Uniting the Heavenly Circulation into One Aperture!

Su Yu walked toward the second room. It was shaped like an inkstone. The first room had indeed contained means to control the Martial Emperor, just as he had deduced. So what lay in the second? Could King Wen's contingency plans—left behind before his departure and accessible only to inheritors of the four Daos—really be things usable only in the far future? *The inkstone represents a foreign race's Dao. It might easily fall under foreign control, so whatever King Wen left here probably won't be something that decides ultimate victory.* Su Yu continued assessing the possibilities in his mind. Before long, he stood in front of the second room. It possessed an identical door and an identical lock. Su Yu was in fine spirits—just this lock alone was enough to make him a small fortune. Taking out the inkstone, Su Yu still felt a sliver of concern. Since he had not comprehended the inkstone's Dao, would he be unable to open it? *Click!* The lock opened nonetheless! King Wen had left the Heaven-Earth Inkstone behind at his old residence. King Wen himself had probably known that with the little white dog around, the likelihood of this Dao falling into enemy hands was slim. The only way was if the little white dog were killed, and if that happened, the enemy would have to be extraordinarily powerful. With or without the inkstone, such an enemy could likely force the door open anyway. Thus, he hadn't made the mechanism overly complicated. He had likely even considered that even if a human obtained the inkstone, they might not bother comprehending a Dao belonging to an ancient desolate beast. "What a relief!" Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Things were going smoothly. Stepping through the door, Su Yu found the exact same layout: a table, a chair, and a box! Another box! Opening the box for a look, Su Yu froze slightly. Inside lay a toy. Yes, a toy! A little figurine! It was lifelike, as if real, but very small, resembling a dinosaur. At this moment, the little figurine emitted a faint glow, standing quietly within the box. Su Yu furrowed his brows. A figurine? King Wen wasn't bored enough to play pranks on people! Then this thing... He scanned the box and, sure enough, spotted a slip of paper tucked into a corner. Clearly, King Wen had no intention of making his successors play guessing games. Going through the trouble of leaving multiple layers of verification only to leave someone guessing would be utterly pointless! Su Yu took out the paper and read it. Gradually, his expression shifted. Soon, Su Yu shifted his gaze back to the figurine! No, this wasn't a toy! According to King Wen's written words, this was the Huangtian Beast! Yes, the very same Huangtian Beast used to forge the Heaven-Earth Inkstone! This Huangtian Beast had existed since the primeval era. Later, during the human race's unification of the myriad heavens, it had raided the human armies multiple times, devouring countless humans. King Wen had personally intervened, pursuing it into the endless void and slaying it on the spot! He had stripped away its Dao, flayed its hide, and forged them into the Heaven-Earth Inkstone! And aside from its hide and its Dao, King Wen had sealed away the Huangtian Beast's flesh and blood! Namely, the figurine before his eyes! Naturally, a contingency left by King Wen was no ordinary thing. The brush Dao's secret contained the means to control the Martial Emperor, and the second was just as formidable. On the slip of paper, King Wen gave his successor two choices! First, fuse the Heaven-Earth Inkstone into the figurine—meaning returning the Dao and hide to the Huangtian Beast. If one did so, there was a high probability the Huangtian Beast would be resurrected; King Wen had left behind a thread of vitality. However, the Huangtian Beast was immensely powerful—at the level of a Ruler of Rules—and inherently tyrannical, even bloodier and more ferocious than the Martial Emperor! It would be difficult, if not impossible, to control. It was a measure meant for mutual destruction. At a critical juncture when the human race faced existential peril, one could unleash the Huangtian Beast. In King Wen's eyes, any crisis severe enough to threaten the human race would inevitably involve a Ruler of Rules. That was why both of his contingency measures reached this tier. The second choice: modification! Modify oneself, or modify someone else. This figurine was the complete corpse of the Huangtian Beast, retaining all its flesh, blood, and vital essence. Through modification methods, one could alter their constitution into that of a Huangtian Beast, gradually integrating into its form, after which their strength would inevitably skyrocket. When that time came, they could choose whether or not to fuse with the Heaven-Earth Inkstone. Fusing with it offered a very high chance of inheriting the Heaven-Earth Inkstone's Dao in its entirety. This was a direct path to the pinnacle! King Wen had left future generations with an irresistible choice: if you chose to devour the Huangtian Beast's body and modify yourself, you had a ninety percent chance of fusing with the Heaven-Earth Inkstone and stepping into the realm of a Ruler of Rules! It was an opportunity, but also a difficult dilemma. How would you choose? Inherit the Huangtian Beast's entire legacy? Even modify yourself into an ancient monster? A Ruler of Rules... Su Yu could guarantee that if he took these items out right now and offered them to the Dao Merge experts, ninety-nine percent of them would choose to devour it themselves and fuse with the Heaven-Earth Inkstone. One only had to consider that the Old Turtle had lived for hundreds of thousands of years without ever stepping into that realm. Ever since antiquity, whether due to restrictions in the rules or because the Daos had already been completely claimed by others, not a single Ruler of Rules seemed to have emerged from the first tide to the present day. Even the Hundred Battles King had not been one; he had simply walked extremely far along the human physical body Dao, attaining combat strength comparable to some weaker Rulers of Rules. For the Huangtian Beast to have required King Wen's personal intervention to slay, its strength had undoubtedly surpassed that of an ordinary Ruler of Rules! "To become a Ruler of Rules..." Su Yu stared at the figurine in the box and drew a sharp breath. *Why do I feel like this treasure is even more formidable than what was in the brush Dao?* *Wasn't the brush Dao supposed to be your strongest legacy?* *What gives?!* *In King Wen's view, the Martial Emperor was actually more important than the Huangtian Beast, wasn't he?* Perhaps! The Martial Emperor might truly be more formidable than the Huangtian Beast! Yet why did all of King Wen's contingencies feel somewhat uncontrollable? The Martial Emperor was like that, and so was the Huangtian Beast. Resurrecting the Huangtian Beast seemed impossible to control—it would likely turn on its master, perhaps creating an unimaginably formidable enemy! *The second plan only says there's a high probability of becoming a Ruler of Rules, not a hundred percent certainty. Even so, the temptation is boundless for anyone!* As for altering one's bloodline and changing race, frankly, once one reached Su Yu's level, it hardly mattered. Race was not defined by outward form, but by one's core heart. Su Yu was already half a dead spirit anyway! "King Wen..." Su Yu murmured. None of these contingencies were simple. Two locations, two Rulers of Rules! Unleashing either one at random would be enough to sweep across the modern myriad heavens. Perhaps in King Wen's eyes, this was nothing extraordinary. In his era, there were 140 known Rulers of Rules alone! Even if all four of his contingencies were at the Ruler of Rules level, that merely left behind four such experts for the human race. However, times had changed! In this era, there were no Rulers of Rules left! "Modification, fusion... why is the first person who comes to mind Lan Tian...?" Su Yu muttered to himself. Yes, Lan Tian! That lunatic of the Modification Department! Moreover, he had zero qualms about anything, willing to modify whatever he pleased, turning into one form one moment and another the next. Su Yu felt a bit uneasy about turning himself into a Huangtian Beast, but Lan Tian definitely wouldn't feel the slightest hesitation! "Lan Tian!" Su Yu muttered. If Lan Tian saw this, Su Yu didn't doubt for a second that he would immediately modify himself into a Huangtian Beast right on the spot. He might even get thrilled at the thought of recreating a race that had gone extinct back in antiquity. "An absolute treasure!" That was all Su Yu could say. Truly an absolute treasure! The Heaven-Earth Inkstone paired with a fully preserved flesh-and-blood corpse containing all its essence, embarking upon a Dao that no one else walked and that King Wen had personally sealed away—the probability of becoming a Ruler of Rules this way was simply enormous! King Wen had truly put tremendous thought into this. No wonder the Heaven-Earth Inkstone had never circulated outside, but had remained in the old residence under the little white dog's watchful eye. And the little white dog had said Su Yu was a good person, which was why it had handed the inkstone over. *A good person... the little white dog was the greatest examiner of all!* Only by passing the little white dog's test was it possible to obtain the Huangtian Beast's corpse here. Moreover, the two had to be united. Otherwise, even if someone breached the door by force, without the Heaven-Earth Inkstone, the corpse would do nothing more than strengthen one's physical body a bit. *Even if fusing with the Dao and taking control of it takes time, with a ready-made Dao and the complete flesh and blood present, it might not take long before there's hope of becoming a Ruler of Rules!* *Of course, with poor luck, one might stay stuck for a lifetime!* It still depended on one's comprehension and innate talent. Without those, success was not guaranteed; getting stuck at the final hurdle without taking control was entirely normal. *Furthermore, the Huangtian Beast was immensely powerful. Ordinary Eternals probably can't endure this flesh and blood... It might take a Dao Merge expert to modify themselves!* Su Yu frowned slightly. A Dao Merge expert! If a Dao Merge expert modified themselves but failed to reach the level of a Ruler of Rules, the boost wouldn't be overwhelmingly significant. Of course, if comprehending the Dao went smoothly, even without reaching Ruler of Rules, they could likely attain the pinnacle of Dao Merge, matching the level of the Eastern Heavenly King and his peers. *This thing definitely can't be handed out carelessly. There must be absolute, one hundred percent trust, or I should just use it myself...* Never mind. If he did it himself, he would have to abandon too much. If his physical body was no longer human, he might not be able to walk the brush Dao. Not only that, but it could limit his future path, restricting him to fusing with only this single Dao and stripping away all versatility. *So there's a ninety percent chance I'll have to give the Heaven-Earth Inkstone and this corpse to someone else. And if I give them away, I must be one hundred percent certain that person won't betray me or turn the tables on me once they become powerful...* Su Yu pondered continuously. In truth, there were quite a few candidates. In his view, the Hou race was somewhat similar to the Huangtian Beast. If the Hou Emperor modified himself, he might quickly comprehend this Dao and become a Ruler of Rules. However... forget it! Given the Hou Emperor's previous hesitation, coupled with their lack of familiarity, Su Yu would be an absolute fool to give it to him. Placing too much trust in the Hou race could easily get him killed! *The Old Turtle, Tianmie, and the others would all do. On the human side... King Daqin, King Daxia, and the rest could work. As for the God-Devouring race... forget it, they walk their own Dao! The little white dog probably wouldn't care for it either; it has its own Dao...* These were Su Yu's potential candidates. A Dao Merge expert would definitely have no trouble. A high-stage Eternal might be able to withstand it as well. Anyone weaker probably couldn't endure the strain; the flesh and blood of a Ruler of Rules like the Huangtian Beast was something even an eighth- or ninth-stage Eternal would struggle to bear. Lan Tian was suitable in terms of temperament, but he probably couldn't handle such immense power. It was simply too overwhelming. Even without breaking the seal, Su Yu knew the reality. After all, Su Yu's own extraordinarily powerful physical body had struggled to endure just a single drop of the little white dog's vital blood. Right now, Su Yu's physical body was likely no weaker than King Daqin's. And the dead Huangtian Beast's flesh-and-blood power would be no weaker than the little white dog's. Thoughts surfaced one after another, but there was no rush to make a decision. Besides, there was still the first plan... Su Yu was actually pondering a question: *If I can enter the upper realm and resurrect the Huangtian Beast in there... would it go on a slaughtering spree?* The crucial issue was that it was uncontrollable! If it slaughtered everyone in the upper realm and then turned back to slaughter the lower realm, that would be a catastrophe! *Or... if the Martial Emperor refuses to cooperate, should I resurrect the Huangtian Beast and toss it down there so the two can tear into each other?* A sudden whim struck Su Yu! He was rather curious: if those two fought with all their might, who would win? Would they perish together? At this moment, Su Yu was in high spirits. King Wen had really delivered! Now this was what a contingency measure ought to look like. If all else failed, mutual destruction it would be! Release the Martial Emperor first, then release the Huangtian Beast. Consequences be damned—just let them fight to the bitter end; if he went down, everyone would go down together! *And this is only two of them. There are two more, and they probably involve the power of Rulers of Rules as well!* Amidst his excitement, Su Yu felt a touch of helplessness. He probably had no way to open them. Taking a deep breath, he swept away the table, chair, and box. Every single piece was formidable and could serve as a carrier, which he was currently in dire need of. King Wen had asked him to preserve the mansion, and Su Yu had no objection to that. Putting himself in the other's shoes, he wouldn't be happy if someone trashed his home either. However, these four rooms were meant for future successors. King Wen had said himself that the items were for the inheritors, so taking everything inside the rooms was entirely fair play. *You should keep your word, right?* All four rooms were meant for him; Su Yu had already internally claimed the other two as well! Yes, they were his. Paper meant the Heaven Hunting Ranking—he would retrieve it sooner or later. As for the ink... Liu Hong might know a thing or two. That fellow had disappeared, nine times out of ten heading into the dead spirit realm to search for King Wen's residence there, or perhaps the ink Dao's legacy lay within the dead spirit realm and Liu Hong had not obtained the complete inheritance. "Liu Hong..." Su Yu chuckled. *Must the ink Dao require turning into a dead spirit? Liu Hong might not even be able to get in here!* Pondering Liu Hong, Su Yu packed away everything in the room. Soon after, he stepped out and walked toward the paper-shaped room. He might as well try. Since he was already here, how could he not give it a shot? *** In front of the third room. Su Yu took out his fragments. He held two fragments: "Myriad Laws" and "Record." The character "Chart" was with King Dazhou; Su Yu hadn't gone to collect it to avoid provoking any underhanded moves from Marquis Jiantian. Su Yu hadn't been fully prepared back then. Of course, that was then. If Marquis Jiantian showed up now, Su Yu would show him what was what! Inserting the two fragments into the keyhole, the lock trembled slightly, but did not open. However, Su Yu could sense that the key was correct! "What a pity, I only have part of the Heaven Hunting Ranking!" Su Yu sighed with regret. He couldn't open the third room this time! As for the fourth, it went without saying—he didn't even have the ink Dao legacy. Even so, Su Yu refused to give up and walked over to the fourth room. Perhaps he had obtained the ink Dao legacy without even knowing it! Arriving before the fourth room, he pulled out one treasure after another to try opening it, even presenting the Human Lord Seal. Maybe it would work! He was, after all, the Human Lord—a figure equivalent to the crown prince in ancient times. Would a chancellor's treasury really refuse to open for him? Well, reality proved that it genuinely refused to open! Helpless, Su Yu had no choice but to leave the four rooms. He followed the path past the four rooms and continued forward. This was the rear courtyard; were there treasures in the front courtyard? King Wen had told him not to damage the mansion, and Su Yu naturally wouldn't do so. *Still, as a humble junk collector, seeing some clutter in your home, isn't it a good deed for me to clear it away and tidy the place up for you?* "Whatever scraps and junk you have, I'll take them all—I'm not picky!" As he spoke, Su Yu pulled out a broom-like object, casually swept the ground, rested the broom over his shoulder, and chanted under his breath, "Senior King Wen, I'm here to clean up for you! The house is far too dusty; nobody's lived here for years! Things might have rotted away, so I'll replace everything with brand-new items for you. Old stuff is no good to use!" After walking a short distance, Su Yu spotted a pool with rippling water. Approaching it, he took a look at the pool's contents... and inhaled sharply! A supreme treasure! *Is this Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid?* *This stuff is immensely useful for Sun Moon cultivators to strengthen their apertures, and I happen to be a Sun Moon!* Su Yu immediately began siphoning the Xuanhuang liquid. As he pumped it out, he drew vast quantities of celestial yuan qi from his own vault and smiled. "Senior, your pool was far too filthy. This water hasn't been changed in ages! I'm replenishing it with fresh water so you'll be comfortable when you return!" *I'm changing the water for you!* *I'm a man of principles. I don't take things without asking; I always replace them with new goods, which counts as a modest token of filial piety from your unofficial disciple.* Yes, having inherited the brush Dao, he was practically half King Wen's disciple, even without a formal apprenticeship. *As half your student, replacing some old furniture with new pieces is only right. No need to thank me!* Soon, Su Yu siphoned the entire pool dry, rapidly refilling it with celestial yuan qi. Su Yu took a sniff and said contentedly, "The air smells much fresher now. Celestial yuan qi smells far better. I'll carry away this stinky water and dump it when I get back!" With that, Su Yu continued forward. By rights, King Wen Mansion possessed overwhelming rule power; barging around recklessly should have gotten an intruder obliterated. However, Su Yu carried the Human Lord Seal, the Time Book, and the brush Dao, allowing him unhindered passage. Moving through here felt even easier than visiting an ordinary miscellaneous general's residence. King Wen Mansion was vast. Along the way, Su Yu spotted several more rooms, likely the regular living quarters. Su Yu stood on no ceremony. He knocked and stepped inside. Scanning the interior furnishings, he found them remarkably modest—just ordinary furniture with no other treasures. Su Yu had standards! Seeing that King Wen's bed looked somewhat aged, he immediately used a large number of treasures to forge a brand-new bed on the spot. He even spread out a soft silk quilt, providing King Wen with a fresh bed! New, sturdy, and wonderfully soft! Su Yu possessed plenty of treasures. The new bed he forged could barely pass as a profound armament—not bad at all. Some Lingyun and Shanhai cultivators used profound armaments as weapons; using one as a bed was more than sufficient. As for King Wen's old bed, Su Yu estimated that splitting it apart would yield seven or eight carriers, which could potentially serve as core armaments for the armament fusion method! Waste was out of the question! Su Yu quickly exited the room, dutifully sweeping it spotless on his way out. *A fresh room brings fresh energy! Besides, this is the perfect chance to clear out some low-tier junk from my inventory!* *Perhaps after another few hundred thousand years of nourishment in King Wen Mansion, they'll become another batch of carriers!* *A person must never be too greedy!* Su Yu reminded himself. It had to be fair exchange, and he had to obey King Wen by keeping the mansion pristine and well-preserved. For the crown prince to personally clean your quarters and replace your furniture—a chancellor would surely be thrilled, wouldn't he? If King Wen returned one day and saw his home looking brand-new, he would probably beam with joy! Su Yu could practically picture King Wen's delighted grin. To be gone for a hundred thousand years and return to furniture so new and brimming with vitality—how wonderful! "King Wen's joy is my joy!" Shouldering his broom, Su Yu swept the path as he went. Seeing a few living green plants, he grew even happier. Before long, he uprooted a massive tree that had miraculously survived all these years without withering. Then, snapping off a fresh branch on the spot, he stimulated its growth using his "Wood" character divine text and watered it with celestial yuan qi. In no time, a tree just as tall and broad as the previous one took root! In a few hundred thousand years, it would probably be just as formidable as the old one! A person had to see things through to the end. If you pulled up a tree, you had to plant another; you couldn't just yank it out and leave an unsightly crater behind—King Wen would be furious if he saw that! As for the withered vegetation, Su Yu showed no hesitation either, pulling up every last brittle weed and piece of rotting wood, swiftly coaxing fresh plants to grow in their stead! In the blink of an eye, the entire estate brightened up! There had been a great deal of withered wood and dead branches—truly dried out, yet after so many years, they still hadn't completely decayed. One hardly needed to ask what extraordinary materials those rotten logs were made of! Su Yu collected every scrap and personally planted a fresh batch of flowers, grasses, and trees. In an instant, King Wen Mansion was adorned with vibrant red flowers and lush green leaves, its surroundings turning picturesque! Before, the place had felt somewhat deathly and desolate! Now, the scenery was magnificent! Su Yu continued forward, soon arriving at King Wen's administrative hall. Su Yu guessed King Wen likely received guests here. The hall held numerous low tables. Aside from King Wen's chair, the remaining seats were all prayer mats; evidently, ancient customs differed somewhat from modern ones. "Dozens more pieces..." Su Yu's eyes glittered. He quickly clasped his hands and bowed. "The low tables and prayer mats in the conference hall have grown worn and dilapidated. I, Su Yu of the human race, cannot bear to see King Wen and his esteemed guests suffer such indignity, nor can I allow the myriad races to mock a king of our human race for living in destitution. Allow me to provide new furnishings for everyone!" Su Yu immediately rummaged through his vault, pulling out piles of treasures, and began forging right then and there! Every piece was crafted strictly according to the original designs! He feared the ancients wouldn't be accustomed to modern styles! He replicated each item on the spot, copying the old patterns. In a few years, once the fresh forge-fire sheen faded, they would look virtually indistinguishable from the originals. Even if King Wen returned a hundred thousand years late, he probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Forging profound armaments was blindingly fast for Su Yu. Not only did he work with his own hands, but his divine text avatars also emerged to join in the forging. In a short while, an entire set of brand-new furniture was complete! Su Yu swapped them in personally, packing away all the old scraps and sweeping up the dust while he was at it. This was the joy of living. Back then, Xia Huyou had loved helping people clean up, except that greedy fellow had charged money for it! Unlike Su Yu, who didn't charge a single copper—it was all an offering of respect to King Wen! A complimentary upgrade! Stepping out of the administrative hall and proceeding further, he arrived before the front courtyard gate. The gates were towering. Opening them would lead directly to the Council headquarters! Su Yu still wanted to open the gate and see the Council. He walked up to the front gate and reached out to open it. Yet at that very instant, the "Calamity" character divine text, which had remained motionless all this time, throbbed violently! Su Yu's brows knitted at once! He instantly leaped back several steps! The "Calamity" text stopped throbbing. Taking a few steps forward again, the divine text throbbed once more. *Danger!* *The gate cannot be opened!* Su Yu arrived at this conclusion and frowned deeply. Was it that dangerous? Would opening this gate, which faced directly toward the Council's main entrance, invite lethal peril? Right at that moment, the little fur ball, which had been resting and recovering, groggily woke up. It suddenly popped out from atop Su Yu's head, glanced at the gate, and twitched its nose. The next instant, it slurred drunkenly, "So fragrant, so fragrant! Smells so good, I smell so many delicious scents!" Su Yu frowned. "Rule power?" "No, no..." The little fur ball bounced around on his head, twitching its nose again after a moment. "It's... it's that... the power of Daos!" Was there a difference between rule power and Dao power? Su Yu looked at the fur ball. The creature grew anxious, struggling to explain. Suddenly finding an analogy, it said dazedly, "It's like... a fruit tree! Usually we eat the fruit, and rule power is the fruit that grows on a Dao. But right now, I smell the tree itself! It feels like a tree got smashed to pieces, so fragrant... do you understand?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow, humbled by the little fellow's lesson! Of course he understood! Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Just say that a Dao shattered ahead, leaving behind scattered Dao origin power, wouldn't that be simpler?" "Yes, yes, yes!" Su Yu drew a sharp breath. "Someone died! A figure at the level of a Ruler of Rules! Splayed out dead in the Council. Now I understand why it's so dangerous—with shattered Daos strewn about, the Council right now is likely an absolute death trap!" A Ruler of Rules must have died around the Council, entirely contrary to Marquis Tongtian's claim that the ancient era had ended in peaceful silence! A Dao had shattered into pieces! Right inside the Council! When such an existence perished and their Dao ruptured, Su Yu walking over now could easily get him shredded to pieces by chaotic Dao rules. The little fur ball grew restless. "I want to eat it so badly, but eating it will kill me. It smells too delicious! I can hardly hold back!" It was the embodiment of a Dao itself. Normally, it fed on the rule power radiating from Daos. This time, it smelled the power of pure Dao origin, which was extraordinarily nourishing for it—even more beneficial than the Time Book, which had only collected a portion of Dao origin. Ahead might lie complete Dao origin! The temptation for the fur ball was simply overwhelming! Yet it didn't dare go! It would end up a dead ball! The fur ball's current strength was decent, and it had absorbed plenty of rule power previously. However, it had not yet stepped into the Eternal Realm. It didn't know what kind of Dao it was, and without knowing, it could hardly fuse with or open a Dao. It didn't need to open a Dao since it was a Dao in itself, which technically qualified it as an Eternal in the fat dog's eyes. Yet it didn't know its own true essence. At this moment, the fur ball said anxiously, "I feel like if I eat it, I'll know what I am! It smells so good, so delicious... can I go out and take just one bite?" Su Yu frowned. "Too dangerous!" Whether it was one shattered Dao or several, the danger level was far too great for the fur ball. "It really smells so good..." The fur ball looked aggrieved and reluctant, but finally gave in. "Fine, I won't eat it then!" Su Yu thought for a moment before speaking: "No rush. I can come to this place frequently from now on. When the time is right, I'll bring your elders along!" Su Yu chuckled darkly. "Your elders are immensely powerful. We'll come together. If there are shattered Daos, we'll gobble them up as a team!" "But that's mine!" The fur ball felt even more wronged! *Smack!* Su Yu slapped its forehead, retorting crossly, "You've got quite the nerve. How is it yours? Just because you saw it, it's yours? You haven't even seen it yet! Bringing your elders along is the only way you'll have a chance of eating it, got it?" The fur ball blinked. "But everything you see becomes yours too!" *I learned it from you!* *I'm so wronged!* *Ever since I gained awareness, I've been copying you the whole time!* When it had come out of the God-Devouring Realm, it had been completely ignorant and naive. Su Yu's face darkened. *What kind of talk is that? Am I that sort of person?* Ignoring it, Su Yu quickly said, "Let's go. Today's harvest is already plenty! I've replaced over a hundred pieces of furniture in King Wen Mansion. We can't linger in the level two zone any longer. Let's scour the other areas and gather a total of a thousand carriers, then pull out!" Accomplishing one small goal today was enough! Both the level two and level one zones were exceedingly perilous! He didn't dare venture into the other three Human King Mansions. Having no prior connection with them, going there could easily invite disaster. For now, he needed to play it safe! He had acquired far too many good things already; if an accident happened now, it would truly be dropping a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds! The Huangtian Beast and the Sanctification Seal were both supreme treasures tied to Rulers of Rules! On top of that, he had gathered over a hundred pieces of furniture and an immense amount of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid. If he lost his life just to snatch a few Dao fragments, Su Yu wouldn't be able to rest in peace even in death! His cultivation technique was complete as well. Soon, he could unite his apertures into the Heavenly Gate and perhaps officially begin fusing Daos. All of this was merely the beginning. How could he throw his life away at a time like this? One should be reckless when recklessness was called for, but being reckless right now and getting killed would be an astronomical loss. Su Yu retreated swiftly, moving away from King Wen Mansion's front gate and heading back toward the rear entrance. As he walked, he said, "Fur ball, sometimes you have to restrain the desires in your heart, understand? Everything I see is mine—on the premise that I can safely obtain it. If you can't get it safely, then what you see isn't yours!" "Oh!" The fur ball glanced back reluctantly. "Then when are we coming back?" "Soon!" Su Yu smiled. "This place will belong to us in the future! But not right now—my strength is still lacking. We'll return once I possess top-tier Dao Merge combat strength! As for you, you'd better comprehend your own Dao. Figure out what Dao you truly are. Once you comprehend it and fuse with it, you can return to devour Dao origins and rapidly strengthen yourself. Otherwise, no matter how much you eat, if you can't step into the Eternal Realm, it's all a waste!" The little fur ball lamented, "But I don't know what Dao I am!" "No matter. When I have time later, I'll read books to you, and I'll have the Book Spirit read to you as well. You're too young and gained sentience only recently; you know too little and lack deep comprehension of yourself!" The fur ball was indeed too young and had experienced too little. It was entirely normal for it not to know what Dao it was. Reading books brought wisdom! That was a fine choice as well. Su Yu evacuated swiftly. During his last visit, he hadn't even explored the eighth floor. This time, he had reached all the way to King Wen Mansion. He would return again, and next time, he would explore the other King Mansions or the Council, or simply ascend to the ninth floor! One step at a time; there was no need to rush! This trip had yielded massive spoils, and he needed time to digest them all! Soon, Su Yu stepped out through the rear gate. The rear gate opened automatically and closed behind him once he exited. The two characters "Observing Heaven" remained suspended high above, no longer giving off light. Su Yu clasped his hands and smiled. "Many thanks for Senior King Wen's generosity. This junior takes his leave!" With that, Su Yu departed rapidly. He bypassed all the other King and Sovereign Mansions. Retreating all the way to the level four zone, where numerous marquis residences stood, Su Yu barked, "Where is everyone?" With that shout, several figures popped up from various corners a moment later and flew swiftly toward him. Tianmie, shouldering a massive millstone, asked excitedly, "You're out? How was the harvest?" "Not bad!" Seeing him carrying a giant millstone, Su Yu chuckled. "What did you take?" "The boss's shell!" "..." Su Yu chuckled helplessly. *You really take the cake.* He didn't dwell on it. Xinghong and the others had also gained spoils, though they hadn't been as ostentatious as Tianmie and had tucked them away. Without wasting words, Su Yu quickly said, "Follow me. We'll search several marquis residences! We'll collect treasures to help everyone integrate weapons!" He added, "Whether it's you three or the other guardians, your strength has risen, but your armaments haven't kept pace. Your combat effectiveness will be constrained as a result. The armament fusion method does have its drawbacks!" Tianmie nodded. Xinghong also sighed, "I didn't notice it much before, but I feel it clearly now! Though I've stepped into Dao Merge, without my armament, there isn't much difference between me and an ordinary three-incarnation Dao Merge expert! Even if my armament were here, it was only elevated to match my previous level. Paired with an eighth-stage Eternal, it was formidable; paired with my current self... it's not strong enough! So before my weapon is upgraded, the gap between me and an ordinary three-incarnation Dao Merge expert isn't significant!" The armament fusion method was indeed stronger than the three-incarnation method, but its limitations were now showing. One had to upgrade their armament as well! And the resources required were terrifyingly vast. Tianmie also said helplessly, "My great club used to be fierce, but it's lacking now. That's why I plan to fuse the boss's shell into it and see if I can push it to the Dao Merge level!" Su Yu smiled. "Leave the resources to me. There are so many marquis residences here. I won't head into the deeper zones for now; I'll focus on looting the other areas! Don't wander off—stick close to me!" Su Yu led the way with the Human Lord Seal! Soon, they reached a marquis residence belonging to the God race. Su Yu wasted no words, unleashing the Human Lord Seal to instantly suppress the void as he shouted, "Go in and search—leave nothing behind!" "For human residences, take only what's needed. For non-human residences, take everything—strip them bare!" The group was ecstatic. Without a second word, they surged inside! Su Yu using the Human Lord Seal to suppress the rule power made things immensely satisfying for them! Furthermore, they feared no danger! They were all Dao Merge experts, and the ancient marquises had only been Dao Merge as well. Without rule power backing them, even the deadliest traps couldn't harm them! The group swept through like a plague of locusts! In non-human residences, they carried off even the bowls. In human residences, they took most of the valuable treasures, leaving behind only the less impressive items! Meanwhile, Su Yu sensed the surrounding rule power growing stronger and stronger! He was damaging the rules of the eighth floor! Right now, with the Human Lord Seal suppressing it, he could barely withstand the rule power. However, if he broke through the defenses of a few more residences, he probably wouldn't be able to hold on! *This is punitive power...* *Then... when I fuse my cultivation technique, will it trigger punishment or a reward?* If it was a reward, it could neutralize the punishment, giving him a massive boost and canceling out the rule power so they could go at it again! If it was a punishment... that would be trouble. Facing a double punishment, Su Yu would be in deep water! Would completing the Great Heavenly Circulation method draw punishment upon him? Su Yu recalled the treasures in his mind. With the Sanctification Seal present, even a double punishment shouldn't pose too much of an issue. As for the Great Heavenly Circulation method drawing punishment... that seemed unlikely. Perhaps there would be both punishment and reward? The punitive rules had been created by the Council, whereas those who mastered the Great Heavenly Circulation method were all supreme human powerhouses. Would those ancient rulers have dared to punish figures like the Human Sovereign? The next instant, Su Yu called out, "Everyone out!" Soon, the group hurried out in high spirits. Tianmie said eagerly, "Where to next?" "Stay right here!" Su Yu looked up at the sky. The Human Lord Seal was struggling to maintain its suppression. Su Yu spoke rapidly: "I'm going to unite my apertures into one! If it brings punitive power, we run immediately! Marquis Tongtian, open your gateway and stand ready to transport us away at a moment's notice!" "If it brings reward power, I'll use it to cancel out the eighth floor's punitive power, and we can keep unlocking more residences!" The group exchanged glances and nodded in unison. Su Yu uniting his apertures was the truly critical matter! Marquis Tongtian prepared himself, ready to manifest a gateway and flee into the seventh floor at any second. At this moment, Su Yu's 720th aperture ignited in a blinding flash! Instantly, the heavens flipped and the earth overturned! A terrifying wave of power erupted from Su Yu's Heavenly Gate! The 720 apertures began fusing with the Heavenly Gate, merging into a unified whole! Uniting into one aperture! This was the true meaning of uniting into one aperture! They fused into the Heavenly Gate Aperture! Only now, in the strictest sense, had Su Yu attained what the Human Sovereign and King Wen had referred to as uniting into one aperture at the Sun Moon stage! Of course, it was limited to those few figures. Opening the Heavenly Gate and uniting into one aperture—since the dawn of creation, only a handful of individuals had ever accomplished it! At that moment, vast quantities of rule power manifested out of thin air across the void! "The Sun Moon unites into one aperture; the human race offers its blessings!" Golden clouds materialized one after another across the void! Yet in the very next instant, blood-red clouds suddenly roiled in, and a faint, furious roar echoed out: "Opening the Heavenly Gate shall not be tolerated by the myriad races!" Two formidable rule powers violently clashed in the void! As expected, the Council had enacted rules forbidding the opening of the Heavenly Gate! This was not merely opening the Heavenly Gate, but unifying it into one. Unlike the previous golden clouds, this time there was no proclamation of 'the Human Sovereign offers his blessings.' Those earlier rules had likely been established by the Human Sovereign's subordinates, whereas today, Su Yu felt this was more likely a rule established by the Human Sovereign himself! The Human Sovereign would never refer to himself as the Human Sovereign! In the void, the two tremendous rule powers clashed relentlessly. Su Yu took a glance; they were evenly matched, and even the surrounding eighth-floor rule power from earlier was being battered to pieces by their collision! Seeing this, Su Yu's eyes lit up with delight. A good thing! As long as it wasn't pure punishment, he was golden! It was immensely powerful! At this moment, his aura surged, his physical body was reinforced, and his sea of will underwent earth-shaking transformations! Inside his body, two powers blended together! Yuan qi and willpower intertwined and fused! Origin and divine spirits united as one! With the Heavenly Gate fully opened, all of Su Yu's power was converging into unity! And at this very moment, silhouettes of innate racial abilities surfaced in his mind, showing signs of transforming into divine texts! Su Yu's divine text battle technique trembled violently as well! Delight showed on Su Yu's face! He saw hope—hope of battle techniques transforming into divine texts! However, they were still slightly lacking. He could sense that his comprehension of certain battle techniques was not yet deep enough, preventing them from directly transforming into divine texts! Yet that wasn't the case for all of them. Right then, one of Su Yu's divine texts emerged. It was his existing divine text: "Blade"! He already possessed this text! And at this moment, a phantom of Su Yu materialized in his mind, wielding a blade and executing martial forms, practicing the Heaven-Cleaving Blade! This was a battle technique Su Yu used frequently! In that instant, the "Blade" character divine text fused directly with the phantom of the battle technique! *Boom!* The "Blade" text erupted with dazzling blade light! A battle technique transforming into a divine text—because the character "Blade" already existed, the fusion instantly enhanced Su Yu's "Blade" divine text by leaps and bounds. Though it remained a Sun Moon divine text, it felt far more formidable than ordinary ones! Su Yu was ecstatic! It really worked! The Heaven-Cleaving Blade, which he comprehended most deeply, had transformed into a divine text and merged with his original text. This meant he had begun grasping the embryonic rules of the Dao of the Blade! If that was the case, the other battle techniques could likely soon be transformed into individual divine texts as well! He could complete the structure of ninety-nine divine texts! And thereby officially step into the Dao Integration Realm! *** The moment Su Yu opened his Heavenly Gate Aperture. On the seventh floor. A face surfaced faintly—the face of the Martial Emperor. He looked upward, his expression carrying a mix of bewilderment and shock. He succeeded! He actually succeeded so quickly! He sensed that aura of Heavenly Circulation power! Su Yu, that little bug, had truly stepped into this realm—uniting the Heavenly Circulation into one aperture! *The Heavenly Circulation united into one aperture... this era's Human Lord... actually achieved it...* The Martial Emperor pondered this, maintaining his clarity of mind. He recalled certain figures—figures from his own era, figures from Taishan's era. Since the human race's dawn of creation, he knew little of what lay further back, but counting these past hundred thousand years, he had lived for nearly two hundred thousand years! In two hundred thousand years, those who had united the Heavenly Circulation into one aperture totaled fewer than ten individuals by his count! Only one would emerge every ten or twenty thousand years! Moreover, since the fall of antiquity, not a single one had ever appeared! "Another peerless genius has emerged..." the Martial Emperor murmured, no longer calling him a little bug. To deny Su Yu now would be to deny himself. Himself, King Wen, King Wu, the Human Sovereign... the figures who had suppressed an entire era back then had all united the Heavenly Circulation into one aperture. And now, Su Yu had joined their ranks! "Are you the trendsetter of this era?" The Martial Emperor murmured, his tone carrying a touch of melancholy. Had their era truly faded into history?