Subduing the Phoenix Realm

Pfft! Stepping out of the River of Dead Spirits, Su Yu spat out a mouthful of black blood. Seeing how severely injured he appeared, Marquis Lanshan and the others were startled, their nerves taut. Although they were relieved that Su Yu had returned, they could not conceal their worry. Su Yu, however, revealed a slight smile. This trip had not been in vain. Even so, Su Yu knew he had not ventured far enough, and there were still things he had not seen. For instance, where was the source of the Great Dao? Where was its terminus? He had not seen any of that, but none of it mattered right now. What mattered was that he seemed to have found a method to nurture his own greatest Dao: stealing power! "The Time Master provided me with the method, while King Wen gave me the conceptual framework. Both of these siblings were truly peerless geniuses!" Even though people spoke far more frequently of King Wen than of the Time Master, Su Yu felt that the Time Master was the one who was truly breathtakingly brilliant. A single Time Book had allowed Su Yu to reap massive rewards time and again. The Time Master's cultivation framework, her conceptual principles of the Dao, reopening the myriad realms, forging a Dao of one's own, illusory Daos... Su Yu found it difficult to imagine how someone could be so astonishing. It was only a single book! He had never seen her in person, having glimpsed only her back as she wept like a child. At the time, Su Yu had thought the Time Master was somewhat naive and tender, but reflecting on it now, he had vastly underestimated her. She truly was breathtaking! The concept behind the Time Book was simply too perfect! The only pity was that she had lived in the wrong era. Back then, there were too many supreme powerhouses, and the Time Master had no way to act with total impunity and run rampant as Su Yu did today. Otherwise, Su Yu believed her achievements would have been extraordinarily magnificent! "Your Majesty!" Marquis Lanshan called out nervously. Su Yu waved a hand dismissively. Though he was still spitting black blood, he smiled. "I'm fine. I'm doing very well!" With that, he glanced sideways and was surprised. "King Dazhou?" King Dazhou said softly, "Emperor Yu, I arrived three days ago." Three days? Su Yu froze, feeling somewhat helpless. Time truly flew. In the River of Time, there was no perception of years; Su Yu had thought he had merely tangled briefly with the Dao of a marquis, yet three or four days had already slipped by. It also took time for King Dazhou to travel here. At this moment, King Dazhou was not the only one present. A substantial host of experts had assembled in this place. As for dead spirit marquises, the South King had ten under her command, Marquis Lanshan had three, and two more had reached Dao Integration during the last incident. Together with Hetu and Xia Chen, this side also had as many as eight. Nineteen dead spirits in all, plus King Dazhou and Su Yu, made a grand total of twenty-one top-tier experts. Around the perimeter, several dozen dead spirit monarchs were also stationed. Seeing Su Yu emerge, King Dazhou breathed a slight sigh of relief. He did not inquire deeply about what had happened, merely asking, "Emperor Yu, are we launching the surprise attack on the four realms immediately? Or should we wait until your injuries heal and gather more intelligence from the outside? Old Zhu is about to reach Dao Integration. Once he succeeds, he can coordinate with our operation to ensure no word leaks out." "King Daming is about to reach Dao Integration?" Su Yu smiled. "It seems that person from the Prison King's line didn't do entirely bad deeds after all. I don't know much about the Dao of Formations, so if King Daming can step into Dao Integration, that's a great thing. The human race gains another Dao Integration expert!" Back then, the four kings of Daming, Daxia, Dazhou, and Daqin were all premier figures. Now that three of them had achieved Dao Integration and Wan Tiansheng had also overtaken him from behind, King Daming would probably have been choked to death by frustration if he didn't reach Dao Integration soon. King Dazhou smiled. "It is indeed a good thing. Since Emperor Yu is injured, you might as well rest and recuperate for a couple of days. Once Old Zhu achieves Dao Integration, we'll make our move. A day or two won't make a difference." Su Yu nodded. Indeed, a day or two would not matter. Moreover, he could use the opportunity to observe whether the hen he had borrowed could bring him a pleasant surprise. Dead spirits were inherently flawed. Now that he had implanted an insidious, illusory Dao into the marquis's Dao, as long as the other party's willpower was even slightly weak, he would be unable to resist the temptation and would begin slaughtering in secret—or even out in the open! Thinking of this, Su Yu suddenly looked toward King Dazhou. "Has not a single Ruler of Rules been born among the myriad races in a hundred thousand years?" "Not one," King Dazhou replied. "Truly none. Otherwise, whether on the human side or the myriad races' side, if there had been a Ruler of Rules, the war would have been resolved long ago! Over all these years, the one closest to that level of strength was the Hundred Battles King—and that was in terms of raw combat strength, not cultivation realm!" "None in a hundred thousand years, yet before that, over a hundred and forty were born!" Su Yu muttered. Were the people from a hundred thousand years ago infinitely more monstrous in talent than the geniuses of the past hundred thousand years? Nonsense! Yet for so many years, not a single one had emerged, whereas more than a hundred had existed in that earlier era. The disparity was terrifyingly vast. There might be an issue with how everyone integrated into the Daos. Or perhaps the masters of the Daos they were integrating into were all still alive. Su Yu did not delve deeper into that thought for now. Having asked the general question, he quickly said, "Then I will heal my injuries. Once you are prepared, launch the attack at any moment! We must take down not only the Dao Integration experts, but also the Eternals in an instant. As for those below the Eternal Realm, they cannot leave their realm anyway. Even if they die, it will only cause a minor commotion within their realm, and nothing will be detected from outside!" Su Yu could not even be bothered if everyone below the Eternal Realm was wiped out. Su Yu instructed swiftly, "Strive to capture them all alive. For the four realms, a single realm cannot have more than twenty Eternals! Every dead spirit marquis will handle one Eternal. No mistakes are permitted—capture them alive! You will be accompanied by three monarchs! If there are fewer Eternals, two Dao Integration experts will take down one Eternal, ignoring those below the Eternal Realm. If anyone still messes up under these conditions... you will be held accountable!" Su Yu spoke the final sentence with chilling severity. If one or two Dao Integration experts could not even subdue a single Eternal, they truly deserved to die. Everyone felt their hearts tighten and dared not show the slightest negligence. Su Yu added, "Discuss and coordinate among yourselves. Do not let several Dao Integration experts gang up on a single Eternal while leaving other Eternals unattended. If an opponent self-detonates and causes too great a commotion, alerting the gods, demons, and immortals, the purpose of a sneak attack will be completely lost!" "King Dazhou, the South King, Marquis Lanshan, and I will join forces to deal with the Dao Integration expert!" Among these four, one was a Heavenly King, King Dazhou was second-tier, Marquis Lanshan was close to second-tier, and Su Yu was the weakest. If they could not even take down a fourth-tier Dao Integration expert, they would have lived their lives in vain! "Avoid slaughter as much as possible!" Su Yu added once more, "A massacre committed by dead spirits might trigger rule punishments and lead to complications with the Upper Realm Gate! Try not to kill a single person. Capturing them all alive is the best course of action!" "Understood!" Everyone responded in unison. Su Yu smiled and vanished into thin air. He went to heal his injuries and, along the way, keep an eye on his little darling. It would also be best to figure out which dead spirit marquis it was, as he had not been certain of the specific identity before. Now that he had emerged, even if Marquis Longxue proved utterly useless, there was still one advantage: localization. Su Yu could sense the location of his book page! He could pinpoint Marquis Longxue's position, and through him, the movements of the North King and his faction were entirely within Su Yu's grasp! ... While healing, Su Yu sensed everything through the book page. On the first day, there was no movement whatsoever. Marquis Longxue's position did not shift in the slightest, appearing completely unaffected. On the second day, Marquis Longxue still did not move, but Su Yu began to detect some abnormalities. ... The North King's territory. When the North King retreated back then, he had actually taken away a significant portion of his elite forces, including a large number of monarchs and Sun-Moon dead spirits. Of course, now in the Land of Guixu, the North King maintained a much lower profile, claiming a relatively modest territory that was countless times smaller than his former North King Domain. The new North King Manor was far simpler and cruder than before. All the dead spirit marquises were stationed not far from the North King, but they did not truly stay together. After all, they were intelligent dead spirits, each possessing their own secrets, and they preferred not to gather in one place. Inside the crude Longxue Palace. Marquis Longxue had endured for an entire day, yet an irritation grew within him. The opportunity lay right before his eyes; he wanted to take action, but feared causing too much commotion and drawing the attention of the North King and the others. Today, Marquis Longxue could hold back no longer. And an opportunity presented itself. At this moment, inside the hall, several monarchs knelt on the ground reporting news. One of the monarchs said tremulously, "My Lord, the Land of Guixu is too complex. Although dead spirits are few in number, there are many experts among them, and some dead spirit marquises seem to be hiding here. When the Longxue Army expanded our territory, we met with considerable resistance and suffered heavy losses..." "Trash!" Marquis Longxue flew into a rage. "Do you expect my army of hundreds of thousands of dead spirits to remain stationed in this tiny gorge? Useless things, what good are you!" Originally, he had only intended to reprimand them. Yet a phrase involuntarily surfaced in his mind: *Destiny belongs to me; time waits for no one; devour everything...* Amidst his fury, Marquis Longxue also felt anticipation and trepidation. Seeing the dead spirit monarchs kneeling silently, his anger flared even hotter. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he bellowed, "It is all because of you useless, incompetent trash that this marquis has lost all face!" A massive palm abruptly slammed down toward the monarch who had spoken. Boom! Under the trembling and terrified gazes of the other dead spirit monarchs, Marquis Longxue, in a burst of rage, shattered the completely defenseless monarch into pieces with a single strike! The other party's Dao instantly collapsed. A flash of bloodlust crossed Marquis Longxue's eyes, and in that split second, the dead spirit page inside his Dao seemed to come alive, abruptly opening a massive mouth to devour the opponent's Dao in a single gulp! Normally, devouring a Dao was impossible. However, Su Yu's civilization chronicle had been forged specifically for devouring; its very essence was to consume blood essence and flesh to outline and simulate Daos. At this moment, the power of the opponent's Dao was drawn directly into the page by Marquis Longxue's illusory Dao. Of course, from Marquis Longxue's perspective, his own Dao Seed had consumed it. He was instantly overjoyed! It really worked! Previously, for an expert of his caliber, killing a dead spirit monarch and devouring their death mark yielded very little benefit. But now, Marquis Longxue distinctly felt that his Dao Seed had grown slightly stronger. Growing slightly stronger was only natural! After all, the illusory Dao Su Yu had outlined was not particularly strong; it was quite weak. Devouring a dead spirit monarch at this point provided some enhancement, which for Su Yu was quite ordinary. Yet for an existence like Marquis Longxue, who had experienced virtually no improvement for tens of thousands of years, this tiny bit of progress represented a difference as vast as the heavens and the earth! He quickly absorbed the power of the other party's Dao, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes. Soon, however, he grew even thirstier. Not enough! I want more! Too little—this amount of power was far too little to facilitate his breakthrough. At this moment, a restless urge flared within him, tempting him to kill and devour the other monarchs in the hall as well. Just as this thought emerged, several strands of willpower probed over from the distance. Marquis Longxue's heart shuddered, and he swiftly regained his composure, saying coldly, "Trash, your death is well-deserved! Go scout again, clear away all obstacles in the surrounding area, and expand our territory! If we huddle together, death qi will be sparse—how are we supposed to cultivate? With millions of dead spirits gathered in one spot, how much death qi is there for us to absorb?" Maintaining his furious facade, he barked, "Get out!" The dead spirit monarchs trembled with fear and hurriedly fled the hall. The next instant, the figures of the North King and several marquises materialized inside Longxue Palace. The North King frowned slightly. "Longxue, we didn't bring many monarchs with us. Having lost the North King Domain, it will be very difficult to replace them in the future! Do not slaughter monarchs indiscriminately over a moment of anger!" He was somewhat displeased! Without the Heavenly River of Dead Spirits to replenish their ranks, these millions of dead spirits were their final foundation! There were only fifty or sixty monarch-level figures left, with only three to five under each marquis. If people started killing them on a whim, wouldn't all the monarchs be dead within days? The North King understood a fundamental truth: strong experts emerged from the weak. Once their replenishment was cut off, relying solely on this handful of people would inevitably lead to their downfall! It might not show much effect in the short term, but in the long run, the North King Manor's faction would inevitably collapse. Marquis Longxue frowned. "Lord North King, he was my own subordinate..." The North King said in a low, heavy voice, "Which is why I am merely advising you!" Marquis Longxue lowered his voice as well. "Incompetent trash! I ordered them to expand our territory, yet they produced no results for the longest time, making excuses about hidden experts in the Land of Guixu when they were merely afraid of confronting powerful enemies!" At this point, Marquis Longxue looked angry as he declared, "Since these useless fools cannot achieve it, I request permission to personally expand the North King Domain! I would also like to see just how terrifying this Land of Guixu truly is! Dead spirit marquises? Heavenly King, I want to test just how formidable the dead spirit marquises here are!" "We have only just arrived..." Before the North King could finish, Marquis Longxue said in a deep voice, "Heavenly King, are you afraid of provoking those fellows? The ones sealed deep within? Does My Lord know that when we went there last time, Dizhiluo sent a secret message urging us to assassinate My Lord and defect to them? My Lord does not wish to provoke them, yet they are plotting against My Lord!" The North King's expression changed slightly. Marquis Longxue said with a chilling tone, "I was not the only one. I imagine many received Dizhiluo's transmission, yet not a single soul reported it to My Lord. I believe... if My Lord continues to bide his time in hiding, beware of being betrayed by your own people! I speak bluntly and act decisively, but I know one thing: if My Lord falls, we may not fare well either—unless another Heavenly King emerges from among our ranks... but is that likely?" With a sneer, he asked, "My Lord, are you still worried about me provoking those fellows now?" The North King's expression shifted repeatedly. Dizhiluo was secretly colluding with the dead spirit marquises under his command. That was understandable, but the critical part was... no one had told him. That was the terrifying part. Had Marquis Longxue not spoken up, he would still be completely in the dark. He had a full fourteen dead spirit marquises under his command, yet only one had informed him! This... was a very bad omen! Clearly, his passive hiding, his forbearance, the strength of the human race, and the powerhouses in the sealed land had caused these fellows to reach a tacit understanding, perhaps even preparing to sell out the North King! The North King looked at Marquis Longxue. After a long silence, he laughed. "Nonsense! Ah, Longxue, I actually knew about this long ago, and several others have already told me. However, some things need not be spoken aloud." He smiled. "Saying it like this makes it seem as though everyone is planning to betray this king! That thought is truly malicious! Since you insist on expanding our territory, very well. Fifty-seven monarchs accompanied us here. You killed one, leaving you with three. One monarch will be requisitioned from each marquis's command to accompany you!" Internally, he was fuming! In the end, it was Longxue, this brute, who had brought it to light. Fine, since you refuse to speak, I will weaken your factions first. Requisitioning one monarch from each marquis meant Marquis Longxue would command sixteen monarchs, while he himself had eight serving as personal guards. Out of fifty-six monarchs, he and Marquis Longxue would control twenty-four, which was quite substantial. He did not believe anyone would dare refuse him right now! He was, after all, a Heavenly King, unless these people had already made up their minds to rebel at this very moment! Sure enough, none of the other marquises voiced any objection. Some only shot strange looks at Marquis Longxue, inwardly cursing him. They had not necessarily decided to betray the North King; they were merely keeping their options open. After all, it appeared that the sealed land possessed far more powerhouses. Everyone maintained a tacit silence. If the experts from the sealed land truly broke free, the North King might serve as a token of allegiance; if they did not, they would simply continue muddling along. Yet Longxue had blurted it out just like that—what an idiot! Did he think currying favor with the North King would bring him any benefit? Everyone was enraged. The North King was no longer the ruler who governed the North King Domain of old. Outside the North King Domain, the North King remained powerful, but without the suppression of rule power, fighting five or six dead spirit marquises was his absolute limit. Prior to this, in the North King Domain with the suppression of the North King Seal, he could easily battle eight at once! Everyone was speechless, utterly exasperated by this fool! Marquis Longxue, however, sneered inwardly, paying them no heed. Excellent! Sixteen monarchs—splendid! Not only that, he had driven a wedge between the North King and the other marquises. He was even pondering whether he could contact the North King next time to secretly eliminate a few marquises! Kill them under a righteous pretext! Killing those fellows probably wouldn't even pucker the North King's heart. *However, before that, I must demonstrate my loyalty. I must strike ruthlessly against the vassals of those sealed fellows to win the North King's complete trust. Those fellows cannot come out for now anyway; for the time being, the North King remains supreme!* Marquis Longxue turned the thoughts over in his mind. Having become a dead spirit, his long-stagnant heart was now surging with wild waves! His ambition was swelling uncontrollably. North King? Sealed powerhouses? Sooner or later, they would all become nourishment for his growth! However, he had not reached that level yet and needed to exercise forbearance. Once he reached the Heavenly King level, that would be another matter. He quickly said, "My Lord, then I will immediately assemble the experts to wipe out those fellows! Dizhiluo? Laughable! Let them break their seals first before talking!" Marquis Longxue said sinisterly, "They are nothing more than a bunch of prisoners! By the time they unseal themselves, whether we are even alive will be up in the air. Do they really think that Human Lord and the South King are easy to deal with? When they attack, can we rely on those sealed fellows? Ridiculous—we will still have to rely on the North King!" The North King had never felt Marquis Longxue to be so sensible! Indeed. They were merely a bunch of fellows who had yet to break their seals! If Su Yu and his forces truly marched in, those beings might not even be able to get out. When that time came, wouldn't everyone have to rely on him? A bunch of foolish subordinates! Though anger simmered in his heart, he did not let it show. At this moment, he felt that while Marquis Longxue seemed reckless on the surface, his mind was exceptionally clear. As for killing his own monarch earlier, that was a trivial matter. Killing a single monarch was nothing—so be it! Marquis Longxue stood up quickly. "My Lord, I will go rally the elites and carve out our own domain in this Land of Guixu! As for a few casualties, death is part of the game. My Lord is planning for the future, but whether we even have a future remains uncertain!" Tossing out those words, he flew straight out with arrogant swagger. Hovering in the air, he pointed at various monarchs and bellowed, "You, and you... all of you, follow this marquis into battle!" He had clearly been told to requisition thirteen monarchs, which, combined with his own three, would make sixteen. Yet he boldly drafted twenty, two of whom came from the North King's direct forces, while two others were top-tier experts approaching Dao Integration. Inside the hall, some of the marquises were displeased and on the verge of speaking out, but the North King said indifferently, "Let him be. It is a good thing that he is willing to lead troops to expand our territory. None of us are familiar with this place, and it is dangerous after all. Or... if anyone else is willing, you may go as well. Bringing back the head of a dead spirit marquis would be a fine achievement!" The crowd fell silent. Forget it; let the brute Longxue have his way. There were bound to be vassals and scouts of Dizhiluo and his cohort in this area. The dead spirit marquis that had ambushed the North Heavenly King previously was quite formidable. Expanding the territory carried immense risk. If Marquis Longxue wanted to go, let him go! Thus, Marquis Longxue led away twenty monarchs and nearly a million dead spirits, marching swiftly toward the uncharted territory. Marquis Longxue was ecstatic; he could now openly distance himself from the North King and the others! Losing a few monarchs along the way would be perfectly normal. As long as he could slay some powerful foes, the losses would be justified. He could even borrow the strength of these forces to kill Dizhiluo's subordinates, ideally inciting a massive clash between the two factions so he could reap the benefits from the shadows. ... Su Yu sensed all of this to some extent. In the midst of healing, Su Yu could not help but chuckle. Once a person acquired ambition, even as a dead spirit, they would undergo a rapid transformation, altering their behavior and actually using their brain. By now, he had a clear idea of who it was. Marquis Longxue! As his dead spirit page grew stronger, he became increasingly attuned to Marquis Longxue's movements, thoughts, and intentions. Those actions might be difficult for an outsider to decipher, but Su Yu, as the instigator, saw through them completely. "Everything is well within my grasp!" Su Yu sighed with emotion, unable to stop himself from wondering: if everything was within his grasp, then... if the River of Time possessed a master, were all those who forged Daos within it also under that master's control? If the master of the Dao of Dead Spirits was alive, were all these dead spirits also under complete control? Taking it a step further, if the masters of the various Daos were alive, were all those who integrated into them also puppeted? In this world, who was truly controlling whom? Who was holding the reins? Who were King Wen and the others truly fighting against? Why had King Wen stripped away his Dao? Was it simply because the Dao was too weak, or did he feel it was unsafe, because no matter how powerful the Dao of the Brush was, it was still built upon the foundation of the River of Time? "The secrets of the myriad realms are far more numerous than I imagined!" At this point, neither the upper realm nor the myriad realms held any great mysteries. The true great mystery was whether the disappearance of the ancient era was connected to all of this. "This is getting more and more interesting!" Su Yu revealed a faint smile. Opening the Heavenly Gate had allowed him to see far too much, while the Time Book and civilization chronicle had allowed him to comprehend far too many truths. ... He ceased his healing; his injuries were mostly recovered anyway. Comprehending the Great Dao was not something achieved merely through sitting in secluded meditation. Battles, schemes, planning, experiences, and insights—these constituted true comprehension of the Dao, whereas pure seclusion was a joke that might yield only a minuscule step forward over a hundred thousand years. Old Turtle and those fellows had slept in seclusion for too long; what they failed to grasp back then, they still did not grasp now. Whatever strength they had held a hundred thousand years ago was roughly what they possessed today. Such was the drawback of secluded cultivation. Soon, Su Yu emerged once more from the void. At this moment, another figure had joined the group—Old Turtle. Seeing Su Yu, Old Turtle smiled. "Emperor Yu, I will not enter the realm. I face suppression there, but if trouble arises, you can knock the opponent into the dead spirit realm! As long as they enter the dead spirit realm, this old man can fight even a Heavenly King!" He then added quickly, "King Daming has stepped into Dao Integration, though the commotion was considerable. The myriad realms may have sensed it." King Daming had finally achieved Dao Integration! Su Yu chuckled. "It doesn't matter. The myriad races can't do anything about us gaining an additional Dao Integration expert now! Having one more is good; it serves as an even greater deterrent. Let them know if they know!" Su Yu was genuinely delighted by King Daming's breakthrough. King Daxia and King Daming were the earliest two powerhouses to support him. Unfortunately, Su Yu knew nothing of the Dao of Formations, and the Dao of the Physical Body was far more suited to King Daqin and King Daxia. Otherwise, he would have helped King Daming reach Dao Integration regardless. Now it was settled; he had advanced on his own, which was fantastic. He had Princess Consort Xi to thank! Princess Consort Xi's concealment formation had undoubtedly been of great help to King Daming. Otherwise, having switched Daos, King Daming could never have progressed so swiftly and stepped into Dao Integration so smoothly. This proved that Princess Consort Xi's grand formation had allowed him to perceive many profound principles of the Dao. Speaking of Princess Consort Xi, she was still sealed away by him! In truth, not much time had passed—only a month or so. What did such a brief span matter? For a powerhouse like Princess Consort Xi, as long as Su Yu did not seal her for too long, a month could simply be seen as Su Yu tempering her temperament. And in fact, that was exactly the case. Presently, Princess Consort Xi was still craning her neck in eager anticipation, waiting for Su Yu to see her. She felt her performance during this period had been quite good: stubbornness tinged with vulnerability, vulnerability tinged with defiance, defiance tinged with helplessness, helplessness tinged with despair, and despair tinged with submission... With such a performance, if Su Yu had been secretly observing, he would certainly be moved. Little did she know that Su Yu had only checked on her twice in total—not to observe her state, but out of fear that if too many deaths occurred outside and she caught wind of it, she might commit suicide! That would never do! Su Yu still had great use for her, perhaps even using her as bait to catch big fish from the upper realm. She could not be allowed to die just yet. Su Yu was even considering finding time to soothe Princess Consort Xi. He had to give her hope of survival! He definitely could not leave her locked away until she grew despondent and killed herself, which would leave him in tears. "It's great that King Daming achieved Dao Integration. Right now, the myriad realms are sealed off. As long as our presence isn't glaringly obvious, they won't even sense us approaching their realms!" Su Yu chuckled and soon said, "Senior Hongmeng, send a message to the guardians and have them convey it to Director Wan. Tell Director Wan, the Iron-Eating Beast Emperor, the two Spirit-Devouring Beast Emperors, Book Spirit, and Tea Tree to head swiftly to the boundless void and encircle Marquis Jiantian and Duobao! Trap them in the boundless void so they don't ruin my plans. Neither of those two has retreated into a small realm to hide!" "Understood!" Old Turtle quickly used the connection between the guardians to pass the message to Wan Tiansheng. Encircle and trap those two first! "Send word to King Daming to head to the Phoenix Realm first. If any disturbance occurs, immediately deploy a grand formation for defense; if there is none, leave it be!" "Understood!" Old Turtle sent the message again, feeling somewhat excited himself. "So we take down the Phoenix Realm first?" "Yes!" Su Yu smiled. "First the Phoenix Realm, then the Ape Realm, then the Kunpeng Realm, and finally the Dragon Realm! Marquis Tianlong is the strongest; confronting him first might trigger unexpected complications and ruin the subsequent ambushes!" No one had any objections; Su Yu's arrangements were impeccable! King Dazhou actually felt that working alongside Su Yu was remarkably comfortable. Most of the things one could think of, Su Yu had already considered; the things one failed to think of, he had likely prepared for as well. It was far more comfortable than collaborating with King Daqin, and even somewhat more comfortable than with the Hundred Battles King. At the very least, when working with Su Yu, even if Su Yu's personal strength was comparatively lower, one felt certain that he would succeed. His mind worked at blazing speed, and in a single instant, he could make the absolute correct decision! Su Yu took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, "Only success is permitted, not failure!" With dozens of Dao Integration experts facing off against a single Dao Integration expert, if they couldn't win, they would have lived in vain! However, the greatest challenge lay in capturing the Dao Integration expert alive! That was the crux of the matter! "King Dazhou, push your Dao of Endurance to its absolute limit!" Su Yu said gravely, "Whether we can capture them alive hinges critically on your Dao of Endurance! The South King and Marquis Lanshan will focus on destroying the Phoenix Emperor's physical body and imprisoning her sea of will. King Dazhou will ensure she does not cause too much commotion, while I will enter the River of Time to find a way to seal the Phoenix Emperor's Dao power! We must give her no opportunity to self-detonate!" "Understood!" The powerhouses grew solemn. Killing her was a certainty, without a shadow of a doubt; capturing her alive was where the true difficulty lay. ... The Phoenix Realm. A massive palace was constructed atop an incomparably gigantic parasol tree; this was the Phoenix Emperor Palace. At this moment, the Phoenix Emperor was also feeling deeply unsettled. This unease filled her with a sense of dread. She did not know whether this dread was caused by the recent slaying of the other Dao Integration experts, but ever since the deaths of the Nether Emperor and his peers, she had not known a moment of peace. Inside the grand hall, she was not the only one feeling uneasy; the Eternals were equally terrified. The lower realm had suffered defeat. Despite possessing an incomparable, overwhelming advantage, they had ultimately met with a catastrophic rout. It was an utter farce. In total, eleven Dao Integration powerhouses had perished. Even so, the myriad races still retained twelve Dao Integration experts, which on the surface was not much weaker than the human race's forces. Yet everyone understood that it was useless. The immortals, gods, and demons possessed no resolve to fight to the death! Because they had an escape route. Having a way out led to complicated thoughts, and having a way out meant none of them were willing to fight the human race to the bitter end. Once the upper realm opened, the human race would surely be destroyed. Clinging to such thoughts, everyone was preoccupied with self-preservation. Right now, the Phoenix Emperor's unease had reached its peak. She summoned all the Eternals to gather in the Phoenix Emperor Palace. Aside from her, the Phoenix race still had sixteen Eternals. Though some had died previously, they remained a formidable force. Bearing a dignified countenance, the Phoenix Emperor looked down at the heavy-hearted experts of her race and spoke majestically, "The defeat of the lower realm has become an established fact! Now, only the opening of the upper realm can rein in that demon Su Yu! And Su Yu himself stated that before the upper realm opens, he will inevitably attack the myriad races! He said five years, but that may simply be a smokescreen to deceive us; it might only be three years, or even two..." The Phoenix Emperor drew a deep breath. "Our race cannot compare to the gods, demons, and immortals. Our strength has waned, and if the human race launches a full assault against us, we may face extinction. Therefore, this Emperor wishes to ask you all: how can we navigate this crisis? As long as we weather this storm, once the upper realm opens, the human race will never have the chance to run rampant again!" According to her assessment, Su Yu's claim of five years should not be taken seriously! That demon's words were always half-true and half-false. If he said five years, cutting it in half was the safe bet. Two or three years would pass in the blink of an eye. In two or three years, it was virtually impossible for another Dao Integration expert to emerge within the clan. With only herself, how could she withstand Su Yu and his allies? An Eternal said heavily, "Emperor, the demon Su Yu has become completely uncontrollable in the lower realm! He controls the Life Realm and has severed our communication with the upper realm. We had best ensure our upper realm passageway remains undisturbed, lest any arrivals from above be ambushed by him! If the demon Su Yu truly launches a full assault on our realm when the time comes... then our only choice is to fight to the death, preserving as many seeds as possible to await the conclusion of the war and revive the glory of our race!" "Is that truly the only way?" The Phoenix Emperor sighed. She actually hoped someone would propose an idea to redirect Su Yu's attention elsewhere, ideally toward the gods, demons, immortals, or even the Dragon Realm. As long as Su Yu and his allies assaulted another realm, that realm's desperate resistance might trigger an early opening of the upper realm. Better them than us! If a realm had to fall, it was naturally better for it to be another realm! As they were speaking, the Phoenix Emperor frowned slightly. "Today, I feel uneasy, as though something is about to happen. Has the realm passageway been thoroughly sealed?" "It is fully sealed!" An Eternal quickly replied with solemn certainty. "It is strictly guarded. Even if a Dao Integration expert attacks, it can hold out for a while and will not be breached easily!" "That is good, then!" The Phoenix Emperor felt she might simply be frightening herself. The great battle had only just ended, and all realms were sealed. Right now, there was no warfare in the myriad realms, so why invite unnecessary anxiety? Just then, the Phoenix Emperor furrowed her brows. "Do you... sense anything?" "Hm?" The others looked puzzled. Sense what? The Phoenix Emperor said nothing, merely sweeping the surroundings with her perception. Outside the hall, a young phoenix was playing carefree games with several other little phoenixes, chasing a fireball. This was a traditional game of the Phoenix race; the Phoenix Emperor had played it herself in her youth. That fireball was a fire seed from Phoenix Mountain. Consuming it aided in comprehending the Great Dao. Some experts would harvest them and bring them back, but because quantities were limited, they let the juniors compete for them. Chasing the fireball was a well-known competitive game among the Phoenix clan. A wisp of willpower was infused into the fire seed, causing it to dart about randomly while the contestants tried to catch it. The one who flew fastest, feared the fire least, and possessed superior control would generally emerge victorious. At this moment, the fireball was flying swiftly toward the main entrance of the palace. The other Eternals saw it as well, offering bitter smiles. Only these little ones could still remain carefree. Sigh! Never mind, let them play. Seeing the Phoenix Emperor's dark expression, one Eternal barked, "Tianhuang, take that fire seed outside to play! Mind your manners!" The fireball was about to fly straight into the hall. The Phoenix Emperor was in a foul mood; offending her would inevitably earn these juniors a reprimand. "Understood!" A young phoenix responded, yet the fireball continued drifting toward the hall. The Phoenix Emperor frowned, an overwhelming sense of dread washing over her. Her willpower swept across it. She detected nothing amiss at first, but looking closely at the fireball, her expression changed abruptly. No, what was encased inside that fire seed? A threat! What could possibly pose a threat to her? It was impossible—unless a Dao Integration expert descended in person, even a divine talisman from a Ruler of Rules would not easily overcome a Dao Integration expert! "Impudent!" The Phoenix Emperor bellowed, sensing that something was wrong! She struck out with a palm toward the fireball! The other Eternals had not noticed anything amiss. One of them quickly attempted to soothe her. "Emperor, they are merely juniors playing around. I will chase them away immediately..." Why make such a fuss? What was the big deal? Ever since that bastard Lan Tian stole three thousand phoenix eggs, the clan's younger generation had almost been wiped out. Everyone had become far more lenient toward these surviving youngsters. Besides, with the threat of racial extermination looming, why sweat the small stuff? The Phoenix Emperor was overreacting! Just as he was speaking, the Phoenix Emperor's eyes widened in sheer horror. The moment her palm struck forward, the fire seed suddenly collapsed, and a burst of death qi poured out. Then the fire seed vanished, revealing a large seal. That was not all. Beneath the seal, a small spatial vortex abruptly manifested. "Endure, do not shout!" A low shout resonated from the vortex. The Phoenix Emperor's face drained of all color! King Dazhou! A dead spirit passageway! It was over! Just as she was about to roar and erupt with power, her mind fell into a brief daze. The next instant, a towering wave of death qi surged forth. The South King manifested in an instant, slamming a palm toward the Phoenix Emperor! Simultaneously, more than a dozen dead spirit marquises appeared all at once. One per target, they charged at the Eternals. King Dazhou followed right behind, sweat dripping from his forehead as he roared, "Endure! The heavens always leave a path open! As long as you endure, any crisis can be weathered!" "Endure for a moment, and the wind and waves will calm; take a step back, and the sea and sky become vast!" The Phoenix Emperor struggled violently. No, she could not endure! She couldn't! It was over. Despair filled her eyes. It was over, the Phoenix Realm was finished. A dead spirit passageway had opened right at her doorstep, right inside the Phoenix Emperor Palace—inconceivable! It had opened right beneath her nose! Just as the Phoenix Emperor was struggling frantically, a gentle laugh echoed: "Lay down the butcher's blade and preserve your race. I will not kill you. Slaughter brings no peace; peace requires negotiation. Let us sit and talk this through." Su Yu! A look of bewilderment flashed across the Phoenix Emperor's eyes. Su Yu. She would never forget his voice! What was he saying? Negotiation? Su Yu was also drenched in sweat, pushing the divine character power of the "Saint" Dao to its absolute limit. Stepping into the River of Time, he continued chanting, "Negotiation is the only way out. Phoenix Emperor, sit down and let us talk properly!" "Endure, let us talk properly!" King Dazhou barked, "Negotiation, endurance, biding your time—only then is there a chance!" The Phoenix Emperor's gaze shifted between clarity and confusion, filled with fierce struggle! Yet she was not facing one person, but two master deceivers: one using top-tier Dao Integration combat power to urge her to endure, and the other using the Saint Dao to influence her, boasting strength no weaker than her own. At this moment, Marquis Lanshan and the South King moved swiftly to suppress her Dao power. A Heavenly King was an existence she had no hope of rivaling, and in the blink of an eye, her Dao grew withered and sluggish. In the void, Su Yu pointed his brush, rapidly outlining character after character within her Phoenix Dao! Not only that, a book page flew out, quickly wrapping around the Phoenix Dao! The South King struck with a palm, shattering her physical body, while Marquis Lanshan, holding the Human Lord Seal, swiftly suppressed her sea of will! King Dazhou was still roaring, "You must endure! Endurance is the only way out, trust me!" Boom! The Phoenix Emperor's physical body exploded, her sea of will was suppressed, and her Dao was directly locked down by the myriad characters written by Su Yu's brush. The civilization chronicle swept across, and the Sanctification Seal slammed down to suppress her! In an instant, the Phoenix Emperor vanished! She had not even managed to utter a single word! At the same time, more than a dozen dead spirit marquises, leading dozens of monarchs, swiftly overwhelmed the Eternals one by one with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, the only figures left in the entire palace were the few young phoenixes still playing outside the hall, all of them standing utterly dumbfounded. At that very moment, the young phoenix that had led them spread its wings and giggled, "Dear friends, why don't you fuse with me? Out of sight, out of mind!" Its wings swept all the young phoenixes under its embrace. In an instant, flames flared, and the young phoenixes, faces twisted in agony, gradually turned into ashes, vanishing from sight! The corner of King Dazhou's mouth twitched slightly, while Su Yu broke into a radiant smile. He couldn't help but look at Lan Tian—truly impressive! Originally, the Great Prefectural Seal used for positioning had not been placed here, but Lan Tian had seemingly detected its vibrations and boldly kicked the Great Prefectural Seal right under the Phoenix Emperor's nose! One had to admire his audacity! The battle had been exceptionally smooth! With virtually no commotion, the experts of the Phoenix clan had been rounded up in one fell swoop! Lan Tian giggled and said, "What are you standing around for? There's still one Eternal stationed at the passageway entrance. Hurry, don't let them escape!" "How could they escape?" Su Yu chuckled. "King Dazhou, go with the others to subdue them!" "Marquis Lanshan, capture all the Sun-Moon and Shanhai experts. Kill any who try to flee, and take the rest prisoner for now!" Su Yu smiled as the civilization chronicle swept through, suppressing all the Eternals! With only their seas of will remaining, suppressing them was not difficult. Do not kill them yet! Keep them! The Phoenix page would soon be able to grow robustly! Su Yu strode out of the hall, a brilliant smile on his face as he looked down upon the Phoenix Realm. The scenery truly was breathtaking—he loved it! Without breaking a sweat, an entire realm had been taken! The remaining three realms would soon fall into his hands as well. Before long, of all the myriad realms in the heavens, only the gods, demons, and immortals would remain outside his control! At this moment, the dead spirits mobilized, and the entire Phoenix Realm fell into an instant state of shock! Filled with disbelief and horror, these weak phoenixes stood no chance against so many dead spirit powerhouses. Without a single Eternal to lead them, they couldn't even commit suicide under the suppression of these Dao Integration experts! In the blink of an eye, countless phoenixes were strung together by the dead spirit marquises and dragged toward Su Yu! The entire Phoenix Realm fell completely! Meanwhile, the outside world remained silent, without the slightest ripple. The Phoenix Realm had fallen!