Opening a World-Shocking Dao!

Having sent off Wan Tiansheng and King Dazhou, Su Yu sat upon his throne and carefully studied the Heaven Hunting Ranking. The Paper Dao! What was the Paper Dao? The Heaven Hunting Ranking itself was undeniably a formidable divine weapon. Moreover, it was said to have been forged in imitation of the Time Record. The Time Record walked the path of uniting ten thousand Daos, so what was the Paper Dao within the Heaven Hunting Ranking? In the Dead Spirit Realm, the Southern King had mentioned that full revival might require the gathering of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The Brush Dao possessed the power of fierce assault and sealing. The Ink Dao could strip away the Great Dao of the Dead Spirits. The Inkstone Dao provided vitality... What on earth was the Paper Dao? "The Heaven Hunting Ranking collects the auras of ten thousand races, blankets the myriad realms of the heavens, and even possesses the ability to gather fortune..." Holding the ranking, Su Yu silently contemplated its nature. After pondering for a while, he suddenly smiled. The next moment, three fragments materialized. The Record of Ten Thousand Laws! This was the true name of the Heaven Hunting Ranking. "Record of Ten Thousand Laws... Ten thousand laws, ten thousand Daos, myriad realms..." "Fuse!" With a low shout, everyone throughout the eastern war theater suddenly looked up into the void. A colossal golden tome had manifested above the temporary palace. Golden patterns surfaced across the pages. Not only that, names began appearing upon them as well. Previously, there had been the Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow rankings, as well as the Dao Attainment Ranking. Right at this moment, the words "Eternal Ranking" faintly materialized. The pages instantly unfurled! The Eternal Ranking appeared! Su Yu’s expression shifted slightly. His aura erupted in an instant, blotting out the sky and sun to shield the tome from prying eyes. The moment the ranking surfaced, he had caught sight of several familiar names. Dao Integration was also Eternal! Indeed, Dao Integration and Eternity were essentially stages of the same realm. Su Yu was startled. If anyone had seen that—if the Gods, Demons, and Immortals had spotted it—wouldn't his hidden strength have been laid bare? The Record of Ten Thousand Laws was terrifying indeed. Names emerged upon it; evidently, nothing in the myriad realms could escape the gaze of the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Not only that, the ranking’s aura rapidly swelled at this moment, faintly showing signs of blanketing the River of Time. Su Yu watched in silence, shaken to his core. The Paper Dao! What was the Paper Dao? At this moment, Su Yu began to grasp its essence. It was a blank sheet of paper, and this paper had the miraculous ability to cover the heavens and blot out the sun. To put it simply, the River of Time flowed high above, its tributaries spreading downward like the branches and leaves of a colossal tree. This sheet of paper was like a sky, walling off the River of Time from those tributaries below. In terms of Su Yu’s previous analogy, beneath the great grid, a sheet of paper had appeared, turning the entire grid into an airtight sack. "Fascinating!" "And immensely powerful!" Su Yu murmured to himself. Yet this Heaven Hunting Ranking still seemed incomplete, lacking certain elements. Thoughts raced through Su Yu’s mind. A sheet of paper to shroud everything? The Paper Dao was a Dao of Cloaking the Heavens! Yes, at this moment Su Yu finally understood what the Paper Dao among the four treasures of the study truly was. It was a Great Dao meant to veil heavenly secrets! Right at that instant, countless Lan Tians suddenly flew toward the temporary palace. While Lan Tian had never cared much for protocol, Su Yu was in the grand hall. Under normal circumstances, one did not enter without an invitation, and Lan Tian would not run over without reason. Yet now, Lan Tian had come rushing over. And not just one—innumerable Lan Tians were swarming in. Su Yu was familiar with the lead Lan Tian, who looked somewhat like Zhao Ming from the academy back in the day. At this moment, this Lan Tian wore a peculiar expression as he gazed toward the sky, swiftly flying into the great hall. Seeing Su Yu, he bowed slightly and urgently asked, "Emperor Yu, what is this?" "The Record of Ten Thousand Laws!" Su Yu chuckled. Lan Tian said gravely, "No, I mean what kind of Great Dao power is this?" Su Yu considered it for a moment before replying, "King Wen called it the Paper Dao. Personally, I’d consider it a Dao of Cloaking the Heavens! Or perhaps a Dao of Shielding Heavenly Secrets, or even a Dao of Severing the River of Time!" Lan Tian wore an exceedingly solemn expression. He could not see it clearly, but he could feel something. After a long pause, he said in a heavy voice, "No. This is not called the Paper Dao, nor is it called the Dao of Cloaking the Heavens! This is called—the Common People Dao!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. You’re actually trying to steal my naming rights? Lan Tian remained dead serious. "All living beings reside within my Dao; hence, it is the Common People Dao! You misunderstand it. This is not meant to veil heavenly secrets, but to encompass—to embrace the common people!" As Lan Tian spoke, his form constantly shifted. One moment he was male, the next female, one moment human, the next a demon—kaleidoscopic and ever-changing, a multitude of voices blending together: "Emperor Yu, you are mistaken! This is a Dao that embraces all living beings! You believe it conceals, but it does not; it merely encompasses, for the Common People Dao is a Dao of vast tolerance!" "I shall bring all common people into my Dao!" Lan Tian could not see it, but he could sense it. "I bestow new life upon the common people, and the common people regard me as their mother and father!" Su Yu sensed it carefully. After a long time, his gaze flickered. He looked back up at the sky, watching the Heaven Hunting Ranking as it continued to recover. After a while, he said in a grave voice, "This is not a complete Dao. Or rather, it is merely an embryonic form. Someone in the past may have attempted to open this Dao, but failed to complete it. Among the four Daos of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, this is the only one that remains incomplete!" Lan Tian’s voices converged as millions of Lan Tians spoke in unison: "Yes, incomplete! I feel it! This is mine!" Su Yu was almost amused. How long had it been? Usually, he was the one robbing others. Now, this fellow Lan Tian had grown brazen indeed. Not only did he want to snatch the naming rights, but in the blink of an eye, the Heaven Hunting Ranking had become his as well? Lan Tian chuckled eerily. "Emperor Yu, this Dao belongs to me! I can feel it! Previously, I never sensed it, never harbored any desire to open a Dao. But today, I want to open one!" His smile turned somewhat wicked. "This Dao must be fascinating, wonderfully fascinating! It must be completely unlike any other Great Dao! It must be so, right?" Su Yu scrutinized the sky, looking at it with absolute seriousness. After a long time, he nodded. "It is extraordinarily unique. If you name it the Common People Dao, then walking this path might require you to comprehend ten thousand Daos, intercepting power from all of them, gathering it together, and reforging it into a single Dao!" As Su Yu spoke, he thought of himself and let out a wry chuckle. This... truly was somewhat similar! He walked a similar path—uniting ten thousand Daos into one to open a new heaven and earth! Was Lan Tian going to do the same? "No..." At this moment, Lan Tian shook his head. He might not be able to see it, but he held his own comprehension of his Great Dao. He had never multiplied his clones blindly! "You are wrong!" Su Yu sorely wanted to give him a beating. This wasn't the first time he'd said that. One more time and Su Yu was going to lose his temper. Could my vision of the Dao be less clear than yours? Lan Tian laughed softly. "I sense it now. There is no need to comprehend ten thousand Daos. All Daos converge, and all Daos originate from the source. I only need to comprehend the Dao of the source. Yes, the source!" With that, his hand suddenly lunged toward Su Yu, seizing the still-merging Heaven Hunting Ranking. Su Yu frowned. Lan Tian appeared somewhat manic as he cried out, "Give it to me, grant it to me! I understand now. I am going to open my Dao—give it to me!" At this moment, Wan Tiansheng materialized and snapped, "Outrageous!" Snatching it directly? Had Lan Tian gone mad? Yet Lan Tian shouted frantically, "No, I truly need it! I need this more than anything! This is a half-finished product, not a complete one! Emperor Yu has no need for this; if he uses it to open a Dao, he might very well die!" A half-finished product! Su Yu’s heart stirred. Lan Tian said urgently, "I need this desperately. I feel that either I achieve the Dao today, or... today shall be the day of my demise!" Su Yu’s expression turned solemn as he asked in a low voice, "You want to open your Dao right now?" "Yes, I want to open my Dao!" Su Yu turned to Wan Tiansheng. "Let him have it!" Lan Tian instantly burst into countless disparate laughs. "And that is why you are the Emperor, while Tiansheng can only be a King! Hehehe, hahaha, tee-hee..." He snatched the Heaven Hunting Ranking. In Su Yu’s eyes, Lan Tian seemed utterly deranged as he suddenly soared into the air, tearing right into the River of Time! Not only that, at this moment, a Lan Tian flew out from virtually every corner of the myriad realms. Men, women, monsters, insects, flowers, even a mountain... In that instant, countless gazes across the world were drawn toward the spectacle. Even over the surfaces of the sealed realms, faint traces of willpower emerged. What was the human race doing now? Countless Lan Tians suddenly flew toward the River of Time in unison. Su Yu and Wan Tiansheng followed immediately, tearing into the long river. By then, Lan Tian had already stepped into the rushing waters! He stood motionless. Holding the Heaven Hunting Ranking, Lan Tian seemed to feel the surging might of the torrential river. His laughter was hair-raising. "Fascinating! Truly fascinating! So that's how it is, that's how it is!" "Hahaha!" As he laughed wildly, he suddenly took a step forward. Boom! His physical body blew apart! Dead! Yes, at that moment, Lan Tian had died. Su Yu’s expression shifted, as did Wan Tiansheng’s. Both of their faces changed, and just as they were about to intervene, another Lan Tian walked out from the Record of Ten Thousand Laws. This Lan Tian giggled. "How intriguing, how utterly intriguing! If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening! Today, I may perish, and I may not succeed in carving out the Dao that belongs to me. Tiansheng, Su Yu, watch closely! Watch me open my Dao, open this Dao of the heavens! Open this Common People Dao!" Boom! This figure blew apart as well after taking a single step forward. Meanwhile, countless Lan Tians rapidly merged into the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Soon, yet another Lan Tian emerged from the ranking. This one was an elderly man who carried an air of vicissitude. Holding the Heaven Hunting Ranking, he sighed with emotion. "This is merely a half-finished product. King Wen never actually opened the Dao; he merely provided a concept and an embryonic form!" "It seems King Wen couldn't pull it off either. I can only rely on myself. He lacked the talent for this; he just didn't have what it took!" He openly disparaged King Wen. Scholars always scorned one another! Su Yu had said similar things before, Wan Tiansheng had said them, and now Lan Tian was saying them as well. It could not be helped. Since the dawn of creation, King Wen was seen by most as the paragon of scholars, the absolute peak of Civilization Masters. Naturally, monstrous geniuses measured themselves against King Wen! At that moment, the white-haired Lan Tian suddenly blew apart, flesh and blood scattering as his corpse fell into the River of Time. Truly dead! A fallen clone! Su Yu and Wan Tiansheng followed step by step, their expressions intensely grave. Neither intervened, nor did they speak. From the Heaven Hunting Ranking, another Lan Tian emerged. Holding the ranking, he pressed forward. Taking a single step, his body cracked open, and he lamented, "So painful! This Dao is difficult to walk, difficult to forge; it is destined to create a river of blood!" "The common people suffer, and so do I. To shelter the common people, I forge the Common People Dao!" Taking another step, boom, he blew apart once more. Another corpse fell! Su Yu began to see what was happening, his heart seized with shock. Wan Tiansheng, meanwhile, forcefully merged a divine character into Su Yu’s Heavenly Gate... prompting Su Yu to whip around and glare at him furiously! What are you doing? None of these people had any respect for propriety today! Bastards! Forcefully merging a divine character into his Heavenly Gate gave Su Yu a sensation of being violated. It was utterly infuriating. Before long, Wan Tiansheng replicated a miniature Heavenly Gate for himself and hastily withdrew his divine character from Su Yu’s gate. Ignoring Su Yu entirely, he looked toward Lan Tian and the Heaven Hunting Ranking, barking in a heavy voice, "Madman! This fellow has lost his mind!" He yelled, "Lan Tian, stop this madness! You're insane! Do you have any idea what you're doing?" "I know!" An alluring female Lan Tian appeared, smiling coquettishly. "Tiansheng, of course I know! But... I’ve always been a madman! Haven't I said it already? If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening! You two dare not do it, but I dare. What is it other than death?" Boom! The alluring woman blew apart! Her corpse fell into the long river, dying the waters faint crimson. In the next breath, another Lan Tian materialized, holding the Heaven Hunting Ranking as he trudged forward, sounding somewhat fearful: "I'm so scared... Tiansheng, comfort me a little." Wan Tiansheng knitted his brows. The newly emerged Lan Tian seemed like a sheltered maiden from a humble family, trembling as she took step after step forward. "I'm truly so frightened! But the Dao lies beneath my feet. Tiansheng, I don't want to give up!" Wan Tiansheng’s expression was heavy. Boom! Another Lan Tian blew apart, flesh and blood paving the path. Su Yu looked down grimly. He understood now! He truly understood! At this moment, beneath their feet, a path of blood had appeared, tracing along the main channel. Even as the crimson trail was relentlessly battered by the rushing waters, Su Yu could see the bloody path holding firm, clinging stubbornly to existence! It was as though a thread of blood had been drawn through the river waters! Holding the Heaven Hunting Ranking, countless Lan Tians merged into it in order to borrow its power of veiling heavenly secrets, thereby avoiding the violent backlash of the River of Time! Su Yu felt a tremor in his heart. In this era, each person was more ruthless than the last. When Wan Tiansheng opened the Human Dao, Su Yu had thought him ruthless enough, yet even if his attempt failed, he could still survive. But Lan Tian... this madman was truly driving himself down a path of no return! Su Yu said in a low voice, "It is too difficult! As difficult as scaling the heavens! Do you know how long this river truly is? Must this path extend to the very end to be considered a success, or is covering a certain distance enough? You will die! You were originally the hardest being in the myriad realms to kill, yet now you are going to get yourself killed!" Yet another Lan Tian emerged, giggling. "Little Brother Su Yu, you don't understand. This is the pursuit of the true self! My heart is too full of universal love. I love the common people, and the common people love me..." Su Yu was helpless. Boom! Another explosion. The line of blood advanced by one step. Lan Tian continued forward. Clones appeared one after another, holding the Heaven Hunting Ranking to ward off the river's torrents, walking step by step into the distance. Su Yu followed, as did Wan Tiansheng. After following for a time, Wan Tiansheng shouted, "I will assist you! I shall clear the way for you—increase your speed! At this rate, even if you possess billions of clones, you will bury them all!" With that, he soared straight ahead of Lan Tian. Traversing the river with his physical body, he suppressed the crashing waves one by one! Behind him, Lan Tian laughed. "Tiansheng is as endearing as ever. In that case, I shall press on!" His speed increased considerably. Previously, a clone might blow apart after just three steps; now, one could manage five steps, or even ten, before detonating. Behind them, Su Yu drew a deep breath. A small stone appeared in his hand. This was the true treasure of suppression! Of course, Su Yu had used it many times before and felt that its consumption was substantial. The next moment, Su Yu reached out. A large seal materialized—his own Human Lord Seal. Su Yu said in a low voice, "Prefect Wan, use my Human Lord Seal to suppress the waves. If the consumption is too great, pull back!" Catching the Human Lord Seal tossed by Su Yu, Wan Tiansheng erupted with aura, rapidly suppressing the increasingly violent waves! Even with the Heaven Hunting Ranking present, the River of Time seemed to have sensed something at this moment. Gigantic waves surged endlessly, seeking to destroy Lan Tian. Ahead, Wan Tiansheng struggled to shield Lan Tian from the elements, quelling the colossal waves. Step by step, clones of Lan Tian blew apart one after another. *** Meanwhile, in the myriad realms. Everyone was looking up at the sky. A streak of blood had appeared, originating from the Human Realm. Indeed, they could not see the River of Time, but they could see a line of blood beginning to stretch outward from the Human Realm, steadily extending. With every inch it advanced, it stirred faint tremors. Its spread appeared slow, yet strangely swift. Now, as the crimson streak spread across the heavens, a sense of panic gripped the myriad races. In the Eastern Rift Valley, King Dazhou’s gaze shifted erratically. Fuck! Was a single Su Yu not enough for this era? First Wan Tiansheng, and now Lan Tian emerged. Was this an omen? Just like the era of the Human Sovereign—one Human Sovereign had not stood alone, followed by a host of supreme powerhouses. King Wen, King Wu, the Prison King, King Ming... "A new era is about to officially begin!" A whisper escaped him. This era was truly commencing! Year One of the New Yu Era! Yet... that crimson hue carried an ominous portent! Was Lan Tian opening a Dao? It felt... like this Dao, much like that crimson color, was fraught with peril and drenched in chilling slaughter. Could Lan Tian succeed? Just moments ago, they had been discussing whether to give the Heaven Hunting Ranking to Lan Tian, only for Lan Tian to snatch it away in the blink of an eye. What was Su Yu thinking? At this moment, King Dazhou felt a momentary daze. He seemed to be reminded of someone—the Human Sovereign! Everyone claimed Su Yu resembled King Wen... Bullshit, he resembled the Human Sovereign far more! The Human Sovereign had been the same way. In that era, King Wen, King Wu, and the others had roamed the heavens unhindered. The myriad races spoke only of the Four Polar Human Kings, rarely mentioning the Human Sovereign, for he had been exceptionally low-key. Yet being low-key did not mean he was weak or inferior. Without true capability, how could he have been the Human Sovereign? The Human Sovereign had known how to recognize and employ talent. Among the four kings of Wen, Wu, Ming, and Prison, who had dared defy him? The Human Sovereign was the true anchor of human supremacy over the heavens, the key reason the human race had endured for a hundred thousand years without perishing. Passed down through the generations to this day, one rarely saw contingencies left behind by the Four Polar Human Kings, but the Human Sovereign's arrangements spanned past and present alike! And now, Su Yu was doing the same. He had enabled Wan Tiansheng, and now he was enabling Lan Tian. Before this, he had also enabled King Daqin and King Daxia, relinquishing the Inkstone Dao. Furthermore, was the Ink Dao in Liu Hong’s hands? Given Su Yu’s temperament, he likely wouldn't bother interfering. Last time in the Dead Spirit Realm, he had vaguely sensed that Liu Hong had probably already attained the Dao. If Su Yu truly wished to capture Liu Hong, it would be child's play! Across the entire Dead Spirit Realm, where could Liu Hong possibly run? Su Yu often claimed to be petty, yet in King Dazhou’s eyes, Su Yu possessed an extraordinary charisma at this moment, a breadth of vision beyond imagination! The Brush Dao did not feel as powerful as the path Lan Tian walked. The Ink Dao was similarly unique. Even with the Wild Sky Beast's Dao, if Su Yu refused to hand it over, he could cultivate it himself later to temper his physical body, growing strong enough to battle across the heavens! "Breadth of mind... grand vision..." King Dazhou looked up at the sky, muttering to himself. Perhaps this was the very reason Su Yu could draw countless individuals to swear their allegiance. At this moment, figures of human powerhouses manifested in the distance. King Daqin, King Daxia, King Daming... All of them looked toward the sky, expressions exceedingly grave. Even without knowing what had transpired, that crimson streak was dazzlingly bright. As the bloodline spread, it sowed terror and dread. *** In the Immortal Realm. Tiangu sat at the center of the grand hall, gazing at the sky. At this moment, even from within the Immortal Realm, without stepping beyond its borders, one could vaguely see the crimson glow—a faint, blood-red thread extending across the heavens. Tiangu’s expression was grim beyond measure! "What is the human race—what is Su Yu—doing now?" His immediate thought was Su Yu. Who else could it be? Within the grand hall, the various powerhouses were similarly uneasy and apprehensive. King Fu asked in a low voice, "Lord, what is this crimson path?" He could not understand it. For it to spread all the way above the Immortal Realm was utterly unfathomable! Tiangu kept his head raised, watching in silence. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "A crimson path... Perhaps... it is a Dao?" "A Dao?" The crowd was bewildered. What Dao? Tiangu stared at the sky and said slowly, "Is someone among the humans... opening a Dao? Or what?" After murmuring for a moment, he let out a soft sigh. "Pay it no mind. At this moment, the Human Realm has reached a zenith, with monstrous talents emerging in endless succession! All of you, be on your guard. So long as the Upper Realm remains sealed, the Human Realm is invincible! Su Yu spoke of five years..." Tiangu gave a soft laugh. "Perhaps three years, perhaps two, or perhaps even sooner! He will launch an assault against us! He is gathering strength, awaiting the outbreak of war with the Upper Realm! Across all ten tides, Su Yu possesses the bearing of the Human Sovereign more than anyone else!" This was the highest form of praise. The ancient Human Sovereign! The first hegemon to unify the myriad races of the heavens, and the only one in two hundred thousand years. King Fu and the others paled. After a long silence, Tiangu suddenly sighed. "Integrate your Daos! King Yu, Hanxiang, all of you should achieve Dao Integration!" Below, the assembly was shaken. With an expression caught between a smile and tears, Tiangu said, "All of you, achieve Dao Integration! There is no need to hold back any longer, nor any need to worry about what I might do! Whether I can even live until the realm unseals is uncertain! The Great Dao of the Immortal Emperor... is ultimately not my own Dao after all! Hahaha, the monstrous geniuses of the human race are opening Daos, while I am merely guarding one!" A trace of self-mockery colored his voice. "I have fallen behind! I have grown old, and I have lost the spirit of my youth. In my younger days, I swept across all peers of my generation throughout the heavens! In my youth, at the end of antiquity, I defeated the disciple of King Wen, narrowly bested the descendant of King Wu, forcefully crushed the son of King Ming, defeated the inheritance of the Prison King, broke the battle array of the Demon Emperor’s descendant, and matched the scion of the God Emperor..." Tiangu smiled. "That era belonged to me! Alas... that era did not belong to me after all; I threw it away myself!" He mocked himself mercilessly. "I suppose I fell for the Immortal Emperor's trap. That old fellow’s Dao... might not even be all that strong, and he might not even be dead yet!" Tiangu's hair was stark white, carrying an air of decline and wistful regret. Tiangu was a genius. A peerless, monstrous genius! Back in antiquity, Doubao had gone to ask the Fate Emperor whether he could eat Tiangu, and the ancient Fate Emperor had said he could! Out of all the delicacies and people in the myriad realms, Doubao had asked about no one else, only Tiangu. That alone spoke volumes. Yet after squandering countless ages, pouring his heart entirely into the Immortal Emperor’s Great Dao, he had ended up sealing his realm in self-isolation. He could only watch helplessly as the human race rose step by step. In the tenth tide, the humans were experiencing a glorious eruption. Tiangu let out a long sigh. "Go and integrate your Daos. There is no need to hide any longer, no need to endure! Buy a little time for the immortal race. Otherwise, before the Upper Realm even opens, our race may already be destroyed!" He smiled faintly, then added in a quiet tone, "Perhaps only by relying on you all can the Immortal Realm continue to endure! If a grand battle truly erupts and the immortal race cannot match the humans, we don't necessarily have to defeat them. For instance, exterminating the God and Demon races is also an option! Once those two races are wiped out, the gate to the Upper Realm will inevitably open!" The hearts of the listeners trembled violently! Yet Tiangu murmured, "Our race will likely be unable to rival the humans! Let us force the realm gate open first! There has been no movement from the Dead Spirit Realm for some time; perhaps something went wrong there as well. Do not cling to the illusion that we can wait for the Upper Realm gate to open on its own. That is impossible; by then, our race will be finished!" Dread gripped the crowd. Tiangu said no more, his figure slowly fading from the hall, leaving behind a wistful murmur: "In the path of cultivation, one must forge ahead against the current. The Immortal Emperor led me astray, and I have led you all astray. Those who merely merge with existing Daos are conservative caretakers, destined to miss out on the true brilliance of the myriad realms!" Carrying an indescribable melancholy, Tiangu vanished from where he stood. Many turned their gazes to King Fu. King Fu frowned, remaining silent for a long while before speaking: "No matter what, those who can achieve Dao Integration should do so. Even if... even if it leads to death, the outcome is the same. Dying in battle as a Dao Integration expert is better than dying as an Eternal!" At these words, the old antiques below exchanged looks. Finally, Hanxiang said in a heavy voice, "Then let us enter seclusion and achieve Dao Integration!" The next moment, the group of elders vanished one after another. They would find a way to integrate their Daos! Tiangu had lifted his restrictions and would no longer police them. King Fu was right. If Tiangu truly targeted them later, the worst outcome was death. Right now, the situation looked dire; once the humans attacked, death was just as likely! In that case, they might as well take the gamble! *** In the God Realm. The God Emperor's Palace. Jiwu was cultivating when his eyes snapped open. Soon, an illusory figure materialized before him. "Late Imperial Consort..." The old woman's voice drifted over, carrying a profound weakness. "Select a few geniuses. While I am still drawing breath, I shall infuse them with some Great Dao power so they may achieve Dao Integration as swiftly as possible." "Late Imperial Consort, this..." Cough, cough, cough! The old woman coughed weakly. "I can hold on no longer. I fear I will not live to see Our Emperor's return... Jiwu, you possess great talent. I... will infuse the majority of my Great Dao power into you. Comprehend it well! Only by stepping into the Quasi-King realm will you stand a chance! If I die, preserve my bones... I wish... to await his return... even if only... to gaze upon him one last time..." Carrying a touch of melancholy and reluctant longing, the old woman soon gave a soft laugh. "The human race has risen once more. That crimson glow spanning the heavens is no good omen. Foolish child, heal your wounds well. In a few days, I shall expound the Dao for you. Live on... This era, after all, no longer belongs to us!" "Late Imperial Consort!" Jiwu rose to his feet, but the elderly figure had already vanished. Jiwu’s expression shifted erratically, fraught with sorrow. The Late Imperial Consort was going to die. Could their race not hold out? Just how much power had the human race accumulated? "Why?" Jiwu murmured. Such a favorable situation had been squandered in an instant! During the ninth tide, even when the Hundred Battles King was peerlessly mighty, the Late Imperial Consort had paid it no mind, asked no questions, and never once intervened. In this tide, the human race had started out exceedingly feeble, yet now they had driven the Late Imperial Consort to surrender her very life, giving up on waiting for the former Emperor's return. "Jiwu... obeys your command!" With a heavy heart, Jiwu sat cross-legged, casting aside all stray thoughts. He had to comprehend the Dao! Former Emperor, why have you still not returned? The Late Imperial Consort will not live to see you one last time! *** In the Demon Realm. "Father..." Moyue looked toward Moji. Moji was staring up at the sky, lost in thought. After watching for a while, he turned to Moyue and smiled after a long silence. "Your talent is quite good, but you were born too late after all, and you walked the Three Incarnations Dao to achieve Dao Integration! In the ninth tide, we achieved a total victory. I thought the human race was on the verge of extinction; as it turns out, I was thinking too highly of our chances." He smiled faintly, then reached out to pat Moyue’s head. "You won't do; your talent is still slightly lacking! Go summon Moduona. I will expound the Demon Race’s Dao for him and teach him that, ultimately, race triumphs over all!" Moji chuckled softly. "Furthermore, if things truly become untenable, flee into the Dead Spirit Realm and proceed with utmost caution! Back when I ventured through the Dead Spirit Realm, I became acquainted with several sealed figures in the Land of Guixu. Simply state that you are my son! There is a senior of our race there named Dizhiluo who has regained his true heart. Though he is a dead spirit, he can look after you to some degree..." "Father!" Moyue’s tone was exceedingly heavy. "Is this because of that crimson path?" "No!" Moji shook his head. "That is merely one factor; it may not necessarily signify everything. However, strange omens are appearing in rapid succession! These phenomena are entirely unprecedented, and all of them are signs. Back when the human race unified the heavens, it was just like this—wonders and omens filling the sky!" Moji smiled. "Keep an escape route open! Furthermore, Tiangu and Jiwu are both cunning old foxes, and the God race still has that ancient fossil who lived through the era when the humans unified the heavens!" He smiled faintly. "They, too, have likely sensed the crisis! Once Su Yu campaigns against the heavens before the Upper Realm opens, our race may very well be in the greatest danger!" Moji’s expression turned somewhat grimmer. "With Tiangu present and that Late Imperial Consort standing watch, the foundations of those two races are stronger than ours! Once things become untenable, those fellows might very well sacrifice the Demon race to forcefully tear open the gate to the Upper Realm! Years ago, when you and Xuehuo competed for the position of Demon Emperor, I chose you not simply because you were my son, but more importantly because Xuehuo was too reckless, too direct, too simple-minded!" He let out a bitter laugh. "Xuehuo is skilled in battle, but inept at scheming! He could never outwit the likes of Tiangu and Jiwu! Even you fall somewhat short... Ah!" At his father's sigh, Moyue was utterly shaken. "Father means that if the Immortals and Gods face a crisis, they might turn their blades against our Demon race?" "Why wouldn't they?" Moji smiled. "If they cannot defeat the humans, could they really fail to defeat our Demon race? Is it better to fight to the death against the humans, or to slaughter our Demon race and force open the Upper Realm?" "This..." "Do not think too much about it. Focus on your cultivation!" Moji looked toward the sky, where the crimson path continued to spread. He said with a hint of bitterness, "If that blood path breaks, perhaps the various races still have a chance. If it does not break... it means the human race has produced yet another miracle!" Moyue said nothing, looking up at the sky as well, praying in his heart that this blood path would snap soon! *** Meanwhile, within the River of Time. Clones of Lan Tian detonated one after another, and new ones emerged, clutching the Heaven Hunting Ranking as they pushed forward, leaving a trail of blood extending behind them. Ahead, Wan Tiansheng roared, the Human Lord Seal growing dim as he sustained grave injuries. He bellowed in fury, "Give it up! Fall back! Lan Tian!" Five or six thousand clones had already perished! It seemed entirely without end! If this continued, Lan Tian would be utterly wiped out. Even he, renowned as immortal and unkillable, would die. At this moment, despite having lost countless clones, Lan Tian’s eyes were remarkably clear. Bearing a faint smile, he continued forward. "No, you should retreat! I know this Dao is nearly impossible to open, a path of certain death, but... I wish to walk it! Perhaps someone walked it in antiquity, but they failed with absolute certainty... I want to try it once more. I love pushing the limits!" He smiled, his expression radiant. "Tiansheng, step aside. This Dao, I shall open myself!" Boom! The clone blew apart once more, and yet another materialized. Wan Tiansheng’s expression was exceedingly grave. Roaring furiously, shedding all his refined scholarly veneer, he shattered a surging wave with a palm strike, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and looked back toward Su Yu. Behind Lan Tian, Su Yu stood completely still. As Lan Tian took a step forward, Su Yu took a step forward, not even looking at Wan Tiansheng. Lan Tian, this madman, intended to forge his Dao right within the main current of the River of Time! Not in a tributary—he wanted to forge his Dao, the Common People Dao, right within this main stream! Su Yu had once entertained the thought, but he had never dared attempt it. Today, this lunatic Lan Tian was doing precisely that. The Common People Dao! The common people had an origin, and the origin of the Great Dao lay right here in the River of Time. Rather than slowly comprehending the Daos of the ten thousand races bit by bit, it was better to forge his own Dao within this main channel, using the flesh and blood of his clones as the roadbed! Opening his Dao as he advanced! This was Lan Tian—the deranged Lan Tian. How far did he have to go before this Dao would stabilize? No one knew! How long must the path stretch before he succeeded? No one knew! How much time would it take to complete? No one knew that either! The Great Dao lay ahead, yet no one knew where the road led. There was no hope in sight, yet along this seemingly hopeless path, Lan Tian stubbornly persevered in his creation. He wanted to become a Lan Tian unlike any other! If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening. At this moment, Lan Tian pushed his heart of seeking the Dao to the absolute limit. Throughout his life, his original conviction had never wavered. No matter how his appearance shifted, he remained that same Lan Tian—the Lan Tian whose pursuit of truth never ceased. Just as years ago, when he had resolutely walked out of the Civilization Academy, shouldering endless infamy to become the leader of the All-Heavens Sect, he was madness to his very bones. "Seas turn to mulberry fields through spring and autumn, Heaven and earth never rest the dance of water and fire! The Great Dao never departs the square-inch realm, Wrought through meticulous labor and steadfast conduct..." At this moment, another clone of Lan Tian emerged, singing at the top of his lungs. The Great Dao lay beneath his feet! If he did not open this Dao, what path was he to walk in this lifetime? Walk a mundane Dao of clones? How vulgar! Only common mortals walked a Dao of clones. He was Lan Tian! All living beings would celebrate him, and the Great Dao would sing for him! Beaming with smiles, Lan Tian sang aloud as he advanced, clones exploding and scattering flesh and blood. The path of blood continued to stretch onward! Ahead, Wan Tiansheng roared maniacally, suppressing the colossal waves. Finding a true soulmate in this life was far too difficult! In this world, who wasn't a madman? He was, and so was Lan Tian. He could not bear, nor was he willing, and still less did he desire to see this madman buried within this Great Dao. "Where does the road ahead lie?" For the first time, Wan Tiansheng felt such overwhelming despair. Just how far did this Dao need to be forged? When would it ever end? He was on the verge of collapsing. Behind them, Su Yu watched in silence, following without a word. Where the road ahead lies, I do not know either. We can only take it one step at a time. He offered no words of dissuasion, only feeling a trace of envy and a touch of self-mockery. He still had too many reservations. And yet... he had his own Dao; there was no need to envy others. Still, having a few confidants in life was a wonderful thing, a blessing. "Prefect Wan, my blessings to the two of you!" "..." Fuck! At that moment, Wan Tiansheng coughed up a mouthful of old blood. Su Yu, you bastard, you're actually joking at a time like this?! Are you trying to anger us to death?! Meanwhile, Su Yu burst into uproarious laughter. The next moment, clutching a massive boulder, he vaulted into the air and bellowed, "Out of the way! Watch Emperor Yu stabilize the universe!" Boom! A boulder smashed downward. The River of Time trembled violently, and the towering waves ahead were instantly flattened! Su Yu’s aura surged skyward as he laughed heartily. Wan Tiansheng wasn't cutting it! Monstrous talent? Was anyone more monstrous than him? Power? Was anyone more powerful than him? He, Su Yu, was the true pillar who stabilized the heavens! If the tiger did not bare its fangs, did they take him for a sickly cat? Laughing with boundless abandon, Su Yu yelled, "Keep moving! What are you standing there for? Today, I’ll protect your Dao—so you'd better serve me well hereafter!" Roaring with laughter, Su Yu charged forward like a juggernaut, clutching the massive stone as he hurtled ahead. Wherever he passed, even the most terrifying waves were swiftly suppressed! Wan Tiansheng stared in dumbfounded disbelief! Lan Tian froze for an instant before being overcome with ecstatic joy. Bursting into booming laughter, he swiftly followed. This time, his clone endured for a very long time before finally exploding. The next Lan Tian transformed into a little girl, beaming happily: "Brother Emperor Yu truly is the best! Brother Tiansheng, I think I'm falling for someone else!" Pfft! Wan Tiansheng spat out another mouthful of blood. Already severely wounded, his lungs nearly burst from sheer fury. What kind of utter nonsense was that?! These lunatics... Well, he supposed he was one too. Were three madmen opening a Dao together? Thinking of this, Wan Tiansheng suddenly smiled, his face lighting up as he swiftly began tending to his injuries. His path was not lonely!