Dead Spirits Arrive

After meeting with Tian Ding and securing intelligence on various powerhouses, the three quickly discussed a partnership. Tian Ding had no objections either. While the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus had yet to bloom and the supreme figures were busy keeping watch, they might as well fish in troubled waters first. …… More than an hour later. The trio stepped through the void, emerging before a somewhat dilapidated ancient structure. Tian Ding sent a voice transmission: "This is the current encampment of the Mountain-Breaking Ox race. Two Mountain-Breaking Oxen are inside: one at the fifth stage of Sun Moon, and one at the seventh stage of Shanhai!" Pan Hu chuckled. "Good luck for us. Doesn't this race only have three slots in total?" "That's right." Tian Ding nodded. It was indeed good luck. Only one had died before, but now the rest were about to be wiped out. Just as they were about to strike, Tian Ding suddenly transmitted, "Hold on! Someone else seems to be nearby!" Without needing to be told, Su Yu vanished from his spot to scout the surroundings, dividing the work naturally. Ling Heng excelled in this art, and whatever Ling Heng could do, Su Yu naturally could as well. Moments later, Su Yu returned. "There are a few fellows around. Most likely from the Dragon race. I spotted three dragons concealed in the void. They aren't weak—one at the sixth stage, two at the fifth stage. I didn't see any seventh-stage ones, or perhaps they escaped my notice." The Dragon race had targeted these oxen as well! It had to be said, the Mountain-Breaking Oxen were quite a prize. Tian Ding looked toward Pan Hu. After a brief hesitation, Pan Hu said, "I'll deal with those dragons and intimidate them into leaving so they don't disrupt us. Ling Heng and Brother Ding, go kill the Mountain-Breaking Oxen!" He spoke only of intimidation, not slaying the dragons. Backing was always crucial. The Dragon race had Invincibles present here; frightening them away was enough. Tian Ding nodded without another word. Their division of labor was swiftly established. …… Down below, inside the crumbling mansion. Two Mountain-Breaking Oxen who had assumed human form were utterly restless. The fifth-stage Sun Moon ox paced back and forth across the damaged hall, anxiety written across his face. "I never expected us to be forced onto the seventh floor. The seventh floor isn't safe right now..." The Shanhai ox whispered, "My lord, everyone is currently resisting Hetu's intrusion. Surely no one would..." "Bullshit!" the Sun Moon ox cursed, berating the other's naivety. "Our Mountain-Breaking Ox race is a prize everyone covets. How could no one be plotting against us?" They had never planned on coming here in the first place. Yet against their wishes, they were forced up to the seventh floor, and now their troubles were truly beginning. He felt deeply unsettled and wanted to leave, but where could they go? The seventh floor had no room for them. A sigh escaped his heart. The next instant, his face twisted in horror. An exceedingly faint, invisible blade lunged straight toward his heart! Just as he attempted to dodge and flee, Su Yu materialized behind him, enveloped in Immortal Power Vesting! A wisp of immortal qi instantly wrapped around him. Su Yu's aura surged as he thrust forward with a sword as well! *Pfft!* With nowhere left to retreat, the slightest hesitation sealed his fate. Tian Ding's blade pierced straight through his chest, shattering his heart and mangling his physical form. A transparent sphere immediately tried to escape—his sea of will! In this moment of decisive resolve, his first move was to abandon his body to preserve his sea of will. Yet before a seventh-stage Sun Moon launching a successful sneak attack, what hope was there of fleeing? With a wave of Tian Ding's hand, a transparent dome materialized and instantly trapped the sea of will. A phantom silhouette of the Mountain-Breaking Ox appeared within, roaring in fury: "You mighty races are so overbearing and devoid of humanity! Sooner or later, you will follow in the footsteps of the Human race..." *Boom!* With a deafening blast, Tian Ding's dome shattered. The Mountain-Breaking Ox perished completely in a self-detonation. Meanwhile, Su Yu cleaved the Shanhai ox in two with a single strike, extinguishing its willpower in an instant. Frowning slightly, he glanced toward the collapsing crescent moon in the sky. Tian Ding's breathless voice came through: "I underestimated his resolve. That made quite a commotion. Retreat!" The two quickly collected the corpses and storage rings, vanishing from the area. At the same time, Pan Hu unleashed a formidable aura on the perimeter, staring down the massive dragons ahead. When the signs of a fallen crescent moon echoed from the old estate, the dragons exchanged glances and departed immediately without a word. The other side had another powerhouse present! Competing against the Immortal race was pointless right now. Everyone's objective was to prey upon the minor and ancient races, not to clash among the mighty powers. Before long, Su Yu and Tian Ding returned. Su Yu said briskly, "Not bad. Blood essence aside, they had some good hauls. I found a piece of Purple Forest Wood. While not as good as the Heavenly Blood Lingzhi I found earlier, it's worth at least half as much!" Pan Hu beamed. "That is quite good!" Turning to Tian Ding, he asked, "Brother Ding, how about we hold off on dividing the spoils until we're finished?" Tian Ding replied nonchalantly, "Fine by me, so long as Brother Pan doesn't murder me to keep it all." Pan Hu offered a wry smile. "How could I? I might not even be a match for you, Brother Ding. Besides, with our years of friendship, it won't come to that." The two shared a few lighthearted remarks. Just then, in the distance, another crescent moon crashed down! They exchanged looks without saying a word. It seemed everyone was making their moves. As for who had died, that remained unknown! …… Meanwhile. Elsewhere on the seventh floor, inside another grand ancient mansion, members of the Human race were gathered. Their numbers were fewer than before, as quite a few had gone outside. Bai Feng was feeling utterly depressed. This trip to the Star Residence Mansion had been an absolute nightmare. Before he even had a chance to explore, he had been chased all the way up here by Su Yu and Hetu behind them. Having reached the seventh floor, a newcomer to the Lingyun Realm like him was no better than dead weight; he didn't even dare step out the door. Now, he had been reduced to assisting Wu Lan and the others with their research. "Sigh!" Letting out a helpless sigh, Bai Feng looked around at the others and couldn't help muttering, "We paid such an enormous price to come to the Star Residence Mansion just to go sightseeing?" Nearby, Wu Jia was helping Wu Lan record experimental data. She turned her head with a giggle. "Martial Uncle, staying alive is already pretty good. What can we do when we're only in the Soaring and Lingyun Realms? We're too weak. Going outside would only drag the others down." "……" Her words stung even worse. What did she mean by "Soaring and Lingyun"? Soaring was Soaring, and Lingyun was Lingyun! They were completely different! While Bai Feng wallowed in depression, Wu Lan had no interest in comforting her pitiable Teacher Bai. Disassembling parts of her equipment, she remarked, "Teacher Bai, wouldn't it be better to lend me a hand if you have free time? Fighting and killing aren't meant for researchers like us. With research materials scattered everywhere here, all you can think about is violence. Have you forgotten you're a researcher?" "……" Bai Feng was speechless. "You study willpower. That's not my area of expertise. My field is blood essence, divine characters, and battle techniques. What am I supposed to do when you talk about willpower extraction?" "It seems your heart is no longer tranquil, Teacher!" Wu Lan sighed. "You are no longer the man who dedicated his whole heart to research! Back when I entered the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, I wanted to become your student because you were the most dedicated researcher of your generation, staying in the Wen Tan Research Center day in and day out. Back then, you were the most elite and brilliant mind of my sister's generation. Now you've changed!" Bai Feng groaned inwardly. *I changed? Changed into what?!* Lately, he simply had nothing left to research. He had already extrapolated the divine character battle technique disassembly up to the Shanhai Realm; the Sun Moon Realm above that was beyond his current capacity. As for innate blood essence, his recent research had hit a wall and could progress no further. What else was there to research? He hadn't found any new goals or intriguing projects recently. If anything, he was deeply interested in his student, constantly harboring the urge to dissect the brat. Wu Lan had an inkling of what was on his mind. Smiling sweetly, she said, "Teacher, stop thinking about dissecting that fellow! Actually... I've discovered a major secret. It might be very suitable for you to research!" "What is it?" Wu Lan sent a voice transmission: "Teacher, don't you find this Star Residence Mansion rather bizarre?" "It's bizarre everywhere!" "That's not what I mean. I mean, the first floor is the Human Face Realm, the second floor is covered in magma, the third floor has the Heavenly River, the fourth floor has twin mountains, the fifth floor has the heart fire, the sixth floor has eighteen bends, and the seventh floor suddenly becomes extremely flat..." Bai Feng nodded. "You don't need to tell me that. I noticed it long ago—it resembles a person! Many people have noticed. All one can say is that the armamentsmith who forged the Star Residence Mansion had a very twisted, eccentric sense of humor..." "Then why couldn't it be an actual person?" Wu Lan asked. Bai Feng laughed out loud. "How could that be? What are you thinking? If this were a real person, how monstrous would that be? How powerful would someone have to be to turn their body into nine realms? Where could such a person exist?" "They don't exist now, but could they not have existed in antiquity?" "Impossible!" Bai Feng retorted. Then his expression turned strange. "How could it be possible? You silly girl, letting your imagination run wild when you know nothing... How could it be a person... If it were a person... Anyway... I think... it's impossible..." As he spoke, his own gaze grew increasingly unsettled. Wu Lan paid his hesitation no heed and continued, "Perhaps. But from the magma of the second floor and the water and sand of the Heavenly River on the third floor, I managed to extract certain substances. Even from what I dubbed the Twin Lung Mountains on the fifth floor, I extracted a few things. And I collected samples from those mountain ridges on the sixth floor as well..." With that, Wu Lan handed a set of data to Bai Feng. He reviewed it and frowned slightly. "This data isn't rigorous. Much of it is speculation and conjecture, with almost no tangible proof." "Yes." Wu Lan didn't deny it. If there were hard proof, others would have discovered it long ago. "It's only a hypothesis. But I feel that even if the Star Residence Mansion isn't a person, whoever forged it likely incorporated and adapted human bodily traits..." Bai Feng nodded. Wu Lan pressed on: "If it represents a person, wouldn't it have blood? In the magma of the second floor, I found traces of blood." Bai Feng's eyes flickered. Wu Lan added, "And haven't you noticed, Teacher? Every floor of the Star Residence Mansion has boundary walls, and these walls are unimaginably sturdy! If you scaled them down ten thousand or a hundred thousand times, as a researcher, I think you'd recognize certain characteristics." Bai Feng had been near the boundary walls before. Hearing this, he quickly pictured the boundary walls in his mind and scaled them down countless times. His eyes flashed. "Cells?" "Presumably so!" Wu Lan hadn't investigated deeply either, but she continued, "Whether it's a real person or crafted to mimic human anatomy, do you think blood exists? If it does, how can blood essence be extracted? Can it be extracted? And would that blood essence contain memories?" Bai Feng fell into deep contemplation. Suddenly looking at Wu Lan, he transmitted, "Find someone to take us to the boundary wall. We'll find a way to breach a small layer of it. Perhaps you're onto something. If it's truly possible... we could extract blood! The energy contained in such blood would be beyond imagination! Not only that, a single drop might allow us to complete body tempering and origin qi transformation in an instant! If it really belongs to a living person... perhaps... we could even extract memories..." Bai Feng's eyes darted rapidly. Wu Lan said, "It's dangerous outside. Whom should we ask to accompany us?" Bai Feng glanced around. Whom could they ask? Weak individuals wouldn't do, and the Invincibles had important business and had no time to babysit them. He scanned the room before his gaze landed on one person. He transmitted, "Go find Yun Chen..." Wu Lan looked at him. *Are you sure?* Bai Feng nodded. Yun Chen it was. Although the two sides barely spoke right now, he knew that ever since his teacher and martial uncle arrived on the seventh floor, Yun Chen had been glancing in their direction, clearly hoping to ease tensions. "Aren't you going to ask Teacher Liu and the others?" Wu Lan asked. Bai Feng smiled. "It's fine! My teacher and martial uncle... well, they're harsh on the outside but soft on the inside. There are just some hurdles in their hearts they can't get past. There aren't many poly-character cultivators left in the Great Xia Prefecture now. Strictly speaking, he's Manor Head Wan's master... our Grandmaster Uncle. Some things need to be resolved eventually." "So you're going to act as the bridge?" "Not quite. I don't have the authority to make decisions on my martial uncle's behalf. But I can certainly ease my own relationship with him. I'm part of this lineage too, after all!" Bai Feng smiled. He couldn't represent Liu Wenyan, but wasn't he also from this lineage? Smoothing things over within the family was always more reliable than turning to outsiders. As for Liu Wenyan and his group, they had all gone outside, searching for treasures in unknown places. A thought lingered in Bai Feng's mind. If Wu Lan's hypothesis proved true, and they could collect some blood or even extract a single drop of blood essence... the implications were staggering. Just how potent would the blood essence of an entity whose body spanned nine realms be? He hardly dared to imagine. He even doubted whether he could extract it, and even if he did, without a quasi-Invincible present, he wouldn't be able to carry it away. The sheer aura of such a supreme figure's blood essence could obliterate him on the spot. Not just him—even Shanhai and Sun Moon cultivators might not endure it. Thus, bringing a powerhouse was essential. Before long, Bai Feng walked over to Yun Chen. Yun Chen looked surprised, with a faint glimmer of anticipation beneath his surprise. When Bai Feng explained their purpose—to make a trip to the boundary wall—Yun Chen considered it briefly and quickly agreed. His primary reason for entering this place had been to protect the poly-character lineage. Regrettably, when Liu Wenyan and the others left, they acted with utmost secrecy and refused to invite him; following them only drew their displeasure. So he had remained here to watch over Bai Feng and the younger generation, preventing them from running around recklessly. Heading to the boundary wall was dangerous too, but with no supreme treasures located there, his presence guaranteed their safety. He was, after all, someone capable of slaying multiple quasi-Invincibles. Unless an actual Invincible sought him out, ordinary groups of three to five quasi-Invincibles wouldn't dare cause him trouble. Soon, the group departed. Their goal was neither treasures nor the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus, but the boundary wall that almost no one paid attention to. The boundary wall was exceedingly tough, often impervious even to Invincibles. Bai Feng and the others knew this well. But that was fine; if their deduction was correct, there might be gaps between the cells. Those gaps might still be formidable, but there was at least hope of breaching them. …… Su Yu had no time to worry about Bai Feng and the others right now. The trio continued their covert operations. They weren't the only ones. Many major races had formed small hunting squads operating in the shadows. Fallen Sun Moons had already appeared several times! Evidently, prey was being harvested continuously. The minor races were no fools either. Many of their powerhouses gathered together and allied with ancient races, striking back against the various factions. Casualties mounted unceasingly! …… At the entrance to the seventh floor. Currently, seven or eight Invincibles were stationed here, while the majority waited near King Gong's Mansion. The Human race had also dispatched an Invincible: none other than Zhu Tianfang. Zhu Tianfang was considered quite powerful; if he encountered Hetu, he could hold his ground to some degree. The undisputed leader among them was the Head of the Heaven Division, as he possessed the greatest strength. At this moment, these Invincibles also looked toward the distance, gazing upon the crashing Sun Moons in silence. The slaughter continued unabated. They couldn't be bothered to intervene; this was everyone's own choice. Soon, someone turned away from the distant carnage and asked in a low voice, "Will Hetu come up?" Did Hetu know that so many Invincibles had arrived this time? In past years, very few Invincibles would enter, if any at all. Yet this time, dozens had gathered. Hetu probably had no idea, having left the ancient city long ago to seek reinforcements. Suddenly, another Invincible spoke up: "Speaking of Hetu... has anyone among those who came up actually seen him?" The words gave many Invincibles pause. What did he mean? The speaker added coldly, "Something feels off. Hetu is so powerful that once he enters a floor, everyone should be wiped out. How would anyone get a chance to transmit information outside? Why did it become known to everyone?" "The news came from outside. Most likely, someone sent a message during the initial tremors!" The others nodded faintly. That was indeed a possibility. In truth, Hetu's appearance was riddled with suspicious points. Even now, they weren't entirely certain whether Hetu truly existed here. Just as the thought crossed their minds, reality slapped them in the face. *Boom!* A channel tore open instantly. A figure emerged, death qi blanketing heaven and earth! In that split second, the seven or eight Invincibles wasted no time thinking. They unleashed their attacks simultaneously, including the Head of the Heaven Division. Hetu froze for an instant. The next moment, he roared in fury, "Holy shit!" How could this be? Where had so many Eternals come from?! Indeed, he hadn't known. He was aware that Invincibles from various races might enter, but based on past years, there would be three or four at most, and sometimes none at all. He truly had no idea about this time. He had departed early, scouring for reinforcements long before the Star Residence Mansion even opened. As for the people he killed along the way, he had no interest in interrogating them—what could minor figures possibly know? At this very moment, Hetu regretted everything. Damn it all! Why the hell were there so many of them?! And one of them even seemed to be a ninth-stage Eternal! Without a second thought, Hetu bellowed violently, tearing at the channel while spitting death qi. "Blockhead, open the passage...!" *Boom!* The passage was torn open from both ends! Taking a direct hit, Hetu plunged into the channel without hesitation, tumbling back down to the sixth floor. The immense suppression caused his death qi to scatter wildly. At that exact instant, the Head of the Heaven Division threw a punch down after him—only for another fist to crash upward from within the channel! *Rumble!* A thunderous crash resonated, forcing the Head of the Heaven Division back several paces. Down on the sixth floor, Daidai coughed up bursts of scattering death qi as the channel snapped shut. Hetu looked upward with lingering dread, cursing bitterly. "Holy crap! What is going on? How can there be so many Eternals up there?!" He turned to Daidai and exhaled in relief. "Well done! Good thing you blocked that strike. You blockhead, your combat strength is genuinely formidable!" It was truly impressive—at least on par with a seventh-stage Eternal. Yet this fellow hadn't recovered much of his memory. From the looks of it, he had been exceedingly powerful in life, perhaps comparable to Hetu himself, or even a Dao Integration powerhouse. Alternatively, he might have been ordinary in life but obtained massive fortune within the River of Dead Spirits; Hetu couldn't say for sure. Hetu had found Daidai only because the fellow's revival had caused a major disturbance that was reported to him, prompting him to seek out this newly awakened powerhouse. Now, it was clear he had made the right choice! Fortunately, he had this guy by his side. Otherwise, without enough time to tear the channel open and retreat, he might have been mobbed and slaughtered. Terrifying! Damn it, why were there so many Invincibles on the seventh floor? This was absurd. …… Meanwhile, at the seventh-floor entrance, a large gathering of Invincibles converged once more. Their expressions turned grim. The Head of the Heaven Division let out a heavy sigh. "Beyond expectations. Not just Hetu, but another dead spirit monarch as well. Both are formidable! The one receiving him below is no weaker than Hetu. Completely unexpected!" Indeed, no one had anticipated this! It wasn't just one, but two. The surrounding Invincibles looked equally solemn. Two high-stage Eternal dead spirit monarchs—the situation was far graver than imagined! Yet that wasn't the worst of it. An Invincible who had just flown over said anxiously, "We cannot let them come up! Just now, the channel near King Gong's Mansion showed unusual activity. When Hetu and his companion appeared, the surge of death qi seemed to trigger a resonance with the dead spirit channel! Furthermore, Hetu knows the arts of channeling and opening dead spirit passages. If he retains those memories and temporarily opens a channel here the moment he reaches the seventh floor... it will be an absolute catastrophe!" At those words, the faces of every Invincible drained of color! If that happened, everyone would be doomed. Someone rubbed their temples in frustration. "How on earth did those two get in? And wasn't it said that only Hetu was present? Why are there two terrifyingly powerful dead spirit monarchs?" Dammit! With this development, all their previous plans were thrown into disarray! Without another word, the others moved swiftly to disperse the death qi Hetu had left behind. Someone said in a low voice, "Hurry and grind away the death qi! If it becomes too dense and opens a channel here... we'll all be in deep trouble!" The powerhouses acted immediately, eradicating the lingering death qi. Hetu had pulled such stunts before. Under high concentrations of death qi, Hetu could force open a dead spirit passage. That was the most perilous threat! Naturally, it was easiest near an existing passage. On the sixth floor, Hetu likely couldn't pull it off, but on the seventh floor, where the passage was nearby in the same dimensional plane, saturated death qi might actually allow him to succeed! …… At the same time. Su Yu's group had also witnessed the scene: a dead spirit monarch wearing a crown had appeared, cursed loudly, and was immediately battered back down! Then someone had apparently traded a blow with the Head of the Heaven Division. Su Yu already knew there were two dead spirit monarchs, but the others had been in the dark. Pan Hu gasped in shock, "Two dead spirit monarchs?" At this point, he discarded Dao Cheng's earlier speculations entirely! Hetu had truly arrived, and not alone—he had brought another dead spirit monarch with him! In that case, having a vanguard general beneath him was only natural. Tian Ding also remarked gravely, "Terrifying. To exchange blows across space with the Minister... that's no ordinary Invincible!" They could also sense numerous Invincibles rushing toward that area with far greater urgency than before. Several Invincibles even departed from King Gong's Mansion. Two high-stage Eternal dead spirit monarchs were simply too much to ignore. …… Down on the sixth floor. Hetu cursed for a while before gritting his teeth. "A miscalculation! To think there are so many of them, and worse, they were all waiting for me. As expected, word of my arrival couldn't be kept quiet!" Looking up toward the ceiling, he snorted. Gritting his teeth, Hetu sneered, "They think this will stop me? Dream on!" Daidai stared at him, murmuring numbly, "Very strong... cannot go up..." "Don't panic!" Hetu sneered. "Do you know why I was converted into a sacred city lord in antiquity? Why I could invert death qi?" Daidai remained blank, having no idea. Hetu said in a hushed tone, "Because... it runs in my family! Why did the Human Sovereign hold my lineage in such high regard and pass down the Method of the Heavenly Cycle to us? Because... my ancestor held a vital post!" "Do you know why that Old Turtle ignored me early on, leaving me alone, and only killed me later?" "Because... my ancestor was actually his superior!" "My ancestor was King Gong!" "I am the fifth-generation descendant of King Gong!" Hetu chuckled sinisterly. "Blockhead, do you know who King Gong was? The entity suppressing the seventh floor! One of the most authoritative Human Kings, in charge of suppressing the realm of dead spirits! That Old Turtle was merely a general under my ancestor. If the dead spirits hadn't spiraled out of control, would he ever have dared to kill me?" "King... King Gong..." Daidai stared at him. Seeing the blank look, Hetu snapped, "What are you staring at? Stop looking! You aren't my ancestor, that's impossible! If you were my ancestor, I'd eat myself whole!" He couldn't be bothered with Daidai. The fellow's blank gaze made it look as though he were actually the ancestor. After scolding him, Hetu chuckled. "They want to block me? It won't be that simple! I was unprepared just now. Once I get ready, watch me leverage the seventh floor to summon dead spirit monarchs to aid me! Excellent. The Star Residence Mansion is a wonderful place—a splendid place for slaughter!" "Though I am dead and can no longer wield my ancestor's divine weapon... suppressing it for a brief instant is still within my power. I can help several dead spirit monarchs break the rules and charge out to fight for me!" Daidai listened quietly without replying. Hetu looked upward once more and scoffed. The seventh floor was his domain! King Gong's Mansion was his own home! Regrettably, when his ancestor fell, only his father had been roaming outside, surviving to pass down King Gong's bloodline. But by Hetu's era, returning to the Star Residence Mansion had become impossible. In the ancient era, his ancestor had held immense power, dominating the seventh floor and guarding the key passageways. Whether ascending to the eighth floor or suppressing the realm of dead spirits, one required his ancestor's approval. Aside from King Wen and King Wu, his ancestor King Gong ranked near the very top among the Human Kings. Hetu was in no hurry to ascend now. No rush—once he prepared thoroughly, he would slaughter those fellows sooner or later. How dare they block his front door and deny him entry! Earlier, he had mocked Marquis Jiantian for having a mansion on the eighth floor that he couldn't enter, essentially losing his own home. Yet in the blink of an eye, the tables had turned, and Hetu found himself locked out of the seventh floor as well! …… While Hetu plotted his entry onto the seventh floor, outside, spatial channels continued to shatter. The collapses were steady, occurring on a small scale. The major races kept silent, but the minor races knew the tally. The major races were clearing out the powerhouses of the minor and ancient races! At present, the major races had suffered virtually no losses, while certain minor races had been wiped out in an instant. *Boom!* Another channel shattered. In the void outside, a colossal Three-Eyed Divine Dog materialized, barking coldly, "Ruthless indeed. Not a single one spared!" It looked around at the God, Demon, and Immortal races. Without a doubt, these factions were the culprits! Four powerhouses of its Three-Eyed Divine Dog race had entered, and all four were dead! The divine dog cast a chilling glance around. "The Human race hasn't lost many. It seems that across every era, weakness remains the root cause of extermination!" The minor and ancient races had few people and few Invincibles. They had agreed to target the humans, yet few humans had died, while their own people had fallen in heaps. Of the nearly three hundred powerhouses from the minor and ancient races, over fifty had perished in this short span! This wasn't the work of just one faction. Multiple forces were likely hunting them down! The gathered Invincibles offered no reply. Anyone entering should have anticipated this. Gathering everyone together simply made the slaughter more convenient. While the races remained silent, a cluster of channels suddenly collapsed! Among the Immortals, an Immortal King's brow furrowed sharply. …… At that moment, Su Yu's trio was fleeing rapidly. In the distance, an overwhelmingly powerful hound swallowed seven or eight Immortals in a single gulp. Horrified, Su Yu cursed inwardly, *Holy shit! I was wrong!* He recognized the creature—it was a Hou! A terrifyingly mighty Hou! It was likely Tun Tian from the Dao Attainment Ranking, seemingly a descendant of the Old Hou King he had encountered before. Damn it, the Old Hou King must have told him that Immortals tasted delicious. The beast had just devoured seven or eight Immortals in one bite, including three Sun Moons. Now, the creature seemed to have sensed their presence. Pan Hu fled frantically while cursing through voice transmission: "May Su Yu's entire family rot in hell! Why hasn't that beast died yet? In the past, few ancient races ate Immortals, but lately a whole swarm of them have developed an addiction!" The Immortal race was immensely formidable; who had dared to eat them casually before? Ever since Su Yu spread word among the ten thousand races about how delectable Immortals were, numerous ancient races had begun snacking on them secretly. Especially the elderly ones—people used to find them tough and aged, but according to Su Yu, the older they were, the chewier, purer, and sweeter they tasted... Now, elderly Immortals had become prized delicacies, and every ferocious beast wanted to hunt down a few to feast on! In reality, Immortals might not even taste that good, but rumors were dangerous things! When one claimed they were delicious, others wanted to try. If one ate an Immortal and found it mediocre, hearing everyone else praise the flavor would make them wonder: *Was the one I ate not old enough?* So they would find an older one. Still not good? Then find an even older one! Once a reputation caught on, people conformed. To save face and prove their palate was refined, beasts would force themselves to eat a few even if they disliked the taste! Otherwise, when meeting old friends, how could they boast of having sampled the world's greatest delicacies? How could they admit they had never tasted an Immortal and had no idea what everyone was talking about? …… Su Yu's trio fled swiftly. Having swallowed several Immortals, the colossal Hou smacked its lips and glanced toward Su Yu's group. Its nostrils flared—quite fragrant! Yet it decided against it. An ambush was fine, but a prolonged pursuit was risky; after all, several Immortal Kings were present. Soon, the ancient Hou vanished into the distance. Moments later, an Immortal King descended, his face thunderous. Damn it! In a single lapse of attention, several Immortals had been devoured. These bastards deserved to die! Did that Tun Tian truly believe no one could kill him? …… After fleeing wildly for some time, Su Yu looked equally displeased. *I was wrong!* Not about egging on the Hou race, but about disguising himself as an Immortal. It was far too dangerous! Next time, even if he were beaten to death, he would never impersonate an Immortal again. It was more hazardous than being human! Beside him, Pan Hu had already cursed eighteen generations of Su Yu's ancestors before adding indignantly, "Immortals don't even taste good, it's all pure nonsense!" Su Yu gave him an odd look. *What do you mean? You've eaten one? Otherwise, how would you know?* Tian Ding also glanced at Pan Hu without comment, before saying briskly, "Stay alert, everyone. Lately, eating Immortals has become quite the trend among the ancient races. Even if it dies down, it won't be anytime soon!" It had truly become a trend! Nowadays, when ancient races greeted each other, they often asked: "Did you eat an Immortal today?" "How did you prepare it?" "Raw or dead? Roasted or steamed?" "……" Hearing Tian Ding's words, Su Yu felt like laughing. The Immortal race was truly miserable. Unfortunately... he was currently disguised as an Immortal himself. He had better tread carefully, lest he suffer the injustice of being eaten by an ancient race by mistake! Peering into his storage ring, Su Yu calculated their tally. The three of them had killed over a dozen powerhouses, but it still felt far too slow! Su Yu was somewhat unsatisfied. Before this, he had slaughtered enemies by the hundreds. Cooperating as a trio was simply too inefficient. The main issue was that they couldn't cut loose and kill openly, and with so many experts around, hunting was far more difficult. As for these two seventh-stage Sun Moons, he couldn't tell whether they were hiding their strength or simply lacked methods, but their killing pace felt dreadfully sluggish! *I'll drag it out for a few more days. If it stays like this, I'll kill these two and head over to King Gong's Mansion to check things out...* Su Yu made up his mind. He would ride along with them a little longer to gain some experience, then find an opportunity to finish them off. He wondered if Hetu could make it up here. If Hetu failed to ascend, the waters wouldn't be murky enough! *What if... I lend a hand the next time Hetu charges up?* Su Yu's mind stirred. He genuinely could help. For instance, by shouting "Tai Shan." The moment Hetu ascended, a few shouts from Su Yu might distract the Invincibles for a split second, giving Hetu the window he needed to break through. *If I don't muddy the waters, I won't have any chances!* Su Yu reached his decision: next time Hetu launched a surprise attack, he would help by shouting "Tai Shan"! In any case, when the sky fell, the tallest would hold it up. Contemplating this, Su Yu suddenly cast an odd glance toward King Gong's Mansion. Why did something feel amiss? When he entered this place, the dead spirit channels had been sealed off. Why was a faint trace of death qi wafting over now? *Xingyue... surely not?* Su Yu muttered internally, baring his teeth. *Damn it, don't you dare come! If you show up, my death qi will fluctuate, and that will cause massive trouble!* …… At that exact moment. Within the dead spirit channel of King Gong's Mansion. A dead spirit monarch, bearing a few lingering injuries, arrived on the scene. The other dead spirit monarchs turned to look in surprise. Someone seemed to recognize her and spoke up: "Xingyue, why have you come?" Had she trekked all the way here across the vast expanse? She must have run into plenty of trouble along the journey, right? Xingyue replied coldly, "This seat intends to breach the Star Residence Mansion. Hetu has already arrived. By attacking from both within and without, we shall annihilate all living beings!" "……" The dead spirits were utterly bewildered. How did she know that? And she had traveled all this distance just for that? She really had too much free time on her hands! Xingyue snorted inwardly. *What do you fools know!* Su Yu... that bastard was simply abominable! Hetu had better pull his weight this time. She didn't expect much—she only wanted to bypass the rules, step outside once, and beat that scoundrel Su Yu to death to settle the score. Xinghong and Su Yu had humiliated her ceaselessly! As a dignified dead spirit monarch, they had shamed her to the point where she couldn't bear to remain in Xinghong Ancient City anymore. It was an utter disgrace to all dead spirits!