Ready to Cut Down Some Foes

"Emperor Yu, aren't you... going to hide?" Marquis Dingjun was rather surprised. Wasn't Su Yu going to conceal himself in the shadows? Su Yu glanced at him and smiled. "Why should I hide? Doesn't he already know you were taken away? What's the point of trying to cover it up?" "..." *That actually makes a lot of sense.* Marquis Dingjun had no reply. Su Yu said calmly, "Just don't introduce me." "Understood," Marquis Dingjun nodded. Su Yu continued fiddling with the faint wisp of grayish energy at his fingertips. His brow furrowed slightly and his face was still somewhat pale as he pondered the issue. He had managed to replicate chaotic power, but not only was it unstable, its potency also felt weaker than the genuine chaotic power around them. That didn't make sense. Ordinarily, chaotic power extracted and refined from the powers of myriad daos ought to be stronger! How could combed, refined chaotic power be weaker than the primitive, unrefined version? *There are still components we haven't analyzed,* Su Yu concluded. There had to be certain elements that neither he nor Lan Tian and the others had fully deciphered. At the moment, Su Yu had concealed his Great Dao power, merely converting a portion of his strength into chaotic power. He hadn't done this directly through his own body, but through his civilization chronicle. By running it through the character "Yu," his innate power was transmuted into chaotic power. Originally, Su Yu wielded the strength of roughly a second-tier Dao Integration expert. Yet after the conversion, instead of growing stronger, his power had waned. By Su Yu's estimation, even if he went all out using chaotic power, he could reach a third-tier Dao Integration level at best. There was no reason for a hybrid fusion to make him weaker. That meant something was going wrong in the transmutation process. *The power isn't being converted entirely, and the virtual Great Dao hasn't been successfully outlined. This means my comprehension of this chaotic dao is still insufficient. Right now, I'm merely blending proportions mechanically rather than grasping the essence of the dao itself.* Consequently, a substantial amount of power was bleeding away in the middle. Still, third-tier Dao Integration power wasn't bad—roughly on par with Marquis Dingjun. Seeing Su Yu's nonchalant demeanor, Marquis Dingjun felt a bit anxious. He sent a voice transmission: "Emperor Yu, Marquis Anying hasn't arrived yet. Could it be because you're standing right here and he... doesn't dare approach?" Su Yu looked up at him. After a long moment, he replied, "If he's truly desperate, he'll come no matter how great the danger. If he isn't, we can just take our time and wait!" Did the other party know Marquis Dingjun had been taken? Of course he did! Then what was there to be afraid of? Su Yu looked at Marquis Dingjun, his brow furrowing slightly. "You seem very reluctant to have me standing beside you." Marquis Dingjun gave a bitter smile. He really wasn't... Well, all right, maybe a little. He had lived for ages, known glorious heights and wretched lows, witnessed the Human Sovereign, and battled the myriad races. Strictly speaking, he had no reason to be overly intimidated by someone of the younger generation like Su Yu; at worst, it would just cost him his life. Yet to be honest, facing Su Yu wasn't quite fear, but rather a persistent sense of unease. It made him feel constrained, tongue-tied, and unable to speak freely. At this moment, he couldn't help but compare Su Yu to King Baizhan once again. Standing beside King Baizhan had been far more natural and comfortable. During the ninth tide, when he had been alone with King Baizhan, he had never felt this kind of awkwardness. Marquis Dingjun sighed inwardly. Well, birds of a feather flocked together, he supposed. He had noticed that King Dazhou and the rest got along splendidly with Su Yu. It truly went to show that those who knew nothing but fighting and killing had no future. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Marquis Dingjun's eyes shifted. Out on the wilderness beyond their current position, a dark silhouette slowly materialized. In the distance stood Marquis Anying. By now, Marquis Anying had also spotted Marquis Dingjun—as well as the white-haired young man standing beside him. *Is that the person who took Marquis Dingjun?* *He seems to be human...* *His true age can't be very high, but... he appears to have been injured, burning through a great deal of his lifespan.* *As for his strength... is he an Eternity or Dao Integration?* Marquis Anying walked forward slowly, keeping his distance and watching in silence, his mind constantly analyzing Su Yu's identity. He had never seen this person and knew nothing of him. However, the youth likely held a high status. Standing beside Marquis Dingjun, it was actually the marquis who seemed ill at ease. Though they stood side by side, Marquis Dingjun kept instinctively glancing at the youth, gauging his reactions. Marquis Dingjun was, after all, one of the few surviving ancient marquises of the human race. Who could possibly make him feel so guarded and uneasy? Marquis Anying turned the puzzle over in his mind. His willpower soundlessly probed the surroundings. He detected nothing and sensed no one, yet he knew there were experts lurking nearby. It was an instinct honed from surviving countless deadly perils over endless years: strong cultivators were watching him from the shadows! And likely more than one. Marquis Dingjun didn't appear injured, nor did he seem to be sealed. Either he had reached some sort of agreement with these people, or he had joined their faction. In the span of a breath, Marquis Anying pieced together an enormous amount of deduction. …… Meanwhile, Su Yu was studying him as well. After observing from afar for a while, Su Yu turned to Marquis Dingjun. "Does he cultivate the Shadow Dao?" "No," Marquis Dingjun transmitted back. "It's the Darkness Dao." Su Yu nodded thoughtfully. There were many similar Great Daos—the Darkness Dao, the Shadow Dao, the Shade Dao, the Concealment Dao... Any of them could fit this individual. Without clashing directly, it was difficult to tell precisely which dao power was in play. The marquis had approached in complete silence, revealing his figure only because he chose to. His concealment capabilities had to be formidable. As expected of Marquis Anying; no wonder he had been able to roam the Upper Realm alone for so many years, gathering intelligence the entire time. "He's a decent sort—a bit more useful than you," Su Yu said bluntly. Marquis Dingjun was rendered speechless. *Did he really have to put it that way?!* "Was his status in ancient times higher than yours?" Su Yu asked. Resigned, Marquis Dingjun transmitted back, "About the same. In the ancient era, Marquis Anying was responsible for intelligence, so he wasn't part of our command structure." Su Yu gave a slight nod. A moment later, about a thousand meters away, Marquis Anying halted. Cloaked and hooded, his face hidden, he spoke softly, "Marquis Dingjun, aren't you going to introduce me?" Marquis Dingjun hesitated. Su Yu chuckled softly. "Wuming." "..." It was a perfunctory pseudonym, but Marquis Anying didn't press the matter. He quickly said, "Marquis Dingjun, I came to tell you something you might not know. Just yesterday, an envoy from the Demon Council visited every major dao arena, summoning Dao Integration experts from across all races to converge on Divine Fire Mountain and surround Marquis Huoyun." Marquis Dingjun was startled. "To kill Marquis Huoyun?!" "Yes." Marquis Anying kept a close eye on Su Yu as he continued in a calm voice, "The masters of various dao arenas have already responded. Nine days from now, they will gather at Divine Fire Mountain! Marquis Huoyun is in mortal danger. Dingjun, I came to ask for your counsel. Are we to mount a rescue, or what? He is likely already encircled and will find it nearly impossible to break out." Marquis Dingjun's expression turned grim. "A rescue? Since they've publicized it so loudly that everyone knows, this... this is almost certainly a trap!" He let out a heavy sigh. He wasn't truly a fool. Making such a grand spectacle and openly inviting powerful figures from all quarters was an obvious ploy to bait people. In the past, whenever the myriad races hunted humans, they always tracked down their targets in secret and struck with thunderous force to eliminate them instantly, avoiding any complications. When Marquis Minshan was killed, the others hadn't known a thing about it until the commotion grew huge and the races leaked the news. If the disturbance had been smaller, they might have taken the chance to stir up some trouble. Marquis Anying said softly, "I know. This blatant, open hunt that the races are organizing might have something to do with you." Marquis Dingjun's expression shifted slightly, and he instinctively glanced at Su Yu. He understood now: this was aimed at Su Yu's group! Since they had rescued Marquis Dingjun, now that Marquis Huoyun was in peril, would they try to save him too? If they did, they would walk into deadly danger. If they didn't, the races would kill Marquis Huoyun first. As for this mysterious faction behind Su Yu, the myriad races likely had a general estimate of their strength, realm, and faction size. Su Yu remained silent. Marquis Dingjun gritted his teeth and said in a heavy voice, "We cannot rescue him! The myriad races have surely laid an inescapable dragnet at Divine Fire Mountain. The moment we go to save him, we are dead! We have no idea how many Dao Integration experts they're sending, or how many top-tier figures among them will be present! Throwing ourselves into that trap will extinguish our last remaining hope!" He looked at Marquis Anying, took a deep breath, and continued, "Not only can I not go, but you can't go either! Neither can anyone else! The myriad races might be trying to seize this chance to wipe us all out in one fell swoop. Especially you—they know you exist, and you've been active across the Upper Realm's dao arenas for ages..." Marquis Anying murmured, "Then we must simply watch Marquis Huoyun die?" Marquis Dingjun said painedly, "There is no other way. What's more, you must notify Yunshui and Yingwu—neither of them can attempt a rescue! Our strength is far too meager. The myriad races might deploy dozens of Dao Integration cultivators this time... How can we possibly contend with that?" Even though Su Yu had quite a few Dao Integration experts on his side, Marquis Dingjun didn't dare suggest that Su Yu go to the rescue. Once they were overpowered, everything would be finished. If Su Yu's faction fell, all hope would truly be extinguished. Emotionally, he wanted to save him, but reality dictated that they couldn't. To have survived in the Upper Realm until now, Marquis Dingjun was capable of making hard decisions when it truly mattered. At that moment, Su Yu smiled and spoke up. "Does Marquis Anying know how many Dao Integration experts have gone to Divine Fire Mountain?" In truth, Marquis Anying had been waiting for Su Yu to speak. His eyes shifted slightly, and he said slowly, "I don't know the exact count. I only know that the Demon Council is leading this encirclement, headed by Marquis Duanxue! Previously, the demon race openly possessed three Council Speakers and eighteen Councilors—twenty-one Dao Integration experts in total!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Twenty-one?" That was quite a lot! According to what some had said, the Upper Realm only had seventy or eighty Dao Integration experts altogether. If the demons alone had twenty-one, and the gods and immortals were comparable, then those three races alone accounted for over sixty. What about the other races? Marquis Anying said in a deep voice, "Yes, twenty-one! Over the past six thousand years, the human race has declined while the myriad races have developed rapidly. Marquis Dingjun and the others have spent their time hiding and know little, but I have been walking this land constantly. I know far more than they do. As for the demons, Marquis Modang has fallen, and two more died earlier in Bright Moon Flower Valley. Three of their Dao Integration experts have perished recently, leaving them with three Council Speakers and fifteen Councilors." Marquis Anying continued solemnly, "This time, the demons will deploy no fewer than five Dao Integration experts. The other races will offer support as well; the immortals and gods won't send fewer than three each. Together, those three races will field over ten! Add in the dragon, Nether, and phoenix races, and the total will certainly exceed twenty Dao Integration cultivators!" He looked directly at Su Yu. "Marquis Duanxue is at the Quasi-King realm, so the immortals and gods will likely each dispatch a Quasi-King to coordinate. In the end, the force will probably be led by three Quasi-Kings, accompanied by roughly twenty Dao Integration experts!" Three Quasi-Kings—Heavenly King-level experts—and around twenty Dao Integration cultivators. Marquis Dingjun's face went pale. He knew Su Yu's side wasn't weak; they even had a Heavenly King-tier expert in Lan Tian. But that was their *only* one! King Dazhou was still a step away from the Heavenly King level, as was Su Yu himself. On their side, including Marquis Anying, they only had eight Dao Integration combatants. Adding Marquis Huoyun would only bring it to nine. The disparity was far too vast! The enemy outnumbered them by more than two to one. And that wasn't even the whole picture. If the enemy failed to swiftly crush Su Yu's side, reinforcements would arrive in short order; every faction had experts that could be mobilized at a moment's notice. In a head-on battle, victory was impossible! Despair written across his face, Marquis Dingjun quickly said, "We can't save him. Anying, it isn't that we don't want to, but that we simply cannot! You know the human race's current situation. Facing them head-on will only lead to our complete annihilation!" Marquis Anying didn't reply, instead looking toward Su Yu. Su Yu smiled. "Why look at me? Three Quasi-Kings and twenty Dao Integration experts... I'm not a Ruler of Rules. I have no way either." He truly didn't! That was no lie. If he had the power to dispose of three Heavenly Kings plus twenty Dao Integration experts, three or four such clashes would have wiped out the enemy entirely. Why would he need to sneak around? Marquis Anying let out a soft sigh. "Fellow Daoist Wuming has no solution either?" Su Yu shook his head. "None. That's blatant suicide, and I have no desire to throw my life away." "True enough," Marquis Anying sighed. Then he asked, "Fellow Daoist Wuming... are you human?" "I am," Su Yu replied with a smile. "You asked me a question; now I have one for you as well." "Ask as you wish, Fellow Daoist." "How did Minshan die?" Marquis Anying said softly, "The immortal race discovered his whereabouts, contacted several Quasi-King experts, and raided his hiding place, slaying Marquis Minshan." "Does the immortal race have many Quasi-Kings?" "Like the demons, three on the surface," Marquis Anying murmured. "The immortal, demon, and god races are roughly equal in power. Marquis Minshan was also at the Quasi-King realm, but he was surrounded by four or five Quasi-Kings and ultimately fell..." He added with regret, "Had he survived, the myriad races would still have held some wariness toward us. A Quasi-King launching ambushes from the shadows is something every race must be wary of." Su Yu nodded slightly and smiled. "If I took our people to launch a surprise attack on their dao arenas, would the encirclement at Divine Fire Mountain still proceed?" Marquis Anying said softly, "Ambushes on their dao arenas? It wouldn't be the first time; humans have done it in the past. But as you heard, even with the presiding demon race deploying five Dao Integration cultivators, more than a dozen remain in demon territory! It takes only an instant for Dao Integration experts to arrive. Once those dozen-plus gather, backed by their Quasi-King Council Speakers, an ambush... will only bury us!" Su Yu nodded. "So there's truly no way at all?" Marquis Anying said with bitter helplessness, "My thought was to infiltrate near Divine Fire Mountain. If Marquis Huoyun is lucky enough to use the mountain's treacherous terrain to shake off the myriad races and escape, we could provide support from the perimeter!" That was gambling purely on luck! It relied entirely on whether Marquis Huoyun possessed miraculous fortune. To escape an encirclement of over twenty Dao Integration experts would require fortune of an extraordinary scale. Su Yu thought for a moment, then asked, "Is there any place the myriad races care about so intensely that attacking it would force Duanxue and the others to turn back to reinforce it, even abandoning the hunt for Marquis Huoyun?" Did such a place exist? Marquis Anying's eyes flickered. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "There is. But it is perilous beyond measure!" The moment those words were uttered, Marquis Dingjun's expression changed, and he barked, "Out of the question!" Marquis Dingjun had dared to enter Chaos Mountain, yet now he was actively stopping Marquis Anying from speaking. Clearly furious, he snapped, "Anying! Yu... Fellow Daoist Wuming is human and our hope for the future! Do not deliberately lead him astray!" Marquis Anying said placidly, "I'm not leading anyone anywhere. Dingjun, you worry too much." Marquis Dingjun, still exasperated, noticed Su Yu looking at him and said in a grave voice, "He's certainly referring to the Dao Origin Land!" Marquis Dingjun explained heavily, "It's the place where ownerless Great Daos of Rules emanate! It is a crucial stronghold guarded by the myriad races! In ancient times, it was controlled by the human race. Ownerless rule daos frequently spill out there, and the myriad races fight over them, so heavy garrisons are stationed there! More than one Quasi-King gathers there, and if the various races possess hidden reserves, nine times out of ten, they are stationed there as well! There are even ancient monsters who have been in secluded cultivation there for years without showing themselves! Ever since the catastrophic defeat of the human race six thousand years ago, we have completely lost control over that place." Su Yu nodded slightly. He had a general idea of what that place was: the breach in the River of Time! Yes, it had to be. That place was undoubtedly where the Human Sovereign had originally intended to open a new dao path back in the day—just like the junction of life and death where Liu Hong was currently stationed. The only difference was that the Upper Realm had no Necromancy Dao. Therefore, when a hole was gouged into the River of Time, a massive amount of rule power inevitably leaked out. That was likely the origin of the so-called ownerless rule daos. Su Yu had previously speculated that the Upper Realm possessed such a location, but he hadn't known where it was. Hearing them describe it now, he finally understood: the Dao Origin Land. Still, Su Yu remained curious. If the waters of the River of Time spilled out and were left unattended, would they naturally coalesce into complete rule daos? Or did they undergo some transformation before forming them? Otherwise, Great Daos couldn't possibly take shape so simply. Across from them, Marquis Anying remained calm and said softly, "That is the place the myriad races value above all else. Even if their garrison is sufficient to defend it, any hint of risk would force Duanxue and the others to rush back to reinforce it! Compared to a single Marquis Huoyun, that location is something they cannot afford to lose." He continued in a soft voice, "The human race once controlled it, so Dingjun and I know the situation well. Cultivating the Great Dao there is far faster than anywhere else! Rapid cultivation aside, if luck is on your side and you capture an ownerless rule dao, you can merge it into your own dao or even switch daos entirely. Both are tremendous opportunities! It is the premier land of fortune for Dao Integration cultivators! The reason human Dao Integration experts grew fewer and fewer while those of the myriad races multiplied was precisely because they took complete control of that place. Six thousand years ago, the human race and the myriad races held joint control over it! If Brother Wuming is willing to assist, we could attack that location. The myriad races would certainly abandon the encirclement of Marquis Huoyun." Marquis Dingjun fumed, "Nonsense! If Divine Fire Mountain only has three Quasi-Kings, that damnable place has at least double that! Rather than attacking there, I'd rather charge Divine Fire Mountain directly! Anying, stop stirring up trouble!" He hastily turned back to Su Yu, sending a frantic voice transmission: "Emperor Yu, don't listen to his drivel! The myriad races value that place beyond reason—far more than Marquis Huoyun! Ninety percent of their hidden strength is stationed there! There are even top-tier powerhouses approaching the realm of Rulers of Rules!" Su Yu nodded slightly and transmitted back, "So you're saying this fellow wants to trap me?" "Not necessarily. It might just be a probe... Anying is naturally suspicious and doesn't necessarily harbor ill intent. It's just that if he hadn't been cautious while roaming the Upper Realm, he would have been killed long ago. Please bear with him, Emperor Yu." Su Yu nodded again and asked via transmission, "You've been to the Dao Origin Land. Tell me, can one enter the River of Time from there?" "Yes!" Marquis Dingjun answered promptly. "The Dao Origin Land is vast—not much smaller than Chaos Mountain, in fact. One can access the River of Time from anywhere in that region. It's a sacred land for cultivation; comprehending the Great Dao there is far easier, making breakthroughs into Eternity and Dao Integration significantly simpler! Compared to the Lower Realm, it lacks much of that... that pressure. It's hard to describe, but cultivating there simply feels effortless." Su Yu nodded. That matched his expectations. With that in mind, Su Yu asked, "Where is the Gateway to the Lower Realm?" "It's located within that region as well, though it doesn't manifest normally. Only when many members of the human race or the myriad races perish does the gateway appear, detectable by nearby experts of the relevant race... For example, if ten god race Eternities die, nearby god experts quickly sense the gateway's precise location. The portal actually shifts, but it remains confined within the Dao Origin Land." Marquis Dingjun sighed. "Our human race has lost control over that region. So even if many human Eternities die and we sense the gateway's appearance, we cannot reach it!" "What is its exact direction?" "To the east!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. Chaos Mountain lay in the west, and the Dao Origin Land lay in the east—one east, one west, perfectly positioned at opposite poles. That was likely no accident, but a deliberate design by the Human Sovereign. Opening a Great Dao near Chaos Mountain might invite interference from the mountain itself. Putting ample distance between them would minimize disruption. Moreover, if one opened a Great Dao in the Upper Realm, the ancient beasts of Chaos Mountain might rebel. Once the Great Dao was successfully established, Chaos Mountain would likely be suppressed, just like the Lower Realm, causing all traces of the world-opening era to swiftly vanish as they were assimilated! "That place won't be easy to strike," Su Yu commented aloud. Marquis Dingjun nodded vigorously. *No kidding! You'd be better off attacking Divine Fire Mountain than that place!* "The strength of the myriad races is greater than expected," Su Yu said. "A horde of experts in the Dao Origin Land, another batch at Divine Fire Mountain, and according to Marquis Anying, yet another group guarding their dao arenas. Are you certain the Upper Realm only has seventy or eighty Dao Integration experts among the myriad races?" Marquis Dingjun looked embarrassed. "Six thousand years ago, it was roughly that number. As for these past millennia, I honestly don't know. Although breaking through to Dao Integration creates a massive disturbance... we didn't dare investigate. We've spent all our time sealed away in hiding, so we have no clear picture of their current state." Su Yu was speechless. That meant part of the intelligence he held was six thousand years out of date. Furthermore, the memories of cultivators like Marquis Meteor rarely touched upon such broad details—or perhaps Su Yu simply hadn't seen those parts. He hadn't dared to delve too deeply into their memories either. If you combed through every memory of beings who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, it would become hard to say whether you were Su Yu or Marquis Meteor or Marquis Modang! Su Yu had only skimmed through the critical portions like reading a story; he never dared to truly immerse himself and experience everything they had experienced. Across from them, seeing the two of them seemingly conferring through voice transmissions, Marquis Anying waited a moment before speaking: "Dingjun, are you and Fellow Daoist Wuming willing to act?" Marquis Dingjun frowned. "Anying, you're a veteran! Why do you keep prodding us? None of us want to see Huoyun fall, but this isn't the first time such a thing has happened. When have we ever rushed to the rescue recklessly? The reason the few of us are still alive isn't because we're stronger, but because we know how to endure! "When Minshan was alive, he repeatedly stated that in situations like this, we can only let them go! When did you become so impatient, Anying? If you had been like this before, you'd have died long ago!" He added in annoyance, "And Yingwu and Yunshui aren't hotheads either. Are you deliberately trying to draw them out?" Marquis Anying said softly, "That is not my intention. I merely thought that Brother Wuming's faction appears quite formidable. Huoyun is powerful as well, stronger than either you or me. Rescuing him would yield the best outcome! With the Lower Realm's situation currently unknown, only six of us remain in the Upper Realm. If Huoyun dies as well... when the Lower Realm opens, will we rescue them or not? If we do... we'll still be walking to our deaths." He let out a sigh. "At this stage, we have reached a dead end on many fronts." Marquis Dingjun fell silent, his brow furrowed. Su Yu, however, was weighing the pros and cons. Mount a rescue? Su Yu had no desire to seek death. To be frank, he wasn't even familiar with Marquis Huoyun. Why should he take risks, leading his subordinates into peril where they might suffer casualties? That would be a catastrophic loss! However, the gathering of the races' forces at Divine Fire Mountain might make it convenient for him to carry out other plans. Another faint wisp of chaotic power rose from his fingertips. *Chaotic power, the Prison King's lineage, the dark jade left by the Western Consort, the myriad races...* Thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. *Lan Tian, King Dazhou, King Daming, Jiu Yue, Xinghong, Marquis Dingjun, and myself—that makes seven Dao Integration-level combatants. If we include the chief steward under Marquis Dingjun who can break through at any moment, that makes eight. And if we add Marquis Anying, that's nine!* Nine Dao Integration combatants, including one at the Heavenly King level, could accomplish quite a lot. Su Yu rubbed his chin, looked at Marquis Anying, and chuckled. "You say that if we raid the gods or demons, they still have powerful forces guarding their homes. But surely not every race is as formidable as the gods, demons, and immortals?" Marquis Anying looked at him. Su Yu smiled. "Why must we attack the gods, demons, or immortals?" Marquis Anying said in a heavy voice, "If we don't strike the demons, they won't withdraw! If you hit the other races, even if their Dao Integration experts leave to defend their homes, it won't affect the overall situation. The gods, demons, and immortals are the core. As long as those three remain stable, chaos among the others won't change anything." Su Yu smiled. "Why do we need them to withdraw?" "What does Brother Wuming mean...?" Marquis Anying said in a deep voice, "Trading Huoyun's life for an opportunity to strike another race?" Su Yu chuckled. "What do you mean, trading Huoyun's life? I don't know him, and I can't save him anyway! It's an unavoidable tragedy. But since he can draw away over twenty Dao Integration experts, that's actually a good thing... Why not slaughter a few Dao Integration experts as funerary sacrifices for Marquis Huoyun? When he dies, he'll probably be quite pleased. What do you think?" Su Yu continued with a smile, "The east is close to the Dao Origin Land, where there are too many experts! Divine Fire Mountain is near the south, so we'd best avoid that direction as well! That leaves the west—meaning this general area—along with the north as our best targets for a raid! The dao arenas of the gods and demons are mostly clustered in the central region... Why not make the west our primary strike zone? If I recall correctly, this area is where the Nether race's dao arenas are concentrated, isn't it?" Marquis Anying fell silent. Su Yu said with an easy laugh, "Why not kill a few Nether race Dao Integration experts for fun? If that manages to draw away Duanxue and his peers, it will serve as an indirect rescue for Marquis Huoyun. If it doesn't... well, there was nothing to be done anyway. What does Marquis Anying think?" Marquis Anying remained silent for a while before answering, "What you say makes sense, Fellow Daoist. Perhaps... that truly is our only option. However, the Nether race is not weak either. They will likely send only one or two Dao Integration experts to Divine Fire Mountain—perhaps only one. On the surface, the Nether race possesses seven Dao Integration experts! Among them is a Quasi-King!" Su Yu smiled. "What do you mean by 'on the surface'?" "Excluding those in the Dao Origin Land!" Marquis Anying said solemnly. "Since humans cannot approach the Dao Origin Land now, no one outside their ranks knows their exact numbers there!" Su Yu nodded. "In other words, their home base has at most seven Dao Integration cultivators." "Correct." Marquis Anying probed, "How many Dao Integration experts can you bring, Fellow Daoist?" He added, "Furthermore, while Dao Integration cultivators are powerful, the Nether race also has numerous Eternities. Three or five might not match a Dao Integration expert, but thirty or fifty... can bring one down! Though they appear to have only seven Dao Integration experts, their combined forces can unleash the combat power of ten..." Su Yu ignored the warning and smiled. "Is Marquis Anying willing to act alongside us?" Marquis Anying hesitated, glanced at Marquis Dingjun, and finally said in a heavy voice, "I am!" He wanted to accompany this group to test their depths and ascertain their true background and strength. Marquis Dingjun breathed a sigh of relief. Targeting the Nether race was far less hazardous; knowing the strength of Su Yu's group, dealing with the Nether race was entirely feasible. After a moment's thought, Marquis Dingjun transmitted to Su Yu: "Emperor Yu, why did you directly capture me last time, yet when dealing with Anying, you chatted with him for so long and invited him to join instead of capturing him?" He felt rather disgruntled. *It's not fair!* He had assumed Lan Tian and the others vanished into the shadows in order to ambush and capture Marquis Anying. Why hadn't they? It was infuriating! Naturally, he knew Su Yu wouldn't kill Anying even if he captured him. But since he had received that treatment, he secretly wanted Anying to experience it as well—so he could earnestly advise him to accept his fate. And now, they had skipped that step entirely! Su Yu laughed and transmitted back, "Because... I haven't found his true body!" "Huh?" Marquis Dingjun froze. Su Yu smiled and said aloud, "Marquis Anying, when the time comes to strike, I hope you will deploy your true body. Though this clone of yours is strong, against a genuine Dao Integration expert, it will pop with a single poke!" Across from him, Marquis Anying's body stiffened! Su Yu chuckled softly. "No need to be so guarded. I've roughly pinpointed your true body's location. If I truly wished you ill, creating a minor disturbance right now over at that Heming Dao Arena would immediately draw attention to you." Su Yu looked into the far distance, toward the dao arena nearest to Chaos Mountain, overseen by a Dao Integration expert. Su Yu smiled. "You're a veteran from the ancient era, and I am, after all, a junior; it's only right that I show some courtesy... But staying constantly guarded against me isn't very pleasant!" With that, Su Yu looked into the distance again and smiled. "Don't scurry about with your true body. Making too much commotion won't end well for you." Marquis Anying's clone froze once more. Su Yu gazed in that direction, a faint vertical eye opening on his forehead as he chuckled. "A bit to the left, then back to the right—are you trying to bump into Dao Master Heming?" "The... the Heavenly Gate!" Marquis Anying's body stiffened completely as he stared at Su Yu in sheer disbelief and shock. The Heavenly Gate! The other party had opened the Heavenly Gate! Attempting concealment beneath the gaze of an expert with the Heavenly Gate open was an absolute joke. Even Lan Tian, if he mobilized Great Dao power to disguise himself before Su Yu, would be exposed as a farce. With the Great Dao laid bare right there, what couldn't be seen once the Heavenly Gate was opened? At this moment, shaken to the core, Marquis Anying lost all his previous composure and blurted out, "Who are you?! You've opened the Heavenly Gate—just who are you?!" Opening the Heavenly Gate required far too much: peerless natural talent and ancient arts that had long been lost to history! Without those, how could anyone open the Heavenly Gate? What did this signify? It signified a supreme heritage! A look of terror appeared in his eyes. "Do you hold the legacy of His Majesty the Human Sovereign, or of the four Human Kings?!" Was he their successor? Could it be? It seemed only their successors could ever have the opportunity to open the Heavenly Gate! Su Yu actually wanted to tell him that wasn't the case—the technique he used to open the Heavenly Gate hadn't come from them at all, but from the Martial Emperor. Yet since the man had asked, Su Yu simply grinned. "Guess!" *Guess?!* Marquis Anying nearly coughed up blood. He hadn't expected such an answer! He didn't want to guess; he just wanted to know whether it was true! Su Yu chuckled. "All right, enough nonsense. We'll target the Nether race—it's close by. Tomorrow morning, we act. You'd best not expose yourself..." "Tomorrow?" Marquis Anying was stunned once more. "Why tomorrow? The attack at Divine Fire Mountain won't begin for another nine days..." Su Yu was exasperated. "Why should I coordinate with their schedule?" "..." Marquis Anying stood dumbfounded, then broke into a bitter smile. Indeed, why should they cater to the myriad races? Those words sounded so familiar. In the past, certain human experts had said the very same thing: war was about seizing the initiative, not passive defense! Yet ever since six thousand years ago, the human race had never fought an offensive war. It had always been passive defense—so passive that he had grown thoroughly accustomed to it. Su Yu smiled. "Tomorrow morning, wait for me here. I expect to see your true body." "I... understand," Marquis Anying replied. He cast a deep look at Su Yu before turning and departing swiftly, filled with melancholy. Just who on earth was this person? The moment he left, several figures materialized beside Su Yu. Su Yu smiled. "Let's go. We're heading to dragon territory." Marquis Dingjun blinked. "Aren't we waiting for him?" Beside them, Lan Tian said exasperatedly, "Are you an idiot? What if he's a traitor? We just fed him a story, and you actually took it seriously! If he is a traitor, all the better—he can hurry up and notify the myriad races to lie in wait in Nether territory while we go have some fun with the dragons! Tomorrow morning? Ha! By tomorrow morning, the battle will already be over! Who has time to wait until tomorrow morning!" Lan Tian scoffed. Was this Marquis Dingjun truly an ancient battlefield general? How could he be so dense! Marquis Dingjun was left slack-jawed. After a long pause, he let out a wry chuckle. *These guys are way too paranoid about the Upper Realm! Striking the Nether race was a lie, and fighting tomorrow morning was a lie too! Does a single word out of your mouths contain any truth?!* At this moment, his mind went completely blank. Forget it. Since they were this ruthless, he would simply follow along and wash his hands of everything else. As for Marquis Anying showing up tomorrow morning... there probably wouldn't even be a need for that. By tomorrow morning, the battle would likely be concluded. Su Yu was going to strike the dragons! The dragon race was in the north, quite a distance from the Nether race in the west! Marquis Dingjun looked completely numb. *Who cares!* Forget it, he wasn't going to bother thinking anymore. *From now on, this marquis is solely responsible for killing. Tell me who to hit, and I'll hit them—it's that simple!* At this moment, it felt almost as though he had returned to the ancient era. Back then, hadn't it been the exact same way? The superiors issued orders, and he led his troops to hack down the enemy!