The Eighth Floor

Su Yu recorded the names of several prominent figures, along with the cultivation methods they specialized in and their cultivation realms. Before long, the page for the immortal race was filled to the brim. "Still missing some!" The immortal section was the most complete, yet it still lacked quite a bit. It lacked some at the Soaring Realm, some below Soaring, and also lacked Invincibles. As for the god race, Su Yu still had them suppressed and hadn't killed them yet. As for the demon race, they had been with the Blood Fire Demon King; who knew if they had all been wiped out? Had Moduona died too? Su Yu wasn't entirely certain. If he was dead, so be it. If not, then his fortune was truly flourishing. Su Yu and his companions had managed to escape, but Moduona's fate remained unclear. Moduona might not have stayed with the Blood Fire Demon King. Simply put, the two weren't exactly allies. Knowing Moduona's temperament, Su Yu figured the chances of him hiding inside the Blood Fire Demon King's weapon or pocket dimension weren't very high. The guy had already been planning to head to the eighth floor earlier, and Su Yu hadn't seen him since. Perhaps he had ventured up on his own. He had agreed to help Su Yu seize the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus, but so many intense battles had broken out afterward—even King Daqin had shown up—that he might have slipped away. "And the Head of the Heaven Division—I wonder if he died or not." Su Yu mused internally. Regarding that man... it was hard to say. There was no friendship to speak of between them. If the man truly had died, Su Yu wouldn't mourn him in the slightest. Still, the man had driven himself insane. It was rather a pity. To reach such heights only for his three incarnations to fall into conflict at the crucial juncture... In all honesty, whether he had chosen to aid the human race or the demon race, a ninth-stage Eternal at that moment would have been enough to sway the entire battle. Yet he had fallen into internal strife with himself. That was the most regrettable part. Otherwise, he might truly have seized the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus. "The Three Incarnations Method, huh..." Su Yu murmured, closing the pages of the book. The flaws of the Three Incarnations Method were becoming glaringly obvious. Unfortunately, it seemed everyone was left with no choice but to walk that path. One only had to look at Lan Tian and Wan Tiansheng to see that there was simply no way forward along any other Dao! Just as he was pondering this, Xingyue's cold snort sounded by his ear. "Su Yu, this seat is leaving!" Su Yu turned his head toward Xingyue and chuckled softly. "Don't be in a rush, My Lady. If the Origin Returning Blade has been destroyed or taken away, you can leave at any time. But if it hasn't, going back now would be dangerous." He smiled and added, "It's rare to have an opportunity like this, so let's take our time. Even if we don't take the corridor, leaving through the first floor isn't impossible. I'll figure out a way, don't worry!" If they didn't take this path, they could take another—like the teleportation route. Su Yu was already contemplating how he would get out later. Continuing, Su Yu said, "Besides, I want to go up to the eighth floor to take a look. There... might still be living people up there. Teacher Liu and the others are still around that area too. I'll go check if they need help." He had to go to the eighth floor. Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan had run off recklessly. Two weak Sun Moon cultivators running around all over the place—weren't they afraid of dying? Nearby, Yun Chen hesitated before asking, "You're going to the eighth floor?" "Yeah, just to take a look!" Su Yu smiled. "So I'll have to trouble Senior Yun to watch over things here." With that, he looked at Lan Tian. "Senior Lan Tian, what was your actual mission coming to the Star Residence Mansion this time? Were you really just here to watch the excitement?" "What makes you say that?" Lan Tian beamed, and Su Yu chuckled in return. "Senior, you don't really have that much desire for treasures right now, do you?" "The Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus is still a supreme treasure!" "If Senior doesn't want to tell me, then forget it." Lan Tian chuckled slyly and soon said, "All right, it's not like I don't have business. Actually, I want to go up to the eighth floor too. Tiansheng sent me in this time mainly hoping I would visit the eighth floor... He didn't hold much hope, but Tiansheng knows of an ancient powerhouse who once resided here, and he wanted me to look for a way forward..." "Who?" "King Wen?" "Never heard of him." Su Yu genuinely didn't know the name and had never heard of him. Lan Tian wasn't very familiar with him either. He said with a smile, "Supposedly he was a great figure—a towering figure of the Dao of Civilization. As for the specifics, I'm not too clear myself. All I know is that the path of a Civilization Master hits its limit at the Sun Moon Realm, making Eternity almost impossible to attain. Tiansheng wanted me to see if I could find something. The path ahead is hard to walk—there's no other choice!" He let out a sigh. The road ahead was indeed difficult. Was Wan Tiansheng strong enough? Extremely strong! Without having attained the Dao, Wan Tiansheng was currently comparable to a fourth-stage Eternal, allowing him to battle and kill Invincibles with overwhelming prowess. Yet... that was as far as it went. For Wan Tiansheng, this was not enough. In his current state, he was merely on par with Xia Longwu—perhaps even slightly weaker. Xia Longwu had previously slain a fifth-stage Eternal and was still advancing, whereas Wan Tiansheng had reached a dead end! "King Wen?" Su Yu murmured. "Would King Wen have left directions for the path? Did the Head Manor Master specify what to look for?" "No, he wasn't too sure either. However, having overseen the Great Xia Civilization Academy for many years, studied at the Quest Realm, and discussed the Dao with many powerhouses, he roughly deduced that our Multiple Character Department's inheritance might originate from King Wen's lineage..." "Hold on!" Su Yu looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean 'our Multiple Character Department's inheritance'? Senior Lan Tian, you're from the Modification Department!" Lan Tian looked nonchalant. "It's just the Multiple Character Department. Having more than ten divine characters makes you a Multiple Character practitioner—how hard can it be? I already outlined them back in my youth. I just couldn't be bothered to pursue it further, so my primary focus was the Modification Department!" "..." Beside them, Yun Chen sighed softly. "Your talent was exceptional. It's a pity..." Lan Tian cut him off. "Nothing to pity. I think I'm doing quite well right now." Yun Chen said no more. He was Wan Tiansheng's senior brother and practical teacher. In terms of formal generation, he was of the same generation as Lan Tian, but in reality, he stood a generation above him. Lan Tian smiled and said, "Little Su Yu, want to head to the eighth floor together to take a look? As for these folks, it's safer for them to stay right here." Su Yu smiled. "Can Senior even get up there?" "Of course!" Lan Tian gave a bewitching smile. "There's nowhere I can't go..." The smile gave Su Yu goosebumps. Pervert! Su Yu added, "Senior, earlier you kept shouting about injustice..." Lan Tian's laughter turned plaintive. "Didn't you say that was your friend? Don't you know the situation?" Right, as expected, Lan Tian knew a thing or two himself. Su Yu nodded. "Senior's clone technique is... awesome! Even if I hadn't stepped in, if Senior had suffered a bit more injustice, that entity might have come out anyway. Let's try our best not to disturb him—it's too dangerous!" "Of course! Can't you see I'm not feeling wronged at all right now?" Lan Tian forced a smile. He was terrified too; that entity was simply too terrifying. Now that their enemies were dead, what if he acted wronged again and summoned that being out? Both of them knew the truth in their hearts. "Friend" my foot—it was just an aggrieved spirit lurking inside the Star Residence Mansion. Better not to provoke him; he wouldn't distinguish friend from foe. Su Yu glanced back at the others still soaking in the bath, thought for a moment, and left behind a storage ring filled with treasures like Heavenly River Sand, Water Condensation Beads, and Dragon Blood Fruits. Handing the storage ring to Yun Chen, Su Yu said, "Senior, please pass this to my master. If they can leave on their own, let them leave here by themselves. Even if the standard passageway is dangerous, it's still better than following me." Su Yu chuckled, then quickly added, "Oh, right. If Senior exits before me, at a different time..." Considering for a moment, Su Yu continued, "Tell them everything was my doing. Senior, remember to remind those folks outside that there's no need to say much about King Daqin—just say that I colluded with the dead spirits!" With that, Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "I've already notified those seniors beforehand. I'm not afraid of anything; if the myriad races dare to look for trouble with me, let them try! King Daqin is gravely injured, so it's best if he stays out of the spotlight for now." Speaking up to here, he looked at Bai Feng and the others again and reiterated, "This time, I might return through the Dead Spirit Realm. Feel free to pin everything on me—it won't matter. If that doesn't work, pin it on Senior Lan Tian..." Lan Tian said resentfully, "I'm too weak, no one would believe it." "They will! You can't be killed, Senior!" Su Yu chuckled. Yun Chen hesitated, but soon said, "The Dead Spirit Realm is perilous. Although you might have good relations with... certain dead spirits, actually traveling through the Dead Spirit Realm is fraught with endless danger." Su Yu smiled. "No matter! Boldness comes from skill. Back when I was merely at Character Cultivation, I dared to journey through Starfall Mountain. Now that I've reached this level, what is there to fear in a mere Dead Spirit Realm?" "Then let me escort you—" "No need!" Su Yu smiled. "Senior Yun, you're too powerful and your vital qi and blood are too robust. Only I am suited to go alone; anyone else would be out of place!" "Then..." Su Yu was unwilling to say more. Turning swiftly, he stepped out of the crack in the boundary wall. Lan Tian followed with a chuckle, and Xingyue, with a cold expression, walked out behind them as well. Behind them, Yun Chen sighed. He looked at Bai Feng and the others still soaking in the bath, then at the storage ring Su Yu had handed him, letting out another deep sigh. The Multiple Character Department had brought Su Yu nothing but disaster. Yet Su Yu, from beginning to end, had never once forgotten this lineage. ... On the seventh floor, by the entrance to the Dead Spirit Realm passageway. The three strode through the air. Without a word, Su Yu unleashed his "Blood" character to sweep across the surroundings. Strands of faint blood in the void were gradually condensed by him. Far too many powerhouses had died! Old Zhou had no predilection for blood, and soon, a drop of blood took shape. From the demon race! Su Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. He already possessed blood essence from the immortal and god races, but this was his first drop of Invincible blood essence from the demon race. Not bad at all—he had actually managed to coalesce a drop of Invincible blood essence. Soon, Su Yu pulled out the little fur ball. "Go see if there are any carriers left!" Su Yu had used up nearly all his carriers this time. Rich and willful! He didn't plan on giving them away to anyone anyway! His own strength was the foundation. Even his civilization chronicle, if tossed out right now, would have Invincibles bashing each other's heads in for it. Naturally, Su Yu hadn't depleted everything down to the last scrap. He had kept the two Dragon Blood Fruit trees. The smaller one was barely viable as a carrier, but the larger one was no problem. Kept just in case! The little fur ball was somewhat reluctant, but it soon scurried around sniffing for scents; carriers smelled delightfully sweet to it as well. Before long, the little fur ball returned, carrying a lush green leaf on its head. It surprisingly still felt vibrant with life! "What's this?" Su Yu was somewhat surprised. Is this a carrier? Lan Tian possessed considerable knowledge. He took a glance and judged, "It might be a leaf of the ancient Jianyuan Tree. Rumor has it that in ancient times, there existed an unimaginably colossal Jianyuan Tree of immense resilience, whose very leaves could serve as carriers. I wonder if this is from it." Su Yu was astonished. Even its leaves could serve as carriers? A single tree would have countless leaves. "That formidable?" "Just a rumor!" Lan Tian looked at the leaf and smiled. "It might not be true. Even if it is, not every leaf could possibly be a carrier..." Su Yu understood. Just like Old Zhou's nose hairs, not every single one could serve as a carrier. Soon, Su Yu arrived at the dead spirit passageway's entrance. At this moment, not a single dead spirit was anywhere in sight. The rules here seemed to have been completely destroyed! Xingyue looked at the dead spirit passageway and said, "Actually, leaving through here right now is the best option. Few people will be paying attention to this place..." Su Yu laughed. "You're thinking too simply! Believe it or not, not far from here, there are definitely countless dead spirits watching. The moment you go in, be careful you don't get torn to shreds!" Xingyue looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know?" Nonsense! Su Yu was speechless. With such a massive upheaval here, dead spirits would certainly investigate. Her brain really worked only in fits and starts. "Just wait here, My Lady, and don't run around recklessly. I'll try my best to lead you out through a teleportation channel; this place is definitely unsafe!" "Hmph!" Xingyue snorted coldly. Su Yu said no more. A cold snort meant she understood. Got it! He turned his gaze toward the eighth-floor entrance... and froze. Where was the entrance? Strange! The entrance had been right here earlier. Where was it now? Damn it, how did the entrance vanish? He flew up into the air, and Lan Tian quickly followed. The two searched in the air for a while, but found nothing. Su Yu frowned. Suddenly, he produced a Castellan Token, activated it, and spoke in a low voice: "Su Yu, Castellan of Hongmeng Sacred City, reporting on duty to the Council. Please open the passageway to the eighth floor!" The void fell silent for a moment. Moments later, a gateway opened slowly, as if with some hesitation. Only after confirming that the seventh floor was calm did it finally open. A mechanical voice rang out: "Verify identity!" A moment later, a wave of rule force swept over Su Yu. When it swept over his sea of will, it seemed intent on scanning the little fur ball, but upon touching the Civilization Tombstone outside his sea of will, the rule force was suddenly disrupted. After a long pause, the mechanical voice echoed from the void: "Castellan of the four cities Hongmeng, Xinghong, Yuhong, and Yunxiao; Guardian of the Civilization Tomb. Tier 4 clearance. Restricted from Tier 3 zones!" Su Yu froze. The first part made sense, but what was the latter half? Guardian of the Civilization Tomb? Civilization Tomb... Civilization Tombstone? King Wen... could the Civilization Tombstone actually be King Wen's tomb or something? Obtaining the Civilization Tombstone made him the Guardian of the Civilization Tomb? Su Yu was slightly dazed. And what was this Tier 4 clearance? Was Tier 1 the highest? Furthermore, was this voice issuing commands a rule mechanism, or a living person? Thoughts raced through Su Yu's mind. He asked, "Is Senior a rule construct, or a living person?" "No comment!" "..." Su Yu was struck speechless. Hearing that response, why did it sound rather like a living person? Honestly, if it were a living person... that would be terrifying! It almost made him afraid to step inside! Soon, Lan Tian also said with a beaming smile, "Lan Tian, President of Tiandao Academy of the Human Realm, reporting on duty to the Council!" Su Yu was taken aback. What the hell, what's that now? The rule force swept across Lan Tian as well. Soon, the mechanical voice echoed: "President of Tiandao Academy, Tier 7 clearance!" "..." Lan Tian was indignant. "How can this be! I'm the President of Tiandao Academy! Even Su Yu got Tier 4—how am I only Tier 7?" No one paid him any heed. Lan Tian remained unconvinced. "Tiandao Academy—I've read about it in books! In ancient times, it was a grand academy of the human race, a major institution dedicated to teaching and educating! Logically speaking, it shouldn't rank below some mere marquises, right? How can it only be Tier 7? Just listen to the name—how imposing, how domineering..." No response came. Su Yu gave Lan Tian a strange look. "Senior, does that clearance mean you're ranked very low?" Lan Tian snorted! "Nonsense, isn't it obvious from the sound of it? Tier 1 is probably the highest. Isn't Tier 7 low enough?" Su Yu shrugged. He was also wondering whether his own clearance was high or low. Castellan of Hongmeng shouldn't be considered low, right? The key question was, had the Tier 4 clearance been granted by his status as Castellan of Hongmeng, or by being the Guardian of the Civilization Tomb? He couldn't tell! Su Yu knew far too little about the ancient era. Furthermore, he didn't know whether the eighth floor was operated by rule mechanics or a living person. He only knew one thing: tread lightly. It seemed quite dangerous! Su Yu glanced at the pitch-black passageway ahead, then looked back at Xingyue, cautioning her, "My Lady, wait for me here and don't run around!" "Hmph!" Xingyue flared up. "Are you ordering me?" "Not at all!" Su Yu chuckled. "I meant that I am going on an errand for you, My Lady. Please wait here for my good news, and I will be back shortly!" Xingyue couldn't be bothered to engage with him. Su Yu let out a laugh and stepped into the passageway. Together with Lan Tian, he strode into the pitch-black tunnel. A moment later, light flashed before their eyes, and they emerged inside a grand hall. It was an immensely vast and empty hall! Enormously spacious. At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded in their ears: "Await summons. Trespassing is forbidden without a summons!" "..." Su Yu was speechless. Are you serious? Everyone on the eighth floor was probably long dead. What summons? Who the hell was going to summon him? What a joke! Just as the thought crossed his mind, Lan Tian suddenly twitched his nose. He signaled for Su Yu to pause, pointed to a somewhat dried mark on the ground, and transmitted his voice: "Kid, looks like blood—fresh blood!" Su Yu raised his eyebrows and quickly transmitted to the fur ball, "Sniff it for me. Whose blood is it?" The little fur ball was reluctant. Lately, it had been made to do nothing but work without any treats, leaving it rather unmotivated. Sniffing a bit, it soon said listlessly, "Seems to be that... that bloody demon king's. Blood Fire? Probably him!" Utterly languid! Su Yu's heart stirred. Blood Fire? The Blood Fire Demon King wasn't dead? Su Yu furrowed his brows. That was a ninth-stage Eternal—not someone to be trifled with! Had that guy really survived? Indeed, upon reaching that level, killing them was exceptionally difficult; even Old Zhou hadn't managed to finish him off! At this moment, the enormous hall was pitch-black. All around seemed to be an endless void. Who knew who had built this godforsaken place? Did people coming for an audience in those days all have to wait here? How miserable! Bureaucratic to the extreme! Powerhouses from every faction who were qualified to come here were all prominent figures, yet they had had to wait in this dreadful place. Su Yu said nothing. Activating his "Yin" character, he concealed his presence, sinking into the ground and vanishing to become Lan Tian's shadow. Lan Tian felt somewhat uncomfortable and transmitted, "You're stressing me out, kid. I constantly feel like you're going to leap out and murder me!" "How could I? I'm not that kind of person!" "You are!" "I'm not!" "You are!" "..." Fine, Su Yu couldn't be bothered to argue with him. Soon, Lan Tian determined a direction based on the bloodstain and hurried through the darkness toward that heading. Right now, they were both still inside this grand hall. ... Looking down from above the eighth floor, this grand hall stood in a corner. An inconspicuous corner, yet colossal in scale. Across the eighth floor, countless manors stood, each immense and occupying a staggering expanse of land. It was by no means an arbitrary layout. At the center of the eighth floor, a cluster of palaces stretching for hundreds of li formed a single colossal palace. Around the palace, there were no courtyard walls, only immense statues standing in sequence. They were sculpted in the shapes of diverse creatures: Enormous lions; ferocious, glaring hou beasts; phoenixes poised to take flight; dragons soaring amidst clouds and mist; immortals treading auspicious clouds; gods and demons endowed with the might to uproot mountains... Surrounding all four quarters, ninety-nine statues formed an unbroken ring that sealed off the entire palace. Beneath each statue was a closed palace gate. Above, a grand array faintly materialized, atop which a figure seemed to sit cross-legged, suppressing all eternity. Suspended above the palace were two gigantic texts of will: Myriad Realms! Yes, Myriad Realms. Only those two words. Surrounding this palace, magnificent manors were built in concentric rings. "Manor of King Wen" "Manor of King Wu" "Manor of King Zhan" "Manor of King Ping" "Manor of the God Emperor" "Manor of the Demon Emperor" "Manor of the Immortal Emperor" ... Manors stood in great numbers, encircling the central palace. The ancient half-emperors of each race, though half-emperors, were still emperors, so their residences were designated Emperor Manors, while the residences of Human Kings were named King Manors. Beyond these King and Emperor Manors were various Marquis Manors. Outside the Myriad Realms Palace and beyond the Emperor and King Manors stood the Marquis Manors, among which a moderately sized estate bore the inscription: Manor of Marquis Jiantian. Indeed, that was the residence of Marquis Jiantian. Further outward were the manors of renowned titled generals. On the eighth floor, only such individuals possessed manors; the lowest rank permitted was a titled general. Only upon reaching that level was one qualified to establish an estate on the eighth floor. Moreover, the manors of titled generals were all dwellings of apex powerhouses. There were even some marquises who hadn't established manors on the eighth floor, but rather on the seventh. Naturally, the seventh floor also housed a King Manor—the Manor of King Gong—which was the sole King Manor on the seventh floor, situated where it suppressed the dead spirit passageway. Beyond all these manors stood the grand hall where Su Yu and Lan Tian currently were. Like a gatehouse standing on the outer perimeter, only by entering through here could one pass through layer upon layer of manors to reach the Myriad Realms Palace. And just as Su Yu and Lan Tian were searching for an exit, outside the palace, a massive gateway opened directly onto a white jade boulevard in the distance. At this moment, several figures were gathered along that white jade boulevard. ... Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan were on extreme alert, looking toward several people in the distance. Over there, Moduona and the Blood Fire Demon King were both present, separated by some distance, both looking back at Hong Tan and Liu Wenyan's pair. To another side was surprisingly Changhe of the Fate race. Changhe had vanished earlier without Su Yu paying much attention; who would have thought he had ascended to the eighth floor? Yet another person wore a semi-golden mask—the emblem of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion. With its semi-golden embellishment, Su Yu would certainly have recognized it: the mark of a Law Enforcement Elder, as well as a quasi-Invincible. The Hunting Heaven Pavilion's Council of Law Enforcement Elders had nine elders. The First Elder was an Invincible, while the Third and Eighth Elders had perished; this person was one of the remaining elders. Not far from him stood an elderly man gleaming entirely in gold, grinning with teeth that were also golden. He belonged to the All Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower, under the command of General Duobao. Seven individuals! These seven were gathered on the eighth floor. At this moment, everyone wore grave expressions. In particular, looking at the Blood Fire Demon King, their faces were grim. His arrival came as quite a shock. Shouldn't the Blood Fire Demon King have been vying for treasures on the seventh floor? What was he doing up on the eighth floor? On the eighth floor, the opportunities were immense, but the danger was just as real. Here, dying was all too easy. It was normal for quasi-Invincibles to gamble once here. For an Invincible to gamble here was abnormal. Let alone a ninth-stage Eternal—gambling here was sheer folly. It was far too easy to perish; outer perimeter benefits were beneath their notice, inner perimeter benefits were unattainable, and it was far better to contend for the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus on the seventh floor. The Blood Fire Demon King had only arrived recently as well. At this moment, his expression was aloof and indifferent. He didn't make a move! Two of his incarnations had fallen, the physical body of his remaining incarnation was ruined, and his sea of will was damaged. Naturally, given his prowess, even with injuries this severe, dealing with several quasi-Invincibles would pose no issue. However, the strongest person present might not be him, but rather Changhe of the Fate race. A powerhouse whose renown matched the likes of Jiu Yue! Blood Fire had forgotten about this fellow's existence, not expecting him to have ascended to the eighth floor. As for the others, the Blood Fire Demon King wasn't too worried. Nor did he pay much attention to Moduona. That fellow had fled earlier. As soon as the grand battle erupted, seeing little hope of securing the treasure, he had bolted up to the eighth floor. Who knew that before Blood Fire arrived, these people had already been confronting each other here? This was, practically speaking, the first time anyone present had visited the eighth floor. Everyone was unfamiliar with the place. No one dared run around or make sudden moves. The slightest misstep could easily lead to death. The group remained silent. Now that the Blood Fire Demon King had arrived, everyone was on high alert, calculating internally: What had happened below? Had the Blood Fire Demon King seized the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus? Was he wounded? His aura felt somewhat weak. Was he injured and had failed to obtain the treasure, or had he succeeded and fled to the eighth floor for refuge? The most nervous among them were likely Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan. They had arrived a day ago, but hadn't traveled far, taking every step with extreme caution for fear of something going wrong. At this moment, with time flowing within his eyes, Changhe of the Fate race spoke softly, "Lord Blood Fire, do not easily resort to violence here. This was once the seat of the ancient Council, densely woven with rule forces. Initiating combat can easily trigger those rules!" The Blood Fire Demon King replied coldly, "Changhe, this seat does not require your guidance!" He didn't look at them, nor did he pay attention to the two humans. Although he despised humans at this moment, the eighth floor was treacherous; avoiding combat if possible was best, as fighting could easily expose his true condition. Right now, he could still intimidate the others, but once he made a move and exposed his true strength, chaos might ensue. He was still shaken by the cataclysm on the seventh floor. He had nearly died! Su Yu and his group might not be dead. That terrifying entity had likely been summoned by Su Yu, and that kid wouldn't commit mutual destruction, meaning they were probably all still alive. He had to delve deeper into the eighth floor as soon as possible and find a place to hide before those people caught up. He was no longer who he had been before—previously, even King Daqin would have had immense difficulty killing him. Now, however... forget it! Blood light flashed in the Blood Fire Demon King's eyes. Soon, a token appeared in his hand—his identity token. Holding the token, he looked around. Waves of rule force densely permeated the void. In this damned place, coming up without a certain status truly meant danger at every turn. He did not linger, swiftly proceeding along the edge of the long white jade boulevard. Yes, along the edge. He was merely an assistant general, below even a general, even a miscellaneous general. According to the hierarchy of clearance, the Human Sovereign was naturally the highest: Tier 1. King Wen and King Wu ranked half a tier below that, both holding Tier 2 clearance. The half-emperors of each race and the Human Kings were Tier 3. Enfeoffed marquises were Tier 4, titled generals were Tier 5, and miscellaneous generals were Tier 6. The Blood Fire Demon King's assistant general status, much like Lan Tian's academy president title, was the highest rank beneath a general: Tier 7 clearance! Below that were Tier 8 and Tier 9. Those further below weren't qualified to visit the eighth floor at all. Tier 7 clearance wasn't particularly low; it sat right on the boundary between the ancient ruling class and the ruled. In the outside world, they would all be prominent generals commanding their own domains. As for Su Yu's title of Castellan of Hongmeng, it actually shouldn't have counted as Tier 4; even going by the Old Turtle's identity back then, it was only Tier 5. But because he carried the Civilization Tombstone, he possessed Tier 4 clearance. Clearly, the guardians of the Civilization Tomb in ancient times were all powerhouse marquises. The Blood Fire Demon King paid no attention to the others. He only held Tier 7 clearance. According to the information he possessed, he could not enter areas designated for powerhouses three or more tiers above him. For example, marquises were Tier 4, so he couldn't go there. He could, however, visit some of the outer titled generals' manors. As for Su Yu, with Tier 4 clearance, he couldn't go to the ninth floor either; likewise, without a summons, he couldn't enter the Myriad Realms Palace, as the Myriad Realms Palace's clearance requirement was exceptionally high. Most other places were open to him. At this moment, Su Yu was still unaware of all this. He was too young and hadn't had the time to learn much about ancient history. The Blood Fire Demon King moved forward, bloody light flickering in his eyes. As he passed Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan, a faint killing intent rose in his gaze. Liu Wenyan's expression shifted slightly, and his aura surged abruptly, instantly reaching the peak of the ninth stage of the Sun Moon Realm. Yes, a divine character! The final divine character left behind by Ye Batian! He had detonated all the others previously, but had gifted one to Wu Jia, which had remained with her all along. To prepare for entering the eighth floor and guard against mortal peril, he had retrieved this last divine character from Wu Jia. He hadn't initially planned to use it. Now, he knew that even at the ninth stage of the Sun Moon Realm, he could easily be crushed to death by the Blood Fire Demon King. Yet... he refused to die without a fight, preparing himself for a desperate struggle. He would rupture the rules here and drag the Blood Fire Demon King down with him. And seeing how Liu Wenyan looked ready to frantically attack the local rules, the Blood Fire Demon King cursed inwardly! To hell with you! If I were at peak strength, go ahead and attack—do you think I'd fear you? No matter how strong the rules were, the perimeter rules couldn't do anything to him at his peak! Now, however... forget it, the guy was a lunatic! I didn't even plan to kill you—why are you acting like you're going to stake your life? If Liu Wenyan truly triggered the rules... Blood Fire would be heavily injured, exposing his bottom line. He was, after all, a ninth-stage Eternal; those fellows out there might very well covet his sea of will and his other treasures. Time to leave! The Blood Fire Demon King had no interest in risking his life against them. Although Liu Wenyan was Su Yu's teacher, and his own wounds had all been caused by Su Yu, making him want to slaughter the man in passing, if it endangered his own life, forget it! The Blood Fire Demon King said coldly, "Laughable!" Adopting an air of haughty disdain, a posture of looking down upon everything, the Blood Fire Demon King strode away. Childish! Would a dignified ninth-stage Eternal deign to bicker with a mere Sun Moon cultivator? What a laughable fellow! He departed with a face full of contempt. Liu Wenyan's heart finally settled back into his chest! That was so damn close! Scared me half to death! He watched the demon king leave, not daring to utter a word. That was a peerless powerhouse of the same tier as the strongest among the human race. No matter how arrogant Liu Wenyan might be, he wouldn't dare act rashly before such a figure. Watching him leave, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. He was gone! Too terrifying! The Blood Fire Demon King's arrogance was so lofty that he hadn't even bothered killing them. What incredible luck! Just as they were thinking this, the palace gates suddenly swung open, and Lan Tian drifted out airily. However, none of them recognized him. Each of them wore a strange expression: Who is this? It couldn't be helped; Lan Tian's appearance was ever-changing, as was his aura. For a moment, no one could recognize him. Upon seeing the group, Lan Tian was momentarily taken aback as well. Soon, he grinned and chuckled, "Yo, my little cuties, you're all here! Have you seen Blood Fire? Where did my lovely Blood Fire run off to?" Whew! Lan Tian! They recognized him! Liu Wenyan let out a sigh of relief as well and hurried to say, "Senior Lan..." The moment Lan Tian saw them, he smiled faintly. "Oh, it's you two. Where's Blood Fire? Did you see him?" "The Blood Fire Demon King just left..." "Oh, that grandson is heavily injured, yet he runs quite fast. Looks like I'll have to search around and butcher him first!" "..." The entire group went slack-jawed. What? Kill who? Kill the Blood Fire Demon King? Kill that peerless powerhouse? What kind of joke was this! Lan Tian chuckled. "What's wrong? Is there a problem with killing him? Changhe, you can kill him too. According to my estimate, he probably has less than one percent of his strength remaining. He's a dead man!" Changhe was slightly startled. Recalling the Blood Fire Demon King's weakness just now and his hurried departure, his eyes grew profound. "The Blood Fire Demon King is wounded? Did something happen on the seventh floor?" Lan Tian chuckled mischievously. "Of course. The seventh floor was so much fun! The Invincibles who died... let me count, probably close to thirty..." The group was stunned. Hadn't there been fewer than thirty Invincibles who came in total? All wiped out? Stop joking! How could that be possible! The Hunting Heaven Pavilion elder said in a deep voice, "What about the Head of our division...?" "Him?" Lan Tian replied with a chuckle, "Probably dead? I'm not too sure. If he's not dead, he's crippled. Either he came up to the eighth floor or entered the Dead Spirit Realm; I don't know the exact details. It was tragic..." Everyone's hearts pounded with dread. Moduona couldn't hold back either, asking, "Was it Su Yu's doing?" What are you saying?! Su Yu, acting as the shadow, was utterly speechless! Little Mo, your misunderstanding of me runs far too deep! Those are ninth-stage Eternals. What does whether they live or die have to do with me? Su Yu assessed the situation: Should I wipe out all these guys here? Moduona, Hunting Heaven Pavilion, Fate race, All Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower—should I just kill them all? Probably wouldn't be very difficult, right? Su Yu weighed his options: Changhe's strength was considerable, likely comparable to his current level or perhaps a bit weaker, but Changhe was very likely no weaker than Xia Longwu before attaining the Dao, maybe even stronger. He might not be easy to kill. As for the other two, Su Yu had no fear of them. As for Moduona, that grandson seemed to still possess a spatial-ignoring teleportation talisman; it might not be useful here, but the moment he saw Su Yu, he would probably run, wouldn't he? Those from the Hunting Heaven Pavilion and the All Heavens Myriad Treasures Tower can certainly be killed. Those two are merely ordinary quasi-Invincibles, right? Su Yu pondered. Should I just finish those two off? Too many people around just get in the way!