Unexpected Gains

Emperor Yu Manor. That was the name Su Yu had settled on. It was a grandiose title, one that even the Invincibles felt was inappropriate, yet Su Yu could not care less. Was the ancient Human Sovereign dead? No one knew! What had truly happened to the experts of the ancient era? Had they gone missing, departing beyond the grid, or were they truly dead, lingering in the Dead Spirit Realm? Su Yu paid it no mind. If the Human Sovereign was genuinely still alive, then let him return—that would save Su Yu plenty of trouble. And if he was truly dead, what was the harm in taking the name Emperor Yu Manor? As for incurring karmic entanglement with the Human Sovereign... when you owe too many debts, you stop worrying about them. Between the Tombstone of Civilizations and the Time Book, he was already tangled in a mountain of karma with King Wen and the Time Master; adding the Human Sovereign to the pile hardly mattered. The forging of the array continued, visibly drawing near to success. Suddenly, Su Yu vanished. …… A moment later. At the Su Manor. Su Yu returned. Outside the gate, members of the Five Elements race had arrived. Carrying a mix of apprehension and excitement, the elder sensed that Su Yu was back. He waited for a moment until he heard Su Yu's assent, and only then did he enter. Inside the hall. The Five Elements elder spoke cautiously, "City Lord Su, my race's carrier has arrived under escort. Do you think...?" "Do you want to make the trade now?" "Yes." The Five Elements elder replied with great care, terrified that Su Yu might say he had changed his mind. Beside him, Foutuling wore a calm expression, keeping silent. In addition to Foutuling, there was another Five Elements elder who was also in the Sun Moon Realm. He was likely the one who had escorted the carrier. When venturing outside, it was only natural not to carry valuables on one's person without need. Of course, it was even more probable that they feared complications and had brought someone along to inspect the goods. Su Yu was unconcerned, saying indifferently, "Then let us make the trade!" With those words, a petal of the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus flew out. Sure enough, the unfamiliar Sun Moon expert caught it. He examined it thoroughly without making his actions too obvious, soon sending a voice transmission: "It was not forged by a weapon smith—it is natural!" Hearing this, the earlier elder let out a breath of relief. What he feared most was a counterfeit forged using Su Yu's weapon-crafting arts. Fortunately, that was not the case. The newly arrived Sun Moon expert inspected it closely once more, transmitting, "Its appearance, grain patterns, aura... every aspect matches the records of the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus kept by our race. However, I cannot guarantee its authenticity unless... we consume it on the spot and observe the effects!" Nonsense! A treasure this precious was never meant for the Sun Moon Realm. It was meant for Invincibles or quasi-Invincibles to attain the Dao. Eating it was out of the question. And as long as no one ate it, it was indistinguishable from the real thing in every conceivable way. That was precisely the peculiar nature of the Smiling Lotus. Aside from slightly disordered time patterns, it was identical to the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus, and Su Yu had already made slight adjustments to those patterns. Foutuling had also been looking at it for a while. Unable to discern whether it was genuine or fake, he felt both surprise and a sense of helplessness. Su Yu was truly a vexing adversary! Even when forging fakes, he made them look authentic. He had pulled off multiple counterfeits, and each time nobody could tell. The last time, even in the very end, Zhan Wushuang could not figure out how he had been tricked. The corpse was real, so how had he been deceived? To craft a counterfeit so flawless that everyone knew they were being swindled yet no one could pinpoint the flaw—that was the brilliance of Su Yu's deception. Take this Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus: Foutuling knew it was fake, yet he could not spot a single flaw. The two Sun Moon experts were in the same boat. After staring at it for ages, they failed to find anything amiss. Su Yu said impatiently, "Are you done yet? I have other business to attend to. I don't have time to waste with you!" At his urging, the two Sun Moon experts grew anxious. After conferring briefly, they concluded that it was largely sound. Soon, the newly arrived elder produced a five-colored stone, cautiously offering, "Lord Su, this is a Five Elements Origin Stone. It can be used as a carrier and is the most precious treasure of our Five Elements race..." Su Yu reached out, took it directly into his grasp, and examined it. Feeling the power of the five elements contained within, he nodded slightly and said flatly, "That will do." "My lord... is it... truly impossible to sell a few more petals?" The Five Elements race still wanted to push their luck. Su Yu said calmly, "You're dreaming. Why would I sell multiple petals to a single faction? If you hand them over to high-stage Eternals and someone ends up merging their Dao, wouldn't I just be making trouble for myself? Forget it!" Both elders wore disappointed expressions. In their hearts, however, they held onto hope: they had planted other people in line and hoped those agents could buy some. Seeing this, and fearing the elders might say something rash, Foutuling cupped his hands. "City Lord Su, then we shall take our leave. Tomorrow, we will head to Nanyuan to attend the gathering and congratulate Elder Su on his birthday!" Calling him "Elder Su" already... If Su Long heard that, one wondered if he would cry. A fifty-year-old "elder"... probably everyone across the heavens would want to weep. Yet such was reality. Who told him to be Su Yu's father? Even if he did not want to play the part, he had no choice. …… Soon, the Five Elements delegation exited. Outside the gates, experts from various races were hiding in the shadows. Seeing them emerge, someone quickly sent a voice transmission to Foutuling: "Foutuling, did you get it?" Foutuling replied with feigned helplessness, "No. He refuses to sell to major races, so we couldn't buy any!" He knew this was everyone's mindset. Regardless of who successfully bought one, they would claim they hadn't. Therefore, even if seventy petals were sold, the truth would not be exposed anytime soon. Who would dare reveal such a treasure so easily? Those who purchased a single petal would fear ambushes from others or major races seeking to collect a full set of Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotuses. Under normal circumstances, unless a single faction acquired more than seven petals, everyone would insist they had come away empty-handed. Sure enough, those hiding in the shadows were skeptical, yet they could not be certain. Had the Five Elements race truly bought one or not? While they were hesitating, someone lightly knocked on the gates of the Su Manor. Someone whispered in surprise, "Even the Immortal race is here to buy?" "Does the Immortal race really lack this single petal of the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus?" "Will Su Yu even sell to them?" "..." Various Sun Moon experts conversed secretly, caught off guard by the Immortal race's arrival. …… Inside, Su Yu was also somewhat surprised. The Immortal race wanted to buy as well? The feud between them ran exceedingly deep. This envoy from the Immortal race was not strong, merely at the fourth stage of the Sun Moon Realm. Upon seeing Su Yu, he bowed slightly with a smile on his face. Without preamble, he stated directly upon entering, "Our Emperor sent me with words for the City Lord." Surprised, Su Yu chuckled. "Tiangu? What does he wish to say?" "City Lord Su wishes to sell fake Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotuses... The Immortal race has no intention of ruining your good fortune, but the Immortal race demands half of all the proceeds!" Su Yu chuckled in amusement. "Fake? What fake?" The envoy was unfazed and smiled. "My lord knows well. Such things were circulated during the ancient era as well! Selling fake Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotuses does not make my lord the first. Our Emperor hails from the ancient times, so he naturally knows a thing or two." The envoy continued, "My lord may refuse, or my lord may kill me. But if you kill me, the fact that you are peddling fake Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotuses will soon be known across the heavens. Perhaps not many will believe it outright, but they will certainly hesitate. At that point, how many could my lord hope to sell?" Su Yu said with a dry laugh, "So the Immortal race wants to lift not a single finger, take half my earnings, and leave me to shoulder all the blame?" A marvelous scheme indeed! Tiangu... Tiangu might truly know something. Still, for a mere Sun Moon to come demanding a share of the pie—you are far too weak. As if reading Su Yu's mind, the envoy smiled. "My lord may kill me or imprison me. However, I came here in plain sight. If I do not emerge for a long time, word will spread immediately! If I die, a phenomenon will manifest! The Immortal Realm will promptly broadcast the news. Sacrificing the life of a fourth-stage Sun Moon like myself in exchange for ruining your grand scheme is a worthy trade!" Su Yu laughed. "I didn't realize you were such a stubborn hardhead! The real issue is, even if I give it to you, you won't be able to carry it away!" "Rest assured, my lord. As long as you give it, I can naturally transport it away!" Quite confident! Instead of exposing him outright, the Immortal race had sent someone to demand a cut. This fellow Tiangu was rather intriguing. Did he realize that even if the Immortal race spoke up, few would believe them? Not many knew of the Smiling Lotus, but that didn't mean no one did. During the ancient era, figures of notable standing were aware of it. It was only natural for Tiangu to know. Su Yu was certain that Warden Tianhou probably knew as well. But that was fine; Warden Tianhou was unlikely to interfere. His goal was the fragments, and he wouldn't antagonize Su Yu right now lest he draw Su Yu's scrutiny. Thus, Su Yu was not overly concerned about Warden Tianhou. "So if I refuse right now, the Immortal race will make trouble for me?" "It is not making trouble—merely informing everyone that this item is counterfeit!" The envoy's cultivation was modest, but in a race as vast as the Immortals, there were inevitably a few who were meticulous, daring, and bold. Knowing full well that Su Yu might kill him, he had come anyway. His cultivation was unremarkable; dying would be no great loss. The Immortal race did not care about losing a mid-stage Sun Moon. Su Yu smiled, too lazy to say more. What was Tiangu thinking? I would rather you expose me than let you take a cut of my profits! The civilization chronicle instantly crashed down upon him! The envoy maintained a placid expression. "Killing me will only result in your own loss, my lord... Unless you slaughter every single racial envoy who came today, even if you kill every Immortal here, someone will transmit the news immediately!" Su Yu didn't even bother answering as the civilization chronicle instantly suppressed him. Nor did he kill him; killing him would trigger a phenomenon, so why bother? However, the envoy's physical body instantly shattered while his sea of will was preserved. In the blink of an eye, the sea of will was stowed away, and the physical body reformed into its proper shape. Then, a divine character flew from Su Yu's sea of will straight into the physical vessel. Within a breath, the reconstituted body regained its posture. Its eyes opened, slightly dull at first, before quickly taking on a spark of spirit. Its aura also swiftly shifted. Having rapidly suppressed the envoy's sea of will, Su Yu chuckled. "You probably had some communication method, didn't you? The moment something went wrong or you were subdued, people outside would spot the anomaly?" Child's play! A death phenomenon? Su Yu concealed his own aura while letting the imposter's aura radiate openly. Meanwhile, Su Yu slipped through the void, vanishing from the Su Manor. Outsiders could sense the Sun Moon's continued presence, yet none could detect Su Yu's movements. …… Su Yu traversed the void at blistering speed, arriving at the border of the Daming Prefecture in the blink of an eye. There was a passageway here. However, aside from the God-Devouring race, no one else could open it. The Human Realm maintained guards here, though their strength was modest. Su Yu easily opened the passage. While the guards were still lost in an illusion, Su Yu had already slipped through and departed. In an instant, he returned to the Allhead Battlefield! No one dared venture near this spot—after all, the entrance to the God-Devouring Realm was right here; who had a death wish? Once he arrived, Su Yu's civilization chronicle instantly devoured the envoy! In a split second, the sea of will shattered, and a flood of memories poured forth. Su Yu directly plunged his willpower in to extract them. As for the death phenomenon... a Sun Moon dying on the Allhead Battlefield was utterly routine; who would care? As for whether the Immortal race had prepared some death-notification talisman, Su Yu did not care either. If they found out, so be it; if they spread the word, let them! If they hadn't left behind such a talisman, all the better. After combing through some of the memories, Su Yu smiled. Tearing open the passage, he returned to the Human Realm in the blink of an eye. …… Su Yu was immensely powerful now, and having mastered spatial traversal, his speed was terrifyingly swift. In under ten minutes, he crossed space and returned to the Su Manor. The envoy avatar, sustained by the divine character, was still standing in the hall. With a flick of Su Yu's sleeve, a beam of light shot into the puppet's body. A faint smile appeared on the puppet's face. Without a word, it strode out of the Su Manor. Upon exiting the gates, it formed a hand seal—a signal to notify those watching outside that all was well and Su Yu had agreed. As for who the contact was, even the envoy himself hadn't known, an arrangement designed precisely to keep Su Yu from discovering them. …… Inside the hall, Su Yu shook his head and chuckled. The Immortal race was truly tiresome. Acting like undercover operatives just to squeeze out a share of the profits—and with such half-hearted effort? At the very least, you should have sent an Invincible to infiltrate. When an Invincible is slain, no matter how quiet you try to keep it, the commotion can't be suppressed entirely. Failing that, you could have sent an Invincible avatar; if killed, the true body would still sense it. Yet you insisted on sending a Sun Moon! Were you afraid that if an Invincible came, I would actually kill them? "Flipping a hand seal to report that you're safe... how childish!" Su Yu curled his lip. That trick might work against ordinary folks, but it was nowhere near enough for him. Killing people causes a stir and produces a phenomenon? Fine, I just won't kill you in the Human Realm. Where are you going to observe the phenomenon then? Childish! Outside, the Immortal envoy departed quickly. In reality, he circled around and quietly returned to Su Yu's side. From the envoy's storage ring, Su Yu had uncovered another treasure. Something resembling a teleportation gate! This was the gadget the Immortal race had prepared to collect their share. They were worried that even if Su Yu agreed, he wouldn't let anyone carry the goods away in person. So they had prepared this contraption: each time Su Yu concluded a trade, he was to split half with them and teleport it away directly! "This thing is quite a treasure! A pity!" Pity it was merely a temporary teleportation gate; after being activated seven or eight times, it would collapse and be destroyed. As for where the teleported goods ended up, Su Yu had no idea. It was very likely still within the Human Realm! The chances of teleporting directly outside the Human Realm were slim. That meant the Immortal race still had arrangements embedded inside the Human Realm. This fellow was responsible for receiving the treasures and teleporting them to their contact, who would then find a way to transport them back to the Immortal Realm. That way, Su Yu would be powerless against them. The protocol was reasonably sound, and the arrangements were decent. They had simply been overly optimistic in thinking Su Yu would actually agree. This fourth-stage Sun Moon envoy knew very little. They hadn't even told him who the contacts were, fearing Su Yu might wipe them out in one fell swoop by killing him recklessly and using essence blood to extract his memories. In truth, Su Yu had not used essence blood at all. The civilization chronicle, gazing into the past and future, was the ultimate tool for this. Ignoring the puppet, Su Yu soon welcomed the second group into the hall. They, too, had come to trade for the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus. Before the second group could speak, Su Yu probed them and snorted coldly. "Get out! Subordinate races of the God race aren't eligible!" Below, the several Sun Moon experts were terrified, not daring to utter a word of protest. They felt helpless. Everyone knew they were affiliated with the God race, but they hadn't expected Su Yu to kick them out immediately without even asking whether the item was for their own use or for the God race! Soon, that group departed. Outside, everyone wishing to buy heard Su Yu's voice ring out with chilling frost: "Members of the Immortal, Demon, God, Dragon, and Underworld races, along with your subordinate races, don't bother coming in! If you do, I won't kill you, but don't waste my time! Furthermore, if any small races have been bought off by these major races, even if you secure one today, you'd better consider whether I will seek retribution against you later!" At these words, experts from several minor races were struck with terror. That was true! What if they faced retaliation later? At this point, no one even entertained doubts about whether the goods were genuine. How could they be fake! If they were fake, wouldn't Su Yu be trying to sell off every last one? Instead, he was imposing purchase limits, banning major races, intimidating smaller races, and driving people out without even asking what treasures they offered in exchange... Given this behavior, how could it possibly be counterfeit? If it were truly fake, would he need to go through all this? …… In the distance. The Five Elements race heard his announcement as well. Beside Foutuling, the elder grew excited, transmitting, "He didn't mention the Five Elements race, only major races like the Gods and Demons. That means even if our plants manage to buy some, he won't care?" Foutuling felt utterly exhausted. They were rushing headlong into a trap! "Do as you see fit, Elder!" Foutuling couldn't be bothered to argue. In any case, he had already informed Su Yu of the Five Elements race's plans. Su Yu had better not sell too many to them. If he sold too many and refused to make restitution later, it would severely damage his reputation should he want to cooperate with the Five Elements race in the future. …… Inside the Su Manor's hall, visitors arrived one after another. Even when peddling fakes, Su Yu was selective. He sold to some and refused others. Those who secured a petal rejoiced in secret, while those turned away were utterly dejected. Yet when they walked out, every single one wore a miserable expression, looking as though they had failed to buy anything. This left the onlookers outside thoroughly baffled: had anyone actually bought one or not? For now, nobody could tell. Meanwhile, that Immortal envoy... who was now Su Yu's divine-character avatar, was supposed to teleport some treasures to the contacts according to their agreement. If he delayed any longer, the lookouts stationed outside who knew Su Yu was conducting trades would see no treasures arriving. Once they checked in, the game would be up. Su Yu chuckled. Strictly speaking, the Immortal race's arrangement was quite thorough. It was just thoroughly petty! Acting so cloak-and-dagger, with three separate parties kept completely in the dark about one another—it seemed the Immortal race had planted quite a few spies in the Human Realm. Previously, many of the major races had arrangements within the Myriad Races Cult, yet the Immortal race alone had none. Now it seemed they hadn't been absent at all; they had simply kept an extremely low profile, aiming not for destruction, but purely for intelligence gathering. That way, the odds of being discovered were far lower. Without overthinking it, Su Yu retrieved a carrier, set up a few simple concealments, and actually opened the teleportation gate to send it through. He wanted to see just how extensive the Immortal race's arrangements in the Human Realm were. How many experts did they have here! He hadn't left his own imprint on the carrier, but rather a wisp of the mother ball's imprint. If the other side could detect it, they would need at least a ninth-stage Eternal expert overseeing things. If they couldn't detect it... that meant they had no such powerhouse. Without one, they would be unable to purge the imprint, and Su Yu would soon be able to pinpoint their location. "Will they have someone like that?" Su Yu considered it and laughed at himself. If the other side had truly managed to station a ninth-stage Eternal in the Human Realm, even Su Yu would be astonished. …… Just as Su Yu teleported the carrier. Somewhere within the Human Realm. Inside a spatial rift, the void fluctuated, and a carrier materialized. Instantly, a powerful being beside the carrier incinerated it with flames. The fire burned through the void. A carrier was extraordinarily sturdy, whereas a fake carrier would be instantly reduced to ash! Furthermore, if any tracking imprint had been left upon the carrier, unless the opponent possessed an overwhelmingly potent marking capability, any tracking imprint would be incinerated. This powerful entity burned it for a while before finally stowing the carrier away. This place was the interior of a massive ancient structure. There was more than one living soul in this ancient ruin. Just as the entity put away the carrier, another figure approached and said in a deep voice, "A carrier? That makes taking action worthwhile! Still, remain cautious. Receive two or three deliveries at most, then destroy the teleportation gate yourself." The approaching expert possessed a formidable aura, a tall frame, and purplish-red hair. The one who had been sitting cross-legged earlier had silver-white hair. Hearing the purplish-red-haired expert speak, the silver-haired expert smiled. "Don't worry, I will destroy it soon. I simply didn't expect that Su Yu would truly be willing to part with some benefits... That fellow has plenty of nerve, actually daring to swindle everyone!" With a laugh, he added, "I'd truly love to go out and meet him. A pity..." The purplish-red-haired expert said flatly, "There will be an opportunity sooner or later! You and I have guarded this place for over four hundred years. Wait a little longer; the myriad realms will soon descend into chaos, and our chance to venture out will arrive shortly!" "Let us hope so! I have grown somewhat impatient." The silver-haired expert said softly, "It has been nearly five hundred years since we entered this ruin, never returning to the Immortal Realm. Though we have communication, we know next to nothing about the outside world. We hear of certain events, but lack the details..." Indeed, it had been centuries. Hundreds of years ago, the Human Realm passageway opened, and the myriad realms invaded the Human Realm. The war raged for many years before the experts of the Human Realm finally drove the invaders out. Back then, several ruins in the Human Realm had been seized by various races, though they were ultimately expelled. During that era, humans and Immortals were allied, and the Immortal race had seized quite a few ruins in the Human Realm. This place was one of them, extraordinarily well concealed. The other ruins had either been reclaimed by the Human Realm or destroyed by the various races. Yet this location concealed several Immortal experts who had lain dormant within the Human Realm, never stepping outside. They were waiting for the right moment, waiting for orders. This ruin was exceptionally hidden; short of a Dao Merging expert, no one would likely ever discover it. The purplish-red-haired expert said calmly, "Treat it as secluded cultivation. The Heaven Yuan Qi here is reasonably dense, so it is not bad at all. At least we can move freely, which is far better than slumbering in the Immortal Transformation Pool. If others can endure it, why can't we?" "It's not that I can't endure it, it's just... too lonely." The silver-haired expert chuckled softly. "Aren't you lonely? Slumbering is actually fine—time flies like an arrow. But staying conscious is far more agonizing... I have gazed upon this tiny ruin tens of millions of times; I am utterly sick of it!" The purplish-red-haired expert nodded slightly. It was indeed lonely, and exceedingly dull. He spoke up, "This time, the Emperor had someone contact us, and King Yu personally arranged for a liaison to get in touch, even directing us to receive carriers... It likely means our time to act is near. Otherwise, they would not lightly mobilize us at this juncture!" With a smile, he added, "It seems war may soon erupt between our realm and the Human Realm!" If war were not imminent, they would not have sent someone to notify them now. Since they were being mobilized, the grand battle was surely close at hand. The silver-haired expert smiled as well. "Indeed. When the time comes and the Immortals and humans clash, if you and I strike from their rear, pincering them and cutting off the retreat of the human experts, the destruction of the human race will be at hand!" At this, the silver-haired expert added, "King Huo, how many people do you think are lurking in ruins like us? Aside from our race, do the others have any?" The purplish-red-haired expert, King Huo, smiled faintly at the question. "That, I cannot say, but there are certainly many! When the various races withdrew from the Human Realm, how could they not have left backup plans? In our Immortal race alone, I estimate there are no fewer than three such ruins! The Gods and Demons likely have one or two as well..." The silver-haired expert chuckled. "I truly hope the war comes quickly so we can strike together and catch the Human Realm completely off guard... I wonder when the battle will actually begin?" "Soon!" King Huo smiled. "Regarding these carriers, King Yu said they are for our use here and will not be taken away. Receive one or two more, then destroy the teleportation gate." There were more than just the two of them here. Others were present as well! Of course, the two of them were Eternals, while the others were not, merely individuals who were at the Sun Moon or Shanhai Realm in the past. Over the years, they had continued cultivating and advancing, biding their time. The Immortal race had fought the human race for countless years through nine tidal shifts; they naturally knew how difficult the humans were to handle. How could they fail to leave behind contingency plans? The alliance in those years had merely been an expedient measure. Tiangu had not yet awakened back then, and wiping out the human race would have brought no benefit to the Immortals. Later, the various races retreated, but during that period, they had already occupied several ruins hidden within spatial rifts. The races voluntarily yielded ruins that were widely known and destroyed those that were easily discovered, yet they preserved several extraordinarily secret ruins of which almost no one was aware. Within these ruins, many people were likely living at this very moment. Every major power probably had some. All these years, they had remained dormant, specifically awaiting the grand war so they could strike from within the Human Realm, flank the humans from behind, and annihilate the human powerhouses in a single stroke! …… Su Yu knew none of this. After sending the item through, the mother ball transmitted, "The feeling vanished suddenly. I can't sense the imprint... Could it have been sent outside the realm?" The mother ball couldn't sense it! Su Yu was taken aback. Holding the teleportation gate in his hand, he felt surprised. Could this thing truly teleport beyond the realm? That impressive? It didn't seem likely! He understood spatial teleportation now, and Hu Xiansheng was also an expert in this Dao. Su Yu had seen Hu Xiansheng's teleportation gates before; their range was quite short. Of course, during the last crisis, Hu Xiansheng had pushed his limits to teleport people from the All-Heavens Prefecture all the way to the Great Xia Prefecture. Yet teleporting outside the realm... that demanded far higher requirements. The teleportation gate in his hand didn't feel like it possessed that much energy. Su Yu fell into deep thought. "Teleported outside the realm? I think that's far too difficult; nine times out of ten, it's still within the Human Realm. If it's in the Human Realm... even you cannot sense it, Senior?" "I cannot sense it." The mother ball was exceedingly powerful, an incarnation of the rules themselves. Even a ninth-stage Eternal would have to scrutinize the item meticulously to spot its imprint; below the ninth stage, discovering it was virtually impossible. If it couldn't be sensed now, had it been destroyed, or was it obstructed by some power? A place that could block the rules... What kind of place could obstruct the rules? Su Yu fell into thought. Pondering it... a ruin? Ruins could obstruct the rules; of that, there was no doubt. When one attained the Dao inside a ruin, even the rules couldn't detect it, resulting in minimal disturbance—provided that a ruin could only support Dao attainment once. Attaining the Dao a second time within the same ruin would destroy certain elements. Naturally, rules existed within every ruin as well, likely the rules of the ruin's master. If your path aligned with the master's rules, attaining the Dao would grant considerable strength because the master's rules were abundant there. Such ruins blocked external rules from probing and searching. To block the rules now, it would have to be the sort of ruin where no one had yet attained the Dao. A newly discovered ruin would fit the bill! If it wasn't new, an old ruin couldn't serve to hide people unless someone had claimed it without using it for Dao attainment, treating it instead as a stronghold. But how could that be possible...? Su Yu smiled. As he smiled, his heart twitched. Just how many ruins were there in the Human Realm? He truly did not know, and probably no one did. If anyone had known, the human race would have utilized them long ago; people wouldn't have had to venture to the Allhead Battlefield just to attain the Dao and become an Invincible. "Could it have been teleported into a ruin?" Su Yu wondered. Carving out a teleportation channel within a ruin was not something accomplished overnight. Yet if it wasn't a ruin, there was no reason the mother ball couldn't sense it. Could it truly have been sent outside the realm? "Forget it, I won't dwell on it for now. Wasting a carrier is unfortunate. When I run into Hu Xiansheng later, I'll have him take a look at this thing." Su Yu felt some regret. He had originally hoped to wipe out the Immortal race's spies in one go, which was why he sent the carrier over, only for the mother ball to lose track of it! Damn it, what a waste! Still, at least the Immortal race had received a carrier, which should put their minds at ease, right? "A ruin...?" "Or outside the realm?" Su Yu couldn't say for sure. If it was a ruin, that meant it was an unexploited new ruin where no one had attained the Dao, which might even yield him unexpected gains. Regardless, he would know once he had someone inspect the device! He had some comprehension of the Dao of Space, but was not specialized in it, and couldn't decipher the gate. Hu Xiansheng would probably love it! Su Yu continued trading, swindling as many as he could. Once the goods were in his hands, it wouldn't be easy for these buyers to get them back. Cash and carry—he did not accept returns. Robbery was unrefined. Swindling was a mutually agreeable transaction! Su Yu didn't teleport any more treasures over right away. After a considerable while, upon further thought, he had the mother ball apply an imprint to a Heaven armament and teleported it through. It had been forged jointly by King Tianzhu and Zhao Tianbing, only recently completed. They had presented it to Su Yu for him to inspect. Su Yu didn't accept other people's weapons, and thinking he might as well test whether the other party was outside the realm or in the Human Realm, he sent it through. A Heaven armament posed little threat. He could always ask King Tianzhu later; perhaps they had left behind some hidden backdoor. This time, just like the last, the item sank like a stone into the sea upon teleportation! The mother ball still couldn't sense where it had gone! Su Yu was thoroughly astonished. Could even a Dao Merging expert fail to detect the presence of her own imprint? Proving its location was simple enough: he could take the mother ball for a stroll around the Allhead Battlefield. If it still couldn't sense anything there, then nine times out of ten, it was inside a Human Realm ruin. "Could it be... there is a new ruin in the Human Realm that the Immortal race discovered and occupied?" At this moment, Su Yu hadn't yet considered events from hundreds of years ago; he merely wondered if a new ruin had recently surfaced and been seized by Immortal spies. Hundreds of years ago... Su Yu assumed King Daqin and the others had thoroughly expelled everyone back then. After all, so many years had passed! Regardless, if a new ruin had appeared in the Human Realm, that was a good thing. If nothing else, a ruin was guaranteed to contain carriers, and it provided a secure location for someone to attain the Dao. Hadn't Zhu Tiandao and Marquis Xia yet to attain the Dao? If there truly was a new ruin, sending the two of them to attain the Dao there would be an excellent choice. Even if only one could do so, it would be plenty. Su Yu continued trading. Once he had sold about seventeen or eighteen petals of the Nine-Leaved Heavenly Lotus, he stopped! Selling too many made it easy for the ruse to unravel quickly! For those seventeen or eighteen petals, Su Yu reaped twenty carriers. Having teleported one to the Immortal spies along with a Heaven armament of his own, Su Yu calculated that he had still made a massive profit. The myriad races were wealthy indeed! Even minor races could scrape together a carrier if they pooled their resources. As for the Immortal teleportation gate, Su Yu had originally considered testing it again with another item. However, whether the other side had noticed something or had grown impatient, when Su Yu tried to send something again, he found the gate inoperable. This caught Su Yu off guard. Had they destroyed their corresponding teleportation gate? How bizarre! Were they afraid of being discovered, or did they feel that a carrier and a Heaven armament were sufficient? Su Yu kept this in mind, resolving to have Hu Xiansheng take a look tomorrow if they crossed paths; perhaps there would be an unexpected harvest. …… By this time, dawn had broken. Su Yu soon headed over to the academy. With Little King Zhou's time acceleration and King Daming and his peers working around the clock, the Myriad Gates Pagoda was nearing completion. Little King Zhou looked utterly drained, and the several Invincibles were pale, looking as if their vitality had been sapped. King Dazhou glanced at Su Yu and said with a smile, "It is almost complete, with only a few gates remaining!" Once finished, he would have to lead the others away. Su Yu understood and nodded, transmitting his voice, "Your Majesty, are there any undiscovered ruins remaining in the Human Realm?" "Do you mean Nanyuan?" "No, I mean across the Human Realm—are there others?" "That is hard to say. Perhaps there are. Are you looking for ruins?" "Not that. I suspect the Immortal race might have control over a new ruin..." King Dazhou took on a thoughtful expression, pondering for a moment before saying, "It might be, or it might not. It could also be one they controlled in the past... I investigated this long ago, but found nothing; it is hard to trace! Back when the humans and Immortals were allied, the human race relied on the Immortal race and even voluntarily yielded some ruins. Later, when the Immortals withdrew... whether they secretly kept some, we investigated, but never turned up anything, so the matter was shelved. If you discover anything, inform me promptly." Controlled in the past? Su Yu pondered this and nodded slightly. "Understood. If there is news, I will let you know!" As the two were speaking, King Daming let out a low shout. The next moment, a towering pagoda composed of myriad gates manifested rapidly, shrinking down at high speed! With another shout from King Daming, the Myriad Gates Pagoda snapped into final form! In the void, heavenly tribulation lightning gathered! This was the rule of punishment! The Myriad Gates Pagoda had received no reward, perhaps because this contraption was hardly a benevolent formation. However, the lightning tribulation was minor. Before Su Yu could intervene, King Daming easily shattered it. The next instant, the Myriad Gates Pagoda flew toward Su Yu. The several Invincibles who had forged the array were ghastly pale, their consumption immense. Panting, King Daming said, "You rascal, your demands were far too high! An ordinary grand array would have been completed long ago... This time, you'll have to bleed some serious treasure!" Su Yu smiled. "My thanks to all of you. Once my father's birthday banquet concludes, I will pay the treasures promised earlier—and double the amount! For now, I must hurry off to attend the feast..." Beside them, King Dazhou was speechless. This fellow was clearly planning to renege on the debt! Well, not renege entirely, but likely thinking that with every casualty among them later, there would be one fewer person to pay, saving him a tidy sum. What a penny-pincher! King Daming and the others didn't think too much of it; the banquet was today, not far off at all—simple enough! King Dazhou smiled. "You have all expended a great deal of energy. Find a place to rest and recover!" Su Yu grinned. Once they finished resting and emerged, they might no longer be themselves! King Dazhou was about to leave.