The Mansion Closes, Returning Through the Array

Su Yu returned to Xinghong Ancient City. Xinghong had reverted to his original form, turning back into a stone sculpture guarding the passage. Inside the rear palace hall. Liu Hong was immobilized where he stood, unable to move a muscle. Seeing Su Yu return, he frantically winked and twitched his brows, begging Su Yu to release him. Su Yu ignored him, turning toward Xinghong and bowing slightly. "My lord, does King Wen have a heritage lineage?" "A heritage lineage?" Xinghong pondered for a moment. "He did, but it died out long ago. During the first three tides, traces of it actually appeared, but afterward it was completely wiped out. The odds of any remaining today are close to none." With that, he glanced at Liu Hong. "Are you referring to him?" "Yes." "Hard to say!" Xinghong considered it and said, "If he truly belongs to King Wen's heritage... he is far too weak!" It didn't seem likely! A successor to King Wen could not possibly be this feeble. Su Yu nodded and waved his hand, freeing Liu Hong. "Teacher, have you finished cooking up your excuse?" Liu Hong was speechless! Put that way, how was he even supposed to respond? After a brief thought, Liu Hong quickly said, "It was truly just my good luck. I picked up the Command Token of King Wen outside..." Su Yu said calmly, "You know who King Wen is? I dare say if I were to go outside right now and ask, many Invincibles wouldn't even know of King Wen. Yet you do?" Su Yu took out the token from earlier. "Look it over and show me where on this does it say 'King Wen'? Teacher, must you force me to kill you and extract your blood essence?" Liu Hong felt thoroughly drained. After a long pause, he said, "Su Yu, this is my own karmic encounter. You have monumental fortunes of your own—what need is there to rob me of mine?" Su Yu replied placidly, "Fortunes, treasures, whatever—I don't care about any of that! I'm not forcing you to hand over your fortune. I only want to know what connection there is between King Wen, the Civilization Tombstone, the First Headmaster, the Fifth Headmaster... and how much you, Liu Hong, actually know." Liu Hong shook his head. "I don't know." A book emerged before Su Yu, who fixed his gaze on him. "Then allow me to invite you, Teacher, to take a tour inside my civilization chronicle!" "..." Liu Hong's heart pounded with terror; he felt an unmistakable threat. After a moment of silence, Liu Hong said in resignation, "I'll talk! I won't say everything, but I can give you the general outline of what I know. Certain things are personal secrets I don't wish to share. How about that?" "Fair enough. Out with it!" Liu Hong sighed helplessly and began, "In truth, it isn't all that complicated. I'll give it to you straight: I obtained my fortune at the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Found it! You might not believe me if I say so, but every word is true! That includes my divine character combat technique and the Command Token of King Wen—both came from the Great Xia Civilization Academy! I really don't know much. All I know is that King Wen was an ancient paragon of unfathomable strength who later died. In every generation, a tomb-keeper watched over his tomb... But the previous generation's tomb-keeper betrayed his duty and raided King Wen's tomb for himself. "The Command Token of King Wen that I hold belonged to that previous tomb-keeper. He left a few things behind at the Great Xia Civilization Academy, and by sheer chance, I came across them. "My journey into the dead spirit realm is tied directly to what that man left behind..." He looked toward Su Yu, thought for a moment, and continued, "According to the clues and intelligence I gathered, there is an estate belonging to King Wen within the dead spirit realm, and an ultimate treasure was left inside. Carrying the Command Token of King Wen might give one a shot at claiming it all. That's why I had been plotting how to slip into the dead spirit realm in the first place..." Su Yu asked calmly, "Just that simple? Where did you find the treasures?" "The Sea of Consciousness Secret Realm." Liu Hong explained, "Really, it's that simple!" "Then what about entering the dead spirit realm? You're a living being—aren't you afraid of dead spirits?" Liu Hong hurriedly replied, "I'm a half-dead being! Transforming into a half-dead spirit was precisely to suppress my life aura! Combined with the Command Token of King Wen, as long as I wasn't ridiculously unlucky and ran into dead spirit monarchs, it wouldn't be much of a problem!" Su Yu gave him a profound look. "And besides that?" Liu Hong said dejectedly, "That's really it! Oh, right... that previous tomb-keeper also left behind a few remarks..." Su Yu said faintly, "Don't rush to speak. That previous tomb-keeper, Headmaster Xia Chen—I already ran into him in the dead spirit realm. In fact, he's down there right now. If you can't give me a coherent, detailed account, I'll drag you down to confront him face-to-face in a moment!" "..." Liu Hong's jaw dropped as he stared at Su Yu. *Are you kidding me?* Su Yu said coldly, "You think I'm lying to you? What reason would I have to do that? If I truly wanted to deal with you, killing you and devouring you would let me take control of everything anyway. Teacher, don't disappoint me too much, or else whatever shred of camaraderie we shared back at the academy will be gone for good!" Now, Liu Hong had no choice left. Nursing a throbbing headache, he conceded, "Fine, fine, fine, I'll tell you everything! What I said before was true, but I held a few things back! King Wen does indeed have an estate in the dead spirit realm, but that estate contains no great treasure. It only holds a key—a key to unlock King Wen's mansion inside the Star Residence Mansion! What's more... the tomb-keeper said that multiple divine characters are rejected by the world and have no future in the living realm. If there is any way to do so, it is best to abandon the living realm altogether! "Also, do not take the Civilization Tombstone... Taking it means certain death! That Civilization Tombstone is almost certainly the divine character combat technique stele inside the academy. Whoever takes that thing dies! Not only that—anyone who learns a divine character combat technique from it is marked for death! "Furthermore, there is a very high probability that the human race harbors another traitor, someone exceedingly powerful!" Liu Hong shrugged. "That traitor normally never shows himself, but the moment multiple divine characters rise, he is bound to make a move! That fellow is an undercover informant dedicated to keeping tabs on multiple divine characters! It isn't King Fenhai. King Fenhai was only being used by someone else—at least, that's my personal assessment. When King Fenhai appeared before, I thought it was him, but I later concluded he wasn't the one! There has to be another! "This guy likely surfaced after the tomb-keeper disappeared... You can try investigating it yourself. There was another informant before him who was probably slain. The tomb-keeper went to eliminate him, and they might have ended up taking each other down... If you say that tomb-keeper was the First Headmaster, then the First Headmaster was likely the one who killed him!" Liu Hong broke down his findings, peppering in his own deduction before continuing, "The fragmented words left behind by the tomb-keeper all stated that the moment he emerged from the tomb, he had already been targeted! Someone had their eyes on him, and that person was right within the human race. It seems he discovered the initial informant, so the tomb-keeper went to assassinate him. I'm not entirely clear on the details, nor do I have the ability to investigate them! "Later on, the tomb-keeper presumably never returned. My guess is that he and that informant perished together. But as it turned out, another informant might still be lurking out there... That's one of the reasons the multiple divine character faction has been suppressed all these years! "In any case, I never dared claim to be part of the multiple divine character faction. I only said I learned the disassembly art, not from the divine character combat technique stele. Otherwise, I would definitely be in for trouble! "As long as one didn't learn a divine character combat technique from that stele, the risk was manageable. So the ones truly facing disaster have always been your lineage..." He spoke whatever came to mind, while Su Yu merely listened in silence. Only after a long while, when Liu Hong had finished, did Su Yu say slowly, "So you had outlined a divine character combat technique long ago, yet you refused to join the multiple divine character faction out of fear of retribution?" "Right!" Liu Hong showed no shame. "Of course I was afraid! From the tone of those records, the whole situation was absurdly complicated! It scared me so much I didn't even want to stay in the living realm anymore. I planned to go carve out a living in the dead spirit realm! With the Command Token of King Wen in hand, I would find King Wen's estate, take the key, and even if there were no other treasures, surely it would be enough for my cultivation, right? Once I cultivated to the Sun Moon Realm or Invincible, I'd head to the Star Residence Mansion, inherit King Wen's legacy, and then... Forget it. Now that you've caught me, there is no 'then'!" Su Yu sank into contemplation. To the side, Xinghong had been quietly listening. At this point, he chimed in, "What he says might not be false! King Wen perished prior to the fall of the ancient era. Roughly less than a millennium before the ancient realm collapsed, King Wen vanished..." "Vanished?" Su Yu looked at him. Vanished, not died? Xinghong explained, "At King Wen's level, everything is an absolute enigma; you cannot divine a single thing! That includes his demise. If he truly died, the commotion would have been colossal. Yet anyone capable of killing him would likewise have been a supreme existence. To beings like that, the rules themselves were forged by their own hands. Tell me, would you be able to see the death anomalies of such a figure? Anomalies, too, are part of the rules, and they *are* the rules!" Nowadays, whether it was an Invincible falling or a Sun Moon collapsing, it was all governed by the established rules. Yet the rules held no sway over those who authored them or those who could shatter them. At King Wen's pinnacle, he was one of the rule-makers himself. If he were truly slain, it would have been at the hands of someone even stronger. Slaying him was just slaying him; any fluctuation in the rules would have been suppressed in an instant. The outside world had no way to sense a thing. That was why Xinghong used the word "disappeared." "King Wen disappeared, but word later spread that he had died. Thus, several powerhouses and successors of King Wen's heritage from that era—for reasons unknown—built a tomb and erected a monument for King Wen in their despair. From then on, King Wen's tomb came into being... Later, the ancient era collapsed, and gradually, those things faded into forgotten history!" Xinghong added, "King Wen's death was far too unexpected, so it was only natural for people to keep watch over the tomb-keeper lineage! I didn't know much about this in the past, only hearing faint whispers. After King Wen died, his successors and close companions selected a branch of his heritage to serve as tomb-keepers, and the Human Sovereign even conferred a title upon them: Marquis Shouwen! What happened after that, I know nothing about. In all likelihood, someone was secretly surveilling that branch." He truly knew very little. They hadn't belonged to the same governing sphere, not to mention that back then, the guardians had already assumed their posts here, with no time to meddle in such affairs. They weren't part of the same system! In the ancient era, each Human King commanded an entire establishment. The guardians belonged to Prince Gong's faction, and Prince Gong answered directly to the Human Sovereign. They had little interaction with King Wen's camp. Even if there had been, Xinghong wouldn't have known the details. King Wen's status was simply too exalted; without holding the rank of Marquis, what could one possibly know? No one would have told them anyway! Su Yu nodded slightly and looked at Liu Hong. "Teacher, do you have anything else to say?" Liu Hong said helplessly, "Nothing. In any case, all I know is that you are in mortal danger—peril beyond measure! The Civilization Tombstone is definitely in your hands. I know clever people don't live long, but I still have to say it... Why don't you make a run for it too? Just flee to the dead spirit realm with me! Not a single person carrying that thing has ever met a good end; anyone who touches it comes to ruin! Nan Wujiang and Yun Chen only survived because they hid fast enough, or they would have kicked the bucket long ago! The Fifth Headmaster had the most contact with it, which is why he died so quickly... It wasn't solely because he attempted to attain the Dao... "Liu Wenyan, Hong Tan, all of them... Well, in my view, none of them will come to a good end! "Rumor across the myriad realms has it that claiming that thing lets one attain the Dao and become a Sovereign... I suspect it must be linked to King Wen, but I don't know the specifics. "All I know is that nine times out of ten, that object is in your hands right now!" Su Yu remained silent. Beside them, Xinghong suddenly said, "When you have time, you might want to ask Tianmie!" "Hmm?" Su Yu was surprised. What did he mean? Xinghong explained, "Tianmie was on fairly good terms with King Wen's people back in the day. When the Civilization Tombstone was forged, he seemed to be right on the scene. Even if he didn't witness everything, he likely knows a thing or two. Discipline wasn't as strict back then, and that fellow was always running around. I remember when he came back from running off, he mentioned that once the Civilization Tombstone was forged, King Wen's lineage was practically severed..." Su Yu was thoroughly astonished. Tianmie? That eccentric actually had ties to King Wen's faction? In reality, Su Yu did not know that the very first time Tianmie laid eyes on him, he had spotted the Civilization Tombstone and recognized what it was. Tianmie had seen it before, an object very few living beings had ever laid eyes on. Of course, Tianmie couldn't be bothered to bring it up to Su Yu. If Su Yu didn't ask, these ancient relics never bothered to mention such things; some simply forgot, while others just didn't care to speak. Liu Hong's words hadn't resolved Su Yu's doubts. He had merely caught a faint glimmer of the truth: the Civilization Tombstone, a treasure that seemed to serve little grand purpose, appeared truly extraordinary. The targeting, suppression, and butchery suffered by the multiple divine character faction... The underlying truth was far more labyrinthine than he had ever imagined! From the very start, he had stepped into this quagmire, and by now, extricating himself was impossible. He glanced at Liu Hong, then abruptly tossed the Command Token of King Wen back to him. With a trace of weary disinterest, he said, "Go wherever you like! If you think it's your fortune, go claim it yourself!" "..." Liu Hong stared blankly at him in disbelief. Su Yu said coldly, "To me, a fortune is merely scenery along the road ahead. Beautiful as it may be, I don't necessarily have to take it for myself. If you obtain it, it's yours—unless it proves exceptionally useful to me. "Perhaps you've held things back, Teacher Liu, but I have no interest in prying. In this era, which genius doesn't harbor a secret or two? I have no desire to interrogate you! "Be it King Wen or the Martial King, if you can reach that peak, Teacher Liu, then that is your destiny! If you cannot, that too is destiny! I, Su Yu, will forge my own path. The day will come when I overturn everything and uncover the whole truth. What has nothing to do with me, I will ignore! But whoever interferes with me—if they showed me kindness, I shall repay it in kind; if they bore me malice, I shall have my vengeance!" At this, Su Yu said placidly, "Teacher, you may enter the passage. I will not stop you!" To the side, Xinghong sighed with deep emotion. Magnanimous! Now *that* was the bearing of a hegemon! A mere fortune! Take it—I don't want it. Even if it is the legacy of King Wen, I have no need for it. I, Su Yu, walk only my own path! Xinghong felt an overwhelming stirring of awe. In this era, a true overlord was about to be born! Liu Hong stared at Su Yu with an intensely tangled expression. After a long pause, he said faintly, "Could you wait until Monarch Xingyue leaves before saying that?" *Did you forget that you told her to intercept me?* *Do I dare go?* *If I go down there, I'm done for on the spot!* *Su Yu, did you really forget, or are you just pretending?* *I suspect you're doing this on purpose!* *Kid, aren't you a bit too wicked?!* Su Yu maintained an indifferent expression. "That is your business, nothing to do with me!" "..." *I knew it, damn it!* Liu Hong was racked with grief and indignation. After a moment, he slumped in defeat. "I'm not leaving. When the day comes that I go hunting for treasure, I'll definitely call you along, alright?" "I care nothing for those treasures..." "Don't! Consider it a gift from me!" Liu Hong said bitterly, "You're the boss. I'm begging you to come—begging you to hunt for treasure with me! The lion's share is yours; I'll just take the scraps!" "I have no need for it!" "No, Grandfather Su, it's a gift, a humble present! You definitely need it!" Su Yu pondered for a moment. "Your enthusiasm is rather hard to decline! Very well, when I have some free time, I'll accompany you. After all, the dead spirit realm is far too hazardous; leaving you on your own doesn't put my mind at ease. I shall escort you!" "..." Beside them, Xinghong stood completely dumbfounded. *Even this works?!* *Holy shit!* *Forgive me—I take back every single word of praise I just thought of. You don't deserve it!* This kid Su Yu was truly pitch-black inside. Right, "I'll let you go, so off you go!" Where could he possibly go? If you have the guts, go ahead—see how magnanimous I am? There's a pack of monarchs waiting for you down below! Su Yu couldn't be bothered to banter further with Liu Hong. "Teacher, you may return and rest!" Liu Hong sighed, his back hunching over in boundless despair as he slouched out of the rear hall, looking for any corner to hide in. Ending up in Su Yu's hands truly meant there would never be a good day ahead. The moment he left, Xinghong chuckled and said, "You... you really are too much..." Su Yu smiled. "He's holding back; there are things he hasn't said. I just can't be bothered to interrogate him right now." With that, Su Yu grinned. "Pay him no mind. I'll head outside to see how things look and assess the situation. The sky is dark, and the mansion will soon begin sealing itself off. Please prepare yourself, my lord!" Xinghong nodded and said no more. ... Soon after, Su Yu took to the skies in his true identity, hovering high above the ancient city and gazing toward the distant Star Residence Mansion. By now, every connecting passage had snapped. The White Jade Gate marking the Star Residence Mansion had previously pulsed with faint fluctuations like steady breathing. Now, the portal seemed to have ceased its breath, as if its respiration had halted. It was about to close! Catching sight of Su Yu, someone turned their gaze toward him and sneered. Was this truly Su Yu? Even now, he was still keeping up the act! He had some nerve, one had to admit! An Invincible chuckled faintly. "City Lord Su, Guardian Xinghong has been visiting friends all over the place, taking it quite easy. Is he preparing to welcome the return of City Lord Tianhe?" Su Yu looked toward the speaker, a powerhouse of the underworld race. He stared back chillingly. "What's your name? Give me a name so that when I kill you later, I'll know what to write on your epitaph!" "Heh!" The figure chuckled, not bothering to engage further. There was nothing to discuss with a fake Su Yu. No matter how arrogant and overbearing he acted, he was still an imitation. ... Over with the human race. King Daxia and the others looked in his direction as well. After observing for a moment, King Daxia transmitted his voice: "That fellow is putting on quite a convincing show! Liu Hong has some prospects after all—a bit too full of schemes, but clever enough to have kept his distance from the multiple divine character faction all along..." King Daming also looked over, his brows knitting slightly. It felt subtly different from before. Had the disguise become even more convincing? He thought about it and said, "Old Xia, don't you feel... that fellow's... bearing has shifted a bit? He seems far more composed! Hearing those threats to slay Invincibles come from his mouth actually carries an air of overbearing dominance!" King Daxia felt a hint of that as well and gave a slight nod, replying through voice transmission: "Having grown accustomed to scenes of this magnitude, he has hardened through the experience. He truly is quite a talent!" To remain calm and magnanimous on such an occasion was beyond the reach of ordinary men. Liu Hong did possess some courage after all. ... Su Yu paid them no attention. He was observing, probing. Just how many Invincible powerhouses were gathered nearby? Who had arrived as a three-life embodiment, and whose true body was present in person? If they were three-life embodiments, he would blow them all to pieces. If they were true bodies, he would slay a portion and find a way to drag the rest down into the dead spirit realm! Soon, Su Yu turned his gaze toward the immortal race's encampment, where numerous Invincibles were stationed. Just among those he could sense, there were at least ten, and likely plenty more lurking in the shadows. The immortal race truly possessed boundless wealth and manpower! Not only were there Invincibles, but several quasi-Invincibles as well. As Su Yu was watching, an Invincible of the immortal race—likely noticing Su Yu looking their way—spoke coldly across the void: "Brat, tomorrow when the teleportation opens, let us see if you can keep up this charade!" Su Yu chuckled. "I recognize you—Immortal King Tianyu! I met that little fairy of your family once. Quite proud, wasn't she? Later on, she got blown to bits. Xia Huyou claimed she died protecting him... Absolute nonsense. If I remember correctly, I was the one who blew her apart!" Immortal King Tianyu's eyes turned chillingly dark. This tone was practically identical to that infuriating brat Su Yu. He couldn't be bothered to waste words on this imposter! Once the real Su Yu was dead, someone would naturally deal with this clown! At that moment, the White Jade Gate began to tremble slightly once more, as if on the verge of officially sealing shut. Just then, Su Yu cast his gaze toward the floating Heaven Hunting Ranking. The Heaven Hunting Ranking! It was slightly different from the sub-rankings. Su Yu spotted the distinction at a glance: there was a Dao Attainment Ranking. How strange—it hadn't been there before. Wasn't the Dao Attainment Ranking something launched by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion of the Heavens? Furthermore, messages were appearing across the surface of the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Fortunately, he had destroyed all his sub-rankings before coming out; otherwise, he would have had to worry about being pinpointed. For a sub-ranking from the Star Residence Mansion to appear outside was no small matter. As the White Jade Gate trembled slightly, a line of characters suddenly materialized on the Heaven Hunting Ranking: *"Su Yu entered; slew Blood Fire!"* It was the Second Elder of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion, who had relentlessly transmitted messages outward. Now, as the Star Residence Mansion neared its conclusion and the estate trembled slightly, the message had actually been successfully relayed outside! The instant those characters appeared, dozens of Invincibles snapped their gazes toward Su Yu! Every single gaze was piercing and icy! This time, it was confirmed! What audacity! Who in the world was this fellow, daring to impersonate Su Yu right under the noses of so many Invincibles to fool them all?! Over with the human race, King Daxia and the others sighed. He had been found out after all! Now, the news was completely verified. Within the Hunting Heaven Pavilion, the scholar hovered in the air above the main hall and said softly, "This... appears to be a message transmitted by our pavilion's Disciplinary Elder using a Heaven Hunting Mask. It is distinct from ordinary transmissions." This was also his way of informing everyone that the credibility of the message was exceptionally high. A Disciplinary Elder of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion had no reason to send false intelligence. Over with the demon race, several demon kings unleashed blood-colored qi soaring into the heavens, roaring in fury: "Slay Su Yu! Whoever dares obstruct us shall die! My demon race will not rest until Su Yu is dead!" Those were demons of the Blood Fire Demon race, or loyal supporters of the Blood Fire Demon King. Blood Fire had actually died at Su Yu's hands! An Invincible hesitated. "Could Blood Fire truly have been slain by Su Yu?" "Hard to say. Earlier, heaven and earth convulsed and so many Eternals perished—who knows what happened in there? Blood Fire might have been heavily injured, allowing Su Yu to seize the chance to kill him!" At this moment, right in front of Su Yu, these figures began discussing him. Not a single one took the Su Yu standing before them to be the real thing! The message had already been transmitted outside; why was he still putting on an act? A powerhouse of the immortal race looked coldly toward the ancient city and said in a low voice, "Guardian Xinghong, Su Yu is not currently inside the city. He has slaughtered countless powerhouses. When he emerges, I trust that the revered guardians will not make enemies of the myriad races merely for the sake of a single Su Yu?" Xinghong said nothing. Over with the demon race, a demon king said harshly, "Su Yu must die!" "He must be executed!" "..." One powerhouse after another shouted in fury, yet Su Yu himself simply laughed. "Isn't Su Yu standing right here? Everyone, could you have gotten something wrong? You take a message transmitted by the Hunting Heaven Pavilion as absolute truth? What a joke! Someone must have impersonated me to kill people inside the Star Residence Mansion, or the sender is simply lying through their teeth, and you believe it just like that?" "Ignorant whelp!" Someone scoffed, not bothering to entertain him. Su Yu wore a look of helplessness. Ah, when people spoke the truth, no one ever believed them. Look, he had already told them he was Su Yu, yet not a single soul believed him! He was truly helpless! Su Yu shrugged, then called out toward the floating palace of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion in the sky: "Senior Pavilion Master, I've heard several lords mention that your Hunting Heaven Pavilion was once a force subordinate to King Wen, and King Wen was an ancient human. I wonder, Senior Pavilion Master, are you a human? If so, will you help the human race? Oh, by the way, I've heard that our multiple divine character faction might very well be King Wen's heritage. Counting it up, you and I are practically family. Senior Pavilion Master, you'll help me, won't you?" ... Inside the main hall of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion. The scholar cast a glance at Su Yu, frowning slightly. After a long pause, he said calmly, "I am not of the human race, nor did Lord King Wen pass down any multiple divine character faction..." He said nothing else, nor did he claim to have no ties to King Wen. Even now, he did not dare utter such words lightly. "I heard the Pavilion Master is an ancient Marquis!" Su Yu smiled. "Your strength must be terrifyingly formidable. I wonder if you could beat Tiangu to death? If the Pavilion Master beats Tiangu to death, how about we let bygones be bygones?" "What is the meaning of this?" The scholar was somewhat surprised as he looked toward Su Yu. Who on earth was this imposter? He seemed to know quite a lot! And his courage was truly staggering. For a fleeting instant, the scholar even wondered if his own judgment had been wrong—could this truly be Su Yu, who had never entered in the first place? Su Yu smiled. "Nothing much to decipher. I just wanted to say that Senior Pavilion Master has run the Hunting Heaven Pavilion into an absolute mess. Across nine tides of upheaval, you never seemed to stand on the human race's side. If you stand on my side this time, I won't hold past matters against you." "..." The scholar chuckled softly. "I was conferred my title by the ancient Human Sovereign to serve the Ancient Council, not as a household slave. Whether you are the true Su Yu or an imposter, you must understand this truth: I am Warden Tianhou, not the thrall of any single individual." "Understood. In other words, you intend to stand against me, is that it?" "Not at all." The scholar did not care whether he was real or fake, replying softly, "The Hunting Heaven Pavilion does not meddle in these affairs. City Lord Su, please do not misunderstand! Hongmeng and I can be considered old friends; I will not favor anyone, nor will I go out of my way to target you." "That would be for the best!" Su Yu chuckled. He said no more; there was no need to speak further. If everyone thought he was an imposter, then an imposter he would be. At that moment, he too looked toward the White Jade Gate. Its trembling was gradually subsiding. Su Yu thought to himself: *If I were to shout 'Taishan' right now from the outside, would Old Zhou react?* *If he did... that would be quite amusing.* *Forget it. Better not test that now—it's far too dangerous. If Old Zhou really senses it and comes charging out, everyone present will probably weep, and I'll be weeping right along with them.* Waves surged! The tide gradually settled, and everyone knew the closure was at hand. Could those people still be teleported out? Right at that instant, ripples coursed through the void, as though space itself were convulsing. Seeing this, several people breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "They can still teleport! I can feel the spatial fluctuations. Without a doubt, teleportation gates must have appeared inside by now!" "Once the people inside step through and the time is up, they will be transported out!" "I wonder who is still alive?" "Quite a few of the humans survived, at any rate!" "Heh, the humans... Of course plenty of them survived! Su Yu went inside—would he slaughter his own kind? That fellow is truly audacious and venomous; nine times out of ten, he was the one who slaughtered the occupants of the lower levels!" "..." In the distance, Su Yu felt exhausted. He spoke up once more: "Don't go pinning everything on me! First of all, Hetu was the one who did the killing; you all received word of Hetu's arrival! Second of all, I'm standing right here—what does any of that have to do with me?" No one paid him any heed! *Shut your mouth already!* *Who wants to waste breath on you!* Over with the human race, one Invincible after another grew tense. King Daxia and the others were all formidable powerhouses. The top-ranked Invincibles of the human race—apart from King Daqin and King Dazhou, who were absent—had all rushed over. Even so, tension hung thick in the air. If a large number of humans had survived this time, trouble would inevitably follow. Meanwhile, several figures among the immortal race were growing restless. An Invincible from another race spoke in a low, heavy voice: "Do not inadvertently harm our powerhouses! Our race hasn't provoked anyone!" They worried the immortal race would unleash an indiscriminate massacre the moment the gates opened! An Invincible from the Five Elements race said gruffly, "Wait until everyone is teleported out before doing anything! Our people are still inside!" "Ours as well!" "Immortal race, if you want to kill, wait until everyone has separated! Do not go provoking us!" "..." The Five Elements race, the Ancient Hou race, the Iron Eater race... Even the god and demon races had survivors inside. An indiscriminate slaughter was completely unacceptable! If your immortal race was wiped out, that was your own business! On the immortal side, the Invincibles offered no reply, instead conferring amongst themselves through voice transmission. "Dao King, Immortal King Tianyu, King Xuan... What do the rest of you say?" These were all titans, existences in the late Eternal Realm. Of course, the Dao King was somewhat crippled, having lost two of his three incarnations. The immortal race had suffered catastrophic losses this time. Now, watching the powerhouses of other races about to emerge safely, none of them could accept it. They could not bear to see other races reap the benefits. King Xuan, the ancestor of Xuan Wuji, was seated cross-legged in the void. He said coldly, "No rush. Quite a few human powerhouses have arrived. Slay Su Yu first, then we can discuss the rest! Seek out Su Yu first and give him no opportunity to fish in troubled waters. Once Su Yu is dead, we will deliberate on the human race! If too many humans survived, we'll find a way to cut down a portion!" Su Yu was the primary target! The others could wait. As they spoke, the spatial fluctuations in the void grew increasingly violent. The passages that had previously shattered now began manifesting out of thin air once more. The stars above the Sea of Stars also brightened considerably, signaling that dawn had arrived! The teleportation was about to begin! The very next moment, everyone felt a tremendous spatial fluctuation ripple outward! "They're coming out!" "How many are still alive?" "..." A host of Invincibles watched intently as figures gradually materialized in the void. Some were already catching glimpses of the emerging cultivators, and several powerhouses cried out in delight: "Those are from our race..." "The god race still has survivors? Quite a few, in fact!" "The humans truly have a massive number—those appear to be humans..." At this moment, King Daxia and the others unleashed their auras, firmly guarding the eastern passage exit with steely gazes. Yet all around them, foreign powerhouses faintly pressed forward with menacing pressure. Someone warned coldly, "Do not cause a commotion! First see how many survived, and then... find Su Yu! Humans, do not act recklessly, or if chaos erupts, do not blame us for killing indiscriminately!" Powerhouses from races like the Five Elements race wished to draw closer as well, but foreign experts bore down on them, barking, "If your races have nothing to do with Su Yu, you will naturally be allowed to leave safely! Do not bring ruin upon yourselves!" "..." Above the ancient city, Su Yu felt utterly exhausted. *What is going on here?!* *Just how many people have I offended?* *Every single one of them, whether they belong to the immortal race or not, is searching for me. But aren't I standing right behind you all?!* *What kind of farce is this?!* At this point, he said nothing more, merely watching the passages. Truth be told, more had survived than anticipated—not nearly as few as he had imagined. Su Yu counted: roughly five hundred passages had opened in every direction. *That many?!* Su Yu was astonished. Quite a few humans had survived—around three hundred. The god race also had a fair number, over a hundred. That meant the remaining races accounted for nearly a hundred survivors as well? *Holy crap!* *So many slipped through the cracks! This Star Residence Mansion truly is bizarre. Hetu and I swept through it twice, yet we still didn't clean them all out!* Right then, a formidable Invincible barked across the void: "All who have teleported out, do not move! Remain where you are, or you will be executed without mercy!" The thunderous shout shook heaven and earth! *Every last one of you, stay right where you are!* To the east, the blocked human powerhouses wore grave expressions. A massive number of humans had indeed survived, but that was precisely what made things troublesome now. These foreign powerhouses wanted to flush out Su Yu. Yet if Su Yu were exposed... could the human race simply stand by and do nothing? King Daxia and the others were wound tight with anxiety. They had to wait for King Daqin to make the final call! The human race had dispatched multiple high-ranking powerhouses this time precisely because they were prepared for war! As the furious roar echoed, figures fully materialized in every direction. King Daqin emerged as well, still maintaining his shadow disguise. Looking around, he was inwardly shaken. *So many have arrived!* Glancing toward the human camp, he spotted King Daxia and the others. It was somewhat surprising that so many had come, but he quickly understood—Old Zhou must have sent them. Just then, someone bellowed, "Moduona! Was Lord Blood Fire of our race slain by Su Yu?!" The moment those words rang out, everyone turned their eyes toward a single direction—toward Moduona! Moduona felt slightly dizzy. Hearing the interrogation, he remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "He was the one who killed him!" "Bastard!" A demon king roared in fury, divine radiance erupting from his eyes. "No one is allowed to leave! Find Su Yu, or every single one of you shall die!" Fixing his glare especially on the human side, the demon king looked as if he was on the verge of charging straight across—far too many had survived over there! Above the ancient city, Su Yu brushed down the hem of his robe. If they couldn't find him, the human race would become the scapegoat. It seemed that in the end, he would still have to take the stage himself!