Return!

Clouds drifted into being across the void. One cloud after another! "The celestial stars revolve; the Human Sovereign bestows his blessing!" Su Yu opened his eyes, glanced upward, and was struck speechless. *Did the Human Sovereign’s subordinates come up with this just to brush him off?* Last time, when he opened 360 origin apertures, the blessing message had been: "The celestial body is tempered; the Human Sovereign bestows his blessing!" So they had only swapped two words? Nearby, Hetu and Xingyue stared blankly at the starry expanse. Hetu murmured, "A heavenly blessing can appear even in the dead spirit realm?" This truly was the first time he had ever witnessed such a thing! Su Yu, on the other hand, was already used to it. This was hardly the first blessing he had received. Opening these apertures was tied to willpower, so the reward would be willpower, divine characters, or the power of rules. As for the power of rules, one could only fleece a little of it when heavenly tribulation and heavenly blessing occurred together. Under ordinary circumstances, one could only absorb what was delivered. Before long, the clouds descended toward Su Yu! All 360 divine apertures flared with brilliant light. They were merely somewhat uneven in size! However... that problem was solved very quickly. The moment the first cloud settled upon him, Su Yu gave a slight start. This power felt somewhat like Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid, yet it seemed even more effective! A flicker of intent crossed Su Yu's eyes! Right now, he had two choices. The first was to temper his divine characters. The second was to strengthen his apertures to enter the Shanhai Realm, achieving aperture fusion to drive the advancement of his divine characters. But if he failed to fuse the apertures, helping his divine characters advance would become difficult. After a split second of hesitation, Su Yu chose to strengthen his apertures! Once his divine apertures grew powerful enough, they would naturally fuse, instantly stepping into the ninth stage of the Shanhai Realm and subsequently driving the breakthrough of his divine characters. This route was perhaps better suited for him! Within his mind, the little fur ball was desperately eager to eat. Su Yu immediately snapped, "You're not allowed to eat this time. I don't even have enough for myself. Next time—like I said, once Tiangu is dead, you can eat!" "You're lying to the ball! You can't kill Tiangu!" The little fur ball felt thoroughly wronged. *You're lying to me; I know it.* *That's just a pipe dream!* *Fragrance is very powerful now, but wanting to kill Tiangu? Just wait; who knows how many years that will take.* *All of this ball's hoard is gone!* *Can't you just give me a little bite?* "Rest assured. Even if I can't kill Tiangu right away, I can slaughter a few Immortals first. They all smell good, so what's the rush!" Su Yu offered a word of comfort. At a critical juncture like this, the last thing he needed was trouble. Once he broke through to the Shanhai Realm, there might even be another heavenly reward. There was a reward for opening divine apertures, so advancing in realm might grant one too! In this day and age, fleecing the power of rules was the proper path! Soon, Su Yu absorbed the energy from the clouds, tempering each divine aperture in turn. His apertures began to swell. All 360 divine apertures were now operating naturally. However, this natural operation was not guided by a cultivation art. It seemed he was still lacking an appropriate cultivation technique. Su Yu did not mind overmuch; if he didn't have one, so be it. He would advance first and worry about the rest later! One divine aperture after another devoured the power of the clouds. After watching for a while, Xingyue vanished in a flash. Before long, rumbling sounds echoed from outside—dead spirits were arriving, likely wanderers from the vicinity. Hetu also watched for a moment, then chuckled. "This talent... is terrifying!" Seven days! Just as Su Yu had claimed, he had spent a mere seven days to open the complete celestial array of divine apertures. Inhuman! Did limits or bottlenecks even exist for Su Yu? Hetu fell into deep thought. Su Yu's aptitude defied the heavens. Was such aptitude born of his bloodline, or something else entirely? Su Yu had no time to ponder such things! At that moment, he rapidly devoured the energy. Aperture after aperture radiated brilliant splendor. His entire sea of will trembled, expanding and swelling! Above the sea, a massive hammer manifested—the Mind Expansion Hammer. Beside the hammer was the divine character battle technique outlined by ninety-nine divine characters. Currently, twenty-eight divine characters hovered and circled around it. Among them, the character 'Blood' had advanced to the Sun Moon Realm, while the other divine characters showed faint signs of breakthrough. Gradually, every divine aperture came to shine with a comparable radiance! And the power of the reward clouds had been mostly absorbed by Su Yu. *Boom!* Right then, across the sky of his sea of will, the stars shifted. Three hundred and sixty astral bodies rapidly circled, and forty of them began to converge! This was the sign of advancing to the Shanhai Realm! A Civilization Master's Shanhai Realm! Su Yu's Civilization Master level had consistently progressed slightly faster than his physical body, yet his physical body was far stronger. On the Civilization Master side, his supportive capabilities were formidable, but as for pure combat strength... Su Yu made a quick appraisal. Even with 360 divine apertures opened, at the ninth stage of the Lingyun Realm, being able to slay a Sun Moon Realm expert was already commendable. Compared to his physical body, the gap remained immense. Even so, with the willpower of a Lingyun-stage Civilization Master, Su Yu felt he had a good chance of striking down a Sun Moon Realm expert. In the path of a Civilization Master, his prowess was roughly comparable to Moduona's previous strength. *Boom!* The entire sea of will shuddered once more. This time, forty divine apertures were fusing together! Su Yu hadn't deduced a divine aperture fusion method, which felt a bit unfair to Wu Lan. He had promised her that he would deduce an aperture fusion method for divine apertures and name it after her. Alas, his circumstances simply didn't allow it! Su Yu sighed, feeling utterly helpless. *There's nothing I can do!* *I opened 360 divine apertures, and they naturally fused on their own. I'm completely blameless in this. Since they fuse automatically, what is there left for me to deduce?* *Or perhaps, once I obtain the celestial divine aperture technique and fuse nine apertures into one, that method will come in handy. I can rename it then, right?* With these thoughts in mind, Su Yu began strengthening the Mind Expansion Hammer! He had relied so heavily on his physical body lately that he had nearly cast this divine skill aside! Once he reached the ninth stage of the Shanhai Realm and compressed his willpower after opening all 360 divine apertures, wouldn't a single strike from this hammer leave a fourth- or fifth-stage Sun Moon dizzy? If he struck with even greater power, a single hammer blow might shatter the sea of will of a sixth-stage Sun Moon! The Mind Expansion Hammer was truly a remarkable divine skill! *Rumble!* His sea of will continued to expand—fusing apertures, advancing, and expanding! Forty apertures rapidly converged. Ten, twenty, thirty... When the fortieth aperture fused with the others into a single aperture, a thunderous crash reverberated, and his sea of will expanded once more! At that very instant, more clouds manifested between heaven and earth. The reward for breaking through to the Shanhai Realm! Previously, opening his divine apertures had granted an immediate reward, which came faster than opening origin apertures. Origin aperture rewards only arrived after casting the body, but this time was different—he had been granted rewards twice! This time, however, there was no message of blessing. Only streams of willpower surged forth from the clouds. Su Yu did nothing else, directing it all toward elevating his divine characters! Time to advance his divine characters! The character 'Blood' had already reached the Sun Moon Realm, but Su Yu still had several other divine characters that needed advancing. 'Still', 'Calamity', 'Yin', and 'Change'—Su Yu needed all of them to enter the fifth tier! Additionally, the newly comprehended 'Pierce' and the previously comprehended 'Slow' required advancement as well. As for the characters 'Civilization', which had already stepped into the Sun Moon Realm, there was no need to boost them right now; once the civilization chronicle advanced, those two characters would naturally upgrade alongside it. The willpower rewarded for entering the Shanhai Realm was not excessive. Su Yu suspected it might not even be enough for all his needs. "Willpower... I'm sorely lacking it. Once I return, I must borrow the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm!" He had to borrow it. Su Yu had plenty of Heavenly River Sand, but crucially, he needed the cooperation of the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm. He had to elevate his divine characters! Otherwise, relying on heavenly rewards every single time was unsustainable. Nowadays, killing an Invincible didn't even grant a reward anymore, so how many more could he expect? Did he have to wait until he killed a half-emperor next time? Perhaps! Su Yu swiftly absorbed the willpower. The little fur ball drooled at the sight, desperate for a taste, but alas, Fragrance didn't even have enough for himself and refused to feed it! The little fur ball had broken through to the Shanhai Realm quite some time ago, and it had consumed plenty of good things since then. Regrettably, it still seemed a fair distance away from the Sun Moon Realm. Su Yu had no idea how its species advanced. In any case, he hadn't sensed any signs of the little fur ball breaking through to the Sun Moon Realm. If this little guy didn't advance soon, it wouldn't be of much help to Su Yu anymore. In the past, having the little fur ball around was immensely helpful when dealing with experts; with a single snap, the fur ball could swallow the enemy's divine characters or sea of will! Now, devouring the sea of will of a Sun Moon Realm expert was quite difficult for the little fur ball, whereas Su Yu could swat one to death with a single palm! As these thoughts drifted through his mind, one of his divine characters erupted with Sun Moon radiance! 'Calamity'! Indeed, Su Yu's first choice was still to elevate this innate divine character. It was an essential character for sensing fortune and avoiding catastrophe! The 'Calamity' character vibrated violently. After bursting with dazzling radiance, it swiftly dimmed and went dormant. In the absence of impending calamity, the 'Calamity' character had always remained exceptionally low-key! As for the second character, Su Yu hesitated over which one to upgrade! 'Still'? This character was exceedingly useful—the perfect tool for robbing, looting, and ambushing others. It weakened the enemy's perception and masked his presence from detection. However... it wasn't an innate divine character after all. Just as Su Yu was pondering this, an extraordinarily sinister divine character suddenly seemed to come alive. It shot into the clouds, ravenously absorbing energy, and in the blink of an eye... that pitch-black divine character advanced without a sound! Yes, dammit, even breaking through to the Sun Moon Realm had been utterly silent. Not a ripple of commotion! Apart from seeing it steal a bite, nothing else was visible, and it promptly vanished back into dormancy! The corners of Su Yu's mouth twitched! *I... I'm fucking... speechless!* *This divine character actually learned how to steal food?* The character 'Yin' had simply advanced on its own! Su Yu was at a loss for words. This divine character was undeniably important—shielding against detection, masking his aura, and synergizing with 'Change' and 'Still' to allow Su Yu to conceal and disguise himself far better! *The point is, I wasn't even planning on letting you advance!* *You fucking upgraded yourself!* Feeling helpless, Su Yu looked at the remaining willpower. There wasn't much left, probably insufficient to push another character to the Sun Moon Realm. Forget it; he would elevate the two newly formed divine characters instead. One was 'Pierce', and the other was 'Holy'. The power of spatial traversal was extremely critical. As for 'Holy', it was equally important, bolstering others' reliance and trust in him. Elevating both of these characters to the fourth tier was a fine choice! Soon, the remaining willpower was consumed by Su Yu. Both new divine characters advanced. By the time the willpower ran dry, both had reached the fourth tier. At this point, Su Yu possessed five Sun Moon divine characters: 'Civilization'—consisting of 'Wen' and 'Ming'—along with 'Blood', 'Calamity', and 'Yin', as well as twenty-five Shanhai divine characters. Such a configuration was on par with certain Invincible experts. If an Invincible cultivated both paths, their divine characters were roughly at this level. After all, the human race possessed no Invincible-tier divine characters. Meanwhile, the aperture fusion continued. Su Yu silently experienced the process, once again employing the Expanding Will Art to stabilize his sea of will. A stabilized sea of will ensured that no one could pierce through it during intense combat. Piercing through an enemy's sea of will was something Su Yu loved doing to others, so he had to be cautious lest someone do the same to him. The Mind Expansion Hammer struck with relentless fury! Throughout his sea of will, only that massive hammer could be seen pounding madly, solidifying his sea of will, his divine characters, and his willpower. *The 'Still' character isn't weak... I must be careful. If I get close to King Dazhou, he might be able to sense my presence!* These days, Su Yu rarely read texts of will, which was partly related to this concern. He had to read fewer texts of will left by Invincibles. He had outlined several divine characters originating from Invincibles. Most saw little use, but King Dazhou's 'Still' character was indeed used frequently. Because of this, it was easy for King Dazhou to detect him. Su Yu had even considered giving it up, but in the end, he couldn't bear to. It was simply too useful! Without this divine character, assassinating someone was like turning on a light bulb—leaping out and announcing to everyone that he was coming to kill them. But with this character, it was as though the bulb were switched off, making it nearly impossible for others to see him! *I'll keep using it for now!* Su Yu thought silently as his sea of will continued its metamorphosis. The second batch of forty divine apertures began to fuse! It was pushing him directly toward the ninth stage of the Shanhai Realm! *Take it slow; there's no rush!* Su Yu reflected that once he reached the ninth stage, he would be bottlenecked there anyway, and the boost to his immediate combat strength wouldn't be overly dramatic. Though his breakthrough seemed to have occurred in the blink of an eye, an entire day had actually slipped by. A single blink, and a day was gone! This was the twenty-eighth day since the Star Residence Mansion had opened! If the teleportation array remained operational, living beings would begin to be teleported out the day after tomorrow! "No more time to waste!" Ceasing to monitor the aperture fusion, Su Yu swiftly opened his eyes. The moment he did, he saw Hetu, Daidai, and Xingyue all watching him from nearby. Seeing him open his eyes, Hetu remarked with mixed emotions, "You've entered the Shanhai Realm?" "Yes!" "The path of a Civilization Master is arduous, yet on the path of the physical body, you've journeyed astonishingly far. With this talent of yours... in ancient times, you might well have been a Human King!" Su Yu smiled. "In the present era, I am one as well!" Hetu laughed. "That remains to be seen!" With that, he asked, "Has the yin aperture opened?" "Not yet!" Su Yu replied with a smile. "However, I've already sensed its position. Opening it won't be difficult now that all my divine apertures are unlocked!" With that, Su Yu's 360 divine apertures lit up! The concept of the origin spirit aperture, proposed long ago, was finally about to be realized today. Origin apertures and divine apertures shared a final point of union, the fusion of yin and yang. In ancient times, it was known as the heaven aperture, but Su Yu preferred to call it the origin spirit aperture! *Boom!* Within his sea of will, an aperture as massive as a bright moon was instantly opened by Su Yu! Countless wisps of gentle, yin-natured power diffused outward! It wasn't death qi, but a gentle, supple force that stood in stark contrast to the violent power emanating from the yang aperture. This was likely the very nexus where the two could harmonize! Originally, the divine apertures and origin apertures were not interconnected! Yet the moment this aperture opened, a conduit seemed to bridge across Su Yu's sea of will. In the next instant, a blazing sun manifested opposite this bright moon! The yin and yang apertures! At this moment, without any conscious effort from Su Yu, the two apertures began to merge automatically. *Boom!* Su Yu felt his vision blur. In the next moment, his consciousness hovered in the air as he looked down upon his own body, taking in countless sights. At the position of the glabella aperture, another aperture emerged once more. The origin spirit aperture! Brilliant as the sun and moon, this aperture hovered at his glabella before searing itself into his brow. Simultaneously, a faint mark surfaced on Su Yu's forehead. It was not a flame mark like that of the Demon race, but a miniature portal, crystal-clear and dazzlingly bright. The Heaven Gate! A Heaven Gate resembling white jade! When the Heaven Gate opens, the myriad realms bow in homage! Hetu froze slightly. Beside him, Xingyue was equally stunned, murmuring, "He opened the Heaven Gate!" Since ancient times, how many people had ever managed to open the Heaven Gate? At this moment, Su Yu was enveloped in a faint holy radiance. Suddenly, a tome materialized before him, the Heaven Gate imprint gleaming on his forehead amidst a brilliant sacred light. "Hetu pays his respects to..." Hetu felt an instinctive urge to bow! Xingyue also leaned forward slightly in a trance, as if gazing upon an ancient, familiar figure. Hetu instantly snapped out of the stupor! A look of disbelief filled his eyes! He had nearly believed an ancient sovereign had descended! Xingyue also shuddered, looking at Su Yu as she murmured, "You... the Time Master... I feel as though I've seen the Time Master before..." This was the Time Master! Su Yu's brow furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed into a gentle smile. "My Lady, I am Su Yu, not the Time Master!" Right at that moment, Daidai, who had been standing foolishly to the side, suddenly clutched his head in agony. Looking at Su Yu, his eyes flickered between clarity and deadened stupor. Gritting his teeth, he forced out words with great difficulty: "Time Master... Time Master... King Wen... King Wen... You are King Wen... I... I did not betray King Wen... I didn't... I merely... passed down multiple divine characters... carried on the heritage... I... didn't rob the tomb... I didn't..." Su Yu was startled. Looking at him, bathed in holy light with a gentle smile, he said softly, "Xia Chen, don't be nervous. You are the tomb keeper of my tomb, aren't you?" "Yes... yes... Lord King Wen... I... the Xia family... for generations... guarded the tomb for Lord King Wen... I didn't rob the tomb... the tombstone trembled... wanting to emerge into the world..." Su Yu froze once more, yet maintained his gentle tone. "Does Xia Wushen know?" "Wushen... Wushen does not belong to the tomb keeper lineage... He... he is not a Civilization Master... I am this generation's... tomb keeper..." Su Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief. Daidai's head shook violently, and in the next moment, he let out a cry of pain, lapsing back into complete foolishness. Su Yu was left speechless! Still, he had learned some valuable information. A tomb keeper! As expected, Xia Chen was the keeper of King Wen's tomb! His status had been extraordinarily high—a fourth-grade authority, equivalent to that of an ennobled marquis. He seemed to have carried the Tombstone of Civilizations out of King Wen's tomb to pass down the Multiple Divine Characters faction. In the end, he had likely encountered some disaster or mishap. Perhaps Xia Chen had been extremely powerful from the very beginning, concealing his strength for reasons unknown. Was it connected to the Tombstone of Civilizations? Su Yu surmised that it was precisely because Xia Chen had taken the Tombstone of Civilizations that he met with tragedy! It truly was an ominous object! Xia Chen had likely been immensely powerful in life, yet even he had perished. What secrets did the Tombstone of Civilizations conceal? Su Yu pondered internally. Xia Chen had mistaken him for King Wen; had he ever seen King Wen? Hardly likely! Perhaps he merely sensed a resemblance. "King Wen..." Su Yu murmured softly. At his side, Xingyue stared at him in a daze for a long time before asking, "You... are you King Wen? Or the Time Master?" Su Yu chuckled. "I am myself! How could I be anyone else?" With that, he added with a smile, "Could it be that reincarnation existed in ancient times?" Xingyue fell silent. Hetu also looked at Su Yu, finally exhaling slowly. "There is no reincarnation, only body possession, much like the current Demon Emperor! Even so, earlier... after opening the Heaven Gate, you truly felt different!" Su Yu smiled. "How was I different? Right now, death qi permeates my body and I look like a corpse. Could I still look handsome?" "..." Hetu had no reply to that. He stared at Su Yu and said in a grave voice, "You opened the Heaven Gate!" "I know." "Since antiquity, few experts have ever opened the Heaven Gate. At least, from the first tidal shift until now, I have never heard of a second person opening it... The heaven aperture is virtually impossible to unseal!" Su Yu smiled without replying, quietly sensing the changes within himself. There was no longer any need to keep the yang aperture sealed! Now that both apertures were fused, Su Yu felt as though a floodgate had been installed. He could open or close it at will! Across the 720 apertures, two distinct energies—origin qi and willpower—were converging within the Heaven Gate! Su Yu suddenly realized that once the origin spirit aperture opened, the two could genuinely interconvert. For instance, if he lacked willpower, he could likely convert origin qi into willpower via the Heaven Gate. As expected, the human body was unified! Whether it was the sea of will or the physical flesh, both were parts of a person. How could they not be interconnected? They had simply been partitioned off before! Su Yu murmured, "I understand a bit now! Once all 720 apertures form a grand celestial cycle, the power of the Heaven Gate will be entirely my own. There will be no need to absorb external power. Right now, because they aren't fully interconnected, I still need to absorb outside energy!" This aligned perfectly with what Xingyue had said earlier! Having unlocked it himself, Su Yu now grasped the underlying principle. He looked at Xingyue and smiled. "Lady Xingyue, this means that once my grand celestial cycle is operating, you will no longer need to supply me with death qi!" At that time, he could rely entirely on his own strength to open the Heaven Gate! At this moment, Su Yu felt vastly more powerful! After the nine Lingyun transformations, his physical strength was around sixty-six million apertures of force. The path of divine characters currently provided negligible enhancement to his physical body. However, with the Heaven Gate open, everything had stabilized significantly. After a brief appraisal, opening the origin spirit aperture boosted his strength by at least fifty percent—a very stable enhancement! Nearly a hundred million apertures of force! Compared to before, the peak number hadn't changed drastically, but Su Yu could now seal the yang aperture without needing to absorb external energy, allowing him to unleash sixty-six million apertures of force under ordinary conditions. That was the difference! Before this, he had to satisfy the yang aperture's absorption himself, or rely on Xingyue's support! Now, he only needed external power when actively drawing upon the gate. Xingyue glanced at him without speaking. Su Yu was no longer absorbing her death qi continuously. Of course, during intense battle, he would still open the aperture to absorb it, but if one day Su Yu completed the connection of all 720 celestial apertures, he would never need external power to sustain his origin spirit aperture again! When that day came... would Su Yu still need her? The thought flashed through Xingyue's mind, only to be banished an instant later. She glared coldly at Su Yu. "You might not live long enough to see that day!" "Furthermore, even if a cultivation art for 720 apertures existed in ancient times, scarcely anyone would have known it!" Su Yu chuckled. "Not necessarily. I suspect Old Zhou in the Star Residence Mansion knows it!" If that were true, Old Zhou was unimaginably powerful! King Wu had managed to kill him—did King Wu know it as well? If so, King Wen might have known it, and the Human Sovereign probably did too... The Human Sovereign, King Wen, King Wu, Old Zhou, the Time Master... Su Yu tallied them up. Right now, he knew of five peerless experts from antiquity. All of them seemed to be humans! With the human race possessing such terrifying power, for the ancient era to collapse was truly bizarre. Su Yu stopped dwelling on it. He withdrew the holy light and put away the civilization chronicle. At this moment, he looked remarkably refined. Even as a dead spirit, he was a handsome one! Beside him, Hetu watched for a moment, equally speechless. He asked, "Are you still heading back?" "Of course!" Su Yu nodded. The Star Residence Mansion would open the day after tomorrow; he had to return! He smiled and said, "My lords, thank you for your trouble this time; everything went smoothly! Right now, I'm wondering whether to return via Hongmeng City or Xinghong Ancient City!" He had established solid ties on both ends. Whether Hongmeng or Xinghong, he could descend into the dead spirit realm whenever he pleased in the future! Both were his domain! "Go via Xinghong Ancient City!" Hetu suggested. "Word of my presence inside seems to have leaked. Someone might be keeping an eye on Hongmeng Ancient City, watching for me!" Su Yu was taken aback. *Right, I was the one who spread that rumor!* The outside world knew Hetu was inside! They truly might be watching that area. Hetu looked at Su Yu suspiciously. "Su Yu, the news of my presence inside couldn't have been spread by you, could it?" He had an uncanny feeling that everyone knew! He felt as if countless people were cursing his name! Su Yu gave a dry cough. "How could that be? I'm not that kind of person. You misunderstand me, my lord!" "Heh!" Hetu sneered. *It was definitely you!* Indeed, humans were treacherous to the bone. This fellow had leaked the news of his entry long ago; he truly had some tricks up his sleeve. Thinking of this, Hetu added, "Did you know I was inside the moment I entered?" "Not at all. I only found out on the second floor!" Su Yu replied with a grin. "I happened to hear your voice, my lord. I hold peerless figures like you in the utmost reverence; the moment I heard your voice, I was overjoyed, thrilled beyond words!" "..." Hetu wanted nothing more than to throttle him! He shot Su Yu a icy glare. *Shameless scoundrel. No wonder every time I went up a floor, hardly anyone was left—you killed them all, didn't you?* *And then...* "Did you make me take the blame for your deeds?" "Never! Absolutely not!" Su Yu denied it flatly, quickly changing the subject. "My lord, let's not dwell on that. First, let's seal off this area! We can't let other dead spirits discover this place, lest something go wrong. For travelling between the dead spirit realm and the living realm in the future, this is an excellent spot where we don't have to follow the rules!" With that, he added, "Also, my lord, when I go out this time, I intend to kill a few Invincibles to deter the myriad realms. Would you be willing to lend a hand?" Hetu replied coldly, "You want to open another passage and let me out? Aren't you afraid that once I step outside, I'll slaughter indiscriminately and let death qi spread... and that Old Turtle will kill you on the spot? Do you believe that?" That was a fair point! Troublesome! Pinned hopes on Hetu behaving himself... better forget it. If Hetu went out, he might not be able to restrain himself. The nature of dead spirits was slaughter, destruction, and spreading death qi! It would be far too problematic! Unless Su Yu could fully control Hetu, which was nearly impossible. He would see how things unfolded! Su Yu laughed and said, "My lord, we'll see when the time comes. If necessary, I hope you can assist me, along with Lady Xingyue and Manor Head Xia Chen. If we join forces, so long as the half-emperors of the myriad realms don't intervene, we can take on anyone!" "If you aren't afraid of the rules' punishment, this seat doesn't mind heading out to catch up with old friends!" Hetu wore an amused expression. Going outside sounded delightful. As long as Su Yu wasn't afraid! Su Yu chuckled and soon walked out alongside them. As they walked, he asked, "Lord Hetu, are you the only Invincible in your territory?" "Of course not!" Hetu smiled faintly. "Under my command, there are two other awakened dead spirit monarchs. The Hongmeng Domain is the strongest force in this region, followed by the Tiger Brothers from before. Now that they're dead, the Hongmeng Domain is undisputed!" Su Yu glanced at Xingyue. *And you?* Xingyue looked utterly indifferent! *This seat has no dead spirit monarchs under my command. What are you looking at?!* Su Yu understood. Indeed, for a shut-in dead spirit monarch who never even left her passage, expecting her to subjugate other dead spirit monarchs was pure fantasy! Having two under Hetu was actually on the lower side. However, dead spirits were notoriously difficult to subdue; one might pledge loyalty today and forget tomorrow, resuming endless brawling. Hetu being able to command two was already impressive. "Then Lady Xingyue can lead the way. Having no Invincible monarchs under you is actually convenient—it won't cause any major commotion. We'll head straight to Xinghong Ancient City and return quietly. Heh, while everyone is waiting outside for me, I'll go out and settle scores with them!" The teleportation wouldn't open until the day after tomorrow, and Su Yu was curious to see who would return alive. It wouldn't just be the human race. How many were left on the eighth floor? What about the seventh floor? And in the areas Hetu had swept through, had anyone survived the bottom six floors? None of this was certain. Hetu might not have discovered every hidden mystic realm; if he hadn't found them, he naturally hadn't killed the occupants. As for Zhan Wushuang and the others, Su Yu hadn't killed them, but neither had he brought them along. Living beings could not be brought into the dead spirit realm—except for the fur ball, who barely counted as a living being; treating it like a divine character was fine. Su Yu had dumped Zhan Wushuang and the rest with the Great Qin King, hoping it might grant the human race some leverage and survival collateral, perhaps deterring the God race from joining the encirclement. "Let's go!" The group emerged. Soon, death qi surged from Hetu as he sealed the entrance to the black hole. He smiled and said, "Let's go. If anyone else comes near, I'll sense it!" Xingyue walked in front, maintaining her cold demeanor as she led the way. They were heading toward her dead spirit domain! This time, their speed was even greater, and there were no dead spirit monarchs in the vicinity. Flying at full tilt, in less than a day, they arrived at a vast, dark forest. Su Yu was momentarily stunned. *What's going on here?* Along the entire journey, he had seen virtually no vegetation. How could there be a forest here? A pitch-black forest! Dense with trees! Did trees even grow in the dead spirit realm? At the center of this dark forest stood an ancient castle, unimaginably colossal, hovering in midair. Compared to other places, it possessed a touch more vitality. Around the forest, squads of dead spirits led by quasi-Invincible commanders patrolled the perimeter, evidently guarding their domain. Hetu wasn't surprised; he had seen this before. He laughed and said, "Xingyue, you truly have too much time on your hands. Other dead spirit monarchs are either cultivating or slaughtering, yet you, having awakened for countless eras, spend your free time planting trees and renovating your castle. You're too idle—no wonder your strength never improves!" Xingyue's face remained frosty, not uttering a single word. Humiliation! Utter shame! Hetu mocking her was one thing, but now Su Yu was clicking his tongue in wonder, which infuriated Xingyue to no end. She snapped coldly, "Su Yu, what are you doing?" Su Yu gave a dry laugh. "Nothing! I was just thinking that your territory is truly beautiful, my lady. I've grown sick of looking at those other wretched places! Your domain is far superior, with all these flowers and plants. Did you enjoy gardening in your past life?" Xingyue couldn't even be bothered to look at him! Right then, a quasi-Invincible dead spirit commander tore through the air, booming, "This general greets the monarch!" "Rise!" The dead spirit commander rose quickly, looking at Su Yu and the others with bewilderment. Su Yu found him somewhat familiar. After studying him for a moment, he suddenly smiled. "Brother, in the past, did you go to Xinghong Ancient City and attack Su Yu once? During that Dark Demon Dragon incident!" The dead spirit looked dazed, replying woodenly, "Reporting to the lord... it seems... it seems so..." *Smack!* Su Yu slapped him on the head and kneaded it, his hand clamping like an iron vice. He laughed and said, "Forget it, I won't hold a grudge! We're all on the same side now. From now on, Lady Xingyue is the sovereign of this territory, and I am your Grand Commander. Understand?" The quasi-Invincible dead spirit stared dumbly at Su Yu. *So strong!* More importantly, who were you? The monarch had gone out once—how had she brought back so many dead spirit monarchs?! All of them were terrifyingly powerful! Su Yu chuckled. "What are you spacing out for? I am Su Yu. From now on, I am the Grand Commander of this domain. All matters must be reported to me, and I will report them to her ladyship. Do not disturb her without good reason!" At that moment, eight quasi-Invincible dead spirit commanders—including this one—took to the skies across the domain, looking toward Xingyue. Xingyue couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind, flying coldly toward the castle. Behind her, Su Yu reached out with a hand that blanketed the sky, scooping up all eight dazed dead spirits like little chicks. He chuckled and said, "Did you hear that? Must her ladyship spell it out for you? Now, send someone to the Xinghong passage to scout the situation. When I have time, I'll come instruct you all. Stop staring blankly!" Seeing Xingyue remain silent, the quasi-Invincible commanders hesitated for a moment before dropping to their knees in unison. "We pay our respects to the Grand Commander!" "Rise!" Su Yu beamed from ear to ear. Landing an official post wasn't half bad! With a flick of his wrist, he tossed one of the quasi-Invincibles out. "You'll do. From now on, your name is Xing Da. Go check near the passage and see if there's anything unusual. I'm going to the castle to chat with her ladyship!" "Understood!" The formidable quasi-Invincible dead spirit responded instinctively. Once Su Yu walked away, he looked blankly at the other commanders and muttered woodenly, "Grand Commander... Su Yu... Is he dead?" *He died and was converted by her ladyship?* *He's so strong!* No wonder the monarch had stared fixedly at the passage for all those days, refusing to leave. When she suddenly ran off, it turned out she had gone to convert Su Yu! The speed of Su Yu's growth was terrifying! They had visited Xinghong Ancient City before and knew that not long ago, Su Yu struggled even to kill a Sun Moon expert. In the blink of an eye... eight quasi-Invincibles had been suppressed by him effortlessly. How could he be this strong? After the shock came pure excitement. "Her ladyship brought back a Grand Commander, and I saw Lord Hetu from Hongmeng City, along with another formidable lord. Could it be... we are going to attack Xinghong Ancient City?" In his excitement, the commander who had received the order barked, "Follow this general to scout the living passage!" In an instant, hundreds of dead spirits gathered, all possessing Sun Moon strength. They swiftly followed the general, soaring toward the distant Xinghong passage. *We're going to slaughter our way into the living realm!* *The invincible monarch finally saw the light—instead of attacking alone, she called upon allies and brought several powerhouses, along with an extraordinarily mighty Grand Commander!* At this moment, all the conscious dead spirits were thrilled beyond measure! ... At the same time. Liu Hong was also preparing to leave! Tomorrow, the Star Residence Mansion would close, and Su Yu would be coming out. *I've done all that could be expected of me, playing this part for you until today. But... if I don't leave now, I'm afraid it'll be too late. Farewell, kid!* Liu Hong smiled inwardly. Soon, he entered the rear palace and bowed respectfully. "My lord, with enemies eyeing us from outside, I hope you can fly a circuit around the city to deter them. There is no need to fight—just take a look toward Tianmie City. Let everyone believe you and Lord Tianmie are conferring on how to deal with them..." "Tomorrow, Su Yu will emerge. If we don't intimidate them now, I fear there will be trouble!" Xinghong pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly: "I'll go take a look. Do not wander about, do not act recklessly, and above all, do not approach the dead spirit passage. I sense something amiss. A moment ago, death qi surged violently below; formidable dead spirits may be passing through... Don't blame me for not warning you!" Xinghong still offered a word of caution! Do not run around. Just now, he had genuinely felt intense fluctuations of death qi, as if several dead spirit monarchs had arrived—and more than one! Did Xingyue run off just to hook up with other dead spirit monarchs? Strange! After all these years, Xingyue had never had such an inclination! Xinghong was somewhat surprised, but didn't dwell on it. Dead spirits couldn't come up anyway! Moreover, with someone currently bearing the death qi on his behalf, the pressure on him was much lighter. Even if another monarch arrived, it wouldn't matter, as the passage could only support the passage of a single dead spirit monarch at a time. This wasn't Hongmeng City! Without further words, Xinghong vanished on the spot, flying toward Tianmie City. He didn't conceal his tracks, nor did he make a deliberate display, yet his movement still caught the attention of countless onlookers! Xinghong had come out again! Was Su Yu truly inside the Star Residence Mansion or not? What on earth was going on! If he was inside, why had Xinghong been able to move about freely all this time? Bizarre! ... The moment Xinghong departed, Liu Hong grinned. *Death qi surging violently?* *Who are you trying to scare!* Xingyue had already left, and the other dead spirits had little awareness, so none would deliberately guard the passage. Did he think Liu Hong was an idiot? For an ancient powerhouse, Xinghong was actually resorting to such childish tricks to frighten him! Liu Hong took a deep breath. Over these past days, he had played the subservient fool to perfection. In the mansion, Old Man Bai and Elder Wang had become far less wary of him, granting him the opportunity to enter and exit the rear palace alone. Excellent! This was the exact outcome he had wanted! Gritting his teeth, he suddenly flew toward the swirling vortex of the passage, chuckling as he muttered, "Su Yu, thank you very much. I did your dirty work, and you opened a safe passage for me. We're even!" ... At that very moment, Xinghong suddenly turned back. He didn't panic, but merely frowned. "Fool. There really are dead spirit monarchs down there, and more than one. I even sensed... that brat's aura. You really jumped in!" *Is he an idiot?* *Did he think I was lying to him?* *A dignified ancient general like me has no need to deceive a puny Lingyun!* *Courting death!* *I can't be bothered to care. Seeing as you were obedient, I even gave you a warning. Yet you went and sought your own death. Even if you don't die, you'll probably run straight into Su Yu...* *Come to think of it, how did that brat Su Yu make his way back from the dead spirit realm?* Even Xinghong was astonished! A connection existed between him and Su Yu; when Su Yu suddenly appeared, he had indeed sensed something. Now, he couldn't be bothered to meddle any further! A complete fool!