The Western King's Consort

"The rise of humanity?" While King Daqin and King Daxia were brimming with excitement, Su Yu merely murmured the words under his breath. Could this truly be called a rise? Counting Tianyue, the human race now had just four Dao Joiners. Did that qualify as a rise? In the ancient era, there were forty Human Kings and one Human Sovereign, all of whom were Rulers of Rules! Even with power like that, the myriad races had managed to tear them down! Rise? Su Yu held no such illusions. The Hundred Battles King had been a powerhouse approaching the level of a Ruler of Rules, yet he had still met his demise. The waters of the myriad realms ran far deeper than they appeared. According to Su Yu's deductions, there might even be formidable entities dwelling above the Great Dao grid. Had all those councilors taken away by the Human Sovereign truly perished? Whom were King Wen and the others fighting against? In any case, the web was hopelessly tangled. The Human Sovereign had been far more terrifying than anyone imagined, leading dozens of Human Kings and sweeping away nearly triple that number of councilors from the myriad races. What a monstrous presence! Yet even an existence so terrifying had not returned for a hundred thousand years. He was either dead or, like King Wen and the rest, trapped and locked in combat somewhere. Of course, Su Yu could understand their current jubilation. They had been unable to step into the Dao Joiner realm for years. To cross that threshold in a single leap was naturally worth celebrating. Moreover, the moment they stepped into the Dao Joiner realm, they were by no means weaklings, which made it all the more reason to rejoice. Even so, Su Yu cautioned them, "Don't get carried away! When the two of you head toward realms like the Immortals, Fiends, or Gods in the future, you may very well find yourselves suppressed!" The two kings were taken aback. Su Yu explained, "I understand now why you weren't suppressed before. It's because the human race's Daos were too dominant! The Great Daos of the Immortal, Fiend, and God realms couldn't suppress the Physical Dao of humanity!" "That doesn't sound right..." King Daxia muttered in confusion. "In ancient times, not every human walked the Physical Dao!" Su Yu nodded. "Then it's likely that the Daos of those realms were previously subdued and had their rules altered by ancient human powerhouses! I don't know the exact specifics. You can test it later in a minor realm. Though minor realms probably aren't reliable indicators, as I doubt they could suppress the Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast either. My main worry is that realms as formidable as the Gods, Fiends, and Immortals might possess Daos potent enough to suppress you!" If suppressed, these two top-tier Dao Joiners would find their strength constrained. Su Yu did not dwell on the matter, adding, "I think you two should focus more on comprehending the Great Dao rather than rushing off to do anything else. Becoming Rulers of Rules is the only way to establish true trump cards! A single Ruler of Rules outweighs dozens of Dao Joiners!" He then paused and reconsidered. "Then again, if you were to become Rulers of Rules in this era, I suspect you might be rejected by the realms... Never mind. It's not as if you could pull it off anytime soon anyway!" *Who are you looking down on?* Both men thought to themselves, though King Daqin soon nodded with a solemn expression. "Mastering the Great Dao and becoming a Ruler of Rules is indeed extraordinarily difficult! Old Xia and I gained some insights just now. The portion of the Dao we've merged with is likely quite small. The Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast is truly formidable!" With that, an inkstone materialized in his palm. "This inkstone was forged from the carapace of the Wild Heavenly Beast! It's incomparably resilient, likely at the divine armament tier. Take it. It can transform into armor that ordinary Dao Joiners would find hard to breach in a short span. It's a supreme life-saving treasure!" This was armor made from a Ruler of Rules! Its defensive prowess was extraordinary! Su Yu chuckled. "Keep it yourself! Right now, this item suits the two of you far better. Or rather, you're practically of one body with it, allowing you to draw out even greater might! After all, it can be considered your own shell!" "..." Both men fell silent. The words sounded remarkably like an insult, yet they lacked the evidence to argue. Su Yu was right. They had integrated with the Wild Heavenly Beast, so its carapace was effectively theirs. Strictly speaking, neither of them counted as human anymore! Su Yu smiled again. "Its defensive power should be substantial. If the two of you join hands to control this armor, you can most likely hold off several exceptionally powerful Dao Joiners." The two nodded. In their hands, the artifact would indeed yield far greater results. King Daxia said dryly, "Stop referring to us as 'the two of you' as if we're a pair. We are two distinct individuals! Besides, who gets to use this inkstone? Old Qin and I can't stay glued together forever, can we? Inseparable companions? He's hardly a breathtaking female cultivator!" King Daqin snorted coldly and tossed the item over, but King Daxia casually slapped it right back! He wanted it, yet refused to simply take it! Seeing this, King Daqin was speechless. "Didn't you just ask for it?" "I said I wanted it, not that I wanted you to hand it to me!" King Daxia replied coldly, "It doesn't matter for now. My point is, whoever masters the Great Dao first gets to keep it!" "..." *What a childish fellow!* King Daqin did not even bother replying. Mastering the Great Dao was still a long way off. Su Yu smiled. "Handle it however you see fit. It's a minor matter, and I won't interfere! Quite a few days have passed. King Tianzhu has likely forged some primary armaments for weapon integration. Once I head out, I'll need to guide several others along the River of Time to comprehend different Daos. After that, I have to make another trip. There is much to be done..." At this point, a thought struck Su Yu, and his tone turned solemn. "Once you go out, keep a close watch on King Dazhou!" "..." King Daqin winced slightly. "I don't think Old Zhou would go that far. Aren't you... being overly suspicious?" Su Yu laughed. "I'm not worried about King Dazhou betraying the human race. I don't believe that's possible! I trust he wouldn't do such a thing. If he intended to, humanity would have been finished long ago. His heart belongs to humanity, perhaps even more than mine does—I'll readily admit that!" Su Yu's tone grew faint. "What I worry about is that the Human Lord his heart belongs to isn't me! Who knows? Did the previous nine Human Lords all truly perish? If some so-called benevolent ruler among them is still alive, King Dazhou might feel that a tyrant like me is unsuitable! I have no desire to strike down a meritorious hero of humanity. Frankly speaking, if I were strictly guarding against every possibility, an unstable factor like King Dazhou ought to be... snuffed out!" Both King Daqin and King Daxia underwent a subtle change in expression. Su Yu soon broke into a smile. "Rest easy, I haven't reached that point yet! To put it bluntly, I didn't take up the mantle of Human Lord for the sake of petty authority. That's a joke!" Su Yu said with unmasked pride, "Is being the Human Lord so wonderful? So glorious? No, I'd rather be an unfettered, peerless powerhouse exploring the mysteries of the universe—that would be far more carefree! Why do I want the title of Human Lord? Why must I suppress everything? To toot my own horn, I am doing this to save humanity! In this era, the human race cannot afford multiple voices! Unless one day humanity achieves victory and I lay down this position, at which point the human race can fight and balance among themselves as they please!" King Daqin pondered for a moment before nodding. "You speak the truth! What humanity needs right now... is precisely a Human Lord like you! Benevolence, kindness, sage wisdom, earnest virtue—none of those are needed! What we require is a Human Lord who is sinister, cunning, powerful, overbearing, and ruthless!" "..." *Well, well!* King Daqin had actually learned how to throw shade and insult someone indirectly! Who was he talking about? So all the negative traits belonged to me, while I possessed none of the virtuous ones? Su Yu did not bother to argue. He glanced toward the distant courtyard, where Fat Ball was watering flowers, and called out with a smile, "Senior Fat Ball, we'll take our leave for now!" "Go on ahead!" The little white dog continued watering the flowers as it replied, "Big Tree's spirit is almost fully formed. Next time you come, Big Tree will be able to go out and fight! Big Tree is very formidable. It's been growing in Master's courtyard all along, listening whenever Master read, watching whenever the young master cultivated... Big Tree is even older than me. It was already here when I arrived!" First came the courtyard, then the tree; after the tree came the dog, after the dog came the books, and after the books came the tea... Such was the order of the spiritual entities within King Wen's former residence. Since the little white dog called it formidable, its strength was bound to be impressive. Su Yu smiled and said, "Very well. Continue watering your flowers, Senior. I'll drop by for tea whenever I have time!" "Mhm, mhm!" The little white dog nodded and resumed watering its blossoms. That was its primary duty; fighting was merely a side gig. As Su Yu was about to leave, it asked, "Do you need more of my blood essence?" "No need!" Su Yu declined. Too little time had passed. In less than a month, he had already consumed five drops of the dog's blood essence. Even with the hound's immense power and the swift recovery this place offered, parting with five drops had still taxed its vitality. At present, Su Yu still possessed one drop of Golden-Winged Roc blood essence and one drop of Dragon Emperor blood essence. Those two drops were sufficient for him to unleash Dao Joiner combat power for a time. Even without them, his personal strength was second only to the Dao Joiner realm! As for the corpse of the Wild Heavenly Beast, the two kings had drained it into an empty husk. It held little value now—even roasting the meat would yield something too stringy and dry to eat! ... A short while later, the three stepped out of King Wen's former residence. Several Invincibles remained in the canyon. The others had been assigned tasks and had departed to attend to them. King Dazhou had not left on business and was still waiting there. When he saw King Daqin and King Daxia, his gaze shifted slightly. At this moment, the two resembled primeval ferocious beasts in his eyes, radiating an overwhelming, bloodthirsty aura! King Dazhou felt a stinging pain in his eyes! If even he was affected like this, the other Invincibles scrutinizing the pair let out muffled groans. King Daming's willpower fluctuated so violently that he could not help blurting out, "What happened to you two? You don't even look human!" They were too strong! That ferocious aura made him feel as though he were trapped in the maw of a terrifying beast! King Daxia gave a savage grin and stepped toward him. "People always say that among human powerhouses, Old Qin ranks first, Old Zhou second, I'm third, and you're fourth. You weren't convinced before—care to say you're not convinced now?" A phantom of a colossal beast seemed to loom above King Daxia's head, opening a massive maw as if ready to swallow King Daming whole! Not stopping there, King Daxia turned his cold gaze toward King Dazhou. "As for second... or even first, this king wouldn't mind contending for it! Old Zhou, care to have a go?" "..." King Dazhou's face darkened, and he ignored him. King Daming, meanwhile, looked thoroughly annoyed. *This is going too far!* Still, how on earth had this bastard grown so terrifyingly strong?! Had they joined the Dao? Su Yu had vanished with them for over ten days. Earlier, Xia Longwu breaking through to the seventh stage of the Eternal realm had taken merely moments. They had known King Daxia and King Daqin would reap rewards. Yet looking at them now... they were overwhelmingly powerful! King Dazhou observed them for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Emperor Yu, their bloodlines..." Su Yu replied calmly, "Replaced with the bloodline of an ancient Ruler of Rules! However, bloodlines are insignificant. What matters is that they remain part of humanity! If their hearts belong to the human race, then they are human; if their hearts do not, then they are not!" King Dazhou said gravely, "That... I can understand. What I fear is that certain people won't..." "Are you referring to the humans of the upper realm?" Su Yu looked at him. King Dazhou fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Yes. Due to the ancient glory, some elders of the upper realm place immense weight on bloodline purity! In their eyes, mixed blood and foreign bloodlines are forms of desecration and defilement!" Fearing Su Yu's anger, he hurried to explain, "Emperor Yu, certain things are understandable in context! There are even ancient marquises surviving in the upper realm. In that era, humanity reigned supreme and noble above all else! Perhaps Emperor Yu considers them excessively rigid, but their hearts have always beat for humanity. That is why they have fought for a hundred thousand years without yielding. It is precisely because of their perseverance that we were granted these hundred thousand years... Over the ages, dozens of Human Marquises have died in battle!" "They also witnessed non-human allies betraying humanity! In all of the previous nine tides, allies turned their backs on us. Emperor Yu knows little of this and feels little of it, but... we lived through it!" King Dazhou sighed softly. "To mention just one example: at the beginning of the ninth tide, before the Hundred Battles King rose to prominence, there was a race that enjoyed exceptionally close ties with ours. A formidable race known as the Soul Race, beings like specters who were the premier assassins and killers of the myriad realms—hundreds, thousands of times more terrifying than the current Shadow Race! Yet they betrayed us, dealing us a devastating blow that nearly brought humanity to ruin in the early stages... Later, when the Hundred Battles King rose, he left other races alone but wiped out the Soul Race! That was a betrayal humanity simply could not forgive!" He offered these explanations nonetheless. Those in the upper realm were unfamiliar with King Daqin and King Daxia and knew nothing of their contributions. Seeing them bear non-human bloodlines might provoke resistance. Su Yu smiled faintly, thoroughly unconcerned. "Then tell them to listen closely! If they can accept it, fine; if they can't, they can set up their own camp and play by themselves! I know their hearts belong to humanity... and that's fine. If any of you wish to defect to their side, I won't stop you! But whatever you took from me, you give it right back, or don't take it in the first place! The human race... does it strictly have to be called the human race? Those whose hearts align with us could be called the Yu Race for all I care! I, Su Yu, have only one rule: I protect only those I deem worthy of protection! As for anyone else who wants to rebel, be my guest!" Su Yu swept his gaze across the crowd. "Anyone who thinks I, Su Yu, am suppressing you can go join those old relics in the upper realm! There should still be survivors up there! Over a hundred thousand years, they've grown weaker with every battle—I won't even comment on their competence... Some of their notions are far too antiquated and rigid. Do they still think this is the ancient era?" Su Yu spoke bluntly, "In the ancient era, there were forty-one Rulers of Rules, three hundred and sixty Human Marquises, and numerous Dao Joiners among the titled generals—probably no fewer than five hundred Dao Joiners in total! Back then, humanity had the right to be arrogant. Now? What right do they have?" Su Yu said coldly, "I read books, and all of you should read more too! Throughout the rise and fall of dynasties, there are always surviving remnants and old loyalists like this! Their capabilities are meager, yet their rules are endless! Their intentions may be good, focused entirely on restoration, which isn't a sin in itself—after all, their hearts yearn for that dynasty, that era, the era that belonged to them! However, remember this: history has proven time and again that it is impossible! Restoring the ancient era is practically a pipe dream! The only way forward is to forge a brand-new empire!" Su Yu continued ruthlessly, "If I rebuild the empire, it will not be the ancient one, nor will I be anyone's puppet! If I usher in glory, it will be a new era! I am laying this bare today, speaking plainly! No more hints! I will tell you directly: whether they are ancient marquises or Human Lords of other tides, in this era, they answer to me! Obey me, and when I see your merit, rewards will naturally follow!" "Disobey me and try to order me around, and you can get lost!" "I have stated my stance clearly, plainly, and decisively! Stop second-guessing!" "And do not force me to turn hostile!" Su Yu's tone grew piercingly cold. "Turning hostile is something I'd rather avoid! As King Dazhou said, those who fought for humanity for a hundred thousand years are heroes! But being a hero does not grant you the right to place yourself above me. You may only take what I give you; what I do not give, you cannot force me to grant! I thought you understood some things before, but it seems you still don't!" "Having laid it out so clearly today, I imagine anyone with a brain should understand completely!" The crowd remained silent. After a long while, King Dazhou drew a deep breath. "I understand! Emperor Yu, rest assured, we all comprehend. Should anyone arrive from the upper realm, I will make it clear to them as well." "That would be best!" Su Yu said calmly, "Lay it out openly and bluntly! If they can accept it, so be it; if they can't, forget it! If they refuse from the start, I won't mind—I prefer directness. But if they accept at first and then pull petty tricks behind my back, should I find out... I will execute them all!" "Understood!" everyone responded in unison. Su Yu's face soon broke into a radiant smile. "Alright, let's not sour the mood over things that haven't even happened. King Daqin and King Daxia have both stepped into the Dao Joiner realm! King Dazhou is also a Dao Joiner, as is Tianyue, the Minister of the Heaven Division... Thus, our human race now boasts four Dao Joiner powerhouses! This calls for celebration! King Dazhou, lead the others to bring down another vitality rain to celebrate across the realm!" "..." King Dazhou stared blankly! *Damn it!* We just finished one a few days ago. "Emperor Yu, the vitality concentration in the Human Realm is no longer sufficient..." Su Yu chuckled. "No matter, let it rain! Vitality isn't enough, you say?" The next instant, a massive quantity of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid materialized. "Take this, neutralize it with vitality, and rain it down! It can even bolster acupoint power—splendid! Keep the rain going. Once Xia Longwu and the others conquer a few minor realms, we'll nourish humanity using the myriad realms. What is there to fear? At worst, we'll scour the myriad realms clean, fight this one decisive battle, and if the myriad realms run out of vitality afterward, we will perish in a blaze of glory!" Su Yu wore an entirely nonchalant expression! Helpless, King Dazhou could only concede, "By your command!" *Great, another round of making rain!* Su Yu was clearly annoyed and looking for an excuse to torment him. King Dazhou felt utterly exhausted! *Is a Dao Joiner like me only fit for making rain?* *What a tragedy!* *I only offered a few cautionary words without targeting you. Two Invincibles from my Zhou family have already gone off to serve as guards, yet you still won't let me off. How petty!* Soon, Su Yu turned to King Daming and smiled. "Are King Daming's formation foundations ready?" King Daming replied excitedly, "Ready! Tianzhu wanted to forge mine last, but he didn't stop to think how crucial my increase in strength is. I made him forge mine first!" Su Yu laughed as well. "When I fell on hard times back then, I had the Daming Mansion to thank for sheltering me! It granted me a peaceful period to cultivate. And when I was trapped in the ancient city, I had King Daming to thank for standing up for me, personally rushing to the ancient city to do battle! Now, King Daxia and King Daqin have stepped into the Dao Joiner realm. As for King Daming, though I don't understand the Dao of Formations... no matter. Step onto this path first. In the future, when opportunity arises, I will send King Daming to the King Ming Mansion; you should gain something there as well!" "My thanks to Emperor Yu for your benevolence!" King Daming was in high spirits. *The King Ming Mansion! That's my ancestor's residence!* There were bound to be benefits, right? Stepping onto the Dao of Formations today was wonderful as well. He excelled at laying formations, but unfortunately, he had previously walked the Physical Dao, relegating formations to a supportive role! Su Yu said no more and tore open the River of Time. This time, he truly couldn't offer King Daming much assistance; it depended on how King Daming sought it out himself. Su Yu's sole advantage was his ability to discern tributaries and perceive the Great Dao clearly, ensuring King Daming would not lose his way within the River of Time! Such was the benefit of the Heavenly Gate! Su Yu strongly suspected that the abundance of ancient powerhouses was linked to those ancient humans who had opened their Heavenly Gates! Without opening the Heavenly Gate, one could not perceive the essence of the Great Dao clearly, making it far harder to pioneer or master a Dao. That the human race had produced so many Rulers of Rules was definitely related to the Heavenly Gate. Why hadn't other races produced nearly as many powerhouses? Because observing the Dao was far more difficult for them! ... Soon, Su Yu led King Daming into the River of Time to search for the Dao of Formations! ... At the same time. The Dead Spirit Realm. The Eastern King Mansion. Su Yu's Human Lord Seal remained here. At this moment, the seal brimmed with immense destiny, showing signs of blanketing the entire Eastern King Domain to suppress all defiance! Cataclysmic changes had swept the Eastern King Mansion. By now, nearly all powerhouses across the Dead Spirit Realm were aware of it. Marquis Lanshan held sway over the Eastern King Mansion! Furthermore, she had issued a proclamation across the four kings' domains, summoning all human dead spirit powerhouses to return and govern the Eastern King Domain together! Over the past few days, many human dead spirit powerhouses had arrived to pledge allegiance. Yet on this day, a monstrous aura suddenly surged across heaven and earth, and a colossal claw manifested in the void, descending over the entire Eastern King Mansion! At that moment, Marquis Lanshan was receiving a human dead spirit marquis from the Northern King Mansion. Sensing the disturbance, she was thoroughly startled. The next instant, Marquis Lanshan soared into the sky, the Eastern King Seal materializing in her hand as she hurled it upward! She bellowed, "How dare you! Who goes there, daring to invade human territory?" "Human territory?" A chilling voice echoed from the void: "Lanshan, this is the Dead Spirit Realm. When did it become human territory? The ancient era has fallen! Lanshan, for insubordination and the murder of the Eastern Heavenly King, you shall be executed!" The monstrous power grew even more terrifying as the massive claw reached down toward Marquis Lanshan! Not only that, but Marquis Lanshan's Eastern King Seal shuddered violently. The chilling voice rang out again: "A dead spirit seal cannot be wielded by just anyone. In the end, it comes down to strength, not an emblem... This seal is useless against me!" The pressure bearing down on Marquis Lanshan escalated exponentially! The Eastern King Seal seemed so thoroughly suppressed that it could barely move. Her gaze turned fierce, and she roared, "Summon the Human Lord Seal!" *Boom!* A tremendous roar shook the skies as a grand seal blotting out heaven and earth manifested in the void! Su Yu's great seal appeared in an instant! Atop the seal, Su Yu's phantom materialized, mirroring the apparition above the Human Realm: crowned, robed, holding documents, barking coldly, "Insolence! Insubordination shall be punished with death!" *Boom!* The potent destiny of the human race erupted! In a brief span, human destiny had surged dramatically with the rise of multiple Dao Joiners. At this moment, rule power churned atop the seal, piercing through heaven and earth in an instant and throwing the rules into turbulence! The dark clouds dispersed! In the void, a powerhouse similarly wearing a crown had been reaching downward. Suddenly, massive rule fluctuations erupted across his arm—a clash of rules! The crowned powerhouse remarked faintly, "I truly did not expect the current Human Lord to elevate humanity's destiny by such a margin in so short a time! It's almost approaching the level of the ninth tide!" Marquis Lanshan looked up into the void, her brow furrowed. *Incredibly strong!* It was a king! Yet she did not recognize him. The newly arrived human marquis behind her, however, frowned slightly and quickly sent a voice transmission: "It seems to be the Western King!" "The Western King?" Marquis Lanshan's heart jolted, and she snapped, "Western King, do you intend to start a war? Invading human territory?" "Start a war?" The Western King replied coldly, "You are too weak to even be worthy! Even holding two seals, I could slay you with ease! Not to mention that I have over a dozen dead spirit marquises under my command. Lanshan, why doesn't your Human Lord come and speak with this king instead?" At that very moment, powerful auras manifested around the Eastern King Domain—all dead spirit marquises! The powerhouses of the Western King Domain appeared to have arrived in force! Right then, a phantom coalesced near the Dead Spirit Heavenly River, resembling an ancient general. No, he *was* an ancient general—the Spirit Suppression General, Hongmeng! Hongmeng's towering figure let out a cold bark: "Western King, if you wish to start a war, I am ready at any time!" The Western King glanced over and chuckled softly. "I have not entered your Spirit Suppression Domain. What can you do by coming here? Even joining hands with Lanshan, you are nothing special!" "Nothing special?" Hongmeng snorted coldly. The next instant, he called out loudly, "Spirit Suppression General Hongmeng requests the Human Lord to expand my guarded realm!" *Boom!* Heaven and earth underwent a drastic transformation! At that very moment, the phantom atop the Human Lord Seal pressed the seal down toward the great emblem above Hongmeng's head! *Boom!* A beam of golden light surged instantly from the direction of the Dead Spirit Heavenly River toward the Eastern King Domain! Carrying the great seal atop his head, the Old Turtle strode forward step by step, the golden light expanding with every stride. He declared fiercely, "Western King, do not forget that this world still belongs to humanity! These rules are still human rules! All that the king surveys is our domain! The Spirit Suppression Domain can be expanded at any time!" He advanced step by step! Beneath the spreading golden light, his aura remained exceedingly formidable, showing no sign of suppression! The Western King watched for a moment before remarking calmly, "He is merely the Human Lord of this era; how could he represent the ancient times? How long can you sustain this? How long can that Human Lord Seal endure? In the end, you cannot alter the fundamental rules!" Indeed, it was merely temporary! His vision was sharp enough to see through it at a glance. Yet the Old Turtle paid it no heed, saying coldly, "Then try me! Dare to invade the Spirit Suppression Domain and see if you can return alive!" He continued forward, treading through the void as the golden light spread, even beginning to dispel the Eastern King's lingering pressure! Simultaneously, formidable figures manifested behind him—Tianmie, Yunxiao, Xinghong, and the other guards stepped through the void, their auras towering! The Old Turtle said coldly, "Scram back to the Western King Domain! This is human territory. Do you wish to wage war today?" The Western King looked at him with chilling eyes. The golden light had already spread to his feet. He stomped down, halting the advance of the golden light, and faint traces of death qi seeped from beneath his feet—death qi dissipated by the golden light's suppression! Behind the Western King, dead spirit marquises gradually stepped forward as well! The Western King looked at the Old Turtle and suddenly smiled. "Hongmeng, with human this and human that constantly spilling from your mouth, have you forgotten that you aren't human?" The Old Turtle replied impassively, "This general was valued by the Human Sovereign and King Gong to suppress the Dead Spirit Realm! In this era, I am valued by the new Sovereign to continue guarding it. So long as humanity is not extinguished, this general remains a general of humanity! Western King, a traitorous rebel like you has no right to mock me!" The Western King glared at him coldly. The Old Turtle, treading upon the golden light, closed the distance and said in a heavy voice, "Marquis Lanshan, activate the Eastern King Seal to suppress his death qi. This general shall slay him today!" "Slay me?" The Western King chuckled. True, this was not his territory, and he would be slightly suppressed here, but for the Old Turtle to claim he could kill him was an absolute joke! The Old Turtle said coldly, "You are as foolish as the Eastern King. Before this, the Eastern King thought the exact same thing!" "..." The Western King's brow twitched slightly! Indeed, the Eastern King was dead! That was precisely what unsettled him. How had the Eastern King died? Rumor had it he fell in the Star Residence Mansion! The Western King said nothing more, quietly sensing something instead. Coming here, he had known the Old Turtle would be difficult to kill and handle, but... his consort had already left the realm! A pincer attack from within and without would drastically reduce the difficulty of slaying this old tortoise! He could not allow the power of the Eastern King Mansion to grow unchecked! If they did not annihilate it while it was still fragile, doing so once it grew powerful would prove exceedingly difficult! Marquis Lanshan had recently been summoning human powerhouses to return. Three human marquises had already defected from the Northern and Southern King Mansions! If they waited any longer, who knew how many hidden human marquises might emerge! By then, taking the Eastern King Domain would be arduous! The Western King still held a degree of wariness toward the Human Lord. Humanity had been the overlord of the ancient era, after all! Moreover, the Human Lord of this era had cast his gaze toward the Dead Spirit Realm and slain the Eastern King—an unsettling feat, given that none of the Four Heavenly Kings had fallen during the previous nine tides! The Western King remained silent, attempting to establish communication. Communicating across realms was arduous, however. Coordinating smoothly between the realms of life and death demanded substantial effort; a misaligned strike would be disastrous and invite unforeseen variables. It would be best for him and his consort to strike simultaneously to deal with the Old Turtle! Suppressing the old tortoise—or even killing him! ... At the same time. Above the Sea of Stars, a black-robed figure faded in and out of view, unnoticed even by the minor sea monsters below. Only her eyes were visible, cold and fierce as she peered into the ocean depths. She could already see Hongmeng Ancient City! Within Hongmeng Ancient City, the Old Turtle's true body remained; the figure in the Dead Spirit Realm was merely his Dao body! The time for war had not yet arrived, and the Old Turtle had no wish to fight, merely intending to force the Western King to retreat. Yet at this moment, the Old Turtle felt an uneasy premonition. His true body looked up toward the sky with vigilance and confusion. He sensed a crisis—an intense one! Danger! ... Right at this moment. Su Yu had just emerged from the Human Realm after guiding several Invincibles through the River of Time. His rush to leave was prompted by the sudden agitation of the Human Lord Seal. It seemed to have encountered a formidable foe! Just as he stepped out of the Human Realm, a token on his person vibrated. The Hongmeng Token! The Castellan Token! "I sense danger!" the Old Turtle transmitted! Su Yu's expression changed subtly. For the Old Turtle to sense danger was alarming; he was currently the strongest combatant on Su Yu's side. Fat Ball was formidable as well, of course, but the dog could not constantly leave to wage war. "Danger..." Behind Su Yu, King Daqin and King Daxia emerged as well. They hadn't come out to fight, but rather to find a minor realm to test whether any suppression existed. Su Yu's gaze flickered, and he turned swiftly to the two. "Head to Hongmeng Ancient City at once!" The two were startled. What was wrong? "Move!" Su Yu stepped directly onto the River of Time, and the two immediately kept pace. In the blink of an eye, Su Yu traversed thousands of li along the river at astonishing speed! ... Hongmeng Ancient City. The Old Turtle felt deeply uneasy. A crisis! Were the Western King and Northern King attacking together? Or perhaps the Southern King wouldn't intervene this time to help obstruct strong foes—or had even turned traitor? If so... things would be dire! Of course, there was another grave possibility: that a peerless powerhouse, not aligned with humanity, had emerged from the Dead Spirit Heavenly River. For now, his thoughts lingered primarily on the Dead Spirit Realm. After all, in the realm of the living, other Dao Joiners dared not venture out to fight. Even if they dared... aside from a select few like Tiangu and the Warden of Heaven, the Old Turtle feared none of them. Even without his Dao body, he remained unfazed; they might suppress him, but killing him would be exceedingly difficult! While the Old Turtle's mind remained restless, the little siren at the city gate suddenly began crying out in distress. Danger! To the Old Turtle, the crisis was real, but its origin remained elusive. To the little siren, it knew nothing of specific threats, only feeling an instinctive, overwhelming sense of danger! It could only cry out, having no idea where the danger originated. Yet this sent a massive tremor through the Old Turtle's heart! A dead spirit crisis could not spill into the living realm, yet the minor monster was in absolute distress. This meant... Divine light abruptly erupted from his eyes, yet he saw nothing. The Old Turtle was thoroughly shaken and shouted, "This general has spotted you! Well done, Western King—planning to pincer me from inside and out?" Silence! And at this moment, a faint barrier materialized around Hongmeng City. The Western King's Consort had arrived! Yet she was in no hurry to strike. To prevent the Old Turtle from escaping or teleporting away, and to prevent an intense clash from drawing human reinforcements, she was secretly laying down a world-confining grand formation! And the Old Turtle had completely failed to notice it! Indeed, the Western King's Consort also wielded the Dao of Confinement, and to an extraordinary degree! At this moment, the surroundings of Hongmeng City seemed completely cut off from the world! She had made no attempt to contact others. Upon leaving the realm, she had realized the situation was amiss; human powerhouses appeared to be secretly monitoring the domains of all the major races! Reaching out would easily startle the snake. In that case, acting alone and coordinating with the Western King to eliminate the old tortoise first was the optimal choice! Destroying the forces of the Eastern King Mansion, slaying the old tortoise, and seizing the Spirit Suppression Domain would allow a seamless link between inside and outside. Otherwise, relying on death qi to forge a passage carried far too much risk and uncertainty. It was a decisively bold move! Killing Hongmeng first would inevitably destabilize humanity's entire faction, potentially causing issues for all thirty-six guards! In the void, the Western King's Consort looked down at the Old Turtle, who had yet to spot her! Beneath her black robe, a sneer curled on her lips. *This old tortoise has merely lived a long time; his comprehension of the Great Dao is utterly shallow!* Having lived through countless eras, his strength was undeniably formidable, and few living beings below the Ruler of Rules could match him. Yet he could not even see through basic Dao principles, allowing her to erect a world-confining formation undisturbed! He possessed brute strength and nothing else! Completely ignorant of the Great Dao! Such an entity might seem formidable to others, but to her... he was entirely killable! *A dull-witted fool who will never become a Ruler of Rules in his entire life!* the Western King's Consort thought coldly, quietly reaching out to the Western King across the boundary of life and death! They would strike together and annihilate this meddlesome old tortoise once and for all!