"Marquis?"
"Father?"
At that moment, both the white-haired elder and Marquis Dingjun's daughter looked on in confusion. What was wrong?
Marquis Dingjun said nothing. He rose swiftly to his feet, his gaze turning grave.
Countless brushes with death over the years had given him an instinct that trouble was brewing.
Never underestimate a single warning of danger!
In the Upper Realm, the human race was unlike the myriad races. The myriad races could afford carelessness; humanity could not.
A single lapse in vigilance meant death!
"On guard!"
Marquis Dingjun barked a low command that resonated throughout the flower head. In an instant, those who had been meditating, chatting, sleeping, or eating all sprang up in alarm.
Over a thousand people rapidly assembled into formations.
According to their usual drill, the elderly formed the outer perimeter, the young and strong took the center, and the small, frail children were stored into weapon spaces...
However, if the experts carrying those weapon spaces fell, it meant everyone inside would perish as well, with no second chance.
As for who was carrying these spatial weapons, no one asked, and no one said.
In any case, they would never be given to the Marquis!
Marquis Dingjun was their main combatant. Severe spatial tremors from his battles could easily crush the people inside. Crucially, the Marquis was guaranteed to be the primary target of the myriad races!
The crowd fell silent, vigilant, uneasy, and despairing, their faces mixed with a dull numbness.
They had been on the run for far too many years!
The Upper Realm was not as wonderful as it sounded.
It sounded grand and lofty, but in truth, life here was wretched, especially over the past six thousand years. Before that, things had been manageable; even if humanity could not dominate the Upper Realm, they could still stand toe-to-toe with the myriad races.
The younger generation of experts had never experienced that glorious era. They had known only endless waves of sorrow and despair.
"Here it comes again!"
Someone in the crowd muttered under their breath, sounding almost relieved.
They had been put on alert like this countless times.
Of course, most of the time, no enemies ever arrived.
Still, the Marquis was always cautious. Because of that, some did not take it too seriously. If enemies really came... the worst outcome was simply fighting to the death. Dying was a release in itself. Back then, they numbered in the hundreds of thousands; now, only this small group remained.
Beside Marquis Dingjun, several peak Eternal Realm experts quickly converged.
The white-haired elder was also a peak Eternal expert.
He was even close to the Dao Integration stage. The reason he had not achieved Dao Integration was not that he lacked the capability, but that he lacked the opportunity. Achieving Dao Integration caused an immense disturbance that would easily expose them.
Of course, if a massive battle broke out and they were already exposed, achieving Dao Integration then would pose no issue.
At this moment, the white-haired elder was focused with absolute concentration.
He was incomparably vigilant.
Had the Marquis sensed impending danger?
Spear in hand, Marquis Dingjun turned to his daughter and said deeply, "Get over there!"
He did not store her away, nor was there any need to.
She was the daughter of Marquis Dingjun. Even though she was only in the Sun Moon Realm, if she had to die, she would die fighting in battle, not suffocated inside a weapon space.
The woman said nothing, swiftly flying into the ranks of the thousand-strong contingent.
The crowd looked up into the sky with wary, unsettled eyes.
Was a powerful enemy approaching?
...
Meanwhile, Su Yu was surprised.
"It seems... we've been noticed!"
Su Yu felt a hint of surprise. There was no need for him to search flower by flower now; he could clearly see which bloom Marquis Dingjun occupied, as faint traces of distinct Great Daos were emerging from it.
Ordinary people could not see them, but they could not hide from Su Yu.
As the group strode through the void, moonlight cascaded toward them. Yet before it could touch Su Yu and the others, Lan Tian devoured it with a look of pure bliss.
"What a wonderful place. I want to refine a flower clone!"
He chuckled softly. He wanted to become a flower!
Since he was refining clones, he naturally intended to tap into the Dao of these flowers. The Dao of All Living Beings was endlessly versatile.
To others, this moonlight was highly toxic, but to Lan Tian, it served as a medium to comprehend the power of the Great Dao. He wished he could absorb every drop of it.
King Dazhou did not bother indulging him and said in a low voice, "He is a veteran general, after all. Having been hunted for so many years, his sense of danger must be extraordinarily sharp! He might not have detected us directly, but he certainly felt a premonition of crisis!"
Su Yu nodded.
King Dazhou asked in a deep voice, "What do we do now? A direct assault?"
A direct assault would cause too large a disturbance.
Moreover, this was Bright Moon Flower Valley. If they provoked the flowers here, although their group did not fear them, a massive battle would be unavoidable.
None of these flowers were weak.
They were even vaguely connected as a collective whole, capable of unleashing combat power on the level of Dao Integration. The peril of forbidden grounds lay precisely in hazards like this.
Su Yu glanced at the sky. Since they had already captured one Dao Integrator, dragging this out might lead to unforeseen complications. After pondering for a moment, he exhaled and said, "If all else fails, we attack directly! It's just one Dao Integrator, after all! Naturally, it's best if we can talk him down. If not... we take him down!"
"Understood!"
Subduing Marquis Dingjun was not difficult. The key was to keep the commotion to a minimum.
"Move!"
With that order, a grand formation materialized in an instant.
King Daming was in command!
A concealment formation!
This had been adapted from the Western Consort. She had given King Daming tremendous inspiration, allowing his mastery of formations to progress by leaps and bounds—otherwise, he would never have broken through to the Dao Integration Realm.
The grand formation instantly enveloped the closed flower.
Right at that moment, a long spear pierced through the air, bursting out from within the flower carrying unstoppable momentum and sheer, desperate resolve!
Marquis Dingjun bellowed, "Scatter and run!"
They were finished!
The instant the grand formation descended, he knew they were in grave peril.
A Dao Integration formation!
The person maintaining the formation alone was a Dao Integrator, not to mention the others!
"Run? Where do you think you're running?"
A light chuckle rang out. In the next instant, countless figures manifested in every direction. Lan Tian smiled merrily as an incomparably powerful version of himself appeared, striking an alluring pose. "Little Dingjun, come play with me!"
Shaken to the core, Marquis Dingjun blurted out, "A Quasi-King?"
"Not quite—more like a Heavenly King, don't you think?"
Lan Tian giggled, sweeping a palm toward him. At the same time, King Dazhou said softly, "Marquis Dingjun, we're on the same side. Don't fight. Everyone, stay calm. We are all family. Endure for a moment and hear me out."
Marquis Dingjun's mind drifted for a fraction of a second, but he instantly broke free of the Dao's influence!
Terror struck his heart once more!
Who was that?
Another top-tier Dao Integrator!
Damn it, just how many peak experts had come to kill him?
Why had he never seen these people before?
No—the second voice sounded somewhat familiar, but he could not recall whose it was.
He managed to resist, but the thousand-strong contingent was instantly thrown into a daze, frozen in place with looks of agony and struggle. They knew what was happening and wanted to run, but King Dazhou's voice echoed in their ears.
*Don't move!*
*Listen to him!*
Those below the Eternal Realm had no power to resist. Even the Eternals could barely stumble forward a few steps before feeling an overwhelming urge to lay down their weapons and cease fighting.
No!
Despair engulfed them. They knew they had been ambushed by supreme experts.
And more than one!
"Kill!"
Marquis Dingjun roared again. He could not surrender. Even knowing he was outmatched, he could not give up.
Kill!
Fight a way out! Even if he couldn't, he would take down at least one Dao Integrator, or use the valley's power to shatter the formation and awaken all the flowers in the valley. The blossoms of Bright Moon Flower Valley were powerful entities in their own right.
Just as his spear thrust forward to pierce Lan Tian's palm, a white-clad figure suddenly materialized.
"Presumptuous!"
A low shout rattled the Great Dao. Marquis Dingjun's vision blurred, and he saw an enormous stone crashing down toward him.
"Suppress!"
Su Yu barked, hurling the stone.
His Human Lord Seal might not necessarily suppress Marquis Dingjun, but if this small stone had belonged to the ancient Human Sovereign, it was likely to exert an innate suppressing effect on these old subjects.
Sure enough—*boom!*
A thunderous crash echoed out. Marquis Dingjun's Great Dao trembled violently, leaving him momentarily paralyzed. In that fraction of a second, Lan Tian caught him in his grip, his fingers crushing inward with a sickening crunch that shattered the marquis's armor.
*Pfft!*
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Marquis Dingjun's lips. He tried to strike again with his spear, but utter despair washed over him.
The moment he thrust the spear, his vision blurred. A white-haired young man seized the weapon and wrested it from his grip in a flash.
"Insolent! You dare resist instead of bowing before your superior?"
A sharp rebuke shook Marquis Dingjun's Great Dao once more. In an instant, countless Lan Tians converged into a massive net, wrapping him tightly. Lan Tian let out a cackling laugh. "A puny little marquis, yet so bold! You dare resist instead of bowing before Emperor Yu?"
"Emperor Yu?"
Marquis Dingjun's mind reeled. What?
These people... they all seemed to be human!
Humans... Where had humanity produced such terrifying experts?
Before he could process the thought, shock struck him like a tidal wave. He blurted out involuntarily, "Lord King Wen?"
At that moment, an enormous brush appeared.
Su Yu held the massive brush, swiftly outlining countless divine characters to seal the man.
Seeing that brush, Marquis Dingjun instinctively eased his resistance.
He was lost in a daze, overwhelmed by shock and disbelief.
Who are you people?
"Who are you!" he growled. Who on earth were they?
Three supreme experts, every single one stronger than him.
And on the outside, there was another Dao Integrator maintaining the grand formation. Where had four such powerhouses come from?
He didn't recognize a single one!
Su Yu could not be bothered to explain. He had to secure the prisoner first.
Strands of sealing power poured from the Brush Dao. In the blink of an eye, building upon Lan Tian's preliminary restraint, Su Yu completely locked down Marquis Dingjun's Great Dao. Nearby, King Dazhou continued chanting under his breath.
The others remained trapped, unable to move a muscle.
From Su Yu's Brush Dao, sealing divine characters flew out one after another, sinking rapidly into the bodies of the captured soldiers and locking down every expert.
Soon, Su Yu reached out with a massive illusory hand and swept all thousand people into his grasp!
They were conscious, but entirely unable to resist, their faces etched with resentment, fury, and dread.
Just who was this white-haired demon?
Their discernment was not as sharp as Marquis Dingjun's. All they knew was that the intruders were terrifyingly powerful.
Marquis Dingjun was an absolute powerhouse, yet he had been subdued in an instant!
He hadn't been able to match a single one of them!
This was impossible!
Marquis Dingjun was by no means weak among Dao Integrators. By Su Yu's classification, he was a third-tier Dao Integrator—with first-tier being Heavenly Kings, second-tier being peak Dao Integrators, and third-tier representing conventional top-tier Dao Integrators!
Yet both Lan Tian and Su Yu were capable of suppressing him.
Despair gripped everyone present.
Su Yu, however, frowned slightly as he looked into the distance. "Not good. That made too much noise. What a nuisance!"
With that, he glanced at the still-dazed Marquis Dingjun and scolded, "Lan Tian, secure him and let's go! Marquis Dingjun, keep yourself quiet!"
Saying that, he waved his hand, and several figures appeared.
Marquis Dingjun looked over and was stunned. "Mo Shiji?"
He recognized that figure—a Demon race expert who had achieved Dao Integration in the previous cycle.
Amid his shock, Su Yu struck out with a palm—*boom!*
With a deafening explosion, the newly manifested Demon expert was smashed to pieces. Along with him, three Eternal Realm figures were pulverized into paste. Su Yu summoned his civilization chronicle; the Demon race page opened and devoured everything from the four bodies!
*Boom!*
A dark cloud suddenly gathered above. It was not a Heavenly Rule phenomenon, but rather a violent turbulence of rules and severed Daos caused by the fall of a supreme expert.
Su Yu had killed him without hesitation!
He had slain a Dao Integrator and three Eternals, then devoured their remains, entirely because he wanted to avoid trouble. He feared these individuals carried tracking items or bloodline marks that could be traced back to them.
They had just arrived in the Upper Realm; it was best to keep a low profile.
There was no need to keep them alive. Killing them was simpler.
Killing was done for the sake of staying low-profile—yes, precisely that.
After obliterating the demons, Su Yu scooped up the thousand human captives with one hand and stored them all inside his civilization chronicle. It was a tight squeeze, but they would manage.
"Burn!"
Towering flames erupted, threatening to incinerate heaven and earth!
Fires blazed across the flower valley, reducing the surrounding blossoms to ash in an instant.
King Dazhou and Lan Tian took action as well, smashing all nearby flowers to ensure no traces remained, their flames wiping out every lingering aura.
King Daming appeared as the grand formation contracted. He said urgently, "Hurry, let's go! Someone seems to have sensed the disturbance!"
"No rush. We must erase all traces and leave no aura behind!"
Su Yu refused to panic; haste only invited mistakes.
Before long, they had cleaned up all evidence and burned the surrounding flowers to cinders, turning this section of Bright Moon Flower Valley into a desolate wasteland.
Not only that, King Dazhou smiled playfully and said, "Old Zhu, leave the formation behind. Let's leave a little surprise for whoever comes investigating. Conceal the formation's aura."
King Daming grimaced. "Formations cost money..."
"Cut the chatter!"
"Fine!"
Helpless, King Daming swiftly laid out the formation. Seeing this, Su Yu smiled and began compressing power within it, packing vast amounts of origin qi and rule power into the core.
Over to the side, Lan Tian giggled. "I'll leave a clone behind for fun. When the best moment comes, I'll blow them sky-high..."
As he spoke, he abruptly transformed into a charred, mangled flower, chuckling, "They'll definitely come searching. When they see a single battered flower left behind, they'll surely inspect it... Heehee, bury the formation inside my clone!"
Without a word, the others moved swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, the grand formation was compressed into a sphere, which Lan Tian's charred flower clone swallowed in a single gulp. His clone quickly buried itself underground, giggling, "How's the concealment? I need to make it a little tricky so it takes them a while to find me. Otherwise, it won't seem realistic..."
Su Yu chuckled and nodded. Lan Tian was certainly an expert at this sort of trickery.
If it was found too easily, the enemy would suspect a trap. Adding a bit of difficulty made the deception far more convincing.
Su Yu took hold of Marquis Dingjun and said coolly, "Don't struggle, and don't make any sudden moves. Otherwise... I'll execute you as a traitor!"
At this moment, Marquis Dingjun was sealed, but he could still see and sense what was happening.
With a mix of terror and profound bewilderment, he stared at the group.
Four supreme experts!
They had ambushed him the moment they arrived, then... slain a Demon Dao Integrator, and were now setting a trap for whoever came next.
They were all humans!
Emperor Yu... King Wen... Lan Tian...
Marquis Dingjun had no idea what to think. He was agitated, baffled, and terrified all at once.
Could someone please tell me what is going on?
Are they human?
If they are, why attack me?
If they aren't... they clearly look human, except for that Heavenly King-level weirdo whose nature he couldn't discern.
He felt lost and uneasy, yet a sliver of hope flickered beneath his anxiety.
He dared not ask, nor did he dare speak; he could only wait in silence.
At the very least, these people had no intention of killing him right now.
"Let's go!"
Su Yu called out, and the group quickly regrouped.
Divine characters rippled around King Dazhou as space tore open. Su Yu summoned the small stone to suppress the spatial disturbances.
With a soft laugh, the group teleported away.
In the blink of an eye, they reappeared tens of millions of li away. The small stone in Su Yu's hand pulsed steadily, smoothing over all the spatial ripples left by their teleportation.
The rift sealed itself almost immediately!
This left no trace for anyone to track.
This group gathered the absolute elite of the human race; tracking them down was never going to be easy.
...
Shortly after their departure, powerful auras surged into the area. Seven or eight figures materialized within the flower valley.
By now, the valley was a scorched ruin.
A powerful figure among the group surveyed the scene, frowning in fury. "Damn it! Mo Shiji is dead! I explicitly told him not to alert the enemy, just to keep watch! That fool!"
He was certain Mo Shiji had given away their presence and been discovered by Marquis Dingjun!
Damn it all!
Because of that idiot, the quarry had fled, making pursuit far more difficult.
"After them!"
"He's dragging a large group with him. Even if he killed Mo Shiji, he couldn't have gotten far, and he might even be wounded!"
The lead expert was seething with rage.
Damn it!
Incompetent fool!
He scanned the surroundings, but could sense no lingering ripples. Had they escaped in such a brief window?
Could they be hiding nearby?
He swiftly probed the area, brow furrowing. Suddenly, his expression shifted—there seemed to be something alive down below.
He slammed a palm into the earth, shattering the ground to reveal a charred, battered flower before everyone's eyes.
The expert's gaze flickered.
A surviving flower!
Perhaps he could trace time back through it to see which way the fugitive had fled.
He descended rapidly, the others hurrying after him. Right now, they had no clue which direction Marquis Dingjun had gone, leaving them nowhere to pursue!
They had to investigate the scene first.
"My lord, this Bright Moon Flower is still alive. Perhaps we can reconstruct where Marquis Dingjun ran..."
"Shut up!"
The leader snapped furiously. Did he need someone stating the obvious?
Worthless sycophant!
He reached down and grabbed the flower. Slowly, a pair of eyes manifested on the blossom, filled with confusion and terror.
The leader couldn't be bothered to interrogate it. That would only waste time.
As long as it was alive, that was enough!
Rule power rippled outward to trace back through time!
With a living witness present, wiping the battlefield clean was pointless. Marquis Dingjun probably hadn't had time to sweep the area thoroughly and had missed this fortunate survivor.
Time began to flow backward.
Yet at that exact instant, a violent premonition of danger gripped the leader's heart. His eyes widened, and he roared, tearing open the void to flee.
*Boom!*
A colossal explosion shook the heavens and earth, instantly reducing the entire Bright Moon Flower Valley into a yawning black hole.
*Rumble!*
Aside from the leader, who was a Dao Integrator, there were seven others in the party: two more Dao Integrators and five Eternals.
Three Dao Integrators and five Eternals in total.
Under that earth-shattering blast, the five Eternals were torn to shreds on the spot, their Great Daos obliterated!
As for the two Dao Integrators, one of them had his physical body erased instantly. He let out a furious roar as another body materialized out of nowhere—the Three-Body Method!
This individual had clearly achieved Dao Integration after the ancient era, having cultivated the Three-Body Method.
At this moment, it had saved his life!
The explosion's destructive force was terrifying, but brief. By the time his second body was blown to bits and his third body manifested, the blast had subsided. The expert, now reduced to his final body, was pale as a ghost!
Terror consumed him!
He had nearly died right then and there!
His fellow Dao Integrator was far less fortunate. That expert had actually been stronger, but he hadn't cultivated the Three-Body Method; he had used the Weapon Fusion Method. Under the blast, he had been blown apart and killed instantly!
Truly, survival sometimes came down to luck rather than raw strength.
In circumstances like this, the Three-Body Method proved far superior at preserving one's life compared to the Weapon Fusion Method.
Nearby, the void split open. The leader who had escaped looked thoroughly rattled. He roared in blind fury, "Who did this?"
It wasn't Marquis Dingjun!
Dingjun could never engineer an explosion of this magnitude. For a blast this powerful to completely bypass his danger sense, it had to be the work of a supreme powerhouse!
Someone... considerably stronger than himself.
An explosion like this involved far too many factors: concealing auras, compressing rule power, shielding against sensory premonitions, and the nature of the flower itself.
This was not something a brute like Marquis Dingjun could pull off, nor did he possess the strength for it.
The expert was both terrified and enraged!
He had brought two Dao Integrators and five Eternals. Counting Mo Shiji from earlier, two Dao Integrators and eight Eternals had perished in a single breath!
Such a loss... was catastrophic!
Another Dao Integrator had lost two of his three bodies.
He was burning with rage, yet gripped by dread.
He couldn't pursue!
The perpetrator was likely stronger than he was.
Although his combat strength was close to a second-tier Dao Integrator, he knew the enemy outmatched him; otherwise, they could never have hidden the trap from his senses.
It wasn't Marquis Dingjun. Absolutely not!
Instead of giving chase, he waved his hand. A massive golden firework bloomed across the void, and powerful waves of will rapidly swept toward the area from all directions.
The fall of two Dao Integrators, combined with the colossal explosion, had naturally alerted nearby experts.
"Bajue, what happened?"
A colossal face manifested in the sky, looking down with a mix of surprise and bewilderment. Bright Moon Flower Valley had been rumored to be Marquis Dingjun's hiding spot, and Bajue had supposedly led a force to encircle him. Had... something gone wrong?
The newcomer was not of the Demon race, whereas Bajue was a Demon expert.
Regarding the death of two Demon Dao Integrators... the other races felt no grief. They were competitors anyway; their deaths meant nothing to them. What intrigued them was how it had happened.
Bajue was an ancient marquis!
He possessed formidable combat power. With several Dao Integrators at his back, how could he have been outmaneuvered by Marquis Dingjun?
Had the target managed to escape?
That seemed impossible!
As the inquiry was made, more colossal faces gathered in the sky. Bajue glared at them coldly, gritting his teeth. "An unexpected complication occurred. It wasn't Marquis Dingjun—a powerful figure was secretly aiding him! Mo Shiji was killed beforehand, and the enemy left behind a massive concentration of compressed rule power here, which detonated!"
The onlookers understood, their expressions turning peculiar.
In other words, you were ambushed!
This fellow was truly unlucky.
Losing two Dao Integrators at once was a staggering blow to any race. Soon, another colossal avatar materialized, radiating thunderous fury: "Bajue, you useless fool! Where is Marquis Dingjun's group?"
A flicker of resentment flashed across Bajue's face, but he swallowed his anger and answered quickly, "Marquis Duanxue, by the time I arrived, they were already gone..."
"Incompetent trash!"
Marquis Duanxue!
Seeing him appear, the other giant faces took on wary expressions and gave him a wide berth.
This individual stood on equal footing with Marquis Xian Zhan. The two of them had fought for years over a Great Dao of Rules. Recently, Marquis Xian Zhan had apparently come out on top, leaving Marquis Duanxue nursing a foul temper.
Now that the Demon race had lost two more Dao Integrators, it was a wonder he hadn't completely flown off the handle.
"Why haven't you pursued them?" Marquis Duanxue roared in fury. "Are you waiting for my true body to arrive so you can pursue your ancestors?"
He was utterly furious!
Even though Bajue was an ancient marquis like him, Duanxue held him in contempt. His true body was too far away; otherwise, he would have charged over in person long ago!
Yet Marquis Bajue was just standing here waiting. What the hell was he waiting for?
Duanxue was incensed!
It was nothing more than fear of death. But as an ancient marquis, Bajue wouldn't be killed so easily. Now that such a massive commotion had broken out, countless experts would arrive shortly. If he didn't pursue immediately, there would be no chance of catching a ghost, let alone the enemy!
Bajue's face flushed with humiliation.
Experts from other races were watching!
Yet Duanxue had berated him so ruthlessly!
Suppressing his outrage, he said in a low voice, "I will pursue them at once. However... the enemy may be much stronger than me!"
"Shut up and move!" Marquis Duanxue barked.
Bajue said no more. Gritting his teeth, he tore through the void and vanished.
Pursue what?
The enemy had vanished before he even arrived. Where was he supposed to look?
Forget it, he would just pick a random direction and make a show of it. Meanwhile, Bajue's thoughts raced: *Who was it?*
*Who is helping Marquis Dingjun?*
*A human expert?*
*Do any of the surviving human experts possess that kind of strength?*
The strongest, Marquis Minshan, had already been slain. The remaining survivors, even if stronger than Marquis Dingjun, were only marginally so. Unless they operated together, none of them had the strength to instantly butcher Mo Shiji and set up such a devastating trap.
*If it isn't a human... could it be...*
Various theories crossed his mind, a savage gleam entering his eyes.
If it wasn't the humans, could it be one of the powerful factions like the Iron-Eating race?
No, that wasn't right either. This ambush clearly bore the hallmarks of a Civilization Master. The Iron-Eating race and their ilk had plenty of powerhouses, but to orchestrate something so subtle and concealed pointed far more toward a Civilization Master.
*The Immortal race?*
The Immortals were the most adept at such methods.
Pondering countless possibilities, he searched and probed in all directions. After a long while, he stopped, feeling utterly powerless. There was nothing to find!
Even if faint traces had existed earlier, they were completely gone now.
As for Bright Moon Flower Valley, it had been blasted into oblivion; there was virtually nothing left to investigate.
"Curse them..."
He cursed internally. This was going to cause serious trouble.
Having lost two Dao Integrators, the Demon Council would likely hold him accountable.
What rotten luck!
He soon abandoned the chase. If he went too far and Marquis Duanxue failed to back him up, he might end up walking into an ambush.
The expert responsible might be a peak Dao Integrator, or even a Quasi-King.
He couldn't be sure, but one thing was certain: he could not afford to keep tracking them.
...
At the same time.
Near Soul Burying Mountain, Su Yu gazed into the distance. Though they were separated by an immense distance, the ripples of rules still carried over. Su Yu had clearly witnessed the massive explosion and the shattering of the Dao Integrators' Great Daos.
A smile tugged at the corner of Su Yu's mouth. "Have they never suffered a loss before? To actually blow a Dao Integrator to death... Do these idiots have no sense of caution whatsoever?"
Even he was surprised.
He had merely laid a trap hoping to take out a few Eternals, yet he had gained an unexpected bonus by blasting a Dao Integrator to death!
Su Yu laughed. "These Upper Realm fellows seem remarkably foolish!"
King Dazhou smiled as well. "No, it's just that they didn't expect it. Humanity has been on the decline for so long, constantly fleeing for their lives. Who would have thought humans would dare set an active trap to strike back? Besides... without Heavenly King-level combat power, pulling off something like that would have been impossible."
Su Yu nodded slightly. "True enough. Still... they're quite foolish!"
Su Yu chuckled. "A great opening victory. Taking down two Dao Integrators, both from the Demon race. In the Lower Realm, I only managed to kill Marquis Modang and felt a bit unsatisfied; this makes up for it!"
King Dazhou smiled. "Next time, let's kill some from the God race. The Immortals lost the King of Soldiers and Marquis Yunxing, but the Gods haven't lost a single one yet!"
Su Yu laughed along. That was true.
The God race had been quite lucky.
With that old imperial consort watching over them, they weren't easy to kill, and none of them had descended last time, making them even harder to target.
As the group chatted casually, the captured Marquis Dingjun stood in a complete daze, muttering, "Dead... two Dao Integrators?"
Since when were Dao Integrators so easy to kill?
*The Upper Realm was foolish... Lower Realm!*
*These people came from the Lower Realm!*
Overwhelmed by disbelief, hope, and anxiety, he blurted out, "You... you come from the Lower Realm?"
King Dazhou turned to him with a smile. "You still haven't recognized me?"
"You..."
Marquis Dingjun stared at him, falling deep into his memories. After a long silence, he gasped in shock, "You... you are Zhou Tiansheng?"
"Ahem, Zhou Tianqi!"
King Dazhou gave a light cough and smiled. Marquis Dingjun, however, shook his head. "No, you are Zhou Tiansheng. I remember now... isn't that right?"
"That was my name in the previous cycle. Now it is Zhou Tianqi!"
King Dazhou chuckled. "A name is just a label!"
In any case, he changed names frequently!
Marquis Dingjun was far too shaken to care about names. "You... you really came from the Lower Realm? How is that possible!"
He could hardly believe his ears!
All of these people were from the Lower Realm?
Killing the King of Soldiers, Marquis Yunxing, Marquis Modang...
Just how many Dao Integrators had they slain?
Were the people of the Lower Realm truly this formidable?
Even if Zhou Tianqi was an acquaintance from an earlier cycle, since when had the Lower Realm produced experts at the Quasi-King level?
And who was this white-haired youth?
At this moment, Marquis Dingjun's mind was an absolute muddle!
Could someone please tell me what is happening?
I was sitting peacefully at home when I was suddenly captured. As if that wasn't enough, two Demon Dao Integrators were suddenly killed, and then these people tell me they're from the Lower Realm—the very Lower Realm that was supposed to be on the brink of annihilation!
He felt like he was losing his mind!
Why was the Lower Realm so powerful?
If that was the case, all their talk about how weak the Lower Realm was, and how they would save it once the passage opened... wasn't that an absolute joke?
Su Yu didn't feel like explaining. He said briskly, "Let's head back first. The myriad races might launch a widespread search. There are truly a lot of experts here—only two Dao Integrators died, yet over a dozen Dao Integrators appeared in the surrounding area..."
Su Yu sighed softly. "The waters in the Upper Realm run deep. They won't be easy to deal with. Let's return and plan our next steps carefully!"
"Understood!"
The others responded. Under Marquis Dingjun's shocked gaze, even that bizarre Quasi-King obeyed Su Yu without a word of protest, quickly carrying him deep into Soul Burying Mountain.
*Emperor Yu?*
He recalled the title they had used earlier and the brush he had seen. Filled with uncertainty and a tremor of excitement, he asked abruptly, "Is this lord... the Human Lord of this cycle?"
That was the only explanation!
Otherwise, there was no reason these powerhouses would follow his commands.
Had the Lower Realm birthed another Human Lord in this cycle?
Moreover, he seemed quite powerful—at least slightly stronger than Dingjun himself.
Of course, compared to the Human Lords of the past, he still seemed a bit weaker, and far inferior to the Hundred Battles King.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, King Dazhou smiled. "He is not the Human Lord."
Marquis Dingjun froze. Not the Human Lord?
"He is the Human Sovereign of this new era!"
Marquis Dingjun was horrified. "What... what nonsense are you spouting? You..."
King Dazhou smiled. "I am a Torchbearer—a first-generation Torchbearer! Your son could be considered my junior, my subordinate. Do not question me, and do not say too much to me. Understand?"
Marquis Dingjun was stunned. A Torchbearer!
A first-generation Torchbearer!
He studied King Dazhou closely. After staring for a long time, he felt bewildered and suspicious. He had met Zhou Tiansheng a few times during the previous cycle, but the man had kept a low profile and only possessed Eternal-level strength.
Yet he was a first-generation Torchbearer. Clearly, he had hidden his true power.
Could it be that this generation's Human Lord had been propped up by him?
If so... that made sense.
*Human Sovereign?*
What audacious claims. Could it be that this Torchbearer intended to support this Emperor Yu as some Human Sovereign while manipulating him from behind the scenes?
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Su Yu, however, remained entirely placid.
Lan Tian seemed to read Marquis Dingjun's thoughts. He let out a sinister chuckle and patted Dingjun's head. Under the marquis's furious glare, Lan Tian purred softly, "Be a good boy! I haven't killed an ancient human marquis yet. Don't go becoming the first human marquis I slaughter, okay? Be obedient."
A chill ran down Marquis Dingjun's spine!
Was he serious?
This individual felt like the strongest among them, even more formidable than the Torchbearer.
As Lan Tian laughed eerily, Su Yu frowned slightly. "Stop frightening our senior. We are all humans. Senior Dingjun has fought for humanity for countless years and is an ancient marquis. Mind your manners!"
Lan Tian giggled coquettishly. "Big Brother Emperor Yu is right. I won't scare him. Let's hand him over to King Dazhou. If King Dazhou can't handle him, we'll just scare King Dazhou instead, or slice him open to see what's inside."
King Dazhou felt utterly exhausted.
Noticing Marquis Dingjun looking at him, he offered a helpless expression and looked away.
*Don't look at me, I'm not the one in charge!*
*Show some situational awareness! Around here, I'm the one they suppress. Whenever there's trouble, it's King Dazhou's fault; whenever things are quiet, I'm branded a remnant of the Hundred Battles King!*
*Where am I supposed to air my grievances?*
*I wasn't even the one who propped up the Hundred Battles King. I merely thought his immense strength could serve humanity.*
*Now that you lot who supported the Hundred Battles King have shown up, shouldn't I be off the hook?*
King Dazhou couldn't be bothered to intervene. As long as Marquis Dingjun acted sensibly, there wouldn't be any issues.
Su Yu wouldn't slaughter an ancient human marquis without good reason.
Having lived through countless eras and spent years evading pursuit, Marquis Dingjun was not lacking in perception. Observing this dynamic, his heart trembled again. This Torchbearer... was not the leader of this group?
As he pondered, they arrived at their destination.
In an instant, Marquis Dingjun saw even more people, including several familiar faces.
For instance, he recognized Xinghong.
He recognized and had met all these guardians!
After all, they had guarded the passageway for countless years, and he had seen them many times.
"Emperor Yu!"
"Your Majesty!"
The crowd chimed in one after another, their voices laced with delight. Their demeanor shook Marquis Dingjun once more: none of them paid any attention to that Quasi-King, nor did they look to the Torchbearer. Every single eye was fixed respectfully on the white-haired youth.
This... was not something a puppet Human Lord could command!
One had to realize that here, this Emperor Yu's raw combat strength was actually inferior to those two!
Why was this the case?
Marquis Dingjun had a thousand questions burning in his chest, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.
Meanwhile, Marquis Dingjun didn't notice Liu Shan and Du Bing standing nearby, their eyes wide and jaws slack.
The Marquis... had been captured!
Holy crap!
How long had it been?
He really had been dragged back!
These people were far too terrifying!
At this moment, the two Eternals were scared out of their wits. Their marquis had been hiding in a perilous forbidden ground, yet he had been hauled in just like that. What about... the Marquis's other subordinates?
Their friends?
Their families?
Were they dead or captured?
Su Yu smiled casually and said, "It's fine, don't all stare at me. Marquis Dingjun has been brought in, and we took down two Demon Dao Integrators along the way. We'll lay low for a few days; the Upper Realm will likely be searching high and low for us."
Xinghong chuckled. "Let them search! As if we're afraid of them! I knew you'd bring back a harvest on this outing. Emperor Yu, when are we going to make a big move?"
Su Yu laughed. "What's the rush? We just got here and haven't grasped the full situation yet. We'll talk about it later!"
Saying that, he glanced at Marquis Dingjun and gave a casual wave, releasing the thousand captives. "Keep them under guard for now. There are some matters I don't care to repeat. King Dazhou, you have common ground with them, so talk to them. Bring Marquis Dingjun to see me later!"
"Understood!"
King Dazhou complied, turning to Marquis Dingjun with a smile.
By now, Marquis Dingjun had gradually regained his composure.
His expression was solemn. He desperately wanted to know what had happened in the Lower Realm, and he was eager to converse with this Torchbearer.
As for the soldiers under his command, they remained immobilized under suppression, looks of terror plastered across their faces. Beside every single one of them stood a figure.
Those figures were scrutinizing them from head to toe, frightening them so badly they hardly dared to breathe.
"So many adorable little darlings!"
Thousands of Lan Tians spoke in unison, laughing with varying tones and pitches, a chorus that sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"I really want to shower these little darlings with love!"
Lan Tian continued, prompting King Daming and the others to back away from him.
Being around this fellow was genuinely suffocating.
Marquis Dingjun felt a heavy weight in his chest. He called out in a deep voice, "Everyone... do not make any reckless moves. Remain calm!"
He could sense it: the humans from the Lower Realm didn't seem to hold much respect for them.
Aside from this Torchbearer, who still displayed some goodwill, the others looked at them as though they were complete strangers—utterly irrelevant outsiders.
That look was called detachment!
Yes, detachment.
Everyone knew that Su Yu had little regard for the ancient humans, nor did he care for the humans of the Upper Realm. King Dazhou had suffered plenty of suppression in the Lower Realm over this very issue, so none of the others dared associate too closely with these newcomers.
Marquis Dingjun also spotted an Iron-Eating Dao Integrator who was keeping an exceptionally low profile, standing far away from them as if terrified of catching a plague.
One had to remember that in the Upper Realm, the Iron-Eating race maintained quite a good relationship with humanity.
Why was this happening?
Endless thoughts swirled in Marquis Dingjun's mind once more.
He glanced at Jiu Yue, who grew flustered under his stare and blurted out, "Don't look at me, I don't know you! Emperor Yu, my clan is only close to you! I don't know this guy at all, he's staring at me on purpose!"
"..."
Marquis Dingjun was speechless. *I only glanced at you. Is that kind of reaction really necessary?*
Not far away, Su Yu chuckled. "Let him look. It won't take a piece out of you."
"Well... alright then!"
Jiu Yue felt immense pressure. *Why are you staring at me? We really aren't close!*
*Honestly!*
He shifted his backside, scooting over toward Xia Longwu and the others. *Stare all you want; look at me and I still won't give you the time of day!*
Chapter 711