Establishment of the Sacred Ground

Su Yu knew about the Five Elements Ancestor! The gossip Xingyue and the others had shared came in handy at this very moment, and the effect was tremendous—exceptionally good! All Foutuling wanted right now was to flee this place! His identity was simply too sensitive. If it were exposed, he would be in deep trouble—catastrophic trouble. The Five Elements race had once been a great, mighty race. Even now, with their five elements split, they remained powerful. If the Five Elements race could truly unite their five elements once again... it might draw the wrath of their ancient enemies. "City Lord Su..." Foutuling spoke with a stiff tone, his earthy-yellow face turning an even deeper shade of yellow. Beside him, the Five Elements elder did not think much of it. With a smile on his face, Su Yu pressed a hand down reassuringly. "Sit, don't be nervous. Brother Foutu is an old friend of mine. We've dealt with each other many times, and we're good friends. Why stand on such ceremony?" At these words, delight bloomed across the elder's face. He hurriedly chimed in, "City Lord Su speaks truly! Foutu, why haven't you thanked City Lord Su for his magnanimity, for brushing aside past rivalries...?" Foutuling felt utterly exhausted. I have to thank Su Yu? I have to thank him for his magnanimity? This elder is beyond saving! Exhausted as he felt, he had no choice. He took his seat, looked toward Su Yu, and remained silent. Meanwhile, the elder kept shooting him meaningful looks, urging him to hurry up and speak. We need to buy the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus! At a loss for words, Foutuling waited a long moment before finally saying, "City Lord Su, could you sell us some of that Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus?" Su Yu chuckled. "If anyone else had asked, I'd have slapped them to death. But since Brother Foutu is the one asking, anything is negotiable! My previous rejections were merely to keep others from finding out that I sold it to you... I can't offer much, but a single petal is certainly doable." The elder could not hold back: "Lord Su, could you part with a few more petals?" Su Yu replied flatly, "Just one!" The elder did not dare say another word! Foutuling was speechless. Ask for a few more petals? Were they out of their minds? He quickly asked, "Then the price..." "We're friends. Two carriers will do!" Foutuling felt helpless. What if he couldn't get them back? Just as the thought crossed his mind, Su Yu waved a hand, and the elder beside Foutuling seemed to sink into an illusion. Su Yu turned back to Foutuling with a grin. "Carriers are trivial matters. Everything else is trivial too!" "Brother Foutu, your situation is the real problem! You are in great danger, Brother Foutu!" "I'm in danger?" Foutuling laughed in disbelief. "City Lord Su, as long as you aren't scheming against me, what danger could I possibly be in?" Su Yu let out a soft chuckle. "Still playing dumb? In the past, the Five Elements Ancestor clashed with the Immortal Emperor. The Immortal race was also skilled in the Grand Dao of the Five Elements, but the Five Elements Ancestor considered himself supreme under heaven in the Five Elements. Both walked the Grand Dao of the Five Elements. In the end, the Immortal Emperor slew the Five Elements Ancestor, stripped away the Grand Dao of the Five Elements, and fragmented the Five Elements race... Brother Foutu knows all of this, so why pretend not to?" Su Yu smiled. "Although not many even in the ancient era knew of this, and others remain ignorant, could you and I truly not know?" I really didn't know! Foutuling was internally shaken! I honestly had no idea. All I knew was that the Five Elements Ancestor had been killed long ago, but as for who did it... how was I supposed to know? Did Su Yu think I knew? The Immortal Emperor? The Immortal race! Back then, the Five Elements race had their five elements torn apart by the Immortal race? Shaken to his core, Foutuling did not dare say too much. Keeping his expression calm, he said, "I don't understand what City Lord Su is talking about." Su Yu scoffed. "Do you believe that the moment your identity is exposed, the Immortal race will come to slaughter you and annihilate the Five Elements race? It was fine when the Five Elements Ancestor died, since the world source of your Five Elements Realm was fractured, ensuring no one would ever unite the five elements again. But look at you, Foutuling—you actually broke out from the five elements source left by the Five Elements Ancestor, once again possessing the ability to unite the five elements!" Su Yu sighed with feeling. "Now that is terrifying! Isn't the Immortal race afraid that a second Five Elements Ancestor will emerge to seek vengeance?" He continued, "They most certainly are! Back then, the Five Elements Ancestor was a top-tier figure even among the Half-Emperors! Times are different now. If another Five Elements Ancestor truly emerges... wouldn't the Immortal race fear extermination?" The Immortal race... Foutuling turned the thoughts over in his mind. Had the Five Elements race truly been split by the Immortal race? Had the Five Elements Ancestor been slain by the Immortal Emperor? Where on earth had Su Yu learned all this? Su Yu kept smiling as he went on: "Furthermore, your clan's heritage art, the Five Elements Divine Art, is supposedly lost... In truth, it isn't lost. Your race simply cannot cultivate it; even if you do, you face retribution from the rules!" "Last time, Liu Hong tricked you. I reckon you wanted to restore the Five Elements Divine Art, but didn't you stop to think: aside from you, how many others could cultivate it? Your race's greatest problem still stems from the division of the Five Elements Realm's world source. It can no longer naturally give birth to five elements spirits capable of innate five-element unification!" Foutuling could not help feeling helpless; Su Yu truly knew everything. The fracturing of the Five Elements Realm's world source, the division of the Five Elements Ancestor's five elements source... He knew all of it! In truth, even Foutuling had only pieced together fragments from ancient records and passing remarks. Some of the Five Elements race's Invincibles, especially the younger ones, might not even know, let alone know who had struck the vicious blow back then. "City Lord Su, where... where did you learn all this?" Su Yu laughed. "The living might not know, but could the dead not know?" "..." Understood! Foutuling understood completely now. He had contacts across life and death! Indeed, the living might not know, but could some of the ancient figures—the dead from that era—remain ignorant? After a moment's contemplation, Foutuling asked, "Then does the City Lord have a solution?" Su Yu asked with a smile, "Do you want to know?" "..." Should I say I want to know or that I don't? Foutuling struggled internally. After a long pause, he nodded. "I want to know!" Su Yu smiled. "Two methods. The first: someone stronger than the Immortal Emperor emerges and forcefully restores the Five Elements Realm's world source!" Foutuling fell silent. I'll just pretend I didn't hear that! "The second: have your entire race cultivate the Five Elements Divine Art once more. When enough people cultivate it—since you are all born from spiritual sources—your ability to cultivate the method of five-element unification, even if acquired postnatally, can drive the gradual merging of the Five Elements Realm's world source! This is called using the acquired to stimulate the innate, allowing the realm source to fuse naturally. In this manner, your race will undergo a complete metamorphosis, and your realm source will be reborn!" At these words, Foutuling's eyes lit up. "I've thought of this as well! Some of our race's ancestors also deduced that if enough people cultivated the Five Elements Divine Art and reunited the five elements, the Five Elements Realm's world source would sooner or later reunite as well!" Su Yu narrowed his eyes and smiled. "So I didn't lie to you, did I?" Foutuling stared at him for a long time before speaking. "Are you going to give me the Five Elements Divine Art? Even if you do, there are two issues. First... your Five Elements Divine Art is suited for humans, not the Five Elements race! Second, cultivating it invites retribution from the rules... That is a massive trouble!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "Do you think that's difficult? Hand over your Five Elements race's methods to me. With a bit of deduction, as long as I locate one or two corresponding divine apertures, I can quickly reverse-engineer the Five Elements Divine Art into a version suited for your race!" This was not hard! Whether for the Five Elements race or humans, the total number of divine apertures was identical. As long as Su Yu could map out the locations of one or two apertures and match them to human divine apertures, reverse-engineering was relatively simple. All the myriad races actually maintained dedicated departments to study other races' arts, mapping, aligning, and converting apertures. Of course, there were bound to be risks in the initial stages. But what did those risks have to do with Su Yu? If the Five Elements race wanted the Five Elements Divine Art, sacrificing a few test subjects was only normal. Even if some died, as long as the art was successfully deduced, it would be well worth it! Foutuling furrowed his brow slightly. "Do you truly know the Five Elements Divine Art?" "The Five Elements Divine Art is, to me... nothing more than trash!" Su Yu gave a faint smile. In the next instant, points of light surfaced above his head. All at once, 360 divine apertures erupted with brilliant light, and the Heavenly Gate opened upon his brow. Su Yu looked like a descending sage, gazing at Foutuling with stern, chilling indifference! Foutuling looked at Su Yu and involuntarily lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze. Su Yu said indifferently, "Do you understand now?" "I understand..." Foutuling sighed and kept his head down. "You've already opened the Great Circumference Divine Apertures, haven't you?" "Indeed!" Su Yu said calmly, "To me, the Five Elements Divine Art is decent—an art of 180 divine apertures. On that basis alone, your Five Elements race was once a top-tier great race. However, an art of 180 divine apertures is far too inferior to the number of apertures I've opened!" The gap was indeed too vast! Foutuling had nothing to say. Techniques with 144 divine apertures were nearly impossible to find nowadays, let alone those with 180. The Five Elements Divine Art was truly a divine technique! Yet... in Su Yu's hands, it was merely mediocre. Foutuling looked at Su Yu, this time raising his head to meet his eyes. "You're willing to impart it to my race? What do you want in return?" Su Yu said with amusement, "Before I name my terms, let me ask you: if your identity as the successor of the Five Elements Ancestor gets out, how will the Immortal race treat you?" Foutuling frowned. "The Immortal race might not believe what you say!" Su Yu replied with a beaming smile, "Is that so? Do you truly believe the Immortal race never suspected you? You, Foutuling, intentionally concealed yourself, deliberately using postnatal methods to achieve five-element unification. In reality, you were innately capable of it, yet you insisted on disguising it as a forced postnatal fusion... isn't that right?" Foutuling replied calmly, "I am postnatally unified, not innately unified!" "Oh?" Su Yu smiled. "Then let me ask you: how far have you walked along the Five Elements Ancestor's Great Dao? How much have you integrated?" "I don't understand what you mean." Su Yu chuckled. "Put it this way: since the Five Elements Ancestor reached that level, he likely walked all five Daos to their limits, becoming the Rule Master of five Great Daos! As for why the Immortal Emperor killed him... perhaps the Immortal Emperor's own Five Elements Dao had not reached its peak, and only one person can control a single rule! Thus, he had to kill the Five Elements Ancestor. The Immortal Emperor must have mastered other Daos that were stronger than the Five Elements Dao... Later, after killing the Five Elements Ancestor, the Five Elements Dao lost its master. The Immortal Emperor may have walked several of those Daos, but he didn't finish walking them all..." Su Yu stroked his chin. "At the very least, he didn't master the Dao of Earth! Perhaps you, Foutuling, have sensed this, which is why you are a floating earth spirit rather than a floating fire spirit. You still have a chance—a chance to seize control of the Dao of Earth and become an expert beyond Dao Integration!" Foutuling's gaze flickered, and he said in a heavy voice, "I know nothing of the Daos you speak of. I only know that the Dao of Earth is easier for me to cultivate and offers me higher affinity!" Su Yu's words hit straight at his core, penetrating his deepest thoughts again and again, sending tempestuous waves crashing through his heart! Su Yu knew far too much. Before him, one felt stripped bare and taken apart, observed and inspected inch by inch, left with no secrets at all! At this moment, Su Yu smiled again. "You, Foutuling, have always remained at the ninth tier of Lingyun, though recently rumors say you broke through to Shanhai... Did you truly enter Shanhai? Not necessarily. In my view, you're waiting—waiting to open the Five Elements Divine Apertures, or hoping to deduce the Five Elements Divine Art so you can advance with 180 divine apertures!" "With your talent, I refuse to believe you haven't researched the aperture locations of the other branches!" "Your Five Elements race is unique. You have no origin apertures, only divine apertures—or rather, your race's divine apertures and origin apertures are one and the same... origin apertures are divine apertures, and divine apertures are origin apertures..." "Regardless, you, Foutuling, have certainly mastered the locations of far more than thirty-six divine apertures!" "Perhaps all you lack right now is an opportunity, an opportunity to unite the five elements... No, what you lack is the cultivation technique. You were already capable of uniting the five elements to begin with..." Su Yu stroked his chin and shook his head. "No, logically speaking, since you can unite the five elements, you should be able to master the arts of all five branches. Yet you've delayed unifying them for so long. Could it be that they aren't complete enough? Or is your mastery over one branch's art insufficient? Or perhaps, because the Five Elements Divine Art was forbidden back then, you have no way to naturally form the method of five-element unification?" "..." Foutuling remained silent, not uttering a word. He simply listened to Su Yu talking, watching as the man laid bare all the secrets he had hidden so carefully. Su Yu soon smiled and said, "Perhaps it still has to do with the division of the Five Elements Realm's world source. Brother Foutu, care to give it a try?" Foutuling exhaled. "What do you want? Since you know everything, just say it plainly!" Su Yu smiled. "Nothing complicated. Just obey my lead! Exactly as in the ancient days, when the Human Sovereign was supreme!" Foutuling felt a tremendous shock in his heart! "You want to subjugate the Five Elements race?" He knitted his brows. "Impossible!" Su Yu said impassively, "Then forget it." Seeing Su Yu instantly lose all interest, Foutuling hurriedly said, "Brother Su, name your terms! Anything we can agree to, we will!" Su Yu chuckled. "I won't name any. Aside from your dozen or so Invincibles being marginally useful to me, nothing else in your Five Elements race has any value! To put it bluntly... what does your Five Elements race have that is worth my scheming?" Su Yu looked at him with amusement. "What do you think?" Foutuling frowned, speaking in a heavy voice: "My race possesses a sacred ground containing five Five Elements Fruit Trees that yield Five Elements Spirit Fruits. If Brother Su is willing to impart the Five Elements Divine Art... these Five Elements Spirit Fruit Trees... I will give them to you!" What immense boldness! He wasn't merely offering the spirit fruits; knowing Su Yu had no interest in mere fruit, he was offering the spirit trees themselves! Su Yu smiled. "Brother Foutu's status is truly extraordinary! In fact, I'm quite curious: do all the Invincibles of the Five Elements race know you're the successor of the Five Elements Ancestor, which is why they all support you? Is there truly no dissent at all?" If that was the case... the Five Elements race was remarkably united! The Five Elements Spirit Trees were supreme treasures, yet Foutuling offered to give them away just like that. Did this fellow really hold such high authority? Take the human race, for example: if a successor of the ancient Human Sovereign appeared right now at the Lingyun realm, declaring that humanity must unite and that all Invincibles must obey him... his corpse would probably turn up within three days. That was human nature! What was the Five Elements race's situation? Foutuling took a deep breath and said, "Of course the Five Elements race isn't a completely seamless monolith! However, we must survive! We are neither humans nor Gods, Demons, or Immortals capable of dominating the myriad realms. For a mid-tier race like ours, the sole hope is survival! Survival through the coming upheaval! The Five Elements race has reached a bottleneck; we have experts at the ninth stage of Eternity... but we cannot produce a Dao Integration expert!" "Unlike other races that still hold hope of producing one... our race cannot, and it is impossible!" Foutuling sighed. "Even the ancient fogeys whom everyone places high hopes upon... our Five Elements race has none. Ever since the Ancestor died, our race has been unable to produce Dao Integration experts. Without Dao Integration, there is no place for our Five Elements race to exist in that world above the heavenly mandate!" He lamented, "Humanity can still hold onto hope that some ancient fogeys survived; even if few, they exist, and they likely still have Dao Integration experts, perhaps quite a few. The Gods, Demons, and Immortals all do... Yet across nine tides of change, our race hasn't produced a single one!" "Our race has also survived nine tides of change to endure to this day; we count as an ancient race!" Foutuling gave a self-deprecating laugh. "And yet... other ancient races may all possess Dao Integration experts, while our race alone... has none! That is why with every tide, our race treads on thin ice, trembling with fear, terrified of making a single misstep! The Five Elements race sounds formidable with over a dozen Invincibles... but compared to other ancient races, what are we? The Five Elements race is merely somewhat strong down here; up above, we have no backing whatsoever!" He shook his head, smiling self-mockingly. "Therefore, relatively speaking, my race is far more united! The ancestors all know that once an all-out war breaks out and Dao Integration battles erupt, our best course is to stay clear, play the grandson, and keep our heads down! Whether it's the Dragon race, the Phoenix race, or even the Tianyuan or Nether race... which of them hasn't produced a Dao Integration expert during the tides of change? Only our race... has none! Not a single one across nine tides!" Now Su Yu understood! It was somewhat unexpected, yet entirely within reason! The Five Elements race had no backers up above. Thus, the experts of the Five Elements race who had lived through the tides knew just how precarious existence was without a Dao Integration expert. They saw Foutuling as hope—hope of reaching Dao Integration, hope of reuniting the five elements... Because of this, their thirst for a Dao Integration expert exceeded that of any other race! Foutuling looked at Su Yu and said, "Precisely because of this, my race will not lightly join the war between the myriad races! Even if we do participate, we prioritize caution. We even deliberately maintain distinctions among the five elements. For instance, because of me, the Earth Spirit branch has involved itself in much turmoil. If I fail, the Earth Spirit branch will bear the blame... At worst, the Earth Spirit branch will be annihilated, but the heritage of the Five Elements race will remain preserved!" He looked intently at Su Yu. "I cannot allow the Five Elements race to rashly enter an all-out war. A single failure... means our total extinction!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "Then do you believe this tenth tide will be fiercer or milder than the previous nine? When this ends... will there even be an eleventh?" "I don't know." Foutuling shook his head. "During this tide, because humanity is weak, the myriad races' assaults against them haven't been nearly as fierce as in the previous nine! The Gods, Demons, and Immortals aren't as united as before either! If humanity were truly powerful, according to the pattern of the previous nine tides... an all-out war to exterminate humanity would have erupted long ago!" This time, humanity was weak, and weakness brought its own advantages. The pressure from the myriad races was not as intense as anticipated. Su Yu nodded slightly. That was true enough. In the previous Human-Immortal alliance, the Immortal race had harbored their own agenda, not wanting humanity destroyed too quickly because Tiangu had not yet awakened. After thinking for a moment, Su Yu smiled. "How about this: I won't make outrageous demands. I will impart the Five Elements Divine Art to you, but your Five Elements race must have at least three Invincibles fight to the death on my behalf once!" Foutuling was silent for a while. After weighing it, he nodded. "Agreed!" Su Yu added, "Furthermore, when you cultivate the Five Elements Divine Art... first, not everyone will be able to open that many divine apertures; second, even if you open them, you must endure retribution from the rules... I can help you resist that retribution, but that too requires a price." "You?" Foutuling frowned. "You'll take the punishment from the rules in our stead? The rule retribution dictates that once an outsider intervenes, it only grows stronger; the power of the rules won't dissipate just because you are powerful!" If Su Yu resisted it, it would only grow exponentially stronger! Su Yu chuckled. "I'm aware of that, but I also understand a bit about the rules. Strictly speaking, since I impart the Five Elements Divine Art to you, both of us become links in the karmic chain. I teach you, you learn it, and once you succeed... when I step in to shoulder the burden, the power of the rules will punish me as one of the participants rather than an outside meddler!" Foutuling looked surprised. "Why did you research this kind of thing?" Su Yu grinned. "To study the rules so I can take the blame for others! But let me ask first: members of your Five Elements race typically only open thirty-six divine apertures now. Opening that many more is exceptionally difficult... Even if I impart it, how many people in your clan can actually cultivate the Five Elements Divine Art?" Foutuling said solemnly, "For the younger generation and those lacking talent, it is naturally very difficult! But among the older generation, many have opened far more than thirty-six apertures; some have opened quite a few, though they cannot unify them... If it is truly imparted, to say nothing else, the Five Elements race can scrape together a few hundred individuals!" Was a few hundred a lot? Not at all. On the human side, the maximum number of origin apertures opened according to mainstream arts was 144, but if Su Yu went looking, who knew how many had opened more than that. Many of the older human generation had opened over 144 apertures. The crux was that opening more was largely useless without corresponding techniques; no matter how many you opened, the boost to strength was marginal. The Five Elements race was clearly in the same boat! Opening thirty-six divine apertures was supported by complete, natural techniques. Opening more had little practical effect, though it did strengthen willpower somewhat. When people reached a dead end in cultivation and could advance no further, finding themselves with nothing better to do, it was not uncommon for them to go around opening extra apertures. Turning these thoughts over in his mind, Foutuling asked, "Then helping us resist the punishment must also come with conditions?" Su Yu smiled. "Naturally. My request isn't excessive. I'll help you resist it ten times—no, for every ten successful cases, counted per person, you trade one intervention by an Invincible. How about it?" Su Yu chuckled. "That way, if a hundred of your people succeed, an Invincible only needs to act for me ten times. One person acting ten times is fine, ten people acting once each is fine, and if an individual is lucky enough to survive ten times consecutively, he can be used indefinitely..." Su Yu said with a beaming smile, "As long as that Invincible is strong enough, your race effectively trades a single Invincible for the Five Elements Divine Art and countless members successfully cultivating it. Isn't that worth it?" Foutuling sighed. "Whenever you ask for an intervention, when has it ever been simple? Leaving everything else aside, which of your recent battles hasn't involved mortal danger?" And ten times at that! If an Invincible truly followed Su Yu through ten massive battles... even someone at the ninth stage of Eternity might perish! Su Yu smiled. "One must pay to reap rewards! Brother Foutu, you are a smart man. Nothing in this world comes for free. Did you expect me to sacrifice myself for your race out of charity? Do you think that's possible?" Foutuling pondered this, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "I know. But... the moment we tie ourselves to you, the Five Elements race faces the threat of extinction!" Su Yu chuckled. "And without tying yourselves to me, you don't face it?" Su Yu said calmly, "At least I know one thing for certain: only by mastering the Five Elements Divine Art—by you mastering it, or even inheriting everything left by the Five Elements Ancestor—will you have any hope of escaping the peril of annihilation!" With that, Su Yu said with a trace of impatience, "I take you for an intelligent person, so choose for yourself! Or if you believe you don't need my help, that you can deduce it all yourselves, solve the rule retribution on your own, and that you, Foutuling, can merge the five elemental sources by yourself... then do as you please!" Foutuling inhaled and exhaled deeply. This was an agonizing choice! He suddenly looked up at Su Yu. "Then let me ask you a question." "Speak!" "If right now, the Gods, Demons, Immortals, and Nethers... all the races join forces, and every single one of the Dao Integration experts backing you is pinned down—every last one! If one more Dao Integration expert comes to kill you, what are your chances of surviving?" "Every last one pinned down?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. Foutuling nodded. "Yes, all of them! Including King Dazhou and the others being deterred, unable to use teleportation to intimidate other races. It wouldn't require multiple Dao Integration experts—just one. Could you survive?" Su Yu thought it over and smiled. "The hope is slim!" Foutuling sighed. "Even you know the hope is slim. If we truly reach an agreement with you... the existing Dao Integration forces are already more than enough to kill you! Su Yu, they will unite sooner or later! They won't even need additional forces or external aid... Under such circumstances, how can you give us a sense of security?" Indeed, security! Following Su Yu was simply too devoid of security! Su Yu said impassively, "If I could truly withstand a Dao Integration expert and survive, would I even care about your Five Elements race?" Su Yu continued coolly, "Brother Foutu, trump cards must be accumulated! My negotiating with the Five Elements race right now is precisely to accumulate trump cards, not because I already have enough and am merely dropping by to partner with you! That would be utterly pointless! If, as you say, Dao Integration experts couldn't kill me anyway, would I still need the Five Elements race? How ridiculous!" "You say one Dao Integration expert comes to kill me. Then let me ask you: if your Five Elements race cooperates with me, does your race possess the capability to hold off a Dao Integration expert?" Foutuling thought for a moment and nodded. Su Yu narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "Then isn't that the whole point! Everyone thinks just as you do: that Su Yu is inferior to a Dao Integration expert and is marked for certain death. But right at that moment, your Five Elements race suddenly charges out and destroys that Dao Integration expert... Wouldn't that catch everyone off guard?" Su Yu said with a chuckle, "That is what a trump card is! That is why I am building them up now, rather than expecting them to appear out of thin air. A man as brilliant as Brother Foutu surely understands the difference between providing charcoal in a blizzard and merely adding flowers to brocade, doesn't he?" Foutuling grew thoughtful. After a while, he said, "What you say makes sense. Then allow me to take the liberty of asking another question: are you confident you can take full control of the human race?" Foutuling explained, "If you are cut off from humanity, a lone tree cannot form a forest! As I see it, the human Invincibles may not necessarily yield to you. If you wish to become their Sovereign, how many will truly support you? If you cannot even secure your home base of humanity... how can you make us believe you will succeed?" Su Yu smiled. "One must eat one bite at a time. In today's human race, at least many Invincibles support me, including in this selection for the Master of the Sacred Ground. Once I become the Master of the Sacred Ground and hold the title... I will naturally put that title to use very soon!" Foutuling sank into deep contemplation. A moment later, he said, "How about this: tomorrow, your Sacred Ground resolution will continue. If you secure the title of Master of the Sacred Ground, I can return and persuade my clan's ancestors! If you want to recruit allies without sufficient prestige, ordinary people won't dare make the investment or take the plunge!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "You make it sound as if I'm offering nothing. You rascal, you're deliberately downplaying the value of the Five Elements Divine Art and my shielding you from retribution. Do you think I can't see through that?" Su Yu scoffed, "Foutuling, I suspect you've already made your choice! You're deliberately minimizing the value of these things, aren't you?" Foutuling bared his teeth, his yellowish teeth looking rather unsightly. He chuckled, "Nothing of the sort. I am myself, but... Brother Su, don't forget that I am not the ruler of the Five Elements race. I can represent myself, but the ancestors require greater assurances!" "Your teeth look hideous!" Foutuling smiled, and in an instant, his teeth turned a dazzling golden hue, like pure gold. "Does this look better?" Before his voice had even faded, they shifted to green, then quickly turned transparent, before finally blazing into a fiery red, even trailing wisps of flame. Elemental transformation! Su Yu chuckled softly. "How childish. Keep your petty tricks to yourself instead of making a fool of yourself! Honestly, I can't even be bothered to threaten you. Otherwise, a fellow born from the source of the Five Elements Ancestor like you would be dead the moment the Immortal race found out!" Foutuling chuckled. "That might not be true... Besides, Brother Su, was it truly the Immortal race that moved against us?" Su Yu smiled. "What do you think?" "I think... it's hard to say!" Foutuling laughed lightly. "The Five Elements race was a great race back then, and the Five Elements Ancestor was no weakling. I actually suspect it was the handiwork of humanity! Did no one in your human race cultivate the Grand Dao of the Five Elements?" Su Yu sneered, "How could it have been humanity? Back then, humanity unified the myriad realms, but they were subject to certain constraints. The Alliance of Myriad Races established the Ancient Council precisely to resist humanity. Humanity nominally ruled the heavens, but in truth... they were merely contending against the myriad races! If humanity had slain the Five Elements Ancestor, do you think the other great races wouldn't have felt threatened for their own kind? Only internal strife among you myriad races would have been quelled so swiftly! Otherwise, the death of the Five Elements Ancestor would have triggered massive turmoil long ago. But if you've read ancient records, was there any upheaval after his death?" Su Yu smiled. "None, right? There was none because humanity was just watching a show, and the myriad races naturally wouldn't publicize the fact that they had butchered your Ancestor themselves! Otherwise, things would have blown up beyond control. Even if the myriad races didn't go to war with humanity, they would have made a massive uproar about it so that everyone knew. In the end, how many people actually knew?" Foutuling thought it over and nodded. Su Yu's words were not without reason. And Su Yu was exceptionally skilled at presenting sound arguments on specific points. Foutuling said no more, simply stating, "If you secure the position of Master of the Sacred Ground, I will return to the Five Elements Realm to help you negotiate... a covert alliance! Only covert, Su Yu. Unless there is an opportunity to silence all witnesses, my race will not act lightly! I hope you can understand this!" Su Yu smiled. "Fine!" Foutuling breathed a sigh of relief. This was for the best! "Then... regarding the Five Elements Divine Art..." Su Yu smiled. "Wait! Wait until I find time to visit the Five Elements Realm. I want to meet the experts of your race in person! Only then will I pass down the Five Elements Divine Art. I want a personal commitment from your race's powerhouses... I don't trust your word very much." "..." Tch! Foutuling was speechless. I barely dare trust what you say, yet here you are looking down on me! "You want to go to the Five Elements Realm? Aren't you afraid..." Su Yu said calmly, "If the Five Elements race isn't afraid of dying, feel free to contact other races to ambush me. When the time comes, I will tear open the realm of dead spirits and lead the dead spirits, the Ancient City guardians, and human powerhouses to wipe out your race. It is well within my power to wipe out only the Five Elements race! Think it through carefully, and you will naturally make the right choice!" Foutuling had no retort! Did the Five Elements race dare kill Su Yu? They didn't dare! Helpless, Foutuling nodded. "Understood! Then regarding the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus..." "Just buy a single petal and be done with it. I'll sell a few more to scrounge up some carriers and temper my weapons. Trivial matters, no need to take them too seriously." Trivial matters? What was trivial in his eyes might be a matter of monumental importance to countless others! Foutuling had no words left. After a brief silence, he said, "Very well. Once the purchase is settled, I'll return to the Five Elements Realm to await you. When can you arrive?" "As soon as possible." "Good." Foutuling said nothing further. He glanced at the elder beside him, who was still grinning foolishly, and asked, "What did the elder see?" Su Yu glanced at the elder and smiled. "Nothing much. A pleasant conversation, a deal concluded, an agreement to keep it confidential, and a promise to sell you one petal of the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus. I couldn't be bothered to say more, so I gave him some face and sold it to him for just one carrier... He's thrilled. Is that enough?" Foutuling nodded helplessly. The poor elder! "Alright, release him then!" Su Yu withdrew the influence of his divine characters, and the elder gradually came to his senses. With a broad smile, he hurriedly said, "Thank you, Lord Su, for granting our request!" Su Yu smiled. "A small matter!" "Then we shall take our leave for now? We'll return tomorrow to collect the item..." Su Yu smiled. "Sounds good!" The elder stood up in high spirits and looked at Foutuling, signaling that it was time to depart. Foutuling was speechless. Fine, who knows what you were chatting about in that illusion, old man, but you certainly look thrilled. You really are the type to count money for the person who just sold you out. ... Soon, Foutuling and the elder took their leave. Once outside the doors, the elder was still bursting with excitement. "It worked! And the price was so low—only a single carrier!" "..." Foutuling nodded and put on a smile. "The elder's negotiating skills are supreme; it was all thanks to your efforts!" The elder gave a light cough. "Not entirely. It was also due to your good relations with Su Yu... Ahem, though, this can only be said here. Once we're outside, not a word of it to the public!" "Naturally!" Foutuling gave a perfunctory reply. Filled with excitement, the elder hurried away with him. Outside, several figures keeping watch noticed the two leaving. Soon, more people arrived one after another to visit Su Yu. Su Yu met with some and completely ignored others. ... The visits did not come to an end until daybreak. Attention once again converged on the assembly regarding the Sacred Ground. Yesterday, King Dayuan had opposed it, only to have two of his incarnation bodies destroyed by Su Yu. Today, the deliberations on the Sacred Ground were resuming. Would Su Yu still attend? What about King Dayuan? Could the Sacred Ground truly be established, and could Su Yu truly become its master? ... Inside the academy hall. The great hall that had been destroyed yesterday had already been rebuilt. The attendees were the same as yesterday. However, King Dayuan, seated above, looked rather pale, his aura significantly weakened. Su Yu alone was missing! Today, Marquis Xia was not asked to preside. The moment the Great Han King arrived, he cut straight to the chase: "Whether the Sacred Ground is to be established or not, everything that needed to be said was said yesterday. Everyone understands the necessity of establishing it! Now that we are gathered again, let us get straight to the point: we shall vote to decide whether you agree or disagree! As for whether the Master of the Sacred Ground must be Su Yu, that can be decided in the next round... What we are discussing now is whether the Sacred Ground is needed at all!" Many turned their gazes toward King Dayuan. How would yesterday's fiercest opponent choose today? He had nearly been killed by Su Yu yesterday! Yet King Dayuan remained completely silent. At that moment, someone asked, "Your Majesty Great Han King, if we cast a dissenting vote... what will the consequences be?" The Great Han King said in a deep voice, "There will be no consequences!" The person spoke up again: "Then... I mean, what if City Lord Su is dissatisfied and attacks us...?" The Great Han King replied coldly, "Yesterday's battle occurred because King Dayuan made the first move to kill him, not because Su Yu attacked King Dayuan unprovoked! If Su Yu dares take the initiative to attack any of you over the vote... I may not be able to subdue him alone, but here and now, I can have King Dazhou, King Daxia, and King Daming guarantee that if Su Yu dares make an unprovoked move against anyone who votes against him today, he will be executed without mercy! Even if it means going to war with the Ancient City! Does that answer satisfy you all?" From outside the hall, the voices of King Dazhou, King Daxia, and King Daming rang out simultaneously: "The Great Han King's intent is our intent!" At these words, everyone felt reassured. With several of humanity's pillars declaring this, if Su Yu committed any acts of violence today, these powerhouses would certainly intervene. The Great Han King said calmly, "Therefore, vote according to your true conscience. This is a monumental matter for humanity's future, not a game; there is no need to do anything against your will!" At that point, Marquis Xia stepped forward, retrieved two golden registers, and smiled. "Those in favor, stamp your Prefecture Lord Seal on the register to the left; those opposed, stamp your seal on the right! Leave behind your Invincible mark! Today's assembly may well affect the very survival of the human race... Therefore, weigh your decision carefully. As long as humanity endures, these records will be preserved down through the generations, allowing future descendants to see whether humanity's choice today was right or wrong!" At these words, quite a few people grew tense! Would this resolution truly affect the future of humanity? It would! The Sacred Ground... Su Yu... all of these would shape the future! For a time, the atmosphere grew stagnant, and even some Invincibles felt the weight of the decision. ... Inside the hall, tension mounted. Outside, array forging continued. Yet several Invincibles were also gazing into the hall. Even King Daxia looked solemn as he transmitted his voice: "Old Zhou, can it be established?" King Dazhou responded via voice transmission, "Do you hope it will be?" King Daxia fell silent. King Dazhou asked again, "Do you truly believe Su Yu can shoulder such a heavy burden?" After a moment of silence, King Daxia transmitted, "Su Yu might not be able to... but unifying under a Sacred Ground is necessary! Even if it isn't Su Yu, I still hope someone will emerge to lead humanity out of this plight!" It did not necessarily have to be Su Yu! However, King Daxia supported the establishment of the Sacred Ground to grant humanity hope of unification, rather than continuing as a loose tray of sand. Humanity's internal strife had already consumed far too much of everyone's energy and resources. King Dazhou gave a soft chuckle and transmitted, "Since you understand, then any discerning person understands as well. Those who don't... can only be said to lack vision! The Sacred Ground will certainly be established. As for whether its master will be Su Yu... that is the crux! Barring any surprises, deciding on the Master of the Sacred Ground will be the true challenge of the vote. Establishing the Sacred Ground itself isn't the hurdle!" King Daxia considered this and nodded. True enough! ... At the same time. Inside the hall, prefecture lords and descendants of Invincibles watched the two registers with tense expressions. Marquis Xia smiled. "Who will go first?" The moment the words left his mouth, Xia Longwu said nothing. A large seal materialized in his hand and instantly landed upon the register on the left, stamping down in a brilliant flash of golden light! The Great Xia Prefecture was the first to make its decision. In the next instant, seals appeared one after another, flying toward either side as some approved and others opposed. Counting the All-Heavens Prefecture, there were thirty-seven prefectures in total! Moreover, Dazhou, Daming, and Daqin each held two votes. In the blink of an eye, seal after seal descended. Many glanced toward the Dayuan Prefecture. At this moment, the Dayuan Prefecture's seal... hesitated for a moment, then flew toward the register of approval, stamping down. In an instant, all eyes turned to King Dayuan. King Dayuan... agreed? He had compromised? Or had he been beaten into submission by Su Yu? For a time, no one knew what to think. They only knew that with King Dayuan present, the decision of the Dayuan Prefecture was undoubtedly his own. He had chosen to support the establishment of the Sacred Ground! Marquis Xia took a look, smiled, and glanced at the Great Han King. The Great Han King smiled as well and said calmly, "The results are out: thirty-four in favor, six opposed. The Sacred Ground... is hereby established!" At these words, no one breathed a sigh of relief; instead, they grew even more tense! The Sacred Ground was indeed established... but who would take the helm? That was the real crux!