Slaying a Marquis

Su Yu was advancing. At this moment, his physical body was constantly strengthening, and his divine characters were strengthening as well. His physical body was breaking through to the Shanhai Realm, nine apertures merging into one. To Su Yu, the Shanhai stage did not actually bring a massive leap, but even if modest, it was still growth, and his physical strength undeniably increased. It was not an overwhelming spike, yet Su Yu sensed that this was a vital process—a process of transforming the external into what truly belonged to him. When his nine apertures fused down to eight, Su Yu felt a faint stirring of realization. Once all his origin apertures fused, and all his divine apertures fused... perhaps he would even have to fuse the heavenly gate aperture once more, uniting them into a single, absolute aperture. At that point, the power of the heavenly gate aperture would become his very own intrinsic might, without any further need to absorb death qi to unleash it. In other words, by then, his innate physical aperture strength would break through the monumental threshold of a hundred million apertures of force. And when the heavenly gate became one, perhaps after the fusion of his origin and divine apertures, further transformations would unfold—the perfect compounding of willpower and physical body! "The Dao of Willpower... the Dao of Divine Characters... there probably is no Eternal Realm. It leads straight into Dao Harmonization!" Having absorbed a portion of the power of rules, Su Yu gained even deeper enlightenment. For the physical body, the Shanhai Realm involved merging nine apertures into one, and reaching that single aperture counted as entering the Sun Moon Realm. As for willpower, even at the peak of Shanhai, there were still nine apertures. Only at the ninth layer of the Sun Moon Realm did they fuse into one, skipping the gradual process of expanding the apertures across the Sun Moon Realm. In Su Yu's view, that skipped process was in fact the transition to Eternal. The Dao of Divine Characters had no true Eternal Realm—it could only culminate directly in Dao Harmonization. Within his mind, the Book Spirit continued reading aloud, keeping Su Yu's head clearer by the second. Meanwhile, his physical body continued its breakthrough. Advancing through Shanhai! Eight apertures began transforming into seven. This transition proceeded at tremendous speed. Just then, the void rippled. A shadowy River of Time materialized beside Su Yu, and a slender sword thrust straight for his forehead! An assassin! The assailant appeared to hail from a branch of the Demon race—the Dark Shadow Demon race. Formidably strong and bearing a faint aura of decay, he was likely an old monster preserved from a previous tide. He had come to assassinate Su Yu! Su Yu's origin qi erupted, and his heavenly gate opened! At this moment, he exuded an eerie, captivating aura! Upon his forehead, the emblem of the heavenly gate surfaced. The civilization chronicle appeared before him to block the strike, and with a pen gripped in his right hand, he thrust the tip forward! Silent and soundless, Su Yu's strike did not target the opponent's rapier. Instead, he struck straight toward the other's River of Time, allowing the assassin's sword to pierce through the civilization chronicle and penetrate the defenses of hundreds of giant beasts before striking the heavenly gate an instant later. The heavenly gate shuddered! Yet a formidable protective barrier flared across Su Yu's body—the defensive shield born after seventy-two casts. Pfft! The shield shattered. The opponent was undeniably powerful, extraordinarily so. Yet even as the thrust hit the heavenly gate, Su Yu barely reacted. Instead, the tip of his pen pierced the assassin's River of Time. With a thunderous boom, the river churned violently, showing signs of fracture. The Dark Shadow Demon's figure instantly solidified before Su Yu's eyes. A pitch-black face, a single horn jutting from his forehead. His expression flickered with dismay—Su Yu's defenses were far tougher than expected! This fellow was truly growing stronger by the moment! "You want to kill me? You aren't qualified!" Su Yu's voice was frigid. Indeed, the assassin was not qualified. As an eighth-stage Eternal, now that Su Yu had advanced to dual Shanhai and his physical might had surged, even assassinating Su Yu was an uphill battle! Having failed to land a decisive blow, the Dark Shadow Demon retreated rapidly, preparing to vanish into the shadows. Since he could not kill Su Yu, there was no need to engage him in direct combat. Yet as he beat a swift retreat, Su Yu's civilization chronicle instantly expanded to blanket heaven and earth. The civilization chronicle, already on the verge of ascending to a divine weapon, was extraordinarily potent. Several phantoms—particularly the page of the Immortal race—now possessed the strength of the eighth or ninth layer of the Sun Moon Realm. Hundreds of phantoms joined forces, unleashing the Ten Thousand Gates Tower Array! The opponent's River of Time had just been cracked by the pen. As a freshly reformed River of Time trembled slightly, the grand array locked it down. The Dark Shadow Demon's expression changed slightly, though he was not overly panicked. While it was difficult for him to kill Su Yu, it was by no means simple for Su Yu to kill him either. Being entangled was no great disaster. Su Yu said nothing, charging straight at him. The two fought on equal footing, locked in a fierce, inseparable struggle... yet without drawing attention, the battlefield subtly drifted toward the Dragon Emperor and the mother ball! A slight drift was barely noticeable amid the chaos. …… Outside the Tianyuan Realm. A group of Dao Harmonizers seemed to have been reduced to mere onlookers. Their gazes pierced heaven and earth, as though able to see all the way to the Human Realm. When Su Yu neutralized the lightning tribulation and advanced to dual Shanhai, Marquis Jiantian's eyes shifted slightly. Su Yu... He resembled King Wen more and more! Especially when Su Yu produced the civilization chronicle and severed the opponent's River of Time with a single stroke of his pen, Marquis Jiantian was momentarily dazed. Su Yu looked like King Wen reborn, despite the vast disparity in their raw strength. "Su Yu..." Marquis Jiantian murmured under his breath. This fellow was growing ever stronger, his fortune truly flourishing to the absolute extreme. He turned every peril into safety. Whenever trouble struck, benefactors inevitably appeared to aid him. Today, he had no shortage of benefactors. Su Yu had played an indispensable role in allowing the Human race to contend against the myriad races today. The ancient city faction alone was terrifyingly mighty, the Iron-Eating race seemed to have arrived because of him, and there were also the two half-emperors of the God-Devouring race... It could be said that without Su Yu, the Human race would still be meekly cowering inside the Human Realm. How would they dare poke their heads out? King Dazhou might have been able to advance to Dao Harmonization long ago, yet he had held back, or rather, had not dared to, out of fear that his newfound power would incite the myriad races' paranoia and lead to a joint siege on the humans. Today, however, he threw all caution to the wind! …… Boom! Tremendous roars resonated through heaven and earth. At present, the fiercest clash was between the mother ball and the Dragon Emperor. The mother ball was simmering with rage, and the Dragon Emperor was in much the same state. The mother ball had devoured several Eternals, yet King Yu had managed to slip away. Meanwhile, the Dragon Emperor had fought three powerhouses; despite holding an absolute advantage, he had failed to kill any of them after a drawn-out struggle, which he considered a sheer humiliation. Now, with two utterly infuriated powerhouses colliding, their clash naturally shook the heavens and earth! The least commotion came from the Old Turtle's front. The Demon Emperor and Nether Emperor were primarily focusing on pinning him down. Neither Dao Harmonizer was exerting full strength. Elsewhere, the great battle raged on. Across the ancient cities, with the sole exception of Xinghong Ancient City, almost all were experiencing dead spirit riots. Dead spirits were not pets raised by Su Yu. During the previous slaughter, they had attacked others simply because the rest were living beings while Su Yu carried a heavier aura of death; otherwise, dead spirits killed indiscriminately. Right now, the dead spirit monarchs in each ancient city seemed to sense an opportunity. They were relentlessly battering and shaking the passages. If they forced their way out, the rules would destroy them; however, if the seal on the passage shattered, the guardians would be the first to perish. If the guardians failed to suppress the passage and it broke, the dead spirits would not be counted as having violated the rules! The rules had left a loophole for the dead spirits. Thus, at this moment, despite the guardians' immense strength, they were forced to divide their attention—locked in brutal combat with powerful foes on one side, while expending energy to suppress the passages on the other. Su Yu had to shoulder the lion's share of the death qi, with the guardians bearing the rest. The Invincibles from the various realms were rushing toward this battlefield. Another wave of nearly thirty had arrived and were closing in rapidly. Injecting nearly thirty Invincibles all at once into an ongoing war would swiftly turn the tide of battle. Between the Spirit race and the thirty incoming Invincibles, the enemy had deployed over a hundred and thirty Invincible combatants here. The Human race was still trapped in the Tianyuan Domain, where thirty to forty Invincibles blockaded the perimeter to deny them any chance of teleporting away. In this battle, counting those slain in the Human Realm and the Tianyuan Realm, the myriad races had mobilized over two hundred Invincibles and nine Dao Harmonizers. Likewise, on the human side, all fifty-plus Invincibles were deployed. Augmented by reinforcements from the Iron-Eating race and others, alongside dozens of guardians, their deployed Invincible forces also exceeded a hundred. This was an all-heavens war involving more than a dozen Dao Harmonizers and upwards of three hundred Invincibles! Most of the Invincibles across the myriad realms who could show themselves had joined the fray, including several ancient fossils awakened from deep slumber. Seeing those thirty-odd Invincibles charging toward the area, King Daxia, locked in a frenzied struggle against a ninth-stage Eternal in the distance, roared, "Su Yu, do you have any more tricks up your sleeve?" More were coming! Formidable enemies kept arriving. If this continued and those Invincibles entered the fray, the Human race would likely be unable to hold out much longer. And the dead spirit realm was still making trouble! Did he have another way? Of course he did! If the Book Spirit and Tea Tree took the field now, they could likely intercept them. However, Su Yu's objective was to kill Dao Harmonizers and bring this war to an end, not merely stall Invincibles. Even if Invincibles died, so long as the Dao Harmonizers lived, this war would never end. In a prolonged battle of attrition, the Human race would always be the ones to suffer. Su Yu's mind spun rapidly. Right now, it was best for the dead spirit realm to quiet down. Otherwise, the Old Turtle might withdraw from the fight. The Old Turtle worried that Hetu would be killed or captured... and on Hetu's side, there were reportedly two Marquises, both Dao Harmonizers. The Old Turtle's combat strength had to be liberated! "Have Hetu come out?" Yet Hetu might not have the chance to emerge. Unlike Xingyue, he was likely already pinned down by the two Marquises. If it were easy for him to get out, he would have forced his way out long ago. To extract Hetu, those two Marquises had to be dealt with. With that thought, Su Yu traded blows with the Dark Shadow Demon while sending a voice transmission: "Senior Book Spirit, can you and Senior Tea Tree enter the dead spirit realm?" "The dead spirit realm?" The Book Spirit was familiar with it and replied swiftly, "We can enter. However, the dead spirit realm... the periphery is manageable, but the inner reaches are said to harbor countless powerhouses, with extraordinarily formidable figures holding sway..." "There are two dead spirit Marquises. Do the two of you have a way to repel them, or outright kill them?" If all else failed, he would have them visit the dead spirit realm first to eliminate those two Marquises. That would liberate the Old Turtle's full combat power and quell the unrest in the dead spirit realm. It would also allow the guardians to free up their strength without delay. Outside, Hetu, Xingyue, and the others possessed limited combat ability. In the dead spirit realm, however, they could head to neighboring domains and tie down the dead spirits battering the passages, enabling the guardians to retrieve their ancient city weapons. "What about this side? If strong foes attack... I see that none of the experts here can pull away..." "No matter. When the time comes, I will escape into the dead spirit realm as well!" Su Yu replied quickly. "Before you two emerge, I won't act rashly!" The Book Spirit considered this. They had ventured forth this time partly to rescue the Human race, but also... to protect Su Yu. This was ultimately the little white dog's intention. The little white dog was their anchor. Protecting Su Yu... or rather, protecting the Time Book and the young master's inheritor, had little to do with whether Su Yu was the common lord of the Human race. "Then the Tea Tree and I will make quick work of it! Dead spirits are not particularly formidable; among peers of the same tier, they generally rank on the weaker side... Once we resolve the trouble over there... we can proceed to a designated spot. When you open a dead spirit passage, we will charge out instantly. That might offer an even better chance of success than bursting from your sea of will! The enemy will hardly anticipate living beings suddenly storming out of the dead spirit realm..." Hearing this, Su Yu's eyes flickered. The Book Spirit was truly sharp. That made sense! If he kept edging toward the Dragon Emperor and the others, they might catch on. But if the Dragon Emperor actively came to kill him and he opened a dead spirit passage to save himself, two powerhouses bursting forth at that exact moment... practically no one would see it coming! While continuing to fuse his origin apertures, he traded blows with the Dark Shadow Demon. After a brief clash, Su Yu flew toward the Old Turtle! The Dark Shadow Demon did not pursue. Since Su Yu had fled on his own, chasing him served no purpose. Glancing back, the assassin saw that the Dragon Emperor was not far off. The Dark Shadow Demon breathed a sigh of relief, assuming Su Yu had fled because the Dragon Emperor was too close and he dared not fight any longer. In the distance, the Dragon Emperor snorted coldly! His massive eyes brimmed with regret! He had sensed the approaching battle earlier. He had been preparing to unleash his power, willing to pay a price to knock back the mother ball and slay Su Yu. Yet Su Yu had run away! Little did he know that Su Yu harbored far grander ambitions. Otherwise, Su Yu would have already unleashed the Book Spirit and the others to bring him down. With three powerhouses joining forces in an ambush, slaying the Dragon Emperor would not have been difficult. Su Yu swiftly flew toward Hongmeng Ancient City. Sensing his approach, the Old Turtle's voice resonated over: "Do not come! Hetu cannot get out, and down below is perilous!" Don't run around recklessly! Right now, chaos reigned beneath Hongmeng Ancient City! Hetu and his subordinates were putting up fierce resistance, while the Old Turtle was fighting on two fronts and finding himself suppressed. Su Yu entering the dead spirit realm or opening a passage right now would do no good! If a dead spirit Marquis charged out directly, disaster would ensue! Su Yu said nothing, continuing his flight toward the ancient city. In the blink of an eye, he landed inside Hongmeng Ancient City. At this moment, the passage that had remained peaceful for years was violently shaking, venting massive amounts of death qi. Clearly, an intense battle was raging below. Without a word, Su Yu reached toward the passage. A book slipped soundlessly into the depths. The Old Turtle, still entangled with the Demon Emperor and his peer, shuddered inwardly! Who was... that? He did not recognize them! Indeed, those two had lived in King Wen's former residence for countless years. Ancient though he was, he truly had never met them. Had the little white dog come, he might have recognized it, having seen it once before. Yet the Book Spirit and Tea Tree had never appeared across the myriad realms; he had no idea who they were. The Old Turtle was deeply shaken. Su Yu seemed to possess an endless supply of trump cards. This time, the entrance of two formidable powerhouses took him completely by surprise. Su Yu released the book without making a sound. Events in the dead spirit realm would not be known in the realm of the living. Even if messages could pass between the two realms, it was never instantaneous. Otherwise, dead spirit summoning tokens would have been unnecessary. A connection existed between the two realms, but transmitting information still took time. …… In the dead spirit realm. The Hongmeng Domain. Across the dim, desolate plains, a massive war raged! The Old Turtle! Indeed, an Old Turtle was here as well—a Dao body! A creation exclusive to the Dao Harmonization Realm! Or more accurately, it was the embodiment of the weapon-melding technique pushed to its utmost limit, the avatar of one's weapon. Yet it also served as the medium for harmonizing with the Great Dao. Without this Dao body, the Old Turtle would not die, but his degree of fusion with the Dao would instantly plummet, knocking him out of the Dao Harmonization Realm. While his true self fought the Demon Emperor and the others above, his Dao body was locked in fierce combat against two dead spirit Marquises in the dead spirit realm. The Old Turtle had allies as well. Flanking the two dead spirit Marquises were Hetu, Xia Chen, and two other dead spirit monarchs. These four powerhouses commanded millions of dead spirits from the periphery, besieging the two Marquises! The war had already spilled over into the dead spirit realm. At this moment, Hetu was beside himself with fury. "You two bastards dare come to capture me? This sovereign is a descendant of King Gong... Marquis Qishan, Marquis Qiyun, what insolence!" The two dead spirit Marquises did not even deign to pay him heed. A descendant of King Gong? Are you King Gong himself? Indeed, both Marquises hailed from the Immortal race. Their purpose here was to capture Hetu and Xia Chen. Marquis Qishan wore a grim, ruthless look. Ignoring Hetu, he glared at the Old Turtle's Dao body, which stood in the likeness of a grand general. A venomous glint flickered in Marquis Qishan's eyes. Dead spirits were prone to rage by nature, not to mention that the Old Turtle had previously severed three drops of essence blood from his Dao body. Marquis Qishan snarled, "General Zhenling, do you intend to harbor Hetu? Not just Hetu—that other one is also someone the Heavenly King demands. The outer dead spirit realm is no home for them... General Zhenling, do you dare violate the rules of the council?" The Old Turtle replied impassively, "Council rules? I guard this place by decree of King Gong. King Gong answered directly to the Human Sovereign; the rules I uphold are the rules of the Imperial Court!" Indeed, their rules were entirely different! He needed only follow the rules of the Imperial Court! Trying to pressure him with the council was useless! "Then there is nothing more to say. Qiyun, let us destroy his Dao body together!" Marquis Qishan bellowed. The arrival of the two Immortal Marquises was specifically aimed at dealing with the Old Turtle. Choosing this moment to strike had been prearranged with the outside world: the moment turbulence appeared on the Old Turtle's end, they would use capturing Hetu as a pretext to strike him! Earlier, when the Old Turtle entered the fray above, they sensed the suppressive power waning here and rushed over, finally seizing their chance. On the perimeter, Xia Chen was formidable, while Hetu was slightly weaker; both acted without hesitation. Last time, it was Xia Chen who repelled Marquis Qishan. Today, however, Marquis Qishan and his ally had not come alone. Space soon rippled, and several more dead spirit monarchs descended along the channels of the rules. The great battle erupted once more! The powerhouses clashed violently, causing the dead spirits on the outskirts to perish by the thousands. Death qi rolled in all directions! As he fought, Marquis Qishan sent a voice transmission: "Marquis Qiyun, when will Marquis Yueming and the others arrive?" This time, they were not the only ones mobilized. The Demon and God races had also contacted the dead spirit realm, promising reinforcements; the two of them had simply arrived a step ahead. Marquis Qiyun, hard-pressed against the Old Turtle's Dao body, replied urgently, "I don't know! They promised they would be here soon... We struck first... Who knows what's holding those bastards up..." So much time had passed, yet those fellows had still not shown up! Even as they spoke, the distant Dead Spirit Heavenly River churned violently! A furious shout shook heaven and earth. "Marquis Lanshan, do you dare rebel? This is the Eastern King Domain! We act on the Heavenly King's decree to apprehend traitors—how dare you obstruct us?" From the Dead Spirit Heavenly River, three immensely powerful phantom silhouettes of dead spirits were projected! One dead spirit stood opposed to the other two. The solitary figure was none other than Marquis Lanshan, the sole human dead spirit Marquis in the Eastern Heavenly King's territory. Above the Dead Spirit Heavenly River, Marquis Lanshan said calmly, "The outside does not belong to the Eastern King Domain. That is the jurisdiction of General Zhenling! You two, turn back!" "Turn back?" Across from her, Marquis Yueming sneered, "Lanshan, you court death! Today, we shall scatter you into nothingness! Do you still believe this is the era when the Human race unified the all-heavens? The Human race is a relic of the past!" Marquis Lanshan offered no reply, thrusting a sword straight through heaven and earth. Then let there be slaughter! She was the last remaining human Marquis in the Eastern King Domain. There had once been other human Marquises here, but they had perished in the great war of the ninth tide. Indeed, that war had spilled into the dead spirit realm as well, dragging vast regions into the conflict. Through that single campaign, the other human dead spirit Marquises in the Eastern King Domain had either fallen in battle or vanished under murky circumstances. Marquis Lanshan had long suspected that the Eastern King had secretly eliminated them. Because the Human race threatened his dominion. Ever since the ninth tide, she had lain dormant for countless years, ignoring all worldly affairs in secluded cultivation. Yet today, she had taken the field! She knew nothing of what had unfolded in the living world, but she knew that these figures were converging to besiege General Zhenling. Something significant had surely happened, and in all likelihood, it involved the Human race, for General Zhenling had always leaned toward humanity. Hongmeng was immensely powerful. Under normal circumstances, these Marquises would never dare provoke him. Since they dared do so now... something had gone wrong outside! General Zhenling's true body was likely fighting in the world above! With that conviction, Marquis Lanshan strode out of the Eastern King Palace to intercept these two reinforcements, denying them passage. A great clash instantly erupted across the Dead Spirit Heavenly River. Within the river, dark corpses bobbed up and down. The Dead Spirit Heavenly River, the place where dead spirits were ushered in. Here, peerless powerhouses of antiquity might still slumber, yet to awaken to this day. Three Marquises battled relentlessly above the river. Meanwhile, the Old Turtle's Dao body sighed faintly. Repelling Marquis Qishan with a single blow, he lamented, "You are already dead. Why bother? Isn't it enough to simply exist as dead spirits? Must you meddle in the wars of the living?" Marquis Qishan snapped viciously, "Exist as dead spirits? We were slain back then by King Wu and his kind! Why should we accept being dead spirits? Why should we be resigned to this? If King Wu and King Zhan could slaughter us, why can we not slaughter them?" "When heaven changes and the Immortal race unifies the all-heavens, we will fight our way back into the realm of the living and be resurrected once more!" With a piercing howl, Marquis Qishan charged madly at the Old Turtle! It was only a Dao body. Once your Dao body is slain, your true self will fall from Dao Harmonization—let us see how you stand against the formidable foes outside then! This old fellow could go die! Rumble! Tremendous booms echoed across heaven and earth. Right at that moment, a book drew near, thoroughly concealing its aura... or rather, it possessed hardly any aura to begin with. A living being entering the dead spirit realm would stick out like a beacon. Yet did a book count as a living being? The Book Spirit harbored very little vital essence. With powerhouses locked in battle all around, whatever faint trace of living aura lingered on the book was heavily masked. Even if a slight ripple stirred, no one paid it any heed, nor did they have the luxury to care. "The dead spirit realm..." Floating gently, the Book Spirit murmured with feeling, "Tea Tree, do you know of the dead spirit realm?" "I do. Back when I was still ignorant, the young master mentioned it. I have a faint recollection. The young master came here to slay dead spirits, but hated this place, calling it far too dreary..." The Book Spirit smiled. "The Master came here as well. He didn't care for it much either, yet he lived in the dead spirit realm for a time, seemingly to help someone resurrect." "Help whom?" "I do not know. It seems to have failed. The Master never spoke of the details; he merely sighed with regret while writing, leaving behind a few impressions..." As the two spirits conversed, the Old Turtle's Dao body sensed their presence. Knowing the situation, he realized Su Yu had summoned them. He maintained his composure, even helping to suppress their lingering ripples of living essence, as the Tea Tree still emitted a faint presence. Inwardly, he wondered who these two truly were. Spirits? From the Spirit race? Yet there was no reason for the Spirit race to aid Su Yu. They seemed to have been brought out of the Human Realm by Su Yu. Could they have been retrieved from some ancient ruin? How strong were they? He was uncertain. They felt formidable! Yet he could not gauge their exact depth. Just as the Old Turtle pondered this, Marquis Qishan suddenly glanced in that direction. Spotting the book, he paused in surprise, then shouted, "Something is wrong! Qiyun..." Before he could finish, the Book Spirit chuckled softly. "We've been spotted!" In an instant, a towering tree materialized. The Tea Tree was not particularly large normally, but now it loomed immensely vast. Returning to its true form, an extraordinarily thick River of Time surged forth, and countless branches lashed out toward the two Marquises! Meanwhile, the Old Turtle moved swiftly to suppress Marquis Qishan. The Tea Tree's might was truly out of the ordinary! However, its combat experience was lacking. Its branches whipped through the void, blowing space apart, yet Marquis Qiyun managed to dodge the strike. A voice of annoyance echoed from the Tea Tree: "Book Spirit, I can't hit him!" The Book Spirit sighed. "You, all you ever do is bathe instead of reading!" With that, the pages of the book flipped open. In the blink of an eye, countless characters formed a colossal net that unfurled across the void! Every single character radiated overwhelming power. Weaving into a net, they instantly enveloped Marquis Qiyun! Marquis Qiyun thrust his spear forward. Boom! A deafening roar tore through heaven and earth! Yet the net merely trembled faintly without breaking. Instead, it contracted rapidly around him, utterly constricting his room to maneuver. "Who are you?" Marquis Qiyun cried out in terror. "Who are you?" Who on earth was this? A book? Whose book? "The Time Master... could it be... Impossible! The Time Book? How could the Time Book appear here..." Marquis Qiyun was horrified! He could only think of the Time Book. Aside from the Time Book, what other book could instantly bind a Marquis—even if he was merely a dead spirit Marquis, he was still a Marquis! The Book Spirit laughed softly. "No. The Time Book... is far stronger than I. You dare defy the rules of the Imperial Court and ambush General Zhenling—you deserve execution! On behalf of my master, I shall slay the rebels!" Rumble! The net clamped down! At this, the Tea Tree rejoiced. Millions of branches darted straight through the gaps in the net! Squelch! Countless branches instantly pierced Marquis Qiyun. Terrified, Marquis Qiyun roared repeatedly, attempting to shatter the net, yet he could not break through the mesh woven from countless characters. The Book Spirit flipped its pages continuously. The more pages it turned, the more characters appeared upon the net, and the tighter the binding grew! The Tea Tree grew thoroughly excited—this was its very first fight! It did not know much about fighting, but it vaguely remembered how the young master had fought! A few memories remained! Driving its branches through, it repeatedly impaled Marquis Qiyun. Then, suddenly remembering something, it asked hurriedly, "Book Spirit, how do I find his Great Dao of rules and shatter it?" The Book Spirit chuckled. "You cannot shatter it! Nor is he an embodiment of the Dao. He is dead; upon death, the connection to the Dao was severed. Dead spirits all walk the Dead Spirit Great Dao, and you cannot manifest the Dead Spirit Great Dao here... Shatter his dead spirit mark, and he will die! He has a Dao body; crush the Dao body, and his strength will plummet..." Enlightenment dawned upon the Tea Tree. "So that's how it works! Book Spirit, you really know a lot!" "Reading more books naturally brings benefits..." "I don't want to read..." Amid their banter, the Tea Tree's myriad branches stabbed forward. Squelch! This time, a Dao body manifested, only to be instantly bound by the great net. In an instant, the Tea Tree punched a gaping hole right through it. Despair flooded Marquis Qiyun's eyes. The Book Spirit added, "Do not destroy it entirely. Leave some behind. It can be used to awaken the intellect of dead spirits and restore their strength from when they were alive—it is a supreme treasure." "Oh..." The Tea Tree learned another lesson. Its branches lashed out, and in the span of a breath, it pulverized the Dao body, leaving behind only pools of blood of death. The Book Spirit remarked again, "That is also good stuff—a treasure for dead spirits to strengthen themselves!" "Oh!" The Tea Tree's branches swept outward, collecting everything. By now, Marquis Qishan was terrified to the absolute extreme, roaring frantically! Rumble! The dead spirit realm trembled faintly. A Marquis had been slain just like that! Yes, with utter ease! The Book Spirit suppressed, and the Tea Tree executed, their coordination seamless. Though the Tea Tree lacked combat finesse, its raw strength was undeniably formidable. In the blink of an eye, Marquis Qiyun was dead! Even the Old Turtle drew a sharp breath. These two... were truly fearsome! Not that he thought himself inferior. Taken together, the two were likely not his match; if his Dao body and true self were united, they probably could not defeat him. But working in tandem, ordinary Dao Harmonizers were utterly helpless before them. Crucially, anyone unable to break through the Book Spirit's binding was virtually doomed! The Old Turtle was powerful, but his ability to trap a Dao Harmonizer was not exceptional; slaying one was by no means simple for him. Yet for these two, killing one seemed remarkably straightforward! The Book Spirit remained smiling. An instant later, the great net swept toward Marquis Qishan! He must be slain! He must be executed! King Wen was a core pillar of the ancient Imperial Court. In the Book Spirit's eyes, those besieging General Zhenling right now were rebels! Rebels deserved death! Even if they were already dead. Layer after layer of nets descended upon Marquis Qishan. Gripped by sheer terror, Marquis Qishan ignited his blood of death in a frantic bid to repel the Old Turtle's Dao body and flee the area! This made no sense! "Heavenly King, living beings have entered the realm!" Marquis Qishan roared, sensing mortal peril and pleading for the Eastern Heavenly King's aid. However, this place was still some distance from the Eastern King Palace. The Eastern Heavenly King might have already sensed Marquis Qiyun's demise, but even if he set out, it would take time. And Marquis Qishan had no time left! Net after net descended. The Book Spirit flipped through its pages endlessly, even beginning to recite aloud: "In the beginning of the war, the Immortal race defied the throne. I slew sixteen Immortal Kings, severed three Great Daos of the Immortal race, breaking their path until the Immortal race submitted..." A colossal net materialized, faintly projecting the silhouette of a man. With a single palm strike, that silhouette obliterated over a dozen Immortal Invincibles, blotting out the sky with one hand, seizing the Great Daos, snapping them in two, until the Immortal Emperor yielded... This was the dawn of antiquity! The scene of King Wen battling across the all-heavens! "King Wen..." Marquis Qishan seemed to recognize the scene. Shock and terror overwhelmed him. "No... King Wen is dead! He's dead!" The Book Spirit continued its recitation, ignoring his cries. The Tea Tree, however, flared with rage. Millions of branches pierced forward again as it snapped furiously, "Master is not dead! He is alive, and he will surely return! Feiqiu said Master will come back! You dare insult Master—die!" The Tea Tree was enraged! Puff! Puff! Puff! The instant Marquis Qishan was sealed, countless branches pierced right through his dead spirit body. His dead spirit mark was gouged out in a single breath. Last time, the Old Turtle had already severed three drops of blood of death from his Dao body, which had not yet recovered. In an instant, the black Dao body was hacked into fragments, revealing the blood of death within. The sky shuddered once more. It lacked the colossal disturbance of the outside world, yet the Dead Spirit Heavenly River churned violently, and in the dark starry expanse, two meteor-like stars plummeted and shattered between heaven and earth. Practically an instant kill! The terrifying one was not the Tea Tree, but the Book Spirit! The Tea Tree's offensive power was substantial, much like Su Yu's, but like Su Yu, it had glaring shortcomings. Yet with the Book Spirit present, that binding net was something even Dao Harmonizers could not break free from! Coupled with the Tea Tree... It was just like when Su Yu and Wan Tiansheng joined hands to slay Invincibles—it made killing look easy. Above the Dead Spirit Heavenly River, where three Marquises had been locked in combat, Marquis Yueming and his companion fled instantly! Terrifying! Utter horror! Two Marquises had perished just like that! Who on earth had arrived over there? They dared not linger for even a second glance, taking flight immediately. At this moment, their only thought was to return to the Eastern King Palace. Only with the Eastern Heavenly King present would they find any sense of safety! The Tea Tree chirped excitedly, "Book Spirit, two of them ran away! Should we chase them down?" The Book Spirit glanced in their direction and smiled. "No need. That is the territory of another Heavenly King. If we intrude, we would be in the wrong..." "The myriad realms all belong to Master! If Master could go there, so can we!" The Tea Tree thought nothing of it. Everything belonged to Master, and Master was the strongest! Beside them, the Old Turtle's Dao body smiled faintly. "Greetings, fellow Daoists! It is best not to venture there for now. The Eastern Heavenly King is formidable; your Myriad Daos Binding might struggle to restrain him." "Greetings, General Zhenling!" The Book Spirit bowed and smiled. "I once heard Master say that General Zhenling's strength surpasses that of most enfeoffed Marquises. Seeing you today, it is indeed so. In the realm of the living, General, your strength likely ranks among the top three Dao Harmonizers." Stronger than himself—the Book Spirit knew this well. If the general's true body and Dao body united, he likely would not be able to bind him. After a brief exchange, Xia Chen and Hetu finished wiping out the dead spirit monarchs their foes had brought along. Panting and cursing, Hetu eyed the Book Spirit and Tea Tree warily. Who were these two? So terrifyingly strong! These days, more and more powerhouses were popping out of nowhere! Xia Chen, on the other hand, looked at the Book Spirit, then at the Tea Tree. After a long pause, he asked uncertainly, "Seniors... might you hail from King Wen's residence?" The Tea Tree ignored him, but the Book Spirit glanced over in mild surprise. Only after a moment did he ask, "And you are..." "I am a descendant of King Zhan, and I once guarded King Wen's tomb!" The Book Spirit seemed to understand something. After a pause, he said, "A friend of Master's, a descendant of King Zhan... Guarding the tomb... A cenotaph?" "Yes!" The Book Spirit smiled. "Master is surely still alive... We are certain of it! Many thanks to your lineage for your devotion!" Without dwelling further on the matter, the Book Spirit quickly added, "The Human Lord is still waiting for us. General Zhenling, please continue your disguise for a short while... News from here will not leak out for the time being..." The Old Turtle smiled. "Rest assured, I understand! It seems someone is in for a rude awakening this time!" The Book Spirit smiled as well. That was a certainty. In the distance, above the Dead Spirit Heavenly River, Marquis Lanshan glanced back, her voice carrying over: "I must return to the Eastern King Palace. General Zhenling, I will try to buy as much time as possible... However, the Eastern King will cross over sooner or later... You had best make preparations early!" "Many thanks, Marquis Lanshan!" "It is I who should thank you..." With mixed emotions, Marquis Lanshan looked toward the Book Spirit and his companion, bowed slightly, and vanished into the void! She was the only human dead spirit Marquis left in the Eastern King Domain; she could not afford to fall now. Soon, Marquis Lanshan was gone. The dead spirit realm gradually settled back into calm. The two Marquises had died far too easily. The Old Turtle spoke up promptly: "Hetu, Xia Chen, the two of you must lead the other monarchs on a sweep to quell the unrest in the other dead spirit domains and liberate the guardians..." Hetu stared at him in surprise. "Are you ordering me around?" "..." The Old Turtle was left speechless! Damn it! You idiot, I just saved your life, do you know that? I was fighting for you just moments ago—are you blind? Xia Chen tugged at Hetu and said quickly, "Senior, rest assured. Brother Hetu, let's go. We must quell the other dead spirits!" Hetu snorted coldly and turned to leave alongside Xia Chen, his faint grumbling drifting back: "That old bastard personally killed me back then—he's my mortal enemy! You blockhead, why are you telling me to obey him? I am a descendant of King Gong, and he was my ancestor's subordinate. Slaying me makes him a traitor to his master!" Xia Chen's voice carried back: "Bear with it for now. We can settle the score when our strength is sufficient. Let's resolve the unrest in the other domains first to buy time for the Human race!" "Fine, for your sake, I won't lower myself to argue with that old fossil!" "..." Behind them, the Old Turtle was thoroughly at a loss for words. Believe it or not, I'll suppress you right now! This wretched dog truly turned hostile faster than flipping a page!