Gazing at Heaven, Comprehending the Dao

In the distance, King Dazhou led Marquis Dingjun away. Su Yu paid them no heed. Lan Tian crept stealthily after them, but that was none of Su Yu’s concern either. At that moment, Su Yu was occupied with his own affairs. Gazing at heaven! Indeed, these two words carried profound significance and lingering charm. The last time Su Yu visited King Wen Mansion, he had seen two words carved upon the back gate: *Gazing at Heaven*. Back then, Su Yu had not understood. Now, he often found himself gazing at the heavens, and these skies truly differed from realm to realm. The sky of the Dead Spirit Realm held a Dead Spirit Dao. The sky of the Myriad Realms held the River of Time, branching into countless tributaries. Yet in the sky of the Upper Realm, the River of Time could not be seen at all. It was a murky blur, as if this place remained an untouched pure land where no one had ever established rules. *If the River of Time is also a Great Dao... that means someone opened the heavens in the Myriad Realms, and after splitting open the sky, they left behind the River of Time. Thus, the master of the River of Time’s Dao is the one who opened the heavens!* *Later, the master of the Dead Spirit Dao stole power and opened the heavens in the dead spirit realm, but the sky they opened was incomplete and insufficiently powerful. Thus came the Dead Spirit Dao. The master of that Dao was, in fact, another world-opener!* *In the Upper Realm, the human race originally sought to turn this into their own domain. The Human Sovereign likely wished to open the heavens as well, striving to become the third world-opener. But before he could succeed, he ran into trouble. Otherwise, this place ought to possess a distinct river of its own.* *Among the three world-openers, the master of the River of Time was the most successful. The master of the Dead Spirit Dao borrowed the strength of the River of Time’s master, while the Human Sovereign simply failed, or perhaps had only just begun. Even so, the Human Sovereign might also have intended to steal power from the River of Time.* *The power of the Great Dao is so distinct here, with copious ownerless rule power. Did it seep out from the River of Time? Or did the Human Sovereign tear open a rift, just like what was done with the Dead Spirit Dao, only to fail in connecting his own Dao, causing the Dao's power to dissipate and spill everywhere?* *...* Gazing at heaven was a form of comprehension, a realization that pierced into the world’s very essence. Today, Su Yu felt ever more keenly that when King Wen wrote *Gazing at Heaven* back then, he did not simply mean looking up at the sky. Perhaps he had also implied the folly of viewing the sky from the bottom of a well. In this universe, just how many peak experts were there? If the River of Time had a master, where was that master now? Was the master of the Dead Spirit Dao truly dead? And whom were King Wen and the others fighting? The more he saw and the more he knew, the more insignificant he felt. A so-called Ruler of Rules was merely the master of a single tributary along the great expanse of the River of Time. Compared to the entire River of Time, they were utterly trivial. Where was the end of the River of Time? Just how long was it, and how powerful? With the Dead Spirit Dao, Su Yu had at least caught sight of one end. Though he had not reached the other, he felt that in this lifetime, he still held hope of attaining the height of the Dead Spirit Dao's master. Yet what of the master of the River of Time Dao? Lan Tian had indeed forged a bloody path of his own upon that Great Dao, but... how far did that bloody path stretch across the whole River of Time? A tenth of its length? A hundredth? Or perhaps a ten-thousandth? Furthermore, could that bloody path ever expand across the entirety of the River of Time? Lan Tian still had a long, distant journey ahead. His path merely possessed greater potential than other Great Daos, that was all. For Lan Tian to become a Ruler of Rules was almost hopeless. In this life, he could only remain a Dao Integrator! Unless one day he took over the River of Time itself, he would spend his entire existence as a Dao Integrator. His path had no end. It was just like the experts of the human race's physical body Dao. Some had traveled immense distances, possessing combat strength comparable to a Ruler of Rules, yet they were not Rulers of Rules because that Dao did not belong to them. *The human race's physical body Dao was likely pioneered by the Human Ancestor. That, too, is an extraordinarily formidable Great Dao. Among the Daos I have seen, the River of Time ranks first, the Dead Spirit Dao second, and this human physical body Dao third...* *The Human Ancestor was an existence from the Primordial era... no, from the world-opening era.* *Primordial... King Wen and the others actually belonged to the Primordial era, but they ended that era and ushered in the ancient era.* *It is said the Human Ancestor was surnamed Zhou, or perhaps simply named Zhou. Could an expert of that caliber have died as well?* *Hongmeng said he has existed since the world-opening era, some two hundred thousand years ago. Is that true or false? Has it truly only been two hundred thousand years since the opening of the heavens?* *Some Dao Integrators can live for over a hundred thousand years, to say nothing of Rulers of Rules. At the realm of the Human Ancestor and his peers, if merely two hundred thousand years have passed and they met no fatal catastrophe, they ought to still be alive, right?* *...* Upon arriving in the Upper Realm, Su Yu gazed at heaven and comprehended even more. He had genuinely perceived a distinct advantage in the Upper Realm. Here, the Dao's power was chaotic—or rather, the Dao's power was primordial and unrefined! This realm resembled the state of the world when heaven and earth had first split open. A place without many established rules. Being here was actually quite intriguing. Opening the heavens might be simpler here. Pioneering a Dao might be simpler! It might even be possible to continue what the Human Sovereign had sought to accomplish back then: pioneering a Dao here, a Dao that reached into the heavens! *Then why is it impossible to become a Ruler of Rules?* By this point, Su Yu had only one unsolved mystery left. Why could no one become a Ruler of Rules? *Could it truly be because of Marquis Jiantian? Because of his existence, the ancient Imperial Court’s destiny remained intact, and the Human Sovereign’s actions locked everyone out of becoming a Ruler of Rules?* *How did he accomplish that?* Su Yu pondered the Human Sovereign. Putting himself in the Human Sovereign's shoes, he imagined knowing that a crisis was coming for the human race because powerhouses like King Wen and King Wu had departed, leaving the myriad races restless. *At that juncture, aside from taking away those Rulers of Rules, what else should I have done to prevent the myriad races from turning the tables?* *Fire Spreaders were one measure. Second, blocking everyone from becoming Rulers of Rules?* *Yet if there were no Rulers of Rules and the myriad races possessed far more Dao Integrators, how could humanity ever turn the tables?* *The human race's physical body Dao... could it be that?* Su Yu pondered. If no one could become a Ruler of Rules, then humanity’s physical body Dao would be the foremost Dao under heaven. No, there was also the Dead Spirit Dao, but the four Heavenly Kings guarded it. Leaving the Dead Spirit Dao aside, it held a group of experts sealed away, making it difficult for anyone stronger than the physical body Dao to emerge. *If so... the Human Sovereign’s calculations were truly unprecedented. He anticipated that the human race would produce an expert like the Hundred Battles King who could suppress the heavens! The only thing he failed to anticipate was that this fellow who suppressed the heavens would be an idiot!* Placing himself in the Human Sovereign’s perspective, everything that should have been done had been done. Humanity was guaranteed victory! *Damn it!* A surefire victory had turned into a near-certain catastrophe—how had he managed that? He was truly exasperated! *Therefore, as long as no Ruler of Rules emerged, it was impossible for the human race to lose!* *If humanity unified the heavens once more, Marquis Jiantian might have become the next Ruler of Rules, stepping into that realm alongside the Hundred Battles King. Together, they would have broken the Human Sovereign’s seal, allowing the human race to produce Rulers of Rules once again. The myriad races might have produced them too, but humanity would have taken the lead with two Rulers of Rules from the start.* *Add the Martial Emperor into the mix—if he could be suppressed and subdued, the human side would have possessed three Rulers of Rules before anyone else. Unifying the heavens would have been well within reach!* *...The Human Sovereign...* The more Su Yu thought about it, the more he felt the Human Sovereign was truly the foremost powerhouse across the heavens, the master schemer of all time. Brilliant! The outside world rarely spoke of the Human Sovereign, but to Su Yu, the more he understood and learned, the more he realized just how formidable that sovereign truly was. King Wen was utterly carefree, coming and going as he pleased. King Wu was reckless and fiercely loyal; when King Wen left and King Wu sensed he might be in trouble, he had immediately rushed after him. King Ming was perhaps deeply devoted to romance; legends and accounts about him were sparse, and it was uncertain whether he remained with the Human Sovereign, though it was certainly possible. King Yu... had betrayed them! Where was King Yu now? With the Demon Emperor? The Demon Emperor shared blood with King Yu, so the two clearly had ties. Thought after thought surfaced until, for the first time, the ancient Human Sovereign overshadowed King Wen in Su Yu’s mind. By Su Yu’s own deduction, this sovereign was even more formidable than King Wen. If nothing else, he had prepared and plotted far more extensively. *In that case, the reason the Myriad Realms cannot produce Rulers of Rules was indeed orchestrated by the Human Sovereign.* *And the linchpin lies with Marquis Jiantian!* *If I destroy Marquis Jiantian, perhaps... Rulers of Rules can be born again, breaking all of the Human Sovereign's calculations. Isn't that right?* *If I kill Marquis Jiantian... does that mean the myriad races might produce Rulers of Rules? Hundred Battles might also succeed... or perhaps not, as it would mean his destiny power would disperse... No, that's not quite right either. His inherent strength is already there, so he still holds hope of becoming a Ruler of Rules; his destiny simply wouldn't be as mighty anymore.* *Is Marquis Jiantian truly that important?* Su Yu chuckled. *No way!* Could both the Human Sovereign and King Wen have placed such a critical pivot upon Marquis Jiantian? *Then again, Marquis Jiantian is actually the hardest to kill, because he represents destiny itself...* Following these threads of deduction, Su Yu had pieced together the broad outline of why the ancient Human Sovereign and the others had departed! These were not idle speculations, but matters of utmost importance! So crucial, in fact, that choosing when to seek battle with Marquis Jiantian required careful deliberation. The consequences had to be considered thoroughly! Once Marquis Jiantian was slain, the ancient era would draw to a close. The Human Sovereign’s seal would likely unravel, and everything would begin anew. That meant the myriad races might begin producing Rulers of Rules! Su Yu suddenly laughed. Since when had he begun pondering matters so far into the future? Was he not someone who only ever cared about what came in the very next second? His journey to the Upper Realm had only just begun, yet Su Yu already felt enlightened. His own Dao seemed to grow clearer and clearer. Pioneering a Dao! Pioneering a Dao that belonged exclusively to him! *Su Yu, your Dao can only belong to yourself.* *Because ahead of you, there may be many failed examples: the Human Ancestor, the master of the Dead Spirit Dao, the Human Sovereign—all of them may have failed.* *Because none of them ever severed their connection to the River of Time!* *That's wrong. It must be severed, running completely parallel rather than intersecting!* Su Yu turned his head toward the horizon. He seemed to see an opening—a rift piercing through the River of Time. Had the Human Sovereign sought to pioneer a Dao of his own here in the Upper Realm? King Wen had cast aside the Brush Dao and other paths; had he thought along the same lines? What was King Wen’s situation now? ... Marquis Dingjun assumed Su Yu was looking at him. Apprehension flickered in his eyes, having heard a few things about Su Yu from King Dazhou. Seeing Su Yu gazing his way, he thought Su Yu meant to kill him. With a heavy, grim expression, he said in a low voice, "King Dazhou... whether it is the Hundred Battles King or this new Human Master, both belong to the human race. No matter who prevails over the other, what good does it do for humanity? Why not join forces and defeat the myriad races together? Why must it come to... this!" King Dazhou sighed. "Then let me ask you: who takes precedence? There must be a primary and a secondary! Even the ancient era was no exception. King Wen was exceptionally brilliant, yet do not forget, throughout the ancient era, there was only one Sovereign!" Marquis Dingjun opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. King Dazhou sighed again. "What do you say?" After a long while, Marquis Dingjun said with visible inner struggle, "According to your words, this new Human Master... is remarkable! But right now, his strength... his strength is still far from that of the apex experts!" Marquis Dingjun took a deep breath. "I know. From what you told me, everything the human race possesses today was won by him. But the Hundred Battles King possesses the sheer strength we need. Wouldn't it be better to have two masters ruling side by side?" King Dazhou smiled. Compared to the past, these people had indeed changed somewhat. Back then, or right after their defeat, no one would have suggested such a thing. Yet now, Marquis Dingjun was proposing dual masters ruling side by side. This was actually a very good start, but King Dazhou knew it was not the answer Su Yu wished to hear. "Do you mean that as long as Emperor Yu is stronger than the Hundred Battles King, you would find Emperor Yu more suitable?" Marquis Dingjun was silent for a moment before nodding slightly. "I haven't interacted much with him, but from your words, I do feel that if he possessed the strength of Hundred Battles, he would certainly do a better job." King Dazhou chuckled. "I, however, believe he will surpass the Hundred Battles King before long!" Marquis Dingjun hesitated. "My fear is that progressing too quickly in the early stages might lead to... a bottleneck later on! Such a possibility is not unfounded. You said he does not follow the conventional physical body Dao, so there is no established path ahead for him... Of course, he inherited King Wen's Brush Dao, which does have a path to follow, but... is King Wen's Brush Dao truly easier to master than the physical body Dao? If not, he won't be able to become a Ruler of Rules, and he may still fall short of Hundred Battles." Marquis Dingjun's thoughts were fairly transparent. If Su Yu were stronger than the Hundred Battles King, there would be nothing left to discuss; Su Yu would unquestionably be more suitable. Even if he were not stronger than Hundred Battles, so long as their strength was comparable, Su Yu would still be the better choice for Human Master. The crux of the problem was that the disparity in strength between them was still vast. He continued, "I am also worried about another point. Once the Hundred Battles King is unsealed, afterward... from what I can see, this youth is hardly someone who yields to others. And Hundred Battles, to be frank, has quite an overbearing temperament. When the time comes, one side must yield, or we will end up fighting among ourselves." Marquis Dingjun forced a bitter smile. "Before, we only wished to survive, and Hundred Battles was the sole candidate! Now that there is another option, our hope of survival is greater, yet it makes me hesitate instead. Tell me, is human nature simply never content?" He added bitterly, "I would much rather see a repeat of the ancient era, with the Human Sovereign leading and the four Kings assisting. But His Majesty the Human Sovereign was able to win over the four Kings. I worry..." He worried that Su Yu could not win over the Hundred Battles King. While they were speaking of this, Su Yu, who had been looking their way, let out a faint fluctuation in aura. King Dazhou and Marquis Dingjun immediately turned toward him, both caught by surprise. At that moment, a divine character manifested before Su Yu. It trembled continuously. The next instant, another divine character emerged. *Yu* and *Zhou*. Universe and Time. Space across the four directions was *yu*; time throughout the ages was *zhou*. Su Yu had outlined these two divine characters long ago, but they had shown little reaction for a great while. Today, following his train of thought and standing within the Upper Realm, a place where rules were chaotic and unformed, Su Yu experienced a sudden flash of insight. The sky of the Myriad Realms did not belong to him; it belonged to the River of Time! The sky of the dead spirit realm did not belong to him; it belonged to the Dead Spirit Dao. Yet the sky of the Upper Realm had no master! *Therefore, if I am to open a Dao, I should choose to open it here!* Su Yu understood! The Upper Realm was truly the optimal choice for pioneering his Dao. However, the prerequisite was that he had to gather sufficient power and rule energy to open and fill the Great Dao. *Thus, I must steal more power and sever all lingering ties to the River of Time!* *Yet if I do that, I will lack an origin point. The Dead Spirit Dao and the others were all cleaved open from the River of Time... An origin point... The civilization chronicle!* At that very moment, the two characters—*Yu* and *Zhou*—suddenly merged into the book. *Universe Civilization!* Su Yu was startled. They had integrated on their own, for as his comprehension deepened, his civilization chronicle—the weapon he had forged to prove his Dao—seemed to have grasped Su Yu's intent. Universe civilization! This heaven, this earth, all of time from past to present, and every civilization under the sun ought to be gathered into one! *There should be heaven, earth, qi, life, death, yin and yang, the five elements, and every Dao in existence...* One divine character after another rapidly merged into the civilization chronicle. In accordance with his insights, they melted into the book. In the end, Su Yu felt a brief daze. Within his sea of will, the hundreds of divine characters that had once resided there suddenly vanished, leaving only a single character behind. *↑* Yes, only the Brush Dao remained! The other divine characters had either shattered or integrated directly into the civilization chronicle. The aura of the civilization chronicle swelled once more. ... "What... what is he doing?" Marquis Dingjun was shaken. He could tell that... was Su Yu comprehending the Dao? *We're over here chatting, and you're over there having an epiphany?* King Dazhou's eyes also held an unusual gleam. What new insight had Su Yu gained upon arriving in the Upper Realm? Lately, he had noticed that Su Yu's progress was astonishingly rapid, constantly arriving at fresh realizations. What had this man been pondering just now? King Dazhou had a faint premonition that the book in Su Yu's hands might... might turn out terrifyingly formidable in the end. At that moment, Su Yu stowed his book away. Within his sea of will, there was now only one book and one divine character. These were his two Daos. He had integrated the myriad Daos. In the end, only two Daos remained. The moment divine characters like *Calamity* and *Yin* were assimilated into the Universe Civilization Chronicle, Su Yu made up his mind: he would not pioneer any other Daos. Aside from mastering the Brush Dao, he would devote the rest of his life to working toward this book. To pioneer a Dao that belonged exclusively to him! "The Universe Civilization Chronicle... forget it, I'll just call it the civilization chronicle." Su Yu laughed softly. "Universe Civilization Chronicle" sounded clunky; "civilization chronicle" was sufficient. Civilization, after all, encompassed everything. While he was still smiling, the little girl Lan Tian suddenly shouted from the distance, "Brother Emperor Yu, this old man Marquis Dingjun is so wicked! He said we should establish two masters and have you and Hundred Battles share the leadership!" The next instant, everyone within the grand formation turned to look at Su Yu, and then at Marquis Dingjun. Marquis Dingjun's expression shifted slightly as he glanced at the little girl beside him. Just now... he had barely paid any attention to her, nearly overlooking her presence entirely. Behind Marquis Dingjun, his subordinates grew immensely tense. They had pieced together the broad strokes of the situation, and now fear surged through them. *Are we going to die?* Xinghong, Jiu Yue, and the others already carried solemn expressions, their auras bristling with impending violence. At a single word from Su Yu, they would strike to slaughter these people. Marquis Dingjun's face grew heavier and heavier. Su Yu merely looked at him without speaking. That gaze... he could not find words to describe it. In that moment, having lived for over a hundred thousand years and having once stood before the Human Sovereign, he actually felt a twinge of fear toward Su Yu's thoughts. Yet Su Yu was exceptionally calm, paying little heed to the matter. After a brief pause, he spoke slowly, "Before Hundred Battles is unsealed, you serve me!" "Once Hundred Battles is unsealed, you may get lost. But right now, you will serve me!" Su Yu stated placidly, "Because I saved your life. Had I not slain that Demon Dao Integrator, you would already be surrounded. You would have died very soon, and every single one of your subordinates would have perished! I saved your life, and my demand is modest: serve until the Upper Realm opens. Do you have any objections?" "...None!" With a heavy expression, Marquis Dingjun lowered his head. After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "This old official is not one to flaunt his seniority. I merely... merely do not wish to see internal strife within the human race, creating rifts..." Su Yu replied calmly, "These matters are none of your concern! You are a senior veteran of the human race, and I can treat you with respect, but do not dictate to me! A new dynasty has the rules of a new dynasty. If you are not accustomed to them, you may leave once the Upper Realm opens!" "This old official... understands!" Marquis Dingjun sighed deeply within his heart. Su Yu did not pursue the matter further, turning his attention to the marquis's subordinates. Soon, he pointed toward the white-haired elder. "You, step forward. You may act outside and prepare to break through to the Dao Integrator realm! As for the rest, enter the weapon space." "I want to come out and fight too..." Suddenly, a young woman in the crowd called out. Su Yu's gaze chilled instantly, bone-cold, and the Sun Moon Realm woman's face blanched on the spot! Marquis Dingjun took fright and hastily intervened, "Em... Emperor Yu, this is this old official's daughter. She is still young, born in Bright Moon Flower Valley, and has never seen the world outside. She knows nothing of the vastness of heaven and earth..." Su Yu's expression softened slightly. What a tragic life. Born in Bright Moon Flower Valley, having never seen the world beyond—if that was not tragic, what was? Earlier, he had felt she was overly bold, daring to interrupt while he was issuing orders. Pondering it now, he chose not to hold it against her. Her world was only as large as Bright Moon Flower Valley. Su Yu recalled the words Bai Feng had once told him: how vast your world is and how high your vision reaches depends on what you have seen and with whom you compare yourself. If you spend your entire life in Nanyuan, all you will ever see is the Soaring Realm! Indeed, in Nanyuan, one could only look up to the Soaring Realm! Those words from Bai Feng had exerted a profound influence on Su Yu. Thus, he had always sought to witness loftier realms, face stronger opponents, and engage in fiercer battles. His perspective had continually broadened and transformed. Only upon opening his Heavenly Gate had Su Yu truly grasped just how high the heavens were! Without opening the Heavenly Gate, Su Yu’s vision might still be confined to the Myriad Realms to this day. Without the Heavenly Gate, the peak of his lifetime pursuits might have been merely the realm of figures like Tiangu, sweeping across the contemporary age and standing invincible among his peers. With that fleeting thought passing through his mind, Su Yu said calmly, "Accompany Hu Xiansheng and the others. Go witness the sky outside and see just how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is! This so-called Upper Realm is merely a flock of caged birds fancying themselves grand! Whether it is the Upper Realm, the Lower Realm, or the Dead Spirit Realm, the highest sky in this era resides in the Lower Realm—that is where the highest heaven truly lies!" The crowd failed to comprehend his words. Even Marquis Dingjun could not make sense of them. Yet at that moment, Marquis Dingjun's expression shifted slightly. He blurted out, "Those words... this old official once... heard someone say them." Su Yu looked at him, and Marquis Dingjun swallowed hard. "I remember... many years ago, when the Human Sovereign hosted a grand banquet for all his ministers on the ninth floor of the Star Residence Mansion, he looked up at the sky and uttered a phrase. His Majesty the Human Sovereign said: 'In this universe, the sky of the Myriad Realms is the highest, while the sky of the Dead Spirit Realm is second. If the human race truly wishes to rise, we must open our own heaven and become our own masters...' Following that grand banquet, the human race devoted all their efforts to developing the Upper Realm. Yet before that development could be completed, the ancient era fell!" Su Yu smiled and nodded. "Because the Human Sovereign saw what you could not see, and comprehended what you could not comprehend. It is only natural. For the human race to rise completely, they truly must open their own heaven and become their own masters. Those words are the ultimate truth of the Great Dao!" With that, he chuckled again. "Those who can truly understand are likely very few. I hope that in the future, someone by my side will understand." King Dazhou remained silent. Lan Tian, licking a lollipop, pondered for a moment before giggling, "Highbrow songs find few singers; indeed, few can understand. Rest assured, Brother Emperor Yu, I understand a little. The sky of the Myriad Realms is high, but no matter how high that sky is, I'll stick a needle into it and pierce right past it!" "..." Su Yu laughed, suddenly struck by an indescribable amusement. After a long while, he laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist Lan Tian, you truly are a fellow traveler on my path! If you were only a bit more normal, I imagine I would be far more willing to have long chats with you!" Fellow Daoist! Su Yu very rarely used this term to address anyone, yet today, he had addressed Lan Tian as a fellow Daoist. Lan Tian giggled coquettishly. "Brother Emperor Yu is so mean, I'm very normal..." "..." *Get out of here!* Su Yu chuckled in exasperation, then glanced at King Dazhou. Seeing him deep in thought, he said with a smile, "King Dazhou, you should contemplate more. Otherwise, before long, Fellow Daoist Lan Tian will leave you far behind! Master Wan will certainly surpass you as well!" "That would be a blessing!" King Dazhou also smiled. "I am dull by nature, having only reached this point through a few fortuitous opportunities. Compared to you, Emperor Yu, I am naturally far inferior." Su Yu smiled and said no more. Today, he had not pressed Marquis Dingjun too hard, merely having him accompany their group. Had it not been inconvenient to send him down to the Lower Realm right now, Su Yu would have sent him packing on the spot. It was only the lack of a suitable opportunity that kept the marquis by his side. As his horizons broadened, neither Marquis Dingjun nor the Hundred Battles King mattered that much. To put it bluntly, Su Yu's aspirations did not lie there. His repeated suppression of King Dazhou and the others was purely because he did not want anyone opposing him during this critical period. He had lived up to the title of Human Master! Otherwise, he couldn't care less who held the position. So-called status and so-called authority were mere jokes. If the heavens themselves were his, what did Human Sovereign or Human Master matter? They too were jokes. "Then let it be settled!" Su Yu quickly commanded, "We need to change locations for our stronghold. Soul Burying Mountain is unsuitable. There are too many people here. If something happens, it will be easy for others to notice abnormalities and discover that this is where the passage to the Lower Realm lies." They could not stay here for long. Saying so, he looked at Marquis Dingjun. "Marquis Dingjun, you are a veteran here. Where in this Upper Realm do you think is suitable for our stronghold? The more perilous the better, preferably the kind where even a Heavenly King entering would face mortal danger!" He smiled and added, "Forget peril zones like Bright Moon Flower Valley. Those pose some threat to ordinary Dao Integrators, but to us, they pose little danger." Marquis Dingjun smiled wryly. *What a thing to say!* That was a sanctuary he had painstakingly found, yet now it was dismissed as utterly worthless. Even so, he quickly replied, "Speaking of danger... there is indeed a place that is perilous!" "Speak!" "Chaos Mountain, located in the west of the Upper Realm!" As Marquis Dingjun spoke, he grew slightly sheepish himself. "Still, forget it. That place is far too dangerous." Not only him, but King Dazhou's expression changed as well. Chaos Mountain! King Dazhou glanced at Marquis Dingjun, unable to hold back his irritation this time as he snapped in a low voice, "Reckless talk! At your age, are you trying to get us all buried there?" "Chaos Mountain?" Su Yu, however, took no offense. He searched his mind and found a vague impression from the memories of Marquis Yunxing and the others. Su Yu smiled and asked, "The Chaos Mountain that rumors say even Rulers of Rules dare not enter?" Marquis Dingjun said awkwardly, "That's the one. I merely mentioned it offhand, because legends say there are many treasures there, as well as many dangers. Naturally, the myriad races dare not set foot inside, which is why I brought it up..." King Dazhou said hurriedly, "Out of the question! Emperor Yu, I happen to know a little about Chaos Mountain. Back when the human race cleared out the Upper Realm, that place was where they drove several formidable entities to congregate. Some of those entities, like the Desolate Sky Beast, originated from the world-opening era! Later on, it was unknown whether they were slain, but no further news emerged..." He paused for a moment before continuing, "That place is extraordinarily dangerous. Back then, King Wen punished King Yu right there! When King Yu committed a transgression, King Wen ordered him to Chaos Mountain to guard the Gate of Hell for ten thousand years!" Su Yu's eyes flickered. He had no memory of this at all; evidently, Marquis Yunxing and the others had been oblivious to it. Marquis Dingjun was equally surprised. "When did that happen?" King Dazhou said gravely, "At the end of the ancient era! King Yu didn't actually guard it for ten thousand years; the Human Sovereign recalled him shortly after and pardoned his offense... By then, King Wen had already departed, so it didn't cause much of a stir. Few people even knew about it. King Yu was away for less than a thousand years, so everyone assumed he was in seclusion, but in truth, he wasn't!" "After King Yu returned, I caught a distant glimpse of him once..." King Dazhou took a deep breath. "Terror, grievance, and hatred! King Yu's betrayal of the human race likely stemmed from this!" "King Yu betrayed the human race?" Marquis Dingjun was taken aback once more. "What betrayal?" King Dazhou snapped impatiently, "You know nothing at all! Having lived from the ancient era until now, you've lived in vain! Then again, it makes sense. Your status was too low and your strength too weak. An ancient marquis who is still this weak after all these years—of course you wouldn't know!" Marquis Dingjun nearly choked on his own breath. *I am an ancient marquis!* In the crowd, his daughter looked at him with an odd expression. Her father had always spoken of the glory of the ancient era and his exalted status, leading her to believe that her father, an ancient marquis, held immense authority. After all, he had supposedly interacted with the Human Sovereign, the Four Polar Human Kings, and the ancient emperors of the myriad races, all of whom supposedly treated him with utmost courtesy. Yet today... why did it suddenly feel like her father had been bragging? From the sound of it, her father’s status in the ancient era hadn't been very high at all. Not only did he know nothing, but his strength... didn't seem particularly great either. Many of the people present were stronger than him. The towering image of her father crumbled just a little! Su Yu ignored their squabbling. King Dazhou, having served as the Human Sovereign's scribe, knew a great deal, though he rarely spoke of it—perhaps thinking it useless or unnecessary. Yet at critical moments, one could always dig something valuable out of him. Su Yu asked with a smile, "The Gate of Hell?" King Dazhou nodded. "I don't know the exact details. I only know that within Chaos Mountain lies a gate named the Gate of Hell! Where it is, I don't know. What it looks like, I'm equally unsure." "However, it was connected to His Majesty the Human Sovereign and King Wen... When they were developing the Upper Realm, they might have reached some kind of agreement with certain ancient entities. The Gate of Hell might be a portal, or perhaps... a boundary line!" "A boundary line?" Su Yu frowned slightly. King Dazhou said gravely, "It might be a dividing line drawn between those ancient entities and the human race! This side of the Gate of Hell was human territory, while the other side belonged to the ancient entities! Whether that is true, I cannot say for certain, but King Yu guarded that place for a thousand years. He might have suffered injuries, or perhaps fought fierce battles... I advise against going there!" He added heavily, "There are certainly many treasures there! That goes without saying. But the dangers will also be terrifyingly abundant! Barring any surprises, there should still be many Primordial colossal beasts lurking there today, or even world-opening colossal beasts slumbering or remaining in a chaotic, unawakened state." Su Yu laughed. "The Upper Realm still has such interesting places! Can no one enter?" Marquis Dingjun thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily. One should still be able to enter, but only in the outer perimeter! Even along the outer perimeter, the myriad races dare not venture rashly. Over three thousand years ago, an expert from our human race entered—Marquis Anbei! Marquis Anbei led his people inside to take refuge from the myriad races' pursuit, living in Chaos Mountain for over a century until he emerged several times to launch surprise attacks on the myriad races, prompting them to surround him once more..." With a sigh, he continued, "The reason I mentioned Chaos Mountain lies in that second encirclement. Marquis Anbei fought a massive battle against the myriad races at Chaos Mountain. In that fight, Marquis Anbei fell, but the myriad races lost a full seven Dao Integrators!" Marquis Dingjun said wistfully, "Marquis Anbei didn't actually possess the strength to kill seven Dao Integrators. Rather, mid-battle, three or four Primordial colossal beasts emerged from the depths of Chaos Mountain. Likely disturbed by the commotion, they joined the fray, turning heaven and earth upside down. In the end, Marquis Anbei and the seven Dao Integrators of the myriad races all perished, and two of the Primordial beasts died as well... From then on, that place became a forbidden zone for the myriad races." Su Yu was surprised. Such a thing had happened too, completely unbeknownst to him. He chuckled. "Since people can enter, why didn't you go in? The myriad races probably wouldn't dare charge after you, right?" "They wouldn't dare," Marquis Dingjun nodded, then said rather awkwardly, "However, over a thousand years ago, humanity's Marquis Leixiao also sought to take refuge there to evade the myriad races' pursuit. And then... less than half a day after he entered, the commotion of his death echoed out. He died before the myriad races even pursued him inside." "..." King Dazhou snapped in fury, "And yet you still egg us on to enter? Are you one of King Yu's people?" "No, don't misunderstand..." Marquis Dingjun explained hurriedly, "I only suggested it because Emperor Yu asked for such a place! Marquis Leixiao's strength was comparable to mine, whereas you all... are exceptionally powerful. I thought that if we talk about safety, that might actually be the safest place, since the myriad races dare not venture in to investigate anyway!" "If we only operate along the outer perimeter..." He glanced at the little girl Lan Tian had transformed into and held his tongue. He felt that with this figure around, operating on the periphery wouldn't be too dangerous, and they could evade the myriad races' eyes, ears, and tracking. Even if the myriad races knew they were in Chaos Mountain, they wouldn't dare barge in! Su Yu's eyes flickered for a moment before he chuckled. "Fine, then let us go have a look! Rest assured, I have no interest in seeking death. We will find a spot along the outer perimeter to set up camp! Chaos Mountain... If nothing else, the Upper Realm has preserved its pristine environment remarkably well. In the Myriad Realms, one can no longer find such untouched perilous lands; the so-called danger zones there were all created artificially later on." In simple terms, the Upper Realm was far too untamed and barbaric. Back in the ancient era, this damnable place had been a mere frontier. Only now, because rules were strictly enforced in the Lower Realm, had this become the renowned Upper Realm. Su Yu liked pristine, primeval environments. It would undoubtedly aid his comprehension of the Great Dao. Without witnessing these barbaric lands left behind after the opening of the heavens, how could he ever forge his own Dao and split open a new heaven and earth? As for danger... danger lurked everywhere in the Upper Realm. "Emperor Yu..." King Dazhou wanted to dissuade him further, but Su Yu laughed. "Enough, I understand your concerns. I don't want to die either, but this place truly suits us! We will go look. If it's too dangerous, we'll change locations! If we can handle it, we'll stay! Only after securing our stronghold can we get down to proper business!" *Proper business?* King Dazhou actually wanted to ask: *Do you even know what that proper business is?* *There is no proper business!* Coming up this time was merely to assess the situation and act according to circumstances. Take advantage where possible, and run if there was none to be had. "Let's go. Lan Tian, clear away all traces left behind here, and leave a single clone behind!" "The rest of you, enter the weapon space first. Lan Tian, hand it to your clone. Don't lose it—if you lose it, it won't be easy to find." "King Dazhou, conceal our aura and block external perception..." Su Yu issued order after order. Soon, the group cleared everything from Soul Burying Mountain and swiftly sped toward Chaos Mountain. Along the way, Marquis Dingjun wanted to ask several times to be unsealed... Well, everyone had probably forgotten, or perhaps they did it intentionally. At any rate, no one brought it up! Marquis Dingjun was helpless. These fellows from the Lower Realm were all very distant toward him, and King Dazhou, the only one he could chat with, was now ignoring him because of his suggestion to go to Chaos Mountain. He, a former hegemon of a region, had been reduced to the status of an underling here, possessing no say whatsoever. *Then again, this is fine...* Marquis Dingjun muttered inwardly. He was exhausted. Six thousand years of fleeing, living on edge, unable to sleep peacefully night after night—he had been on the verge of breaking down. Now, serving as an underling here... actually seemed pretty good. At last, he didn't need to worry so much! He no longer had to constantly fret over where to hide the next moment when the myriad races attacked. With a touch of self-mockery, he noticed his daughter, who had been permitted to walk outside, stealing glances at Su Yu. A headache instantly throbbed in his temples. *What are you looking at! Don't look!* *This is someone we cannot afford to provoke.* *Can't you see these Dao Integrator experts have all been tamed into complete submission?* Although he wasn't very familiar with Su Yu, Marquis Dingjun understood one truth clearly: a monstrous genius capable of suppressing figures like Tiangu in the Lower Realm until they behaved like obedient grandsons was someone he had no hope of crossing. Tiangu, Jiwu, Moji—which of them wasn't an extraordinary monster? Yet now, every single one of them had sealed their realms to await rescue. If word of this reached the Upper Realm, it would cause a massive earthquake. The Ancient Hou, Iron Eater, Space, and Destiny races were all serving him, as were those guardians, which gave Marquis Dingjun even more food for thought. The Hundred Battles King, aside from having slightly superior strength, was truly far inferior to this youth in terms of methods. Marquis Dingjun was even beginning to worry: if this youth grew truly powerful, would the Hundred Battles King be toyed to death by him? *Forget it, I'm just a vanguard general. I won't worry about this...* He put it out of his mind, leaving such headaches to the other marquises of the human race.