At that moment, Su Yu swiftly ducked into a mountain hollow, summoning the civilization chronicle to mask his aura and sever all resonance with heaven and earth.
Inside his 144 apertures, the saber qi crumbled all at once!
All along, Su Yu had technically qualified as having achieved the first transformation of the Lingyun Realm.
Yet only 144 apertures had transformed.
Originally, he had intended to complete the transformation of different apertures using different cultivation methods. But Xinghong had warned him that doing so would result in conflicting origin qi intensities and attributes across his apertures. That warning was precisely what led to his current Method of the Heavenly Cycle.
He would transform all 360 origin apertures at the same time!
Having crushed Xia Longwu's saber qi, the origin qi rewarded to him by heaven and earth faintly carried traces of the power of rules. This made Su Yu's transformation far smoother and immensely more powerful!
The nine Lingyun transformations granted different percentage increases in origin qi quality depending on the cultivator's foundation.
Otherwise, if everyone gained the exact same boost, wouldn't the foundations painstakingly built in earlier stages be a complete joke?
At this moment, Su Yu's 360 apertures were illuminated one by one, tempered one by one, purged and refined by that exceptional rewarded origin qi.
The apertures grew brighter and brighter!
Each aperture shone like a dazzling star, blindingly radiant.
The transformation had officially begun!
Su Yu was so moved he nearly wept. *My life has been so hard—too hard! I've finally stepped into the Lingyun Realm!*
It had been almost two full years since he enrolled in the higher academy.
He had entered in the 350th year of Anping, and now it was nearly mid-352.
Two years, and he had finally stepped into Lingyun.
Did that count as a genius?
Yes!
Yet in this era, he wasn't the only one to reach Lingyun within two years; others would soon follow.
Su Yu was ready to cry because surely no Lingyun had endured as much agony as him.
First, he had hunted down 360 origin apertures, experimenting with countless techniques until he located all 360 and established the strongest Wanshi foundation.
After that, he sought out diverse body tempering methods, completing seventy-two tempers to establish the strongest Soaring foundation.
And now, at Lingyun, he had finally uncovered the Method of the Heavenly Cycle. By all appearances, he was poised to establish the strongest Lingyun foundation as well.
*Hopefully this technique will still allow me to fuse apertures easily once I reach the Shanhai Realm.*
*If not, I really will cry!*
*It should work!*
In the Shanhai Realm, nine apertures would be combined into one, and eventually into a single unified aperture. That was the essence of the transformation from Shanhai to Sun Moon. There shouldn't be any problem. If another problem cropped up, Su Yu would genuinely go mad.
Deducing and searching for cultivation methods was simply too exhausting.
While these thoughts swirled through his mind, Su Yu quickly brought out a mountain of treasures: Emperor Saliva Liquid, Water Condensation Beads, Dragon Blood Fruits...
He didn't consume them. Instead, he piled them around himself, allowing vast amounts of exceptionally pure heavenly origin qi to waft out and fuel the apertures' transformation.
He was never short on wealth. A normal cultivator could complete all nine transformations with just a few Five Elements Spirit Fruits.
Su Yu was different. He was absurdly strong, possessing the combat prowess of the Sun Moon Realm. A transformation at his level naturally incurred immense consumption, not to mention that he refused to settle for a half-hearted transformation.
...
His fleshly body seemed to awaken.
His apertures roared with thunderous tremors!
Origin qi converged inside each aperture, gradually taking shape. It was no longer in the shape of a blade, but rather a book!
Yes, the shape of a book.
At this moment, all 360 apertures seemed to acknowledge his identity as a scholar; even his origin qi transformed into the likeness of a book.
One, two, three...
The origin qi within aperture after aperture completed its transformation and revival.
Tiny books hovered inside each aperture.
Three hundred... three hundred and fifty...
When the very last aperture completed its origin qi transformation, a deafening boom echoed. Su Yu emptied his mind, letting go of everything. A violent release of gas from beneath his seat blasted a massive crater directly into the ground!
Exhilarating!
Every impurity and trace of foreign matter was instantly expelled.
Now, only a pure, crystal-clear physical body remained.
Su Yu had once claimed the Immortals smelled fragrant. But now, if anyone laid eyes on him—the old Hou King, the Iron-Eating Beast, the Golden-Winged Roc...
They would probably all salivate to devour him!
He was the one who was truly fragrant!
Fragrant enough to make great demons drool.
Eyes closed, Su Yu relished the sensation of his transformation. His total volume of origin qi hadn't changed drastically, but its quality was far superior.
Idly sensing his power, he casually tapped the empty air.
After assessing himself, Su Yu exhaled gently. Even his breath carried a fragrant scent.
"Roughly a fifty percent boost."
Su Yu smiled. To achieve such a substantial enhancement at his level was already beyond expectations.
Originally, after seventy-two fleshly tempers, Su Yu's physical strength had exceeded 1.72 million apertures of force. His defense was even sturdier—equivalent to two extra tempers, surpassing two million apertures of force.
And that was without opening his yang apertures!
Opening the yang apertures doubled his strength to nearly 3.5 million apertures of force, which by Su Yu's estimation placed him at the seventh stage of the Sun Moon Realm.
By his calculations, an ordinary eighth-stage Sun Moon possessed around four million apertures of force, while an early ninth-stage possessed around five million.
Reaching the eighth or ninth stage of Sun Moon, hardly anyone was truly mediocre; they were all minor geniuses, and aside from a few true monsters, that was the standard baseline.
Yet right now, without opening his yang apertures, Su Yu's physical strength surpassed 2.5 million apertures of force!
He didn't know whether opening his yang apertures would still grant a twofold boost.
If it did... once opened, his combat prowess would instantly reach the level of an early ninth-stage Sun Moon!
"I am terrifying!"
Murmuring to himself, Su Yu drew a sharp breath. The void rippled, sucking in a tiny black vortex. *I, Su Yu, am ridiculously strong!*
What kind of Lingyun was this?
Only the first stage!
He had only completed a single transformation!
"If I complete all nine transformations... heavens!"
Su Yu terrified even himself. Keeping his expectations modest, if each transformation granted a fifty percent boost to his strength, then by the ninth transformation... he counted on his fingers. *Good heavens!*
Wouldn't that mean that after the fifth transformation, without opening his yang apertures, his combat power would exceed ten million apertures of force?
By the sixth, nearly twenty million!
And upon completing the ninth, over sixty million!
Su Yu swallowed hard. "Just how strong is a quasi-Invincible?"
Typical quasi-Invincibles possessed only two-life embodiments, with a rare few manifesting three-life embodiments. Once three-life embodiments appeared, it was time to attain the Dao. Yet some individuals manifested all three embodiments and still failed to attain the Dao.
Yun Chen was one example!
Kongkong was another!
Cultivators like them had three-life embodiments that remained unfused. Whether they were simply too powerful to merge or held back by something else remained unknown.
If an early ninth-stage Sun Moon possessed five million, what about a peak ninth-stage?
Su Yu had no idea; he had never fought anyone of that caliber.
And how strong was a quasi-Invincible?
Call it ten million apertures of force!
Su Yu clicked his tongue. Once he finished nine transformations, he could fell them with a single punch each.
Of course, that was assuming... he could breach the River of Time. Certain quasi-Invincibles and peak ninth-stage Sun Moons could open the River of Time.
"All I have is brute force..."
Su Yu furrowed his brows slightly. Yes, that was the catch.
No matter how strong your brute force was, you still had to land a hit on your opponent.
If you couldn't pierce the River of Time, you wouldn't match their speed or their evasiveness. No matter how strong you were, you remained an ungainly beast, while those quasi-Invincibles were agile hunters.
"It seems my next priority isn't just strengthening myself, but boosting my speed and comprehending laws..."
Time and space were exceptionally bizarre concepts.
Only by mastering them could he unleash his full potential.
"So the best path forward is... divine characters!"
Su Yu murmured softly. Yes, divine characters!
Characters of space, characters of time!
For instance, the 'Slow' character that he had never paid much attention to!
That was a divine character he had comprehended while studying the *Time* technique, essentially half a natural divine character. It involved the laws of time; pushed to its limit, it could freeze an opponent in place.
"Only if I deprive them of the time to open the River of Time and close the distance... then once I reach the ninth stage of Lingyun, I won't fear any quasi-Invincible!"
With over sixty million apertures of raw explosive force... Su Yu doubted he would lag behind any Invincible!
Too terrifying!
The crucial hurdle remained the mastery of rules and laws. Since Su Yu lacked that mastery, he could only be treated as a sitting duck.
"In that case, I have to catch them off guard and slap them to death instantly before they have time to react. Which means... I must keep a low profile!"
Naturally, he was currently only at the first stage of Lingyun.
It was still early!
Of the nine transformations, he had only completed one.
For the remaining eight, without the heaven-and-earth reward he had just received, completing them would be immensely difficult!
Given his strength, ordinary treasures were a mere drop in the bucket and couldn't sustain his transformations.
Even if he forced it through, the boost would be pitiful.
Only top-tier treasures would suffice!
"The Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus!"
Su Yu's eyes gleamed. Yes, the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus!
Only a treasure of that caliber could allow him to smoothly complete all nine transformations. Once that was done, even without mastering rules and laws, so what if he couldn't hit those Invincibles? They wouldn't be able to kill him easily either.
His defense would be frightfully robust!
So formidable that if an enemy struck him with a palm, they might fail to kill him and shatter their own hand bones from the recoil instead.
"By then, while I won't be truly invincible, I can ensure that as long as I don't provoke you, you'd better not provoke me... or a careless slip on your part will get you beaten to death!"
At that point, Su Yu would be a clumsy bear, and the opponent an agile fox... but it wouldn't matter. You couldn't pierce his hide, and the moment you let your guard down, he would swat you dead!
Only now did Su Yu truly breathe a sigh of relief.
He had offended far too many people!
Invincibles, Dao Integration experts—he had crossed a whole swarm of them.
Yet in this era, his personal combat power was not considered top-tier. He had been relying on backers.
No matter how strong a backer was, they were not him, nor were they his parents.
Whether it was the stone sculpture or the little fur ball's parents, they were ultimately outsiders. Aligning with them was driven partly by shared interests and partly by circumstance. Relying on outsiders was a choice born solely of necessity.
If he truly wished to establish a foothold across the myriad realms, he had to rely on his own strength!
"As long as I seize the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus, I will have the capital to stand tall in the myriad realms!"
Su Yu muttered under his breath. Seize the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus, complete all nine transformations inside the Star Residence Mansion, and perhaps even step directly into the ninth stage of the Shanhai Realm!
Only then could he secure a true foothold across the myriad realms.
Anyone wishing to kill him would have to weigh the risk of being killed in return!
"Ordinary treasures can no longer support my origin qi transformations, so... I must seize that item!"
At Su Yu's current level, despite technically being in the Lingyun Realm, he was best viewed as a high-stage Sun Moon. Lingyun was merely a label with zero practical meaning!
Su Yu stood up, his mood exceptionally bright.
Stowing the civilization chronicle, Su Yu finally found the time to survey the rest of the sixth floor.
Mountains and ravines stretched in every direction.
Towering peaks rose one after another, winding and twisting like a labyrinth.
Stepping into the air, he flew upward to look around—and instantly ran into trouble. Miasma hung overhead, corroding fleshly bodies.
Of course, Su Yu could endure it.
The corrosive strength was roughly at the early Sun Moon level.
"Anyone below Sun Moon can only move along the ground, which makes navigation extremely difficult... This floor is perilous!"
Su Yu sighed. He didn't need to ask what this place represented; he already knew in his heart.
The intestines!
"The intestines... the Sky-Piercing Aperture..."
Su Yu chuckled. Could the Sky-Piercing Aperture be located at the entrance between the sixth and seventh floors?
Not necessarily. There was still some distance between the Sky-Piercing Aperture and the end of the intestinal tract; it might lie within the seventh floor. Of course, that hardly concerned him now.
Su Yu didn't care much anymore.
He had already mastered the technique!
Of course, if time permitted, he would have preferred to search out each aperture location and temper the corresponding aperture to make it firmer and stronger. But hadn't he run into that troublesome fellow Hetu?
With Hetu trailing close behind, who had the leisure to search?
"Right now, even without opening my yang apertures, I possess the genuine strength of a sixth-stage Sun Moon."
Su Yu grinned. Opening the yang apertures wasn't something to take lightly; he would avoid it if possible. Without the Old Turtle around to seal them for him, he had to rely entirely on himself. The yang apertures absorbed origin qi far too rapidly, and unless driven into a corner, Su Yu had no desire to open them.
Without opening the yang apertures, his physical burst surpassed 2.5 million apertures of force—formidable indeed!
Coupled with fourth-tier divine characters like 'Power,' 'Shock,' and 'Break,' he could hold his own against an ordinary seventh-stage Sun Moon, all without opening the yang apertures or consuming blood essence.
Otherwise... Su Yu would be even stronger!
"Once my physical strength hits ten million apertures of force, I'll attempt to swallow Invincible blood essence!"
Su Yu's eyes flickered with resolve. He needed to acquire some Invincible blood essence.
Once his physical body reached ten million apertures of force, consuming Invincible blood essence might allow him to trigger insights into the laws of time. If his combat strength was high enough by then, abruptly opening a passage through time would prove invaluable whether for escaping or assassinating.
"The Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus!"
Su Yu gazed into the depths. There was no time to search for other treasures; he had to head to the seventh floor!
He needed to blend into the crowd before everyone departed. Otherwise, if an Invincible stood guard at the entrance to the seventh floor, getting through would become impossible.
With a slight vibration of his flesh, he repelled the miasma. Su Yu paid no mind to the winding paths below, as they didn't affect him.
For those below Sun Moon, navigating the sixth floor without a protector was essentially a death sentence.
To Su Yu, it was nothing.
This time, plenty of people were probably ready to weep. Having gained zero benefits, they had been driven onto the perilous sixth floor, and soon they would have to ascend to the seventh. A truly miserable plight.
"For me, though, it's nothing!"
Su Yu gave a faint laugh, pondering whose identity he should assume.
Lang Tu? That identity was no longer viable!
The Wolf race had no Invincibles on the seventh floor. The moment he set foot there, he might be beaten to death.
And an Invincible wouldn't care about their lives.
"Therefore, I must disguise myself as a member of a major race!"
Who was the best fit?
High status, formidable strength. Disguising himself as a lackey or a weakling was pointless, since weaklings couldn't make it up.
"A solitary cultivator... from a major race..."
Su Yu thought of someone—the third-stage Sun Moon Immortal he had slain back on the first floor!
No one knew he was dead!
The moment the man entered, Su Yu had killed him, and no one knew he had even been on the first floor.
One of the Dao King's subordinates!
Perhaps he could even get close to Dao Cheng and eliminate him along the way. Failing to kill Dao Cheng after all this time was not a good sign.
A Sun Moon's demise typically triggered celestial anomalies.
Yet no one knew that particular Immortal had died, and anyone who might have known was already dead... Wait, Huang Jiu might know.
The moment she exited, she might have glimpsed the man's appearance.
Su Yu's eyes flickered, but he quickly dismissed the concern. It didn't matter; the little fur ball was still nested in her sea of consciousness.
He retrieved the civilization chronicle and turned to the Immortal race's page. At this point, the page radiated immense power, having absorbed many Immortals through Su Yu.
"Immortal race, third-stage Sun Moon..."
A single line recorded the relevant details, and at its end sat a small portrait. Reaching in with his perception, he confirmed it was indeed the fellow he had killed earlier.
Whenever Su Yu absorbed cultivators of the same cultivation stage, marks would be left behind.
For example, at the seventh stage of Lingyun, the Immortal page held three marks, signifying that Su Yu had absorbed three individuals of that stage.
Sun and moon gleamed in Su Yu's eyes. Without wasting time, his willpower instantly merged into the portrait. The civilization chronicle could observe the past... perhaps it could even view the future, though Su Yu currently lacked the strength and had yet to unlock such potential.
The best disguise was naturally one backed by complete knowledge of the target.
Knowing his past, his history, his every secret, adopting his habits, mastering his cultivation methods...
All of this combined to create the perfect disguise.
...
Su Yu felt as though he had entered a dream.
A vivid dream.
He watched the Immortal's past unfold. Curiously enough, their fates were oddly intertwined.
The man was named Ling Heng, a third-stage Sun Moon.
He hailed from the Dao King's territory. But more importantly, he was a disciple of Ming He, the Dao King's disciple!
Fairy Ming He!
Su Yu smiled. Of course he remembered her. Dao Cheng had earned a spot on the Heaven Ranking because of her, and had sworn an undying vendetta against Su Yu for the same reason. She had been Dao Cheng's teacher, a powerhouse at the seventh stage of the Sun Moon Realm.
Back in Tianmie Ancient City, Su Yu had trapped her. In the end, Ming He had hardened her heart and forced Dao Cheng to kill her with his own hands!
Ming He had made Dao Cheng taste the bitterest despair.
Up to her final breath, she had taught her student that a single mistake might spare your own life, but it would cost your lover's life and your teacher's life—and by your own hand!
From that day forth, Dao Cheng had changed.
Su Yu hadn't expected Ling Heng to be Ming He's disciple as well, making him Dao Cheng's senior brother.
"Fascinating!"
Su Yu chuckled. "The outside world knows Ling Heng is dead, and the Dao King knows too. Dao Cheng possesses a sub-ranking... but unfortunately, outside messages are transmitted collectively right now, not individually!"
As such, no one would specifically transmit a message to Dao Cheng to inform him that Ling Heng had died; there was simply no need.
At the Sun Moon stage, whether someone lived or died was known only to themselves or their direct blood relatives.
Without a direct blood link, not even teachers or friends would casually hand over their blood. For example, when Dao Cheng checked whether Gu Zhu was dead, he had relied on a plucked strand of hair.
And at the Sun Moon stage, none of these traces were ever leaked.
Thus, Su Yu was certain that unless Ling Heng's direct descendants were present, no one would know he was dead.
"And in his memories... none are here. This fellow had plenty of descendants, but not a single one was qualified to enter!"
Su Yu sorted through the identity's backstory, ensuring no flaws remained, before shifting his appearance to become Ling Heng.
Bearing, appearance, strength—not a single detail differed.
Activating divine characters like 'Yin' and 'Change,' his hair steadily lengthened until it cascaded over his shoulders, exuding an ethereal, immortal grace.
"I need an excuse... Given Ling Heng's strength, appearing on the fifth or sixth floor makes sense. Not showing up for so long... means he found a treasure!"
He had been hunting for treasures all along, so not showing up for days was completely natural!
"A treasure..."
Su Yu looked around. Where would a treasure appear?
It needed to be close to the seventh-floor entrance, and the disturbance had to be noticeable enough to draw people over to investigate.
"The Shenque aperture... should hold a treasure!"
Su Yu smiled. Yes, the navel area ought to be a treasure ground.
Time to check it out!
Perhaps it was right by the entrance. If so, fine; if not, he would stir up some commotion and unearth a treasure. That way, everyone would assume he had been hunting for treasures the entire time, explaining his delayed arrival.
That perfectly matched his sudden appearance!
Finding a treasure—how hard could that be?
...
High above, braving the miasma, Su Yu scouted the area before swiftly descending into a massive basin.
Surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides, the basin nestled among the peaks was quite eye-catching. However, the Shenque aperture wouldn't be underground... it should lie in the adjacent void.
Sure enough, along one side of the basin stood a pitch-black barrier.
Was that the belly?
Whatever the case, the navel ought to be right there. Since the navel faced outward, who knew if any treasure lay inside? Even if there wasn't, he could simply forge one.
Still, it needed to align with how treasures manifested here!
...
Just as Su Yu adopted his new identity, at the entrance to the seventh floor, within a vast mountain hollow, powerhouses from various races were assembling. Some had yet to arrive, still searching for scattered kin on the sixth floor or lost amidst its labyrinthine turns.
When the high-stage Sun Moons who had gone scouting returned, Zhan Wushuang looked toward a powerhouse of the god race and asked, "Master Lang, what happened?"
Enveloped in miasma, even they couldn't see very far.
Those sent to scout were all high-stage Sun Moons, whose senses were far sharper.
The god powerhouse he addressed furrowed his brows. "Fu Hu and the others have vanished. Fu Hu is probably not dead, but the others are uncertain—they may have been killed. A heaven-and-earth reward manifested, so a genius likely slew a Shanhai, and Fu Hu may have pursued them..."
That was the only logical deduction.
A genius had slain several Shanhais, claimed a heaven-and-earth reward, and Fu Hu had gone off in pursuit.
"Which genius hasn't arrived yet?" someone asked.
Another replied indifferently, "Countless haven't arrived. A whole bunch. They're probably dead!"
Nonsense question!
Geniuses were dying in droves here; who could keep track of who was missing?
By now, over a thousand people had gathered.
And that was still not the entirety of the sixth floor.
Of the living souls remaining in the entire mansion, apart from a few hundred on the seventh floor, the rest were all gathered on the sixth.
Genius figures congregated here: Moduona, Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji, Ming Yue, Dao Cheng...
All of them were present.
On the other side, in a small area occupied by the human race, experts had gathered as well.
Chief Hu was present, as was Director Hou of the Daming Prefecture, along with Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan. At this moment, their auras appeared slightly stronger than before, suggesting they had all gained something over the past few days.
Of the thousand-plus individuals, the humans accounted for roughly three hundred.
That was roughly comparable to the Immortals.
It was slightly more than the gods and demons, who had suffered heavy losses on the fifth floor and numbered only about five hundred combined.
The four major races accounted for nearly 1,100 powerhouses.
The remaining races—Dragons, the Hunting Heaven Pavilion, ancient races—amounted to roughly three hundred combined.
Around 1,400 in total. The rest were either dead or already on the seventh floor.
A few might still be scattered across the sixth floor, but they would arrive shortly.
On the human side, Chief Hu, a high-stage Sun Moon, counted among the top powerhouses. Most of the others had already ascended to the seventh floor. Scanning the gathering, Chief Hu sighed inwardly.
Human casualties weren't too severe, but among those below Sun Moon, over a hundred were missing from his count.
All dead!
With most humans present, Chief Hu wasted no words and spoke coolly, "Everyone, let us establish a plan and stop wasting time! How do we proceed, and who goes first? Opening the seventh floor requires an intermediate Sun Moon to sustain the portal... Bickering here is pointless and only wastes time. Once Hetu arrives, we all die. The portal can only accommodate a few people at a time... Decide the order quickly and let us depart!"
Although the other races were somewhat displeased that the humans hadn't suffered heavier casualties, no one wanted further complications at this juncture.
Presently, an eighth-stage Sun Moon powerhouse from the Immortal race said calmly, "The Immortals, gods, and demons will alternate. Next, the Dragons and ancient races will depart. Finally, the humans will leave!"
At those words, the humans' expressions shifted.
Chief Hu said coldly, "Yu Bo, are you certain you want to push this?"
The Immortal powerhouse replied placidly, "Certain! If you object, you are welcome to try us! Ask the major races if they agree!"
Beside Chief Hu, a black-armored expert said fiercely, "Then try us! Think you've got us cornered? Either no one leaves, or we take turns!"
As the factions argued, Moduona scanned the surroundings in the distance and suddenly said, "Be quiet for a moment. In the time spent arguing, we could have opened the passage and left! Ten people per race, departing in rotation. Minor and ancient races have fewer people and can pair up! Minor and ancient races go first, while the five major races—gods, demons, Immortals, humans, and Dragons—bring up the rear!"
At these words, the minor and ancient races were filled with gratitude. With their small numbers, they had genuinely feared being abandoned once the portal was opened.
They hadn't expected Moduona to suggest letting them go first.
Xuan Wuji frowned. "Moduona, play the saint all you want, but there's no need to drag us into it!"
Moduona replied calmly, "Then go ahead and leave first. If the minor and ancient races can't leave, they will inevitably go mad in the end. Do you insist on mutual destruction? As for the humans bringing up the rear—with several hundred humans here, if a slaughter breaks out, none of us will leave. Before you can wipe out the humans, Hetu will arrive! Hetu ascends at a pace of two to three hours per floor; he's probably on the fifth floor by now, and will reach the sixth shortly..."
Xuan Wuji scowled. Nearby, several geniuses exchanged glances. Zhan Wushuang said coldly, "Then let the minor and ancient races go first. Be quick about it. The major races will rotate in groups of ten and depart swiftly. Stop squabbling over pointless nonsense; save your life-and-death battles for the seventh floor!"
Ming Yue, Long Yingyue, and other geniuses nodded in agreement. Departing quickly was paramount.
What was the point of arguing here?
As the group conferred, a sudden boom echoed from the distance, accompanied by radiating multi-colored light.
Among the crowd, several high-stage Sun Moons looked over in surprise. "A treasure has appeared..."
In an instant, seven or eight high-stage Sun Moons vanished from where they stood.
...
In the distance, Su Yu had spent quite some time probing and chiseling until he finally hollowed out a pit. When the hollow opened, he grinned. His eye was truly sharp—there really was a treasure!
A massive blood lingzhi grew directly on the reverse side of the navel. Who knew how it had sprouted, or whether it had grown as part of Old Zhou's body.
Regardless, it was a genuine treasure.
With a single glance, Su Yu could tell it was only slightly inferior to the Dragon Blood Ancient Tree he had seized previously. While it couldn't serve as a carrier, it was unquestionably a miraculous medicinal herb!
Of course, its radiance hadn't originally been so dazzling; Su Yu had stimulated the origin qi contained within, causing multi-colored light to scatter outward.
Just as Su Yu reached out to grab it, his expression suddenly shifted, and he shouted, "Insolent! Who dares steal my treasure?"
With a cold bark, a longsword tore through the void with a hum, slashing toward an incoming hand. The hand swatted out, striking the sword and setting it trembling violently. Su Yu's entire body shuddered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Su Yu flared with fury. "Insolent scoundrel! I guarded this item for days until it finally matured! Do you take my Immortal race for weaklings?"
At those words, the eighth-stage Sun Moon Immortal Yu Bo, who had spoken to Chief Hu earlier, stepped out from the void and barked, "Enough! This belongs to my Immortal race. Do you intend to make an enemy of us?"
A moment later, seven or eight high-stage Sun Moons stepped out from the void.
The one who had struck earlier was a demon with blood-red hair—a member of the Blood Fire Demon race. The demon chuckled sinisterly. "Fine stuff! A Heavenly Blood Lingzhi—perfect for my lineage! Isn't this Ling Heng? How about gifting it to me?"
Su Yu glared at him coldly. "Are you dreaming? Do you think the Dao King's lineage can be bullied at will? That the Immortal race can be pushed around? Lord Yu Bo is right here, and you dare seize my treasure?"
Yu Bo frowned slightly. He hadn't wanted to meddle; Ling Heng belonged to the Dao King's faction, whereas he belonged to the Ancient Immortal faction.
However... to the outside world, the Ancient Immortals were the leaders, so he had to intervene.
Yu Bo said with a furrowed brow, "Ling Heng discovered this. Xue Tai, if you want it, negotiate after we leave. The Heavenly Blood Lingzhi is rare, but of limited use to the Immortal race; it can be traded outside. Do not stir up trouble now! Do you want a war between Immortals and demons so the humans can reap the spoils?"
The Blood Fire Demon chuckled darkly. Beside him, an expert of the Primitive Demon race frowned. "Xue Tai, we'll talk outside. The Blood Fire Demon race has lost plenty of people already—must you stir up trouble?"
The Blood Fire Demons had become unruly lately, seizing items without even a word of notice.
Seeing everyone watching him, Xue Tai snorted and said chillingly, "I hope he can keep it safe. Ling Heng, as a mere third-stage Sun Moon, you'd better know your place! Still, out of respect for everyone, I'll let it slide this time!"
Su Yu stowed the blood lingzhi with a stony face. Seeing them lingering, he said coldly, "You may leave now. What more do you want?"
Yu Bo paused. "You've been here for days?"
"I've been guarding it ever since I arrived..."
Yu Bo glanced around. The location was indeed secluded. He frowned and said, "Consider yourself lucky. Hurry, head to the entrance and assemble. We are going to the seventh floor..."
"The seventh floor?"
"You didn't bring a sub-ranking?"
"No..."
"No wonder!"
Yu Bo couldn't help but marvel at the man's luck. If the treasure hadn't manifested just now and drawn everyone over, Ling Heng might never have known what was happening. Once everyone departed, he would never have had the chance to reach the seventh floor and likely would have been slaughtered by Hetu right here.
He was still a fellow Immortal, after all. Though from different factions, a third-stage Sun Moon was still a valuable asset.
He quickly said, "Let us move first; we can talk when we arrive. Dao Cheng from your Dao King lineage is over there as well..."
Su Yu frowned. "Go to the seventh floor? The seventh floor is even more dangerous..."
"An Invincible dead spirit is hunting his way up from below!"
Yu Bo explained briefly. Su Yu's expression shifted repeatedly as he swiftly took to the air alongside him. Yu Bo marveled once more, "Your luck is truly remarkable. We were already preparing to leave. Once we were gone, a third-stage Sun Moon like you would have had little hope of opening the portal to the seventh floor."
Su Yu's eyes flickered. "It has only been a few days, yet so much has changed. Lord Yu Bo, what about my faction...?"
"Dao Cheng is there, along with Pan Hu. The rest... I haven't seen them."
Su Yu's face fell. "They're... all gone? Over ten of us entered from my faction. Aside from Lord Tai He, who might be on the seventh floor, does that mean everyone else has perished?"
Yu Bo nodded. That was already decent!
What was there to complain about?
Counting Ling Heng, four had survived—quite an impressive outcome!
As for Tai He, whom Su Yu mentioned, he was a ninth-stage Sun Moon and certainly on the seventh floor. Of course, whether he was alive or dead remained unknown; perhaps an Invincible had already struck him down.
...
A short while later, Su Yu arrived at the entrance to the seventh floor.
Seeing Su Yu, Dao Cheng looked slightly startled. Beside him, a third-stage Sun Moon expert from his lineage beamed with delight upon spotting Su Yu. "Ling Heng, you're alive!"
Their lineage was currently short on strength. Finding Ling Heng alive when he had assumed him dead was a welcome relief.
Su Yu smiled. "Pan Hu, of course I'm alive. I wanted to look for you earlier, but unfortunately... we didn't cross paths. Never mind that now!"
With that, he cupped his hands toward Dao Cheng and sighed, "Your Highness... I only just learned..."
Dao Cheng bowed slightly in return. "I am glad Senior Brother Ling Heng is unharmed. Were you the one hunting for treasures earlier, Senior Brother?"
Su Yu nodded. Glancing around, he sent a voice transmission to both of them: "A Heavenly Blood Lingzhi! While it doesn't meet the Lord's requirements and isn't at the carrier level... trading it to the Blood Fire Demons might yield a carrier in return!"
At these words, both Dao Cheng and Pan Hu were overjoyed.
Truly?
Su Yu kept his expression composed. Seeing that few people were paying attention, he swiftly pressed a storage ring into Dao Cheng's hand and transmitted, "Your Highness, many eyes saw it earlier, and people are watching me. I leave this in Your Highness's care. You must bring it out and exchange it for a carrier for the Lord!"
Dao Cheng swept his senses across the storage ring and was inwardly shocked. Such an ancient Heavenly Blood Lingzhi!
This item truly might fetch a carrier in exchange.
He couldn't help but look at Ling Heng, his tone brimming with gratitude as he sent back, "Senior Brother Ling Heng, thank you! Words cannot express my gratitude. Too many eyes are watching right now, but once we are outside, our Dao King Domain will never mistreat you!"
"It is only right!"
Su Yu wore a warm smile, subtly channeling a trace of his 'Saint' divine character. It lent him an aura that seemed profoundly trustworthy.
...
At that moment, the others paid little heed, only noting that Ling Heng had obtained a massive Heavenly Blood Lingzhi, sparking envy among many.
On the human side, no one paid much attention either.
Huang Jiu alone felt a twinge of suspicion. *Odd... is this fellow the one I ran into when I first appeared?*
*Didn't he die?*
*Su Yu?*
Well, she couldn't be certain. Su Yu had killed his target too quickly back then, giving her no time for a close look.
Yet with this person suddenly appearing out of nowhere, she couldn't help but suspect Su Yu.
*Is this guy targeting the Immortals to swindle this time?*
Impersonating an Immortal and mingling right among them—was he not afraid of being exposed by an Immortal Invincible? His boldness was genuinely absurd.
Huang Jiu remained uncertain, but someone else was—or rather, a certain ball was.
*So fragrant!*
The little fur ball twitched its nose. In that instant, it felt that the fragrant one was even more fragrant than before. Even from this distance, it could smell the aroma. It desperately wanted to pop the fragrant one into its mouth and give him a good lick!
Chapter 559