Known to You and Me, but Not to Qin Zhen

Lan Tian was an absolute lunatic! Su Yu quietly unsealed his 360 apertures for a brief second, and instantly, Old Zhou's roaring fury blasted against his eardrums. "I've been wronged so badly!" "..." Su Yu was dumbstruck. Holy crap! What had he just heard? Was he hallucinating? He hastily sealed one aperture and listened again. Outside, Lan Tian's clones were still roaming about, wailing mournfully, "I've been wronged so badly!" Stunned, Su Yu reopened the aperture. "I've been wronged so badly!" A double chorus of being wronged! Su Yu felt like he was losing his mind. He was dead, absolutely dead! They were finished! Old Zhou... had resonated with Lan Tian? What the hell! He was wronged—yes, Old Zhou was bellowing his grievances too. Holy crap! "I've been wronged so terribly!" At that moment, Old Zhou's voice slammed into Su Yu's mind with enough force to split his skull open. Beside him, Old Hao noticed his pale complexion and quickly asked, "Are you alright?" With a bloodless face, Su Yu looked outward and said with a slight tremble, "I'm fine. That lunatic Lan Tian is just too sinister!" Old Hao sneered inwardly. *The guy is outside, so what are you scared of? Seriously!* Still, that madman Lan Tian was indeed hair-raisingly creepy. Su Yu, however, was thoroughly appalled. Lan Tian had genuinely provoked Old Zhou. Was this an emotional resonance, or a resonance of the Great Dao? Su Yu was certain Lan Tian hadn't opened 360 yuan apertures. Then why was this happening? Wasn't Old Zhou only supposed to hear Su Yu's voice? The next instant, Su Yu felt as if he were hallucinating. Outside, Lan Tian's shrill shrieks persisted: "I've been wronged! It wasn't me! You're framing me!" ... The Invincibles were equally speechless. *Have you had enough already?* One of the Invincibles barked, "Lan Tian, haven't you raged enough?" *Drop it already!* Whether the demons claimed you did it or not, neither the demons nor the immortals had said they were going to settle scores with you right now. Both sides simply needed a way to save face. As a mere passerby, why the hell did you keep screaming bloody murder? Even the Invincibles were getting goosebumps! "I've been wronged... and you still smear me as a madman!" Lan Tian screamed in agony again. A moment later, an Invincible's expression shifted, and he roared, "Insolence!" Right then, all around the cultivators hunting for treasures, clones of Lan Tian abruptly materialized in every direction—men, women, the elderly, and children alike. Lan Tian cried pitifully, "They framed me! I've been wronged so terribly! I'm going to lose my temper!" *Squelch!* Sharp talons ripped through one powerhouse after another who had ventured out treasure hunting. Lan Tian wailed pitifully, "They framed me! Merge into my body and testify on my behalf—I really didn't kill them!" In that single instant, thousands of Lan Tians surfaced across the entire seventh floor. In that very instant, Lan Tian butchered thirty to forty powerhouses, spanning both Sun Moon and Shanhai cultivators. *Boom!* An Invincible swatted down directly at those clones. Before long, countless Lan Tians wailed in torment: "You're even beating me, beating me! You frame me and beat me, but I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid at all!" "I will turn every single one of you into my clones, and you can suffer this injustice together with me!" At this moment, each and every Lan Tian radiated immense aura. The entire seventh floor was suddenly blanketed in deep resentment. *I've been wronged! Ah!* The double chorus of grievances battered the minds of the Invincibles. Even the human Invincibles blanched. Zhu Tianfang roared fiercely, "All humans, seal your six senses and return to the mansions!" "Quickly!" Not just him—the other Invincibles bellowed in alarm as well. Meanwhile, those outside King Gong Mansion all heard a piercing, agonized cry of injustice! "I've been wronged so badly!" ... Elsewhere on the seventh floor. In a deep mountain range, an enormous iron-eating beast was busy chewing food. Hearing the shrieks, it rubbed its ears with a paw, its dark circles shrinking slightly. It muttered, "That colossal lunatic... he's making me lose my appetite." The lunatic's voice was so grating it wanted to vomit. After grumbling a complaint, the iron-eating beast went back to eating. As it chewed, it looked up, surveyed its surroundings, and sighed. "Seems like some extraordinary change has been triggered. Lan Tian... the human race's Lan Tian. Finished, finished. This is an ill omen!" ... In another mansion. Kongkong inhaled sharply. "Troublesome. Has that basket case provoked a reaction from the Star Residence Mansion itself?" Right now, that shrill cry of injustice reverberated in everyone's ears, shaking heaven and earth. Those who were weaker and lacked a Dao protector had their seas of will blown to pieces by the sonic onslaught! Kongkong drew in a breath. *Damn it all, this is truly uncanny. Since when did the human race's Lan Tian become so terrifying?* ... Near the boundary barrier of the seventh floor. Yun Chen's face darkened, and he quickly snapped, "Don't move!" A barrier of light manifested, sheltering the others. Bai Feng's eyes, however, were shining brightly, while Wu Lan was bubbling with excitement. Neither gave a damn about the lunatic outside; instead, their eyes were fixed on the shift occurring within the barrier! The barrier that had previously remained utterly unyielding now seemed excessively agitated, cracking open into a minute fissure. Bai Feng even felt as if he could see gigantic blood vessels running through it! "Go in!" Bai Feng was thrilled beyond measure. Yun Chen, however, wore a conflicted expression and warned, "The road ahead is unknown. Once you enter, you might never come out. Don't act rashly!" "To hear the Dao in the morning is to die content in the evening!" Bai Feng declared excitedly, "Thank you for your help, Grandmaster Yun Chen! You may return now. Wu Lan, let's go! I feel like I'm looking at the most beautiful spectacle of my life!" Wu Lan grinned. "Teacher Bai, I don't see that at all. All I see is blood..." In a flash, both flew straight into the crack. Bai Feng's voice drifted back: "We must trouble you, Grandmaster, to take the others away!" Beside them were Wu Qi and Wu Jia. Yun Chen's expression twisted. Just as he was about to speak, Wu Qi stepped into the air and entered without batting an eye. Yun Chen's outstretched hand fell limply to his side. He watched Bai Feng, watched Wu Lan, and watched the fragile little girl Wu Jia excitedly leap inside as well. For a moment, his heart was a chaotic tangle of emotions. *Hear the Dao in the morning, and die content in the evening!* The Path of Civilization was about ceaseless seeking from top to bottom. The First Generation Principal had united the major prefectures to establish the Quest Realm precisely to seek the unknown and explore the future. So many had spent their entire lives seeking. The First Generation had sought, Ye Batian had sought, and Wan Tiansheng was seeking as well—seeking an unknown, searching for a future. Thus, Wan Tiansheng cultivated 'All Daos as Me Alone,' Lan Tian cultivated 'All Daos are Me,' and Ye Batian cultivated 'Tyrant Dao as One'... Yun Chen suddenly tasted bitterness. Listening to Lan Tian's shrill screams once more, he suddenly chuckled helplessly. "You utter lunatic!" Cursing with a laugh, he felt somewhat empty inside. He didn't know whether to feel amused or helpless. The faction of multiple divine characters always seemed to be governed by these lunatics; not a single one was normal. *Whereas I... am excessively normal!* Yun Chen felt an emptiness within. Yes, in this entire lineage, perhaps only he was too normal, and his master... perhaps had been the same. If the Multiple Divine Characters Department wasn't perverse, wasn't mad, was it still the multiple divine characters faction? They were genteel, they cared about saving face, but deep down... they were supposed to be lunatics. If one wasn't a lunatic, how were they worthy of being a multiple divine character practitioner? Today, these lunatics had gone inside. The fissure was shrinking. Yun Chen didn't know if they would ever be able to return, but he decided to head inside and see for himself anyway. This barrier had been extremely formidable; he had attacked it for ages earlier without leaving a mark. Now that it had opened, perhaps there really were unknown things awaiting their exploration! "Sigh!" A sigh arose, laced with an indistinguishable mix of joy and melancholy. Moments later, just before the crack sealed shut, Yun Chen stepped inside as well. Since everyone had gone mad, he might as well indulge in a little madness of his own! ... *Bang!* Explosive detonations reverberated across the seventh floor. The hysterical Lan Tian, with his sinister, weeping cries, battered the seas of will of all who heard him. Those without protection were instantly torn apart! Cultivators of minor races, ancient races, those without Invincible backers, those out exploring, those who hadn't made it inside the ancient residences... At this moment, bodies were rupturing continuously! The entire seventh floor began to tremble slightly! Meanwhile, at the entrance, Hetu and Daidai abruptly charged back in. Overjoyed, Hetu roared with laughter, "Heaven helps me!" At the same time, multiple Invincibles struck out one after another, their lungs nearly bursting with fury. Someone shot a resentful glare at the demon king from earlier. *Screw you!* *Why the hell did you have to provoke this lunatic Lan Tian?!* Lan Tian's true body had yet to appear, yet he had thrown the entire seventh floor into chaos. And now, with Hetu charging in, they were pinched between internal turmoil and external assault—a massive disaster! Nobody had the leisure to deal with Lan Tian anymore, nor would it have mattered if they tried. They genuinely couldn't locate him! One Invincible had already slaughtered over a hundred Lan Tians, but the more they killed, the more appeared. The clones materializing in the void seemed endless, as if the lunatic possessed limitless avatars! For the first time, everyone realized how difficult it was to deal with a non-Invincible! Well, perhaps he wasn't the first. Wan Tiansheng, Su Yu... none of these individuals were easy to deal with. The human race was growing madder by the day. Perhaps this was their final madness before doom? ... Meanwhile, in the backyard. Inside the pavilion at the heart of the lotus pond, the long saber was also vibrating. Hetu was attacking again! Now, a portal could faintly be seen opening, as if dead spirits were about to spill forth. However, the long saber radiated immense fluctuations, as if issuing a stern warning: if anyone dared to violate the rules and take a single step forward, it would strike them dead! From within the dead spirit gate, a dead spirit monarch chuckled with chilling malice: "Soon, soon! The Guiyuan Saber won't be able to hold us back much longer! Once this saber is shattered, the Star Residence Mansion will belong to us!" Faintly, the silhouettes of dead spirit monarchs manifested within the translucent portal. Su Yu could even vaguely make out Xingyue. At this moment, the death qi across the entire King Gong Mansion seemed to thicken slightly. Many faces paled, and the Quasi-Invincibles guarding the gate grew uneasy. *Damn it!* *Is total chaos about to break loose?* A Quasi-Invincible barked, "No one is permitted to approach this area! Violators will be executed without mercy!" ... Outside the courtyard. Su Yu's heart thumped. If this continued, wouldn't Lan Tian completely awaken Old Zhou? He suspected that if he shouted "Taishan" a few more times right now, the entire seventh floor might collapse. He opened his 360 apertures once more and heard Old Zhou's voice again. It sounded just as aggrieved and piercing as before. Old Zhou clearly felt wronged beyond measure. *What are you so wronged about?* Su Yu was speechless! Well, being forged into a weapon and having a flower planted on your backside was indeed humiliating. Anyone in his shoes would feel deeply aggrieved. Up in the sky, the Invincibles had all scattered—some rushed to the entrance, while others set off to hunt Lan Tian. Either way, they couldn't enter the backyard right now, so lingering here was pointless. Better to kill Lan Tian first! That bastard seemed to be the catalyst for the upheaval here. Meanwhile, Su Yu discreetly peeked at his Heaven Hunting sub-ranking. Instantly, words surfaced on the scroll: "What is the situation? Is Hetu attacking?" Su Yu swiftly replied: "Hetu has arrived!" That was on one sub-ranking scroll. On a second sub-ranking, he swiftly wrote: "Moduona has gone mad, slaughtering immortal geniuses..." On a third sub-ranking: "The immortals and demons are fighting!" "The seventh floor is in total chaos!" "Lan Tian has lost his mind!" "Help me, I'm going to die..." "Heavens, I want to leave!" "..." In a breath, Su Yu fired off at least a hundred messages. Around him, several individuals also pulled out their sub-rankings, saw the flashing text, and exclaimed in excitement: "The outside world is looking for a solution!" "What does it say?" "Reply quickly!" Both geniuses and powerhouses possessed Heaven Hunting sub-rankings. As for the geniuses... Su Yu had butchered seventy percent of them. The powerhouses were locked in battle, so only a handful were available to respond. Su Yu, possessing an abundance of sub-rankings, flooded the network with countless messages in an instant. He was deliberately jamming the outside world's judgment! What did those fellows outside actually know? How could they tell who was trustworthy? If he could provoke a full-scale war between the immortals and demons, that would be truly magnificent. Unfortunately, the old geezers outside were all timid as tortoises; the chances of them actually going to war were slim. Su Yu knew this well. He glanced around, identifying who held Heaven Hunting sub-rankings. Before long, he had noted seven or eight targets. *Very good!* *Once you're dead, you won't be worthy of holding sub-rankings anyway. Only I, Su Yu, have the right to transmit information to the outside world; none of you have the qualification!* *Not chaotic enough, is it?* Su Yu sneered inwardly. *Then let's make it a bit messier.* "Taishan!" A barely audible murmur escaped his lips. The next instant, the entire King Gong Mansion shook violently. *Boom!* A thunderous crash echoed as Hetu and Daidai sent an Invincible flying with a single punch, roaring with laughter! Heaven was truly aiding them! The tremors had intensified again! "Where is Taishan? Where is Taishan? I've been wronged so badly!" The entire seventh floor shuddered violently. Su Yu suffered a severe psychic backlash, his face turning pale. The people around him fared no better, stumbling and swaying, their expressions warped with terror as they bolted toward the distance. At that moment, the pavilion at the heart of the lake was trembling as well. The long saber emitted a low, resonant hum! Su Yu naturally hadn't done this without an objective. In that fleeting second, he swallowed a drop of Quasi-Invincible blood essence. Out of the six drops he had obtained, he consumed one instantly. In the blink of an eye, the sun and moon manifested within his eyes, as though he could perceive the River of Time itself. While the other Quasi-Invincibles were vigilantly watching the upheaval in the courtyard, Su Yu vanished from his spot. Beside him, Old Hao noticed nothing. Su Yu, however, had already locked onto the seven or eight individuals holding Heaven Hunting sub-rankings. In the span of a breath, lone cultivators vanished, completely unnoticed. He was simply too fast, and far too powerful! Four or five lone cultivators disappeared in an instant. A split second later, Su Yu reappeared, reached out, and made seven or eight god race experts vanish into thin air. Su Yu's speed was terrifying and his strength overwhelming; with the "Quiet" and "Calamity" divine characters activated, there was no way these people could detect him. Taking advantage of the chaos, Su Yu darted across King Gong Mansion in an eye-blink, causing nearly all the solitary wanderers to disappear. Those below the Sun Moon realm were devoured directly, while those in the Sun Moon realm were suppressed first to prevent heavenly anomalies from manifesting. The instant those below Sun Moon were slaughtered, a large number of dead spirits surged forth. Without a second thought, Su Yu hurled out a pile of ancient city tokens. These dead spirits were straightforward and devoid of intelligence; clutching the tokens, they vanished from the spot on the spot. Silent and unseen, no one even noticed their arrival. They came quietly, swept away a batch of ancient city tokens, and were gone. Dead spirits appeared, and dead spirits vanished, unobserved by anyone. Without witnesses... the missing were not considered dead. In everyone's eyes, killing someone would summon dead spirits. Since no dead spirits lingered, naturally no one had died. As for where they had gone, perhaps they had scurried off to hide somewhere? King Gong Mansion was massive; who knew where they had hidden themselves? Very quickly, Su Yu returned to Old Hao's side. Su Yu hadn't killed him. Old Hao still assumed the others were trailing behind while Su Yu fled beside him, oblivious to Su Yu's brief absence and return. The two fled for a long time before ducking into an old building. Old Hao glanced back, saw no one, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he gasped in lingering terror, "Terrifying!" Su Yu nodded silently and exhaled. "Indeed, terrifying. The seventh floor is unlivable; it feels way too dangerous!" He then cursed, "Those bastards behind us ran even faster than we did. Are they in a rush to die?" Old Hao chuckled. "Don't be angry. Every man for himself—it's better this way, saves us the hassle!" Su Yu nodded slightly and ceased cursing. Those holding the Heaven Hunting sub-rankings were practically all dead, weren't they? Of course, the Invincibles and Quasi-Invincibles might possess them too, but that didn't matter. They couldn't match his sheer numbers. With hundreds of sub-rankings in hand, his messages would drown out theirs! Besides, the outside world might not even receive every piece of information. With hundreds of sub-rankings blasting out updates, could they possibly outnumber him? Could they be faster than him? Aside from Lan Tian's perverse surprise this time, wasn't the timing of every tremor ultimately dictated by his say-so? As for the consumed drop of blood essence... spent was spent. Six drops versus five made little difference. ... Outside. The faces of the experts darkened once again. Countless messages surfaced across the massive Heaven Hunting Ranking. Many of Su Yu's messages appeared, alongside a handful of replies from others. "Hetu has arrived!" "The dead spirit gate is shaking!" "Moduona is slaughtering..." "Lan Tian has gone mad!" "..." From beginning to end, there wasn't a single shred of news regarding Su Yu. Moduona, Hetu, and Lan Tian had become the protagonists. On the immortal side, the Dao King glared coldly at the demons, while the demon expert Moge frowned slightly and said coldly, "The messages are chaotic and unreliable!" No one uttered a word. Only now did the crowd realize that Moduona had been the one doing the killing. When Zhan Kui died earlier, the immortals had harbored suspicions, but lacked evidence. Now, news from within confirmed it—multiple reports cited Moduona's slaughter. As for Lan Tian going mad... no one had time to explain why, nor was it easy to articulate. They could only fire off brief notices: Lan Tian had lost his mind and was killing indiscriminately! Meanwhile, the soul channels connecting to the outside continued to snap. Su Yu was killing, and Lan Tian was killing too. In just this short span, over a hundred more channels had snapped. Fewer than 1,500 people remained inside. The sixth day had only just ended. In six days, over two thousand had perished. Even three Quasi-Invincibles had fallen! Some of the powerhouses looked resigned, others were in agony, and some burned with fury! Just how much longer would this journey into the Star Residence Mansion last? It had only been six days. For many powerhouses, that was the blink of an eye. Yet in that single blink... more than half had died. Someone said wearily, "Does the Hunting Heaven Pavilion have a way to bring people back early? If they don't come out soon... everyone will be dead!" Three to four hundred were dying every single day for six days straight. These weren't small fry! These were the elite of each race! Inside the Hunting Heaven Pavilion, the scholar stated impassively, "No. They can only return when the time is up. Naturally, there are exceptions. In previous years, teleportation gates would appear in the lower three floors around the half-month mark to send people out. But now... do you truly believe anyone will be teleported back?" Nonsense, of course not! The crowd fell silent. Indeed, leaving the Star Residence Mansion early was theoretically possible; one month was merely the maximum limit. Someone had told Su Yu this before. Yet this time, practically no one would be able to return early. "So we just stand here and watch?" "According to internal reports, the dead spirit gate is violently shaking. Hetu isn't alone; another dead spirit monarch of immense strength is forcing their way through. If this continues and the dead spirit gate breaches, an Eternal might truly fall this time!" "Could it truly be as the Life Emperor predicted—less than one in ten will survive?" "The Life Emperor said less than one in ten, which still leaves three to four hundred. But don't forget... what that God-Devouring beast said..." At once, a chill seized many hearts. Doubao's words couldn't be taken at face value. Yet given the current state of affairs, with more than half already dead, how could they ignore it? People who seemed impervious to death were dropping like flies. God forbid only ten individuals actually survived! Just then, the voice of the Immortal race's Tiangu rang out again: "Warden of Heaven, if push comes to shove, can the Hunting Heaven Pavilion lead people to the eighth floor for refuge?" At these words, many expressions shifted subtly. The scholar replied coldly, "Why ask me? If it truly comes to that, every race possesses their own means. I refuse to believe none of you prepared contingencies. The Hunting Heaven Pavilion is hardly the only faction capable of seeking refuge on the eighth floor." All one needed was an ancient identity! Among those inside, none were ancient old monsters, but certain ancient luminaries still held the authority to bestow titles. Tiangu hadn't been an influential figure in the ancient era, but he had been a renowned genius of that age, so many remembered him. It was not impossible for some individuals inside to hold ancient titles. Such a title wasn't merely a plaque or token. A bestowal was a complex affair, inscribed directly into the rules. Su Yu was technically titled as well—as a city master of an ancient city, particularly Hongmeng Ancient City, which equated to a bestowal from King Gong, even if it had merely been abdicated to him by the old turtle. Tiangu said no more, only offering, "Just giving the Warden of Heaven a heads-up. It would be best if, in the event of dire peril, we can evacuate the seventh floor and retreat to the eighth." "The eighth floor is hardly a safe haven!" The Warden of Heaven said indifferently, "No one knows what the eighth floor looks like right now. Furthermore, few can enter. Unless the rest are abandoned, they cannot ascend to the eighth floor. Anyone below a marquis can bring along at most two attendants!" If it truly came to that, fewer than ten survivors might genuinely be the outcome! The outside world fell into a dead silence once more. They could only watch helplessly! There was nothing they could do. The Invincibles felt utterly stifled, watching their descendants' channels snap and their subordinates perish without any means to intervene. ... The tremors ceased. Many of Lan Tian's clones had been slain, leaving only a handful. Now, Lan Tian had vanished. Hetu and Daidai tore open the passage again, fleeing back to the sixth floor. Over and over, the cycle repeated—grinding down resources, costing lives. An Invincible grew frantic and roared, "Are we going to let this continue? When will it end? Why don't we descend to the sixth floor together, slay Hetu and that beast, instead of waiting passively?" Silence answered him. Who would go down? Who would go first? If you went down and others didn't, what then? If you went down and those above sealed the path, forcing you to fight to the death against Hetu and his companion, what then? After all, they weren't of the same race! Regardless of their numbers, it was useless without unity. No one trusted anyone else. Who would dare take the lead? An Invincible vented his frustration: "The Minister of Heaven from the Hunting Heaven Pavilion possesses immense strength, and to my knowledge, the Blood Fire Demon King from the demon race is also present. Both are a single step away from the Dao Merge Realm. If you two descend, you will surely be able to slay Hetu and his companion!" In the void, the Minister of Heaven, wearing a golden mask, remarked coldly, "Are you suggesting that Blood Fire and I descend while the rest of you wait above?" The speaker fell silent. Yes, that was precisely the idea! If those two went down, they could definitely slay Hetu and the other dead spirit! Yet remaining above meant their formidable strength would make them fierce competitors once the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus bloomed and the scramble began. ... *A loose sheet of sand!* Su Yu muttered to himself. Internal cohesion within a single race was decent, but across different races, they were completely fractured. Was slaying Hetu and the other dead spirit difficult? Not particularly! If the Blood Fire Demon King and the Minister of Heaven truly went down to the sixth floor, the dead spirits would likely flee. Hetu and Daidai couldn't beat the two of them combined. But they wouldn't go. Because they refused to go down, Hetu and Daidai merely clashed briefly at the entrance of the passage and retreated whenever the fight turned sour, having no intention of engaging in a fight to the death. Consequently, with so many Invincibles present, none could do a thing against these two dead spirits. *If this keeps up, Hetu will breach the dead spirit passage sooner or later!* Su Yu had no faith in those Invincibles; they were simply too fragmented. On one hand, they were all coveting the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus; on the other, none wanted to fight to the death with Hetu. Under these circumstances, it would be a miracle if Hetu didn't succeed! *About ten days left before the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus blooms. I should lay low and keep a low profile for the next few days!* Saying nothing more, he shut the door and told Old Hao, "Let's not go out. It's too dangerous outside. We'll wait here until King Gong Mansion opens, then head back to the Divine Marquis Mansion! Once the Star Residence Mansion concludes, I don't even want any treasures anymore; I just want to make it out alive!" Old Hao nodded, still shaken. *Right, this isn't something we can handle!* Both were merely in the Shanhai realm; returning was the wiser course. Too dangerous! ... Several hours later. King Gong Mansion opened. Several Invincibles swept inside immediately to search for Moduona. Su Yu and Old Hao paid no mind to the commotion and headed straight out. Before the grand gates of King Gong Mansion, an Invincible swept his senses over them briefly, said nothing, and Su Yu swiftly flew toward the god race stronghold alongside Old Hao. After a while, through the internal verification of the god race within the Divine Marquis Mansion, the gates opened to let them in. Across the entire god race stronghold, only about two hundred living gods remained. Fewer than before. Shortly after Su Yu's return, an acquaintance came back: Zhan Wushuang. Zhan Wushuang looked utterly exhausted, splattered with blood, escorted back by a Quasi-Invincible. The crowd turned their eyes toward them. Zhan Wushuang sighed weary exhaustion, "It's getting more dangerous. No one should step out! Treasures are important, but not as important as your lives! Those who haven't returned by now are unlikely to ever make it back!" With a sigh, Zhan Wushuang quickly added, "Everyone, wait inside the Divine Marquis Mansion. When the time is up, we will find a way to leave the Star Residence Mansion. Who knows how many of us will survive this time!" He felt somewhat melancholic, mocking himself inwardly. Xuan Wuji was dead! Moduona was now a sworn enemy of the immortals. Although they hadn't found him yet, the immortals wouldn't let the matter rest easily once they did. The immortals were thrown into turmoil, the demons were thrown into turmoil, while the humans and gods had fared relatively well so far. Yet how long could this balance hold? Geniuses? Monsters? Zhan Wushuang mocked himself silently. What was the point! Here, it was utterly useless. Powerhouses fell one after another, dampening even his own spirit. Several names had vanished from the Heaven Ranking. Dao Cheng was gone, Xuan Wuji was gone, Zhouhun was gone... Now, the Heaven Ranking had undergone an earth-shattering upheaval. With Liu Wenyan advancing to the Sun Moon realm, his past battle achievements no longer counted, and he dropped off the ranking. Currently, Qin Fang and Foutuling had climbed onto the Heaven Ranking. Another entrant wasn't Huang Teng, but Shi Zun of the Stone race. After running in circles, Huang Teng had somehow returned to first place on the Earth Ranking. The rankings were in constant flux. In the past, decades could pass without a single change on the Heaven Ranking. Unless someone broke through! Yet now, advancements weren't the cause; people were making the list simply because those ahead of them had died. That fellow Foutuling had been quietly assassinating people in the shadows without causing any earth-shattering commotions, yet he had somehow landed on the Heaven Ranking. Pondering this, Zhan Wushuang looked at the remaining gods in the mansion and sighed inwardly. Apart from himself, this generation of the god race had few outstanding talents. If this continued, disaster loomed for them as well. The immortals had practically been slaughtered to the point of a generational gap, whereas the humans had unobtrusively produced several rising stars. Su Yu glanced at the somewhat dejected Zhan Wushuang, wondering whether the fellow had prepared the blood essence he owed. Once his identity was exposed later, he would demand it from him! If Zhan Wushuang didn't have it, Su Yu would just take Zhan Wushuang's own blood essence to settle the score! ... Time ticked away as Su Yu rested and cultivated. During this period, Hetu launched another assault. Up in the void, the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus had bloomed to its sixth petal. Only three remained; it would reach full maturity before long. That lunatic Lan Tian hadn't settled down either. Over the past few days, he had been ambushing anyone who ventured outside. As a result, practically no one below the Invincible realm dared to step out anymore, cowering inside their respective mansions. Across the vast seventh floor, almost no one could be seen outside. ... Day ten of entering the mansion. Su Yu's body gave a slight jolt as his second Lingyun transformation was thoroughly completed. Over the past few days, he had methodically polished himself without rushing, while simultaneously using his yang aperture to absorb his yuan qi and wear down the death qi within the aperture. He was genuinely afraid that drawing too much would end up killing him. Furthermore, if he siphoned too aggressively from Xingyue, what if she fled? The crucial moment had yet to arrive! *Close to four million apertures of force!* Su Yu silently assessed his strength. Impressive, truly impressive! His physical body was already approaching that of an expert who had just entered the eighth-tier Sun Moon realm. Once he opened his yang aperture, he would stand at the pinnacle of the ninth-tier Sun Moon realm! *At roughly ten million... I will reach Quasi-Invincible combat strength!* Su Yu marveled inwardly. Incredible! Right now, without opening the yang aperture, he was an eighth-tier Sun Moon; with it open, he was a peak ninth-tier Sun Moon; and by consuming Quasi-Invincible blood essence, he would possess Quasi-Invincible power... His strength was growing increasingly abnormal. Though his consumption was equally perverse! Damn it all, other people used Dao Merge treasures to break through, while he used them just to advance a Lingyun transformation! Was that terrifying or what? He glanced sideways at the gods in the mansion. There were quite a few powerhouses—one Quasi-Invincible, dozens of Sun Moons... If he wiped them all out, would his civilization chronicle grow even stronger? If he slaughtered them all, the god race would have almost no one left. *Should I impersonate Lan Tian and slaughter them all?* Su Yu muttered internally. That strongest Quasi-Invincible probably had no idea someone inside was plotting to kill him. A surprise attack might just succeed. *Forget it, the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus takes priority! It's unwise to invite complications now!* Su Yu suppressed the urge. Slaying people brought benefits, but not as great as the lotus! He stepped into the courtyard. Above, the seventh petal of the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus was taking shape. In five days at most, it would reach full maturity! *Boom!* A rumble echoed from outside again. Hetu and Daidai were at it once more! Their attacks had grown increasingly frequent over the past few days. The dead spirit passage was truly on the verge of breaking open. ... At the same time. Inside the human stronghold. Zhu Tianfang returned and looked at the humans gathered in the great hall. A sizable number had survived this time—nearly three hundred remained. They had the highest survival rate among all the races! Yet the danger was mounting. At this rate, they wouldn't last a month. Once the dead spirit passage breached and the Invincibles clashed, no one would be able to protect these people. He surveyed the room and cursed under his breath. Not a single person from the multiple divine characters faction was present! If they all perished here... how could he face the people back home? He wouldn't even be able to face Su Yu! Zhu Tianfang had a headache; none of them gave him peace of mind. Right then, An Ying materialized beside him, glanced at the humans, and said, "These people are a problem. Once the battle erupts, this place might be relatively safe, but if an Eternal forces an attack, it won't hold! The human race currently has the most survivors, drawing wariness from all races. We must find a way to get them out." Zhu Tianfang said heavily, "It won't be easy. Should we place them into a secret realm? But secret realms are unstable; upon exit, they collapse, making departure difficult." An Ying smiled. "It's fine. Keep them in a secret realm for now, and carry it with you! Just be cautious not to let anyone shatter the realm, or it will be disastrous." "Me?" Zhu Tianfang hesitated. "Perhaps you should take it. It would be safer with you..." "No, I feel... an old ghost has been eyeing me these past few days. You take it!" An Ying declined, then added, "As for the multiple divine characters people, I spotted Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan earlier. They're at King Gong Mansion and seem to have encountered some opportunities. The others... Yun Chen took them, and they seem to have vanished. That's the real problem. Yun Chen is probably alive, but the rest are hard to say!" Zhu Tianfang smiled bitterly. "We thought there wouldn't be any major upsets, yet so much has happened. The Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus hasn't even matured, and the races are already half-dead!" They had originally assumed the true disaster would begin once the lotus bloomed. Instead, more than half had died before it even opened! An Ying said helplessly, "Don't even mention it; no one saw this coming! Furthermore, Su Yu might have entered. He's likely behind the turmoil. I observed the dead spirit army brought by Hetu—there weren't that many dead. So many people died, yet their corpses vanished... where do you think they went?" "..." Zhu Tianfang was startled. "Even you didn't spot him?" "I didn't, but... in all likelihood, he was the one who killed Xuan Wuji. Whatever, leave the kid be. He's slicker than a ghost; even if you die, he might not. I'm telling you this just so you stay alert. Once his identity is exposed... heh, everyone will know why the humans suffered so few casualties. Some probably already suspect Su Yu is here!" An Ying shook his head. "That brat is far too ruthless, a terrifying butcher! Moduona isn't that vicious, and Lan Tian wouldn't slaughter the weak without cause. But that kid has no reservations whatsoever; killing people is as casual as having a meal! The demons and immortals might already suspect he's here. You guys be careful. When the time comes, abandon the treasure hunt if necessary—survival comes first. Don't lose your lives. If Su Yu truly reveals himself... stay away. The kid might not need our help, but we might get dragged into the mess and die in the chaos!" Zhu Tianfang nodded and said in a low voice, "You mean the immortals and demons might have deduced his presence and could be plotting against him?" "Hard to say. In any case, I don't know who he's impersonating, and the immortals and demons aren't certain either, which is why they haven't mentioned him openly! The probability that he's here is seventy percent, against thirty percent that he isn't. If they truly discover him, they might even abandon the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus just to eradicate that menace first!" An Ying said grimly, "Su Yu doesn't just represent himself. Behind him stand three Half-Emperors and thirty-five ancient Invincibles—a formidable force rivaling the human race itself! If they can slay him here, the gods, demons, immortals, and dragons would gladly give up the lotus. Do you understand what I mean?" Zhu Tianfang nodded silently. He understood. Compared to the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus... Su Yu was vastly more important! Even he could see that clearly. One was an item that might birth a Half-Emperor, while the other was already the overlord of a faction backed by three Half-Emperors and thirty-five Invincibles. Slaying Su Yu here required very little cost—who wouldn't jump at the chance? Compared to killing Su Yu, allowing the human race to gain another Half-Emperor was virtually negligible. "Then are we truly going to ignore him?" "We can't help even if we wanted to; we have no idea where he is! Besides, as I said, an old ghost is watching me. Blood Fire has likely noticed me. Unlike the other Blood Fire Demons, that guy survived until now for a reason—he's no pushover!" "Then please be careful!" "Don't worry, taking me down won't be that simple, and he might not even fight me. He seems eager to clash with the Demon Emperor!" An Ying chuckled. "The most dangerous one is that fellow from the Department of Heaven. He is truly determined to seize the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus! Do you think he really can't handle Hetu? Heh, let me tell you, those fellows are all waiting. Suppressing Hetu now is merely to prevent him from causing trouble prematurely. Once the lotus blooms... mark my words, Hetu will definitely charge up and shatter the dead spirit passage. They're all waiting for it; without someone muddying the waters, how can they seize the treasure?" Zhu Tianfang nodded silently. Everyone had deduced as much, including the person before him, Blood Fire, and the Minister of Heaven. They were all waiting for the lotus to bloom so they could let Hetu enter and act as the chaos-maker. Hetu thought no one could stop him, when in reality, they were playing him like a pawn. How could dead spirits outsmart a bunch of living schemers? Hetu was secretly agitating the Guiyuan Saber; while not all Invincibles on the seventh floor were aware, ninety percent had a clear picture. They were intentionally stalling the pace, waiting for the bloom so Hetu could play the fool, hopefully fulfilling their hidden agendas. Zhu Tianfang understood this as well, murmuring, "Barring surprises, once the lotus blooms, Hetu and that dead spirit monarch will surge up, along with many others in the passage. Someone is bound to suffer, and it might just blow up in their own faces. I only hope it isn't the humans!" He sighed and shook his head. "The others are fine, but Qin Zhen, that foolish fellow, is single-mindedly fighting Hetu. I'll need to warn him later not to fight too fiercely. Xia Longwu and Zhou Polong are both sly as ghosts, shouting loudly while barely expending any effort. Qin Zhen, on the other hand... needs to watch out. He's probably the only one genuinely trying to drive the dead spirits back down!" An Ying laughed. "It's fine. He's too weak; no matter how hard he hits, Hetu won't take him seriously! Let's see whose foot gets crushed by the stone they drop. Those lone wanderers know how hard it is to seize the treasure and are deliberately holding back. They'd better pace themselves; they're all operating alone, and if a dead spirit corners them, no one will lend a hand!" "True enough." The two exchanged smiles and shook their heads. ... Meanwhile, at the entrance to the seventh floor, Qin Zhen was panting heavily, relieved that they had finally repelled Hetu and his companion. Returning to his spot, he exhaled and said, "I feel like the Minister of Heaven isn't as strong as I imagined, and the others aren't either..." Zhou Polong and Xia Longwu remained silent. Qin Zhen rambled on for a bit until Xia Longwu said calmly, "In a few days, when the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus blooms, stay close to us. Don't wander off alone!" "Huh?" "Just listen!" Xia Longwu wiped his blade, not even looking up. "You just achieved the Dao. If you die here, the Great Qin King will probably be heartbroken. Stick with us, and stay far away from the dead spirits." "..." Qin Zhen glanced at him, then at Zhou Polong. After a long pause, he said speechlessly, "What are you scheming now?" He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being set up again! It had been the same last time—he had achieved the Dao completely out of nowhere! What was it this time? Xia Longwu couldn't be bothered to explain, and Zhou Polong looked entirely unbothered. It was best to get used to it; explanations only invited slip-ups.