Returning to the Old Trade

After searching for quite some time, Su Yu and King Daming excavated a section of rock on the mountain. Halfway up the slopes, a cave opening was revealed, thoroughly sealed up so that it was almost impossible to tell a passage had ever been carved out. Su Yu and King Daming slipped inside. Before long, they seemed to reach the very heart of the peak, where they finally caught sight of faint light. It was a modestly sized piece of jade radiating a gentle luminescence. The shielding power across the entire mountain radiated outward with this very stone as its core. Just as Su Yu stepped forward to take a closer look, King Daming raised an arm to stop him. After examining it carefully, King Daming whispered, "Don't touch that. It's the formation base at the core of the array. Now I see why the Prison King lineage never took it down." "Why?" King Daming chuckled. "They must have been running experiments here. This piece of jade is the core of this peak's origin vein! Simply put, it's the anchor point of the entire mountain! If it's removed, the mountain might collapse, which would make far too much noise! "The collapse of a mountain would cause such a massive disturbance that it could invite trouble and complications. So they just left it here and didn't bother with it. After all, hardly anyone can even sense the array's existence. "If you hadn't pointed it out, even I would have found it difficult to detect." King Daming offered a few words of explanation. Every trade had its specialty. Su Yu was an outsider when it came to divine talismans, divine formations, and alchemy; he couldn't master everything, though blacksmithing was his forte. Looking at the array now, he didn't understand it completely either. He could grasp the general idea, though: this jade stone was the core source of the entire array. "In other words, the core of this array is based on the mountain itself rather than some foreign treasure?" "Precisely!" King Daming nodded. "A clever method and a brilliant concept! This mountain has stood here for countless years without being destroyed, making it naturally a treasure in its own right! This jade should properly be called jade essence. Using it as the base of the array makes the whole thing entirely natural!" King Daming sighed with feeling. "The Prison King lineage must be exceptionally adept in the Dao of Formations! If that's the case, setting up large-scale shielding arrays wouldn't cost them much at all!" Su Yu nodded. The methods of that lineage were indeed formidable. With a solemn expression, Su Yu said, "Can we shrink this array down? Shrink it so we can carry it on us to shield against the suppression of the chaotic rules? Otherwise, we can fight here, but before long, it'll trigger the repulsion of all of Chaos Mountain, drawing ancient beasts from all directions to kill us." Fighting here might feel fine at first—the suppression of chaotic rules wasn't overly restrictive. However... if the battle dragged on, the entire mountain range would gradually begin repelling you without you even realizing it. Once that happened, you were finished, dead without a doubt! Because of Chaos Mountain's repulsion, hordes of ancient beasts would descend to tear you apart. Your unleashed power made those ancient beasts uncomfortable. This invisible repulsion was often overlooked; people merely assumed they had been unlucky and happened to draw the beasts' attention by fighting. In reality, the ancient beasts couldn't care less about you under normal circumstances! Su Yu had been observing the activity across the various peaks, and those beasts barely stirred. There were weaker creatures within Chaos Mountain, and when they clashed, the noise was not small either. Yet the beasts on those peaks never bothered to intervene, because those skirmishes didn't disturb the chaotic power of this realm or distress the beasts. King Daming fell pensive for a moment. After pondering, he spoke up. "That will require thorough study. Furthermore, even if it can be done, we'll still need jade essence like this. Even if compressed for individual use, we must have the raw material. Once this piece is taken, the mountain will soon be shattered by the turbulent forces here." King Daming said in a low voice, "A massive disturbance will easily invite trouble. First are the ancient beasts, and second is the Prison King lineage. The ancient beasts are manageable, but if the Prison King lineage comes and sees the peak destroyed, they'll immediately think of the jade essence. Once they see it gone, they'll easily deduce that our side discovered their array." Su Yu nodded. That was true. After a moment's thought, Su Yu asked, "Is there jade essence anywhere else besides the mountain peaks?" "Certainly!" King Daming explained, "Not just the mountains, and it doesn't strictly have to be jade essence. For instance, the bones, teeth, or horns of powerful ancient beasts here could work, provided they're strong enough! Since the ancient beasts can survive here, they naturally possess ways to avoid the repulsion!" Understanding dawned on Su Yu. "So the best method is to slay ancient beasts?" "Yes. And if you want to shield the disturbances of Dao Integration, you have to slay ancient beasts at the Dao Integration Realm..." King Daming clarified, "It has to correspond to your own cultivation level. Otherwise, if you unleash your full power, the material will simply shatter." Su Yu took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand! Strictly speaking, jade essence is still better, after all, since this is a great mountain that has existed for countless eras. Is that right?" "More or less." King Daming chuckled. "For example, the jade essence in this mountain would be enough for a Dao Integrator to unleash their power without reservation!" Su Yu calculated in his head and bared his teeth. There were quite a few Dao Integrators on his side. If he wanted all of them to act freely within Chaos Mountain, they would need a great deal of jade essence, or they would have to slay many powerful ancient beasts. "Then let's wait and see!" Su Yu smiled wryly. If all else failed, they would set Chaos Mountain aside for now. His primary objective in ascending was not necessarily to kill enemies, but to scout out the foundation of the Upper Realm. Now they had gained an unexpected harvest: the situation regarding the Prison King lineage. All in all, their gains were already considerable. Su Yu's own comprehension of the Great Dao had deepened significantly. In the Upper Realm, he had not yet located the River of Time, which made integrating with the Brush Dao rather difficult for now. Once he found an opportunity to locate the River of Time, he felt he could advance a good distance further along the Brush Dao within it. Even if he didn't access the River of Time, he could slowly grind his way forward along the Brush Dao on his own, though his progress would be slower. With these thoughts in mind, Su Yu said, "Study the array here for now. I'll head back first." "All right!" King Daming had no objections; researching the array here was a delight. To King Daming, the Dao of Formations practiced by the Prison King lineage was far more intriguing than their Dao of Sealing. Of course, seals and formations often went hand in hand; formations could seal, and seals could serve as formations. "If Emperor Yu ever takes down the Prison King lineage, I hope you can bring me along to comprehend their Dao of Formations. We might not follow the same system..." King Daming spoke with a smile, his eyes filled with anticipation. Su Yu nodded. He hadn't provided King Daming with much help, yet the ties between Great Ming Prefecture and himself were actually deeper than those with Great Qin Prefecture. Since King Daming felt that the formation dao of the Prison King lineage would benefit him, they could look into it when the opportunity arose. …… Back in the cave where Marquis Anbei had once resided, Su Yu soon returned. By now, the cave had been thoroughly tidied up, and the group was waiting. Seeing Su Yu return, Xinghong spoke up before anyone else could. "Emperor Yu, with so many of us, we can't all just sit around here waiting, can we? Those at the Dao Integration Realm can move with you, but those below Dao Integration have no real reason to follow alongside you. "My idea is to let Xiaguang and the others act independently. There's plenty of warfare in the Upper Realm..." Seeing that Su Yu was about to speak, he added quickly, "Rest assured, we guards barely moved around in the past. Plenty of people recognize the Old Boss, and plenty recognize Tianmie, but very few recognize the rest of us!" He explained, "It's just like you, Emperor Yu. You're at the Dao Integration Realm—would you bother keeping track of who serves under another Dao Integrator?" "..." Su Yu chuckled, understanding his point. Su Yu had indeed been somewhat concerned that they might be recognized. Hearing Xinghong's reasoning now, the Old Turtle and Tianmie were ostentatious, but few people knew the others. They had spent eras as stone statues, so nobody had paid attention to their actual appearances. Beside him, Xia Longwu said in a deep voice, "Emperor Yu, I share the same thought! We didn't come to the Upper Realm for a leisurely stroll, nor did we come to huddle in a bunch! My idea is for us to scatter and seek out our own opportunities and opponents! Along the way, we can also gather intelligence. That's far better than staying cooped up here. Here, I can sense that comprehending the power of the Great Dao is somewhat easier. "If we're discovered, we'll claim to be under Marquis Tianyang and proceed according to the previous plan." He said swiftly, "Dao Integrators are a minority, after all. The Upper Realm is vast, not like Emperor Yu imagines, where you bump into them everywhere. It's only because the circle you operate in is so high-level. Whichever circle you belong to determines the caliber of people you encounter." There was truth in those words! The reason Su Yu frequently crossed paths with Dao Integrators was that he was capable of slaying them. He ran into minor figures as well, but he paid them no heed and didn't bother dealing with them. That didn't mean the Upper Realm was teeming with Dao Integrators everywhere. Back when Su Yu couldn't reach the circle of the Eternal Realm, he had also believed that Eternals were exceedingly rare and seldom seen. Later, he realized that once you reached that position, only Eternals entered your view, and you wouldn't spare a second glance at anyone beneath Eternity. This time, when he ascended to the Upper Realm, he had brought several humans with him. Those below Dao Integration numbered six: Xia Longwu, King Miecan, Nan Wujiang, Yun Chen, Little King Zhou, and Hu Xiansheng. Hu Xiansheng was the weakest among them, at the peak Sun Moon Realm. In truth, his progress had been remarkably swift. He had only entered the Sun Moon Realm not long ago, and it was Su Yu who had given him special treatment, piling copious treasures upon him because Hu Xiansheng was one of the few human experts capable of wielding the Dao of Space. Bringing them to the Upper Realm this time was indeed meant to give them a chance to advance further. Even so, Su Yu frowned. "Operating alone is far too dangerous..." Xia Longwu replied solemnly, "Emperor Yu, we are warriors, not children! We didn't follow you up here just to sponge off some benefits. We came to find a place where we can fight with everything on the line and experience that life-or-death crisis once more! The Lower Realm no longer offers that feeling. We can't participate in the grand battles, there's no place for us in clashes of Dao Integration, and the Eternals have been slaughtered until they dare not step outside!" Xia Longwu's voice turned low and resolute. "We are warriors! We are geniuses! We aren't ordinary soldiers who simply obey orders. We have our own Daos, and we harbor our own desires to strike toward higher realms!" Xia Longwu looked at Su Yu and said heavily, "I am Xia Longwu, the Xia Longwu who could slay Eternals as a Sun Moon! I am the Blood Butcher King whom all races sought to prevent from attaining the Dao! I ask Emperor Yu to grant this!" He was a genius! A genius who had led an era before Su Yu and his contemporaries. He was not old, younger than many others. Before the hunt for Su Yu, the myriad realms had all sought to slay Xia Longwu. Though the scale had not been quite as exaggerated as the campaign against Su Yu, he had still been the most prominent figure of his era! Now, he had ascended to grow stronger. He didn't want to trail behind Su Yu indefinitely, for that presented no challenge to him! Beside them, Nan Wujiang and Yun Chen both wore complex expressions. Nan Wujiang said softly, "Let us venture out on our own! Sheltered wings can never produce true powerhouses!" Nan Wujiang smiled faintly. "We were, after all, leading figures of an era. We may have fallen behind for now, but we refuse to stay behind forever!" Beside Su Yu, King Dazhou smiled and spoke up. "Emperor Yu, let them go! An eagle soars across the sky not by staying sheltered, but by being set free! "Speaking of combat experience, Xia Longwu led armies in battle for decades, sweeping from east to west, invincible in every campaign! Tianyuan lurked within the Heaven Hunting Pavilion for years, walking on thin ice at every turn. Nan Wujiang disguised himself as Xuanjia, concealing his identity for years without anyone noticing. Yun Chen disguised himself as the Primal Cult Master and only exposed himself by his own design..." Listing them one by one, he chuckled. "Since you brought them up, you intended for them to grow stronger. You yourself grew through relentless slaughter, step by step—do you truly lack confidence in these senior predecessors?" Senior predecessors? To the side, Marquis Dingjun hesitated before transmitting his voice to Jiu Yue: "Friend of the Iron Eater race, I forgot to ask... how old is this Emperor Yu?" "Twenty-two?" Jiu Yue seemed to recall that he was twenty-two, since the First Year of New Yu had just begun. Now that Marquis Dingjun appeared to have surrendered, Jiu Yue wasn't so guarded and replied, "Why?" "Nothing." Twenty-two years old! Doubts and astonishment stirred in Marquis Dingjun's mind. After a brief pause, he transmitted again, "Then why do I sense that his lifespan is running out?" "Oh, apparently he burned his lifespan to open a Dao for Lan Tian." Jiu Yue didn't think much of it and added via voice transmission, "You'd better not provoke Lan Tian, and don't speak ill of Emperor Yu in front of Lan Tian, or you're dead meat! Of course, saying it to me is fine!" That was what Jiu Yue said, but in his head, he was thinking: *If you say it, I'll go report you right away! That way, I'll get credit for turning you in.* Marquis Dingjun ignored him and pondered what Jiu Yue had just revealed. Su Yu was only twenty-two years old! To open a Dao for Lan Tian, he had burned his own lifespan. No wonder he seemed to have little longevity left. Marquis Dingjun had even thought his senses were mistaken earlier. At this moment, Marquis Dingjun didn't know what to feel. His emotions were exceedingly complicated! On one hand, Su Yu's short lifespan was a cause for concern. On the other, Su Yu had burned his own life force to open a path for another. Could that be considered the mark of a benevolent ruler? Yet... Su Yu's benevolence seemed reserved solely for those close to him. A tangle of conflicting thoughts filled his mind. …… Su Yu paid no attention to Marquis Dingjun's thoughts at the moment. He surveyed the non-Dao Integrators present. After a long pause, he nodded. "Very well! Be careful. Also, return once every month. We may move on." "Understood!" The group was overjoyed. Su Yu sighed softly in his heart. So be it; this was the only way. He knew Xia Longwu and the others were right, yet he couldn't help wondering if they might perish out there. Well, let it be. Su Yu understood the reasoning: true geniuses and powerhouses could never be forged under protection. Any powerhouse raised in shelter would be like dried mud, crumbling at the slightest shove. At that moment, Marquis Dingjun's daughter spoke up with visible excitement. "Emperor Yu, I want to go out and temper myself as well!" Su Yu glanced at her. Temper yourself? She was at the peak Sun Moon Realm, but she had probably fought only a handful of times, perhaps never having experienced a true life-or-death crisis. Xia Longwu and the others were battle-hardened veterans; they would be fine. This one... forget it! It wasn't that Su Yu looked down on her, but if she went out, saying her corpse would turn up on the street after three days was giving her too much credit! Humans were already being hunted by all races. If a greenhorn at peak Sun Moon went out and managed to survive for three days, Su Yu would consider her capable. Sure enough, Marquis Dingjun had some self-awareness. His face darkened immediately, and he scolded, "Out of the question! Stop this nonsense!" His daughter had barely experienced any proper combat. Compared to this bunch whose murderous aura shook the heavens, sending her out was practically seeking death. There were several other peak Sun Moons present. Hu Xiansheng, Changhe, Tuntian—Marquis Dingjun felt that any of these three could easily kill his daughter. "Father!" Marquis Dingjun's daughter was unwilling to concede. "I know I lack experience, but experience is accumulated! The more you forbid me from going out, the less experience I'll have! It's like this now, and it will be like this in the future. If I never go out, I'll never gain experience in my entire life! "Emperor Yu said earlier that I should see just how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is. I want to see for myself!" Su Yu glanced at Marquis Dingjun. Marquis Dingjun's face was grim as he said in a heavy voice, "You will die. It's not that your father doesn't want you to temper yourself, but... the timing is wrong..." "Father, that's only because I'm your daughter! I'm not the only one of the new generation of humans in the Upper Realm. If the timing is wrong, then no one will ever make progress!" That actually sounded rather reasonable. Marquis Dingjun had a headache. Meanwhile, the woman named Yuexi looked eagerly at Su Yu. Yuexi—the hope within Bright Moon Flower Valley. When Marquis Dingjun named his daughter, he had clearly harbored expectations and longings. At this moment, Yuexi also recognized that Su Yu was the one in charge here, not her father. Su Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "You want to go out?" "Yes!" Su Yu smiled. "Fine. Director Hu, you go with her!" "Me?" Hu Xiansheng froze, almost coughing up blood. Su Yu laughed. "You're an academy director. Educating people and guiding students is what a teacher is supposed to do! Besides, you specialize in the Dao of Space, so you can escape! Two Sun Moons moving together make a much smaller target and won't draw too much attention." With that, Su Yu said with a faint smile, "Yuexi, you must obey completely. Listen to Director Hu..." At this point, Su Yu's expression grew indifferent. "If you don't listen, a foolish teammate causing disaster isn't something that happens only once or twice. If that happens, Director Hu can abandon you and flee back on his own! He is far more important than you! The spatial teleportation array is still waiting for the director to construct! Strictly in terms of importance, the director is more valuable than your father, so don't have any reservations." Su Yu added coolly, "If Marquis Dingjun thinks this is inappropriate, you can refuse right now! Otherwise, if you die out there, I won't care! It's fine if she dies, but if Director Hu is killed because of her, I will hold Marquis Dingjun accountable!" "..." Marquis Dingjun almost spat blood. He was depressed enough to weep. It was fine if his daughter died, but if this Hu Xiansheng died, Su Yu would hold him accountable... This... he felt utterly wretched. Was he, an ancient marquis, less important than a Sun Moon cultivator? He looked at his daughter and said helplessly, "Yuexi, you heard him. Forget it!" They weren't even treating her like a marquis's daughter! Even her father was deemed less important than this Sun Moon. If she got him killed at a critical moment, her father would have to take the blame! Yuexi's face paled slightly as well. Su Yu said calmly, "Decide for yourself!" Beside them, Hu Xiansheng beamed, thoroughly pleased by those words. Listen to that—one's own people were truly one's own people. So what if he was an ancient marquis? Leaving the marquis's daughter behind was fine, but if his daughter got Hu Xiansheng killed, the marquis would pay the price. A surge of superiority welled up within Hu Xiansheng, making him feel exceedingly comfortable. Earlier, he had grumbled that Su Yu was saddling him with a burden. Hearing this now, what did it matter? Yuexi gritted her teeth. "I... I am willing to go out with Director Hu! I take full responsibility for my own life! I will never drag Director Hu down! If I die, Director Hu doesn't need to save me. I grew up in the army; I know all of this. My father is a military marquis, so I understand that fresh recruits are the most likely to drag down veterans! Emperor Yu, I merely lack experience, but I am not foolish!" Su Yu was slightly taken aback, then chuckled. "True enough! You at least possess self-awareness. Then so be it. Take responsibility for your own life! If you die, and your father vents his anger on Director Hu or hardens his heart to betray me, I'll execute him to consecrate the war banners. I was just fretting that these ancient marquises were being too compliant and I couldn't find a pretext to sacrifice one!" "..." Damn it! In his heart, Marquis Dingjun was cursing Su Yu to high heaven. Why... why did it feel like you were deliberately trying to get my daughter killed just to force me into rebelling, so you could execute me to consecrate your banners? Was that what he meant? He began to worry whether Hu Xiansheng might intentionally lead his daughter to her death, giving Su Yu an excuse to eliminate him once and for all—all because he had mentioned the idea of two rulers coexisting. Not only him, but many others turned to look at Hu Xiansheng at that moment, their gazes laden with meaning. Was that truly what Su Yu intended? Even Hu Xiansheng's eyes flickered, and he transmitted his voice: "Emperor Yu, once we're... out there, should I... set her up to die? This... isn't quite right, is it? She's quite a pitiful girl, I... I can hardly bring myself to do it. Why don't you have Lan Tian handle it?" It didn't feel right! Even he suspected Su Yu truly harbored such an intention. It wasn't impossible! Slaying an ancient marquis would strike fear into the hearts of the others. Meanwhile, Su Yu almost rolled his eyes. To hell with that! When did I ever say such a thing? He had only said it to make Yuexi realize the gravity of the situation. Su Yu despised foolish teammates most of all; often, their destructive potential was far worse than a formidable opponent's. He had merely been scaring her, yet their imaginations had run completely wild! Deliberately setting up Yuexi to die... he had to admire their leaps of logic! Exasperated, Su Yu said, "Alright, don't overthink it. I was merely stating potential consequences, not telling you to kill Yuexi!" Yuexi's face turned pale, and Marquis Dingjun gave an awkward smile. Were you saying that just to placate me? Truly, serving a sovereign was like walking alongside a tiger—nerve-racking at every turn. Su Yu couldn't be bothered to elaborate further, saying calmly, "Enough, that's all. I've said what needs to be said. Out there, take care of yourselves! If anyone nears the Dao Integration Realm and is on the verge of breaking through, don't break through yet—hold it back! A breakthrough here will cause a massive disturbance, far greater than in the Lower Realm! If you truly must break through, find an opportunity to do so together, so the enemy isn't given the chance to pick you off one by one!" Everyone nodded. "Changhe, Tuntian, Kongkong—the three of you had best act independently and return to your respective races to gather intelligence." Jiu Yue said hurriedly, "What about me?" Su Yu looked at him and smiled. "You're too strong. They're fine—they're in the Sun Moon Realm, so if they surface, no one will pay them much heed! But if a Dao Integrator like you pops up, the leadership of the Iron Eater race will wonder how on earth their clan suddenly gained an extra Dao Integrator." "Fair enough!" At this moment, on the Fate race's side, Changhe said softly, "Does Emperor Yu not worry that once I return to the Fate race of the Upper Realm, I might sell you out?" "I trust you!" Changhe felt a bit uneasy. Trust? Truly? Su Yu soon laughed. "Don't worry, at most I'll have Lan Tian send several dozen clones to tail you—definitely no more than a hundred! I still have trust in you, but naturally, I'm a man who prefers certainty. Once you make contact with the Fate race, if there's any unusual movement, Lan Tian will eliminate you as quickly as possible, and I'll swiftly return to the Lower Realm to wipe out your clan first. So rest easy!" "..." Changhe was rendered speechless. To think he had just been wondering whether he ought to feel touched by Su Yu's trust. Utterly speech-depriving! Su Yu laughed. "Trust is trust, but necessary safeguards must still be in place. I don't particularly enjoy leaving my fate in the hands of others, so don't take it the wrong way. These are extraordinary times, so surveillance might happen! It might just be an empty threat to keep you on your toes! Of course, every single person you encounter could potentially be Lan Tian. Use your heads and don't assume everyone is a good person." "..." The crowd stood dazed. Did that mean once they left, they not only had to be wary of enemies, but also had to suspect the people beside them, even random passersby? Su Yu added with a grin, "Also, among those who ascended this time, some aren't actually their true selves, but Lan Tian's clones. Just keep that in mind and don't dwell on it. Lan Tian has a real knack for impersonating people." Exhausting! Their hearts were utterly exhausted! Beside Su Yu, the little girl sucking on a lollipop wore a look of pure innocence, giggling, "Don't worry, my disguises are incredible. King Miecan knows, don't you?" King Miecan's face drained of color! Knows your grandfather! He looked at Su Yu, swallowed hard, and said, "Emperor Yu, I want to operate alone! Furthermore, no one is to approach me or look for me. I'm stating this upfront: even if you're on our side, I'll ignore you, and you shouldn't bother me. Whoever approaches me, I will treat as an enemy and kill!" "..." Su Yu wanted to laugh, but held it in. This was probably King Miecan's last shred of obstinate pride. *I'll only look out for myself. Anyone who comes looking for me, I'll kill. I've given fair warning—anyone insisting on finding me is either an enemy or Lan Tian.* Su Yu smiled. "Alright. Nobody go looking for him." The others were equally speechless. With Lan Tian around, truth be told, even if someone contemplated betraying them, they would have to wonder whether the person they met was secretly a clone of Lan Tian! It was terrifying! The group said no more, though Xia Longwu thought of something and spoke up. "Emperor Yu, place a seal on our seas of will..." Su Yu frowned, then quickly smiled. "No need for that..." "It's not what you think," Xia Longwu explained. "I'm worried that if we encounter a powerful enemy, we won't be able to react in time or even self-detonate before our memories are searched. If the location of this passage is exposed and the situation in the Lower Realm is discovered, it could cause immense trouble." He wasn't trying to prove his loyalty—there was no need for that. He was genuinely concerned about such an accident. If a Heavenly King launched a sudden ambush, seized him, and probed his memories, he might not have the chance to resist or detonate himself. Su Yu's brows knitted. Xia Longwu continued, "It doesn't need to be overly complicated. Just compress a bit of rule power inside—the kind that explodes the moment it contacts third-party rule power!" Xia Longwu chuckled. "Once it's lodged deep in the sea of will, if someone else's rule power penetrates that far, it means there's no saving us anyway. If it blows up then, it won't matter much." Hearing this, the others nodded as well. Several guards chimed in, "That's quite convenient. If even our seas of will have been breached, then just as General Xia said, we're beyond saving regardless!" After a moment's contemplation, Su Yu nodded. He reached out, drawing a massive quantity of chaotic power before him, which he swiftly compressed into small spheres. Tossing them to the group, he warned, "The sea of will is fragile. Be careful not to set it off yourselves! This thing will explode if it contacts any willpower or rule power other than mine or your own! It's purely a precaution against the worst-case scenario. Don't go around throwing open your seas of will for others to toy with..." Everyone fell silent. Who on earth would be sick enough to do that? Throw open their sea of will for others to play with? Did he take them for fools? Without further words, the group implanted the spheres deep into their seas of will. Su Yu smiled and said, "This has an upside too: I can locate you. It functions as a tracking beacon. If you go missing, I can try to find you. "If you encounter a powerful foe who wants to probe your sea of will, don't rush to die either. Tell them it will explode to buy some time. Perhaps I'll still be able to rescue you!" "Thank you, Emperor Yu!" The crowd chorused their acknowledgment. A moment later, they acted decisively; one by one, they restrained their Dao power and flew out of the cave entrance. They were setting out to make their mark on the Upper Realm. At the same time, numerous clones of Lan Tian materialized and swiftly vanished into the void, making everyone's teeth ache at the sight. Even King Dazhou couldn't help a wry smile. "I thought you were only joking." Su Yu chuckled. "How could I be? This isn't just about my personal affairs. If Changhe and the others truly sell me out, I won't be the only one dying! If I pretend to be magnanimous and let them do as they please, you wouldn't even know when they sold you out!" Su Yu laughed. "I gave them fair warning. If something still went wrong, wouldn't I be an idiot?" Su Yu didn't care about saving face! How much was face worth? Saying 'I trust you' and pouring your heart out, only for Changhe or Tuntian to turn around and sell you out—then Su Yu would be finished, everyone here would be finished, and the humans of the Lower Realm would likely be finished as well. To ruin oneself over mere pride? Su Yu would never do such a thing! He made it plain: he didn't entirely trust them, so Lan Tian's clones would follow in secret. It was as simple as that! King Dazhou thought it over, nodded, and smiled wryly. "True enough!" Su Yu's vigilance was truly peerless. As they spoke, Marquis Dingjun gazed with deep reluctance at the retreating figure of his daughter, his eyes filled with worry and sorrow. He didn't want his daughter to go, but upon further reflection, she couldn't stay sheltered forever. Experience had to be built up over time. This old military general knew when to let go. Just as he was grieving, his expression suddenly shifted. He quickly produced a jade pendant from his robes. Su Yu and the others turned their gazes toward him as the pendant began to emit a faint glow. Marquis Dingjun examined it closely, quickly setting aside his familial sentiments, and said solemnly, "It's Marquis Anying! He's the liaison between the few of us who survived! Well, not strictly a liaison—he simply passes on intelligence he gathers through certain methods. Previously, he mainly maintained contact with Marquis Minshan, but now that Minshan is dead, he hasn't contacted us for a long time." Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "He's looking for you?" "Yes!" Marquis Dingjun said in a low voice, "This jade pendant isn't used for messaging; it doesn't possess any communication function. When it lights up, it means Marquis Anying wishes to meet. Lighting up once means he genuinely wants to meet. Lighting up twice signals danger. Lighting up three times means he is unsure whether he should meet me, leaving the choice to me." Right then, the pendant flashed a second time. After a brief pause, it flashed once more. Three times! Marquis Dingjun smiled wryly. "He's testing me, wanting to see if I've betrayed our cause. If I have, he wants to see if I'll sell him out. He's putting me to the test." Su Yu chuckled. "If you truly had betrayed them and took the initiative to agree to meet, wouldn't he still take the bait?" Marquis Dingjun sighed. "There's no other choice; he can only take the risk. He has likely alerted the others as well! If he dies and the jade pendant shatters after he issued a warning, the others will know I've likely turned traitor! Losing one is better than having everyone ensnared." Su Yu pondered this and nodded. "If this person is clean, he's certainly decisive and loyal! However, his primary contact was Marquis Minshan. Now that Marquis Minshan is dead, he isn't necessarily on our side." With that, he added with a smile, "Marquis Anying... I happen to know of an Anying as well! Great Ming Prefecture has a unit called the Shadow Guards. Those over there are allies, but the one here is hard to say." Marquis Dingjun offered a wry smile. "It shouldn't come to that..." "We'll see." Su Yu smiled. "Do you want to meet him?" Marquis Dingjun considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I want to meet him! Anying has been operating on the outside all this time and possesses far more intelligence than I do. If he joins us, he will be of immense help to Emperor Yu!" "And what if there's a problem with him?" Su Yu said calmly, "What if countless experts are waiting alongside him for us right now?" "..." Marquis Dingjun frowned, thought it over, and said, "Then we'll meet at the edge of Chaos Mountain. If he truly brought enemies and betrayed us, we'll see if they have the guts to charge into Chaos Mountain!" That was a fair point. Su Yu nodded. "Then how do you arrange the meeting?" Marquis Dingjun smiled. "Find a place and crush this jade pendant. The location where it shatters designates the rendezvous point, which he'll be able to sense. Once we meet, he'll give me another pendant..." It was complicated and troublesome. Yet Su Yu knew these people had no alternative. Marquis Anying's communication methods were all one-way, precisely to prevent one compromise from dragging down the rest. The humans of the Upper Realm were truly living in dire straits. Su Yu suddenly chuckled. "Originally, we were counting on you to descend and save us. Looking at it now, you're the ones trapped in dire straits, the ones who need saving." Marquis Dingjun looked thoroughly embarrassed and forced a dry laugh. "Emperor Yu speaks the truth... this truly exceeded our expectations." He sighed internally. *We thought you were the ones suffering in misery!* *Who would have guessed you were living comfortably, terrifying all races in the Lower Realm to the point where you were on the verge of wiping out the three major races and unifying the myriad realms!* *Had I known this was the situation, I wouldn't have sent so many people down, losing quite a few along the way.* *Even without me sending people down, this man would probably have found his way up here sooner or later!* Ignoring his thoughts, Su Yu quickly said, "Delay the meeting by two days. There's no rush; wait until Xia Longwu and the others have gotten far enough away!" "Understood." Marquis Dingjun agreed readily. Su Yu added, "Over these two days, I'll scout out our surroundings and get acquainted with the neighbors. If trouble arises, I'll bring the neighbors out to play!" Everyone was speechless. King Dazhou cautioned, "Be careful. If you try to borrow their strength, mind that you don't trap yourself!" The power of ancient beasts was not so easily borrowed. Su Yu smiled. "Don't worry. It's time I returned to my old trade and handled some of my classic business." Marquis Dingjun looked bewildered, but King Dazhou and the others understood precisely what Su Yu meant. His classic business? If it wasn't deception, it was swindling; if it wasn't swindling, it was impersonation—nothing outside of those. Su Yu had built his rise upon such tactics. Whether they would work on ancient beasts was anyone's guess. Without another word, they let Su Yu do as he pleased. With his Heavenly Gate open, he wasn't likely to get himself killed so easily.