The dead spirit realm.
After sending the guardians back up, Su Yu did not concern himself with what came next. Naturally, he had no way of knowing about Marquis Minshan's demise. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared much.
At most, he would sigh a few times.
It wasn't as if they were close!
As for someone dying… then they were dead. It wasn't that he lacked human empathy; rather, to put it bluntly, he felt the crowd in the upper realm was far too complicated. There were traitors, fools, disobedient obstinates, and those who flaunted their seniority.
A mixed bag of dragons and snakes—if anything, they would only drag him down!
This wasn't mere conjecture on Su Yu's part; it was cold fact. Especially after the Hundred Battles King led the human race to crushing defeat, Su Yu didn't even want to discuss the upper realm. With over a hundred Dao Integration experts defeated and slaughtered, what could he possibly rely on them for?
He would rather build his own hearth from scratch!
As long as they didn't create trouble for him, it was fine. He never expected the upper realm to be of any help at all.
……
At this moment, Su Yu led his retinue into the Eastern King's Mansion.
Sure enough, in one of the main halls, he discovered the Sky-Covering Mirror. It was somewhat similar to the sensing mirror in the Daming Prefecture, though of a considerably higher grade.
This object had only a single use: monitoring dead spirits near the Heavenly River.
It even indicated the number of dead spirit monarchs in the Spirit Suppressing Domain.
A remarkably useful treasure!
"If you had something like this, why didn't you mention it sooner?"
Su Yu glanced toward Hetu. Hetu gave a light cough. "I forgot earlier."
Su Yu was speechless. "This is a good treasure! It's meant for monitoring the dead spirits reviving in the Heavenly River. In the ancient era, they really put their hearts into it; they took the dead spirit realm quite seriously. Anyone at or above the Eternal realm will be revealed!"
"In war, intelligence is paramount!"
Su Yu said with a smile, "As long as intelligence is balanced and kept up to date, winning against stronger foes, launching surprise ambushes, and decapitation strikes can all yield miraculous results!"
"Put this thing to good use and keep a strict watch on the dead spirit activity by the Heavenly River!"
As he spoke, Su Yu's expression grew slightly solemn. "Many marquises died over there this time, along with a massive number of monarchs. Right now, there are still dead spirit marquises lurking within! A new batch is bound to revive soon. Furthermore, the Northern King and his cohorts fled into the land without rules—that place is called the Land of Returning to the Void?"
Behind him, the Southern King stepped through the door and joined the conversation. "The Land of Returning to the Void is extremely perilous. A group of mighty experts should be sealed there! I only heard rumors that in the past, certain dead spirit powerhouses were endlessly unkillable, just like now. In the end, King Wu and the others sealed a group of top-tier experts in the Land of Returning to the Void so that the Dead Spirit Great Dao could no longer give birth to more powerhouses, leaving behind only the Four Heavenly Kings!"
Su Yu nodded. "So that's how it is! That makes sense of why you and the other kings haven't progressed much in strength over the years, Southern King. That place is best left undisturbed. If several dead spirit experts break free from the seals, it will be tremendous trouble."
"The Northern King fled there with his subordinates!"
The Southern King said gravely, "It remains very troublesome. If he gets any reckless ideas and unseals those sealed experts…"
"It won't be that easy!"
Su Yu smiled. "If they truly get unsealed, there's nothing we can do but abandon the dead spirit realm! We can temporarily retreat to the living realm. As long as we don't slaughter indiscriminately or let massive amounts of death qi disperse, it won't be an issue for the short term. Block off the passageway, and those dead spirits won't find it so simple to fight their way out!"
At this point, Su Yu added, "Station some monarchs at the perimeter of the Land of Returning to the Void, primarily on alert! Deploy another group to guard the Dead Spirit Heavenly River."
Continuing, Su Yu said, "Also, the barrier between the Tianyuan Realm and the dead spirit realm is somewhat fragile, allowing weaker entities to penetrate it. Dispatch troops to garrison it under the command of a dead spirit marquis. Anyone entering from that side is to be slain on sight!"
"Additionally, patrol the entirety of the Four Kings' Domains to prevent the myriad races from secretly opening dead spirit passageways to enter and take news of the dead spirit realm back with them!"
Behind him, the dead spirit generals took mental note and quickly set about dispatching personnel.
Su Yu continued, "As for me, I have a few matters to handle next: pinpointing the locations of experts from various realms and secretly ambushing them!"
He looked toward the Southern King and Marquis Lanshan, speaking briskly, "We need swift resolutions and an absolute information blackout! Southern King, Marquis Lanshan, if you enter a smaller living realm, will your strength be suppressed?"
"No!"
When dead spirits entered a realm, there was no suppression. The Dead Spirit Great Dao was far too dominant; the other party's Daos could not suppress it.
Su Yu nodded. "That's good! It's best not to kill them, but capture them alive—which is considerably harder! If they die, the realm will destabilize, and heavenly anomalies will make it nearly impossible to conceal!"
"Moreover, we need to suppress all commotion in the minor realms to prevent them from self-detonating. This will test everyone's capability. A single slip-up, and the myriad races will discover it!"
With their current strength, it wasn't that they couldn't defeat the myriad races!
The crucial issue was that forcing the myriad races to fight to the death and break the cauldron would still be very troublesome.
If they could resolve it silently, that would be ideal.
The finest outcome would be exterminating the myriad races without the upper realm even knowing—that would be perfection!
Su Yu far preferred charging up to them himself, rather than passively meeting the battle when the upper realm opened!
The Southern King pondered for a moment before saying, "While we can exert some suppression in the living realm, the living possess myriad techniques, and our Dead Spirit Great Dao's suppression will not be as pronounced. If we launch an ambush, even if the enemy is weaker than us, with you demanding so much, it might not be that simple."
Su Yu nodded. "Then what do you think is still needed, Southern King?"
"Breaching a realm always takes some time, and that interval is enough for a Dao Integration expert to find a way to send word or flee!"
The Southern King considered this and said, "There is another point. We cultivate the Dead Spirit Great Dao, which differs from the Great Dao of the River of Time. We can suppress them through raw might or suppress their Dao, but it is very difficult to lock down their Great Dao entirely! We need a living expert to seal it!"
Su Yu thought about it and nodded. That was true.
Since they walked different paths, it was difficult to seal off another's Dao.
Relying entirely on dead spirits wouldn't work. At least one living powerhouse was necessary. He could do it himself, but might not pull it off smoothly; it was best to bring along another helper.
With that in mind, Su Yu suggested, "General Hongmeng, then."
"It is best if they are human. Hongmeng will be suppressed by the realm's power!"
The Southern King proposed. Su Yu felt a headache coming on. The Great Zhou King would actually be very suitable, capable of concealing commotions as well. But once the Great Zhou King came here, who would handle the perimeter lockdowns outside?
King Daming?
Could King Daming manage it?
He always felt that the current human race lacked something. Not powerhouses, but a sinister, all-around powerhouse who was decent at doing a bit of everything.
The Great Zhou King was actually ideal.
"Manor Head Wan…"
Su Yu suddenly thought of Wan Tiansheng. That man had every scheme accounted for in his mind… Although after plotting this way and that, he had ultimately been outschemed by others, he had still managed to leap out of the cage.
Over the years, very few had managed to break out of that cycle.
Wan Tiansheng…
What Dao Old Wan walked, Su Yu still wasn't clear on even now. But he knew that Old Wan had either found and opened a Dao himself, or was preparing to merge with another Dao.
Without being able to see the Great Dao, walking to this stage made Old Wan's achievements terrifying.
Lan Tian went without saying, but Lan Tian wasn't suited for head-on clashes—he was suited for undercover operations.
"Perhaps Old Wan has already opened a Dao, or merged with one… and a formidable one at that. Otherwise, he couldn't have rivaled the fifth or sixth stage of the Eternal realm right from the start. Once I find Old Wan and take him on a trip along the River of Time, perhaps he'll gain even more insights!"
Su Yu thought to himself. Wan Tiansheng was a monster, a peerless monster—even more monstrous than Ye Batian, whom everyone constantly praised.
Back in the ancient city, Su Yu had heard General Tianmen say that the most formidable was not Ye Batian; the one with the greatest talent was Wan Tiansheng.
Young, exceptionally gifted, and after failing the three-body method, he abandoned the path of the three bodies to walk a solitary Dao. Decisive in his slaughter, he had executed so many descendants of Eternals without batting an eye.
He had indeed been somewhat negligent earlier; he should have brought Old Wan back, which would be far better than leaving him to puzzle things out alone.
If Old Wan were present, Su Yu would feel much more at ease, and wouldn't constantly have to think about asking the Great Zhou King for help.
With these thoughts in mind, Su Yu quickly said, "I'll find a way to resolve this. That being the case, it's best that I make a trip to the living realm anyway, which will also lure those fellows away and test the movements of the myriad races! Along the way, I'll figure out a way to place the tracking items into the various realms."
With that, Su Yu said solemnly, "As for the dead spirit realm, I will have to trouble everyone! On the surface, the Four Kings' Domains and the Spirit Suppressing Domain have been claimed by us, but in truth, I know the reality: beyond the Four Kings' Domains lies the Land of Returning to the Void, fraught with perilous dangers! And the Dead Spirit Heavenly River is an even greater headache!"
Su Yu took a deep breath. "Hetu, go find Xia Chen! And call Liu Hong out for me! Have that fellow come to the Eastern King's Domain to keep an eye on things. That guy is treacherous and crafty, and now that he has integrated with the Ink Dao, he has a knack for dealing with dead spirits. Tell him to get out here and work!"
Saying that, he retrieved another item: the Tombstone of Civilizations!
Indeed, it was the Tombstone of Civilizations from which the '↑' divine character had been extracted. Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Use this to sense the newly revived dead spirits, as well as some of the older ones—test them all! Anyone who provokes a reaction, record them!"
Hetu took the Tombstone of Civilizations and looked at Su Yu, somewhat bewildered.
"This was crafted by King Wen's students!"
The Southern King suddenly looked toward Su Yu. Su Yu smiled and said, "Back then, King Wen did accept a few students. What a pity they couldn't inherit the Brush Dao lineage. Later, in order to craft this object, they all merged their own divine character battle techniques into it… Truly a pity! Some might not have been strong in combat, but when it came to divine character research and Great Dao analysis, those people were remarkably skilled!"
Su Yu still gave them praise; they had been quite extraordinary.
In fact, it was equivalent to dismantling the Great Dao!
Su Yu didn't know how strong those students of King Wen had been, but he knew their method shared the same brilliance as Bai Feng's disassembly art!
Those people had dismantled King Wen's ninety-nine battle technique divine characters!
Learning them bit by bit!
And right now, a thought struck Su Yu: if the Brush Dao was so difficult, yet they managed to dismantle it, what about other Daos?
Could these people dismantle other Daos as well, allowing others to comprehend them piece by piece through the medium of divine characters?
If they could, that would be phenomenal!
Su Yu felt it was entirely possible!
After all, if they could do it for the Brush Dao, there was no reason they couldn't for other Daos. They were a group of scholars; while perhaps unskilled in battle, they were top-tier researchers.
Su Yu was even musing over reviving them, having them regain their past memories, and helping him restructure the myriad Daos in the future!
Yes, Su Yu held this very ambition.
Nowadays, genuine researchers were few and far between.
On Su Yu's side, he didn't meddle much with Bai Feng and the others these days, not even taking them along to boost their combat strength. In truth, his intention was to let them devote their minds wholly to researching these matters.
This world, in the end, belonged to the intelligent.
Fools were not fit to hold the world.
Both fronts had to be seized!
Without everyone's research, Su Yu could never have reached where he stood today, nor could he have unlocked all seven hundred and twenty apertures or opened the Heavenly Gate.
Whether deducing cultivation techniques, locating apertures, or dismantling battle techniques, they had provided him immense assistance in the early stages.
At this moment, the Southern King said nothing, but Marquis Lanshan seemed to recall something and spoke up, "King Wen's students… I actually know a little about them. Those old pedants, right? So annoying! Some were older than King Wen himself, yet ridiculously weak! When they died, could they really have turned into dead spirits?"
Su Yu let out a soft laugh. Annoying?
For a muscle-head like you, meeting researchers, it was only natural you found them annoying—they probably looked down on you anyway.
Speaking of which, it was said Tianmie was on good terms with them. How did Tianmie manage that?
With these thoughts, he asked, "Were there many students in that batch under King Wen?"
"Not many, perhaps seventy or eighty!"
Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Seventy or eighty, that few? Looking at the Tombstone of Civilizations, there are probably thousands or tens of thousands of divine character battle techniques… That means each of those people contributed at least dozens, if not a hundred battle techniques!"
King Wen was an arrogant man; Su Yu had felt it himself.
He surely possessed the ability to dismantle battle techniques so others could learn them step by step, yet he hadn't. He had merely left behind a broad outline, likely feeling that fools weren't worthy of inheriting his Dao.
That kind of arrogance was something ordinary people could never comprehend.
King Wen knew full well that hardly anyone would be able to inherit his Dao.
When his phantom appeared in the Brush Dao last time, he said that by the time he appeared, the human race might already be extinct. Clearly, that fellow never expected his Dao to be inherited in the short term, least of all by those makeshift students of his.
Yet that batch of students truly possessed real skill, even if their combat strength was likely mediocre.
After contributing so many battle techniques, their energy was probably drained from parsing the Great Dao, leaving them without the vitality to cultivate further, leading to their deaths.
Or perhaps they suffered backlash from the Brush Dao!
Because they were actively cracking that Dao!
Regardless, bringing them back and having them restore their memories would be the best outcome.
Speaking of these people, Su Yu thought of someone else and said, "There's also Ye Batian—look for him as well. Hetu knows him; see if you can track him down!"
Hetu smiled. "Ye Batian… speaking of him, it's truly a pity. Had he not died, he might well be in Dao Integration by now! It was also he who formally proclaimed King Wen's legacy to the myriad heavens…"
Ye Batian was difficult to evaluate.
Yet before he died, he must have uncovered some of the secrets of the Great Dao. Now that Su Yu could see through the Great Dao, he understood Ye Batian a bit better. When Ye Batian fused divine characters back then, he had likely discovered the mysteries of the Great Dao.
However, that secret was worthless now; Su Yu had opened the Heavenly Gate.
Without Ye Batian, there would have been no Liu Wenyan lying low in Nanyuan, no Su Yu joining the Multiple Divine Characters Department, no inheritance of the Brush Dao, and none of the many other events. The situation today might have unfolded entirely differently.
If he had possessed only the Time Record, the current Su Yu might still be lurking in secret, constantly absorbing essence blood all day long just to improve himself.
Then, when the upper realm opened years later, the scene would have been entirely different: the extinction of the human race!
Su Yu didn't dwell on it further. "Find him if you can; if not, so be it. He hasn't been dead for long, so he might not have revived yet! But with the recent turbulence in the Heavenly River, some who died recently might revive! I think it's possible we'll find him, or if he's unlucky, he might have been slaughtered before even reviving, and there's nothing we can do about that!"
Hetu nodded, indicating he would search for him.
After arranging these matters, Su Yu prepared to head out.
The dead spirit realm was, after all, somewhat oppressive.
……
He didn't linger in the Eastern King's Mansion for long.
A moment later, Su Yu appeared in the Spirit Suppressing Domain. After a thought, he flew toward a certain ancient castle.
In the Spirit Suppressing Domain, this was the only ancient castle left.
Or rather, in the entire Spirit Suppressing Domain, aside from the Dead Spirit Heavenly River, this was the only place with a substantial gathering of dead spirits and a dead spirit monarch.
……
"Grand Commander!"
In the Xingyue Kingdom, the commanders still remembered Su Yu. Or rather, they couldn't afford not to remember. Just as he shouted, the dead spirit Su Yu had named Xing Da quickly corrected himself, "Greetings, Emperor Yu!"
Clearly, these dead spirits also knew the situation.
They knew who was the supreme overlord of the dead spirit realm now!
Su Yu smiled and nodded slightly. "Where is Lady Xingyue?"
"Inside the mansion!"
Su Yu waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw, and walked toward the dark castle. Flanking the path were a few pitch-black trees that looked quite hideous.
Still, that was the dead spirit realm for you.
Having even this much was already decent; one couldn't ask for too much.
Su Yu stepped inside. In the cavernous hall, Xingyue sat upon her throne, watching him coldly. Linked to Su Yu through a death qi channel, she had known the moment he arrived. She said frostily, "What did you come here for?"
"You jest, my lady. Didn't I come to report to you that I've conquered the dead spirit realm, and from now on, the dead spirit realm belongs to you?"
Xingyue nearly had a breakdown. What did he mean, belonged to her?
Su Yu was still spouting nonsense, just as always!
"Hmph!"
She couldn't be bothered to entertain him. Su Yu chuckled, unbothered, and found a place to sit down. Looking at Xingyue, he asked, "My lady, have you recalled any past events recently?"
"Can't be bothered to think about them!"
Xingyue didn't wish to converse with him further. Su Yu smiled. "Come on, I feel Lady Xingyue's status is noble; you might know some secrets! Or some hidden treasures. How about I go dig them up for you? Lately, I'm short on hands and short on treasures, so I could retrieve them on your behalf."
At this, Su Yu asked with an expectant expression, "My lady, do you remember if the Human Sovereign left behind any treasures?"
"I don't!"
Xingyue said coldly, "Did you come to my place just to ask about this?"
"Not at all, I'm just asking in passing. Mainly, I came to pay a visit to you, my lady."
Su Yu chuckled and said, "I roughly understand the procedure for resurrection! But I'm still lacking quite a few things. For instance, the Paper Dao. The three Daos of brush, ink, and inkstone have all found inheritances, yet the Paper Dao has eluded me! And even if I obtain all of them, other items might still be required…"
Su Yu spoke for a while, then asked, "Lady Xingyue, do you have any impression of these?"
If King Wen had truly sought to resurrect Xingyue back then, did Xingyue possess any memories from that time?
She was an ancient being who had lingered here all along, amusing herself by building a castle, completely different from other dead spirits.
A homebody to a frightening degree!
It wasn't that she couldn't leave—she could, yet she had stayed in this place for over a hundred thousand years. One couldn't help but be amazed.
Did King Wen exist in Xingyue's memories?
Su Yu was convinced that if King Wen had intended to resurrect anyone, and it wasn't the Southern King, it had to be Xingyue!
Xingyue furrowed her brows, looking at Su Yu. After a long pause, she finally said, "Is being resurrected truly a good thing? Does it have any meaning? From what I see, you living beings constantly slaughter one another! Trapped in endless battle! What is so good about fighting? Tearing the skies apart and littering the myriad realms with corpses!"
Su Yu smiled. "There's no avoiding it. But being alive still has its benefits—plenty of them."
Xingyue scoffed.
Plenty of benefits?
She didn't think so!
Su Yu smiled as well. Suddenly, with a wave of his hand, a scene of ten thousand blooming flowers materialized before them. Xingyue froze slightly, gazing at the scene. Su Yu chuckled, "My lady, this is the benefit of being alive. Look, how beautiful are the flowers? Far beyond the black blossoms of the dead spirit realm!"
"Nor is it an endless expanse of darkness and twilight. That looks far too dull!"
Xingyue gazed at the flowers, dazed for a long while before asking, "Where is this?"
"King Wen's former residence."
"I think I've seen it before."
Su Yu's eyes flickered. Sure enough!
King Wen's old home wasn't a place just anyone could visit. Those who could enter King Wen's stronghold were only a select few.
Xingyue watched for a while, then spoke again, "There's a courtyard there, and in the courtyard, there seems to be a tree, right?"
Su Yu nodded!
Xingyue thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I can't remember! Some things have long been forgotten! King Wen… perhaps I really did meet King Wen. The Time Master…"
Su Yu raised an eyebrow. You couldn't be the Time Master, could you?
The Time Master was out fighting!
Xingyue appeared somewhat dazed. The name 'Time Master' had actually been mentioned by Xingyue earlier; before that, Xinghong and the others didn't even know of the Time Master's existence.
Yet Xingyue seemed to recall a bit more. Rubbing her forehead, she said, "I seem to vaguely remember something. I should… I might have known the Time Master! King Wen and the Time Master vanished, and the Human Sovereign vanished too. All of this… might be related to the Time Master. She seemed to have discovered some secret…"
A splitting headache hit Xingyue, and she shook her head. "It might be related to the Great Dao of the River of Time… probably? The Time Master… she was very formidable, and she loved wandering about. The myriad realms… perhaps she knew more secrets than anyone else… It was knowing too much that caused her to vanish…"
Haltingly, Xingyue shared fragments of memory before her head throbbed intolerably. "Enough of this, I can't remember! If you come next time…"
She looked toward Su Yu, her expression turning indifferent. "When you come next time, pluck some of these flowers and offer them to me!"
Su Yu bared his teeth, somewhat helpless. "That… might be a bit difficult. A dog guards them very fiercely. Fat Ball—do you know him?"
"Never heard of him!"
Xingyue snorted coldly. "These were probably planted by the Time Master. She and I should have known each other. If I want a flower of hers, a dog has no business interfering!"
"Fat Ball might not buy that!"
Xingyue frowned at him. "Useless! You can't even handle a trivial matter!"
With that, she considered something and said, "The Time Master's dog? No memory of it, perhaps I never saw it… But I vaguely remember something. That flower bed you showed me, I should have visited it! It seems I even left something behind there…"
Su Yu's eyes widened. What?
Tell me quickly, is it a treasure?
Xingyue really had been there, and had even left something behind—this was well worth investigating.
Xingyue gave a cold sneer. "Don't get your hopes up. It's no treasure. What it was specifically, I've forgotten, but it shouldn't be anything precious! It should be in the backyard. If it matches my memory, it should be buried beneath three blue flowers! It might have rotted away by now; after all, countless ages have passed!"
Su Yu committed it to memory. He didn't worry too much about whether the blue flowers were still there; he would know once he went back to look.
What treasure had she buried?
Why did you run off to King Wen's home to bury a treasure?
Just who on earth was Xingyue?
Su Yu was indeed curious, but unfortunately, Xingyue's memories were fragmented. Perhaps because her strength had not yet recovered, she could not recall much.
Seeing that Su Yu still wasn't leaving, Xingyue felt somewhat exasperated. Sitting here with Su Yu in silence was dull and tedious. She had no choice but to say again, "You may leave. And I don't remember any treasures! What I do have a vague impression of is that the Time Master possessed a book, and that book might contain recorded secrets. That book is in your hands, isn't it?"
Su Yu was taken aback. Did I ever mention that?
You even know about that!
The book holds secrets?
As for the Time Record, Su Yu could currently draw on a fraction of its power, but had not yet mastered it.
Nevertheless, Xingyue's words caught his attention. Later on, he could test whether he could unearth something from it.
After all, his entire rise had been founded upon it!
"Very well, thank you for the guidance, my lady!"
Su Yu stood up and smiled. "Then I shall head out to conquer the world on your behalf, my lady. If you remember anything beneficial, be sure to summon me."
"Hmph!"
Xingyue let out a cold snort. Do you take me for a fool?
Conquering the world for me—who are you trying to fool!
Su Yu chuckled and drifted away.
Once he was gone, Xingyue let out another snort, seemingly in a decent mood. She soon resumed fussing over her ancient castle. This castle had been crafted countless ages ago. While she used to like it, she suddenly felt it indeed lacked color.
Perhaps being a living being truly was more splendid.
……
Meanwhile, Su Yu exited directly through the passageway of what was once Xinghong Ancient City.
Of course, it was now someone else's domain—Zhou Potian was stationed here.
The moment Su Yu emerged, Zhou Potian was tense at first, but quickly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Emperor Yu! My father instructed me that as soon as I saw Emperor Yu, I was to notify you immediately to make a trip to the Human Realm! Lately, things haven't seemed quite right, and some news leaked from the upper realm. It seems our human race suffered catastrophic losses!"
Su Yu nodded slightly. News from the upper realm?
Catastrophic losses?
Then let them suffer losses.
Seeing Su Yu unhurried and composed, Zhou Potian couldn't help feeling anxious. "Emperor Yu, if the upper realm fails to hold out, once it opens, we'll be in grave trouble!"
Su Yu glanced at him. "What's your hurry? Learn from your father. Your father knows how to keep his composure…"
"He's anxious too!"
Zhou Potian said helplessly, "My father is also very worried, because the news conveyed this time is extremely bleak. It's said that one of our human race's pillars in the upper realm has fallen."
"Nothing happened for so many years, yet now someone falls?"
Su Yu pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "If it wasn't the work of traitors, then a mole has surfaced! I don't know much about the upper realm's situation, but I asked a bit last time. It's said not many survivors remain, all hiding in secluded, desperate lands. They managed to stay hidden for so many years, yet die now? Sure enough, the traitors in the upper realm can no longer sit still."
Zhou Potian didn't know why Su Yu was so certain, but he couldn't say much. He himself didn't understand the full picture, not even knowing who Marquis Minshan was.
It was just that his father's message had been urgent, seemingly desperate for Su Yu's return.
Su Yu truly showed no urgency at all, asking, "Have you seen Manor Head Wan lately?"
"No."
"Alright. If you see him, let him know on my behalf…"
At this point, forget it. Su Yu flew out of the ancient city and shouted loudly, "Manor Head Wan! If you hear this, return to the Human Realm to discuss storming the myriad realms!"
His voice shook the myriad heavens!
Su Yu was as arrogant as ever!
He practically wished someone would ambush him right now. Hongmeng Ancient City was just a thought away, and right now, a cluster of Dao Integration experts was gathered there. If those bastards dared show themselves, it would save Su Yu a lot of trouble!
……
Following Su Yu's proclamation, phantom projections manifested in several major realms.
The Destiny Realm.
Marquis Modang sneered, "What an arrogant fellow. Is this the Human Master of this generation? Even the Hundred Battles King of the previous generation wasn't this arrogant! Does he treat the Heavenly Battlefield as his personal backyard?"
Marquis Yunxing chuckled softly. "Arrogant though he may be, his talent is remarkably formidable. It is said he inherited King Wen's Brush Dao!"
Marquis Modang frowned slightly. "Then his talent is indeed not weak. King Wen… only monsters can inherit his Dao!"
Indifferent as he was, he did not deny Su Yu's talent.
King Wen's Dao truly wasn't something just anyone could inherit.
That required a peerless prodigy!
Marquis Modang said coldly, "No wonder Tiangu had us descend to the lower realm. This fellow is indeed a threat! Why not take this chance to slay him and end the future trouble once and for all?"
"We must not."
Marquis Yunxing shook his head. "With this man acting so arrogant, he may well possess hidden cards. If we move to kill him now, the myriad realms will all be watching, making it harder to accomplish. Forcing a kill would mean another fight to the death! Let us wait a bit longer, until the various races further weaken the passageway's power, and more fellow Daoists descend!"
As they spoke, the Fate Emperor was preparing to leave nearby. Marquis Yunxing smiled and called out, "Wuming, come sit and chat with us. What's the rush to head back?"
The Fate Emperor cast a sideways glance at them. Monitoring me?
What a nuisance!
He smiled faintly and said, "I'm going back to make arrangements. That fellow Su Yu cannot sit still. When he stays silent, so be it, but when he speaks up, some unexpected twist usually follows. He knows the entrance to the upper realm is here, so it is better to be prudent, bolstering our guards to prevent an ambush!"
Marquis Shenyuan sneered, "Does he dare?"
The Fate Emperor chuckled. "Why wouldn't he dare? That was precisely how the Tianyuan race was wiped out. Lingyuan probably thought he wouldn't dare either, yet… he dared!"
He aimed a barb straight at Marquis Shenyuan.
Why wouldn't he dare?
You few have only just descended; did you truly believe Su Yu was a coward?
The Fate Emperor was genuinely somewhat worried—it was no mere excuse. He truly feared Su Yu would lead forces to raid the Destiny Realm!
This was the gateway to the upper realm!
Marquis Shenyuan was infuriated, but Marquis Yunxing thought it over and nodded. "Then go attend to your duties, Wuming. It is best not to leave the realm, lest you be targeted by the human race!"
"Naturally!"
The Fate Emperor said no more. Being targeted was secondary; they were simply worried he might do something behind their backs, weren't they?
The Fate Emperor saw through it clearly.
Soon, the Fate Emperor departed.
Once he was gone, Marquis Modang remarked coldly, "In this tide, does the Destiny race still expect to remain neutral? What wishful thinking! If the Destiny race persists like this in this tide, once the humans are gone, there will be no such thing as a neutral faction!"
Neutrality only existed on the premise that the humans and the myriad races could fight to a stalemate. If a war raged without a clear victor, both sides feared pushing the neutral races to the other camp.
The Destiny race was exceptionally powerful, particularly with a top-tier Dao Integration powerhouse of their race currently in the upper realm.
Yet if their race persisted like this through this tide, once the victor was decided, settling accounts would come swiftly.
……
Meanwhile.
Su Yu's voice also carried back to the Eastern Rift Valley.
The Great Zhou King, who had been wearing a furrowed brow of late, felt slightly more at ease upon hearing Su Yu's voice. Truth be told, arrogant though Su Yu was, he remained undefeated in battle, beating the myriad races into turtling in their shells. Hearing his voice still imparted a sense of security.
"He's finally back. I wonder how the situation turned out?"
The Great Zhou King thought to himself, sighing inwardly once again. Recently, Old Qin and the others hadn't communicated any information to him.
Ever since those fellows ran off to Hongmeng Ancient City, they had hardly bothered with the affairs of the human race.
Weren't they afraid the human race might perish?
Or did they place too much faith in Su Yu?
Believing that with Su Yu around, everything would be fine?
Musing on this, he wondered why Su Yu was looking for Wan Tiansheng. Lan Tian had returned to the Human Realm, while Wan Tiansheng had vanished of late. The Great Zhou King hadn't paid it much mind; no matter how monstrous Wan Tiansheng was, he only possessed mid-stage Eternal combat strength.
In the coming grand clash, he wouldn't be able to play a decisive role.
As he was pondering, his eyes flickered. A moment later, the void tore open.
With his hands behind his back, Su Yu descended from the rift. Just as the Great Zhou King was about to speak, Su Yu cut in, "Don't tell me who died or who suffered what; I'm not interested in hearing it! The news from the upper realm was undoubtedly leaked deliberately by the myriad races. Why spread it far and wide to destabilize morale? You aren't stupid—why deliberately put on an anxious front?"
The Great Zhou King's heart jolted, and he quickly replied, "Even if I said nothing, the myriad races would soon reveal the significance of Marquis Minshan. If people learn of it from outsiders with added embellishments, it will shake their morale even more! It is better that I speak of it myself, so everyone is at least prepared."
Su Yu nodded slightly. "Even so, there's no need to fret."
"If I didn't display an anxious demeanor, the myriad races would suspect whether we possess hidden cards and arrangements."
Su Yu nodded again. "True enough! Then let it be!"
The Great Zhou King frowned slightly, yet still spoke, "I am still worried that a major crisis has occurred in the upper realm! There should still be some Dao Integration experts surviving among the humans. I dare not claim many, but five or six should remain! Perhaps even seven or eight! Regardless, that is no weak force. At this juncture, I know Emperor Yu may not care, but if they truly die in battle, it simply isn't worth it!"
"And what can I do about it?"
Su Yu said coldly, "Lead my forces to charge up there right now?"
The Great Zhou King took a deep breath. "That wasn't my meaning. I was merely thinking whether we should stir up more turmoil across the myriad realms to draw the upper realm's attention. If we slaughter ten Eternals from a single race, the rules in the upper realm will also destabilize, which could relieve some pressure for the humans above."
"We'll see!"
Su Yu said calmly, "My plans take precedence! I know what you're thinking—you want to attack some realms and slay some Eternals. If you wish to do so, take your own people and do it yourself!"
The Great Zhou King said helplessly, "Emperor Yu, I do this for the sake of the human race, not out of selfish ambition."
"I know!"
Su Yu nodded and smiled. "I know you do it for the human race, but… you aren't doing it for me! If you act rashly and lighten the upper realm's pressure, what about me?"
Su Yu scoffed. "You old fogies are always like this, completely divorced from reality! I thought you were smart, but when faced with these matters, you still behave this way. In your eyes, the human race comes first—and in this human race of yours, those old fogies of the upper realm carry far more weight!"
"Yet you must understand: if you disrupt my plans and trigger the war against the myriad races ahead of schedule, resulting in three to five Dao Integration experts on my side dying… can you bear that responsibility?"
"You want me to trade three to five Dao Integration experts for the survival of those people in the upper realm?"
Su Yu said coldly, "In your eyes, that's a bargain! In my eyes, every Dao Integration expert under my command is my person, my die-hard loyalist! Trading three to five of my Dao Integration experts for seven or eight from the upper realm—you think it's worth it, but I don't! Great Zhou King! Think thrice before you act. The human race won't collapse without you all!"
The Great Zhou King was helpless. After a long while, he let out a sigh and nodded. "I understand! Rest assured, Emperor Yu, I will not act recklessly!"
"That would be for the best!"
Su Yu said calmly, "I know you are an intelligent man—you always have been—but your constant meddling makes me very uncomfortable! With this turmoil in the upper realm, your first thought was to rescue them, wanting to attack the myriad realms prematurely before my plans were even finalized. I hope there won't be a second time!"
The Great Zhou King said heavily, "I understand! It is merely… merely that I hoped, within our means, to offer them some aid."
"If I can help, I naturally will!"
Su Yu glanced at the sky. "We will discuss this further once Manor Head Wan arrives! First, find a way to bait the myriad races' Dao Integration experts out and fight a small-scale skirmish!"
The Great Zhou King nodded, hesitating before finally asking, "What of the dead spirit realm?"
"It went decently! Killed another Heavenly King. There really are quite a few of them!"
Su Yu shook his head and said, "Killed the Eastern King, the Western King, and Cangshan Ming, chased off the Northern King, annihilated dozens of dead spirit marquises, and slaughtered several hundred monarchs, yet they remain endless! That damn place is extraordinarily troublesome!"
The Great Zhou King was struck speechless. He didn't know whether to believe it or not. Forget it, he wouldn't ask.
Things would become clear sooner or later!
At this moment, Su Yu smiled. He sensed Old Wan's aura—Old Wan had arrived. Compared to Old Wan, the Great Zhou King was far too unaccommodating; Manor Head Wan was still the best.
This time, even if I have to smash my pots and sell my iron, I must push Old Wan into Dao Integration!
So he can specifically keep the Great Zhou King in check for me in the future!
Otherwise, among his subordinates, not a single person could hold this Master of Scheming in check!
The Great Zhou King could be used—in fact, he had to be used—but someone was needed to restrain him. King Daqin and the others were brutes; whatever the Great Zhou King plotted, they couldn't fathom it at all.
Only Old Wan, once his strength caught up, might be able to suppress the Great Zhou King.
Even if he couldn't, it wouldn't be easy for the Great Zhou King to ruin Su Yu's plans.
This man had submitted, yes, but his heart lay with the human race, not with Su Yu. There remained a distinction between the two. The Flamebearer carried the flame of humanity, not the flame of Su Yu.
Chapter 689