Sacred Lord Su Yu

The Sacred Ground could be established! That was the final answer given by the major prefectures of the human race. Now, the crucial question was: who would be the Master of the Sacred Ground? Who was qualified to hold such a position? At that moment, the entire grand hall fell dead silent. After a brief pause, Marquis Xia spoke up: "Since the first matter has passed smoothly, there is no rush regarding the name of the Sacred Ground... We can decide that once the Master of the Sacred Ground is chosen! "Now that the Sacred Ground is being established, it cannot go without a leader! The human race also needs someone young, vigorous, exceptionally talented, powerful, and possessing both the wisdom and the fortitude to shoulder this burden as Master of the Sacred Ground!" Someone let out a soft chuckle and shot Marquis Xia a glance. Why not just come right out and say nobody but Su Yu will do? Marquis Xia remained impassive. "Every prefecture may nominate candidates, and we shall decide by vote! The Great Xia Prefecture nominates Su Yu! Or, any Invincible expert may nominate a candidate, and they will likewise be included on the ballot!" He truly went ahead and named Su Yu, doing so at the very first opportunity. Down below, someone murmured, "I think King Daqin would be wonderful. If a Sacred Ground is to be founded, His Majesty King Daqin naturally ought to lead it!" "I personally think Mansion Master Xia is quite fitting!" "In my view, since the Sacred Ground will oversee internal affairs... Mansion Master Zhu would be more suitable!" "I believe we should choose from the younger generation to bring some vigor. Among the youths, hasn't Wan Mingze founded the Young Army Alliance? I think he's quite good—he has the makings of a sage!" "If that's the case, Qin Fang would be far better! Qin Fang is ranked on the Heaven Ranking, remarkably valiant, bears the demeanor of King Daqin, is brilliant, and loves the people like his own children..." "..." The crowd chimed in one after another. Some did mention Su Yu, but very few! Everyone understood that the creation of the Sacred Ground was inevitable. However, regarding who would lead it, there was immense room for maneuvering. If Su Yu took the seat... people were afraid. Truly terrified. He was undeniably a powerhouse capable of suppressing all four corners of the world! The problem was that this guy was too ruthless, too sinister, too venomous! He showed no mercy to those inside or outside! He would hunt every last one of his enemies to extinction! By now, several people had already guessed how those people back in Nanyuan had died—Su Yu had slaughtered them! He had even assassinated them in secret! Anyone who offended him! Su Yu was far too vicious. If someone like that became Master of the Sacred Ground, the Sacred Ground's rules would be set in iron. If someone else took the seat—anyone else—there would still be room for negotiation. There would still be ways to work around it! At this moment, over by the Great Qin Prefecture's section, Qin Zhen frowned and said, "Isn't Su Yu perfectly fine? For now, the Sacred Ground will primarily oversee internal affairs. If my father were willing to be Master of the Sacred Ground, he would have taken the position hundreds of years ago! My father is not suited for such matters. If he were, why would he have waited until today? As for my son, Qin Fang, he is far inferior to Su Yu... Su Yu is naturally the only proper choice!" Someone glanced toward the Great Jin Prefecture. There, a man's face was pale and conflicted. Noticing several people looking his way with peculiar expressions, he lowered his head, not daring to speak. Someone gave a light laugh. "Commander Zhang He, don't you want to step forward and say a few words?" Zhang He! A man who had long been forgotten. The army commander of the Great Jin Prefecture! A Sun Moon realm expert! The moment those words left his mouth, strange looks flickered in many eyes. Beside him, the Mansion Master of the Great Jin Prefecture also frowned slightly, then narrowed his eyes in silence. With everyone's eyes fixed on him, another person pressed, "Commander, your only son was murdered, and you won't even demand an explanation? If you don't even dare seek justice for that, what will you do next time when he comes to kill you? Will you dare resist?" Zhang He was under immense pressure. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. After a long hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, "A year ago, my... my son was assassinated in Nanyuan... I... I only wish to ask: does City Lord Su know anything about it? Back then, he disguised himself as Cui Lang and possessed great strength. When my son was killed, did he happen to find any clues?" The moment he spoke, someone quickly picked up the thread. "Some matters must be made clear! If someone dares assassinate the son of an army commander today, tomorrow he will dare kill the commander himself, and the day after, he will dare kill a mansion master!" "A tyrant who slaughters anyone who displeases him or crosses his path... do you all truly wish to see such a person become the Sacred Lord?" "Aren't you afraid... that your turn will come one day?" Immediately after, that same person turned and said, "Their Majesties the Great Han King and King Dayuan, could we ask City Lord Su whether he knows anything, and have him come out to explain?" He didn't outright accuse Su Yu of doing the killing! Yet he demanded Su Yu be brought to face questioning. Moreover, Zhang He's son wasn't the only one killed that day! If Su Yu was behind all of them, what was the reason? Just because they went to Nanyuan? What monstrous malice! To murder people merely for that—who would dare let someone like this become their sovereign? The Great Han King knitted his brows. King Dayuan's brow twitched slightly. After a brief silence, he said in a low voice, "Could someone ask Su Yu to come over?" Zhang He was no nobody. He was an army commander of the Great Jin Prefecture! A Sun Moon realm powerhouse! Now, whether this was Great Jin's own intention or other people seizing the chance to cause trouble, the matter still had to be addressed. Soon, people turned their gazes toward the representatives of Liu City. Not many had come from Liu City today—only Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan were present. Everyone looked at Liu Wenyan. Liu Wenyan thought for a moment before speaking up: "Then I shall go call him!" With that, he turned and walked out of the hall, his brow furrowed. Just outside the doors, Chen Yong appeared beside him and sent a voice transmission: "I heard it too, Martial Uncle. I can just take the blame! I was carrying out assassinations everywhere back then anyway. A few more won't make a difference!" "We'll see!" Liu Wenyan gave no definite answer. If Chen Yong took the blame, it would indeed be the cleanest solution. Chen Yong had been on a killing spree everywhere at the time! Although the timing might clash slightly with killings he had committed elsewhere, for a genius like Chen Yong, who was to say he hadn't used an avatar? If he confessed, no one would be able to disprove it. ... Soon, at the Su Mansion. Su Yu was just finishing a trade discussion with someone. As soon as the visitor left, Liu Wenyan arrived and wasted no time: "The resolution to form the Sacred Ground has passed. Now they are selecting the Master of the Sacred Ground. Over at the Great Jin Prefecture, Zhang He claims you killed his son... This might be a bit troublesome!" Su Yu smiled. "Troublesome?" Liu Wenyan frowned. "Yes, troublesome! There was no valid reason to kill him..." "He broke into my home. He trespassed on my private property to steal my treasures. What was wrong with killing him?" Su Yu didn't care in the slightest! Indeed, he truly did not care. Back then, he had hidden it only because he lacked strength. Now, he was a powerhouse. Su Yu said indifferently, "To put it bluntly, among the myriad races, my home is my Dao arena! In the major prefectures, it is an ancestral estate! If you trespass into the Xia, Qin, or Zhou households—any of them—you get killed on sight, and who would dare complain?" People had only dared to challenge him because he was young and weak back then. Now, who dared trespass into an ancient city's City Lord Mansion? Who dared trespass into the Su Mansion? No one dared! Because now, he was powerful! He had mighty forces backing him! Thus, Su Yu did not care in the least. Liu Wenyan said in a heavy voice, "Regardless... it is still improper. It gives them an easy excuse to target you." Su Yu chuckled. "Teacher, you... I think you worry far too much!" Rising to his feet with a smile, Su Yu added, "I'll go with you to take a look. It's nothing. To be honest, this Master of the Sacred Ground is just a title. If I don't get it, so what? How much could it really affect me? "Martial Uncle Chen worries too much as well. If I killed him, I have a justification; if he takes the blame, it becomes an unjustified murder!" Su Yu laughed. "It's a trivial matter, no need to fret!" Liu Wenyan sighed softly. "You... you make the call yourself! Perhaps... I still haven't let go. You know what's in my heart. I wish for the Multiple Character Faction to be acknowledged by the human race itself... In the end, I simply cannot be as carefree as you." Su Yu nodded. "I understand! It's only natural. You've dealt with multiple divine characters since childhood. For decades, the Multiple Character Faction has been your faith, and you sacrificed so much for it... Now, leading the Sacred Ground would make it legitimate and widely recognized... I know you still hope I can secure this position." Liu Wenyan nodded. Yes, he hoped Su Yu would take it! He wasn't as reckless as Bai Feng, who would simply scoff and leave to become a hegemon among the myriad realms if they refused him. Liu Wenyan longed for the Multiple Character Faction to be truly accepted by all of humanity. ... Su Yu understood Liu Wenyan's thoughts. The man had been crippled for fifty years, yet he had never been willing to leave or give up, constantly thinking of revitalizing the Multiple Character Faction... Some things had become an obsession. Yet to Su Yu, missing out on the position was really no great loss. As for Liu Wenyan, they could address his concerns later. ... Inside the grand hall. Su Yu stepped inside once more, sweeping his gaze across the room. Several people shrank their necks under his gaze, prompting a sneer of contempt from Su Yu! He already knew! There were still six factions that had refused to agree to the establishment of the Sacred Ground! He also knew who had prodded Zhang He to step out and air his grievances to accuse him. Su Yu didn't bother wasting words. Ignoring the mansion masters on either side, he strode grandly and decisively up to the raised platform and took a seat directly on the empty central throne. Looking down at the crowd below, Su Yu cupped his hands toward the Great Han King while completely ignoring King Dayuan. The Great Han King said nothing, and King Dayuan remained silent as well. Su Yu said coolly, "Didn't someone call me here to face the court? Step forward and speak!" Over by the Great Jin Prefecture, Zhang He's face turned ash-white. After a long pause, he stepped out, keeping his head lowered as he muttered, "City Lord Su, my son was killed in Nanyuan back then..." Su Yu cut him off: "I killed him!" The entire hall went dead silent! Even Xia Longwu and the others couldn't help but look at Su Yu. They had suspected Su Yu might not deny it, but he had confessed with utter bluntness! Instantly, someone cried out in panic, "City Lord Su, you must not speak recklessly..." Su Yu replied flatly, "There's nothing reckless about it. I killed him!" "Brutally slaughtering the descendant of an army commander—City Lord Su, is this the kind of backing you bring to become Sacred Lord?" Someone barked in fury! Su Yu glared at him, a terrifying wave of killing intent erupting from his eyes as he snapped coldly, "Shut your mouth! Who are you to question me? Which prefecture are you from? What rank do you hold? Who gave you the right to butt in?" The man below shuddered, then gritted his teeth and countered, "Does the City Lord intend to use his great strength to kill me right here, in front of the Great Han King and the others? Honest advice is harsh to the ear! If the City Lord cannot even tolerate honest advice, how can you expect to lead the Sacred Ground in the future..." "Noisy!" With a soft bark, the man spat blood. The Great Han King hastily raised a hand to block the lingering shockwave, looking toward Su Yu and transmitting his voice: "City Lord Su!" Su Yu said calmly, "Out of respect for the Great Han King, I will spare your life! "Lead the Sacred Ground? Honest advice? "If I become Master of the Sacred Ground," Su Yu said ruthlessly, "I will need no honest advice! I will need no virtuous way! Given the current state of affairs, do you still wish for a gentle, conciliary approach? Do you expect me to listen to you and act as your puppet? What a joke! That day on Tianxia Island, King Dazhou asked me what I would do if I were king. "I answered him that very day! Those who obey me are the human race; those who do not... may be killed!" The word "killed" struck fear into everyone's hearts, accompanied by soaring murderous aura. Su Yu had slaughtered far too many powerhouses! He had killed beings all the way up to the peak beneath Dao Integration, including ninth-stage Eternals! No one present, including the few Invincibles, had killed more Sun Moon and Invincible experts than Su Yu. Even if they combined their tallies, it wouldn't match his. People called Xia Longwu a slaughterer, but no—Su Yu was the true slaughterer! At this moment, Su Yu was cold and unyielding. "Every one of you truly thinks of yourselves as something important, don't you? You think I need you to teach me how to oversee the grand situation? When I ruled the Sacred Cities, I struck terror into the myriad realms until none of the races dared provoke me! As long as I live, the myriad races will not know peace! What do I need to explain to you? What do I need to learn from you? "I killed Zhang He's son, and I killed every other person who died that day! If I hadn't lacked the time and strength back then, not a single person who stepped foot into my house would have walked away alive!" Su Yu said coldly, "That was my, Su Yu's, Dao arena! It was my estate! To enter uninvited is to trespass, to burgle, to steal! Today, would anyone dare enter my Dao arena uninvited? In the end, it was only because I was too weak and lacked strength that you dared bully me! Would anyone dare trespass into the estates of the various Invincibles? If someone did and got killed, would anyone dare utter a single complaint?" Su Yu sneered, "Have you not been frightened enough by my slaughter? Did the myriad races dare step into my estate? Or do you think I, Su Yu, cannot kill humans? That I cannot kill you?" Silence. The entire speech reeked of blood and slaughter! There was no defense, no room for compromise. He had killed them, plain and simple! Down below, in the Great Han Prefecture's area, Liu Wushen saw the lingering silence and cleared his throat. "City Lord Su, trespassing into your home was indeed wrong, but... resorting straight to execution is perhaps a bit excessive... They were still young, and it might have been an unintentional mistake..." Su Yu looked at him. Feeling uneasy under his stare, Liu Wushen cleared his throat again. "What I mean is, can't City Lord Su connect to the Dead Spirit Realm? Perhaps you could see if you can locate their dead spirit bodies? That would bring some comfort to General Zhang He and the others. In addition, we hope City Lord Su might offer some compensation..." In plain terms, he was trying to smooth things over so everyone could move past this. A little compensation was nothing to Su Yu. As for searching for their dead spirit bodies... one could easily drag it out. Who knew if they had even transformed into dead spirits? Even if they had, with their feeble strength, they might have perished long ago. Where would anyone find them? Su Yu said calmly, "Compensation? Search for their dead spirit bodies? Is that necessary? I killed them. If their families or backers feel wronged, let them come kill me! If they can't kill me, then abandon all thoughts of revenge! I did nothing wrong, so why should I compensate them? If I trespassed into King Daqin's estate to search for treasures and trampled on a photograph of King Daqin and his father, and King Daqin killed me, I would simply consider myself unlucky! It's that simple! Not everything requires a reason or an accounting! I killed King Zhi and the others—Tiangu demanded an explanation from me, but did I give him one? I killed Blood Fire—the Demon Emperor demanded an explanation from me, but would I give him one?" Su Yu scoffed, treating the notion with utter contempt! Over by the Great Jin Prefecture, the Mansion Master took a deep breath and spoke up: "Yet they are human, after all! Not an enemy race!" Su Yu looked at him and said, "I believe there are treasures in the ancestral graves of the Great Jin King. If I go dig up those graves right now to steal the treasures, will your Great Jin Prefecture agree? If you agree, I'll go. If the Great Jin King manages to kill me, I'll accept it! And if I am killed, no one will demand compensation from you!" The Mansion Master of Great Jin frowned slightly. "City Lord Su, that was merely a house. It is not the same as ancestral graves..." Su Yu sneered. "How is it different? It is only different because I am strong now and you dare not provoke me! Then let me ask you: over the years, has anyone ever trespassed into your estate, or the estates of the other prefectures? If so, what was the outcome?" Beside him, Marquis Xia raised an eyebrow. "There haven't been any in recent years, but back when the prefectures were first established, there certainly were. Some people tried to sneak into the estates... and they were all killed. Once enough had been slaughtered, no one dared try again." Su Yu smiled. "Did such things happen in the Great Jin Prefecture?" Marquis Xia went to speak, but Su Yu raised a hand to stop him, looking squarely at the Mansion Master of Great Jin as he demanded coldly, "Did it ever happen in the Great Jin Prefecture?" The Mansion Master of Great Jin fell silent for a moment before replying, "Yes." "How did you handle the intruders?" Silence fell once more. After a while, feeling chilled under Su Yu's piercing gaze, the Mansion Master of Great Jin sighed. "They were killed." "Did you compensate their families afterward? Did you apologize to them?" "...No!" Su Yu smiled playfully. "You see? Who is the one applying double standards? It's just a dwelling! Because your dwellings are called 'estates,' no one is allowed to trespass! But mine isn't? Merely because my house was a bit cheaper?" Su Yu laughed again. "Then let me ask you another question: what was their objective when they entered my house?" No one spoke. Su Yu said indifferently, "The heritage ruin!" "Then let me ask further: every mansion master possesses heritage ruins. When people attempted to trespass into your ruins or covet the ruins you've used, how did you handle them?" "Killed them!" someone below called out in response. Su Yu chuckled. "Very well. Some claim the Nanyuan heritage ruin does not belong to me, Su Yu. Then do the heritage ruins of your prefectures belong by default to the founding kings who established them? Since you claim whoever discovers it owns it, then when I discovered it, why wasn't it mine? In that case, when they invaded my estate seeking to steal my heritage ruin, what was wrong with me killing them?" Su Yu's voice turned icy. "Everyone, this is reality! Because you thought I was weak, young, and hadn't slaughtered your people yet, you weren't afraid! If you had so much courage, why didn't you dare rob the founding kings? Now that I am strong, you want to talk reason with me! When I was weak, why did no one step forward to talk reason with me? "When I talk strength to you, you want to talk reason! When I talk reason to you, you want to talk strength... In the end, which matters more: reason, or strength?" Not a sound could be heard. The Great Han King exhaled softly and said, "You have all heard. Let this matter... end here! As for the death of General Zhang He's son..." Su Yu interrupted him: "No. Since we are discussing reason and strength, I want every fellow who entered my house back then to step forward and give me an accounting!" Su Yu said calmly, "I remember their auras! Especially the one who stepped on the photograph of my father and me... I remember their auras vividly, down to the last detail! They destroyed all the precious memories of my childhood... destroyed everything I had in the Human Realm. Did you truly think I didn't know? Did you think I was blind to it?" "..." The crowd was speechless. The Great Han King had just said to drop the matter, yet Su Yu was refusing to let it go. He wanted to track down every single person who had entered his house back then! He wanted them to answer for it! So were they discussing strength, or reason? It seemed... neither was open for negotiation. This was the universal rule of the myriad realms: you do not trespass into the residence of a powerhouse. If you do, you die, and nobody sheds a tear for you—it was as simple as that! People had simply overlooked it previously... or rather, subconsciously failed to realize it. Because Su Yu had risen too quickly. His home... had truly been just an ordinary house. For powerhouses like King Daqin, their estates were grand compounds. The ordinary houses they had lived in before their rise had vanished long ago. The powerhouses of the myriad realms all required a long journey to rise! Only the place they occupied after reaching the summit was considered an official estate. Su Yu, on the other hand, had never established a dedicated estate. The place he had lived in the longest was that old house of his—which was gone now, reduced entirely to rubble during the previous great battle! The Great Han King felt somewhat helpless as well. He spoke up: "City Lord Su, I think... it would be best to let this matter rest. No one acted with malice toward you personally, and every powerhouse inevitably incurs some enmity along the path of their rise... It is impossible to slaughter every last offender! The City Lord now possesses world-shaking strength; why not show magnanimity and let this pass..." Su Yu smiled. "Naturally, I must give face to the Great Han King! Since His Majesty has spoken today, I shall be magnanimous this once and spare the miserable lives of those petty thieves!" Su Yu wore a broad smile, looking as if he had just performed a great deed of charity. Yet none of the people below could muster a smile. Su Yu was simply too overbearing! The Great Han King had no desire to dwell on this further. He quickly said, "Does anyone have any further objections to this matter?" No one made a sound. If anyone dared say yes, who knew what would happen? Over at the Great Jin Prefecture, Zhang He also returned to his seat with his head lowered, saying not another word, as if he had never spoken at all. Seek revenge against Su Yu? He lacked the ability, and he lacked the courage. Speaking out this time had been a desperate gamble pushed upon him; otherwise... some things were best left in the past. He could do nothing against Su Yu. "Since there are no objections, we shall begin the second resolution!" The Great Han King did not ask Su Yu to leave, treating him as though he were just an observer, and continued, "The nominees for Sacred Lord are King Daqin, Qin Fang, Su Yu, Xia Longwu, Zhu Tiandao, and Wan Mingze. Aside from these, does anyone wish to nominate another candidate?" Xia Longwu frowned slightly. "Count me out!" The Great Han King looked at him, and Xia Longwu said calmly, "I have no interest, nor the strength, nor the ability!" Over on the side, Zhu Tiandao yawned and said, "Count me out as well. I'm merely a quasi-Invincible, not a true Invincible. I won't meddle in this!" Qin Zhen spoke up as well: "My son is unqualified. As for my father... I know some people might not wish for him to withdraw, so keep his name on the list!" "Wan Mingze's strength is too low; he has only just stepped into the Lingyun Realm. This is inappropriate!" "With Lingyun strength, how could he convince the masses? He only holds a bit of prestige among the younger generation!" "..." One mansion master after another spoke. After a moment, the Great Han King said, "Then that leaves only Su Yu and King Daqin?" "I believe His Majesty King Dazhou should be counted as one!" "Indeed!" "His Majesty King Dazhou is also exceedingly powerful, possessing sufficient capability, strength, and wisdom!" Outside the doors, King Dazhou's voice drifted in slowly: "This old man will pass. I am advanced in years and have no heart to manage such affairs." Several people looked toward Su Yu. What about you? Why don't you withdraw voluntarily to save everyone the trouble? Yet Su Yu was beaming. Seeing people look at him, he smiled and said, "Why are you looking at me? Cast your votes! I'd like to see the results too—just to watch the show and enjoy the fun!" He had all but said: I want to see which factions in the human race dare refuse to vote for me! Such immense pressure gave several people massive headaches. Over there, Marquis Xia swiftly produced two golden scrolls and announced, "Su Yu on the left, King Daqin on the right! The usual rules apply: stamp your seals to decide! Once cast, it cannot be changed!" Someone asked, "Does the previous seventy percent threshold still apply?" "It does!" Marquis Xia said calmly, "If neither candidate reaches twenty-eight votes, we will hold a new selection! We will continue until someone secures twenty-eight votes!" With those words, Xia Longwu was once again the first to take out his golden seal. Looking at the register, he stamped it firmly on the left side and declared, "The Xia family supports Su Yu. As for the rest of you, do as you please!" This time, however, the movement was far slower. Whom should they choose? King Daqin? Su Yu? Or neither? Several people fell into a struggle, while others quickly made up their minds. The Great Ming Prefecture cast its two votes decisively for Su Yu. Zhu Tiandao raised an eyebrow at Su Yu, as if to say: pretty loyal, right? Over on King Daqin's side, both votes were quickly cast for Su Yu as well. Qin Zhen wore a relaxed expression. This could be considered repayment for saving his life, right? Go on and be the boss! Great Xia, Great Ming, and Great Qin swiftly made their choices. Soon, Great Wu and Great Song followed suit. A moment later, the Dayuan Prefecture and Great Zhou Prefecture made their decisions, and the Great Han Prefecture quickly cast its vote as well... In the blink of an eye, eleven votes had been cast. After another moment, General Wu Ji, who was representing the All-Heavens Prefecture, glanced at Su Yu, remained silent for a breath, and then stamped his golden seal on the left side, beside Su Yu's name. Twelve to zero! People exchanged glances, their expressions thoroughly complicated. After another brief pause, Great Shang, Dawei, Great Qi, Great Tang, Great Jin... a full eight prefectures stamped their seals on the left side as well. Twenty votes! Twenty to zero! In the blink of an eye, the tally had reached half the total! Now, the remaining people grew depressed, hesitant, and conflicted. Twenty votes! There were many factors at play. First, several powerful prefectures had taken the lead, including the Great Zhou Prefecture. Second, Su Yu was sitting right there! And as for the competitor, King Daqin... the Great Qin Prefecture hadn't even voted for him. For a time, many eyes turned toward the Great Jin Prefecture. This was also one of the powerful prefectures! Over at the Great Jin Prefecture's table, the Mansion Master looked at no one else. After a moment of hesitation, his great seal flew out and stamped firmly on the left side. Once it was stamped, he let out a breath, closed his eyes to rest, and said nothing more. With this, the remaining holdouts lost hope! Everyone had agreed! The prefectures they had expected to oppose—Great Zhou, Dayuan, Great Shang, Great Jin—had all been thought to be against it, yet not a single one had stood in opposition! The crucial problem was that no one was willing to step forward and lead the resistance. Without a powerhouse taking the lead, who would dare recklessly cast a dissenting vote? If the Great Zhou Prefecture had led the opposition, many people would have voted against Su Yu today. Unfortunately, they hadn't. A moment later, Great Chen, Great Liang, Great Sui, Great Zhao, and Great Shu swiftly stamped their seals as well, all siding with Su Yu. That made twenty-six votes. Of the remaining fourteen parties, only two more prefectures needed to agree. The outcome was beyond dispute! Among the remaining fourteen, Great Chu was the strongest. At this moment, the Mansion Master of the Great Chu Prefecture looked toward Su Yu, thought for a moment, and said, "City Lord Su, allow me to ask one more thing: if the City Lord becomes Master of the Sacred Ground, what arrangements or orders will you make for the future direction of the human race? Or rather, what will the City Lord do to alter the situation of the human race?" Su Yu smiled faintly. "I have no particular thoughts. I'll take it one step at a time and simply hold the title!" "..." The Mansion Master of Great Chu looked utterly conflicted. What kind of answer was that? We're voting for you, and you're just taking the title for fun? Is this... truly reliable? He spoke again: "Then... let me ask another question that the City Lord might not like to hear. If the City Lord happens to be killed—which is not impossible—wouldn't the Sacred Ground become a laughingstock?" Su Yu thought for a moment and smiled. "True! So if I encounter danger and get besieged, the human race will have to exert every effort to help me, lest we become a laughingstock!" "..." So you only want the benefits without doing any of the work? At this moment, even some of the major prefectures that had already voted felt somewhat helpless. King Daqin and the others had put in tremendous effort for this vote. Yet here Su Yu was, making his stance crystal clear: he would just hold the title, and if he was in danger, the human race had to come save him. As for contributions... none for now! The Great Han King hastily coughed and said with a smile, "City Lord Su enjoys joking. In truth, the City Lord has always been contributing to the human race. Without City Lord Su's Alliance of Ancient Cities, there would be no iron wall shielding the human race from the outside!" He shot Su Yu a glance. You haven't reached twenty-eight votes yet! What is this guy thinking? Su Yu wasn't thinking anything profound; he was simply wondering whether, once he reached twenty-eight votes, all the remaining holdouts would vote for him anyway. Because by then, struggling would be useless! Su Yu pondered for a moment, his lips moving slightly. ... The Mansion Master of Great Chu was still hesitating. After a long pause, he decided he might as well vote for Su Yu. This was King Daqin and the others' intention anyway. Voting for King Daqin wouldn't change anything; he only hoped Su Yu would contribute a bit more to humanity... Just as he was about to act, his expression changed slightly. Su Yu's voice transmitted into his ear: "Vote for King Daqin!" The Mansion Master of Great Chu frowned slightly, hesitating for a moment while inwardly cursing: this fellow's heart is far too black! Isn't he afraid the boat will capsize? If everyone after this truly votes for King Daqin... you... After a brief struggle, he stamped his golden seal on the right side—for King Daqin! Seeing this, several people among the remaining prefectures had their eyes flicker. ... Meanwhile, Su Yu continued his voice transmissions: "Mansion Master of Dayue, vote for King Daqin!" "..." Among the crowd, a middle-aged man's gaze grew peculiar. Is he... testing me, or is he actually baiting me? Does this fellow feel unsatisfied because no one voted against him? Does he insist on finding a few people to execute before he's happy? With these thoughts running through his mind, the man weighed his options and cast his vote for King Daqin as well. ... On the high platform, the Great Han King looked toward Su Yu and transmitted: "Why bother?" Su Yu smiled and replied via transmission: "No matter. Since they have struggled this far, I must give them a glimmer of hope; otherwise... where's the fun? I am also curious whether they will stand firm to the end or switch course halfway through. I want to see if anyone truly holds to their conviction and insists on opposing me to the bitter end." The Great Han King remained silent. A moment later, the remaining people cast their votes in succession. Soon, the results were out. Thirty-seven to three. Great Chu, Dayue, and Daliao had chosen King Daqin. Su Yu stroked his chin, wondering whether Daliao was simply stubborn or had taken pity on King Daqin and thrown him a vote. In truth, once the tally crossed twenty-eight, there was nothing left to see. Whomever they voted for changed nothing! Mainly, the major prefectures had declared their stances far too early, leaving no suspense whatsoever and no leader to rally the opposition. Su Yu smiled, finding it somewhat dull. Looking down at the crowd below, he chuckled. "So, just like that, I've become the Master of the Sacred Ground? It felt... not fierce at all!" No one answered. Seeing this, the Great Han King spoke up: "Isn't that a good thing? Congratulations to City Lord Su... no, Sacred Lord Su! Now that the Sacred Ground is established, its naming and location will be handled as soon as Sacred Lord Su gives the word! "All construction and structural arrangements... will have personnel liaising with City Lord Su!" The Great Han King smiled. "Successfully completing the establishment of the Sacred Ground is a joyous occasion. Won't Sacred Lord Su hold a celebration? It would let everyone witness the Sacred Lord's vitality!" Su Yu seemed lost in thought, then smiled and said, "True enough! Tomorrow happens to be my father's grand birthday. I might as well invite the myriad races of the heavens to come celebrate on my behalf! Tomorrow, everyone shall come to my mansion to celebrate my father's birthday! As for the location... let's make it Nanyuan! It's newly built, so there are few residents. With more of us there, it will be lively!" There was one thing he left unsaid: if someone caused trouble and got beaten to death, ordinary mortals wouldn't be affected! Su Yu laughed heartily. "Then tomorrow it is! The day of my father's grand birthday shall also be the day I become the Sacred Lord of the Human Realm! I hope none of you are late tomorrow—every single one of you must attend!" ... Outside the grand hall. King Daxia looked toward King Dazhou. "Are you going?" King Dazhou nodded and smiled faintly. "It was concluded smoothly in the end. Since he wants glory, we shall give him glory! Tomorrow... the kings shall crown him!" King Daxia considered it and nodded. "It was indeed fairly smooth. I had expected a few hitches, but it went remarkably well!" "Everyone is not completely foolish, after all," King Dazhou said calmly. "Seeing that opposition was impossible, opposing him now would only earn his grudge." King Daxia nodded again, adding teasingly, "Mainly because someone didn't step forward to oppose him; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy, right?" He was referring to King Dazhou himself! Because King Dazhou hadn't stepped up to lead the opposition, things had gone far more smoothly. Otherwise, with him serving as the vanguard, if the Great Zhou Prefecture had opposed it, today's outcome would never have been like this! King Dazhou smiled lightly. "A very natural choice, wouldn't you say?" King Daxia said no more. Tomorrow... crown Su Yu? He looked at King Dazhou, feeling that this fellow had been excessively low-profile this time. He hadn't interfered with anything, opening his mouth only to say two words: support! Supporting the establishment of the Sacred Ground, supporting Su Yu... had this guy taken a liking to Su Yu? Or was there some conspiracy? At this moment, King Daxia couldn't help but overthink. He felt that King Dazhou had been excessively low-profile since his return. So low-profile that he even wondered if someone was impersonating the man. In the past, whenever a major decision was to be made, when had this guy not stirred up some trouble? King Dazhou, however, wore a serene expression. Being Master of the Sacred Ground was a minor affair—it was merely laying the groundwork for Su Yu. The truly monumental events were yet to come!