Harvest on the Ninth Floor

Pushing the door open, he stepped outside. Pushing this door open was not difficult. Yet the moment the door swung open, Su Yu froze. King Dazhou and the others, who had been helping replace the furnishings while trying to peek outside, looked on as well. When the door opened... everyone froze in place. Ruins! Yes, an expanse of ruins... The once-glorious Human Sovereign Palace had now been reduced to collapsed walls and shattered debris. Jagged boulders lay strewn everywhere, alongside fractured Great Daos of rules. The others could not see them, but Su Yu could. He saw those severed Great Daos! He saw them tangled into utter chaos, like headless balls of yarn intertwined in disarray. Corpses! Su Yu even spotted corpses. A demonic god, looking completely lifelike, was pinned to a wall by a spear, eyes glaring wide with fury. Radiating a powerful aura, it rattled the surroundings. Su Yu's expression changed slightly. He swiftly looked all around! Signs of a cataclysmic battle were everywhere. Marquis Tongtian’s claim that the people on the ninth floor had disappeared quietly without making a peep was pure nonsense! Whether the fellow had failed to sense it or had simply been fast asleep back then was anyone's guess. The entire ninth floor had been beaten into complete desolation. Su Yu rose into the air and looked around, stunned into silence. In the entire ninth floor, only this single room remained! Everything else was gone! The glorious Human Sovereign Palace was gone. The King Wen Mansion, supposedly situated within the Human Sovereign Palace, was gone as well. Nothing was left! Only blood, corpses, and broken walls. King Dazhou and the others rushed out in haste. At that moment, Marquis Huoyun suddenly bolted into the distance, paying no mind to the severed Daos or the baleful aura crisscrossing the ninth floor. He sprinted atop the ruins of a broken grand hall. There, an armored expert hung suspended in the void, a weapon piercing right through his head. Marquis Huoyun rushed forward at top speed, the power of those severed Great Daos slashing bloody gashes across his body. Yet Marquis Huoyun paid no attention, utterly unconcerned. Dazed, he stared at the expert pinned to the void. Suddenly, tears streamed down his aged face, and with a resounding thud, he dropped to his knees. "My King!" A heart-wrenching wail pierced the skies. Marquis Huoyun wept like rain, prostrating on the ground as he cried uncontrollably. "My King, your subordinate has arrived too late!" The unruly Marquis Huoyun, the quick-tempered Marquis Huoyun, was now weeping inconsolably, sobbing aloud like an abandoned child. Even though he had long prepared himself mentally for the likelihood that those ancient figures were no more, today, he had laid eyes on his benefactor and liege! Today, he saw his sovereign lord pinned to death before the Human Sovereign Palace! Su Yu's expression also shifted slightly as he looked in that direction, toward that powerful figure pinned in the void. He looked quite young, remarkably lifelike. His aura was immensely formidable, his face stamped with unyielding defiance—a defiance that Marquis Huoyun seemed to have modeled after him. Clad in golden battle armor scarred by countless cuts and battered beyond repair, his overbearing, ferocious might remained unsuppressed. His long hair fluttered wildly, his body soaked in blood. This was an expert who had fought to the bitter end. Above his head, faint fluctuations of the River of Time could be felt. In an instant, Su Yu understood! This was a mighty figure who had guarded the rear—or rather, one tasked with barring the way back. Right now, Su Yu could faintly imagine the final scene of the ancient battle. When the war erupted, the Human Sovereign had forcefully driven those Rulers of Rules into the River of Time, sealing off other regions and leaving an opening only here. Dozens of Human Kings had fought a cataclysmic battle on the ninth floor. Some formidable figures had chosen to block the exit, perhaps intending to stay behind and guard the myriad realms. Yet the myriad races had too many Rulers of Rules. In the end, they fought desperately to the death right here, perishing one after another. Across the entire ninth floor, only Marquis Huoyun’s agonized wails echoed. This was his true benefactor and lord! As for Baizhan, he was merely an expert they had propped up in later times. At this moment, King Dazhou’s expression was equally complicated as he sent a voice transmission to Su Yu: "That is King Yue. Before the Human Sovereign unified the heavens, King Yue was an overlord in his own right. Later, King Wen suppressed and subdued him, winning his allegiance to His Majesty the Human Sovereign. He once campaigned across the heavens alongside the Human Sovereign, King Wen, and King Wu, personally suppressing numerous major worlds such as the Three-Headed Demonic Wolf Realm and the Soul Realm!" "Marquis Huoyun was a general under King Yue, recruited before King Yue pledged allegiance to the Human Sovereign." "The ancient era was essentially feudal. Marquis Huoyun’s sole liege was King Yue. Only because King Yue obeyed the Imperial Court did Marquis Huoyun count as one of the Imperial Court’s men. If King Yue left, household retainers like Marquis Huoyun would follow... Thus, King Yue is his true lord and benefactor..." King Dazhou's face was filled with sorrow and awe. Such a formidable entity had died in battle here, unknown to the world, his body suspended for a hundred thousand years! "My King... this subordinate... is useless!" Marquis Huoyun wept bitterly, lifting his head while remaining prostrate, inching forward step by step to collect his lord's remains. A hundred thousand years ago, King Yue and the others disappeared. Back then, people claimed they were dead. There was grief and anguish, but because no corpse had been seen, a sliver of hope lingered. Today, witnessing his lord’s slain body hanging unburied for a hundred thousand years, Marquis Huoyun felt excruciating grief. Meanwhile, the other ancient marquises glanced around anxiously, filled with apprehension and fear, dreading what they might see. The ancient era was largely like this. Each formidable expert commanded their own faction. Subordinates answered to their own direct liege; imperial authority took second place to their lord. Hongmeng served under King Gong, Marquis Dingjun under King Ping, Marquis Lanshan under King Wu... All of them had their own benefactors. Right now, they were uneasy and terrified. Even though a hundred thousand years had passed and rumors claimed the Human Sovereign and his peers were long dead, a sliver of hope had always remained in their hearts. If they were to see the corpses with their own eyes... they too would find it impossible to accept. How could the invincible figures in their eyes ever fall in battle? Yet King Yue’s body hung right before them! Right at this moment, Su Yu stepped through the air, blocking Marquis Huoyun’s path. Marquis Huoyun erupted in fury, his eyes bloodshot. "What are you doing?!" Killing intent surged! What did he want to do? There was simply too much one could do with the corpse of a Ruler of Rules. Marquis Huoyun’s spear manifested instantly. Livid with rage, he glared ferociously at Su Yu. Even knowing full well how terrifyingly powerful Su Yu was, his killing intent spilled unchecked, resolved to fight to the death! He was like a volcano on the verge of erupting; the slightest trigger would spark an all-out battle! Just then, multiple clones of Lan Tian materialized, frowning as they watched him. Su Yu waved his hand, looking at Marquis Huoyun, and said calmly, "Do not approach. King Yue fell in battle, but his energy is restrained within, and a breath of murderous intent still lingers in his chest! If you go near and touch the corpse, you will die without question!" Marquis Huoyun froze, half-believing and half-doubting. Su Yu paid him no further mind, turning his head to look at King Yue pinned in the void, then at the distant corpse hanging on the wall—the very expert he had spotted first. He said softly, "In his final moments, King Yue slew this fellow. But heavily wounded, his Great Dao shattered, he fell here as well." As for other corpses, none remained whole; there were mostly patches of blood or severed limbs. Only King Yue and that demonic god had their bodies preserved relatively intact. Looking at King Yue’s remains, Su Yu had already reconstructed the final battle’s closing moments. King Yue had blocked the route back while this demonic god had likely attempted to escape the River of Time. The Human Sovereign and the others had already fought their way upstream. King Yue had held the passage; perhaps more than one enemy had tried to charge out, only for the others to be slain or forced back. This demonic god had broken through, and the gravely injured King Yue had ultimately killed him by force as he emerged from the River of Time. Yet King Yue had fallen in the process, unable to catch up to the main force or remain behind to guard the myriad realms. Only his corpse hung high in the air, continuing to guard that entrance. Su Yu sighed softly and bowed slightly. Those who fought in that final ancient battle truly commanded respect. For the survival of the human race and to continue suppressing the myriad races, the Human Sovereign had led fewer than half their number of Rulers of Rules, sweeping away all the Rulers of Rules from the myriad realms along with a great number of top marquises. Of the seven hundred and twenty ancient marquises among the myriad races, fewer than a third ultimately remained. Likewise, human marquises had followed them back then. Numerous Rulers of Rules and top Dao Integration experts had departed alongside the Human Sovereign. Countless thoughts flashed through Su Yu’s mind as he bowed in salute. Not for any other reason, but out of sheer respect for these ancient peak experts who, knowing death was certain, had charged forward without hesitation, domineering and peerless, to suppress the myriad races. "Leave King Yue undisturbed," Su Yu murmured. "As I said, a breath of killing intent remains contained within him. He is still fulfilling his duty, waiting to deliver a fatal strike to any creature that attempts to escape!" King Yue was dead! Yet with his Great Dao broken, all his Dao principles were locked within his physical form—equivalent to having swallowed all his Great Dao power in his final moments and sealing it inside his flesh. If an expert from the myriad races were to emerge from that passage, they likely could not escape his earth-shattering blow! The final strike of a top Human King's life! Neither Marquis Huoyun nor Su Yu could withstand such a blow. Marquis Huoyun's expression shifted. King Dazhou soon walked over, bowed respectfully toward King Yue's remains, looked at Marquis Huoyun, and sighed. "Trust Emperor Yu—he has no reason to deceive you! King Yue fell in battle here, unwilling to let any enemy leave the river to torment humanity... His Highness was loyal and righteous. As his subordinate general, do not ruin His Highness’s final heroic legacy." Marquis Huoyun’s violent aura gradually subsided. Marquis Yunshui and the others walked over as well, all bowing to King Yue’s remains with complicated expressions. General Yingwu did not know what to say, offering a word of comfort: "We... we should leave King Yue be! Perhaps Lord Yue is... is waiting for the Human Sovereign and the others to return..." Marquis Huoyun’s expression was wrenching, grief welling in his eyes. "My King... his body has lain here for a hundred thousand years. I only wanted... wanted him to..." He trailed off, lost for words. He had wanted to collect King Yue’s remains, but since Su Yu and the others said King Yue could not be disturbed and had reserved a final strike, Marquis Huoyun had no choice but to give up the idea. He looked toward King Yue's remains, his sorrow deepening. Fallen! This was the only Human King confirmed to have fallen. The others were merely missing. Missing meant a shred of hope remained, no matter how slim. Yet for King Yue, there was truly no hope left! At this moment, King Dazhou asked in a deep voice, "Emperor Yu, King Yue has been dead for so many years... could he... could he revive in the Dead Spirit Realm?" At those words, Marquis Huoyun’s eyes lit up! Su Yu shook his head. "Two possibilities. First, he sleeps in the River of Dead Spirits unable to awaken, because the available power and Dao are insufficient to revive a Ruler of Rules. Second, for an entity of this level, the Dead Spirit Dao... might not be able to guide him in at all!" The light in Marquis Huoyun’s eyes dimmed once more. Su Yu added, "If it is the first case, revival isn't entirely impossible. Once enough mighty entities in the Dead Spirit Realm are slain, freeing up enough power to sustain a Ruler of Rules, hope remains!" Grasping onto that hope again, Marquis Huoyun asked urgently, "Lord Emperor Yu, does my King truly still have hope of reviving?" Su Yu said calmly, "I cannot give you any guarantees. I am only saying it is possible." He did not shatter Marquis Huoyun’s final sliver of hope, though the odds were exceedingly slim. When someone at this level fell, could the Dead Spirit Dao truly claim them? Not necessarily! Strictly speaking, the Dead Spirit Dao was merely a single Great Dao, an existence on the same level as a Ruler of Rules. Could it usher in a powerhouse of the same realm? Su Yu stopped dwelling on it. Better to leave Marquis Huoyun with a shred of hope. He looked toward King Yue's corpse with pity and deep emotion. Today, he had seen the corpse of the first fallen Human King. Back then, the departure of the Human Sovereign and his peers had been far from smooth. Naturally so. The myriad races had so many Rulers of Rules and top figures. People like the Immortal Emperor were second only to King Wen and his equals, not necessarily weaker than King Wu. How could so many powerhouses willingly follow the Human Sovereign away from the myriad realms? They could only carve their way forward in blood! Forcing the powerhouses of the myriad races upstream, locked in combat across countless ages. Right here lay the corpses of two Rulers of Rules. Not only that—when Su Yu opened his Heavenly Gate, the sheer intensity stung his eyes until blood-tinged tears flowed. Severed Great Daos of rules drifted through the void. Su Yu did not speak it aloud, but in truth... more than two Rulers of Rules had died here! Far more! The Daos intermingling here were boundlessly powerful; several Great Daos had likely shattered completely, far beyond just King Yue and that demonic god. Thinking of this, Su Yu suddenly asked, "Did the Demon race have more than one Ruler of Rules?" King Dazhou answered in a grave tone, "More than one! The humans had a full forty-one Rulers of Rules; how could the Demons have had only one? Even the Iron Eater race had more than one—Yiyue was a Ruler of Rules, and Eryue was as well!" Su Yu nodded slightly. "Then the Rulers of Rules among the myriad races didn't number only ninety-nine?" King Dazhou nodded. "Some ancient marquises of the myriad races possessed the strength of a Ruler of Rules! It was merely that they were forbidden from being conferred kingship. Kingship was exclusive to the human race!" King Dazhou added, "Although there were more than ninety-nine, the human race had allies back then as well... so the human side had more Rulers of Rules than that official count too." Su Yu nodded slightly. Glancing around, the entire ninth floor was an apocalyptic mess. Only a single small house still stood in its midst. It was the very house they had just flown out from. That it could survive an all-out battle among countless supreme experts was no accident. A scroll suddenly appeared in Su Yu's hand—the Great Dao Chart. Looking back at the small house, Su Yu pondered for a moment and said softly, "This room held the strongest trace of the Human Sovereign’s Dao rhyme, and it served as an entrance connecting to the Upper Realm. Its defenses were exceptionally powerful, resilient even against the power of Dao principles... Thus, it survived." So many powerhouses had fought here. That this house had remained intact was already remarkable. With that said, Su Yu stopped looking at King Yue’s corpse; that god of war was still awaiting the return of his comrades-in-arms. Su Yu turned his gaze to the demonic god pinned to the wall. After studying it for a while, he remarked softly, "Also a Ruler of Rules, though evidently not as formidable as a Human King!" Marquis Huoyun glared furiously. "Lord Emperor Yu, I want to hack his corpse to pieces, drain his blood, and flay his skin!" It was because this fellow had fled that King Yue unleashed his finishing blow, resulting in his Great Dao shattering. This was the chief culprit behind King Yue’s death! Su Yu said softly, "That's not out of the question, but... let's make use of the waste instead! A demonic god at the Ruler of Rules realm... I've only ever seen one corpse of a Ruler of Rules before—the Wild Heavenly Beast. Its carcass modified the bloodlines of King Daqin and King Daxia, allowing them to rapidly gain peak combat power..." The others looked at him. King Dazhou hesitated slightly before asking, "Does Emperor Yu mean to have someone switch to his Dao?" "No, his Great Dao is shattered, so no one can switch to it." Su Yu shook his head. "I just want to use it myself. A Ruler of Rules... what a magnificent treasure. The Demon race page of my civilization chronicle might reach complete perfection now!" Su Yu smiled. "As for the Dao of the Demon race, I probably won't need to spend any more time cultivating it!" With such a mighty entity to nourish the power of the Demon Dao, his pseudo-Dao could quickly reach perfection! Having spoken, Su Yu stepped forward quickly to inspect the corpse. At this moment, it was pinned to the wall by a spear—evidently King Yue's weapon. Su Yu opened his Heavenly Gate and knitted his brows slightly as the power of his Great Dao fluctuated. The moment it fluctuated, the spear pinned through the demonic god's forehead crumbled to dust. Marquis Huoyun panicked, but Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Don't look at me. King Yue detonated all the spiritual charm within this spear long ago; it was merely an empty husk. Now that I’m touching the corpse, the weapon was bound to disintegrate!" Marquis Huoyun felt helpless, sorrow clouding his tone. "My King favored this Yuelong Spear above all else. He forged it after slaying a top expert of the Dragon race and extracting its dragon bones..." Su Yu said nothing. The ancient humans were hardly saints, at least not to the myriad races. Su Yu had never believed this world was simply divided into good and evil; it was merely a matter of allegiance. Humans found the myriad races abominable, while the myriad races found humans abominable. Just listen to that: extracting a dragon's spine to forge a spear—could that be called a good person? Obviously not! Yet King Yue had fallen here, remaining steadfast in duty even in death, guarding the entrance so no enemy could escape, leaving his corpse suspended for a hundred thousand years just for that one final blow. From humanity's perspective, he was a grand hero! The enemy's nemesis, our hero. Without another word, Su Yu looked back at the demonic god. Even with the spear reduced to dust, the corpse remained suspended where it was. Its aura was also tightly contained within! Immense and powerful! Ordinary people who tried to touch this corpse would be courting death. Su Yu, however, was unafraid. If he truly wanted to move King Yue’s body, he wasn't without methods; he simply did not wish to disturb him. Since King Yue wished to stand his final watch, Su Yu would honor his wish. As for this demonic god... there was no need to show any such restraint! In Su Yu’s hand, a seal materialized—the Xingyu Seal. He pressed the seal down in suppression! The turbulent energy instantly calmed. Su Yu’s eyes flickered, and his civilization chronicle appeared. It was somewhat damaged, its cover missing. At this moment, the page belonging to the Demon race was already quite potent. With a flick of Su Yu's wrist, a phantom of the Demon race at roughly the second stage of Eternity emerged, lunging to devour the corpse. However, the opponent was too powerful! The demon phantom showed trepidation, and in attempting to devour the corpse by force, it showed signs of indigestion. Everyone watched in silence. Su Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. Suddenly, the Great Dao Chart he had just collected appeared. At this moment, the chart rotated between black and white like the alternation of the sun and moon. "The cover of my civilization chronicle is broken... This is my weapon of Dao attainment; an ordinary cover can no longer satisfy my needs..." Su Yu looked toward the Xingyu Seal. "Today, I intend to use this Great Dao Chart to reforge my book cover. May the Human Sovereign forgive me!" Everyone’s heart skipped a beat! Using the Great Dao Chart to forge a book cover! What... an extravagant undertaking! "The Human Sovereign forged the Great Dao Chart through his exposition of the Great Dao. My Dao also seeks to open the heavens, uniting the myriad Daos to become the fourth world-opener! This chart is perfectly suited to serve as the cover of my civilization chronicle!" Su Yu spoke, unsure if he was addressing himself, the onlookers, the Human Sovereign, or swearing his own vow! I shall open the heavens and attain the Dao! I shall be the fourth person to open the heavens and attain the Dao! His civilization chronicle was already formidable, having previously even suppressed Heavenly Kings, yet it was still not strong enough! Su Yu needed greater strength! His adversaries were growing stronger by the day. Even Heavenly Venerables had appeared. Before long, he might face true Rulers of Rules. While his civilization chronicle was not weak, it could currently only handle auxiliary tasks. For example, this Demon page was among the strongest, yet the phantom it manifested was merely at the early stages of Eternity. Against peak experts, such a phantom would be crushed with a single palm strike! Back when it was first forged, with three hundred Sun Moon pages, Su Yu had thought it terrifyingly powerful. Now, he had forged over two thousand pages, nearly all at the Sun Moon Realm, with some possessing Eternity Realm strength. Yet right now, it remained far too weak to contend with truly formidable enemies. Su Yu had poured limitless resources into the civilization chronicle. As a weapon intended to open the heavens and attain the Dao, how could it be subpar? As he spoke, Su Yu manifested the power of his Great Dao. A hammer suddenly appeared in his hand, and the Great Dao Chart fell naturally onto the civilization chronicle. At that moment, Su Yu’s divine characters emerged one after another. Cosmic Civilization! The four grand characters sank into the chart. Su Yu brought the hammer down with a strike, and the hammering sound rang out instantly across the deserted ninth floor! Right now, Su Yu felt this Great Dao Chart was simply too perfect as a book cover! Moreover, it was truly beautiful. Alternating black and white, like the shift between day and night, it contained the Human Sovereign’s supreme expositions on the myriad Daos. Whether it was the Human Sovereign, Su Yu, or the Time Master, they all pursued the convergence of all Daos; in essence, they were aligned. This could also fill in some of Su Yu’s blind spots while nurturing those four divine characters. King Yue's death in battle and the Human Sovereign leading his subordinates away also made Su Yu feel that the Human Sovereign’s situation might not be optimistic! If it were good, King Yue wouldn't have been left to die here. Having taken away so many Rulers of Rules, how many remained alive today was anyone's guess. Clang! A crisp chime echoed throughout the entire ninth floor! He would reforge the cover and devour the corpse of this Ruler of Rules. Once completed, his Demon page would reach full completion, and its phantom might even achieve Dao Integration combat power. That meant that the moment Su Yu wielded his weapon, relying solely on the civilization chronicle, he could rival or even slay a Dao Integration expert! Furthermore, having slain many foes previously, Su Yu had merely collected their corpses and essence blood without devouring them. Once the cover was reforged and the grade of the entire civilization chronicle advanced again, it could absorb and digest all of those spoils. ... Clang! On the eighth floor. Marquis Tongtian’s heart jolted violently. This... a sound coming from the ninth floor? How could that be! Wasn't the ninth floor devoid of people? How could a sound come from there! Marquis Tongtian assumed physical form and looked toward the sky above the Council Hall in the distance. That was the entrance to the ninth floor, yet right now, the rules were in utter turmoil and perilously chaotic; he dared not approach. Hesitating for a moment, Marquis Tongtian vanished on the spot. ... Soon, on the seventh floor. Marquis Tongtian shouted, "Martial Emperor, come out!" "Did you hear that sound?" Space rippled. Previously invisible to outsiders, the Martial Emperor had now condensed a physical body visible to all. Radiating resentment and domineering arrogance, untamed and wild, he glared coldly at Marquis Tongtian. Marquis Tongtian, however, paid no attention to his attitude, babbling nervously, "There’s a sound on the eighth floor! Is there one here? Did you hear it? Martial Emperor, we’re the only two living people here—how could there be a sound? Could... could the Human Sovereign and the others have returned?" Clang! "Yes, that's the one!" Marquis Tongtian cried in shock, "That's the sound! Did you hear it?" The Martial Emperor’s brows furrowed slightly; he heard it now as well. He had initially thought this foolish gate was spouting nonsense, but now his expression turned solemn. The Human Sovereign and the others had returned? If... if they truly returned, where would that leave him? He frowned. The rhythmic sounds drifted down one after another, originating, according to Marquis Tongtian, from the ninth floor. The first through seventh floors of the Star Residence Mansion were forged from the Martial Emperor’s physical body. As for the eighth and ninth floors, they were not. The eighth and ninth floors had been forged separately. Formidable as the Martial Emperor was, his physical body was not spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of Rulers of Rules, so the eighth and ninth floors had been constructed later on. At this moment, the rhythmic sounds of forging drifted down continuously. The Martial Emperor looked up at the sky, his demeanor solemn. Had the Human Sovereign and his peers truly returned? Impossible! Beside him, Marquis Tongtian said nervously, "Martial Emperor, did the Human Sovereign and the others return? If they're back, does my siding with Emperor Yu count as betrayal? Surely not! And you too—you're in big trouble!" The Martial Emperor glared coldly at him. Marquis Tongtian continued courting death: "Seriously, you're bound to suffer! I'm speaking the truth. You’ve been screaming about slaughtering today's humans and wiping out His Majesty the Human Sovereign's legacy—you're definitely going to be killed!" The Martial Emperor glared back, infuriated. "So what if they return?" "If they return, you die!" Marquis Tongtian said hurriedly. "Aren't you afraid?" The Martial Emperor had half a mind to snuff out this bastard! He slapped a palm toward him, but Marquis Tongtian vanished in an instant, only to reappear a moment later. "Don't hit me, don't hit me! We can talk things out! I'm just a gatekeeper. If you really kill me, the eighth and ninth floors will collapse, and you'll die even faster, Martial Emperor." The Martial Emperor shot him a frigid glance, ignoring him as he listened closely to the sound. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "It sounds somewhat like forging a weapon!" "Forging a weapon?" Marquis Tongtian blinked, then quickly countered, "What proof do you have that it's forging? I'd say it might be the banging of a gong, someone knocking on a door, the clinking of drinking cups, or perhaps someone kowtowing and begging for mercy..." As he prattled on, the Martial Emperor's aura flared. Glaring at him, the emperor snapped coldly, "Tongtian, utter one more word of nonsense, and this emperor will slaughter you today!" Far too much drivel! Although his seal was not yet completely undone, his strength was continually recovering and the Great Dao seal was slowly unravelling bit by bit. Killing Tongtian now was by no means impossible! Dejected, Marquis Tongtian fell silent. A trace of helplessness washed over him. I was being serious! It really could be any of the things I mentioned. You claim it's forging, but I think it might not be. And when you can't beat me in an argument, you threaten me with force! The Martial Emperor ignored him, continuing to listen. ... Meanwhile, Su Yu continued his forging. The hammer struck again and again. Over and over. Merging the Great Dao Chart into the civilization chronicle was no simple task. Each strike was no longer raw physical brute force as in years past; every hammer blow carried a Dao, infused with Su Yu’s own comprehension of the Great Dao. The Great Dao Chart reflected the Human Sovereign’s understanding of the myriad Daos. This Mind Expansion Hammer struck out Su Yu’s own comprehension of the myriad Daos. He had wandered the River of Time, stolen the power of myriad Daos, mastered the cultivation arts of myriad races, and buried pages of myriad races within his book. Su Yu possessed his own unique insights and comprehension of the myriad Daos. One blow was like fire, another like wind, the next carried spatial power, and another struck with the Dao of vibration! Tempered through a thousand blows! With relentless hammering and the continuous infusion of Su Yu’s Dao insights, the Great Dao Chart gradually began merging into the civilization chronicle. An alternating black-and-white cover slowly took shape. King Dazhou and the others listened in silence. Gradually, they gained insights of their own. Their harvest this time was truly substantial. Having just experienced the Human Sovereign’s exposition of the Great Dao from the chart, they were now essentially listening to Su Yu’s comprehension of the Great Dao. Both the Human Sovereign and Su Yu were peerless monstrosities. While Su Yu’s cultivation fell far short of the Human Sovereign’s, his comprehension of the Great Dao was scarcely inferior to that of an ordinary Ruler of Rules. More importantly, his knowledge was immensely broad, rather than focused solely on a single Dao. The one who reaped the greatest benefit was Lan Tian. His Dao, the Common People Dao, was also a path where myriad Daos converged! Whether it was the Human Sovereign or Su Yu, their Daos were of this nature. At this moment, countless clones of Lan Tian materialized, each sitting cross-legged and listening in silence. Lan Tian’s comprehension of the Great Dao was by no means low, yet strong as he was, he could not compare to Su Yu, who had opened his Heavenly Gate—which was practically cheating. Flames rose as the Dao of the Five Elements was hammered out by Su Yu. The Dao of Silence followed right after. King Dazhou fell into deep contemplation, sensing Su Yu’s understanding of the Dao of Silence. Su Yu frequently utilized this Dao himself and possessed no shallow mastery over it. Only King Daming listened for a while and grumbled inwardly. Emperor Yu’s comprehension of formations was still far too shallow. He had some, but that modest insight was inferior even to King Daming’s own. King Daming felt helpless. Forget it, best not to count on him for that. Strikes, countless strikes. Sweat seeped continuously from Su Yu's forehead. The Great Dao Chart and the civilization chronicle fused more and more, radiating Dao rhyme. A single glance at the civilization chronicle now made it obvious that it was an unparalleled treasure! After who knew how many strikes, a tremendous boom rang out! The civilization chronicle and the Great Dao Chart merged into one! At that moment, golden patterns spread across it! Gradually, the lines reached one hundred and eighty! One hundred and eighty golden marks—by grading standards, this was already the pinnacle of divine armaments! All of the pages grew stronger. On the Demon page, the phantom that had originally possessed the strength of roughly the second stage of Eternity suddenly surged in aura, abruptly feeling as though it possessed the power of the fourth or fifth stage. Seizing the opportunity, the phantom lunged toward the corpse to devour it. The corpse, previously motionless, now began leaking power bit by bit. Su Yu continued suppressing it with the Xingyu Seal, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as the phantom devoured relentlessly. Growing stronger and stronger! As the enemy weakened, he grew! This carcass had belonged to a Ruler of Rules, after all. Even though he had been dead for countless ages, his essence blood had not leaked out; only his Great Dao power had shattered. The phantom’s aura surged! Sixth stage of Eternity! It continued to devour. Before long, the corpse’s aura weakened noticeably, while the phantom’s power climbed. Seventh stage! Even King Dazhou and the others were secretly astonished! This weapon of Dao attainment of Su Yu's was truly terrifying. The corpse's aura continued to wane as its vitality drained away. The Demon phantom's strength rose once more—eighth stage! Now, the phantom showed signs of solidifying! The power of a Great Dao wound around its body. In truth, this was the incarnation of a Dao! If Su Yu were to bestow spiritual awareness upon this phantom and grant it sapience, it would essentially become an entity like Doubao. Of course, Su Yu had no interest in turning this Dao into a spirit right now. Besides, this was merely a pseudo-Dao. A virtual Great Dao he had outlined! It was not a true Great Dao in the fullest sense unless he successfully united the myriad Daos to open his own Dao; only then could these virtual Daos turn from illusion into reality. Ninth stage! At that very moment, the phantom’s strength climbed again! The Great Dao coiled around it grew increasingly solid. Like a black dragon, it wrapped tightly around the phantom. After an unknown stretch of time, when the corpse had been half-absorbed, Su Yu let out a low shout. Surges of rule power poured into the Demon page—masterless rule power he had absorbed from the Human Sovereign Dao! Boom! A colossal roar echoed out. "Roar!" Like a primordial demonic god, the phantom suddenly roared. The black Great Dao upon its body solidified rapidly, immensely powerful, its aura skyrocketing in the blink of an eye! Boom! Energy spilled outward, and in an instant, King Dazhou and the others paled slightly. Dao Integration! It had stepped into the Dao Integration Realm! Su Yu had actually cultivated a Dao Integration spirit—no, not quite a true spirit, but an armament spirit, the spirit of a single page. When the phantom entered the Dao Integration Realm, it solidified considerably, revealing features identical to Su Yu's own, yet dripping with demonic qi and fiendish nature, appearing ruthlessly cold. Everyone stared at it for a moment, then could not help but glance back at Su Yu. This fiendish Dao spirit felt rather terrifying. If Su Yu were to keep a cold face, he would probably look much like this. Would he himself find this cold-faced demonic Su Yu unpleasant to look at? Su Yu did not spare a thought for such things. It was only natural for the phantom of his own weapon of Dao attainment to share his appearance; how would he have the time to care what others were thinking? At this moment, most of the Ruler of Rules corpse's power had been absorbed. Su Yu did not let up, continuing to absorb. The demonic phantom devoured frantically, at a speed far faster than before. Its aura began to surge once more. The corpse grew frailer and frailer; seventy percent of its power was devoured, then eighty percent... Boom! The demonic phantom’s aura shifted again! King Dazhou raised an eyebrow and shot a glance at Xinghong. Xinghong glared back, grumbling via voice transmission, "What are you looking at me for? It's fourth-grade Dao Integration at most; I'll reach third-grade soon enough... Still, this demon phantom could probably beat Tianmie now. Terrifying!" This was only a single page, and Su Yu intended to forge ten thousand pages! The thought was unimaginable! Naturally, the other pages likely had no hope of becoming this powerful; after all, this page had devoured a Ruler of Rules. Even if it was a dead Ruler of Rules! Gradually, the corpse began to dissipate. When the very last trace of power was devoured, the corpse vanished completely, and the demonic phantom’s aura shifted once more, growing immensely powerful! Third-grade Dao Integration strength! Su Yu frowned slightly, but his expression soon relaxed. "It was a dead Ruler of Rules whose Great Dao power had collapsed, after all. It could only barely produce a demonic Dao phantom that has just stepped into third-grade Dao Integration... Acceptable." Not bad at all! At this moment, demonic qi roiled through the entire civilization chronicle. Yet the moment the demonic qi spread to the cover, it was absorbed by the cover forged from the Great Dao Chart. Black and white rotated in profound mystery. The demonic qi was thoroughly suppressed! "Congratulations, Emperor Yu!" King Dazhou offered his congratulations. Su Yu’s weapon of Dao attainment was significantly stronger than before. Su Yu smiled. "It's merely one ten-thousandth completed. This thing consumes more and more resources; I don't even know if the day will ever come when it is fully cultivated." Su Yu shook his head. Oh well, even if the other pages didn't reach Dao Integration, it didn't matter. As long as the virtual Great Daos manifested, he could attempt to unite the myriad Daos and open his own Dao. Su Yu smiled and said, "There doesn't seem to be much else on the ninth floor. Everyone, clean up the battlefield, and let King Yue guard this place... Let's head down and take a look!" He was familiar with the eighth floor; once there, he could go wherever he pleased. The others nodded in agreement. Among the ancient marquises, Marquis Huoyun was reluctant to leave, but there was nothing he could do. Staying here to look at King Yue’s corpse day in and day out would only bring more sorrow. Without unnecessary words, they began clearing the battlefield. Shattered weapons and spilled blood were all targets for collection, as well as remnants of treasures from the original Human Sovereign Palace. Taking them outside, they could be used as carriers. Meanwhile, Su Yu calculated the time: nearly two days had passed since he came out. He wondered how things were faring in the Upper Realm right now. Xia Longwu and the others were in the Upper Realm; he still had to go back up. His harvest on the ninth floor of the Star Residence Mansion had indeed been substantial, but Su Yu cast a glance at the entrance above King Yue’s head. Perhaps... that was the true core of the ninth floor! In all likelihood, the Human Sovereign and the others had entered the River of Time from there, fighting their way upstream. If he were to enter and travel upstream, could he find the Human Sovereign and his vanguard? If the Human Sovereign and his followers were here, where were King Wen and the others? One thought after another flashed through Su Yu’s mind. He had to settle the perils of the myriad realms as quickly as possible! Otherwise, if those entities fought their way back, who knew whether the Human Sovereign and his allies were even alive? What if the myriad races had claimed a total victory, and several top Rulers of Rules descended? Handling things then would be far from easy!