadn't performed the kill or collected the corpse—the Heaven Hunting Ranking would receive a certain feedback, gaining benefits that mended its form. Yet this time, after so many ranked powerhouses had fallen, something was wrong. The Heaven Hunting Ranking appeared to have gained nothing. "Why?" "Is it due to the turbulence inside the Star Residence Mansion?" "Or is Hetu simply so strong that after slaughtering those fellows, not a single trace of their qi leaked out?" The scholar sank into deep thought. When a person died, their willpower and origin qi dispersed into the world. Since the Heaven Hunting Ranking blanketed the heavens and the earth, a portion of whatever was left behind by those on the ranking would always flow into it. The scholar defined this phenomenon as destiny! Yes, destiny! They were all prodigies, peerless talents. When they perished, their destiny dispersed. The scholar did not truly understand what the Heaven Hunting Ranking absorbed, but it certainly mended itself to an extent with every death. He could only describe it as destiny—something ethereal and intangible. Yet now, countless names on the ranking had died. In previous journeys into the Star Residence Mansion, prodigies had died as well, and the Heaven Hunting Ranking had always recovered somewhat. This time, it hadn't. "Why?" The scholar sank into thought once more. After a long while, his eyes shifted slightly, turning toward the distant ancient city—Xinghong Ancient City. Su Yu had forged a book. It had summoned the Parliamentary Blood Tribulation! Because of that, he had suspected something was amiss with the book, as had Tiangu and the others. A book... could it be the Time Booklet? The scholar pondered with furrowed brows. In antiquity, whenever a weapon related to books showed even a hint of great power, people instinctively thought of the Time Master. Consequently, some had privately speculated whether his direct superior was the Time Master. His superior was not the Human Sovereign, but an unimaginably mighty figure whose standing in antiquity was second only to the Human Sovereign himself. The Heaven Hunting Ranking belonged to that very person, who used it to survey the world. The Heaven Hunting Ranking didn't look much like a book; it was merely a scroll of names. But because of its overwhelming might, it had drawn its share of whispered speculation. "Lord King Wen, is it you?" The scholar murmured softly, uncertain and lost. In antiquity, when the Human Sovereign unified the heavens, two sworn brothers stood at his side. Later, once all was united, the Human Sovereign conferred titles upon the realm, granting fiefs to the kings: King Wen was ranked first, and King Wu ranked second. King Wen and King Wu held lofty status, standing half a step above the half-emperors of the myriad realms. Both possessed matchless combat prowess. Rumors even claimed they were no weaker than the Human Sovereign. King Wen kept a low profile while King Wu was domineering. King Wu had once remarked in private that King Wen was stronger than him—and perhaps even stronger than the Human Sovereign... Thought after thought surfaced in the scholar's mind, only to be suppressed. He couldn't help picturing that man's visage—the mellow smile, that unchanging gentleness... Yet looking back on it now, a chill seeped into his bones. "Alas!" With a heavy sigh, he remembered that King Wen was dead—had been dead for ages. No one knew how he had died. Some said an issue arose during his cultivation. Some claimed he was the Time Master and was slain by the councilors of the myriad races. Others claimed the Human Sovereign had executed him because his achievements overshadowed his master's. With his death, the legacy of civilization was severed. The Civilization Tombstone was his grave marker. It was a monument forged by human Civilization Masters to commemorate him. Once King Wen died, the civilization of the heavens was extinguished. At this moment, the scholar couldn't stop thinking about these matters, revisiting every detail. Shortly after King Wen's death, the great upheaval of the heavens erupted with almost no delay in between. Perhaps King Wen's fall had triggered it all. His own standing in antiquity could only be called average, so he didn't know the exact details. He only knew that if King Wen had lived, antiquity might never have fallen. King Wen was dead, King Wu had vanished, and the Human Sovereign... One thought followed another, and the scholar murmured, "Is it Su Yu? If it's him... has he obtained that lord's legacy?" A shudder ran through him. He didn't dare pursue the thought! He feared that man—feared him deeply, far more than he feared King Wu. That man had always been so gentle, so detached from worldly strife, as if nothing in the heavens and myriad realms could ever trouble him. Yet he was dead. Dead without explanation! The scholar looked back at the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Without its master, it was far weaker than in days of old. After breaking apart, it had grown even more diminished, recovering only slightly over the years. He didn't truly understand why it couldn't absorb the destiny shed by the fallen prodigies today. For so many years, he had longed to refine it, yet had never succeeded. Even after his death, King Wen's possessions were not something just anyone could take. "Is a great upheaval drawing near?" "Or will the Tenth Tidal Change bring forth unknown horrors?" He looked out at the ancient fossils beyond. Recently, many of them had surfaced. They likely felt the same as he did, as if dark clouds were blotting out the sun. Yes, he had felt that way continuously over recent days. An omen of the heavens collapsing! An omen that a catastrophe was imminent! He felt it, and perhaps those fellows felt it too—sensing a mortal threat. Cultivators at their level rarely perished. This was no longer antiquity; the Dao Merge Realm was the ceiling of the heavens. In this era, how many could kill beings like them? The two fellows from the God-Devouring race hadn't even been able to kill that half-baked Demon Emperor between the two of them. Much less an ancient Dao Merge cultivator like him. His thoughts drifted to those two God-Devouring beasts, and then to Doubao. That creature... also shared deep ties with King Wen. Another young one of its bloodline had emerged and was following Su Yu. Had it noticed something? A storm of chaotic thoughts left his heart unsettled. With hands clasped behind his back, the scholar stood high in the tower of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion, a trace of melancholy showing on his face. Having lived for countless eras, was the time of reckoning finally upon them? He looked out at the ancient fossils. Figures from the mid-to-lower echelons of ancient times had now grown into grand figures ruling over the heavens. Who among them would still be willing to let another unify the world? Su Yu... did that young man stand a chance? If he truly wished to unify the heavens, he would first have to get past these ancient fossils. Even Hetu, a titan from the First Tidal Change, was currently reduced to roaming as a dead spirit. Just as he was pondering this, the White Jade Gate suddenly trembled! The scholar was slightly startled as shouts echoed outside: "Transmit the message! Quick, transmit the message!" *** The fourth floor. Having found little on the fourth floor, Su Yu felt somewhat disappointed. The two lungs hadn't yielded anything remarkable; only the breathing technique's inhalation and exhalation had slightly tempered his apertures. Unwilling to give up, Su Yu tried searching for whether the heart was located on this floor. A heart should be somewhere near the lungs, shouldn't it? Yet after searching for half a day, he found no such place. Su Yu felt disheartened. Did that mean it was on the fifth floor? Or had it been destroyed in battle long ago? Left with no choice, Su Yu returned to the entrance. Uncertain whether this entrance corresponded to the vertebral aperture, he called out "Tai Shan" to test it, carefully observing while letting Old Zhou roar in his mind. After a long while, he confirmed that this was not the vertebral aperture. Barring any surprises, that aperture would be on the fifth floor. Would the sixth floor house the Baihui aperture? Carrying these thoughts, even as he shouted "Tai Shan," Su Yu took the opportunity to send out several messages—incredibly chaotic ones. "Help... dead spirits invading... help..." He didn't elaborate, sending only that single line. Of course, that was through just one Heaven Hunting Sub-ranking. Su Yu casually sent similar frantic fragments through several others, making it seem as if the senders were in too much panic to communicate properly. Before long, a single line of text appeared across every sub-ranking in Su Yu's hands, and communication was immediately severed. "Proceed to the seventh floor! Everyone on the seventh floor, set aside your grievances, hold the floor, and slay Hetu! Await the gate's tremor before contacting us again!" Indeed, the outside world sent only this single directive. Ordering everyone to the seventh floor! Telling the experts there to set aside their grudges for now and kill Hetu first. Everything else could wait until Hetu was dead. Otherwise, with Hetu running loose, the losses this time would be catastrophic beyond imagination. *** The seventh floor. At this moment, a lotus flower hung suspended in the void, a budding blossom. The first petal of the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus seemed to have unfurled, and barring any surprises, it would bloom fully very soon. Across the seventh floor, many experts received the message. Currently, the Minister of the Heaven Branch held his Heaven Hunting manual, frowning slightly as he read. Hetu! He knew Hetu. Or rather, he had seen him once, toward the end of the First Tidal Change. Back then, he had been a nobody, while Hetu was already a titan who shook the heavens. "Hetu has arrived..." The minister murmured softly, looking up at the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus in the air. A sigh escaped him. Troubled times indeed. His original plan had been to harvest the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus peacefully and break through to the Dao Merge Realm. Yet now... trouble seemed to have found them. As expected, the Dao Merge Realm was not so easily attained. Even now, he had no absolute certainty. Among those who had entered this time, he was likely the strongest. However... did being the strongest guarantee obtaining the treasure? If everything came down to raw strength, there would be no such thing as karmic opportunity. And sure enough, trouble had arrived. With trouble came variables. It wasn't just Hetu. The seventh floor already possessed a dead spirit passage that everyone had carefully avoided touching or provoking. But in reality, an incident had always been inevitable, because the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus floating in the void was merely a projection. The genuine Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus grew directly above the dead spirit passage; it was the very thing suppressing it! The moment it was plucked, a horde of dead spirits would inevitably swarm in. "What a headache!" The Minister of the Heaven Branch sighed once more. Just then, someone in the distance gasped in shock, "Hetu? Something happened below? Dead spirits are charging up from below?" "..." They were genuinely caught off guard. Those on the seventh floor had no idea what had taken place. Only now did they learn that a dead spirit monarch had arrived from down below. *** Meanwhile, in a corner of the seventh floor. Several human Invincibles had gathered. Qin Zhen cursed, "Fuck, why is everyone chasing me down? Do they think I'm weak and easy to bully?" It was bizarre! In the four days since he entered, he had fought eight battles, clashing with eight different Invincibles until he was bruised and battered all over! After venting, Qin Zhen saw that no one was paying him any mind. Resigned, he said, "Xia Longwu, you saw the message, right? Looks like trouble broke out down below. What do we do?" The Invincibles remained silent for a moment. Soon, Xia Longwu turned to Zhu Tianfang. "Brother Zhu, what do you think we should do?" Before Zhu Tianfang could speak, Qin Zhen snapped, "Watch how you address him! You should be calling him Uncle, and me too. We're a generation above you!" "..." Silence answered him. Strictly speaking, among the four Invincibles, Xia Longwu was indeed a generation below the others. Zhou Polong was of King Dazhou's nephew's generation, while Xia Longwu was of King Daxia's grandson's generation. Qin Zhen and Zhu Tianfang were both direct sons of older-generation Invincibles. Xia Longwu remained impassive. "Brother Zhu, do you think we should find a way down?" Seeing that he was being ignored, Qin Zhen could only grumble inwardly about arrogant juniors. Still, when it came to strength, among the three who had attained the Dao at the same time, Xia Longwu was probably the strongest. Forget it; he couldn't be bothered to lecture him. Zhu Tianfang was truly the strongest among them, a veteran Invincible who had clashed with other Invincibles a century ago. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Even if we go down, we are no match for Hetu. I know of him. Back then, he was half a step from Dao Merge. Even though he died, after absorbing death qi and recovering for all these years, he is at least at the seventh tier of Eternity. On our side... if all four of us join forces, we might fight him, but individually, even if I faced him alone, I would be no match." The seventh tier of Eternity! That put him among the elite of the Invincibles. If the trash who attained the Dao in small realms counted as first-tier Eternity, and those who attained it in their home realms counted as second-tier, then attaining the Dao across the myriad realms almost instantly granted third-tier strength. By Zhu Tianfang's current standing, his strength at the time of attainment had certainly been slightly below Xia Longwu's current level. But over a century had passed, and his cultivation had pushed into the middle tiers. He was in the middle echelons of Eternity. Among humanity's dozens of Invincibles, he held a respectable middle position, nowhere near the bottom. Yet against Hetu, he faced someone on the same tier as the Dao King and the White-Haired God King—and roughly equivalent to King Dahan among humans. That made him far too dangerous to provoke! When King Dahan had fought several Invincibles that day, including some in the middle tiers, the battle had been grueling. Among the human race, King Daqin stood at the ninth tier, while King Dazhou and King Daxia were assessed by the outside world as eighth-tier. King Daming, King Dahan, King Datang, and King Dashang were rated at the seventh tier. The rest fell into the middle or early tiers. For example, King Miecan was in the middle tier, judged externally to be at the fifth tier of Eternity. His true depth remained difficult to gauge unless it came down to a life-and-death struggle. Hearing him say this, Qin Zhen asked, "Then we just ignore it? But right now, many of our juniors are down below." Frowning, Qin Zhen continued, "Those youngsters might not even make it up to the seventh floor! The fifth floor is ablaze with heart fire, while the sixth floor holds the Nine Bends and Eighteen Passes. Fighting their way up to the seventh floor is immensely difficult. If they can't make it, aren't they doomed?" Zhu Tianfang nodded slightly. "Therefore... we can only hope that some of the Sun Moons below can escort them up!" "Quite a few Sun Moons from the various prefectures came in this time. Old Hu from the Great Xia Prefecture, Qin Hao from the Great Qin Prefecture, Old Hou from our Great Ming Prefecture... and Sun Moons from other prefectures as well. Many of them are waiting on the sixth floor..." Pausing, Zhu Tianfang added, "Never mind whether we can even get down. If we descend together, coming back up to the seventh floor will be difficult. If we head down, do you think those other races won't block the passage and ambush us the moment we show our heads?" At these words, Zhou Polong chimed in, "We cannot go down! Otherwise, we will be forced to hunt Hetu alone, trapped between floors with no way up and no way down. That would be the worst predicament!" They couldn't go down! Never mind that the outsiders told them to set aside their grievances—it was utter nonsense. The moment they descended, having the entrance blocked would spell disaster. "So, we must head to the entrance now to prevent our human experts from being slaughtered as they come up!" "Guarding the entrance is our real task!" By keeping a safe passage open for humans, the four Invincibles would ensure that the other races wouldn't dare act recklessly. Seeing that everyone agreed, Qin Zhen dropped the subject with a sigh. "Let it be, then!" There was no alternative. On the Zhu family's side, Zhu Guangshen and his peers were below. Xia Huyou of the Xia family and several Zhou family juniors were down there too. Since they put it that way, he had to yield. Indeed, going down might be a dead end. Before long, they reached a decision: secure the passage first to prevent other races' Invincibles from ambushing the human experts who managed to ascend. *** Meanwhile, on the fifth and sixth floors, large groups began rendezvousing with the powerhouses of their respective races to push toward the seventh floor. As for hunting for treasures? Forget it! Who had time for treasure hunting at a time like this? An Invincible dead spirit was on his way up! On the fifth floor. Foutuling had reconnected with the experts of the Five Elements race, feeling somewhat puzzled. A dead spirit? Not Su Yu? *That doesn't seem right...* Foutuling muttered to himself. Had the killer really been a dead spirit? He hadn't seen any sign of it! Besides, since when were dead spirits that cunning? If his memory served him right, these were assassinations. Had dead spirits learned to launch sneak attacks too? Yet he could hear the survivors who had fled from the fourth floor speaking in hushed relief. A dead spirit had arrived! An immensely powerful one! *Su Yu can turn into a dead spirit, can't he?* Foutuling pondered. It seemed he could. Could it be... that everyone had been fooled by Su Yu? It was entirely possible! He remained deeply suspicious because very few humans had died. He couldn't help doubting the narrative, especially since what he had seen differed from what he was hearing. Of course, Foutuling had no interest in exposing the truth. If he did, what if that fellow flew into an embarrassed rage and insisted on killing him? Foutuling glanced in all directions. Quite a crowd had gathered on the fifth floor by now, though he didn't spot Moduona and the others. Those madmen had probably already rushed up to the sixth or even seventh floor. Aside from those few, he did spot several other figures from the Heaven Ranking. Soon, he caught sight of some humans. Scanning the group, Foutuling noticed several humans of notable status, and his eyes flickered with a thought. *** At that moment, Bai Feng and his companions were being swept along by the retreating crowd, racing toward the entrance to the sixth floor. As they spoke in hushed tones, an earthy-yellow figure in the distance suddenly turned toward them and called out, "Hey, you over there! Are you Su Yu's teacher?" Bai Feng frowned slightly, looking over. The Five Elements race? He looked closely, seeming to recognize the speaker, and said coldly, "Foutuling of the Five Elements race?" "That's me!" Bai Feng replied coldly, "What, looking for trouble?" Foutuling snorted. "Not interested! I despise humans, but... I'm on decent terms with Su Yu. A few people on your side look like their viscera have caught fire from the heart fire. They need treatment right away!" With that, a storage ring shot across the air. "Inside are several Five Elements Fruits, all water-attributed. Take them, and they will suppress the heart fire! Once you're out, remember to tell Su Yu to pay me back!" "..." All the experts around them froze. Among the Five Elements race, several geniuses blanched, and one sent a furious mental transmission: "Foutuling, what are you doing?" Were you insane? Su Yu was currently a primary target marked for death by the myriad races. What on earth were you saying? A Sun Moon powerhouse beside him quickly stepped in, saying, "Don't misunderstand, everyone! Foutuling has no ties with Su Yu. Su Yu once trapped him and nearly killed him..." Turning toward the Immortal race in particular, the Sun Moon expert explained hurriedly, "It's all a misunderstanding. Foutuling is merely joking..." Yet Foutuling declared solemnly, "There is no misunderstanding! I do not speak for the Five Elements race; I speak only for myself! I sparred with Su Yu, I lost to him, and I respect him! To me, race, enemies, or being an enemy of the myriad realms mean nothing! You don't understand the world of geniuses. I dare say that even if Moduona or Zhan Wushuang saw Su Yu, they wouldn't scream for his blood. When your skill falls short, you acknowledge it!" Turning toward the other races, he added coldly, "If any of you take issue with this, feel free to attack me! Foutuling may be weak, but I certainly don't fear you! Do I need your permission to make a friend?" "..." Many were dumbfounded. Was this guy out of his mind? Announcing he wanted to be friends with Su Yu right here, in front of so many people? Was he courting death? A Sun Moon from the Immortal race said coldly, "Foutuling, consider your position carefully! Some things are not for a mere genius like you to decide! This is an order from the Immortal Emperor and the emperors of every race. Guard your tongue, lest disaster follow!" If the timing weren't so terrible, he would have struck Foutuling down on the spot just for those words! Foutuling remained silent, refusing to argue. Inwardly, he scoffed. *What do you know? Talk to me after you manage to get out alive. If you all die... how will you ever trouble me?* Ignoring them, he looked toward Bai Feng and sent a mental transmission: "What are you staring at? I'm not doing you a favor; I'm doing Su Yu a favor! The goods are genuine and won't poison you. Out of your human race, the only one I truly hate is that Liu Hong; the rest of you don't matter to me!" "..." Bai Feng was utterly stunned. When had Su Yu forged such a deep friendship with Foutuling of the Five Elements race? Handing over spirit fruits right in front of the myriad races! Even though they didn't urgently need them—Huang Jiu had returned with quite a few treasures—Five Elements Spirit Fruits were hardly trash. Bai Feng couldn't afford a single one even if he sold himself. Scanning the storage ring now, he found quite a few—a full five of them! That was a remarkably generous gesture! He glanced at Foutuling in surprise. The fellow's tone might not be polite, but that was normal. Foutuling was a top-tier genius; in his eyes, anyone below that tier was probably garbage. "Thank you!" Bai Feng said nothing more, though he couldn't help wondering: *Did Su Yu become friends with him after trapping him last time?* Then again, last time in the ancient city, Su Yu had slaughtered heaps of Sun Moons, yet Foutuling had stayed inside the ancient city for a month without incident. Perhaps they really did share some rapport. He wasn't the only one; many onlookers were arriving at the same thought. Someone even remarked coldly, "Back then, Su Yu disguised himself as Foutuling to challenge Tianduo, then disguised himself as Tianduo after killing him... The Five Elements race claimed it was because Foutuling was trapped inside an ancient house and never received word. Heh... looking at it now, Tianduo died an injustice!" Foutuling and Su Yu might have been in league all along. Or perhaps they had put on an act together. Damn them! They deserved to die! Within the Five Elements camp, several Sun Moon powerhouses glared at Foutuling, berating him through furious transmissions: "You fool! You... you absolute fool!" The elders were exasperated by his reckless behavior! Even if you truly befriended Su Yu, you couldn't display it so openly! It was over! Even if they escaped alive and the Five Elements race did everything to protect Foutuling, immense trouble awaited him. They didn't inherently object to Foutuling befriending Su Yu; for a genius out in the world, having another connection was always useful. But with someone who was a public enemy like Su Yu, even if you were on good terms, you had to keep it in the shadows. This could easily drag the entire Five Elements race into the fire! Foutuling kept quiet and offered no explanation. There was nothing to explain! There were only so many people present. Exclude the humans—the myriad races wouldn't believe a word they said anyway. The Five Elements race could be ignored. As for the other races, once they all died... naturally, no one would spread the word. And if the one coming from below wasn't Su Yu, he would just find a way to orchestrate their deaths. What was the big deal? The elders were simply too cowardly. Those fellows had gathered plenty of treasures during this trip. If he set them up to be wiped out, there might even be a massive harvest. In any case, so many had died already; a few more wouldn't raise any eyebrows. He paid them no further attention and didn't make any deliberate attempt to flatter Bai Feng. Being too deliberate would look too obvious, too obsequious. There was no need for that! A cool, proud demeanor was just right. Still, he had publicly declared himself Su Yu's friend before the myriad races... If Su Yu was indeed behind this slaughter, would he have the heart to strike him down? *I gave away my treasures to save your friends, and I had no idea you were even inside. Everything I showed was genuine!* Beneath the predatory glares of the myriad races and the furious scowls of his own kin, Foutuling maintained an air of complete composure, quickly taking the lead and flying toward the passage to the sixth floor. As for treasure grounds, he had dismissed them entirely. There was no point in thinking about them! Surviving this ordeal was all that mattered. Living through it was the only victory. A crowd of geniuses and powerhouses fled like refugees. Even with humans right beside them, no one initiated a fight. Over three hundred humans remained. How long would it take to wipe them out? Besides, many among the various races had zero stomach for battle right now. *** The third floor. Behind Hetu, a few more dead spirits had joined the ranks. Standing at the entrance to the third floor, Hetu frowned slightly, looking perplexed. "Daidai, have you been cursing me this whole time?" Daidai remained silent. "Was it you?" Hetu couldn't be sure. The simpleton rarely spoke. The issue was that right now, he felt as though countless people were chanting his name. Crucially, ordinary people couldn't trigger such an intuition in him. That meant the ones cursing him were quite strong! A powerful wave of resentment was practically piercing through the River of Time. If his memory served him right, the last time he had been reviled like this was when he was still alive, when the heavens and myriad realms cursed him for leading an invasion of dead spirits. Why this time? Filled with doubt and annoyance, Hetu said, "Forget it, I won't bother thinking about it. To the fourth floor! Some of those fellows must have escaped. Could they have spread word of my arrival?" He wasn't sure. Could it be that he hadn't wiped out everyone earlier, and someone had slipped past to the upper floors? So everyone knew he had come? That shouldn't be the case, should it? Even if they knew dead spirits had descended, they shouldn't know his identity. He hadn't announced his name, had he? Unsure, he asked, "Daidai, did I ever say I was Hetu?" "D-Don't know..." Hetu hesitated. *Did I say it?* Probably not. He couldn't recall. He only remembered laughing for a very long time. Shaking his head, Hetu dismissed the thought. Whatever! Move up! If they knew, so be it. Those on the upper floors might know, but those outside certainly didn't! They were bound to clash sooner or later anyway! Soon, Hetu led his army of dead spirits through the passage, stepping onto the fourth floor. Yet the fourth floor was eerily quiet. Dead silence reigned! Hetu grew puzzled. Had word truly leaked? Had his blockade been too sloppy? "Keep searching. Comb every inch—do not let a single living soul escape!" Regardless, he would sweep his way up floor by floor! Leaving none alive! A few people still lingered on the fourth floor, but very few. Some were hunting for treasures and hadn't received the news; others had found secluded treasure grounds and were exploring alone, oblivious to the outside world. These were the ones Hetu set out to slay. Su Yu only killed those he ran into or large clusters of people, but Hetu searched every inch, sparing no one! Sweeping up from the first floor, he truly left not a single blade of grass standing. In doing so, he inadvertently bought Su Yu valuable time. It was a vast space, after all, and sweeping it thoroughly consumed considerable time. Meanwhile, near the fourth floor's passage, Su Yu quietly recorded more footage of the invading dead spirit army before slipping away toward the fifth floor. Hetu was doing a stellar job handling the dirty work. Su Yu could already sense the death qi growing thicker behind him. *Keep up the good work! Take your time clearing them out—whatever you do, don't rush up!* Su Yu muttered inwardly. If Hetu came up too fast, Su Yu would run out of time. There were certainly plenty of treasures waiting on the fourth floor, but unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury to explore. Hetu was sweeping faster now, likely because his dead spirit legion had expanded. "The fifth floor... the vertebral aperture is definitely here. I'll need to spend a bit more time this time!" The moment Su Yu stepped onto the fifth floor, he let the heart fire scorch him. He knew immediately that a heart was likely located on this level. That wasn't the main point, however; what mattered was discovering the circulation method for the vertebral aperture. Soon, he would be able to completely deduce the cultivation technique. Once the technique was completed, he could quickly push into the ninth tier of the Lingyun Realm and undergo successive transformations, without being held back by bottlenecks any longer.