Schemes Come to Naught, Clashing with the Eastern Heavenly King

Su Yu led Tianmie and the others in a swift flight toward the higher floors. Beside them, Marquis Lanshan let out a soft cough. She had only just barely digested that burst of rule power. While her wounds were mostly healed, her shattered Dao body was not something that could be restored easily. Now, even with her injuries recovered, she possessed only the strength of a ninth-stage Eternity expert. Excluding Su Yu, practically everyone else, including Tianmie, was at the ninth stage of Eternity. After coughing for a moment, Marquis Lanshan turned a complex gaze upon Su Yu and spoke. "Human Lord, are we going to the seventh floor?" "Yes." "There is a passage there... a dead spirit passage leading into the Dead Spirit Realm. All of us know about it. If we go to the seventh floor... it will be extremely difficult for the Human Lord to kill the Eastern King. He could easily flee through it." A passage on the seventh floor! Practically all the prominent figures in the Dead Spirit Realm knew about this. After all, the passage had existed since the era of King Gong. Su Yu offered no lengthy explanation. He knew that slaying the Eastern King would not be easy. However, even if they could not kill the Eastern King, killing the dead spirit marquises under his command would suffice just as well. He spoke rapidly: "He still has three dead spirit marquises under his command. If we can't kill the Eastern King, we will kill those three marquises! Even if the Eastern King truly escapes, it won't matter much. I will lead people to hunt him down!" When that time came, it would no longer be the Eastern King chasing him! Once Tianmie and the others all achieved Dao Integration, the Eastern King might be formidable enough to fight three or four Dao Integration experts at once. What about five or six? Once they slaughtered the dead spirit marquises, Old Turtle and the other guardians could free up a few of their own to hunt down the Eastern King together, which would give them great confidence. Naturally, slaying him right here would be ideal! Otherwise, if the Eastern King fled into the territory of another Heavenly King and rallied the others to his side, that would truly become troublesome. Among the Four Heavenly Kings, there might still be one who supported the human race. But even if there was, Su Yu judged there would be at most one. If there were two, things would have been balanced, and the Eastern King Domain would never have suppressed the human dead spirits so relentlessly. Hearing his words, Marquis Lanshan did not pursue the topic. After a brief silence, she said, "Human Lord, could you put me down? My injuries have stabilized. Though my Dao body is gone and I have fallen from the Dao Integration realm, strictly speaking, I should still be much stronger than Hetu!" From the side, Hetu glanced over at her and snorted in displeasure. Still, her words held truth. Hetu was only at the seventh stage; he was indeed inferior to her in strength. Even now, Marquis Lanshan could thrash him without issue. "Forgot!" Su Yu chuckled and casually let go of Marquis Lanshan. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Being hauled around by Su Yu the entire time had felt rather humiliating... though, of course, she kept that sentiment buried deep in her heart. For a dead spirit to reach her level, touchiness was inevitable, but she could still clearly tell friend from foe. Marquis Lanshan's thoughts were quite complicated. She swiftly kept pace with the group as they flew toward the entrance to the third floor, paying a bit more attention to Su Yu. This new Human Lord... his personal strength did not seem exceedingly formidable. It was not that he was weak, but his Dao Integration combat prowess appeared to be borrowed through external power. He wasn't actually at Dao Integration! That the new Human Lord was not a Dao Integration expert exceeded her expectations. She lacked extensive sources of intelligence, and Su Yu was a newly emerged Human Lord; she had previously assumed the new Human Lord would at least possess true Dao Integration combat strength. Across the preceding nine tides, there had never been a Human Lord who was not at Dao Integration! Yet this new Human Lord defied her expectations once more. His personal strength was not overly formidable, but he seemed practically omnipotent. Even while being pursued by the Eastern King and multiple dead spirit marquises, he had effortlessly resolved the very marquises who had once suppressed her. Furthermore, the guardians had actually broken their seals to assist this new Human Lord. This was unprecedented in history! She recognized Tianmie and the others. Having spent countless years in the Dead Spirit Realm, others might not know the guardians, but she certainly did. Arrogant and unyielding guardians like Tianmie had actually chosen to support this new Human Lord in this tide. Thoughts continued to surface in Marquis Lanshan's mind. And the dead spirits, too! She knew Hetu as well—the notorious troublemaker of the first tide. Hetu had not been a Human Lord, but during the great turning point of the first tide, he had been a defining figure of that era. Hetu shared many similarities with Su Yu, only he had not managed to use external forces to bend the human race to his will as Su Yu had, since humanity back then had been far too powerful. Yet even that rebellious troublemaker was now running alongside Su Yu. Carrying these thoughts, Marquis Lanshan suddenly sent a voice transmission to Yunxiao: "Yunxiao, how is the situation with the human race in the living realm right now?" Marquis Lanshan knew that in this current tide, humanity's circumstances were dire. She still was not entirely clear on the exact details. Yunxiao gave her a surprised look. *You don't know?* Well, not knowing was understandable. Last time, Marquis Lanshan had assisted the Book Spirit and the others in slaying two marquises, but that was all. She likely had no idea about the subsequent developments. Yunxiao casually replied via voice transmission: "Pretty good. Su Yu has roped in a massive amount of support. He killed several Dao Integration experts earlier, and right now, the celestials, demons, gods, and dragons have all sealed their realms. For a brief period, the human race should be able to dominate the world." Marquis Lanshan was shaken. Dominate? This was something she had never imagined! Could humanity... actually dominate during this tide? "Does humanity... have any Dao Integration experts?" she asked. Yunxiao answered quickly: "There's one." "..." This time, Marquis Lanshan was truly astonished. She asked again, "Is that Dao Integration expert... family to this new Human Lord?" Otherwise, if there was a Dao Integration expert, Su Yu shouldn't be the one serving as Human Lord. "No!" As if anticipating her thoughts, Yunxiao swiftly explained, "The human race's new Dao Integration expert is King Dazhou. King Dazhou's relationship with him is only average, and they even had grudges before! Marquis Lanshan, don't overthink it. Su Yu might not be as strong as King Dazhou, but if King Dazhou tried to oppose him... I think King Dazhou would be the one to die! Besides, making Su Yu the Human Lord was a decision made by King Dazhou and the others themselves. King Dazhou and his peers lay dormant for countless years without being able to do anything to the myriad races, but once Su Yu arrived, he quickly turned the tables..." Just consider how many Dao Integration allies Su Yu had rallied to fight for him. The two fur-balls, Old Turtle, the Iron-Eating Beast Emperor, the Book Spirit, the Tea Tree... Without those Dao Integration figures, even if King Dazhou had managed to win over a few allies, it would have been entirely useless. Moreover, without the cohesive power Su Yu demonstrated, Dao Integration experts like the Archaic Giant King and the Void Beast Emperor might never have dared to enter the fray. The prerequisite for their participation was that Su Yu had terrified the myriad realms through slaughter. In Yunxiao's eyes, all of this had been accomplished by Su Yu, not through any grand maneuvering by King Dazhou. Marquis Lanshan was still processing the revelations. She had never anticipated such an outcome! She had assumed humanity was on the brink of ruin. She thought Su Yu had sought her out because a grave crisis had descended upon the humans of the living realm, hoping to recruit her, a dead spirit marquis, to enter the living realm and fight to reverse humanity's decline. She had even prepared herself to force her way into the living realm and endure the punishment of the rules, willing to fight so long as she survived! And now, Yunxiao was telling her that was not the case at all! Su Yu had already suppressed the myriad races in the living realm! This Human Lord, who was not particularly strong in personal cultivation, had achieved what the Dao Integration Human Lords before him had failed to accomplish! Suppressing the myriad realms was not unheard of—the Hundred Battles King had suppressed them in the early stages as well. Yet later on, once the Upper Realm opened, all those advantages had vanished into thin air. Marquis Lanshan's feelings grew increasingly tangled! Had she known earlier... perhaps Yusheng, Hongyun, and the others would not have had to die. She had simply believed humanity might be facing a catastrophe, and that slaying a few extra marquises here would alleviate the pressure on the human race... Who could have guessed the situation was like this? No wonder the new Human Lord had seemed furious, feeling that she had disobeyed his orders. As she was lost in thought, Su Yu barked, "You two, hurry it up!" With an annoyed shout, he grabbed both of them, visibly irritated. "The Eastern King is tailing right behind us! Why are you slowing down to chat and wasting time?" Women! *Hah!* At a time like this, they were actually whispering to each other and slowing down their pace, making Su Yu thoroughly annoyed. A formidable enemy was right at their heels! Did they think they were out for a stroll? In his irritation, Su Yu hauled both of them along as he sped toward the entrance, snapping, "Stop making trouble for me, understand?" Yunxiao gave Marquis Lanshan a helpless shrug. *You were the one who started talking to me!* Look, Su Yu had blown his top. Back when Su Yu was weak, he had addressed her respectfully as Lady and Your Ladyship. Now, he was acting quite arrogant. Well, Yunxiao decided not to hold it against him; the two of them really had wasted time. In an instant, the group crossed the entrance and stepped onto the third floor. Su Yu laid down a small warding seal. It wasn't meant for defense, but if it shattered, he would sense it, letting him know the pursuers had caught up so he could gauge their distance. Once again, he led the group in a rapid ascent toward the higher floors. As Su Yu flew, he observed Tianmie's condition. At that moment, Tianmie's aura fluctuated incessantly, yet he seemed unable to break through. Feeling Su Yu's gaze, Tianmie said awkwardly, "My big club isn't here, so there is still a thin membrane separating me from the rules. I cultivate the Weapon Merging Art. Without my club, comprehending the Dao Integration becomes much harder!" The big club was the carrier of their rules. It was their anchor of connection! Without his weapon in hand, Tianmie's perception of these rules was dulled. Otherwise, out in the open, with his foundation, he might have successfully integrated his Dao the instant he absorbed that vast rule power! Su Yu frowned. He had actually overlooked this! No wonder he had expected Tianmie to step into Dao Integration immediately after unsealing, yet after absorbing so much rule power, Tianmie had still failed to complete the advancement. It turned out his weapon was missing. If this was the case for Tianmie, it had to be the same for Yunxiao and Xinghong! In that case, it would be even harder for Xinghong and Yunxiao to achieve Dao Integration! However, the ancient cities could not simply disappear. If they vanished, the myriad races would inevitably realize something was amiss, and Su Yu still feared they might cause trouble at a time like this. Tianmie quickly added, "Don't worry, though. I'll get there soon!" Saying that, he let out a somewhat helpless sigh. "Even if I reach Dao Integration, I probably still won't be a match for that Eastern Heavenly King. I've never won a fight in my life!" Well, it was a rather depressing reality. It wasn't that he had never won; at least he had beaten Duobao back in the day. But later on, Duobao reached Dao Integration. Then, he lost fighting the Dragon Emperor, lost fighting the Eastern Heavenly King, and in the upcoming clash against the Eastern Heavenly King, he would most likely lose again. Constantly losing his fights had made him somewhat reluctant to battle at all. Being pugnacious was only enjoyable when one won regularly. Even in such a tense moment, the others couldn't help but chuckle. Xinghong failed to hold back and smiled. "Tianmie, didn't you always claim to possess the greatest combat strength below Dao Integration?" "That was below Dao Integration!" Tianmie retorted in annoyance. Once he was fully unsealed and wielded his big club, he would be number one! Su Yu could not be bothered to indulge them. Continuously shifting through space, he swallowed another drop of peng essence blood. This was already the fifth drop he had consumed today; he had extracted the most essence blood from the Golden-Winged Peng, drawing nine drops in total. If this drag on much longer, his supply of Dao Integration essence blood would be entirely depleted, though he still had some from the Dragon Emperor. His speed soared once more. In an instant, Su Yu pierced through space and entered the fourth floor. He did not linger or pay attention to his surroundings. During the period when the Star Residence Mansion was sealed, the ambient fluctuations were quite violent. It was likely Old Zhou was recovering his primordial qi; the entire level was churning with turbulent fluctuations battering in all directions. Su Yu had no desire to inspect it. His priority was to reach the seventh floor as fast as possible! If the Eastern Heavenly King and his subordinates didn't pursue them up there, it wouldn't matter much. If they delayed long enough, Old Turtle would pacify the chaos below, and the Eastern King Domain would become Old Turtle's territory. Could the Eastern Heavenly King really hide on the lower floors for the rest of his life? Besides, with his immense strength, Su Yu doubted he would hide. If he truly found himself unable to handle Su Yu, the Eastern King's immediate reaction would certainly be to escape via the seventh floor's passage. The fifth floor, the sixth floor... Su Yu swiftly cut through layer upon layer of space. Soon, they arrived at the seventh floor! *** The seventh floor. A vast, flat expanse! During their last visit to the seventh floor, Old Zhou had unleashed his fury and swept the entire floor clean! Every mansion, including the King Gong Mansion, had been razed by Old Zhou. Consequently, across the entire seventh floor, not a single blade of grass remained. Last time, Old Zhou had truly been provoked into a frenzy. As a result, even from a great distance, one could clearly see the dead spirit passage ahead. However, the Guiyuan Saber was gone. Even without the Guiyuan Saber, the passage was not freely accessible. Vaguely, some rule power still converged in that area. Previously, the rule power had gathered inside the Guiyuan Saber; now that the blade was gone, the rule power could only disperse around the dead spirit passage. Over there, dead spirits seemed to be probing with attacks, attempting to force their way inside. Su Yu quickly tore through the air, heading first toward the eighth floor's entrance to assess the situation. He needed to be prepared to evacuate everyone at a moment's notice. Once the Eastern Heavenly King ascended, Su Yu planned to call directly on Old Zhou. Old Zhou could unleash his wrath on the seventh floor, but it might not spill over into the eighth. The suppressive power on the eighth floor was far too immense. The Council Headquarters was located there, alongside the mansions of various Human Kings, countless marquis residences, and several general manors. Even during the ancient era, had Old Zhou been revived, he likely could not have touched the prominent figures on the eighth floor. There had been more than one Ruler of Rules there! Perhaps over a hundred! After all, councilors most likely possessed combat strength on the level of Rulers of Rules; otherwise, they could never have contended with the human race. Su Yu swiftly flew toward the entrance to the eighth floor. When he reached the vicinity of the dead spirit passage, he could vaguely make out several monarchs attempting to break through and emerge. They seemed to notice Su Yu as well. Su Yu also found a few of the monarchs familiar. He suddenly called out, "Tuofa?" Hetu recognized them too and laughed heartily. "Tuofa, you lot are still hanging around here?" Behind the dead spirit gate, Tuofa and the other monarchs were stunned. *Damn it!* *How did you get in here again?* The next instant, a wave of mental intent rippled out: "Hetu! How did you get in? Right, you mentioned last time that there was a teleportation passage, but didn't you say it couldn't be opened right now?" Hetu laughed. "I came in with someone!" Tuofa was at a loss for words. Here, Tuofa was the strongest. Su Yu had known since their last encounter that Tuofa possessed the strength of a seventh-stage Eternity expert. Not wanting to waste words, Su Yu said rapidly, "You'd better leave immediately. A horde of dead spirit marquises behind us might force their way out through the passage shortly. If they see you blocking the way, they'll wipe you out in an instant!" "Hahaha!" Tuofa burst out laughing. "Dead spirit marquises? I have spent countless years here and have never once encountered a dead spirit marquis! You're... you're that Su Yu! This seat remembers you! You were right here deceiving people last time, and now you want to trick us again?" *I don't believe a word of it!* When this fellow had spun his lies last time, Tuofa had been present. In the end, a massive crowd of people died, along with a whole swathe of dead spirit monarchs. Now this fellow had returned! Who was he planning to swindle this time? Marquis Lanshan gave Su Yu a peculiar look. This Human Lord seemed to know quite a few dead spirits. The funny thing was, the moment these dead spirit monarchs saw him, their first thought was that he was trying to con them. Was this a defining trait of the new Human Lord? "Don't believe me, then!" Su Yu knew these fellows might not know about the Four Kings' Domains. Because Old Turtle guarded this area and forbade outsiders from entering, many dead spirit monarchs born here were oblivious to what lay beyond the Dead Spirit Heavenly River. Even Hetu hadn't known before, thinking he was the top boss of these lands. Su Yu had only offered the warning because these dead spirits had stepped in to help resolve some trouble for him last time. As for whether they listened... they could suit themselves. These dead spirits were rather simple-minded, lacking the shrewdness of those from the Eastern King Domain. Ignoring them, Su Yu looked all around, then froze. He couldn't resist cursing aloud: "Fuck! Where's the entrance?" He clearly remembered the entrance had been right here last time! Realizing something, Su Yu abruptly shouted, "Marquis Tongtian, show yourself!" The entrance to the eighth floor was no natural opening; it was a marquis formed from an enlightened gate spirit! Old Turtle had mentioned it in passing before, but Su Yu hadn't paid it much mind. Now, sensing that the gateway was gone, he made a rough guess: Marquis Tongtian must have sensed something and moved the gateway away! Damn it! If the entrance was gone, how was he supposed to get to the eighth floor? Su Yu spoke hurriedly: "Marquis Tongtian, I am Su Yu, the contemporary Human Lord! We should have met last time. I have urgent business—may I request an audience?" As he spoke, he glanced back apprehensively. The Eastern Heavenly King and his retinue could arrive at any moment! And the gateway had actually vanished. Was this a joke? Su Yu's teeth ached in frustration. If things played out like this and he couldn't reach the eighth floor, he would have no choice but to flee immediately through the dead spirit passage. Otherwise, he would be the one surrounded and slaughtered! What a catastrophic turn of events! Meanwhile, within the void—tucked inside a seam between spatial rifts—a massive gate trembled faintly. A phantom projection manifested, peering down from the depths of the void. Unseen by Su Yu, the phantom within the gateway murmured, "Su Yu... it's him!" He naturally remembered this fellow! Last time, it was this very kid who threw the seventh floor into total chaos and even slew an expert of the Demon Race on the eighth floor before leaving immediately without the slightest pause. He had even praised the boy back then. And now he had returned? What was more, he had brought along several individuals who looked somewhat familiar. "Is that... Tianmie?" After observing for a moment, he furrowed his brows slightly. As the guardian spirit of the eighth floor, he was tasked with barring all unauthorized personnel from entering. Moreover, he sensed an impending crisis. Should he reveal himself to meet Su Yu? The contemporary Human Lord... A Human Lord? Had a new Human Lord truly emerged among the human race? He hadn't been one last time, yet now he was? One thought after another rose in his mind. Down on the seventh floor, Su Yu was growing increasingly anxious. An unexpected twist had occurred at the worst possible moment—Marquis Tongtian had actually moved the gateway away. Tianmie bellowed, "Old Tongtian, don't you recognize me? I used to bash your door! What are you running for? Open the gateway this instant!" Xinghong nudged him with an elbow, signaling him to be polite. The other party was a marquis after all, and they were the ones asking for a favor. Su Yu kept checking behind him. The warding seal he had left on the sixth floor had been breached, indicating the Eastern Heavenly King and his group had reached the sixth floor. They could ascend to the seventh at any second, yet the gateway was nowhere to be found! The disappearance of the gateway meant he had lost one of his escape routes. Marquis Tongtian likely wanted no part in the conflict, or feared getting caught up in disaster, so he had relocated the gateway and hidden himself away. His hiding gave Su Yu a massive headache. Su Yu said nothing more. If the other party refused to come out, could he really launch a forced assault? And provoke yet another marquis into becoming an enemy? Tianmie was growing anxious as well. "What do we do now? That old fellow won't come out! He is bound by rules to guard the gateway. He is the manifestation of the gate itself, and his sole duty is to watch the door! We aren't close with him. Asking him to open the door now will only make him worry that the gateway might be breached. Bound by rules... and without a close connection, expecting him to break the rules is impossible." It was just like Old Turtle; without a strong relationship, expecting him to break the rules on your behalf was practically out of the question. Su Yu took a deep breath and looked toward the entrance of the seventh floor, pondering his options. After a moment, he said in a heavy voice, "Tianmie, how much longer until you can break through to Dao Integration?" "Just give me a little more time!" Su Yu turned to the others, his gaze falling upon Marquis Lanshan. "Marquis Lanshan, one of the dead spirit marquises is heavily wounded. Can you handle him?" Marquis Lanshan nodded. "That is Marquis Moyan. His injuries are quite severe. I have recovered somewhat, and though I've fallen from Dao Integration, fighting him shouldn't be difficult!" Su Yu turned to Tianmie. "Can you handle one marquis on your own?" Tianmie furrowed his brows. "Once I break through to Dao Integration, it won't be a problem! This is the living realm, after all, not the Dead Spirit Realm! Here, once I advance, I can take one on even without my club!" Su Yu turned his gaze to Xinghong and Yunxiao. "Now that you have reached the ninth stage, can the two of you handle a marquis together?" Xinghong said in a deep voice, "It will be difficult! Very difficult indeed. Yunxiao and I are only at the ninth stage, after all. Still, holding one off and stalling for a while won't be an issue!" The group looked at Su Yu, unsure of what he had in mind. Right now, the Eastern King had three marquises and himself. Did Su Yu intend to fight them head-on? Could Su Yu handle the Eastern King? Su Yu didn't know, but he held a drop of the little white dog's essence blood. He had requested it beforehand, and the little white dog had handed it over without hesitation. The little white dog was undeniably powerful. Yet, relying on borrowed power, could he match the Eastern King? It was hard to say! Su Yu was currently reluctant to summon Old Zhou. With the eighth floor's entrance gone and Old Zhou having regained much of his clarity, hiding inside the cellular membrane might still lead to being discovered by him. Unless Su Yu could guarantee access to the eighth floor, calling upon Old Zhou would mean staking his life on immense danger. Su Yu took a deep breath. "I have a few paths forward. First, using the Martial Emperor to kill them, but the chances of being killed ourselves are not small! Second, retreating through the dead spirit passage. But if we leave, we will lose the chance to kill dead spirit marquises under the circumstance of earning rule rewards! It will become exceedingly difficult for the two of you to reach Dao Integration!" "Third, fighting a hard battle!" Thinking up to this point, Su Yu suddenly added, "Actually, the best approach would be for Lord Xinghong and Lady Yunxiao to slay the wounded marquis, while Marquis Lanshan takes on an uninjured one!" That way, the chances of Yunxiao and Xinghong breaking through would be much higher. However, Marquis Lanshan had fallen in realm. Forcing her to battle an uninjured marquis carried a very high probability of death. Marquis Lanshan said in a low voice, "Then I shall face Marquis Shenping! I will buy time for everyone. If the two guardians join forces, they have a good chance of slaying Marquis Moyan. Once he is dead, both of them will have hope of stepping into Dao Integration!" Saying that, she looked at Su Yu. "Does the Human Lord... have confidence in dealing with the Eastern King?" "None!" Su Yu answered bluntly. Even if the little white dog came in person, he might not be guaranteed a victory, let alone Su Yu borrowing power through a single drop of essence blood. With just a drop of essence blood, the combat duration would only last about five minutes. Of course, when supreme experts clashed without stalling, five minutes was more than enough! Five minutes was plenty of time for tens of thousands of exchanges! Xinghong frowned slightly. "It's too dangerous. Su Yu, how about we drop it? Our gains this time are already substantial. If it comes down to it, let's retreat first. Reaching Dao Integration... depends on fortune. If it doesn't work out this time, we can try again in the future!" Right now, they could leave ahead of time through the dead spirit passage. The Eastern Heavenly King and his retinue might not necessarily pursue them to the bitter end. Of course, if they fought in the Dead Spirit Realm, killing the Eastern King and the others would yield no rewards whatsoever. Here, slaying dead spirits granted the guardians vastly amplified rewards. Only in this way did they have any hope of swiftly stepping into the Dao Integration realm! If they succeeded, they would gain three additional Dao Integration combatants! Su Yu was hesitating as well. He quickly walked to the edge of the dead spirit passage, glancing up at the sky with indecision and irritation! Marquis Tongtian! That fellow sealing the gateway had left him thoroughly helpless. He was contemplating whether he should wait for the Eastern Heavenly King and the others to arrive, then shout "Taishan" a few times. The critical problem was that last time Old Zhou unleashed his fury, a single breath had snuffed out numerous dead spirit monarchs, even obliterating those outside the dead spirit passage! If he called Old Zhou, would Old Zhou chase him all the way into the Dead Spirit Realm? That would be terrifying! A dilemma! The dead spirit passage was far less stable than the eighth floor! Furthermore, while Su Yu knew one could exit through this dead spirit passage, could one enter from the other side? He truly had no idea; he had never entered from there. Moreover, it had been Old Zhou who destroyed the local rule power last time, allowing them to pass through unimpeded. What about now? While Su Yu was still weighing the pros and cons, Tuofa and the other monarchs behind the scattered rule power were watching them in bewilderment. Sensing the group's formidable strength, Tuofa seemed to recognize Tianmie and the others. With a strange expression, he spoke up: "Hetu, Su Yu, are you really planning to fight a powerful enemy? Dead spirit marquises? Where would dead spirit marquises even come from..." As he spoke, he glanced at Marquis Lanshan. Her dead spirit aura was also immensely powerful, but he didn't recognize her. Could it be that ancient dead spirit marquises had truly awakened? How come he knew nothing about it? Su Yu could not be bothered to waste words on them, though he still said, "Of course it's real. A Dao Integration battle could erupt here at any moment. If you're not afraid of death, feel free to keep blocking the way!" With that thought, Su Yu suddenly thrust a hand through the dead spirit passage! *Boom!* The surrounding rule power rippled slightly, but it did not offer much resistance, allowing Su Yu's hand to pierce through the passage. Su Yu suddenly called out, "Marquis Lanshan, give it a try!" Without hesitation, Marquis Lanshan stepped forward and extended her hand outward. The next moment, a blast of rule power struck back. Marquis Lanshan swiftly withdrew her hand, her brows tightly knitted. "It seems I can leave, but... once I go out, I won't be able to re-enter from this side. If I try to enter, I will likely be blasted to death by a massive surge of rule power!" Beside them, Tianmie shifted uncomfortably. "Are we fighting or not? If we fight, it truly is dangerous! The Eastern King is too strong! Su Yu, you might not be able to hold him back. I saw your outburst last time; the owner of that essence blood was undeniably terrifying, but... even if the owner came in person, they might not be a match for the Eastern King, let alone you borrowing power! We would have to pin all our hopes on Xinghong and Yunxiao quickly slaying Marquis Moyan, hope that I can suppress the other fellow, and hope Marquis Lanshan can stall Marquis Shenping... There are far too many variables!" Yunxiao chimed in as well: "Su Yu, let's retreat! The Eastern King Manor has suffered heavy losses. Once we rally the Big Boss, we can take them on!" Su Yu exhaled. "I'm worried that once he leaves, he won't return to the Eastern King Manor, but instead... go to the other Heavenly Kings' domains!" At these words, everyone's brows furrowed. Indeed. If the Eastern King did not return to his manor and instead sought reinforcements from the other Heavenly Kings, that would be truly disastrous. Right now, the other manors most likely remained unaware of the situation. By the time they found out, if the Eastern King was already dead, one of the remaining three would likely support the human race, and Old Turtle could match another, establishing a new balance and silently accepting the Eastern King's demise. But if the Eastern King escaped alive, the entire situation would shift. Su Yu looked up at the sky once more, cursing inwardly! Marquis Tongtian! You've ruined my plans! Otherwise, he had intended to stand at the entrance of the gateway and summon Old Zhou. Now, this was just playing him for a fool. Furthermore, he had come here this time for cultivation techniques. If he left just like this... unable to reach the eighth or ninth floors, unable to find a way to communicate peacefully and normally with Old Zhou, how was he supposed to transform his combat techniques into divine characters? Then the purpose of this trip would be entirely unfulfilled. *The Martial Emperor... is someone I must face sooner or later!* If all else failed, he would just have to gamble with his life again! If he couldn't establish peaceful communication with Old Zhou, problems would inevitably arise sooner or later. Once the Upper Realm opened, his chances of survival would still be slim. At this moment, Su Yu steeled his resolve. Once the Eastern Heavenly King and his retinue ascended, he would shout "Taishan" and assess Old Zhou's state before deciding whether to abandon the field. Marquis Lanshan and the others all watched Su Yu, waiting for his decision. Fight or flee? If they won, they would gain three Dao Integration combatants. If they lost... there would be no after. Su Yu fell silent for a moment before speaking rapidly: "Prepare to evacuate! Since the entrance to the eighth floor isn't open, I'll provoke the Martial Emperor in a moment. If the Eastern Heavenly King and his group are heavily wounded, we strike to kill. If they aren't... we retreat! I will return alone later. Tianmie, the rest of you don't need to accompany me next time!" Hearing this, Tianmie immediately sneered, "Who are you looking down on? Are you worried we'll die here?" "No." Su Yu replied with a smile, "I'm worried Lord Hongmeng won't be able to suppress so many ancient cities on his own. If you truly perish here, the other guardians will be in trouble! I haven't arranged replacements to take over your guardianship duties yet." With that, Su Yu raised a hand. "Enough, that's final! My plan was sound; I simply didn't expect the gateway to the eighth floor to close on its own!" Man proposes, but heaven disposes! The gateway had actually vanished once before, but Su Yu hadn't paid attention and missed it. This time, he finally learned that Marquis Tongtian had the ability to shut the gateway at will. One could only say that luck was an elusive thing; it did not always remain on his side! Right at that moment, a ripple of powerful aura surged from the entrance of the seventh floor! Su Yu took a deep breath and roared, "Taishan!" "Little bug!" Yet at that exact moment, the anticipated uncontrollable fury did not erupt. Instead, the voice of the Martial Emperor echoed beside his ear: "You repeatedly provoke this seat with the name Taishan—do you truly take this seat for a fool? Thinking I would be used by you time and time again! I can sense it. You have enemies—quite formidable enemies—coming to kill you... Little bug, you are dead! This seat will not be used by you again!" The next instant, the Martial Emperor's voice turned venomous: "You made me eat stinking bugs! If I am to kill, I will kill you first!" He had regained his senses! Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry; the worst possible outcome had come to pass! Old Zhou could now communicate normally! However, this normalcy was not accompanied by friendliness toward him, but pure hostility! Old Zhou had not erupted into madness, nor had he lashed out. Whether he was unable to control his strength or feared losing control upon acting, Su Yu didn't know. But he knew one thing with absolute certainty: his plan to use Old Zhou to slaughter the Eastern Heavenly King was completely shattered! Time to retreat! Leave first! As for Old Zhou, he could find another way to communicate with him later. Having mastered the teleportation array, Su Yu could return at the cost of some energy. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Old Zhou's sinister voice resonated in his ear once more: "Little bug, you're dead, you hear me? You have enraged me! You want to escape through this dead spirit passage? Dream on! When this seat attacks, I tend to lose control and my memories become jumbled. To ensure you don't get your way, I won't strike. But... you might as well just be slaughtered!" The moment the words fell, the rule power around the dead spirit passage suddenly convulsed violently! The next instant, the dead spirit passage was abruptly sealed shut! Su Yu's heart seized in horror! Things had completely spun out of control! Old Zhou's gloating laughter echoed beside his ear: "You're finished! This passage... hmph, it was opened on this seat's body in the first place! Bastards! If this seat wants to shut it, who can stop me?" The passage was sealed! At that moment, the others sensed it as well and turned toward the passage in shock, only to see a thin membrane suddenly covering its opening. Su Yu reached out to claw at it... but failed to breach it. Su Yu's expression shifted slightly. The aura of the Eastern Heavenly King was already washing over them. Su Yu spoke rapidly: "Senior Martial Emperor, I was rash and foolish to harbor thoughts of using Senior! Senior, please open a slight crack to let the guardians leave! They guard the Dead Spirit Realm; if the dead spirits run wild, heaven and earth will plunge into chaos and innocent lives will be slaughtered. I am willing to stay behind and keep Senior company..." Old Zhou was lucid, and upon regaining lucidity, he had chosen to seal the dead spirit passage. The entrance to the eighth floor was gone! The notion of fleeing into the cellular membrane was thoroughly shattered. Su Yu had planned meticulously, but... he had still underestimated the unpredictability of the situation. It was natural; no one could control every variable. Otherwise, they would be omniscient diviners. Su Yu was no such thing; he simply did his utmost to strive for the best possible outcome. This result was far worse than he had anticipated, yet... it was an outcome he had considered. Such was fate! Su Yu felt no immense regret; he merely wished to send Tianmie and the others away safely, though the chances appeared slim. Sure enough, the Martial Emperor sneered coldly, "Give up! If I weren't afraid of losing control and letting a cunning little bug like you slip away, I would have struck you dead myself!" If he attacked, he was prone to losing control, and once that happened, a slippery fellow like Su Yu might find an opening to escape. Though the Martial Emperor's memories from before were fragmented, he still retained some impressions. No, he wouldn't strike. Attacking might actually end up helping this infuriating kid! If he lost control in his fury and ended up killing those dead spirits, what if these few ran away? Su Yu offered a faint smile. In a sense, this was good news. He wasted no more words and looked at Tianmie and the others, smiling. "My apologies. I won't say any useless pleasantries—let us proceed according to the plan we just discussed! I will do my best to stall the Eastern King. Lord Xinghong, Lady Yunxiao... do everything you can to kill your target! If we can't kill them, we all go down together. I won't have lost out, and you shouldn't feel aggrieved either. If we turn into dead spirits, we'll reunite on the other side!" He looked at Marquis Lanshan and smiled. "Do you regret it?" Marquis Lanshan said in a deep voice, "The Human Lord jokes. It is merely a battle!" "Indeed!" Su Yu took a deep breath. Inside his sea of will, the drop of essence blood from the little white dog surged to the fore. In the distance, the Eastern Heavenly King and his retinue were already flying toward them. With a mix of hesitation and vigilance in his eyes, the Eastern Heavenly King looked toward Su Yu's group. He did not rush to attack, but instead probed his surroundings. His expression shifted slightly, and he murmured softly, "This passage... has been sealed by an immense rule power!" He looked up again and saw no entrance to the eighth floor. He was unfamiliar with this place, but he had heard that an entrance to the eighth floor existed here. Beside him, the dead spirit marquises also observed for a moment. Marquis Shenping suddenly smiled. "Heavenly King, Marquis Tongtian has likely fled. The entrance to the eighth floor is nowhere to be seen!" "Marquis Tongtian..." The Eastern Heavenly King nodded slightly. He knew of that entity. So, the entrance could not be opened! And the passage was sealed as well. He looked toward Su Yu, withholding his strike, a strange expression on his face. "Su Yu, is this part of your scheming as well?" Su Yu smiled. "Naturally! Trapping you here to kill you, leaving you no path of retreat!" The Eastern Heavenly King laughed. "Why... does this king feel that something went wrong on your end? Just now, I seemed to sense a surge of resentful power. This passage was only sealed moments ago, wasn't it? Su Yu, it seems... you have successfully courted your own death!" He laughed! He seemed to have pieced things together! The terrifying existence residing here was no patron of Su Yu's; Su Yu had simply been using that entity to kill enemies, and now the trick had backfired! Su Yu said calmly, "Even if I lose and you kill us, you won't be able to leave either!" "No, no, no!" The Eastern Heavenly King chuckled. "Don't assume I am entirely ignorant. The seal here won't last long. Once we slaughter you, we can descend to the lower floors to bide our time. After waiting for a period, when this terrifying existence falls back into slumber... we can simply depart! Su Yu, what do you think?" He was, after all, a peerless expert. At this moment, he understood everything completely and wore a mocking smile. "It seems the Human Lord... has miscalculated this time! You were bold indeed, attempting to use that terrifying existence to slay me, weren't you? It was quite dangerous; had your scheme truly succeeded, I would have been in grave peril!" "Enough nonsense!" Su Yu let out a sharp roar and instantly swallowed the little white dog's essence blood. In a flash, a monstrous aura erupted! *Boom!* Daos clashed violently! The Dead Spirit Great Dao manifested into reality, while above Su Yu's head, the phantom of a colossal white dog materialized. This time, however, was different from before. The dog snapped viciously at the Dead Spirit Great Dao, yet the Great Dao remained utterly motionless! The Dao that the Eastern Heavenly King had integrated into it merely trembled slightly. His death qi erupted, shaking heaven and earth, as he laughed aloud: "What an exquisite Dao! If... the master of this Dao were present, they could certainly fight me... Unfortunately, you are merely borrowing its power!" "Kill!" Su Yu barked a low command. In the next instant, Tianmie and the others burst into action, charging toward the other three marquises! Truth would be determined by their fists! Wasting words was pointless; the Eastern Heavenly King had only spoken to erode Su Yu's confidence! A grand battle erupted in an instant! Su Yu clashed with the Eastern King, while Tianmie unleashed his aura and charged swiftly toward an uninjured marquis! Gritting her teeth, Marquis Lanshan let out a furious roar and lunged toward the other uninjured marquis. Xinghong and Yunxiao exchanged a glance, and Yunxiao sent a voice transmission: *"Xinghong, you are slightly stronger than me. I'll find a way to heavily wound him in an instant, and you deliver the killing blow to achieve Dao Integration... In this battle, I hope you can survive... and kill that wretched woman Hanxiang for me!"* Xinghong remained silent! Before coming, all three of them had been prepared. Even the best of Su Yu's plans could not guarantee everything went smoothly. Sure enough, things had spiraled out of control. It mattered not; in this era, if one didn't die in battle, one would eventually go mad from the passage of time! Then let them wage this battle with everything they had. It would not be in vain to have fought in this tide! "Kill!" Battle cries shook the heavens as the two charged simultaneously toward the wounded Marquis Moyan! *Rumble!* The grand clash exploded instantly. On Su Yu's end, barely moments into the engagement, he was knocked backward, coughing up blood. The Great Dao of the little white dog tore frantically at the enemy, yet it only managed to shake the Eastern King's Dao; in the short term, it was utterly unable to snap it! A triumphant smile spread across the Eastern Heavenly King's face! "Su Yu, it seems... victory belongs to me after all!" A colossal palm descended toward Su Yu. Transforming into astral wind, Su Yu vanished in an instant. The Five Elements Purgatory manifested, and the civilization chronicle expanded to blot out the sky! Divine characters detonated one after another. At this moment, Su Yu was laying everything on the line, fighting desperately for his life! The Heavenly Gate opened, the Civilization Tombstone morphed into a blade, and the Human Lord Seal descended to suppress heaven and earth! It was merely a battle; there was nothing to regret. Schemes coming to naught only proved that one's strength was insufficient. When strength was absolute, what need was there for scheming? *** At that very moment, a faint wisp of will drifted through the void—the awareness of the Martial Emperor, laced with surprise. "He really is the Human Lord... The leader of the human race is this weak?" Old Zhou was bewildered, surprised, and thoroughly confused. What era was this? A Human Lord... Humanity had once been so exceedingly powerful; how could they possibly revere such a weakling as the Human Lord? It was simply unbelievable. Would Taishan and the others have ever agreed to this? Filled with bewilderment, he sank into deep contemplation for a time.