The Great Battle Approaches

Assemble the generals and go all out. Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it expends its full strength—not to mention that those opponents were far from rabbits. A full eight Heavenly King-tier powerhouses, stationed in a perilous domain where unexpected turns could easily arise—Su Yu had to factor all of this into his calculations. …… They waited in place for a day. Xinghong and King Daming were the first to arrive. A while later, Marquis Dingjun and Chongming cautiously made their way to the rendezvous. Their auras fluctuated violently; clearly, these past few days had not been easy for them. Apart from Jiu Yue, everyone was present. On Su Yu's side were seven Dao Integration realm cultivators. Marquis Yunshui, General Yingwu, Marquis Anying, and Marquis Huoyun brought four more, making a total of eleven Dao Integration experts. However, only Su Yu and Lan Tian were Heavenly Kings. King Dazhou and Marquis Huoyun were at the pinnacle of Dao Integration—second-class Dao Integration—and Marquis Yunshui and Marquis Anying were close to that level. General Yingwu and Marquis Dingjun were both third-class Dao Integration. King Daming, Xinghong, and Chongming had not broken through to Dao Integration all that long ago. While not the weakest sixth-class Dao Integration, they were only around fifth-class. With strength like this, dreaming of slaying eight Heavenly Kings sounded like utter lunacy. It was virtually a suicide mission! Back when they fought the Eastern Heavenly King, multiple Dao Integration experts had joined forces and were still nearly wiped out by him. …… Inside the valley. When he heard Su Yu state that they were going to kill eight Heavenly Kings, Marquis Dingjun inhaled sharply. Yet, he said nothing. Having fought the Dragon race alongside Su Yu once, he knew Su Yu was exceptionally vigilant and by no means a suicidal madman. Since he proposed fighting like this, he was bound to have some measure of confidence. King Daming and Xinghong remained quiet, awaiting Su Yu's operational plan. General Yingwu and her companions glanced at King Daming and the others. Seeing that none of them uttered a word upon hearing they were to kill eight Heavenly Kings, they were secretly stunned. Su Yu's control over his subordinates was extraordinary. These people were Dao Integration experts, after all, and this task sounded purely suicidal on paper. Yet not a single Dao Integration expert objected or questioned him. Even Marquis Dingjun held his tongue. At this moment, General Yingwu no longer believed any of her past assumptions. A puppet? Utter nonsense! Of course, it was entirely possible that everyone Su Yu had brought with him this time belonged to his inner circle. General Yingwu could only console herself, *Maybe he couldn't control the Lower Realm and was surrounded by opponents, making him quite pitiful after all!* She even imagined Su Yu being ostracized to the point where he had no choice but to flee to the Upper Realm because he could no longer survive below. It was mere fancy, naturally. Just a little solace so she wouldn't feel so foolish. …… With everyone gathered, Su Yu said nothing at first. On the ground before them, a map began to materialize. The map expanded steadily, growing larger bit by bit, as vivid as reality, only shrunk countless times over. "At a scale of one to ten thousand, I present what I observed in the Dao Origin Land." Mountains rose, rivers flowed, and forests unfurled across the map. Everything appeared true to life. The crowd gathered around, studying the map. Su Yu placed a red dot outside the main features and said in a heavy voice, "This is our current position. Take a clear look and remember it well. You are all Dao Integration experts, so don't tell me you cannot distinguish directions." The group watched in silence. Soon, with a wave of Su Yu's hand, a towering peak was instantly dyed a bloody crimson. Su Yu said somberly, "Our target is here!" Marquis Anying took a look, identified it, and said, "That's Primeval Mountain. Legend has it that it has existed since the primeval era..." "Now it is called Sealing Mountain!" Su Yu corrected him and said in a deep voice, "And this is where the Hundred Battles King is rumored to be sealed." Their expressions shifted. General Yingwu frowned. "The place where Hundred Battles is sealed? Does the Human Lord mean our objective this time is to unseal Hundred Battles?" Her brow furrowed. "If we truly could unseal him, it wouldn't be impossible—Hundred Battles is human, after all! But if this means sending us to our deaths for his sake... I do not agree!" If unsealing him was genuinely feasible, it was fine. Yet confronting eight Heavenly Kings just to unseal Hundred Battles was a suicide mission, and she was unwilling to agree. The others remained silent. Freeing Hundred Battles... The Hundred Battles King had once been their spiritual pillar. Now that circumstances were finally turning in their favor, suddenly throwing their lives away for him left them reluctant to some degree. Su Yu paid no heed to her reluctance and continued, "Around this Sealing Mountain are eight Heavenly King-tier experts! Six of them are responsible for locking down Hundred Battles with their Great Daos, while two likely serve as mobile reserves!" Su Yu marked red dots around the mountain and said, "These are their positions. Naturally, their positions may change at any time, so just use this as a reference. All eight are in this area. Even if separated, they can regroup in an instant." The others observed intently, quietly committing it to memory. Eight Heavenly Kings! A terrifying number! Hundred Battles was actually sealed by eight Heavenly King-tier powerhouses! "Our battle cry is: Rescue Hundred Battles!" When Su Yu said this, Lan Tian suddenly burst into a snicker. Su Yu glared at him. Lan Tian promptly morphed into the form of a young girl, having noticed that Su Yu possessed a higher tolerance for his young-girl persona. Lan Tian giggled. "Understood! The battle cry is 'Rescue Hundred Battles,' crystal clear!" It was only a battle cry! Su Yu could not be bothered to spar with him and said solemnly, "Remember, we are the Chaos race! In the past, the Chaos race attempted to rescue him once and failed, so now we are returning for a second rescue operation! "Furthermore, the mastermind behind this rescue operation—everyone remember her name—is Ziyan!" Su Yu said sternly, "Burn it into your minds! During the heat of battle, if there is no time to clean up the battlefield, some willpower traces will inevitably linger. A true powerhouse can trace back the information etched most deeply in our minds through those remnants! "Of course, such traces are often interfered with or fabricated, so no one will take them as absolute truth. However... Ziyan is our instigator. That, you must remember firmly!" Ziyan! Several of them memorized the name. King Dazhou and his peers already understood: Su Yu was shifting the blame onto someone else once again. The Western King's Consort! The Chaos race, Ziyan—that was their declared identity and purpose for this strike. As for rescuing Hundred Battles, King Dazhou treated that as complete wind. Just as Su Yu had said, shouting a battle cry was enough; taking it seriously was foolish. Su Yu continued, "This time, Lan Tian and I will only be responsible for dealing with two Heavenly Kings—the two mobile ones! The remaining six are left to you!" "..." The group exchanged looks, their expressions turning peculiar. They had a fair number of people. Excluding Su Yu and Lan Tian, there were still nine of them! The problem was: were you certain the nine of them could take on six Heavenly Kings? King Dazhou and the others were not weak. Centering their force around King Dazhou and Marquis Huoyun, they might have hope of holding off two Heavenly Kings. But against six... they might as well wash their necks and wait to be slaughtered! Ignoring their reactions, Su Yu pressed on. "Let me outline the situation. The Great Daos of those six are bound up in sealing Hundred Battles, and Hundred Battles is actively resisting. Therefore, their strength is bound to be partially tied down!" At this, the group felt slightly relieved. The fiery-tempered Marquis Huoyun relaxed a fraction as well and spoke up: "That gives us a shred of hope! Even so, with six Heavenly Kings, even if their Daos are tied down suppressing the Hundred Battles King, their combat prowess likely won't be weaker than mine! Zhou Tiansheng and I might each be able to hold off one... That accounts for two. But the remaining four... can the other seven handle them?" Marquis Huoyun added, "Even if they can, killing them is out of the question! "When strength is roughly matched, resisting, defeating, and slaying are three entirely different matters. At equivalent power levels, quickly killing an opponent typically requires three experts ganging up on one!" This was the fruit of countless years of combat experience. When strength was comparable and the disparity slight, executing a swift kill required three experts of the same caliber encircling a single foe. It wasn't that two Heavenly Kings couldn't fight to the death, but doing so required time. Between two Heavenly Kings, it might take three full days of intense combat to determine life and death. And that was predicated on a one-on-one duel without any outside interference. Marquis Huoyun was a top-tier Dao Integration cultivator after all, capable of matching Heavenly Kings within Divine Fire Mountain. He said heavily, "I can take on one, Zhou Tiansheng can take on one, and Yunshui and Yingwu working together might be able to handle one. Anying and Dingjun together can manage one. As for... King Daming, Xinghong, and Chongming... it will be tough, but they can likely hold off one... Even calculated like this, our strength falls short!" Marquis Anying said softly, "Or Yunshui could take Xinghong, Dingjun could pair with Chongming and Yingwu, and I could take King Daming... We can adjust the pairings, but facing six Heavenly Kings remains far too difficult!" Their strength was insufficient! That was the first point. For the second, Marquis Anying sighed. "Even if they are held back by the Hundred Battles King, this lineup only allows us to resist them, not kill them. Once we become entangled, this isn't our territory. We will quickly be encircled and slaughtered by the powerhouses of the myriad races!" No matter how they turned it, the fight remained impossible! By any calculation, there was no winning. Su Yu rubbed his chin, considered for a moment, and asked, "Do you think Marquis Zhennan and Wen Qi would obey if I went to rescue Hundred Battles?" Their eyes flickered as they looked at him. Marquis Yunshui said softly, "Marquis Zhennan was captured by the Human Lord, so he likely harbors deep resentment... But if it is to rescue the Hundred Battles King, he might be willing! Back then, Marquis Zhennan was one of Hundred Battles' staunchest supporters. If we have him and Wen Qi... then we could indeed handle six Heavenly Kings!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Would he betray me? For instance, turning on us mid-battle, or outright exposing my identity? I used the Human Lord Seal when dealing with him. If he sells me out... my plans will crumble." Su Yu was reluctant to deploy Marquis Zhennan, but securing a clean kill might truly require his strength. He was, after all, a top-tier Dao Integration expert! Marquis Huoyun said solemnly, "He wouldn't go that far. Zhennan is no traitor. If he were, he would have betrayed us long ago! He would have defected to the myriad races back then! I know the Human Lord may harbor prejudices against us, but those prejudices concern internal matters. When it comes to external enemies... I believe Marquis Zhennan will still strike without hesitation! "Marquis Zhennan has plenty of shortcomings—arrogance, defiance, an unwillingness to accept another Human Lord—but if this is to rescue the Hundred Battles King, he will surely give his all!" Su Yu fell silent for a while before saying, "This time, my intention is not to split up the battles, lest accidents happen! It will be a group battle!" "A group battle?" The group was surprised and shaken. Even King Dazhou couldn't help saying, "This... You mean grouping the six Heavenly Kings together, or deliberately luring them into a single concentration? Sovereign Yu, if they join forces, their combined power will only multiply! If we keep them separated, we might still have a chance. Once they mass together, there is zero hope!" Even he was rattled. You want to wipe them out all at once? That was far too wild a fantasy! Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Concentrated annihilation! Moreover, if we fight as a group, even if someone encounters an issue, there is still room to compensate! If we disperse, a slip-up on one front that lets a Heavenly King break through or kill one of you will cause the entire battle line to collapse! "If Marquis Zhennan and his subordinate join the fight... I would worry that he might recklessly abandon the battle and rush straight to rescue Hundred Battles! But in a concentrated fight, if he pulls away..." Su Yu narrowed his eyes with a faint smile. "Then the rest of you might all die. Will he choose to fight alongside you, or go save Hundred Battles alone?" The others exchanged glances. Marquis Anying murmured, "We have been comrades for many years, after all..." Su Yu chuckled. "You have that much confidence in him?" No one answered. Su Yu smiled and said no more on that subject, continuing, "Furthermore, there is no need to be so pessimistic! Since I am having you strike, I am naturally not sending you to your deaths!" Su Yu exhaled. "Being restrained by Hundred Battles is one factor. Even without that, I can weaken their power! If Hundred Battles' restraint drags their strength down to top-tier Dao Integration—the second-class Dao Integration I mentioned—then after my suppression, they may drop further to third-class Dao Integration. Naturally, I haven't tested this in practice, so it is merely an estimate... and estimates carry significant risks! "We haven't traded blows with them directly, so their exact capabilities will have to be evaluated on the spot!" Surprise surged through the group. General Yingwu asked urgently, "You mean you can suppress Heavenly Kings to a realm on par with mine?" If that were true... not only would the risk drop dramatically, but they might genuinely pull off a staggering feat! If they could truly encircle and slaughter six Heavenly Kings, then even if Su Yu and Lan Tian failed to kill the other two, it wouldn't matter. Killing six Heavenly Kings would shake the entire Upper Realm and strike sheer terror into their hearts! Su Yu said solemnly, "It is only an estimate! Not a certainty! That is why I want you to calculate your chances as if they were still full Heavenly Kings, and prepare for the worst! Do not assume everything will go smoothly!" General Yingwu could hardly contain herself and said excitedly, "If they are truly suppressed to my realm, the advantage swings overwhelmingly to our side! Huoyun and Zhou Tiansheng could even take on two each!" Could it really work? If so... it was unimaginable! The others were equally thrilled. Was it truly possible? Though it sounded hard to believe, since Su Yu had said so, there was likely genuine hope unless he had a death wish. At this moment, the ancient experts were thoroughly stirred. "It depends on our luck!" Su Yu made the remark impassively and continued, "That is the general battle plan. Next is the retreat plan!" Su Yu highlighted several red dots. "These are figures approaching Ruler of Rules caliber... It is best to stay far away from them. Even though I located Marquis Tianming and March, keep your distance so as not to expose our identities! "The other Dao Integration experts are scattered all around..." Su Yu traced a route with a red line. "When we withdraw, I will lead your retreat. But unexpected turns always happen. If I cannot disengage or cannot extract you, withdraw along this route. This path presents the lowest risk of danger!" Circumstances permitting, Su Yu would extract them via the River of Time; if not, they would have to withdraw on their own. The group promptly committed the route to memory, daring not be careless. This was the Dao Origin Land! If they remembered the route wrong and ran into a top-tier expert of the myriad races, death was certain. Su Yu turned to King Daming. "You will not participate in the fighting. Your sole task is to lay down a concealment array, and it must be rock-solid!" King Daming began to gasp. "With so many powerhouses involved, the required array would need to be monstrously powerful! I cannot erect an array of that caliber! Last time against Marquis Jinlong, the array I laid down was shattered by him! This time, with so many Heavenly King-tier experts, the moment they strike the array, it will crumble instantly!" Su Yu was overestimating him! Su Yu nodded. "Which means your strength is still lacking, King Daming." King Daming gave a bitter smile. Indeed. Yet he walked the Dao of Formations, which was different from others; his progress could not be rushed. Su Yu turned toward Xinghong, pausing before he spoke. "You are all still too weak. At a time like this, against Heavenly Kings, ordinary Dao Integration cultivators are far too fragile! "I have some unowned rule power here, as well as some incomplete Great Dao rules..." Su Yu had harvested quite a few of these treasures from the Human Sovereign's Great Dao, which were of immense benefit to Dao Integration cultivators. However, there were drawbacks. Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "These items can help boost your strength, but the foundation will be very hollow! Later on, you may need to invest far more time and effort to polish and temper your Great Dao power!" Strands of Great Dao rules coiled around Su Yu's hands. Sensing them, the others drew sharp breaths. This fellow had only gone inside for a single day, yet it felt as if he had spent thousands of years in there. Not only had he gathered a mountain of intelligence, but he had also brought out a hoard of treasures. Marquis Anying and the others had lived in the Dao Origin Land before, so they naturally recognized what Su Yu held. Marquis Anying said in astonishment, "These... Many of them are fractured rule Daos, capable of creating Dao Integration cultivators! Usually, a shattered rule Dao emerges only once every several decades... Human Lord... you have so many?" Su Yu said calmly, "Quite a few. But it is best to shatter them completely and use them solely to replenish your own Daos! Do not cultivate them as primary Daos! Even if they were complete, do not do so." Several miniature dragons manifested in his palm, and he tossed them to King Daming. "Do not refine them as your Great Dao. Comprehend their essence briefly, then shatter them and merge them into your own Great Dao power!" King Daming grabbed the Great Dao power. The miniature dragons struggled violently, nearly slipping from his grasp, and it took him a good while to suppress them. Stirred, he said, "I seem to sense some Dao rhymes of formations." Su Yu nodded. "Where ten thousand Daos converge, the Dao of Formations naturally exists. However... the Daos here are all incomplete; I call them pseudo-Daos. Do not cultivate them. Currently, the only truly complete Daos of the myriad realms exist in the Lower Realm! The River of Time in the Lower Realm is the most perfect heavenly and earthly rule system at present! "There are five days left before our agreement with the Iron Eater race! "So I am giving everyone time—prepare yourselves within five days! "Five days should be enough to absorb and assimilate what you can. Increase your strength as much as possible; if you can't... we will see then!" After speaking for a while, Su Yu added, "Our objective is to kill those six Heavenly Kings. We will encircle one first... Once we attack one, the others will inevitably rush to reinforce him. I will not suppress their rule power right at the start, so the moment they converge will be the most perilous! "Once they assemble, I will suppress them in due time... Their rules will likely erupt into violent turmoil, which will be our finest window to strike them down! "If we can kill one or two Heavenly Kings at that juncture, the rest will be much easier to finish!" The group committed his words to memory and nodded. Su Yu said further, "Also, the battle must not drag on!" He stated somberly, "If it drags out, there are too many experts in the Dao Origin Land; even with concealment, we risk being detected! This time, we must be even faster than we were against the Dragon race!" The others grimaced. Marquis Dingjun, who had taken part in the battle at Dragon City, bared his teeth. "Even faster? When we took down the Dragon race, it took less than the time to drink a cup of tea. We need to be faster than that?" The way this battle was being planned, Su Yu intended to push blitzkrieg warfare to the absolute limit! "Of course we must be faster!" Su Yu said grimly, "From the very start, we must go all out! No, not just all out—right from the beginning, everyone will burn their blood essence, capped at five drops! Stake your lives from the opening move! To win big with a small stake, how can we succeed without risking our lives? It also prevents the battle from dragging on and costing you your lives! Every single one of you will burn blood essence; once we kill them and withdraw, we can figure out how to recover!" The group gave wry smiles. How ruthless! Opening the fight by burning blood essence to unleash their ultimate moves... This wasn't just using ultimate arts; this was fighting with their very lives on the line! "Can you do it?" Su Yu looked at them and said sternly, "If you are reluctant to burn blood essence or afraid of getting injured... speak up now!" "I can do it!" Marquis Huoyun answered immediately. "If we can truly slay several Heavenly Kings, never mind burning blood essence—I'd burn my life away! If our deaths can exchange for the fall of several quasi-kings, it will all be worth it!" "That mindset is best!" Su Yu looked at them for a long while before speaking again: "This is also the first large-scale cooperation between you and me, as well as between myself and the ancient factions! You are assessing me, and likewise, I am assessing you! "In the Lower Realm, I participated in and directed countless battles, large and small, and every single one was an unbroken string of victories! I do not want my first defeat to occur at your hands!" At this moment, Su Yu was no longer aloof or unfathomable; he was dead serious. "I launched several wars in the Lower Realm. In the first large-scale conflict, we obliterated multiple Dao Integration experts, including the Dragon Emperor, Spirit Emperor, and Golden-Winged Roc Emperor! The second erupted in the Dead Spirit Realm, where we seized the Eastern, Southern, and Western King domains and drove out the Northern King. In the third large-scale war, we slew the Nether Emperor, the Three-Headed Demonic Wolf, Marquis Meteor, Marquis Modang, and numerous other powerhouses! In the fourth, we took down the Phoenix Emperor, Ape Emperor, Marquis Tianlong, and their cohorts! "Counting our strike against the Dragon race in the Upper Realm, that was our fifth large-scale campaign!" Su Yu looked at them, enunciating every word: "Across five campaigns, we slew over thirty Dao Integration experts of the myriad races and dead spirits! And on our side... Dao Integration casualties: zero!" The ancient marquises were shaken to the core! Su Yu said coldly, "It isn't that I look down on you, but your performance in the Ninth Tide makes me... uneasy! The strength I accumulated was built up through one victory after another; I did not possess so many experts from the start! You know the situation in the Lower Realm—Hundred Battles didn't die, which blocked subsequent generations from integrating their Daos! Prior to this, the entire human race possessed only a single Dao Integration expert: King Dazhou! "With only one Dao Integration expert across the entire human race, I scraped together our present strength piece by piece. I do not wish... to see it squandered in your hands!" Marquis Huoyun found it hard to believe. "Dao Integration casualties... truly zero?" Not a single one? Impossible! Su Yu said coldly, "Do you think I need to deceive you? So if this counts as our sixth campaign, I expect another complete victory! We currently operate from the shadows; had this been an open clash, I could accept losses. But in an ambush, where the enemy knows neither your strength, your identity, nor your background—if we still suffer heavy losses under such conditions... how could we ever face them in open warfare?" Their successive battles had all relied on the element of surprise. Even now, Su Yu's true depth had not been exposed. General Yingwu drew a deep breath, looking at Su Yu with a trace of awe. "Which means Lan Tian, this quasi-king, actually broke through only recently? He didn't attain the quasi-king realm at the start of the tide?" Lan Tian giggled. "That's right! I only broke through right before coming up. Before that... this little one was just in the Sun Moon Realm!" The group was stunned once more. Was this for real? King Dazhou said softly, "Lan Tian was indeed in the Sun Moon Realm previously. The difficulty of his Dao pioneering... was beyond imagination! It was His Majesty Sovereign Yu who burned a hundred thousand years of his own lifespan to assist him in successfully pioneering his Dao and ascending to the Heavenly King domain." "This... No wonder you look like you're half-dead!" General Yingwu was utterly shocked, staring at Su Yu in sheer disbelief. "Are you out of your mind? You... you actually burned a hundred thousand years of lifespan just to help someone else forge a Dao?" Insane! No wonder Lan Tian obeyed Su Yu without the slightest hesitation. Earlier, Su Yu hadn't even been a quasi-king. A quasi-king yielding completely to a top-tier Dao Integration cultivator, doing whatever he was told without a word of protest—they had found it baffling before. To become a quasi-king within this tide required unimaginable talent. Yet Lan Tian obeyed Su Yu without a shred of resentment. They hadn't understood before, but now they did. A warrior dies for the one who recognizes his worth! Treat me as a hero of the state, and I shall repay you as a hero of the state! If one encountered such a ruler in life, anyone would likely repay him with their very life! General Yingwu's gaze turned complex. "If someone burned a hundred thousand years of lifespan for me... let alone a hundred thousand, even ten thousand, or even a thousand, I would... I would be willing to give myself to him..." Su Yu's face darkened, refusing to acknowledge the remark. What was that supposed to mean? Why are you looking at me! I have no need for that, nor do I have lifespan to burn for you. At this moment, mixed emotions churned within all of them. Now, they finally understood why the people of the Lower Realm were so devoted to this young Sovereign Yu. A sovereign who could turn the tide against all odds, win successive battles, slay dozens of Dao Integration experts, and keep his own side completely intact—faced with such a ruler, anyone would be willing to follow him! For a time, several of them fell into deep contemplation. Su Yu seemed far superior to Hundred Battles. As for strength... Once Su Yu stepped into the quasi-king domain, their earlier doubts faded. He was too formidable, his talent too monstrous, his growth too rapid. Having attained the quasi-king realm in such a short time, was reaching Hundred Battles' level truly that distant? They all understood that as long as Su Yu did not perish, reaching Hundred Battles' realm—even setting aside the Ruler of Rules—would not be a problem. At this point, General Yingwu couldn't help saying, "In my opinion, even if Hundred Battles really gets out, he won't be a match for you! Why don't we unseal him along the way and let him fight the myriad races... He has no hope of competing against you anyway." Earlier, she had thought Su Yu couldn't compete with Hundred Battles. Thinking about it now, could Hundred Battles compete with Su Yu? So what if he was slightly stronger? Once Su Yu secured the backing of figures like March, Hundred Battles would be utterly helpless against him and would still have to face the encirclement of the myriad races—unless Hundred Battles defected to them. "Let him be!" Su Yu said calmly, "It depends on his luck! If he's lucky, he will naturally escape. If not... I won't go out of my way to save him! Of course, the battle cry remains 'Rescue Hundred Battles'!" The others gave wry smiles. Fine, everyone understood now: a slogan was just a slogan, not to be taken seriously. "Enough talk; everyone knows the plan." Su Yu exhaled. "I will go check on Marquis Zhennan and assess the situation. If he refuses, then it will just be the nine of you. If he agrees, we will have two more!" The others nodded slightly. Having two more would be ideal, but if that didn't work out, Su Yu's plan still held a strong chance of success. At this point, even Marquis Huoyun shifted his stance, speaking up: "If he doesn't agree, then don't let him out, lest he ruin things and interfere with our plan!" "..." Marquis Yunshui and General Yingwu both shot him a glance. *Heh, men!* Earlier, he had looked completely reluctant, but now... he had flipped instantly, even taking the initiative to tell Su Yu not to release the man to avoid disrupting the plan. Clearly, he now felt Marquis Zhennan might ruin the grand scheme. Marquis Anying chimed in, "Marquis Zhennan's personality is rather straightforward; if he doesn't agree, he will likely refuse outright! As for Wen Qi, forget him. He is Marquis Zhennan's advisor, so keep him sealed to prevent him from giving Zhennan rotten ideas! Sometimes, certain decisions aren't Marquis Zhennan's own thoughts, but ideas fed to him by Wen Qi!" Marquis Anying added, "Keep Wen Qi sealed. When the Human Lord goes to see Marquis Zhennan, it is best not to give Wen Qi a chance to speak! Just suppress him directly!" "..." They were already offering tactical advice to Su Yu! Prior to this, none of them would have spoken like this. Su Yu was somewhat speechless. These fellows... certainly changed their tunes quickly. Not bothering to waste words, Su Yu manifested the civilization chronicle and vanished in an instant. …… Inside the bottom page of the civilization chronicle. Marquis Zhennan's vision blurred, and a figure appeared. Before he could speak, Su Yu brought a palm down, instantly pinning Wen Qi to the ground! Since Marquis Anying had put it that way, Su Yu also felt it was better to suppress Wen Qi directly. In any case, they didn't lack one newly advanced Dao Integration cultivator! Marquis Zhennan, on the other hand, possessed considerable strength. Marquis Zhennan's expression changed, infuriated. "What are you doing! Humiliating us? Even if you are the Lower Realm's Human Lord, I am an ancient marquis..." *Boom!* Su Yu threw a punch, sending Marquis Zhennan stumbling back dozens of steps, blood spilling from his lips. Having knocked him back, Su Yu wasted no words and stated bluntly, "I am going to rescue Hundred Battles. Are you willing to strike?" Still fuming, Marquis Zhennan froze upon hearing those words. His anger subsided somewhat, replaced by suspicion. "What did you say?" "I said I am going to rescue Hundred Battles!" Su Yu said indifferently, "There are eight Heavenly Kings sealing Hundred Battles. Right now, my strength is insufficient. I only ask you: will you strike?" Marquis Zhennan frowned. "Of course! But... is this a suicide run? Much as I wish to rescue the Hundred Battles King, eight Heavenly Kings... Heavenly Kings... that's the quasi-king realm, right?" "Yes!" Su Yu nodded slightly. Heavenly King or quasi-king, it was all the same thing, just different terminology that these people could grasp. Su Yu didn't bother correcting him, stating directly, "Right now, all the ancient marquises have agreed to fight. You are the only one left..." Marquis Zhennan snapped angrily, "Did you suppress all of them too?" "No, only the two of you!" Marquis Zhennan grew even more incensed. "Then why? Even if you are the Human Lord, I never betrayed the human race! Why treat me like this?" He couldn't understand! He had assumed everyone else had been suppressed as well, but it turned out it was only him? Su Yu said calmly, "Because you're scum! After the catastrophic defeat of the Ninth Tide, the Iron Eater race still secretly aided the human race. The fact that several ancient marquises among the Upper Realm humans managed to survive is largely thanks to the Iron Eaters! Yet to save Hundred Battles, you actually sought to entrap the Iron Eater race! To the human race, others might not consider you a traitor, but to me, you are more repulsive than an outright traitor!" A cold light flickered in Su Yu's eyes. "If you can entrap an ally today, tomorrow you will dare to sacrifice countless humans and slaughter your own comrades for Hundred Battles' sake! In your eyes, a single Hundred Battles is worth more than ten or a hundred Dao Integration experts. If unsealing Hundred Battles required the deaths of six ancient Dao Integration cultivators, would you consider it worth the price?" Marquis Zhennan froze. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "Worth it!" He did not deny it, because he genuinely believed it was worth it! Su Yu said coldly, "Just as I expected! Marquis Anying and the others said you were arrogant and blunt, and I could already guess your mindset! In your eyes, you aren't betraying the human race; you believe this is for the greater good of humanity, so sacrificing the weak for the strong is acceptable, isn't it?" "Yes!" Marquis Zhennan's expression shifted, turning solemn. "I know not everyone agrees, but I believe... it is worth it!" Su Yu said chillingly, "Then let me ask you: to rescue Hundred Battles, are you willing to die?" "If he can be saved, I am willing!" Marquis Zhennan gritted his teeth. "Back then, Bingku and I pushed Hundred Battles into leadership. When Hundred Battles was defeated in the final battle... Bingku died covering the retreat, Minshan was slain, and Hundred Battles was sealed... I alone survived to this day! If Hundred Battles can be freed, one Hundred Battles is more useful than a hundred of me! So if he can be rescued, I am willing to pay any price to atone for the losses we caused back then!" "You cannot atone for them!" "I know!" Marquis Zhennan snarled, "I know I cannot atone for any of it, but only if Hundred Battles is freed can the human race be saved! He is the strongest quasi-king! Without him, how can we resist the myriad races?" Su Yu laughed. "Fine. Since you've put it that way, I won't waste words! I need your strength. The moment you are released, burn all your blood essence and self-detonate your physical body to blow apart the enemies before you!" Marquis Zhennan stared at him with a cold face. Su Yu mocked, "Unwilling?" Marquis Zhennan said coldly, "It isn't that I'm unwilling; I simply do not trust you. What if the ones before me turn out to be my friends, my comrades, my brothers in arms...?" Su Yu produced the Human Lord Seal and said calmly toward it, "I swear that what you will face are the Heavenly Kings sealing Hundred Battles. If this is false, may the Human Lord Seal shatter!" As he spoke, the Human Lord Seal vibrated slightly. Marquis Zhennan's expression shifted. Su Yu looked at him. "Is that enough? If not, should I have Anying and the others come give you their word?" Su Yu said indifferently, "If you find this credible, then the moment I release you, you will have only one objective: kill the enemy! Self-detonate your physical body and kill as many as you can. Your sea of will can be preserved!" "Can Hundred Battles truly be rescued?" Marquis Zhennan looked at him. Su Yu shook his head. "It is not certain! Eight Heavenly Kings are sealing him. We do what is humanly possible and leave the rest to fate. If I claimed I could guarantee his rescue a hundred percent, that would be pure bullshit!" Hearing this, Marquis Zhennan let out a sigh. "How great are the odds?" "Fifty-fifty!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "If I had zero confidence, I wouldn't take the risk! It depends on Hundred Battles himself!" Marquis Zhennan sank into thought. After a moment, he spoke again: "Even if I self-detonate my physical body, or even detonate everything, I might not be able to kill a quasi-king..." "I will find a way to suppress their strength to the absolute limit and trigger violent turmoil in their Daos." "Then... fine!" Marquis Zhennan gritted his teeth. "I agree! But I need one guarantee!" "Speak!" Marquis Zhennan said through clenched teeth, "If the Hundred Battles King is truly unsealed, you are not permitted to plot against him and kill him!" "..." Su Yu was momentarily taken aback. Marquis Zhennan said grimly, "You subdued everyone in such a short span of time. I know Huoyun and the others; they are not the type to submit easily! The moment you arrived, you suppressed me, clearly because I am Hundred Battles' supporter! You are the current Human Lord, and Hundred Battles was the previous Human Lord... Unsealing him might not be to rescue him; you might want to kill him to free up positions for Lower Realm experts and allow new Dao Integration cultivators to emerge below! "You are capable and possess extraordinary means. Though I know little about you, I can tell your methods are terrifyingly sharp... Hundred Battles has an impulsive temper and has been sealed for years; he might not be your match!" Su Yu was surprised, and then he smiled. This was the first person who, before Su Yu had even said much, concluded that Hundred Battles was no match for him—and he was Hundred Battles' staunch supporter, no less. Marquis Zhennan said solemnly, "If you truly want to deal with Hundred Battles... it must be done before all witnesses, defeating him... or even killing him openly! That is my only request, my only condition! In a clash between two sovereigns, victory or defeat is something I can accept!" He feared that Hundred Battles would be slaughtered by this unfathomably mysterious new Human Lord without ever understanding what had happened! The sovereign of the human race did not strictly have to be Hundred Battles. However, he wanted to see a clean, dignified transition of power! Su Yu smiled, and after a moment, chuckled. "As long as he doesn't actively cause trouble for me, I don't mind agreeing! But if he comes looking for a fight... I have the final say! You do not!" "If he seeks his own death, that is his own stupidity, and I won't say another word!" Marquis Zhennan looked at Su Yu again. "Is the Human Lord satisfied with this?" "Passable!" Su Yu smiled. "It seems you aren't completely foolish after all!" With that, he glanced toward Wen Qi. "This fellow will remain sealed to keep his mouth shut! That settles it. Naturally, to prevent you from turning on me after being released, I will place some restrictions on your Great Dao... Can you accept that?" "I can!" Su Yu nodded slightly. "I thought you were a fool, but it seems you are merely obstinate! Whatever. We'll talk after you survive. If you die, none of this matters anyway." "I hope I have that chance!" Marquis Zhennan replied in a heavy voice. Su Yu gave a faint smile and drifted away. Marquis Zhennan's reaction... had been considerably more decisive than anticipated. Marquis Huoyun and the others had described him as impulsive, volatile, and arrogant... He might be all of those things, but the man did not lack intellect. Without having interacted with Su Yu much, without even knowing Su Yu's name, he was confident that in an underhanded contest, Hundred Battles would likely lose to Su Yu. It made sense. Marquis Anying and the others had yielded far too quickly. Without genuine capability, how could anyone easily earn the allegiance of experts who had lived through the era of Hundred Battles? "Let's hope he doesn't do anything stupid!" Exiting the civilization chronicle, Su Yu muttered to himself. *He better not try to stab me in the back the moment he comes out... My warning about placing restrictions on his Dao was no joke!* At this moment, Su Yu and his companions settled into quiet waiting. A great battle loomed!