Right now, not enough Invincibles had died.
With the Tianyuan Realm sealed off, no massive commotion had broken out just yet.
However, things had already begun stirring on the Human Realm's side.
Su Yu had forcefully suppressed the situation, but the Invincible experts had all sensed that something was amiss. Figures like Liu Wushen and Qin Zhen felt deeply uneasy, not knowing what had happened.
One after another, they looked toward the calm and composed Su Yu.
Had something happened?
Had something happened to King Dayue?
Su Yu wore an indifferent expression, paying them no heed. He stood up and walked toward his "father," Su Long, who sat below. A wine cup appeared in his hand. Perfectly composed, he offered a faint smile. "Today is Father's grand birthday. A toast to you!"
Seeing him toast "Su Long," the others felt somewhat relieved.
As long as this fellow didn't go crazy, all was well!
Their greatest fear was that he would lose his temper and suddenly start killing. Had they known Su Yu would act so erratically, they wouldn't have come; it felt fraught with danger.
Su Yu remained tranquil.
He knew the only thing he had to do right now was hold fast to the Human Realm.
King Daqin and the others were gone!
If a large force of powerful enemies invaded at this juncture, throwing the Human Realm into turmoil or even shattering its realm barrier, it would spell catastrophic disaster.
Even if the realm barrier remained intact, if experts descended to massacre humanity and truly wiped out the mortal populace, the remaining Invincibles would be powerless to change anything.
Under normal circumstances, the major races wouldn't dare do such a thing.
Yet now that all-out war had erupted, who would care anymore?
Su Yu used the toast to ponder the situation.
With the mother ball at his side, as long as no Dao Harmonization realm powerhouse attacked, he had nothing to fear.
His only worry was... the appearance of the Dao Harmonization realm!
Once the Human Realm came under assault and could not hold, King Daqin and the others would be forced to withdraw from the Tianyuan Realm. All their efforts would come to naught, and they would never have another chance!
The myriad races would never push into the Tianyuan Realm!
The realm possessed a suppression force that made waging war against humanity inside its borders unprofitable. Therefore, the only way to save Tianyuan was to strike the Human Realm!
To force King Daqin and his forces to return!
Su Yu understood these principles, and so did King Daqin and the others. That was why figures like King Daming and King Daxia had stayed behind—just in case. And Su Yu himself was perhaps one of their trump cards.
No, they were counting on Su Yu. When push came to shove, holding the Human Realm would ultimately depend on the ancient city guardians!
Apart from Su Yu, no one else could mobilize so many experts to protect the Human Realm.
*So our safety beyond the realm still has some guarantee. Tianmie and the others are around, and they can mobilize at critical moments. The myriad races won't dare rush into battle either!*
Just as Su Yu was thinking this, space rippled slightly.
Hu Xiansheng materialized abruptly!
At that moment, Hu Xiansheng's eyes were filled with uncontainable terror. He looked at Su Yu, then turned his gaze toward King Daxia, King Daming, and the others, unable to hide the horror in his eyes.
Su Yu's heart gave a sudden lurch!
Trouble was coming!
King Daming's eyes turned sharp as he barked, "Hu Xiansheng, how dare you! Where were you just now? How dare you warp in here like this and disrupt the Sacred Master?"
Hu Xiansheng swallowed his dread and hurriedly forced a smile. "A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
Su Yu suppressed his own unease and irritation, chuckling. "Director Hu, don't go warping everywhere just because you wield spatial powers! I might not mind, but next time, be careful not to bump into powerful foes and get cornered!"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Hu Xiansheng laughed with an ingratiating grin. Soon, still smiling, he sent a voice transmission to Su Yu, his tone thick with horror. "Something's wrong! Big trouble! On the other side of the teleportation gate, there's an Invincible—an Invincible powerhouse!"
Su Yu's heart pounded!
An Invincible!
An Invincible existed inside the ruins!
It was exceptionally difficult for Invincible experts to infiltrate the Human Realm. Over the years, King Daqin and the others had maintained constant guard. Even though the Hunting Heaven Pavilion possessed channels, Invincibles did not dare teleport in recklessly. Teleporting Sun Moons was fine, but Invincibles dared not sneak across.
Once an Invincible was discovered slipping into the Human Realm, it meant certain death!
Now, Hu Xiansheng was telling him that an Invincible was on the other side of the gate.
Su Yu forced down his shock and said aloud with a laugh, "Forget it. I'm in a good mood, so I won't hold it against you, Director Hu!"
Behind that veneer, he urgently transmitted, "Where is this Invincible? How strong? How many are there?"
"Within Dashang Prefecture, deep inside Tianduan Mountain! I don't know their cultivation, but there's definitely an Invincible, and I don't know how many there are either... I followed the spatial fluctuations all the way there and vaguely detected the traces of ruins... I knew the other side might be the immortal race, so I probed carefully... But the spatial fluctuation I sent inside was obliterated instantly! Only an Invincible could have destroyed it so swiftly! Otherwise, not even a Sun Moon would have noticed. I don't know if they detected me... but the other party is definitely an Invincible!"
Hu Xiansheng hadn't dared probe any further. The moment his spatial ripple was wiped out, he had fled.
He had to return to warn Su Yu and the others that there was a problem!
A catastrophic problem!
An Invincible was lurking inside the Human Realm.
The easiest way to breach a fortress was from within.
*Strength unknown, numbers unknown...*
Su Yu's eyes flickered with shifting thoughts. When had they entered?
It likely wasn't recent!
It had to have been before the prefectures were established!
From the immortal race?
Could they really endure lying low for so long?
They had used the teleportation gate earlier simply to turn a quick profit on the side. Had Tiangu's people already contacted them, perhaps even preparing to mobilize the powerhouses in the ruins?
Otherwise, there was no reason to activate it just for a few carriers.
It was merely an opportunistic move!
Just moments ago, Su Yu had believed external crises could still be handled, but now... internal catastrophe might strike as well.
Would they act this time?
There had to be more than one!
Would they make their move?
They hadn't stirred for over four hundred years. Would they do so today?
Hard to say!
If they didn't act, they could be rooted out one by one later. But what if the myriad races activated these hidden assets right now?
Was it only the immortal race?
Did the gods and demons also have hidden cards within the Human Realm?
Su Yu knew none of this. He could only prepare for the worst.
He didn't know how many there were or how strong they were, but he knew an Invincible was undeniably there. That was the gravest danger.
With these thoughts racing through his mind, Su Yu patted Hu Xiansheng on the shoulder and chuckled, "Director Hu, calm down. Go have a drink. I said I wasn't blaming you. What, afraid I'd execute you?"
Hu Xiansheng gave a dry laugh and held his tongue.
Soon, he secretly transmitted a few words to King Daming and King Daxia as well.
The two Invincibles' eyes flickered slightly, though their faces remained impassive.
King Daxia quickly sent a transmission to Su Yu: "Ruins... Eternals... Su Yu, we might be facing immense trouble!"
King Daming's voice arrived just as quickly: "Once what's happening in the Tianyuan Realm is exposed, the myriad races will very likely mobilize these hidden forces. Old Xia and I should head over there first to investigate. If anything seems off... we strike first!"
Su Yu pondered briefly before swiftly replying, "No, King Daming, King Daxia, you two must guard the border! Guard the passage! That's where the human army is stationed, with over ten million soldiers beneath the passage... Though I've become Sacred Master, you know as well as I do that the human race won't take orders from me! If you don't go, that front won't hold. I will notify the ancient city guardians; when the time comes, they will intervene!"
King Daxia and King Daming exchanged a glance. Then what about the interior?
Su Yu rapidly transmitted, "Don't worry about the inside. Rest assured, I will handle it! Leave Zhou Tianyuan and his group behind. Heading to the All-Heavens Battlefield won't do them much good anyway. I need them to help me secure the Human Realm's homeland!"
King Daming and King Daxia had to go to the All-Heavens Battlefield!
Otherwise, the Human Realm would collapse into absolute chaos.
No one knew what the situation was over there, nor whether King Dazhou and the others had left behind a few Invincibles to defend the perimeter. Without King Daxia and King Daming present, Su Yu feared the human lines would crumble!
The two Invincibles said nothing more, despite the profound dread gnawing at their hearts.
Su Yu also maintained his silence, merely transmitting to Hu Xiansheng: "Erect the spatial teleportation gate immediately!"
"What?"
"The one I gave you earlier. Set up the gate!"
"Understood!"
Hu Xiansheng was startled. Was Su Yu planning to make a preemptive strike?
The problem was, the situation inside was completely unknown. Rushing in blindly... was perilous.
Su Yu said nothing.
With the mother ball present, he possessed the confidence to act.
King Dazhou and the others wouldn't be able to conceal their operation for much longer. Before they were exposed and before the myriad races deployed these trump cards, he had to seize the initiative!
As Su Yu sipped his wine, turning the matter over in his head, he suddenly smashed his cup onto the ground and roared, "King Daming! King Daxia!"
The two Invincibles looked toward him.
Around them, the experts of the thirty-six prefectures and the envoys of the myriad races turned to look at Su Yu in succession. What was wrong with this fellow now?
Su Yu barked, "This wine is garbage, unworthy of my father! And unworthy of me! You two, head to the All-Heavens Battlefield and have Tianmie send me some Tianxiang Wine!"
At these words, several people frowned. The governor of Dasong Prefecture spoke softly, "Sacred Master, wouldn't it be better to send word to the All-Heavens Prefecture so they can transmit the message to the battlefield? There is no need to trouble Their Majesties to make the trip in person..."
Su Yu sneered, "Silence! How could ordinary cultivators match the speed of these two Majesties? Besides, I want to see whether Their Majesties will heed my command!"
King Daxia's brow furrowed slightly, but King Daming smiled and said, "A trivial matter. Since humanity has recognized you as our leader... very well, Old Xia, let's make the run! Isn't Old Zhou here anyway? There's nothing to worry about..."
With that, he smiled toward the "King Dazhou" beside him. "Then we'll take a quick trip. It won't take long. Old Zhou, keep watch here to deter any petty scoundrels!"
"King Dazhou" nodded impassively, replying calmly, "With me here, there is no harm."
King Daming chuckled and tugged at the visibly irritated King Daxia, laughing. "Let's go. It will give us a chance to brief Old Qin and the others on the situation... The Sacred Master has just taken office and is still young..."
Su Yu snapped his gaze toward him. King Daming gave a dry laugh. "I meant the Sacred Master is young and promising... Old Xia, let's move!"
King Daxia, clearly displeased, flicked his sleeves and vanished into the void alongside King Daming.
King Daming's voice drifted back: "We'll be right back. Everyone, keep eating, keep drinking! Don't let this spoil the mood!"
The two mighty figures departed swiftly.
Among the thirty-six prefectures, some frowned while others wore peculiar expressions.
Those two had actually gone to fetch wine for Su Yu!
Hadn't Su Yu become excessively arrogant?
Some glanced toward Great Han King and King Dazhou, wondering what their thoughts were.
King Dazhou and his companions remained tranquil, smiles plastered on their faces, seemingly oblivious to everything.
The crowd felt helpless. These figures hadn't uttered a word all day; nobody knew what was truly running through their minds.
***
Among the myriad race envoys.
Moduona frowned slightly, glancing at King Dazhou and his group, then at Su Yu, and finally toward Dayue Prefecture's seating. At this moment, the governor of Dayue Prefecture had his head lowered so far it was nearly pressed against the table, revealing nothing.
After a moment's thought, Moduona looked over at Foutuling, not far away. Foutuling's eyes were flickering with intensity.
Foutuling seemed to sense a sharp, murderous chill in the air!
A chill growing steadily heavier!
Su Yu was acting unreasonably tyrannical today, berating the founding rulers at the slightest whim. Su Yu had always been overbearing, but had he truly become this conceited? Was this who he really was?
Hard to say!
Yet King Daxia and King Daming had supported him previously. There was no reason for Su Yu to be so aggressive toward them.
Foutuling fell into deep thought as well.
Had something happened?
What could have happened?
None of them knew. The biggest event today was supposed to be humanity acclaiming Su Yu as their universal sovereign. By now, the myriad realms were probably focusing their attention right here.
Off to the side, Hu Xiansheng was just about to slip away to some secluded spot to quietly erect the teleportation gate.
Su Yu suddenly called out, "Director Hu, word has it you excel at constructing spatial teleportation gates. I studied at Daming Academy, and that gate of yours was utter trash! Since you're here today, how about livening things up by building a teleportation gate right now? Let's see if it can reach the ends of the earth!"
"..."
Hu Xiansheng said awkwardly, "Well, I'm not that proficient at it..."
Su Yu said indifferently, "Daming Prefecture squandered mountains of resources on your behalf. Show me the results. If it works, I won't be stingy with resource support. If it fails... and you ever dare waste money again, I'll execute you! In the past, you even mortgaged the Multiple Divine Characters Academy. Director Hu, don't spoil the mood!"
Below, indignation flared among the guests once more!
He was making a fuss out of nothing!
Because Hu Xiansheng had arrived late and warped in through space, Su Yu must have felt slighted. Having just dispatched King Daming, he was now turning on Hu Xiansheng to vent his pique!
Many felt angry inside. Hu Xiansheng had helped Su Yu in the past!
When Su Yu forged his weapons and crafted his civilization chronicle, Hu Xiansheng had lent a hand. During his stay in Daming Prefecture, Hu Xiansheng had even fought on his behalf.
And now, the moment Su Yu rose to power, he turned on him without a shred of gratitude?
If he treated Hu Xiansheng like this, how would he treat others?
Su Yu was far too harsh!
Many turned to look at Zhu Tiandao. By now, the smile on Zhu Tiandao's face was beginning to fade as he spoke: "Su... Sacred Master, everyone is eating and drinking. How about... we wait a bit before checking the experimental results?"
"No, I want to see it now!"
Su Yu said calmly, "Teleportation technology is of vital importance. If Director Hu succeeds, I'll reward him with a carrier. My word is my bond! If he fails... shut down Daming Prefecture's spatial research institute. It's a waste of money!"
Looking thoroughly helpless, Zhu Tiandao turned to Hu Xiansheng and nodded. "Build a teleportation gate for the Sacred Master..."
"The technology isn't mature yet!"
Hu Xiansheng muttered a protest, but seeing Zhu Tiandao staring at him, he had no choice but to say sullenly, "Then I'll give it a try!"
As he spoke, he explained, "The technology isn't fully developed. The teleportation pressure is too immense, the range won't be far, and if the user's physical body isn't tough enough, it could easily be torn apart!"
Explaining as he worked, he continuously retrieved materials and assembled the gate.
He had also disguised the immortal race's teleportation gate from earlier, swiftly bringing it out to hover in midair.
At this point, the crowd lost interest in Su Yu's antics, their curiosity piqued instead by the teleportation technology.
Hu Xiansheng's spatial teleportation gate was quite famous.
Earlier, it had transported Niu Baidao to swiftly dispatch a quasi-Invincible, though the gate had exploded afterward. Surely it wouldn't blow up today, would it?
Back then, the explosion had killed Sun Moons.
Wearing ripples of spatial power gradually unfurled, slicing into the surrounding space.
As Hu Xiansheng assembled the gate, he sent a voice transmission to Su Yu: "If you plan to teleport through, be careful! The other side might be guarded, and they are definitely not weak! Your physical body will be subjected to intense pressure... Wait a moment longer while I stabilize the space a bit more!"
He knew Su Yu's intention.
Naturally, he worried that Su Yu would run into trouble.
Su Yu ignored him. He looked toward Zhou Tianyuan and the others, whose eyes were shifting, and soon turned his gaze to King Dayuan. King Dayuan was currently the strongest expert present, even though only one of his incarnations remained!
Even so, he was the sole late-stage Eternal present.
Two of his three incarnations had been shattered by Su Yu.
Su Yu looked at King Dayuan, his eyes flickering as he transmitted, "Are you... trustworthy?"
A sharp gleam flared in King Dayuan's eyes as he met Su Yu's gaze, transmitting back, "I am a founding ruler! Su Yu, don't you ever forget that the hundreds of millions of common folk in Dayuan Prefecture were shielded under my protection! I don't particularly like you, and your temperament makes you unfit to be this universal sovereign... but since everyone agreed, I will not oppose them! Brother Yue has fallen in battle... Whatever orders you have, just speak! He was my brother. With him dead, I will not let this rest!"
Su Yu looked deeply at him and transmitted, "We may be in trouble shortly! There are problems within the Human Realm! Undiscovered ruins exist here, and there may be Invincibles inside them! I've only discovered one site, but I cannot be sure there isn't a second... or a third! The moment fluctuations appear, you must immediately lead troops to resolve the crisis! I do not know their strength or numbers... If few appear, that's fine. If there are many, you must pin down one of their forces! The east is in your hands!"
King Dayuan's eyes turned frosty as he looked at him. After a moment, he transmitted, "Understood!"
Su Yu said nothing more.
He looked toward Zhou Tianyuan, thought for a moment, and transmitted, "Zhou Tianyuan, take King Tianzhu and hold the south! If any disturbance arises in the south, move out immediately with King Tianzhu to resolve the threat!"
He didn't say much to him.
Zhou Tianyuan glanced at him and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Liu Wushen!"
Nearby, Liu Wushen's heart jolted as he looked at Su Yu. Su Yu transmitted, "Don't ask, don't waste breath. You are a clever man. Take Qin Zhen and Zhou Potian and hold the west. If powerful enemies appear in the west, go and entangle them. Don't worry about killing them, just hold them down!"
Liu Wushen's eyes flickered, and he replied via transmission, "Understood!"
King Dayuan, Zhou Tianyuan, King Tianzhu, Qin Zhen, Liu Wushen, and Zhou Potian—these six were assigned by Su Yu to guard the east, south, and west.
That left two Invincibles.
Niu Baidao and Yun Chen.
Both had attained the Dao only recently, but neither was weak. Su Yu quickly looked toward Niu Baidao and transmitted, "Principal Niu, you and Senior Yun, along with Governor Zhu and Marquis Xia, hold the north. If there is any movement in the north... your sole objective is to tie down the enemy, not kill them!"
Niu Baidao nodded gently.
At present, the Human Realm held only these eight Invincibles.
Su Yu didn't know how many backup plans the myriad races had prepared, nor whether they would all emerge today. But he had to prepare for every eventuality.
He had even mobilized several quasi-Invincibles, since Zhu Tiandao and Marquis Xia were far from weak.
Meanwhile, he would coordinate from the center—and personally eliminate the fiercest threats!
He only hoped... there wouldn't be too many.
He also hoped the myriad races wouldn't deploy these assets today. Su Yu thought to himself that if they didn't, he could slowly investigate and track them down later. Difficult as that would be, it was far better than dealing with an ambush right now.
In the courtyard, the atmosphere grew increasingly somber.
None of the Invincibles spoke.
King Dazhou and the others sat there like idiots, perpetual smiles plastered across their faces, putting everyone ill at ease.
Su Yu simply drank his wine in solitude, seemingly waiting for something.
***
"Kill!"
King Daqin's hoarse roar rang out!
Behind him, a tremendous detonation resounded as the ancient relic who had been severely wounded by King Dayue shattered under the siege of multiple Invincibles!
*Boom!*
The entire Tianyuan Realm violently quaked!
*Spurt!*
King Miecan spat out a mouthful of blood, while above, Great Han King barked furiously, unleashing his aura as divine characters shattered to suppress the colossal anomaly from leaking outside!
This was an Eternal ninth-stage powerhouse!
When such a powerhouse fell, cosmic anomalies would erupt across the heavens.
It had been so for Xue Huo, and so for Wisdom King!
With the death of this ancient Tianyuan relic, maintaining the realm's seal had become taxing—excruciatingly taxing!
Half-Emperor Tianyuan struck King Daqin with his ruler, leaving his head bloodied, and bellowed, "All below the Eternal realm, charge out! Break out of this realm and seek reinforcements! Break out, quickly!"
At this moment, hundreds of Sun Moon auras surged toward the realm's entrance!
King Jintian stood guard there.
He was still laying down a sealing array. As the Sun Moons rushed him, his array erupted, obliterating one Sun Moon after another in thundering blasts!
King Dazhou's icy voice resounded across heaven and earth: "Let no one leave the realm! Jintian, the survival of humanity rests in your hands. Hold the seal for at least half an hour!"
King Jintian yelled back, "Understood!"
With that, he charged into the desperate horde of Sun Moons. It wasn't just Sun Moons; swarms of Shanhai and Lingyun cultivators hurled themselves forward, detonating themselves in succession!
They had to break out!
They had to seek aid from the myriad realms!
Otherwise, the Tianyuan Realm would be drowned in a sea of blood today!
Half-Emperor Tianyuan barked coldly, then let out a low roar: "Open the realm wall!"
With that thunderous cry, at the far edge of heaven and earth, an Invincible who had been lurking in hiding suddenly spewed a mouthful of blood, painting the realm wall crimson!
The realm wall turned semi-translucent.
On the other side lay dead spirits—countless dead spirits!
Having caught the scent and sensed the commotion, the dead spirits grew impatient. Suddenly, a Sun Moon dead spirit stepped toward the realm wall. Previously, passage was impossible.
Yet at this moment, the dead spirit... crossed over!
The instant it crossed, the dead spirit itself froze.
Possessing only rudimentary intellect as a mere Sun Moon, it had nonetheless breached the wall... and the moment it sensed the aura of living beings, it went mad with frenzy!
Death qi spread instantaneously!
The lurking Invincible's expression shifted slightly. Gritting his teeth, he chanted incantations under his breath, and more and more dead spirits poured inside!
"Slaughter them!"
The dead spirits instinctively bypassed this Invincible, swarming toward the distance as death qi blanketed heaven and earth!
***
At this sight, Half-Emperor Tianyuan laughed.
"Do you want mutual destruction?"
He looked at King Daqin, then at King Dazhou. "Do you want to die together? The dead spirits have arrived! Once they begin slaughtering indiscriminately, both of us will be violators of the rules, subject to rule punishment! When this Tianyuan Realm is overrun by dead spirits... and rule punishment descends, with the powerhouses of the myriad races blockading the outside, will you die alongside us?"
Half-Emperor Tianyuan shouted madly, "Do you want to die together? It's not too late! You can still stop and seal the passage! If a few more dead spirit monarchs arrive, even if they are slain, they will only draw out more dead spirit monarchs! Do you truly wish for mutual destruction?"
To die together!
He was a decisive figure. Seeing that repelling the humans was nearly impossible and that their ancient relic from the first tide had been slain, he knew that stalling for outside aid was a pipe dream.
His only path was self-rescue!
Once the dead spirits invaded and began slaughtering on a massive scale, nothing would happen in the short term, but before long, rule punishment would arrive!
The one who opened the dead spirit passage would be punished, and so would these humans!
The entire Tianyuan Realm would be punished!
This realm was already a fallen realm!
King Daqin's expression was grim. An instant later, he roared, "Kill! Slaughter every last one of them!"
"You madmen!"
Half-Emperor Tianyuan raged. Madmen, did these lunatics truly have no fear of death?
Everyone would die!
Did they think they could withstand rule punishment?
Impossible!
He grew frantic as well. More and more Tianyuan Invincibles were dying. If the humans wiped them out, he would be swarmed and slain!
"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"
With a furious shout, a channel of time wrapped around heaven and earth.
The experts maintaining the realm seal spat out blood once more.
Meanwhile, Half-Emperor Tianyuan's death qi surged violently. A fragment suddenly appeared in his palm. Chanting under his breath, a phantom materialized upon it, and he crushed it to dust with a savage clench!
Not far away, Xia Longwu spat out a mouthful of blood!
He turned his head toward the Half-Emperor and gritted his teeth. "I wondered who was spying on me... So it was you..."
Half-Emperor Tianyuan ignored him, for Xia Longwu was already in grave peril!
In an instant, a Tianyuan Invincible broke free of human entanglements and charged at Xia Longwu, who had just finished his battle, radiating formidable power.
With a deafening crash, Xia Longwu was hurled backward, his blood painting the void!
Half-Emperor Tianyuan retreated rapidly, chanting nonstop as phantom after phantom surfaced on the fragment.
Anyone who had ever been listed on the Heaven Hunting Ranking and had their aura gathered could not escape his tracing!
As these phantoms appeared, he shattered them with his ruler or crushed them in his hand, inflicting wounds on each person depicted.
Few founding Invincibles had their auras collected back then, since the damaged Heaven Hunting Ranking could only passively harvest auras. But most of the Invincibles who ascended after the prefectures were founded had appeared on the ranking!
One after another, several post-founding Invincibles coughed up blood!
Even King Miecan in the sky spewed a mouthful of blood. Fractures spider-webbed across the void as a river of time pierced through. Great Han King, who was currently suppressing the death anomalies, saw rule blood clouds gathering above his head as though preparing to penalize him for suppressing rule power.
Suddenly struck from below by Half-Emperor Tianyuan's river of time, Great Han King coughed up blood as well!
Over at the passage, King Jintian, who was busy slaughtering Sun Moons, also had his phantom crushed. His body shuddered violently, and a quasi-Invincible drove an attack clean through his chest!
"Hmph!"
Right then, King Dazhou let out a cold grunt, materializing silently behind Half-Emperor Tianyuan. The grunt came only after his arrival, and a crushing assault of willpower blasted directly into the Half-Emperor's sea of will!
*Boom!*
Half-Emperor Tianyuan coughed up blood and instantly tore through space to appear elsewhere. Blood leaking from his lips, he stared at King Dazhou with a bizarre expression. "What a formidable fellow... To warp across space and still possess such terrifying willpower... Zhou Tianqi... Are you planning to step into the Dao Harmonization realm today?"
King Dazhou said coldly, "No need for you to worry. Once I kill you, stepping into Dao Harmonization shouldn't be an issue!"
"Heh!"
Half-Emperor Tianyuan sneered. "I underestimated you, but if you think you can kill me—"
*Tham!*
King Daqin's spear thrust forward, blazing with brilliant radiance!
As the spear struck, even Half-Emperor Tianyuan felt a profound sense of mortal peril!
King Daqin had burned his essence blood on the spot! Taking advantage of the Half-Emperor's distraction, his strength surged, piercing clean through the rule defenses and plunging straight into his skull!
*Bang!*
Half-Emperor Tianyuan's head blew apart, yet it regenerated instantly. Retreating millions of meters, he glared at King Daqin with venomous eyes. "You want to perish together with me?"
King Daqin paid him no heed. His essence blood continued to burn as he charged forward again!
In the distance, another roar shook the sky!
All three incarnations of a Tianyuan Invincible were slain, the heavens tore apart, and he perished on the spot.
Yet in his dying breath, he spewed a torrent of black blood that instantly corroded the physical body of King Daliang opposite him into ashes. This had been a mighty Invincible; even at the brink of death, his retaliatory strike was devastating!
King Daliang reformed, his face deathly pale.
One of his three incarnations had fallen!
Losing an incarnation here today was practically a death sentence.
These were all peak experts locked in a life-or-death struggle. Losing one incarnation dealt a crippling blow to one's combat power.
Farther away, King Datang yelled, "Don't throw your lives away! Go to the entrance and slaughter those Sun Moons..."
Humanity had seized the upper hand!
Excluding King Dazhou and the others, the humans had already slain five Tianyuan Invincibles!
While humanity had lost two.
With five powerful Tianyuan Invincibles eliminated, the human advantage grew, and it wouldn't be long before all the remaining enemies were purged!
Just as he was speaking, three Tianyuan Invincibles exchanged glances—all of them ancient powerhouses.
The next instant, all three burned their three incarnations, plunging heaven and earth into boundless darkness!
"May the human race be cursed never to attain salvation!"
The three formidable Invincibles disintegrated into ashes. With a deafening boom, a thunderous strike blasted Great Han King in midair, shattering his sealing barrier and leaving him drenched in blood.
King Datang and the others had thought the enemies were targeting King Daliang and were about to assist, only to realize that Great Han King could no longer hold out. Thunder crashed down upon him, and a wave of death qi surged from below!
*Boom!*
A tremendous roar rang out, and Great Han King was blown to ashes. One of his incarnations perished, and no sooner had his second incarnation reformed than the thunder descended once more, accompanied by the surging death qi formed by the three fallen Invincibles!
With hardly any resistance possible, Great Han King's second incarnation was obliterated shortly after!
"Old Liu..."
In the void, Great Han King's face was chalk-white and filled with helplessness. He was already under immense strain resisting the rules; how could he have any spare strength to fend off the dying strike of three Invincibles?
Those three Invincibles had been utterly ruthless.
Their sole target was Great Han King!
They knew they were doomed today, so they were determined to drag someone down with them!
Clearly, they had succeeded!
Great Han King was at the Eternal seventh stage!
He was even on the verge of advancing to the eighth stage, one of the human race's pillar figures.
Killing Great Han King was well worth their lives!
Just as Great Han King sighed and resigned himself to death, a beam of light pierced through the death qi. A phantom of King Daliang wearing a scholar's kerchief emerged, smiling. "You are seventh stage, I am sixth stage! Even if both of us were to have all three incarnations destroyed... I'm still not your equal. No matter how you look at it, my death is worth more than yours... Old Liu, look after my Daliang Prefecture!"
King Daliang's phantom looked toward the east and smiled. "There are regrets, but it's worth it! I was once a mere scholar among the common folk... When the dynasty collapsed, I joined King Daqin's rebellion to overthrow tyranny! I wanted to govern the realm as a beloved chancellor... Who could have foreseen the heavens falling into chaos and humanity facing extinction? I suppose I can be counted as a meritorious servant... If humanity ever writes our history, put in a good word for me. Though I advocated for peace... I never thought of betraying humanity. I sought peace only because I could not bear to see the common folk suffer further turmoil!"
"The immortals and demons tempted me, but I refused them. Though I fall short of King Daqin and the others, I have done right by this world, right by all living beings... Please... put in a good word for me. Daliang never betrayed our race. Seeking peace... was not a crime!"
With a smile, King Daliang strode step by step into the boundless void. He had never betrayed his people!
He simply had not wanted the fighting to continue!
He had followed King Daqin in uprising to overthrow humanity's final tyrannical court, but later he chose not to support King Daqin, throwing his lot in with King Dazhou instead. He had been a staunch dove!
The world had suffered war for far too long. Even knowing that suing for peace was merely waiting for death, he still hoped that peace could last a little longer, even if it was illusory. How long was a mortal lifespan? He only wished that no more wars would break out in his lifetime!
Yet that was clearly an extravagant hope!
King Daliang had fallen!
"Old Liang!"
Blood and tears streamed down Great Han King's face. Letting out an agonizing roar, his divine characters erupted as he charged toward an Invincible in the distance!
*Rumble!*
One divine character after another detonated. Then, a colossal divine character for "Strength" emerged, immensely potent. Great Han King threw a punch, blowing apart the blood clouds in the void, though the "Strength" character trembled on the verge of crumbling.
In the distance, King Daqin let out a furious roar filled with boundless wrath, his spear launching Half-Emperor Tianyuan into the air. King Dazhou appeared in an instant, delivering a palm strike that split the Half-Emperor's body open, sending blood flying!
The entire Tianyuan Realm fell into absolute chaos!
Dead spirits emerged continuously!
Yet Half-Emperor Tianyuan was smiling.
Eight powerful Tianyuan Invincibles had fallen, while the humans had lost three—a staggering total of eleven mighty Invincibles dead. Now, the void was cracking open!
The anomalies... could no longer be contained!
The defensive lines of Great Han King and King Miecan had collapsed. On the outermost perimeter, King Dazhou's barrier was also on the verge of buckling; King Dazhou had neither the time nor the energy to maintain it.
Half-Emperor Tianyuan smiled brilliantly!
It wouldn't take much—the death of just one more Invincible, and the barrier would inevitably shatter!
The myriad races across the heavens would know that humanity was waging an annihilation war right here!
His smile was blindingly bright!
At that moment, the Tianyuan Invincible struck by Great Han King's divine character also laughed, bellowing, "If I die, humanity dies with me! Worth it!"
*Boom!*
A deafening explosion rang out!
Heaven collapsed!
Countless blood clouds surged above the Tianyuan Realm. The defensive lines of King Miecan and Great Han King collapsed entirely, and on the outermost perimeter, the barrier King Dazhou had erected shattered with a thunderous roar!
In this instant, twelve colossal blood clouds merged into one, piercing heaven and earth!
Twelve Invincibles had perished!
Such a colossal disturbance erupted all at once!
Deafening roars reverberated across the myriad worlds in an instant!
Torrential blood rain poured down, painting the entire All-Heavens Battlefield red—a sickening crimson!
The blood rain continued to spread!
From start to finish, barely ten minutes had passed!
Yes, in just that brief span, twelve Invincibles had fallen!
***
"Tianyuan!"
"The human race!"
At this moment, phantoms projected into the sky one after another as powerhouses looked on in utter shock!
They all turned their gazes toward the Tianyuan Realm!
Of those twelve phantoms, nine crashed down into the Tianyuan Realm, while three flew toward the Human Realm. An instant later, three thunderous booms resounded across the Human Realm!
It could no longer be hidden!
Three Invincibles of the Human Realm had fallen!
***
This was the first time Su Yu had witnessed with his own eyes the cosmic anomaly of an Invincible's demise within the Human Realm.
The Human Realm was thrown into turmoil!
A violent, shuddering turmoil!
Both Dayue Prefecture and Daliang Prefecture shook. Two founding rulers had died today, together.
In Nanyuan.
Everyone looked to the sky, their faces draining of color in horror!
Three phantoms surfaced above the Human Realm!
Invincibles... had fallen!
And at that very moment, amid the ruins of the destroyed Quest Holy Land, a massive drum suddenly emerged.
An old man strode forward step by step, letting out a mournful laugh as he struck the great drum!
It could no longer be concealed!
*Dong!*
Heaven and earth trembled!
Seven tolls of the Soaring Dragon Drum signaled the fall of an Invincible!
It had not sounded for many years.
At this moment, seven tolls rang out in rapid succession!
*Dong, dong, dong...*
The reverberations shook heaven and earth. At this instant, a single realization struck the minds of every living soul: Invincibles... had died!
And more than one!
The heavens had collapsed!
Chapter 634