So Many Freaks

Su Yu wore a warm smile, looking completely pure and benevolent. Where was the overbearing arrogance from before? Nonexistent! One spoke human words to humans and ghost words to ghosts. Could pure tyranny and savagery truly resolve everything for an emperor? Besides, the Southern King was King Wen’s little fangirl! When it was time to be shameless, Su Yu was more shameless than anyone. Had he cared about saving face, he would never have survived over eight thousand defeats in the illusion realm. A commoner from the streets knew how to bend and stretch. Su Yu was hardly from some noble, lofty lineage. As for what Marquis Lanshan thought, Su Yu didn't care. He had taken a hard line against the three dead spirit marquises earlier because he could suppress them; failing to be firm risked repeating the Hundred Battles King’s blunder. Just as Su Yu had said, he would ask foreign races for help, but never the human race. And the Southern King was not of the human race. Even as formidable as the Martial Emperor was, Su Yu still refused to beg him! If he wanted the Martial Emperor’s help, he would use threats or coercion, never supplication. At this moment, Su Yu smiled with unblemished innocence, looking just like an earnest, well-meaning youth! In a daze, the Southern King looked at Su Yu. Gazing into his clear eyes, she felt as though she were seeing the gaze of someone from years long past. She could not help asking, "How old are you?" "Twenty-one." "How old?" The Southern King froze. Su Yu chuckled softly. "Twenty-one by the Human Realm calendar. By the myriad races calendar, I’ve barely seen two tide-years." The Southern King was stunned once again. Around them, the other dead spirit marquises were dumbfounded. Even Marquis Lanshan stood frozen in astonishment. How old? Twenty-one? Su Yu’s smile was gentle, tinged with a hint of youthfulness. "I entered the Human Realm’s high academy at eighteen, and at nineteen, I fought my way onto the Heavenly Battlefield. I was entirely alone with no one to rely on, forced to convert into a half-dead spirit. Afterward, I campaigned north and south, receiving the support of many seniors, which brought me to where I am today..." Su Yu smiled innocently. "Only now can I be considered capable of doing a little something for the human race. Fortunately, I inherited King Wen’s legacy, which made today’s achievements possible. Otherwise, I would have perished on the Heavenly Battlefield long ago." At that moment, the marquises in every direction felt their minds go blank. Two years? Charging into the Heavenly Battlefield at nineteen, and in two short years, he had become the Human Lord, swept across all directions, slain the Eastern King, wiped out the Western King, and was now on the verge of reunifying the Dead Spirit Realm... Was this real? The Southern King’s complexion was not as pitch-black as the other dead spirits; it carried a faint yellowish hue. Right now, her expression shifted rapidly, her eyes filled with disbelief and an almost imperceptible tenderness. A... twenty-one-year-old child! Too young! Far too young! He was actually only twenty-one. The Southern King remained dazed for a moment before her voice softened considerably. "Your name is Su Yu?" "Yes," Su Yu replied with a smile. "I hope Mistress doesn't laugh at me." "No, no, no... you are incredible!" The Southern King said in shock. "How did you subdue the human race in two years? Could it be that some figures from the Ninth Tide survived to assist you?" Su Yu chuckled lightly. "No, not at all. One person from the last tide did survive—the Great Zhou King of our human race. Unfortunately... I came from an ordinary, humble household, so he didn't think much of me. Later, I became a disciple of the Multiple Divine Characters Department, which King Wen passed down, only to be treated as cannon fodder and heavily targeted! At eighteen, half a year after entering the academy, I chose to flee. With only Character Nurturing strength, I lured and killed Sun Moon cultivators who targeted me. Afterward, upon reaching the Soaring realm, I wandered into the Heavenly Battlefield..." Su Yu maintained his gentle smile. "King Wen’s lineage is targeted by all the heavens! The moment I set foot on the Heavenly Battlefield, the myriad races targeted me. First Sun Moon experts tried to kill me, then Eternals tried to kill me. To survive in the jaws of death, I had no choice but to convert into an ancient city resident. Fortunately, some ancient city guardians took notice of me and sheltered me for a time. Who would have thought the myriad races’ determination to destroy King Wen’s legacy would never die? Dao Integration experts came to kill me—Tiangu, Jiwu, Moji, and the others all joined forces to hunt me down... I had no choice but to return to King Wen’s former residence to seek Fat Ball’s help. Fat Ball aided me with the power of five drops of its blood essence, then dispatched the Book Spirit and the Tea Tree to assist me, charging me with carrying forward King Wen’s legacy..." As if telling an ordinary tale, Su Yu spoke with an exceedingly mellow smile. "And so, I arrived at where I am today. I slew the Spirit Emperor, the Tianyuan Half-Emperor, the Dragon Emperor, the Golden-Winged Roc Emperor... and afterward, I suppressed the ancient factions led by the Great Zhou King, ascending to the seat of Human Lord!" Listening to this, the Southern King was overwhelmed by a storm of shock, disbelief, surprise, and fury. Twenty-one years old. The powerhouses of the Human Realm hadn't helped him; he had ventured out alone across the heavens. The myriad races had hunted him; Eternals had come to kill him when he was merely in the Soaring realm. Just to survive, he had been forced to turn into a half-dead spirit... This... this child had suffered far too much! At this moment, it was not just the Southern King; Marquis Lanshan was hearing these details for the first time as well. No one had ever specifically explained this past to them. For a time, Marquis Lanshan forgot everything else, her face full of heartache and indignation. "With Your Majesty possessing such talent, the human race didn't shelter you? They even set obstacles in your path?!" *Suppressed the Great Zhou King to ascend to the throne!* She had heard that clearly! Su Yu smiled. "Times were hard for the human race back then, and the Great Zhou King and his circle had no other choice if they wanted to survive. Sacrificing just me was better than starting an all-out war! The other Eternals of the human race didn't dare offend the myriad races for my sake either, so they could only drag out an ignoble existence. Things were tough for them too, and in truth, I understand." Su Yu smiled faintly. "After all, during that period, the human race was far too weak." The Southern King said coldly, "The human race... Heh. In this tide, they are actually so... such useless trash!" She ended up cursing them anyway! She could already picture it: Su Yu, alone, weak, and utterly destitute, walking the heavens by himself. That bleakness, that loneliness, that helplessness... At twenty-one years old, the Southern King could hardly imagine how Su Yu had turned the world upside down and seized the position of Human Lord in under three years! It was simply too incredible! Marquis Lanshan was also rendered speechless for a time. The human race of this tide... Marquis Lanshan gritted her teeth. "No wonder! I was wondering why things were like this in this tide. Even when the great battle broke out last time, everyone who came to reinforce us belonged to foreign races—only Tianyue was human. And from what Tianyue said, he didn't even belong to this tide or the human race's factions?" Su Yu smiled. "Yes, he belongs to the Hunting Heaven Pavilion and is Marquis Jiantian's disciple. Marquis Jiantian betrayed the human race and betrayed King Wen. Seeing that I inherited King Wen’s legacy, he ordered Tianyue to kill me! Tianyue couldn't bear to do it, ultimately rebelling to help me instead. It was my good fortune; otherwise, I would have died long ago." "Marquis Jiantian?" The Southern King knitted her brows, her voice turning frigid. "He betrayed humanity?" Su Yu nodded and sighed. "Yes, he betrayed us and tried to kill me many times! Fortunately, several experts within the Hunting Heaven Pavilion saw my hardships and recognized Marquis Jiantian’s perversity. One after another, they abandoned darkness for the light, and division ministers stepped forward to aid me! Those who follow the Dao find abundant support, while those who lose it find little!" Su Yu smiled. "That is why I reached today. Seeing my benevolence, my decent talent, and my inheritance of King Wen’s legacy, the Spirit Suppressing Army, the Hou race, the Iron Eater race, the Ancient Space Beast race, Doubao, Steamed Bun, and Fat Ball all came to support me!" The Southern King felt slightly shaken. "In just two years, you managed to make all these races come to your aid... You truly have found abundant support!" Marquis Lanshan was deeply moved as well. She had known some of Su Yu’s deeds, but never in such detail. At this moment, she suddenly understood all of Su Yu’s overbearing nature and cold ruthlessness. Things had been too hard for him! The human race was powerless and unwilling to help him. He could only rely on himself, fighting, killing, and campaigning unceasingly across north and south. His life must have been unimaginably bitter! Just look at what Su Yu described: he had been surrounded by people sent to kill him, yet in the end, they were moved by his character and chose to help him. This... this was the charisma of a new Human Sovereign! By now, the Southern King had set aside her earlier hesitations. Looking at Su Yu, her gaze was filled with emotion and tenderness. She said softly, "That the Human Lord could achieve this today is also born from suffering. Without weathering trials, how could one grow? King Wen once said, 'When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a person, it first exercises his mind with suffering...'" After speaking for a moment, she added gently, "You haven't disgraced King Wen’s legacy. To reverse the tide of fate under such adversity... I heard that the human race currently holds the upper hand in the myriad realms. Is that true?" Su Yu smiled and nodded. "It’s decent. Unfortunately, once the Upper Realm opens... it will be hard to say!" The Southern King frowned, remaining silent for a long while before speaking: "The Hundred Battles King was truly useless. Squandering the human race's foundation with such an advantage! It has truly been hard on you!" Far too hard! Even the Southern King felt that Su Yu had endured too much. From a humble birth, completely destitute and alone, reaching this height in three thousand years would have been acceptable—yet Su Yu had done it in three years! In any era, this would be beyond belief. Su Yu chuckled. "There is no point in bringing up the Hundred Battles King! I only look at the present, not the past, and not the future!" At this moment, Su Yu’s smile lost some of its mellow warmth. His expression hardened into solemnity as he said gravely, "I arose from humble beginnings and am young in years; I do not understand much! I only know that in this world, one must carve out a clear sky through slaughter!" A solemn, murderous aura surged! One moment he was youthful, gentle, and modest as a gentleman; the next, his killing intent boiled over, matchlessly domineering. For a moment, the Southern King felt that this was precisely how it should be! Yes, this was the Human Lord who had fought his way up in three years! Gentle and humble at his core, yet possessing his own unique charisma—no wonder he could rally the myriad races and secure the aid of their powerhouses. Tenderness, dominance, decisiveness, killing intent, wisdom... In an instant, countless thoughts crossed the Southern King’s mind. This generation’s Human Lord was truly extraordinary! Meanwhile, the dead spirit marquises near her felt the pressure as well. As Su Yu’s murderous aura rose, soaring to the clouds, even these dead spirit marquises were horrified. How many people had he slaughtered? A butcher of men! As expected of a Human Lord who had clawed his way up from the bottom in three years. Clearly, his path had not been as breezy and light as he had just made it sound—he had killed an ocean of people along the way! As this killing intent flared, the Northern King looked over from the distance. Su Yu looked back. Seeing the burly figure across the way, Su Yu said coldly, "Northern Heavenly King, do you truly intend to rebel?" The Northern King was momentarily speechless. Rebel? Perhaps... that was what it amounted to. Su Yu said indifferently, "I give you two choices! First: war! To the death! Second: surrender. Disperse your Great Dao power on your own, and retain the strength of a dead spirit marquis!" The Northern Heavenly King’s expression shifted slightly. He said coldly, "Disperse my Dao?" Su Yu said calmly, "Consider it yourself; there is no need for further words! Do not take the Dead Spirit Heavenly River as your reliance. If that river truly falls into chaos, I will simply take my people and retreat to the Dead Spirit Realm’s boundaries for a while! Did you think I truly have no way to kill you? What are you thinking? I control the Spirit Suppressing Realm. Believe it or not, I could lead an army of ten million into the Spirit Suppressing Realm and agitate the dead spirits, inciting a massive riot of countless dead spirits. If three to five Heavenly Kings emerge, I’d love to see where you can run! Do you think that when they come out, they will join forces with you or live in peace? They will flatten the Four Kings' domains before settling the Dead Spirit Realm! Once you’ve slaughtered each other enough, I will lead my men back to clean up!" The Northern Heavenly King’s heart trembled! Su Yu said eerily, "I can open a dead spirit passage at any time. Can you? If you can, you have an escape route. If you cannot... do not presume you have any leverage!" The Northern King’s expression shifted erratically. After a long silence, he sneered, "Human Lord Su, if you truly do that, aren't you afraid of destabilizing the Dead Spirit Realm to the point where dead spirits break out and assault the living realm? Hongmeng is a guardian. If a massive swarm of dead spirits rushes out of the Dead Spirit Realm, the first to suffer will be Hongmeng!" *I don't believe you dare!* He didn't believe it! Yet, he also feared Su Yu would actually go through with it. Once swarms of monarchs, dead spirit marquises, and even Heavenly Kings emerged, his position as an established overlord would suffer an immense shock! There would surely be experts targeting him: the weaker would want to kill him to seize his dead spirit mark, while the stronger would want to kill him to divide his Great Dao power! The powerhouses emerging from the river didn't know him from anyone else—who would they attack if not him? Of course, they might also slaughter one another. With luck, he might even expand his forces. But if total chaotic warfare erupted, it would not be a good thing; it would shatter the current balance. With just a few sentences from Su Yu, countless thoughts swirled through the Northern Heavenly King’s mind. He was genuinely worried that Su Yu would disregard everything and charge in with an army of ten million, throwing the Dead Spirit Realm into absolute turmoil! Su Yu chuckled softly. "We shall wait and see! Watch your head—I could open an overhead passage at any moment... and execute you on the spot!" The Northern Heavenly King was alarmed, but quickly said coldly, "Impossible! Even I do not know what lies directly above us. How could you possibly know where a passage can be opened?" Even as he spoke, he was terrified, hurriedly scanning the skies above, genuinely afraid that experts might suddenly drop down. He added, "As for opening passages in the Heavenly Battlefield region, Hetu did so in the past, and nearly all of them were within the Eastern King Domain. There has never been one in the Northern King Domain!" Su Yu laughed. "How could you understand the might of the human race? Fine, I was only scaring you. Don't be afraid—keep your eyes wide open and stare closely at the skies above. I want you to break down in terror! Fat Ball and twenty-two other Dao Integration experts are right above your head, waiting to slaughter you at any moment... Don't be afraid!" "..." With an unsightly scowl, the Northern Heavenly King vanished on the spot. He didn't want to converse with Su Yu any longer. Su Yu’s words left him deeply unsettled. Would Su Yu really charge in with an army of ten million? Would he open a passage right above his head? He had no idea! …… The Southern King looked at Su Yu in surprise, unable to resist sending a voice transmission: "Can you really open a passage above his head?" If so, things would be simple! A thunderous strike! Just wipe him out! Su Yu smiled. "Perhaps I can. In truth, I can locate coordinates, but it’s hard to say what lies above his head. If it happens to be in the Immortal Realm... would I go open a passage inside the Immortal Realm? And even if I could, it's best not to. A thunderous strike would require living beings to act, and unless there is no alternative, I don't want the Dead Spirit Realm thrown into chaos! That doesn't align with my goals!" It might indeed be possible to open one. Su Yu actually had methods—for instance, leaving the Human Lord Seal here and searching across the myriad realms... It would be quite difficult. If it corresponded to the Heavenly Battlefield, that was fine, but if it lined up with a minor realm, forget it! And if it was right above Tiangu’s head, how could he open it? Impossible! He was merely terrifying the Northern King! The Southern King knitted her brows and asked, "Then the Human Lord means... we just watch?" Su Yu shook his head. "No, we wait! First we scare him. If he is willing to disperse his Great Dao power on his own, that would be ideal. If not... then we wait a while and launch a frontal assault!" "A frontal assault..." The Southern King hesitated. "Here, I probably am no match for him unless Hongmeng comes to assist me and we join hands to slay him!" Su Yu smiled. "How about I assist Mistress?" "You..." The Southern King wanted to say that he was too weak, but found it difficult to say aloud. Su Yu chuckled. "I might not measure up to some Heavenly Kings, but having fused with the Brush Dao, I still possess some strength. In a one-on-one duel, I naturally cannot compare to the Northern King... but by joining hands, I can keep him tied down to an extent! Not only that, but I have a drop of the Eastern King’s blood essence and a drop of the Western King’s blood essence in my possession." "What?" The Southern King looked at Su Yu, not quite understanding his meaning. Su Yu smiled. "With blood essence, I can borrow the power of the Dead Spirit Great Dao and barely unleash the combat power of a Heavenly King for a short duration." Both the Eastern King and the Western King had been battered to pieces. Su Yu hadn't originally planned to ask for their blood essence, but Marquis Lanshan and the others had saved a little for him. Hetu understood Su Yu’s situation and hadn't distributed all the spoils from the Western King to boost the others' strength. In truth, Su Yu could also use the blood essence of the dead spirit race, but he would have to expend a drop just to open the page before borrowing its power, which wasn't very cost-effective. The Southern King looked at Su Yu with a trace of surprise. *Borrowing Great Dao power!* Barely unleashing Heavenly King combat power... If that was the case, teaming up with Su Yu to fight the Northern King was not out of the question! Su Yu smiled. "It is best not to deploy other forces! Once Senior Hongmeng leaves, I worry that unexpected events might occur in the Dead Spirit Heavenly River during the battle. If a few dead spirit marquises emerge, see our fierce battle, and notice General Hongmeng’s absence, they might try to force their way through the dead spirit passage. That would be troublesome!" This was something they had to guard against! After some thought, the Southern King nodded. "Very well! If you truly can muster Heavenly King power, even if only barely, teaming up will suffice. Even if we cannot kill the Northern King, we can whittle down the strength of the dead spirit marquises under his command! He still has fourteen dead spirit marquises. On our side, even including the Eastern King Domain, we only have fourteen!" She only had ten dead spirit marquises under her command; their numbers were too few. If a true clash erupted, the Southern King worried about who would actually be whittling down whom. Su Yu sent another voice transmission: "No rush, let's wait a bit! This time, I brought twenty-seven guardians over. They are currently hunting dead spirit monarchs to slay them and advance themselves. Once they all reach ninth-stage Eternal, three guardians together will certainly be able to handle one dead spirit marquis!" Many of the guardians were currently at the seventh or eighth stage, requiring five or six of them to handle one dead spirit marquis. Once they reached the ninth stage, equipped with their Petrification Technique and their weapons, their resistance to dead spirits would be exceptionally strong. The dead spirit marquises' greatest asset was their death qi; once that death qi was countered, three ninth-stage guardians could definitely take on one marquis. Even if they couldn't secure a kill, they could hold their ground. That would be equivalent to adding nine Dao Integration combatants! Of course, in the living realm, three ninth-stage Eternals would struggle to match a single Dao Integration expert, as living beings possessed far more varied methods. Upon hearing this, the Southern King’s heart stirred. If that was the case, then counting the dead spirit marquises, they would effectively have twenty-three Dao Integration combatants against the enemy’s fourteen... That truly offered hope of slaughtering a large number of dead spirit marquises before teaming up to kill the Northern King! "Then what do we do right now?" the Southern King asked. Su Yu smiled. "Wait! We surround the Northern King here. The Dead Spirit Heavenly River might experience tremors, but we must keep the Northern King from learning what is happening over there! Cut off his communications with the outside world so he cannot gather any intelligence!" The Southern King nodded. That was certainly feasible. Soon, the Southern King added, "But guardians cannot absorb dead spirit marks by killing dead spirits. How could they simply grow stronger so rapidly...?" Su Yu smiled again. "No matter. The Star Residence Mansion is under my control! I can lead people directly inside!" "Dead spirits cannot enter through the passages..." the Southern King pointed out. Su Yu smiled. "There are teleportation channels here." "Teleportation?" After thinking for a moment, the Southern King nodded. "I seem to recall something like that, though my memory is hazy. Back in the day, King Wu and the others did seem to teleport people inside, though I am not clear on the specifics." So Su Yu controlled the Star Residence Mansion—that explained it. The Eastern Heavenly King had indeed died within the Star Residence Mansion. …… Meanwhile. Hetu and the three dead spirit marquises began hunting powerful dead spirits everywhere, especially those newly awakened near the Dead Spirit Heavenly River. They even ventured deep along the banks, deliberately luring out awakened experts to capture. Hetu had brought twenty-seven guardians, over a hundred monarchs, and three dead spirit marquises. Even if a Heavenly King emerged, they could put up a fight! For a time, the Dead Spirit Heavenly River began to churn once more! …… The Northern King Residence. The Northern King Grand Hall. Fourteen marquises were looking at the Northern King, while the Northern King was staring at the ceiling. He was wondering whether Su Yu truly could open a passage above their heads. It seemed entirely possible! If it opened, what if that dog was truly outside? Last time, it had crushed the Western King to death with a single stomp. He had seen it with his own eyes, as had everyone else. At this moment, a dead spirit marquis said in panic, "Heavenly King, if a passage suddenly opens above us... shouldn't we disperse?" The Northern Heavenly King’s face was grim. "Disperse? Are you seeking death? If the Southern King and her forces launch a fierce assault while we are scattered, are we supposed to wait to be picked off one by one?" What were they thinking, wanting to scatter?! Soon, an immortal dead spirit marquis said in a deep voice, "Heavenly King, why don't we find a way to seek reinforcements? Seek aid from the living realm! The thirty-six passages are impassable now. If the living realm doesn't actively contact us, it is very difficult for us to reach out to them. Even if they open a passage, most of them appear within the Eastern King Domain... What I mean is using that minor path by the Tianyuan Realm! We can contact the outside world and seek reinforcements from the various races! That will create pressure on Su Yu from within the living realm!" The Northern King frowned. "Do you think I haven't considered that?" He had! The crux of the matter was—damn it, while dead spirits could enter that passage, they were all weak, mindless dead spirits. And that wasn't even the main issue. The main issue was... the Tianyuan race seemed to be gone! Yes, completely wiped out. This wasn't entirely a coincidence; when the Great Zhou King and the others had struck the Dead Spirit Realm back then, they had intended to sever the connection between the Tianyuan race and the Dead Spirit Realm. With that, the largest link between the myriad races and the Dead Spirit Realm had been cut. Add to that the severed thirty-six city passages, and now, if they wanted to contact the living realm, they had to wait for experts from the living realm to open a dead spirit passage on their own. The problem was... if those experts opened one, nine times out of ten it would open into the Eastern King Domain! In truth, the Northern King was pondering another question: where had that Western King Consort escaped to? Right now, he genuinely wanted to seek reinforcements. The enemy's overall strength was not necessarily greater than his, but he was truly terrified that Su Yu would open an overhead passage and crush him to death with a single stomp! As he was pondering this, Su Yu’s chilling voice suddenly drifted in from outside: "Fourteen dead spirit marquises of the Northern King Domain, six belonging to the Immortal, Demon, and God races! Slaying a single marquis of the Immortal, Demon, or God races counts as meritorious service, and your life shall be spared! Slaying the Northern King shall pardon all three races of their crime of rebellion!" The Northern King’s expression turned sinister. He abruptly glared at the other eight marquises in the hall and barked coldly, "Do not listen to his deceptive words! He cannot take the Northern King Domain!" "The human race’s fortune is boundless—you had all best conduct yourselves prudently!" At that moment, a massive seal hung in the sky! The Human Lord Seal erupted with radiant brilliance, beginning to erode the Northern King Domain’s rules and expel the Northern King Seal’s authority! Inside the hall, several dead spirit marquises grew uneasy. The dead spirit marquises of the Immortal, Demon, and God races gritted their teeth and said, "Do not listen to that fellow's nonsense! If he truly could conquer the Northern King Domain, he would have attacked long ago! The human race’s glory has long since faded away alongside the ancient era!" Su Yu was truly venomous! He was driving a wedge between these dead spirit marquises! The next moment, the group looked outside once more. A brush spanned heaven and earth across the void. The expressions of many dead spirit marquises shifted as they saw the brush writing characters in the empty air: "Execute the rebels!" "Reward the meritorious!" "Pardons shall be granted to those who perform deeds of merit; rebels shall be executed without fail..." The Northern King frowned and let out a cold snort. Heaven and earth shook, causing the brush to tremble violently as well. Yet at that very moment, a formidable aura erupted from Su Yu. With a thrust of his brush, a deafening boom rang out, and death qi exploded. Su Yu’s faint laughter drifted in once more: "Northern King, you are a rebellious subject! Watch how I strip away your royal title and take your head!" The Northern King said coldly, "You, a mere Dao Fusion cultivator, think you can strip away my royal title?" What a joke! His title of king had been conferred by the ancient imperial court. In this era, who had the authority to strip him of it? Yet several dead spirit marquises inside the hall were fraught with anxiety. One marquis said hastily, "Heavenly King, that brush of his seems... seems to be King Wen’s Brush. In the ancient era, all conferments seemed to be penned by King Wen. If he dares utter such words, could it influence the rules of heaven and earth?" The Northern King was instantly jolted! Morale in the grand hall plummeted sharply. Could it really be stripped away by that thing? If it was stripped, and Su Yu conferred the title of Dead Spirit Heavenly King upon someone else, the Northern King Domain would become another’s territory. Here, others would receive divine amplification, while they would be suppressed. Then there would be no way to fight! Now, even the Northern King felt a spike of panic. With a grim face, he said, "That won't happen. What level of strength does he even have?" No matter what, they could not panic! An immortal marquis said in a low voice, "Heavenly King, why don't we fight our way out right now?" "Fight our way out?" The Northern Heavenly King frowned. "And then what?" "After fighting our way out?" Many dead spirits were momentarily stunned. Yes, what then? What would they do? Su Yu could return to the living realm, but what about them? The immortal marquis said solemnly, "Contact the Immortal, Demon, and God realms and slay Hongmeng! Seize control of the passages, and we too will be able to come and go freely!" Seize the passages? The Northern King frowned. "With the Immortal Realm’s Upper Realm currently closed, are you certain you can deal with that dog?" "..." Instantly, everyone wilted again. It was likely impossible! The more they thought about it, the more pessimistic and desperate they became. What if Su Yu truly stripped away the title of king? Once his title was stripped, the Northern King was doomed to fail! At that point, even if Su Yu did not confer a new king, the Southern King genuinely held a royal title and could mobilize the power of rules to suppress them! Panic spread among them! Among the fourteen dead spirit marquises, some were undoubtedly having second thoughts. This was only natural! Earlier, when Su Yu’s side seemed in decline, some among the ten marquises under the Southern King had wavered as well. Only after seeing the little white dog stomp the Western King to death had they immediately steeled their resolve, not daring to betray him. The same was true now. The Northern King’s side was not weak, but they clearly had no way out. Were they truly going to sink with the Northern King aboard this doomed ship? Slay one dead spirit marquis of the Immortal, Demon, or God races, and all crimes would be pardoned. Outside the Northern King Residence, Su Yu was even writing decrees of pardon in the void. Countless scrolls flew toward the Northern King Residence. When some dead spirit experts caught them, they felt a vast imperial majesty wash over them! "Slay an Immortal, Demon, or God dead spirit of the same rank, and the death penalty shall be pardoned!" Scrolls flew into the Northern King Residence's grand hall as well, but with a cold snort, the Northern King destroyed them all! Yet everyone had already read them! In the void, Su Yu went so far as to imprint the Human Lord Seal, branding the decree into the sky as his voice boomed forth: "This decree is promised by my own mouth, stamped with the Human Lord Seal, and witnessed by the heavens! It shall stand as iron law! Set things right, gentlemen—keep this firmly in mind!" With an enraged roar, the Northern King threw a punch, shattering the glowing characters in the sky. The Northern King roared furiously, "Su Yu, do not think you can divide the Northern King Residence with such petty tricks! If you truly wish to take me down, fight me one-on-one! If you defeat me, I will surrender the Northern King Residence with both hands! Does a dignified Human Lord only know how to resort to such despicable methods?" Outside the Northern King Residence, Su Yu’s indifferent voice echoed back: "I am twenty-one years old this year, calculated by the human calendar! If you think defeating the current me makes you impressive, then I will readily admit I am inferior to you. If you aren't afraid, seal your own cultivation down to the level of a dead spirit marquis, and I am willing to fight you! At twenty-one years old, battling a single marquis of yours is something I am confident in! Do you dare?" "..." *Damn it!* The Northern Heavenly King raged inwardly, while shock also rocked him. Was he truly twenty-one? *I don't believe it!* Su Yu added, "Or send one of your marquises to fight me. If I lose, Northern King, I promise that the Northern King Domain shall belong to you from now on! If I win, you disperse your Great Dao power on your own. Do you dare?" "..." *Get lost!* The Northern King would never entrust his fate to the dead spirit marquises under his command. If they lost, was he really supposed to disperse his Great Dao? The Northern King had a massive headache! He wanted a one-on-one duel with Su Yu, but Su Yu refused. He wanted to dampen Su Yu’s momentum, but Su Yu claimed he was twenty-one years old—at twenty-one, he dared to fight a dead spirit marquis, so what more could be said? How could he dampen his momentum? For a time, thousands of tangled thoughts swirled through the Northern Heavenly King's mind: *What should I do?* There was no way to seek reinforcements! Even if they fought their way out, there was nowhere to flee. If they didn't fight their way out, were they supposed to remain locked in a stalemate with Su Yu forever? If Su Yu really opened a passage overhead one day and that little white dog charged through, how could he possibly escape? A faint, imperceptible sigh echoed within his heart. This life was simply impossible to live! …… Meanwhile, on Su Yu’s side, the Southern King could not help sizing him up several times. She could not resist asking, "Will those dead spirit marquises truly betray the Northern King?" Su Yu smiled. "Not right now, but this is a seed. When fighting with the wind at their backs, there is no problem; once they face headwinds, sense danger, and see that the Northern King is powerless to protect them, I wager some marquises will inevitably defect!" Su Yu added meaningfully, "The same principle applies here. If my side were ever in such a state, perhaps... some marquises would consider betrayal as well." Beside the Southern King, the ten marquises kept their expressions neutral, but inwardly, their hearts jumped. *Was he... talking about them?* Su Yu chuckled lightly. "Just a joke. How could Marquis Lanshan ever betray me?" Marquis Lanshan was speechless. *How did the conversation suddenly turn to me?* The next instant, Marquis Lanshan said hastily, "Your Majesty, I will never betray you. I shall fight to the death for Your Majesty!" Su Yu nodded without saying anything further. There was no point discussing this with Marquis Lanshan—she was single-minded to a fault! He turned his gaze back toward the Northern King Residence, glancing out of the corner of his eye toward the distant Dead Spirit Heavenly River. Right now, the river was churning slightly; Hetu and the others were likely making their move! As for the Northern King, he was definitely going down! The only question was how to minimize their losses! Pondering this, Su Yu soon transmitted his voice to the Southern King: "If the Southern King fights the Northern King alone, can you hold out?" "We are of the same rank. He holds the geographical advantage here and is slightly stronger than me, but killing me is impossible..." Su Yu understood and said swiftly, "Then when the great battle erupts, I will slaughter those dead spirit marquises first! Hold your ground, Southern King; I will bring people to assist you!" "You... then the Human Lord must be careful!" Su Yu nodded. He could see the Great Dao itself—what was there to be careful of? Facing the Northern King directly was difficult for Su Yu. Against an ordinary dead spirit marquis, once he deployed his Brush Dao, he could potentially seal or sever their Great Dao power directly. Su Yu felt it wouldn't be an issue; these dead spirits had too few tricks up their sleeves! He pondered continuously, while also attempting to strip the other’s royal title. The result, naturally... was impossible. He couldn't even strip the Old Turtle’s general rank, let alone a royal title. The gap was too vast! Stripping titles would have to wait until Su Yu could formulate rules himself! Or until the human race’s fortune surged so greatly that it could suppress the local power of rules. *As long as I kill one or two God or Demon marquises first, some dead spirit marquises will inevitably defect!* *Such is the power of legitimacy!* Su Yu murmured inwardly. It was because the Northern King was a rebel! The ancient unification still held advantages; at the very least, the experts of the Dead Spirit Realm understood that the Four Heavenly Kings had been enfeoffed by the human race! Otherwise, when Su Yu talked about stripping titles, everyone would have treated it as a joke! For now, they could only wait. Hopefully, Shanqi and the others would capture plenty of experts so he could take them into the Star Residence Mansion, kill monarchs to advance their ranks, and then return to slay the Northern King. …… At the same time. Inside the Phoenix Realm. A small phoenix was flying toward the realm’s exit. An expert guarding the realm passage scolded, "Tianhuang, stop flying around wildly! Where do you think you’re going? It’s dangerous outside. Lord Phoenix Emperor has ordered that no one may enter or leave!" The little phoenix looked up with longing eyes. "I want to go outside to see the world and train. Even if I can't leave... I just want to look at the entrance. I haven't been out in so long!" The guarding expert sighed and shook his head. "No!" "Fine then..." The little phoenix looked utterly aggrieved. "I actually wanted to find Lan Tian and make him give back my little brothers and sisters..." At those words, the expressions of the experts guarding the passage all changed. Some ground their teeth in hatred, while others manifested their true phoenix forms, burning with flames of intense fury! Lan Tian! That name struck a raw nerve. Unforgivable! Three thousand phoenix fledglings had been swept away in one net by him—it was pure villainy! "Then you certainly cannot go out! That beast... abominable!" The guarding experts were furious! The little phoenix looked somewhat dejected. "Then I'll just wait here. I want to wait for my brothers and sisters to come back." Grief-stricken, the little phoenix flew to the side, landing upon a large tree and letting out several mournful cries. The sorrowful wails nearly brought the guards to tears. What a tragedy! The geniuses of their race couldn't even step outside the door now. When would this nightmare ever end? …… It wasn't just the Phoenix Realm. At this moment, in the Ape Realm, the Dragon Realm, the Nether Realm... outside the three major races of Immortals, Demons, and Gods, several figures had appeared near the passage entrances of almost every race that possessed Dao Integration experts. Waiting! …… Inside the Human Realm. Lan Tian’s female form materialized, looking thoroughly enchanting. "Your Majesty Great Zhou King, my brothers and sisters are all in position! We’re just waiting for the prefectural seals to be delivered inside! When are we luring away those Dao Integration experts?" The corner of the Great Zhou King’s mouth twitched. "Wait! Wait for the right opportunity!" After speaking, he couldn't hold back: "Just how many clones do you have?" "Oh, why put it like that? I don't have clones—those are all my brothers and sisters..." *Pervert!* The Great Zhou King was a man of vast experience who had seen all kinds of people, yet being around Lan Tian made him deeply uncomfortable. He quickly said, "Yes, you're right. Lan Tian, wait here for now while I go handle some business." "Let me help you." "No need!" The Great Zhou King flatly refused, saying swiftly, "No need to trouble yourself. Your primary task is to send the prefectural seals into the various realms, placing them as close as possible to the Dao Integration experts of each race. But be extremely careful not to be discovered, or it will cause immense trouble!" "Don't worry!" Lan Tian said coquettishly, "Can Your Majesty not trust my work? It's not like those smelly men who only know how to fight and kill. It's just burying a few things—we women are best at hiding treasures!" "..." Goosebumps erupted all over the Great Zhou King. He let out a dry laugh. "That would be best. Well, I'm heading out..." Seeing that he was about to leave, Lan Tian said with a hurt pout, "Your Majesty is leaving so quickly—do you hate me?" The Great Zhou King felt as though his head were about to explode! Unless there was absolutely no alternative, he never wanted to work with this fellow. Unfortunately, he truly needed Lan Tian right now. The Great Zhou King said quickly, "No, I genuinely have important matters to attend to! Emperor Yu left behind many tasks, and I must hurry to complete them!" "Alright then, Your Majesty go ahead with your business." The Great Zhou King breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could step out the door, Lan Tian giggled and said, "The Human Realm is so boring. I think I'll go play with some old friends. Your Majesty, call me if anything comes up." "Don't run off recklessly! If I can't find you, we’ll miss the..." "You won't," Lan Tian giggled. "Your Majesty can just call out at will. Especially in the city lord manor of the Great Zhou Prefecture—my brothers and sisters number in the millions, and half of them reside in the Great Zhou Prefecture! Your Majesty can call out anytime!" "*Cough, cough, cough!*" The Great Zhou King coughed violently. Was that true or false? He had barely detected any! *Stop messing around!* Lan Tian ignored him, having already vanished from the spot as a voice drifted back: "Your Majesty, next time you return to your manor, don't make me serve tea to you anymore~ When I poured tea for you last time, it scared this maiden half to death! We were standing so close, I thought you had discovered me." "..." The Great Zhou King stood petrified! *Get lost!* In this life and the next, he never wanted to work with this pervert again! This freak was truly straying farther and farther down this path. As long as his clones didn't unleash their power, they wouldn't attract anyone's attention in the slightest. Of course, the flaw of Lan Tian’s clones was that the moment they unleashed their power, people would quickly spot the clues. Yet was that truly a flaw? Who went around forcing people to unleash their full power all day long?! *There are too many freaks among the humans of this tide!* The Great Zhou King murmured within his heart. Perhaps this was the human race’s final burst of radiance before total ruin—facing extinction, countless geniuses were springing forth. A freak like Lan Tian could probably only be suppressed by Su Yu. *Still, it's good that he is here. With his clones embedded in every race, once Su Yu’s plan succeeds, the unification of the Lower Realm won't be far off!* The Great Zhou King thought silently, his mind wandering. In this tide, they had been so weak and faced such dire straits that he had felt total despair. Yet remarkably, he was now seeing the hope of unification. It was truly bizarre! Back in the last tide when they were so strong, he had never believed the human race could truly achieve unification; at most, they could share rule over the world. Had the myriad races grown weaker, or had the human race grown stronger? The Great Zhou King sighed once more and stopped thinking about it. Even if the Hundred Battles King truly returned, he would probably end up carrying foot-washing water for Su Yu—that little freak was definitely not someone to be trifled with.