General of Spirit Suppression!

Discovering it was Su Yu, Tianmie was utterly dazed. Just moments ago, he had sensed something amiss. As a peak powerhouse, the moment Su Yu drew near, he knew the scent was off and had prepared to smash him to death with a staff. Yet the moment he heard it was Su Yu, he thought it might have been better to just club him to death after all! "Halt! Insolent monster, how dare you deceive this seat!" Tianmie suppressed the shock in his heart and skipped the pleasantries. *I'll hit you with a punch first, dammit!* He threw a punch at Su Yu through the empty air! Sensing the incoming strike, Su Yu smiled and threw a punch in return! Tianmie certainly hadn't used his full might. If he had, wouldn't Su Yu have been reduced to ashes? This strike carried roughly the strength of a quasi-Invincible, meant to probe Su Yu and, while he was at it, give him a thrashing to calm his own nerves. As the blow flew out, Su Yu answered with an air-spanning strike of his own. *Boom!* The two fist prints vanished, colliding and cancelling each other out in the void. Tianmie froze, then threw another punch, shouting, "Insolent monster, there really is something wrong with you!" *This strong?* *This definitely isn't Su Yu... fine, maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but this seat is going to beat you anyway!* *Boom!* Another punch blasted forth. Still smiling, Su Yu threw a punch to match it. The aftershocks rippled through the air. Tianmie stared in disbelief again. *Holy crap, still fine?!* *You forced my hand!* The next instant, yet another punch flew out. This one reached the force of a true Invincible. This kid Su Yu had grown vastly stronger; seeing that a single blow from an Invincible might not kill him, Tianmie felt reassured. *Boom!* This time, Su Yu didn't fight back. Standing right where he was, he took the strike head-on. His physical body shuddered once, redirecting and dispersing the force. "..." Tianmie stared at him with wide, dumbfounded eyes! *What is going on here?* He wanted to throw another punch, but Su Yu gave a dry cough and said, "Milord, that's enough. If we keep going, the outside world will sense it!" Tianmie lowered his hand, feeling slightly bored, and looked at Su Yu, a stiff expression settling on his petrified face. *I have turned back to stone!* *I'm not talking to you!* He remained silent. Su Yu was no longer that weak little piece of trash who had hammered away at him for half a day without dislodging a single hair. How depressing! Thinking back to when Su Yu first arrived, swinging that massive hammer against him for ages without so much as scratching him—look at him now. Hah, as expected, humans truly were the most detestable creatures! *I hate humans!* Tianmie was feeling gloomy and had no desire to talk. Meanwhile, Su Yu chuckled and produced some meat, smiling. "Milord, care for a bite? This is good stuff, roasted from the physical body of an Invincible—dragon meat from the Dragon race!" Tianmie's eyes lit up, instantly darting toward the delicacies Su Yu had laid out. "Dragon meat?" "Indeed!" "Well... I... this seat doesn't really feel like eating..." "Milord, have a taste!" Tianmie relented with apparent reluctance. "Since you're so hospitable... perhaps I will have a little?" With those words, he shrank in an instant, undoing his petrification to take the form of a delicate young lad. He looked quite tender, but there was an unsettled restlessness about him that felt agitated and fanatical. In truth, that was simply his nature. If you truly provoked him, he would uproot his city, turn it into a staff, and club you to death. Impatient, Tianmie grabbed a chunk of the dragon meat before him and began devouring it. Light gleamed around his mouth, and his eyes shone brightly. "It really is dragon meat! Kid, you've got guts! Did you butcher those two dragons that entered?" "Butchered them." "What about the phoenixes?" "Butchered as well." "Bring out some phoenix meat!" "Sure..." Smiling, Su Yu took out a little. These corpses weren't intact, but their original bodies were enormous. Even after blowing them up, gathering some flesh and blood was easy enough. Intact corpses were scarce; he had given one to Tuntian, so Su Yu didn't even have any complete Invincible corpses left. Tianmie ate voraciously and asked, "Where's Tianhe?" "Didn't see him. Might be dead." Su Yu shrugged. He truly hadn't seen him. If he had spotted any acquaintances while fighting his way through, he would have brought them along, but he hadn't encountered a single one of the half-dead spirits who left the ancient cities. "Oh!" Tianmie didn't care much. "He probably isn't dead. If he were, I'd have sensed it." Not dead? Then he was probably lying low somewhere. Su Yu didn't dwell on it. Eating away, Tianmie asked, "How did you get back early?" "Came out through the dead spirit realm!" "Kid, you've got real skill!" Tianmie's mouth was slick with grease, and he beamed with delight. "Tastes decent. The dead spirit realm... it isn't an easy road. Still, as long as you don't provoke certain things, it's manageable. Don't go to the Dead Spirit Heavenly River, don't cross realms, and you shouldn't have too many problems!" With his cheeks puffed full of food, he mumbled, "Just don't head down there too often. It's not as simple as it looks. If it were, Boss Turtle would have wiped out those dead spirits long ago! Be careful that some Marquis doesn't come inspecting one day. That's troublesome, and even Boss doesn't want to mess with them." Su Yu paused. "A Marquis?" "Yeah. Those who were enfeoffed as Marquises in life might still be Marquises in death, or they're ancient Dead Spirit Marquises outright. Either way, they're terrifically strong! Some years back, one of them even clashed with Boss..." "Some years back?" Seeing Su Yu's confusion, Tianmie added, "Back when Hetu fell, Boss fought with a Marquis and drove him off. But Hetu lost control, and Boss didn't have time to suppress the dead spirits. In the end, the rules rioted, and Hetu had to be eliminated." Su Yu was thoroughly astonished. Hetu's death truly had been wrapped in a conspiracy. A Marquis had intervened? A Dao Integration expert? As expected, conspiracies were everywhere; even the dead spirit realm had these headaches. Still, Tianmie's 'some years back' went back quite a long way. It had been a hundred thousand years, yet he called it 'some years back.' Su Yu kept this in mind. There was no need to dwell on it out loud. Soon, Su Yu smiled and said, "Milord, since Tianhe isn't around, could you appoint me as a vice city lord or something? There might be a bit of trouble tomorrow, and I'm hoping you can step in for a fight!" "Hmm?" Tianmie's gaze shifted. "Fight who? Let me state upfront: Tiangu... won't be easy to handle! That fellow is exceptionally powerful. Don't let his recent losses fool you; if he truly moves, even Boss would struggle to suppress him!" He didn't bother asking how they would fight, only whether they were fighting Tiangu. Caught between laughter and tears, Su Yu replied, "Hard to say. If Tiangu really shows up, are you confident you can take him, Milord?" "Not confident!" Tianmie shook his head, boasting nothing. "Against that demon fellow, I might lose, but I'm not afraid—he's too green! But Tiangu isn't green. In all ten tidal shifts, he fought in the first nine. He battled Eternals, clashed with Dao Integrators, waged war against Human Kings... He's not someone to provoke lightly!" Su Yu grew thoughtful and nodded slightly. "Understood!" Tianmie added, "Still, if you add Xinghong, call on Yunxiao, and if that's not enough, drag in another one—the four of us working together might not win, but he won't find us easy to deal with either. Besides, he wouldn't dare bring his true self out of his realm! At his level, he's terrified of stepping outside only to be ambushed and slain! If he sends an avatar, it certainly won't defeat us!" Hearing that, Su Yu felt somewhat reassured. "All right then, Milord. No problem with me being vice city lord, right?" Tianmie shot him a glance. "Let's make this clear first. If I fight, I want to go outside for a stroll." "For how long?" "Eighty to a hundred years!" "..." Su Yu stood up, packed up the items, swept away all the food and drink, took the cup right out of Tianmie's hands, and turned to leave. Tianmie rushed to say, "Hey, eight to ten years is fine too!" Su Yu kept walking. "Don't go! I'm half a master to you! Three to five months, how about that?" "..." Seeing Su Yu continuing forward, Tianmie flared up. "Don't push it too far! For an expert like this seat to fight once for you, shouldn't you let me out for eight to ten days?" "That can be considered!" Su Yu turned back, grinning. "Milord, it's not that I'm unwilling, but you have to consider my actual circumstances. Think about it: if you leave for eight to ten days, the others will want to leave too. Add it up... and a year passes! I don't have the strength to sustain this for an entire year!" Tianmie snorted in dissatisfaction! Instantly turning back into a stone statue, he returned to his original spot, looked down at Su Yu, and snapped, "Fine, so be it! You're far too calculating. Xinghong and Yunxiao can come and go as they please, but when this seat wants to step out for eight or ten days, you find endless excuses!" Su Yu was speechless. He had heard Tianmie was far too wild; if he walked away and never returned, what then? "Milord, this was Lord Hongmeng's directive, not me refusing..." "Tch!" Tianmie scoffed disdainfully. "He can walk away whenever he likes, but he won't let me! The old turtle can sleep for eight or ten thousand years, but can I?" True enough. With Tianmie's temper, he was naturally impatient. Not pressing further, Su Yu smiled. "Milord, give me a token that can communicate with you. When it's time to fight, I'll summon you! By the way, don't step out before the fighting starts, lest others realize we can all leave!" "Fine!" Tianmie wasn't pressed about a day or two. "Looks to me like a fight will break out tomorrow anyway, so a day won't matter!" Su Yu gave a thumbs-up. *Well said.* Tianmie soon tossed a token to Su Yu and chuckled. "You kid were never the quiet type; I knew it from day one! But... I advise you to come to an understanding with the God-Devouring Half-Emperor as well. Otherwise... I think things will be tough! Dozens, even a hundred Eternals have gathered outside right now!" Su Yu nodded. He could have the little fur ball communicate with him. With that, Su Yu was about to leave. Watching him go, Tianmie hesitated, then suddenly sent a voice transmission: "Fight all you want, but kill fewer of them! Shattering their three-life embodiments is fine, but the number of fallen... try to keep it under ten! Especially from a single race, don't kill too many, understand?" Su Yu glanced sideways. Tianmie remained petrified, saying nothing. Frowning slightly, Su Yu kept silent. Just as he was about to depart, Tianmie's voice sounded again: "Actually, if you really want to kill more of them, kid, this seat will teach you a method. Don't lure dead spirits out—drag the living in! Tear open an opening... and club them inside with a few swings. Get it? When they are wiped out in the dead spirit realm, the living realm won't react as fiercely!" "..." Su Yu whipped around to stare at Tianmie. Tianmie kept his stone posture! *I am a stone man. I didn't speak. Don't look at me.* Yet Su Yu's eyes shone brightly! Tianmie's words contained many hidden meanings. First, when killing Invincibles, it was best not to let more than ten die. Second, it was best not to kill all of them from the same race. Third, there was no need to lure dead spirits out; instead, knock the enemies inside. Once forced in, how many died was up to the dead spirit realm. Dead was dead. Su Yu drew a deep breath. How intriguing. Tianmie knew quite a lot! He seemed to harbor reservations and hadn't laid it all out directly, but in truth, he had already revealed a great deal. Exhaling, Su Yu cupped his fists. "Thank you, Milord. I understand!" "Good that you understand. Add ten more days—at least make sure I get more than Xinghong!" Su Yu chuckled. He was still obsessing over that! "Understood, I will prioritize your request, Milord!" "That's enough, get lost... Wait, leave the stuff! Where's the meat?" Speechless, Su Yu put back all the wine and meat he had packed away earlier. Soon, Su Yu assumed Xinghong's guise once more and vanished from Tianmie Ancient City. The moment he left, Tianmie resumed his human form and scampered off happily to feast on the meat, lamenting as he ate, "A fight is coming! Better fill up first! A hundred thousand years..." He looked outside the city. A hundred thousand years! *I, Tianmie, have had enough!* *Rules!* A vicious light flared in Tianmie's eyes. To hell with the rules! Sooner or later, he would smash them. He didn't want to perform this wretched duty for another second! Su Yu... Hetu... Su Yu was even more ruthless than Hetu! Dammit all, he was betting that Su Yu was ruthless enough! Let him kill, let him turn the world upside down, shatter this heaven and earth, break these rules! He was done with this job! Xinghong and the others still thought about upholding the rules, but Tianmie... truly was finished with it. *I want out!* *It has been a hundred thousand years!* "I'll club every last one of you to death!" Hehehe! Tianmie gave a cold laugh. *Kid, be ruthless! How can you manage without ruthlessness? How can a great war erupt without it? Slaughter until heaven and earth are overturned, drag those old fogies out, and bash them all to death! That'll settle it!* Just as he was thinking this, a hazy voice drifted over: "Tianmie, what did you just say to Su Yu?" "Nothing!" Tianmie bared his teeth. "Boss, I didn't do anything! I just told him that if he wants to fight, it has to be within the rules. Otherwise, we guardians will never violate the rules to aid him! For instance, fighting outside the city is out of the question unless our holy cities are attacked. Otherwise, I definitely won't lift a finger!" "..." The Old Turtle's voice drifted over faintly: "Tianmie, you must understand that you represent not only yourself, but the other brothers and sisters as well. If you seek momentary gratification and the Great Tribulation of Rules descends..." Ferocious light flickered in Tianmie's eyes. "Boss, I know. If not for everyone... I would have charged out during the first tide! And now, it's already the tenth!" As though realizing something, the Old Turtle fell silent for a moment before speaking again: "Do you have your own plans?" "Nope!" "Speak the truth!" Tianmie fell silent for a moment, then bared his teeth. "Really, it's nothing. Just... I'm planning to negotiate with Su Yu to find an upper-stage Eternal from the human race to take my place. I'll go out and help him kill people. What do you think?" "Not a chance!" Tianmie was rendered speechless, then snorted in displeasure. "Forget it, I won't say another word! Annoying as hell!" He stopped eating, instantly severing all connections to his surroundings to block out his boss's nagging. Turning straight into a stone statue, he stood motionless as if dead, resuming his guard over the passage. ... Deep beneath the Sea of Stars. Hongmeng Ancient City. The Old Turtle had a headache and sighed, laden with helplessness. They were all nearing their limits! A hundred thousand years! He could endure, but Yunxiao couldn't, Tianmie couldn't, and Xinghong couldn't either... If they could hold out, or if Hetu back during the first tide had been able to shoulder the death qi, Tianmie and the others wouldn't have been so desperate, nor would they have put in this much effort; back then, they had all been rather perfunctory. Back then, these guardians had been quite carefree. The first tide wasn't far removed from antiquity, only about a thousand years. To them, a millennium still held great anticipation—hoping for antiquity to be restored, for the Human Sovereign to reclaim his throne, for King Wen and King Wu to return, for everything to be righted... hoping for rotations in their posts so they could continue fulfilling their duties with loyal devotion. One hundred thousand years later, none of them could endure it any longer. Antiquity... had truly fallen! The rules remained, but generals had turned into prisoners. Their strength advanced at a crawl. Tianmie had approached Dao Integration long ago, yet after a hundred thousand years, he was still merely approaching it. His strength hadn't grown much, and his days were spent like an inmate's... Su Yu was their life-saving straw. Thus, when Su Yu appeared in this tidal shift, his treatment was completely different from Hetu's. For his sake, Xinghong had traveled to the Human Realm and secretly beaten several Invincibles to death. For his sake, Yunxiao and Tianmie had disregarded the Great Tribulation of Rules, uprooted their cities to battle, and nearly brought about a cataclysm of total destruction. One hundred thousand years ago, this would have been inconceivable. Back then, they believed the chaos was only temporary. Back then, they still had old friends with whom they could chat every few days about when they might rotate shifts. Later, fewer and fewer old friends remained. Friends vanished, and with each passing tidal shift, their numbers dwindled further and further... Gradually, all the guardians withdrew into isolation, no longer possessing their former vigor and hope. ... In the outside world. Seeing 'Xinghong' descend upon yet another ancient city, the distant Invincibles exchanged meaningful looks, their eyes gleaming. Someone transmitted a message: "What do these guardians intend to do? Could they truly intend to wage war against the myriad realms for the sake of a single Su Yu?" "Even if war breaks out, there is no need to fear. Unless they truly wish to die, they cannot leave their ancient cities..." "The only worry is that, like before, they will disregard the rules..." "Heh, that was an accident before, and we were coerced by that old turtle. Besides, it was just one guardian; the various races gave them face because no one wanted an open falling-out, so we let it pass! But if all these guardians violate the rules... the great tribulation will descend in an instant. As long as we take cover for a brief moment, every single one of those guardians will die!" "No need to worry about them colluding. Unless they want to die, that is!" "My only concern is the opening of the dead spirit realm..." "No need to worry, there are counters for that. The rules still stand, so it won't be easy for dead spirits to slaughter unchecked! The ancient city faction hinges on Su Yu; once he is destroyed, these guardians will give up hope as well!" "Are we certain Su Yu is inside?" "Earlier we couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but now, he is definitely there! Xinghong likely used some special method to walk out of his ancient city. Now he's getting anxious, probably realizing Su Yu has been exposed. Heh... just wait and see!" "..." These experts discussed and deliberated among themselves. Meanwhile, on the human side. King Daxia looked toward that direction, his brow furrowing slightly. "With Xinghong running around like this, isn't he just telling everyone that Su Yu is truly inside and that he's grown frantic?" It had been a hundred thousand years; could these ancient guardians really not keep their composure? What was the rush! Even if they were anxious, there was no need to run everywhere. As guardians, they could communicate through voice transmissions, so why did they insist on visiting one another in person? King Daming, disguised as King Dazhou, also looked toward that direction with a slight frown, saying nothing. Several other experts had arrived on their side by now. The Great Han King, King Datang, King Dashang, King Dasong, along with King Miecan, who was skilled in the power of time—together with King Daxia and King Daming, a full seven top powerhouses were assembled. At this moment, the others also looked over. Deep within their hearts, the Great Han King, King Dasong, and King Miecan felt a faint, subtle sensation. It was extremely weak, different from before, but there was a sliver of feeling that this Xinghong... seemed to have some connection to them. What kind of connection? Hard to say! Because Su Yu had outlined their divine characters, and they were in close proximity. However, Su Yu's strength had grown vastly greater; purely in terms of willpower, he was certainly weaker than them, but not necessarily by much. Having stepped into the Shanhai Realm, opened 360 divine apertures, and elevated his divine characters to the Sun Moon rank, Su Yu possessed immense concealment capabilities. These experts only sensed a fleeting trace. For King Miecan, it was primarily his time cultivation technique. He fixed his gaze on Xinghong for a moment before looking away; staring too long might be mistaken for provocation. Hearing King Daxia's words, King Daming said in a deep voice, "Don't be impatient! We still don't know the exact situation inside... Tomorrow is when the teleportation should occur. With the passage severed, we don't even know if teleportation can proceed smoothly!" King Daxia let out a breath, hoping things would turn out fine. In truth... hope was slim. Right now, more and more Invincibles were gathering outside. Over a dozen Immortal Kings had arrived from the Immortal race, and many had come from the other races as well. With the recent upheavals, all races had suffered immense losses. The Immortal race in particular—it was confirmed that five of their Immortal Kings had fallen! Before that, when Xia Longwu achieved Dao attainment, an Immortal King had fallen, and another had their three-life embodiments shattered. The Immortal race had suffered grievous losses. After lying low for so many years, taking such a hit the moment this tide began was destabilizing their foundations! Their deterrent force was plummeting! Had the humans lost seven or eight Invincibles along with multiple three-life embodiments, life would have become impossible, and catastrophe would have loomed. One had to admit that the Immortal race possessed profound foundations. At this critical juncture, they had mobilized another large contingent of Immortal Kings. ... Su Yu paid no heed to the outside world. He knew there were many Invincibles out there! It didn't matter; he didn't care! He traversed from city to city. In some ancient cities, he directly assumed the mantle of city lord, while in others, he took on the post of a city general—as long as it allowed him to channel death qi, it sufficed. These ancient city guardians didn't say much. Some were silent, some excited, some grim, but all seemed to harbor an underlying anticipation, or rather... a craving! A craving for slaughter, for war, for destruction! A hundred thousand years! Even for them, a hundred thousand years was long enough to drive anyone mad. ... Finally, completing the circuit, Su Yu arrived at Yunxiao Ancient City. Yunxiao had known the situation long before. She also knew that Su Yu had returned. Seeing Su Yu, this fiery female Invincible, who had previously uprooted her city into a sword to kill enemies directly, revealed a smile. "Do you need me to accompany you to Boss's place?" Su Yu smiled. "No need. There's no reason for you to step outside, Milord Yunxiao, lest those people get suspicious! I came this time to thank you, Milord. Last time, you were nearly obliterated by the Great Tribulation of Rules on my account..." "A trifle!" Yunxiao smiled faintly. "It wasn't solely for you, but because... I despise these shackles!" "We are treated like prisoners, trembling with fear, guarding the dead spirit realm for the myriad realms for a hundred thousand years. Yet after a hundred thousand years... scarcely anyone remembers our service; they merely treat us as tools!" Yunxiao said coldly, "They believe our guardianship is only natural, our duty! Laughable! Antiquity has fallen, and the Imperial Court is no more! The Ancient Council is gone as well! What duty remains now? It is nothing more than the confinement of the rules! What kind of rubbish rules are these anyway!" After venting her anger, she quickly continued, "Su Yu, Boss has his reservations, and he acts for our sake, but we aren't truly afraid!" "However, if you want to convince Boss, there is one thing you must do, or one promise you must make. Only then might he act and do his utmost..." "Please tell me!" Su Yu looked at Yunxiao, who spoke in a low, resonant tone: "Councilor Tokens! Ninety-nine of them! In the ancient era, reward rules were established by the human race! Punishment rules were established by the Council! Of course, both sides jointly established various other rules, but those have nothing to do with us. The blood tribulations that emerge when we violate the rules stem from the decrees of the Council! Seize ninety-nine... no, just fifty tokens, and you can make the rules yield! If you can obtain all ninety-nine, you can even abolish the rules, or utilize them to establish new ones!" "If you promise to gather fifty Ancient Councilor Tokens, thus shielding us from the rules' punishments and even allowing our duties to be reassigned... then all problems will cease to be problems!" Su Yu drew a soft breath. The difficulty of this was immense! Truly immense! Because he had seen them last time: those tokens were in the hands of major and ancient races, held by the powerhouses of their clans. To seize them, one might as well just kill those holders outright. Yunxiao had handed him a daunting challenge! Yet Yunxiao smiled. "No need to rush. I'm not expecting you to accomplish it now; later is fine as well!" Su Yu remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "I will do my utmost, but... I cannot make a guarantee, nor am I in any position to do so!" "That is enough!" With that, Yunxiao added, "I sense that the Balrog in the passage has vanished, so I can exert more power..." "I had Xingyue and the others drive him away!" Yunxiao chuckled, then said, "Even better, the pressure won't be great! Still, the holy city cannot be lightly wielded, or it will cause the passage to open... Without our weapons, our strength inevitably drops a bit! How much pressure can you withstand? If possible, I will transfer all the death qi generated by the passage to you. That way, I can wield my weapon, which grants no small boost to our power..." Su Yu understood. Last time, Yunxiao had been forced back step by step by several Invincibles, but once she drew her sword, her combat strength soared, and she instantly slew an Invincible! "I should be able to endure for a while. As long as no dead spirit monarchs emerge, it should be fine!" "Good!" With that, Yunxiao chuckled. "Don't tell Tianmie, or you might not be able to hold out!" "Understood!" Su Yu bowed. "Thank you, Milord. I will go visit Lord Hongmeng now." "Go on. Boss knows many things, and his worries are many. He belongs to the Hongmeng Turtle race, so he is different from us after all. In Boss's eyes, a hundred thousand years might not be terribly long, but to us... it has been an eternity!" Yunxiao sighed. In the end, they were not of the same race. The Hongmeng Turtles were the longest-lived race in the world; sometimes Boss truly failed to understand them. Boss always said: wait a bit, go to sleep and it will pass, it's fine, just endure a little longer... Year after year, Boss could withstand the loneliness and bear not opening the city for a hundred thousand years, but they could not. They could not endure it. ... Bidding farewell to Yunxiao, Su Yu felt stirred with emotion as well. These guardians seemed anxious, all of them on the verge of losing their patience. The visits had gone smoothly; once Su Yu explained the situation, none of the guardians voiced any objections. At the sea floor. Hongmeng Ancient City. The moment Su Yu arrived, the avatar of the Hongmeng Old Turtle appeared, still that of a young man. With a wave of his hand, a table materialized before them. Su Yu paid it little heed, though he was surprised to spot a little demon beast at the city gate; it had quite the nerve. Cupping his hands toward the Old Turtle, Su Yu took a seat on one side of the table. The Old Turtle sat down as well, smiling. "Did you visit the eighth floor?" "I did." "Did you bring any Profound Heaven Tea? Warden Tianhou dropped by earlier and had a cup. The taste was quite pleasant; it brought back memories." "No, I only stopped by the Blood Cavalry General's Residence and left immediately after." "..." The Old Turtle was somewhat surprised, then chuckled. "You certainly know when to let go, not even bothering to explore." "It's fine. I'll return sooner or later!" The Old Turtle smiled wryly. "Easier said than done. Still... perhaps for you, it really will be simple!" With that, he looked toward Su Yu's brow, an unusual light in his eyes. "You opened the Heaven Gate?" "Yes." "The Heaven Gate, huh..." The Old Turtle sighed with emotion, casting a glance outward as if piercing through the void to look at the White Jade Gate hanging above the Sea of Stars. "That too is a Heaven Gate, do you know?" "I know!" Su Yu nodded. "And it's no imitation either—in all likelihood, it is a real Heaven Gate!" "Hmm?" Su Yu said calmly, "It's the Heaven Gate of a living person. Did you not know, Milord?" "..." The Old Turtle remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I was not entirely aware." "Do you know Taishan, Milord?" The Old Turtle frowned. "Do not invoke the names of such peerless experts recklessly in the outside world! Ordinary people won't matter, but for you and me, the workings of destiny exist in the unseen; it is easily sensed, which makes it exceedingly dangerous! That is the esteemed title of Lord King Wu." Su Yu nodded. It really was King Wu! A terrifying existence! Su Yu continued, "Milord, you should know why I have come. I know this might drag the holy cities into war, but I hope to gain your aid!" The Old Turtle sighed. "They all agreed, didn't they?" "Yes." "Alas, they couldn't endure it. True enough, too much time has passed. They always think I don't understand them, but in truth... I do. However, I want them to live, to survive until the day the rules are re-established!" The Old Turtle lamented, "They are all meritorious heroes! Meritorious heroes of the myriad realms! Once the rules are reset, no matter who becomes the overlord, their contributions will stand. They will receive the rewards of the world's rules, step into Dao Integration, and become feudal lords in their own right! We do not need to take sides! We just need to wait quietly! Whether it's you, him, the Immortal race, or the human race, as long as the dead spirit race does not conquer the heavens, we are all meritorious heroes. Don't you agree?" Su Yu nodded. That was true. No matter who won, as long as the ancient cities didn't take sides, the merit of suppressing the dead spirit realm for a hundred thousand years was indelible and indisputable. "Yet now, they can wait no longer. They want to pick a side..." The Old Turtle sighed. "Yet they should understand that this... is a peril! Once they fail, a hundred thousand years of merit will be washed down the drain. Unless you, Su Yu, win, or the human race wins—and even the human race winning might not suffice—only if you, Su Yu, emerge victorious and become the overlord of the heavens, will any investment by the guardians bear fruit! You cannot give us anything right now; only through the rules can we be liberated... Su Yu, do you understand?" Su Yu fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Only if I win and conquer the myriad realms can everyone reap the benefits. Otherwise, any gains right now are negligible!" "Correct!" The Old Turtle gave a bitter smile. "That is why I have always urged them not to get overly involved! I told them not to even speak, to just silently remain stone statues. Would anyone pick a fight with a stone statue? Say nothing, utter not a word, wait until the myriad realms settle their balance once more... and we will be liberated!" Su Yu nodded. "What you say is right, Milord... but it seems you have failed." The Old Turtle shot him a glare, then spoke with a hint of exasperation: "And this failure is your responsibility as well! If not for you... no, if not for that scoundrel Xinghong running around all day and causing trouble everywhere, Tianmie and the others would have resigned themselves to fate. How would they have become restless again?" *Blame me?* Su Yu shrugged. He hadn't told Xinghong to run everywhere; the man had run around of his own accord. One could only say... Xinghong had done a splendid job, instantly rekindling the fire in every guardian! *So, we are still alive.* *We can still go outside!* After thinking for a moment, Su Yu smiled. "Milord, surviving until the world settles is your wish, but that doesn't mean it is theirs. Perhaps what they desire is to live gloriously? Having cultivated to this stage, Milord, I don't believe anyone's goal is merely to stay alive, surviving like prisoners! To live without thoughts, without a will—one might as well die and become a dead spirit; at least then they could roam around the dead spirit realm!" The Old Turtle exhaled softly. Only after a long silence did he speak: "Su Yu, your talent is extraordinary, and your strength is impressive, but... I do not think highly of your chances! Naturally, I don't think highly of anyone's chances; I believe only in facts! However, since those old brothers have all agreed, I can promise you this: at the critical moment, I will hold back Tiangu and Warden Tianhou for you. As for the rest... I will not intervene!" Su Yu was overjoyed! This was more than enough! Before coming, he hadn't even expected the Old Turtle to agree; he had only hoped the Old Turtle would help keep an eye on the dead spirit realm! "Milord, what about the dead spirit realm..." "Did you have them go to Xingyue's side?" The Old Turtle was formidable indeed, knowing even this. Su Yu nodded. "Yes!" The Old Turtle paused briefly. "Let them be. As long as you don't stir up reckless chaos down there, the dead spirit realm shouldn't pose much trouble! I will handle the remaining issues! Furthermore, do not let Xinghong and the others violate the rules. If they do this time, the other races won't intervene, and when the blood tribulation arrives, they will die!" "I understand. As for the rules... it all comes down to one thing: preventing the dead spirits from spreading and death qi from leaking. I will take care of it!" The Old Turtle nodded. That was it. As long as that was achieved, everything was manageable. The core issue was that it was easier said than done. It took thirty-six powerhouses holding the line to keep death qi from spilling over; for Su Yu... it would be grueling! Enduring for a brief moment didn't mean he could hold out indefinitely. "So be it, then!" With a sigh, the Old Turtle vanished from the spot. After waiting for a hundred thousand years, he had hoped to see peace restored to the world, yet his old comrades were no longer willing to wait. Xinghong... no, the root cause was still Su Yu. It was this scoundrel who had stirred mortal desires in their hearts. *If you don't bring them back safely, I will deal with you!* *These are all heroes, meritorious heroes of this heaven and earth!* Returning to his domain, the Old Turtle soon extended his willpower into the dead spirit realm, letting it stretch endlessly until it reached the Dead Spirit Heavenly River. At that moment, a dead spirit monarch was crossing the river. *Boom!* Heaven and earth trembled, and the Heavenly River rioted. The dead spirit monarch cried out in shock, "Could it be the General of Spirit Suppression? By order of the Eastern Heavenly King, I am inspecting the disturbances in the eastern thirtieth district..." *Boom!* The Old Turtle's phantasm manifested, shaking the Dead Spirit Heavenly River as his cold voice rang out: "I, Hongmeng, guard this heaven and earth! Trespassers shall be slain without mercy! No matter how strong the Eastern Heavenly King may be, he cannot violate the rules—tell him to wait until he becomes an Emperor before talking!" *Boom!* Quake after quake shook heaven and earth. The dead spirit monarch was tossed like a frail skiff upon the waters, capsizing in an instant and swallowed by the Dead Spirit Heavenly River! The Old Turtle's phantom gazed deep into the river, his voice cold and eerie: "I am the General of Spirit Suppression, guarding this heaven and earth. Whether it is the Eastern Heavenly King or the Western Heavenly King, should you cross the boundary, come and face me!" With a rumbling boom, the Heavenly River surged violently, and the Old Turtle vanished. Moments later, several dead spirit monarchs emerged on the opposite bank, lingering fear in their hearts as they whispered, "The General of Spirit Suppression... more like the Marquis of Spirit Suppression. That old turtle... the Marquises of the Royal Residence might not even be his match!" A terrifying existence! An entity capable of being enfeoffed as a Marquis a hundred thousand years ago. Had antiquity persisted, he might have entered the Council by now; among the Hongmeng Turtle race, only he seemed to remain. The group of dead spirits hesitated for a moment, then dispersed one after another. Forget it, they would report back; this matter was beyond their ability to handle!