This Is My Turf!

Though they spoke of six Dao Integration experts, there were actually seven; Su Yu had already suppressed Wen Qi earlier. Subduing Marquis Zhennan with such effortless ease was a profound shock to Marquis Yunshui and the others. It had happened far too fast! Marquis Zhennan was a top-tier Dao Integration cultivator, yet he had failed to stir up the slightest ripple. The myriad races had hunted the strong of the human race for years, and Marquis Zhennan had held his ground in Sky Cave Ridge through all that time—he was by no means easy prey. At this moment, General Yingwu recalled the lingering dread of being completely dominated by Su Yu. She had managed to put that out of her mind earlier... Not just her, but Marquis Huoyun also furrowed his brows slightly. The group looked at Su Yu, and Marquis Yunshui asked in a gentle voice, "Has the Human Lord opened the Heavenly Gate?" Su Yu nodded. *It really is so!* Their hearts trembled. Marquis Anying already knew, so his expression remained impassive, but this was the first time the others had learned that this Human Lord had actually opened the Heavenly Gate. He was likely the only person to have opened the Heavenly Gate since antiquity. Marquis Yunshui spoke softly once more: "Human Lord, do you inherit the bloodline of an ancient powerhouse?" In the past, Su Yu would have welcomed the chance to claim ties. Now, however, he simply chuckled. "Ancient bloodline? I am quite curious—why must it always be an ancient bloodline? Could it be that before figures like the Human Sovereign rose to power, they were also of exalted lineage? Were they direct sons or grandsons of the Human Ancestor? If one does not possess an ancient bloodline, are they barred from becoming strong?" "Yunshui did not mean that." Marquis Yunshui said softly, "Yunshui was merely marveling at the Human Lord's extraordinary talent in opening the Heavenly Gate. I only harbored a slight doubt, so please do not take offense, Human Lord." Su Yu laughed. "I take no offense. It's just that you people insist on believing that one must possess noble blood to accomplish anything... But what of noble blood? How do you even distinguish what is noble and what is not?" He chuckled again. "In this world today, if we are speaking of the most noble bloodline, perhaps the human race wouldn't even rank first! If the River of Time has a master, that person would be the most noble. Reaching further back, perhaps the one who split heaven and earth, or whoever created the River of Time... Were those beings necessarily human?" Su Yu shook his head. "I reject the notion of bloodlines being inherently noble or base!" He swept his gaze over them. "People like you believe the human bloodline is the most exalted, and you attribute all the blood and sweat of ancestors and descendants to mere pedigree... How truly ridiculous and infuriating!" Su Yu sighed. "When someone achieves something after facing death ten thousand times over, is all that worth less than a dismissive remark about possessing a noble bloodline? Hearing such things chills the heart! "Countless efforts and countless brushes with death cannot even earn an acknowledgment of hardship, all outweighed by a useless lineage... Born of humble stock... Ah!" With a sigh, Su Yu shook his head and spoke as he walked. "Back when I studied at the academy in the Human Realm, there was already conflict between the commoners and the noble clans! Now, I have grown strong enough to stand here, having become the Lord of the Human Race, yet I still cannot escape talk of whether my bloodline is noble... In the end, it leaves me somewhat disappointed and disheartened." Beside him, King Dazhou said quietly, "Emperor Yu need not trouble himself. Whether a bloodline is noble does not depend on ancestry, but on the individual. Emperor Yu is noble, so your bloodline is naturally noble, superior, and above others! Should Emperor Yu have descendants..." Su Yu said calmly, "I know what you mean. If I had descendants, you would prop them up, even if I died! Just like my teachers told me back then: 'Su Yu, leave behind a bloodline; even if you die, we will fight on for another tide!'" Su Yu shook his head and sighed. "No, that isn't what I want! I cultivate with all my might, slaughtering the myriad races and battling across the heavens—was all that just so my descendants could stand superior to everyone else? Of course not. A person must forge their own destiny! Being superior is unnecessary; not being looked down upon by others is enough! Propping up my descendants to become Human Lord or Human Sovereign—what would that even achieve?" Su Yu was filled with emotion. In the mouths of these old-timers, the question was always: whose bloodline do you carry? No matter how much effort you poured in, they would chalk it up to an exalted bloodline. No one ever cared how much you had actually paid along the way. A single phrase about bloodline erased all that effort! It wasn't just one or two people; almost all of them were like this. Even Baizhan, whom he had never met, seemed unable to escape this mindset, thinking his own bloodline was exalted while those of the myriad races were base... A single label of 'mongrel blood' had been enough to make Marquis Dingjun and the others convinced that the Prison King lineage was utter scum. While that had been useful, Su Yu had also seen the stubbornness and prejudice ingrained in these elders. King Daqin and King Daxia were terrified of being reviled by posterity. Why? Because their bloodlines had been altered. No matter how immense their merits, none of it could overcome a change in bloodline. They feared becoming pariahs reviled for ten thousand generations—how truly pathetic. Only when Su Yu promised that merits would be codified into the rules did the two finally heave a sigh of relief. Those were two peerless heroes who had shielded the human race for hundreds of years! Yet in the end, even they agonized over being branded mongrel blood. None of the ancient powerhouses uttered a word. Marquis Yunshui had only asked an offhand question, never expecting Su Yu to take such deep offense. In truth, none of them felt they had said anything wrong, nor could they comprehend why Su Yu reacted so strongly. Bloodlines inherently differed in rank, did they not? The human bloodline was noble by nature—that was simply how things were! It was a belief rooted to the marrow! At this moment, Lan Tian, who had not yet departed, chuckled. "Emperor Yu, forget it. Do not force these matters! According to their logic, once the realm is pacified, the first one scheduled for execution will probably be me." Impure bloodline! Lan Tian wasn't merely impure; his lineage was tangled beyond imagination! One couldn't even discern whether he was human anymore. Lan Tian said with a grin, "There's no reasoning with these old diehards. But there aren't many of them left anyway—once we outlive them, the problem solves itself!" General Yingwu frowned. "Some things are simply factual. The human bloodline is indeed superior to those of the myriad races! And among humans, the bloodlines of top experts are superior to those of ordinary people. This is an objective reality, so why does the Human Lord take offense?" She was genuinely perplexed. She saw no flaw in her reasoning. She continued, "If the Human Lord becomes a Ruler of Rules and attains immense might, your descendants will naturally possess an exalted bloodline and stand above others. No one will deny that. This is not discrimination, merely fact, so why can it not be spoken?" She offered her rebuttal. King Dazhou glanced at her, thinking she was remarkably bold. It was probably because she was not yet well-acquainted with Su Yu. Anyone who truly understood Su Yu would never dare contradict him at a time like this. Of course, Su Yu was gradually calming down by now. He shook his head. "Never mind. Perhaps you are right, and some arguments simply cannot be won. However, if I ever become sovereign and reforge the rules of the heavens, I will certainly establish one decree... Heroes shall not be judged by bloodlines!" Su Yu said impassively, "You simply do not understand, nor do you comprehend! Just how much have those who do not possess pure human bloodlines sacrificed for this race? You cling to your so-called doctrine of human supremacy, but in my eyes, it is nothing more than a joke! Without me, without them, it is uncertain whether humanity would even exist today! "Whether it is King Daqin, King Daxia, Lan Tian, or myself... not one of us carries a pure human bloodline!" The moment those words landed, the marquises were shaken. What did he mean? Never mind the others, but you... what was your situation? King Dazhou hadn't realized it at first, but soon thought of something, his eyes shifting strangely. Yes... Su Yu was no longer purely human either! A half-dead spirit bloodline! No wonder Su Yu was so furious! Under this claim of absolute human bloodline supremacy, even Su Yu could be questioned and rejected. Everything that he, King Daqin, and the others had sacrificed might ultimately vanish like foam before a single remark about lineage! Unable to hold back, Marquis Huoyun asked in a low voice, "What does the Human Lord mean?" Su Yu said calmly, "It means exactly what it sounds like. I possess the bloodline of a dead spirit—a half-dead spirit! I am not purely human! Not only that, but under my command are numerous dead spirit powerhouses who share this state, and they cannot be counted as human either! I have always believed that so long as your heart lies with the human race, you are human! Yet debating with all of you today makes me wonder if I was wrong." The expressions of the ancient experts shifted erratically. A half-dead spirit! This was the first time in history a half-dead spirit had become Human Lord; it was unprecedented. Meanwhile, Lan Tian was growing restless and sent a voice transmission to Su Yu: *"Emperor Yu, if these people show the slightest sign of dissent... just kill them and be done with it! These old fossils have no idea what you've done for humanity!"* Lan Tian found these people utterly detestable! Without Su Yu, would humans still exist in the Lower Realm? That was highly doubtful! Could the several decades King Dazhou claimed to wait for have ever actually arrived? Given the state of the Upper Realm, even if Baizhan came out, he would most likely be doomed! In the end, the Prison King lineage would probably take supremacy. And that lineage... hehe, that was truly not pure human blood, which would make things truly ironic. Lan Tian suddenly chuckled through transmission: *"Emperor Yu, by their logic, perhaps we and the Prison King lineage shouldn't even exist in the first place."* Su Yu did not reply. At this moment, he didn't feel like saying anything. As for these old fossils beside him, if they could accept it, fine; if they couldn't, so long as they didn't actively oppose him, Su Yu couldn't be bothered to care. But if anyone dared cross him, he would kill them on the spot! He had previously stopped caring about being a half-dead spirit, but today he realized it wasn't so simple. The current generation of humans might not mind, but there were bound to be many who still cared deeply. King Dazhou fell entirely silent as well. The group flew swiftly forward behind Su Yu. Marquis Yunshui and the others sank into deep contemplation. Su Yu was not of pure human blood! Even General Yingwu, who had opposed Hundred Battles King, was struggling to digest this. Su Yu wasn't purely human; he was a half-dead spirit. Could... could someone like that truly serve as the Human Lord? After an unknown amount of time, General Yingwu spoke up: "How did you become a half-dead spirit?" "I felt like it, so I became one." "..." General Yingwu was rendered speechless. Somewhat depressed, she pressed, "Can you still not sever the dead spirit channel?" "I won't!" Su Yu said calmly, "Being a half-dead spirit suits my preferences much better." "But..." General Yingwu said awkwardly, "Don't you worry that people will oppose you because of this?" "They won't." By now, Su Yu had brushed it aside and chuckled. "Why would they? Ask King Dazhou—among the tens of billions of living beings in the Lower Realm, does a single one oppose me?" "Not one!" King Dazhou replied calmly. General Yingwu asked in confusion, "Do they know you're a half-dead spirit?" "Of course!" Su Yu laughed. King Dazhou also smiled faintly. "Naturally they know. How could they not? Emperor Yu did not build his power base within the human race, but across the thirty-six ancient cities! Subduing those thirty-six cities was his starting point; only afterward did he return to humanity and unify the heavens!" The ancient experts were stunned. "He... the Human Lord didn't rise from within the human race? He wasn't propped up by the older generation to become Human Lord?" "Why would I need anyone to prop me up?" Su Yu chuckled. "Isn't it much better to seize it with one's own hands? When I ascended to the peak, no one dared oppose me, and no one could oppose me! That includes King Dazhou. Even if he initially took me for a puppet, he has no choice but to obey now, does he?" King Dazhou chimed in, "Naturally. Emperor Yu's abilities far surpass all others. Across tens of billions of living beings, not a single one can hold a candle to him!" "..." How nauseating! The ancient marquises were at a loss for words. This former attendant to the Human Sovereign truly had no shame! His flattery was so thick it made them squirm. General Yingwu furrowed her brows. "Then... if you say no one dared oppose you, does that mean the three quasi-kings you mentioned all take orders from you?" "Of course!" Su Yu laughed. "Why wouldn't they? Lan Tian is a quasi-king. Does Lan Tian listen to me?" "Naturally!" Lan Tian giggled playfully. "Everything is subject to Emperor Yu's will! Anyone who disobeys shall be slain!" With that, Lan Tian turned to General Yingwu and beamed. "Why would you even harbor such a thought? Why would you imagine anyone daring to disobey? The three quasi-kings... you mean me, King Wen's dog, and the Southern King? Of course we all listen to Emperor Yu!" General Yingwu wore a look of helplessness, tinged with a hint of sorrow. What happened to you having it rough? What happened to your subordinates refusing to obey you? What happened to Baizhan possessing overwhelming power? While General Yingwu was feeling defeated, Marquis Yunshui picked up on something else and asked softly, "King Wen's dog?" "Yes." Su Yu gave a slight nod. "Fat Ball. Do you know it?" "Not well," Marquis Yunshui said softly. "Though I seem to recall people mentioning it before. To think it has also stepped into the quasi-king tier." Marquis Yunshui did not bring up the bloodline matter again, instead asking gently, "Aside from quasi-kings, does the human race have other top-tier Dao Integration experts?" Su Yu smiled. "Of course. Isn't King Dazhou one? "There's also Director Wan, whose strength is roughly on par with King Dazhou's. "In addition, King Daqin and King Daxia are both about equal to you, Marquis Yunshui." Marquis Yunshui and the others listened quietly; this was their best chance to understand the human race's true strength in the Lower Realm. Upon hearing this, Marquis Huoyun raised an eyebrow slightly. "So that means the human race's top-tier power in the Lower Realm isn't all that plentiful?" Su Yu chuckled. "It's decent enough. I also have several non-human subordinates, including General Hongmeng, who is close to quasi-king, Marquis Lanshan of the dead spirit realm, Doubao of the God-Devouring race..." After listing a few, Su Yu smiled. "Overall, our strength is respectable. Of course, it can't compare to the Upper Realm. There are far more powerhouses here. We might stand a chance taking on one of the three major races, but fighting all three at once would be courting death!" The group continued to process the information Su Yu had shared. After absorbing it for a while, Marquis Anying's expression suddenly changed. "Human Lord, where are we heading now?" "The Dao Origin Land!" "Out of the question!" Marquis Anying's face paled. "That place is far too dangerous! A group of top powerhouses from the myriad races are gathered inside. If we enter the Dao Origin Land and get discovered, it will be our death sentence!" General Yingwu was equally astonished. "Go there? To unseal Baizhan? Didn't you say you wouldn't take orders from him?" Why go there? Su Yu laughed. "Just scouting it out—what are you panicking for?" How could they not panic? Marquis Huoyun said anxiously, "There are more than one or two quasi-kings there—there are easily over ten! Even though we have quasi-kings on our side, if we are surrounded, we're dead for sure!" "I know." "You know, yet you still want to go..." "Just follow me!" Su Yu said calmly, "Stop with the endless questions. I've opened the Heavenly Gate; I see far more than you do!" These fellows talked too much. If it were Wan Tiansheng and the others, they wouldn't ask a single thing. If he said go, they would go! Only then did the group remember that Su Yu had opened the Heavenly Gate, yet deep worry still plagued them. Marquis Yunshui glanced at General Yingwu again, her eyes speaking volumes of helpless resignation. *What happened to him being receptive to everyone's advice?* General Yingwu responded with her own helpless look: *Seriously, he was acting very receptive before! Look, when I told him to go recruit you, he didn't argue a single word!* The two exchanged glances, both feeling a wave of regret. They had acted too hastily! They had joined his camp far too early. Given the current situation, leaving would not be easy. Marquis Zhennan had been suppressed right on the spot! Evidently, this Human Lord hadn't sought them out simply to recruit them, but to clear away potential obstacles and keep them from causing trouble. ... Su Yu couldn't care less about their worries. Now that they were at his side, none of them could dream of flipping the board! Though their strength wasn't weak, a combined effort by Su Yu, Lan Tian, and King Dazhou might not completely suppress them. But this was the Upper Realm, and the myriad races had their eyes everywhere. Su Yu could flee, but they couldn't! If Su Yu didn't take them along, once their whereabouts were exposed, they would die without a doubt! Su Yu had a way out—he could return to the Lower Realm. Right now, Su Yu only wanted to execute things cleanly, but that didn't mean he couldn't settle for an imperfect plan. If pushed to the brink, he could kill a few people and run, leaving these fellows behind to take the blame—what did he care? That included framing the Prison King lineage, slaying three Dao Integration experts... Su Yu could afford to mess up! He could abandon any plan at a moment's notice; perfection was never a necessity! Worst-case scenario, he would just head back to the Lower Realm. It was that simple! The Lower Realm wasn't meant to open right now anyway—there were still a few years left. These people couldn't use the Destiny race's passage, and even if they went down, they would be seeking their own deaths. ... The Dao Origin Land lay in the far eastern reaches of the Upper Realm. Vast and mysterious. Across this terrain, one could stumble upon masterless Great Dao of rules at any moment—complete ones at that. Once fused, a cultivator might instantly become a top-tier Dao Integration expert, provided their affinity with the Dao was sufficiently high. It wasn't even out of the question to reach the quasi-king tier. However, becoming a Ruler of Rules remained as difficult as ascending the heavens. Even though there were countless Great Dao of rules, including complete ones, no one in this era had been able to thoroughly master them. This land was shrouded in a brilliant white radiance. It was the wellspring of the Dao, the birthplace of all paths. Hence, after antiquity, it had been named the Dao Origin Land. In truth, prior to that during the ancient era, this place was known as Tianhekou. Of course, after antiquity, many felt the name was rather uninspired. Tianhekou—the Mouth of the Heavenly River—where was the Heavenly River? Could this truly be the mouth of the Heavenly River? No one had ever seen such a river here! Ever since the human race's defeat six thousand years ago, this place had become the territory of the myriad races. Swarms of powerhouses had flooded in, capturing Dao rules, vying for the power of principles, and comprehending the Great Dao. Over these six thousand years, countless experts had been born among the myriad races. Before that, the human race had also produced many powerhouses here; otherwise, they wouldn't have had over a hundred Dao Integration experts to exhaust. The Dao Origin Land held many other mysteries. Such as the Gate to the Lower Realm, or the Mount of Seals, where Hundred Battles King was said to be imprisoned. There were also countless other spots that might conceal or house sleeping ancient relics. True ancient relics hovering at the threshold of the Ruler of Rules tier! Cultivators who had hit a wall, having reached the absolute zenith of Dao Integration. One more step meant mastering a Great Dao of rules, yet there was no road ahead. Peerless experts like this also lay dormant here. Some might belong to the myriad races, while others... might very well be humans. After all, the human race had held dominion over this land for countless eras. However, these individuals had likely entered deep slumber, never showing themselves again, because once they reached that realm, all their efforts were poured into taking that final step. ... A colossal curtain of light veiled the sky and earth. In stark contrast to the darkness of Mount Chaos, the Dao Origin Land was bathed in perpetual brilliance. One in the east, one in the west—they formed the two most dangerous regions in the entire Upper Realm. At this moment, outside that enormous curtain of light. As the one with the most intelligence, Marquis Anying sent a voice transmission: "The Dao Origin Land is perpetually shielded by this light curtain, which is entirely formed of rule power! "Thus, entering or exiting causes a major disturbance. The human race no longer dares set foot inside. If an expert is drawn out to investigate and discovers humans... they will relentlessly hunt us down!" Su Yu nodded slightly. Marquis Anying continued, "Every race has experts inside. Rumor has it that experts of our human race also lie dormant within!" Seeing Su Yu glance at him, Marquis Anying explained, "It's only a rumor; I don't know if it's true. It's said that these experts who truly reached the pinnacle were just half a step from mastering a Great Dao of rules, but could never cross that threshold. Their power was too immense, their consumption too vast, and some even possessed the perceptual depth of a true Ruler of Rules... Having no other choice, they could only enter slumber, ceasing all comprehension of the Dao!" Su Yu asked in confusion, "Slumbering to stop comprehending the power of the Dao?" Marquis Anying struggled to explain, but King Dazhou chimed in softly: "It's actually quite simple. Take me, for example: if my comprehension of my Dao reached the pinnacle and I was clearly on the verge of mastering it, yet couldn't, while simultaneously absorbing rule power at an incredible rate... but unable to digest it, I would end up bloating myself to death!" Su Yu paused, looking at King Dazhou. *How do you know that?* King Dazhou gave a bitter smile and transmitted: *"My Dao of Endurance has reached its peak, so of course I know."* Su Yu came to a realization. That made sense. Frowning, Su Yu asked, "You mean because their comprehension surpasses their current physical capacity, they absorb it too quickly, forcing them into slumber to slow down the absorption rate?" "Yes!" King Dazhou nodded. "There is no other way! Unless they leave this place, where the rule power is overwhelmingly dense. But leaving..." He gave another wry smile. "The power of these fellows' Great Dao is too formidable; no other place can sustain them! They cannot find a suitable middle ground. It's either burst from overeating or starve to death! Given the choice between bursting or starving, they can only slumber here, sealing themselves away to slow their absorption so they neither burst nor starve." Only someone at the same tier could truly grasp such misery. Su Yu looked at him quizzically, and King Dazhou elaborated, "My Dao isn't overwhelmingly strong, so it's not a major issue for me. Moreover, in the myriad realms, the suppression of the River of Time prevents problems! Only in the Upper Realm, where the suppression is weak, does the power of the Dao swell and turn unstable, making it easy for things to go wrong! "The Lower Realm has its own advantages. If these fellows go down, they can suppress it too. But after staying in the Upper Realm for so long, going down would cause them to be violently repelled back up, unless the rule power disperses!" King Dazhou added, "They get repelled because their Dao has become too bloated. Once the rule power blankets the Lower Realm again, they wouldn't be able to endure it and would have to return, or risk being crushed to pieces!" Su Yu understood the gist of it. After a moment's thought, he said, "That shouldn't be an issue right now, right? The rule power in the Lower Realm has dissipated significantly." King Dazhou nodded. "It should be fine now. But once the rule power blankets the Lower Realm once more, anyone who descended from the Upper Realm will have to leave. It's primarily driven by the mutual repulsion of Dao power, much like how a dead spirit is repelled upon entering the realm of the living." Su Yu nodded and asked no more. The Heavenly Gate materialized in his eyes as he looked toward the curtain of light. With that single glance, his eyes trembled slightly. He saw it! Deep within the veil of light, he saw the River of Time... No, wait, that wasn't it... It didn't seem to be the River of Time! Su Yu opened the Heavenly Gate to its utmost limit, peering intently. He looked into the distance, gazing deep into the expanse. Suspended in the air was what appeared to be a fractured river—only a small portion, or rather, just a beginning without an end. Su Yu licked his lips. "The River of Time... No, that's not quite right. It looks more like... a tributary... No, not that either. It's more like the dead spirit Dao... Yes, a dead spirit Dao that had only been partially forged!" In this instant, Su Yu seemed to grasp what it was. That crescent-shaped expanse hanging in the sky had to be a Dao forged by the Human Sovereign... It had to be! However, after forging only a fraction of it, something must have gone wrong. Left with no choice, the Human Sovereign had been forced to abandon it. *Is that it?* Su Yu murmured to himself. *Could it really be?* Strictly speaking, this Dao was similar to a tributary, an offshoot branching from the River of Time. The difference, however, was that this path had been forged on an extraordinarily vast scale! And it remained incomplete. Had the Human Sovereign abandoned it? Or had he retained ownership of this Great Dao without giving it up? With his Heavenly Gate wide open, Su Yu continuously burned his own energy, but he didn't care as he pressed on with his observation. This was the true advantage of having opened the Heavenly Gate. Things that the myriad realms had failed to comprehend across countless years could be deciphered by Su Yu! "So, strictly speaking, this counts as a tributary, but it carries a different elemental attribute!" "The River of Time is the fusion of ten thousand Daos. The dead spirit Dao is dedicated purely to death. What attribute, then, does the path forged by the Human Sovereign possess? "Furthermore, was this forged by the Human Sovereign, or King Wen?" King Wen had also abandoned certain Daos, such as the Dao of the Brush. Back then, had it been King Wen or the Human Sovereign who opened this path in the Upper Realm? Su Yu didn't know for sure yet. "If one enters from here, can they step into the true River of Time? They should be able to; there must be an intersection point. Otherwise, an incomplete Dao couldn't continuously radiate rule power! "And what is the deal with the masterless Great Dao rule power here?" Even in the River of Time, Su Yu had never seen masterless Great Dao rules... Granted, there were countless tributaries, but you couldn't just walk into them, nor could entering immediately grant you mastery over their Dao power! Then what was the nature of the Great Dao rules here? Doubt after doubt surfaced in Su Yu's mind. "Can one tear open the River of Time here and step inside? "Also, didn't Hundred Battles King and the others fight in the Lower Realm back then? Why were they sealed here? Where exactly is Hundred Battles King imprisoned? They couldn't have beaten him half to death in the Lower Realm only to drag him all the way up here just to seal him, could they?" They might as well have beaten him to death on the spot! At this moment, Su Yu was intensely intrigued by this place. He had seen through a fraction of Mount Chaos, but since his cultivation hadn't reached that level yet, he hadn't probed deeper. This place, however, fascinated him to no end! Because this was the inception of forging a Dao! Forging a unique Great Dao—forging a Dao for all the heavens! "Fascinating..." Su Yu muttered to himself. General Yingwu and the others looked at him with strange expressions. *Fascinating?* To them, it reeked only of mortal peril! Su Yu suddenly tore at the void with his bare hands, then furrowed his brows slightly. "No, it seems impossible to open the River of Time outside the light curtain." Marquis Anying nodded. "It cannot be done from outside; you have to go in! The light curtain blocks it..." Su Yu shook his head. "No, it isn't blocked—it's that... the coverage only spans this far! It only covers the expanse of the Dao Origin Land." *Is there a difference?* Marquis Anying thought to himself. To Su Yu, of course there was a difference. It wasn't that the light curtain was so powerful that it blocked access, but that the Human Sovereign's river was only this long! It wasn't the true River of Time capable of enveloping all the heavens! "Only upon entering can one open the River of Time. But entering will disturb the light curtain, which is composed of overflowing rule power... "Was it the Human Sovereign, or King Wen?" Su Yu sank into thought. He suddenly turned to King Dazhou: "Toward the end of antiquity, was the Upper Realm still being developed?" "Yes!" King Dazhou nodded. "Did the Human Sovereign ever leave the Star Residence Mansion?" "No, the Human Sovereign remained inside the Star Residence Mansion the entire time." Su Yu frowned. "What about King Wen?" "King Wen had already vanished by the late era." Su Yu drew a sharp breath. Something didn't add up. The Human Sovereign hadn't left, and King Wen was missing, so how could a Great Dao have been forged here? Could he have opened a Dao here without ever stepping out of the myriad realms? If so, the Human Sovereign was terrifyingly strong! No, wait! Su Yu's eyes suddenly flashed as he stared at King Dazhou. "Let me ask you: in the late ancient era, were there fluctuations of time rules on the ninth floor of the Star Residence Mansion?" King Dazhou frowned slightly. "What kind of rule fluctuations do you mean?" Su Yu thought for a moment. "Put it this way: could you open the River of Time on the ninth floor?" "No!" King Dazhou shook his head. "There was no River of Time on the ninth floor." Thoughts raced through Su Yu's mind. The Human Sovereign had never left, yet a Dao was being actively forged here... Damn it, was the Human Sovereign forging it from the ninth floor? The ninth floor of the Star Residence Mansion might very well connect directly to the Upper Realm! "The basement connects to the dead spirit realm, and the ninth floor connects to the Upper Realm—that actually makes complete sense! "Then this place was a hundred percent forged by the Human Sovereign, and the junction point with the River of Time... is on the ninth floor of the Star Residence Mansion!" In that instant, Su Yu connected all the clues! His heart jolted. The Star Residence Mansion! What an incredible place! Connecting down to the dead spirit realm and up to the Upper Realm. It was literally a colossal nexus! With the Human Sovereign presiding over it, he could hold dominion over all three realms! *What sheer audacity!* Su Yu was deeply shaken. Back in antiquity, the Human Sovereign had truly possessed staggering ambition, extending his reach across all three realms! The Upper Realm, the myriad realms, and the dead spirit realm. Stationed on the ninth floor, he could suppress everything. What a shame! What a tragic waste! If the Human Sovereign had finished opening the Great Dao of the Upper Realm, who could have rivaled him? A truly magnificent sovereign! Although these were only Su Yu's deductions, he was confident they were accurate. Otherwise, the Human Sovereign couldn't have been constantly running back and forth, forging paths everywhere. Only by opening a breach into the River of Time directly from his own imperial palace, stepping through it into the Upper Realm, and siphoning power along the channel he had forged could he develop the Dao of the Upper Realm! "Brilliant!" Su Yu praised aloud. The others simply stared at him, having no idea what he was thinking or looking at. Even if they tried, they couldn't understand! General Yingwu sent a voice transmission: "What on earth did the Human Lord see?" Su Yu smiled. "I saw the ambition of the ancient Human Sovereign, saw his overwhelming might, saw his magnificent vision! What a pity, an absolute pity! That unreliable King Wen—sigh, if only he hadn't left... Had the Human Sovereign succeeded, what a sight it would have been!" Su Yu shook his head. Marquis Yunshui frowned slightly. "King Wen was also a figure of magnificent vision..." "You don't understand!" Su Yu shook his head. She truly didn't! These people only saw King Wen's strength, blind to the Human Sovereign's grand designs! This was the mark of a true hegemon! Open the Upper Realm, forge another Dao, create another heaven, and turn the Upper Realm into his own domain—breaking free from the shackles of the River of Time to become an absolute ruler in his own right! With the Human Realm standing independent, humanity could have suppressed all the heavens for eternity from the Upper Realm! If King Wen, King Wu, and the others hadn't left, if they had held on for a few more years, if the Human Sovereign had been given just a little more time, he could have brought his grand design to completion! Marquis Yunshui and the others wore peculiar expressions. *We don't understand?* Well, perhaps they truly didn't. At this moment, King Dazhou also sighed with emotion. "His Majesty the Human Sovereign was indeed a magnificent sovereign." He didn't know what else to add. That magnificent sovereign had already been missing for a hundred thousand years! "I have always dealt more with King Wen's legacy. Today, I want to take a look at the Human Sovereign's Dao!" Su Yu said with growing excitement, "I also want to see what makes this sovereign—the one who stood above King Wen to reign as Human Lord—so extraordinarily profound!" Seeing that he was about to move, King Dazhou hurriedly warned, "The light curtain will fluctuate..." "Nonsense!" Dismissing the concern, Su Yu produced the small stone. "With this in hand, there won't be any problem! If his own seal can't even suppress the rule power overflowing from his own Dao, then he lived in vain!" Su Yu had deduced that this was the Human Sovereign's seal, an early prototype. His personal seal would definitely be able to suppress the leaking rule power. After all, they shared the same origin! Yet King Dazhou said nervously, "What if?" "I'm going ahead alone, so what 'what if' could there be? If it truly fails, I'll force my way in and dive straight into the River of Time... Rest assured, no one understands the River of Time better than I do!" He spoke with towering confidence! "Don't follow me. You won't be able to manage, and bringing you along will only make you deadweight, making it too easy to expose my presence!" The gathered experts stared at him, feeling rather stung by his words. Su Yu chuckled. "I'll scout ahead first, then come back to fetch you!" With that, he vanished from where he stood. In the ears of King Dazhou and Lan Tian, his voice rang out: *"Keep a death grip on these fellows. If they show any strange behavior, strike them immediately! Once you strike, pull back at once and wait for me at Soul Burying Mountain!"* Ruthless enough! King Dazhou maintained an impassive face. This fellow Su Yu was as ruthless and vigilant as ever; even now, he didn't treat these people as his own. *Still, it seems I count as an insider now!* King Dazhou suddenly felt a twinge of bittersweet emotion. *Life is hard!* Fortunately, with these Upper Realm fellows around, he had finally shed the label of being a 'remnant of Baizhan.' The Upper Realm figures fit that description far better. He glanced at the ancient marquises, muttering inwardly. *You fellows had better behave yourselves.* *At the slightest sign of trouble, even if I spare you, Lan Tian will screw you over until you're dead.* ... By this time, Su Yu had already drawn close to the curtain of light. A small stone materialized and gently slipped into the veil. Sure enough, as it entered, it did so soundlessly. The rule power within the light curtain remained completely tranquil, sending a thrill of wild joy through Su Yu's heart! This not only meant he could slip in undetected, but also indicated another crucial point: here, he might very well be able to suppress the rule power of the powerhouses of the myriad races! "This place is the Human Sovereign's turf!" "And the Human Sovereign's turf is my turf!" Su Yu was ecstatic. *Holy crap, this place is my domain—do you people even know that?* *This is my home field!* Though this was his first time visiting, that didn't stop this place from belonging to him!