Did the Fire-Passing lineage truly still exist?
No one knew for certain.
As for the faction that had just attacked, it was blatantly the Chaos lineage, but... who could guarantee that the shadows of the Fire-Passing lineage were not lurking behind them?
At that moment, Celestial Venerable Ming and Celestial Venerable Huang returned.
Both radiated turbulent, leaking auras, their expressions grim and icy.
Naturally, they too saw the carved characters. Celestial Venerable Ming swept his gaze across the gathering, his eyes fierce and stern as he suppressed his fury and said in a heavy voice, "The Chaos race!"
Celestial Venerable Mo nodded slightly, yet murmured, "And yet... I wonder: was that previous battle at the Source of the Dao truly the work of the Chaos race?"
The crowd fell silent.
Celestial Venerable Mo continued, "During that earlier battle at the Source of the Dao, one of the Quasi-Kings we saw died—her name was Ziyan... You have all likely heard the rumors circulating recently, haven't you?"
"We know. Rumor has it that Ziyan never returned to the Upper Realm after the previous tide!"
"If she never returned to the Upper Realm, how could she have fallen in battle at the Source of the Dao?"
At this moment, the experts of the myriad races all wore strange, apprehensive expressions.
The Chaos race alone was headache enough, and now there might be a Fire-Passing lineage as well.
Among the Immortals, Marquis Yuansheng suddenly spoke up: "The situation in the Lower Realm isn't looking good either. Multiple Dao Integrators, including Marquis Yunxing and Marquis Modang, have fallen in battle. Tiangu and the others haven't sent any word to the Upper Realm lately. If we didn't know he was still alive, I would have thought the Lower Realm had already fallen!"
"With such a dominant position... how did it come to this!"
Celestial Venerable Yue also frowned slightly.
The strategic situation had been splendid. After shattering the humans during the Great War of the Ninth Tide, the myriad races held absolute victory. If the humans couldn't turn the tables at the height of their power, how could so many unforeseen crises erupt just as they stood on the verge of total annihilation?
Celestial Venerable Ming gritted his teeth. "They are in the shadows while we are in the open—that is our greatest vulnerability! After our triumph in the Ninth Tide, we stood out in the open and dispersed our forces. We are no longer like the old days, when a crisis would instantly bring all races together. Now that our strength has grown, we've grown distant instead. Our daochangs are spaced so far apart that reinforcements can never arrive in time!"
First the Dragon race, now the Nether race. The crux of the matter lay in the fact that the enemy lurked in darkness while they stood exposed in the light!
Whether it was the Fire-Passing lineage or the Chaos race, did anyone know their numbers?
Did anyone know how many powerhouses they had?
They knew nothing at all!
The enemy hid in the shadows. The humans who stood exposed in the open were on the verge of extinction, but the humans hidden in the shadows, trading visibility for secrecy, had become increasingly terrifying.
When they struck to kill you, you wouldn't even know who had done it!
For a time, everyone looked thoroughly displeased.
After their sweeping victory, the myriad races had lost their former caution. They had established countless daochangs, scattering their Dao Integrators across the realm. Yet six thousand years ago, the Dao Integrators of the God, Demon, and Immortal races had been virtually inseparable, and the daochangs of the other races had formed a unified front.
Following that sweeping victory, the races seized territory, and their populations exploded. Originally, the Upper Realm was home to only a handful of Dao Integrators and Eternities, but now, the populations of the God, Demon, and Immortal races in the Upper Realm were each approaching ten million!
Looking at the devastated Nether domain now, the crowd's expressions shifted erratically.
Among the gathering, experts from smaller races felt an acute sense of self-preservation.
Both the Dragons and the Nethers were great races, yet they had been reduced to such a plight.
What about them, then?
If the enemy sent out a few more powerhouses, wouldn't their races be wiped out entirely?
Celestial Venerable Mo glanced at Celestial Venerable Dao, who in turn looked at Celestial Venerable Yue. The Celestial Venerables exchanged glances before Celestial Venerable Mo, his purple hair drifting in the wind, said coldly, "They are in the shadows while we are in the light; this is our greatest flaw. Our strength is dispersed, and when a crisis strikes, reinforcements cannot arrive in time!"
He fell quiet for a moment, then spoke after a long pause: "I previously discussed this matter with several fellow Celestial Venerables. Human Mountain is exceptionally sturdy and serves as a blessed land for cultivation. Though it carries the lingering influence of ancient Great Dao power, after so many years, that influence has nearly dissipated completely! Human Mountain is vast beyond measure, and we intend to re-establish the Alliance of All Races! We shall relocate Human Mountain to this very place to confront Mount Chaos directly! The myriad races will migrate from across the Upper Realm, abandoning their daochangs to take root on Human Mountain!"
The moment these words fell, everyone's expressions changed.
Some of the larger races were reluctant, but experts from several smaller races gritted their teeth. Soon, one stepped forward and called out, "My race is willing to migrate our people and seek protection on Human Mountain!"
Willing to migrate!
A complete unification of the myriad races.
The catastrophes that had befell the Nether and Dragon races only strengthened the resolve of the myriad races to consolidate.
Without this incident with the Nether race, many likely would not have agreed.
Wasn't it comfortable being sovereigns of their own domains?
Why submit to living under another's roof?
Back then, the same thing had happened at the Star Residence Mansion. When the myriad races gathered there, no one had been willing. But now, Mount Chaos had easily crushed the Nether race, plunging everyone into deep dread.
Meanwhile, Su Yu felt a subtle jolt in his heart.
Soon, he cursed inwardly.
Fuck!
Those bastards from Mount Chaos had really done it now—this was going to be troublesome.
The myriad races were about to unite in one place!
Previously, he could still execute sudden ambushes, but once all the races congregated on Human Mountain, hitting one would bring two more immediately. Under such circumstances, surprise raids and blitzkrieg tactics would become virtually impossible to pull off.
He would have to constantly watch his back against being surrounded and slaughtered!
Could they pull it off?
Had the Nether race not been decimated, it might not have succeeded, as some races would have surely objected.
Yet now, even a clan as powerful as the Nether race had met such an end; how could the smaller races not fear complete annihilation?
Sure enough, experts from several smaller races spoke up in rapid succession: "Celestial Venerables, the pressing priority is dealing with the humans. Relocating Human Mountain to Mount Chaos is entirely feasible!"
"Whether it's the Chaos race or the Fire-Passing lineage, if they are one and the same, then there is nothing more to say. If they are not, their strength must be inferior to ours; otherwise, they would not resort to repeated ambushes instead of facing us in open warfare!"
"Once the strength of the myriad races unites, the humans will certainly be no match!"
"If the two factions are not united, they might even harbor grudges against one another... After all, the Chaos race schemed against Baizhan... If we fortify our position, the two of them might even tear each other apart!"
"..."
Yue Ming's scheme had succeeded after all!
There was no need for everyone to believe that this was the work of the Fire-Passing lineage, but the myriad races now had to operate under the assumption that this Fire-Passing lineage truly existed.
Su Yu might claim he wasn't part of the Fire-Passing lineage, but the enemy now knew such a force was out there. If push came to shove, should he just toss King Dazhou out as a scapegoat?
"A Pyrrhic blow—hurting the enemy by a thousand at the cost of eight hundred of your own!" Su Yu cursed inwardly. The Prison King lineage had gained nothing but hardship from pulling this stunt.
Su Yu's side was naturally affected, but with the myriad races consolidating, if the Mount Chaos lineage wanted to fight moving forward, it would be an uphill, brutal clash. How would that benefit them?
"Damned bastards!"
Su Yu grumbled inwardly, but upon closer reflection, he sighed. Humans... were still humans in the end.
Indeed, had he been in their position, he might have done the exact same thing.
Whatever!
I know some of my secrets have been exposed this way, but now that they are, I'm going to hit you right back and make you suffer too.
You want to stay hidden?
I'll drag you out into the open no matter what!
When the myriad races clashed with Mount Chaos, they would undoubtedly be on guard against the Fire-Passing lineage—there was no question about that.
Yet that wasn't even the core issue. At this moment, Celestial Venerable Mo said in a heavy voice, "The Upper Realm is vast, and its powerhouses are numerous, scattered across every corner and difficult to root out. However, if all races gather on Human Mountain, that mountain is so immense it can easily accommodate hundreds of millions of living beings!"
"We shall assemble the myriad races and proclaim to the Upper Realm that anyone who fails to gather at Human Mountain will be deemed human, an entity outside the myriad races! You all saw today that Mount Chaos possesses numerous Quasi-Kings, and that may not even represent their full might!"
"We must pool the strength of all races to stand against them. Dao Integrators will gather on Human Mountain, while the Celestial Venerables will accompany me to scour the Upper Realm inch by inch. Any living being that does not enter Human Mountain may be executed on the spot! We will purge the Source of the Dao and clear every hazardous forbidden zone. In years past, we failed to act because we could not stand as one..."
"Now, with a formidable foe outside our gates, we must unite with one heart to sweep across the Upper Realm, unearth every enemy, and put them all to the sword!"
"A Myriad Races Supervisory Department will be established atop Human Mountain to prevent collusion between inside and outside forces, and Human Mountain shall be renamed Myriad Races Mountain... We will inspect every passage between the Lower and Upper Realms and erect a Tower of Ten Thousand Laws to monitor fluctuations of all laws. Should any anomalies arise, the Supervisory Department will mobilize to eradicate them!"
"We will destroy Mount Chaos first, exterminate the humans first, and only then deliberate on matters among the myriad races!"
"Only by uniting as one can we stand against the humans! The humans are the favored darlings of the heavens, undying through the ages. If humanity is not destroyed... then sooner or later, the myriad races will be!"
"..."
The Celestial Venerables chimed in one after another.
Clearly, this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; they had likely settled on it long ago, merely waiting for an opportune moment. Now, they brought it to light.
Hearing this, Su Yu's heart grew heavy.
What breathtaking resolve!
Gathering all races onto Human Mountain while several Celestial Venerables methodically swept through the entire Upper Realm, leveling every hazardous forbidden zone and snuffing out all unrest in their rear. Once that was done, any subsequent fluctuation—regardless of who caused it—would immediately mark the source as an enemy to be slaughtered!
If that happened, it could... trigger a massive catastrophe!
Where would his people hide?
The Upper Realm was vast, but in truth, it was only so big.
There were many perilous zones, but none could hold out against top-tier powerhouses. Once those lands were leveled... there was also the Soul Burying Mountain passage. If the Celestial Venerables methodically purged every dangerous area, that passage might be compromised as well!
As for the so-called Tower of Ten Thousand Laws, in Su Yu's understanding, it was likely similar to the Great Ming Mansion's sensing mirror back in the day, capable of detecting any energy fluctuations.
At this moment, Su Yu genuinely felt like cursing out loud!
Damn Mount Chaos!
Why the hell did they have to go and wipe out the Nether race out of nowhere!
The Celestial Venerables of the major races had seized the opportunity, flattening previous difficulties in a single stroke. Now, no one would dare object. Anyone who opposed it... had a problem!
Sure enough, following the Celestial Venerables' declarations, San Yue, Marquis Tianming, and Lei Bao exchanged glances, frowning slightly in utter helplessness.
Refuse?
In such peril, with the Chaos race poised to launch surprise attacks and exterminate races at any moment, you refuse to band together for survival? Why would you refuse?
Could it be that you were colluding with the enemy?
As everyone pondered, Celestial Venerable Huang said indifferently, "What do you all think? This measure will protect everyone from being harassed by sudden strikes from Mount Chaos or the Fire-Passing lineage! This includes the Source of the Dao. While it offers abundant benefits, it is no longer safe. If any race still has experts concealed there in cultivation, please recall them all to Myriad Races Mountain! During this sweep, the Source of the Dao will also be thoroughly cleared!"
"For all these years, because so many experts congregated at the Source of the Dao and each race governed itself, no one was willing to encroach on another's territory. Who knows how many experts are hiding in there? Even ancient human powerhouses might be concealed among them!"
Having said that, Celestial Venerable Huang added coldly, "Furthermore, to prevent human experts from infiltrating our ranks, every Eternity and Dao Integrator from every race had best leave behind a wisp of willpower to forge a divine soul token! Moving through Human Mountain will require a divine soul token, which is also for everyone's safety! Those without tokens shall be forbidden from entering or leaving!"
At these words, many expressions changed.
San Yue opened his mouth to speak, but held back, noticing that Lei Bao looked ready to chime in.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Lei Bao said in a heavy voice, "Divine soul tokens? Barred from entering or leaving without a token—how is that any different from imprisonment?"
"These are extraordinary times!" Celestial Venerable Huang said coldly. "Once Mount Chaos is resolved, everything will naturally return to normal! Lei Bao, your Archaic Giant race suffered minor losses—or rather, no losses at all—so of course you don't care. Every other race has suffered losses; why didn't the Archaic Giant race? Ask the myriad races whether surviving in safety is more important, or freedom! Besides, Myriad Races Mountain is immensely vast and a sacred land for cultivation. So long as the lingering influence left by the humans back then is suppressed, it won't hinder anything!"
Su Yu prayed silently: Don't let Lei Bao lose his temper now!
Meanwhile, Lei Bao's expression shifted erratically.
All around, the auras of the several Celestial Venerables were restrained, carrying the heavy stillness before an impending storm.
Suppressing his temper, Lei Bao finally said after a long pause, "Fine, I can agree. However... my Archaic Giant race must have a seat in the Myriad Races Council's decision-making body!"
Previously, he hadn't wanted to be used as a pawn, but now, he had to fight for power!
Otherwise, who knew how the three great races would scheme against them?
Celestial Venerable Mo laughed softly. "That won't be an issue. And it won't just be your race..."
He swept his gaze across the gathering and smiled. "Any race that still possesses a living Celestial Venerable, if they are willing to step forward and assist us, may join this decision-making council!"
They intended to bait out every hidden powerhouse from the other races!
Refuse to step forward? Fine.
If you don't show yourselves, we will make the decisions, and when we do, the survival of the other races will be left entirely to fate!
Celestial Venerable Mo and the others cast pointed glances toward several major races.
Did the Dragon race still have a Celestial Venerable?
What about the Phoenix race?
And the Spirit race?
The Kunpeng, Golden-Winged Roc, Three-Headed Demonic Wolf, Hellhound, Golden Crow...
Did these ancient races truly have no hidden trump cards?
Were they waiting for the three great races to suffer catastrophic losses before showing themselves?
After all, the myriad races were not a single unified entity; they were riddled with contradictions and relentless calculations.
The three great races had long wanted to figure out the hidden trump cards of the others, and now they were seizing this pretext to make their move.
Before even determining the true strength of the Chaos lineage, they were already moving to unify all the forces of the Upper Realm. This was not a normal reaction, but a premeditated decision they had held in reserve, simply awaiting the right opportunity.
The powerhouses of each major race exchanged glances. Those with multiple Dao Integrators conferred rapidly through voice transmissions, weighing their options.
Meanwhile, Celestial Venerable Yue and the others looked completely at ease.
Celestial Venerable Ming wore an ugly expression; he clearly understood what the others were trying to do—using this opportunity to centralize authority and gather the power of the myriad races first.
Those with little say would simply be thrown out as cannon fodder.
Celestial Venerable Ming said nothing and chose not to intervene. Right now, he quietly rallied the surviving forces of the Nether race. The Nether race had suffered catastrophic losses this time, and his heart ached; two Quasi-Kings of his clan had been slain, making him want to vomit blood.
Thinking of this, he suddenly spoke up: "The Chaos race... likely possesses the ability to divine heavenly secrets! Some sensed it last time, and it was the same this time around. Ming Le and the others weren't even at our main clan territory; they were hiding among the Youying race, yet they were discovered and struck down first... Clearly, the enemy can clearly perceive the locations of our powerhouses. Furthermore, they are adept at formations—likely the Heaven-Deceiving Formation from the Prison King's era!"
"Are those two factions truly not the same group?" Lei Bao couldn't resist asking.
Both factions seemed to possess nearly identical skill sets.
Both could observe heavenly secrets, and both wielded Heaven-Deceiving Formations.
Why did it circle back around to making them look like the same group after all?
"Perhaps the Chaos race intentionally laid down a smoke screen to make us overthink. Anything is possible; we need only make two-pronged preparations!" Celestial Venerable Yue chuckled, offering a brief explanation.
Regardless of whether they were one group or two, treating them as two separate factions for now would suffice!
Right at this moment, among the various smaller races, a Dao Integrator powerhouse suddenly spoke up: "Reporting to the Celestial Venerables, speaking of the Chaos race, I recall a minor matter. According to intelligence from my clan, several powerhouses near our territory recently encountered figures suspected to be human remnants... Their cultivation wasn't strong; some encountered Sun Moons, while others ran into Eternities... I wonder if this has any connection to the Chaos race?"
"Your race too? Someone in my clan seemed to mention that as well..."
Another voice chimed in.
Celestial Venerable Mo and the others' expressions shifted slightly, and Celestial Venerable Mo quickly snapped in anger, "Why didn't you report this earlier!"
The Dao Integrators fell into awkward silence.
Nonsense, it was just a trifling matter.
A few stray Sun Moons and Eternities—knowing about it ourselves was enough, why would we report it to you?
We're not your subordinates!
Celestial Venerable Mo's face chilled, and he said briskly, "The gathering of the myriad races on Myriad Races Mountain must be placed on the agenda immediately! Celestial Venerables Motian, Dao, and Ming, the three of you will blockade the outer perimeter of Mount Chaos. The rest of us will relocate Myriad Races Mountain here. Once the relocation is complete, we, along with ten Quasi-Kings, will clear out the Upper Realm's perilous zones one by one! Six thousand years ago, I proposed purging those forbidden lands, but no one agreed, which gave the humans an opportunity to exploit. That is why Marquis Dingjun and the others could never be exterminated, and now... with so many experts dead, I trust you have all come to your senses!"
Back then, everyone thought the humans posed no further threat, believing their greatest danger came from each other.
What about now?
Was there still no threat?
……
At this moment, San Yue grew anxious and transmitted his voice to Su Yu: "What do we do now? Relocating Human Mountain here, three Celestial Venerables sealing off Mount Chaos, and the rest sweeping through starting from the Source of the Dao... that... that's huge trouble!"
A complete undercutting of their foundation!
For so many years, the myriad races had failed to achieve unification, yet this turn of events might actually facilitate it.
San Yue was utterly exasperated!
Su Yu was equally solemn. Those small races were likely referring to Xia Longwu and the others, as well as several guardians.
And if entire races had to migrate, what would become of the Iron-Eating race?
Si Yue and the rest were all there, as were Wan Tiansheng and his group; it would be extraordinarily difficult for them to evade a sweeping search conducted by multiple Celestial Venerables.
Sweeping from east to west might take a considerable amount of time, but... a methodical, comprehensive search would be truly difficult to handle.
If they retreated down through Soul Burying Mountain, Soul Burying Mountain would be swept as well—would the passage be discovered?
If discovered, and these people managed to forcibly descend to the Lower Realm... it would spell an even greater catastrophe.
Right now, Su Yu cursed the bastards of Mount Chaos ten thousand times over!
Fuck!
My plans haven't even started yet, so why does it feel like danger is closing in on me while those bastards in Mount Chaos get to sit back and watch the show!
The myriad races were iron-willed in carrying this out; what could be done?
Opposing it was out of the question.
The moment they objected, these fellows would likely turn on the Iron-Eating race first!
Plans flashed through Su Yu's mind one after another, only to be discarded just as quickly.
None of them would work!
Just then, Marquis Tianming sighed softly and murmured, "We have been rooted in the Upper Realm for countless years, and our daochangs have been established for just as long. Are we to abandon everything and re-establish ourselves on Myriad Races Mountain? If so... there are matters at the Destiny daochang that we must arrange in person... We are not like the Gods, Demons, and Immortals with countless experts; we need to return and make arrangements before migrating. Furthermore, even if we abandon our daochang, we must seal it so that our years of painstaking effort do not go to waste!"
Celestial Venerable Mo chuckled softly. "How about I arrange for someone to help you clean things up? Marquis Yuansheng and the others are more than qualified... Duanxue and those fellows can handle it as well! Unless Brother Tianming doesn't trust them..."
Marquis Tianming's brows furrowed slightly. "What does Brother Mo mean by this?"
Celestial Venerable Mo said indifferently, "Nothing at all. It's just that... if you disperse now, I worry there might be danger! The same applies to Brother San Yue, Brother Lei Bao, and the rest. My thought is that we begin our sweep from the Source of the Dao. Aren't Si Yue and the others present? Dispatch one of them back to make brief arrangements. What is the rush regarding sealing your domains? Are you afraid the other races will seize your daochangs?"
San Yue chuckled foolishly. "Could it be that Brother Mo is worried we'll run away once we go back? How could that be? The Upper Realm is only so large, and the passage to the Lower Realm is closed. Where could we possibly go?"
Celestial Venerable Mo smiled. "You misunderstand, Daoist friend. It is merely that crisis is upon us, leaving no time to waste! I shall accompany Brother San Yue, Celestial Venerable Dao shall accompany Brother Tianming, and Celestial Venerable Yue shall accompany Brother Lei Bao. In pairs, we can look out for one another!"
Six Celestial Venerables: three would blockade this location.
The other three would first relocate Human Mountain, then pair up with the others to begin scouring the Upper Realm.
With two Celestial Venerables traveling together, even if Baizhan broke free of his seal, killing them would require a protracted battle, allowing the others ample time to arrive as reinforcements.
Moreover, it would prevent these three from pulling any tricks.
Once their clansmen arrived and were settled on Human Mountain, and Human Mountain was locked down, unless they abandoned their people entirely and defected alone, everything would be caught in a jar!
San Yue and the others looked at each other, helpless.
Marquis Tianming gave a bitter laugh. "Is all this truly necessary?"
"Just a precaution!"
Having no choice, Tianming sighed. "So be it, then! If the hearts of the myriad races are not aligned... how can anything be achieved..."
"Once we gather at Myriad Races Mountain, our hearts will naturally align!" Celestial Venerable Mo chuckled. "Back then, the ancient humans were tyrannical, yet during that era, were not the myriad races united as one? The Myriad Races Council stalled the humans' march toward unifying the heavens. Were it not for that council, would we even be here today? Though the council vanished, the ancient human hegemony fell into decline along with it! Everyone speaks of the humans' deep foundation, but what of the myriad races? In a sense, our ancestors also cleared away obstacles for us—at the very least, we do not have to face supreme overlords like the Human Sovereign and King Wen!"
From the perspective of the myriad races, while the ancient humans had left behind many legacies, the myriad races were no different. Had their ancestors not forced the Human Sovereign and his peers away, their current enemies would be that very pack of monsters!
How could they ever compete against such figures?
No matter how monstrous the humans of today were, they had not reached that terrifying level where resistance was utterly impossible.
San Yue could no longer be bothered to argue. Cursing inwardly, he turned to Su Yu and Lan Tian, speaking in a heavy voice: "Si Yue, take Yuan Yue and head back first! Migrate our clan from Mount Zhu and seal the mountain. At the very least, do not let wandering powerhouses trespass and ruin the Mount Zhu daochang..."
Over there, Celestial Venerable Mo said impassively, "You are all powerhouses. Within ten days, every race must assemble at Myriad Races Mountain!"
"Within ten days?"
Someone couldn't help but interject, "Isn't... isn't that too rushed? After all, every race still has weaker members..."
Celestial Venerable Mo said coldly, "No matter how weak they are, they can still fly! If not, store them in your weapon spaces. No matter how impoverished your races are, surely you aren't without Heavenly Weapons? If you don't even have Heavenly Weapons... you deserve to be wiped out! As for your belongings, leave them behind for now—are you planning to dig up the very floorboards before leaving?"
"Even from the extreme east, a Sun Moon would need no more than five days to fly here! Ten days is more than enough! Or do you truly believe that the Mount Chaos lineage won't strike again?"
Would they strike?
Even if they didn't... they would!
If Mount Chaos didn't strike, couldn't the three great races simply impersonate them?
If you were told to arrive in ten days, you arrived in ten days!
Even the Iron Eaters, the Destiny race, and the Archaic Giants had been cowed; how could these smaller races resist?
Everyone exchanged looks, filled with helplessness.
Celestial Venerable Mo added, "Every race must leave behind at least one Dao Integrator here. If a race has only one Dao Integrator, that Dao Integrator must not leave; dispatch an Eternity to handle the migration!"
As for the Iron-Eating race, it didn't matter—San Yue was staying behind.
The powerhouses broke into hushed discussions.
They had clearly come to deal with Mount Chaos, yet somehow, things had devolved into an immediate mass migration!
The three great races had seized this opportunity to effortlessly accomplish the most critical step toward unification!
The gathering of clans and personnel was the very foundation of total control.
Now, so long as the three great races reached a consensus and avoided infighting, no one could overthrow them in the short term!
……
San Yue was forced to depart alongside Celestial Venerable Mo. Pulling Su Yu and Lan Tian to the side, he transmitted his voice: "What a mess. I initially thought the worst-case scenario would be serving as the vanguard. Who would have guessed... the three great races would seize the Nether race's misfortune to rein in everyone!"
This was even worse than anticipated!
Deeply frustrated, San Yue said hurriedly, "Be careful once you two return! As for the rest... I won't say much; Wu Yue and the others will follow your commands."
He offered no directives on how to arrange things.
However, if this went poorly, the people Su Yu had brought with him would all be exposed.
"Even if our people evacuate the Mount Zhu daochang, I worry someone will sweep through or conduct a clandestine search... Therefore, do not leave anyone behind there!" San Yue sighed.
What an absolute mess!
He couldn't resist cursing, "The Prison King lineage has done nothing but bring calamity upon everyone!"
Damned bastards!
Of all things, why did they have to ambush the Nether race?
Su Yu took a deep breath and transmitted his voice with a chuckle: "This isn't entirely bad. At the very least, ninety-nine percent of the myriad races' hidden forces will be exposed this time! The true number of experts at the Source of the Dao will be laid bare as well. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles! Previously, powerhouses from the myriad races emerged endlessly, and no one knew just how many they had... This is a crisis, but it is also an opportunity!"
A chance to thoroughly gauge the exact number of powerhouses in the Upper Realm!
With even the Source of the Dao facing a purge, those hidden old monsters would have no choice but to come out, whether they wanted to or not!
Even those in deep slumber would likely be dragged into the open!
San Yue considered this and nodded, though worry still lingered in his voice: "I worry there might be human powerhouses hiding at the Source of the Dao. If they are flushed out... given this encirclement, there will be nowhere to run!"
Where could they flee?
There was nowhere left!
With six Celestial Venerables sweeping the realm and three blockading the west, a methodical purge would flush everyone out sooner or later!
Su Yu remained silent. It was indeed perilous; they could only pray for the best!
San Yue continued, "Furthermore, once our clansmen migrate here, our hands will be tied, unless we abandon the clan entirely."
Yet no powerhouse existed in isolation.
Abandoning one's clan—was that really so easy to say?
No matter how formidable an expert became, they were born of their clan.
Though these younger clansmen were weak now, San Yue and his peers had walked the exact same path. Without fresh blood, extinction was inevitable—this held true for even the mightiest races!
When the Human Sovereign and his peers took away so many experts back then, hadn't it also been for the sake of the human race?
Su Yu nodded. "I will find a way. If push comes to shove... I'll carry them along inside a weapon space. The Iron-Eating clan's numbers aren't large, so transporting them won't be difficult!"
For now, that was the only viable option!
……
Soon, Su Yu and Lan Tian departed the area.
As they flew, a powerhouse rapidly caught up from behind, calling out, "Brother Si Yue!"
Su Yu looked back, vaguely recognizing the individual's name, and smiled. "Brother Tian Ce!"
A powerhouse of the Destiny race!
He had been flanking Marquis Tianming and was exceptionally powerful. Su Yu had sensed his presence earlier and suspected he might possess Heavenly King combat strength, but his aura was hazy, and without opening his Heavenly Gate, Su Yu couldn't get a clear read.
Su Yu felt a flicker of suspicion. What does he want with me?
Tian Ce flew over briskly, looked at Si Yue, and offered a smile. "Brother Si Yue, do not misunderstand. Lord Tianming instructed earlier that our two races should look out for each other during this coalition."
After a few pleasantries, Tian Ce smiled and said, "Before I departed, Lord Tianming asked me to pass along a few words to Brother Si Yue."
"Please, speak."
Su Yu maintained an unperturbed expression. What could he possibly have to say?
Tian Ce said promptly, "Over the past few days, Lord Tianming observed the celestial phenomena and noticed that the Iron-Eating race's fortune is flourishing, far surpassing what it once was! Not only that, but our own race's fortune has risen as well, along with that of the Ancient Space Beasts and even the Hou race... My lord found this rather unusual. These races share no particular connection, so why would such an anomaly appear? Yet the Iron-Eating race's fortune has seen the sharpest increase... I wonder if Brother Si Yue could enlighten me?"
Su Yu's heart stirred.
Could the Destiny lineage truly perceive things with such clarity?
A surge in fortune... That made sense. Perhaps they truly could sense something, considering Wuming seemed to have caught glimpses back then.
Not to mention the far more formidable Marquis Tianming!
He might very well have deduced something from the Dao of Fortune.
Su Yu gave a foolish chuckle. "Why ask me? You'd be better off asking my father. How would I know any of that?"
Tian Ce smiled. "Lord Tianming mentioned that when he attempted a brief divination regarding Brother Si Yue's fortune, the backlash was extraordinarily severe. He suspected it might be tied to these shifts, which is why he wanted to ask for your thoughts."
Divined my fortune?
I didn't feel a thing—pure nonsense.
Still, Marquis Tianming might have genuinely picked up on something. With that in mind, Su Yu chuckled naively and said, "That... I truly wouldn't know! As you know, our clan has been allied with the humans for countless years. Could this rise in fortune be related to Baizhan breaking his seal?"
Su Yu sighed. "Unfortunately, Baizhan breaking free has made every other race exceedingly wary of us."
Tian Ce fell into thought, then smiled faintly. "So Brother Si Yue means to say this is tied to the humans?"
Su Yu offered a goofy grin. "Hard to say."
"I understand." Tian Ce let out a sigh and nodded. "Very well, I know how to report back to Lord Tianming!"
Seeing Su Yu prepare to leave, he hesitated before adding, "My lord also entrusted me with one more message."
"Please, speak."
Tian Ce transmitted his voice: "The recent incident at the Source of the Dao has everyone suspecting that a passage directly links the Lower and Upper Realms. Rumors have also trickled out from Mount Chaos claiming that the Torchbearer controls a passage... which means people from the Lower Realm may have ascended! With the three great races taking this course of action, those who ascended will find it nearly impossible to remain hidden. When that time comes, Mount Chaos will be the only place left to hide. The outer perimeter of Mount Chaos is small, but its inner core is vast beyond measure; only by fleeing into Mount Chaos can one evade detection."
Su Yu listened silently. What are you getting at?
With three Celestial Venerables blockading the area, how could anyone escape into the inner core?
Su Yu had already worked out contingencies: if worse came to worst, he would have them retreat to the Lower Realm first.
If the Soul Burying Mountain passage proved difficult to traverse, he would lead his people back directly through the Source of the Dao.
Surrounding and killing them wouldn't be that simple... Three Celestial Venerables wouldn't be enough, nor would several more.
If all else failed, they could sever their Great Daos and conceal themselves inside the civilization chronicle. That should suffice to keep them hidden, though carrying so many powerhouses on his person carried the risk that certain specialized techniques might detect something amiss.
Tian Ce continued his voice transmission: "Lord Tianming said that if there is truly no way out, you might attempt a trip to the territory of the Ancient Space Beasts. That old ghost of the Ancient Space Beast race prepared an escape route for himself long ago; the Ancient Space Beasts were originally a branch of the ancient beasts! Having maintained their daochang for so many years, that race likely possesses multiple teleportation arrays leading directly to various perilous zones across the Upper Realm! Perhaps even into the inner core of Mount Chaos. After all, they are fellow ancient beasts; if they sever their Great Daos, Mount Chaos won't reject them!"
Su Yu's heart leaped.
That was genuinely a possibility!
The Ancient Space Beasts!
That race specialized in space arts above all else; there was no way they wouldn't leave themselves an exit route. Setting up teleportation sites across the Upper Realm was well within their capabilities!
Mount Chaos was notoriously perilous, renowned as the foremost forbidden zone—and the more dangerous a place was, the safer it became.
Thus, if a spatial teleportation array connected directly to Mount Chaos, its existence was entirely plausible.
That fellow Marquis Tianming really did know an awful lot.
Unless pushed to absolute extremes, Su Yu didn't want to descend to the Lower Realm.
He began weighing the options in his mind.
Perhaps... it was a trap!
Regardless, he had to remain cautious!
Marquis Tianming's words could neither be taken as gospel nor dismissed out of hand.
That old fellow, having observed the ebb and flow of fortune, had likely sensed impending danger and was currently hedging his bets across every faction.
"Much obliged for the guidance!"
Su Yu gave a naive grin, said nothing more, and swiftly departed alongside Lan Tian.
Watching them leave, Tian Ce promptly flew toward the Destiny daochang.
Whether this would bring fortune or disaster, even he couldn't say.
He could divine heavenly secrets, but not with the clarity of Marquis Tianming—and right now, even Marquis Tianming couldn't see the future clearly.
"People from the Lower Realm must have truly ascended!"
"Even Wuming's dao charm manifested!"
Tian Ce murmured inwardly. Su Yu hadn't realized that when he brought Changhe to the Upper Realm last time, although Changhe hadn't reported to the Destiny race, he carried a Destiny race token containing a wisp of the Fate Emperor's dao charm.
Given Marquis Tianming's immense strength, he had naturally caught traces of it!
Someone had definitely ascended from the Lower Realm!
While others were uncertain, Marquis Tianming was convinced that this Fire-Passing lineage truly existed and had come up from the Lower Realm.
Striking the Demon race, annihilating the Dragon race, venturing to the Source of the Dao—all of it had been done by people from the Lower Realm.
Only this latest strike had been carried out by the Mount Chaos lineage.
By slinging mud at each other, both sides had inadvertently exposed themselves!
At the end of the day, it was human infighting!
Otherwise, both factions would have remained thoroughly concealed.
In the end, it was the myriad races—despite holding every advantage—who had laid all their cards on the table, yet they still might not be a match for the humans who had suffered catastrophic losses six thousand years ago.
Marquis Tianming had no choice but to consider his race's future!
However, he had not yet made up his mind; at the very least, he needed to observe both human lineages before making a final decision.
……
Mount Zhu.
The moment Su Yu returned, King Dazhou and the others quickly converged. Lan Tian's clone was present, so the news had already been relayed to them.
Right now, King Dazhou and the rest wore grave expressions.
A single trip to Human Mountain, and somehow the entire clan was being uprooted!
Migrating the entire race to assemble at Human Mountain!
Marquis Huoyun said anxiously, "Why not seize this chance to slaughter to our hearts' content in their rear, then descend to the Lower Realm and hold our ground there! Celestial Venerable San Yue is immensely powerful, so shaking off Celestial Venerable Mo shouldn't be an issue. We can lead the rest of the Iron-Eating race to flee the Upper Realm!"
That was certainly an option!
Yet Wan Tiansheng and the others knew that Su Yu would likely refuse to give up just like that.
King Dazhou spoke up hurriedly: "I can make a trip to the Soul Burying Mountain passage and conceal it for now. At the very least, it won't be exposed in the short term."
Su Yu looked at him!
King Dazhou looked embarrassed. "I'm only concealing it; I haven't hidden anything else. That passage was opened by ancient human powerhouses back then..."
Su Yu stared at him coldly for a long while before saying, "Concealing it is for the best. That passage must not be exposed!"
"Understood!"
King Dazhou sighed inwardly. Why the cold attitude? I didn't hide anything maliciously. It was always possible to conceal it, and you never asked—did I really need to report such a trivial detail?
Honestly!
To the side, the little white dog yawned, looking lazy and listless as he muttered casually, "That Tianming fellow mentioned checking out the Ancient Space Beasts—that could actually work... Ancient beasts from Mount Chaos... I've eaten ancient beasts from Mount Chaos before! If I sniff from this side, along with Doubao, we might be able to tell whether it truly leads into the inner core of Mount Chaos."
Doubao also bobbed his round body. "We can hide over there first... As for the teleportation fluctuations... carrying the Star Residence Seal might suppress them. That way, even if we teleport over, no one will notice."
Wan Tiansheng added, "If you are unwilling to descend just yet, hiding over there might be our best and most suitable opportunity!"
King Daming chimed in, "I can set up a formation like the one at Mount Daoshi to mask Great Dao fluctuations, but right now I lack sufficient materials to forge personalized concealment talismans... I need carcasses of ancient beasts!"
Su Yu frowned; ancient beast carcasses weren't easy to come by.
Just as he was thinking, King Daqin didn't say a word. With a sharp snap, he broke off his own arm and tossed it to King Daming.
"..."
The entire group stared at him dumbfounded.
King Daqin said in a deep voice, "What are you looking at? Test it to forge a talisman. We qualify as Wild Heavenly Beasts right now—members of the ancient beast lineage! Old Xia, snap off an arm for Old Zhu to study..."
Everyone's jaws dropped. King Daxia wore a face full of resignation, and with a loud snap, broke off one of his arms as well.
"Old Zhu, if it's not enough, just say the word!"
King Daqin spoke with immense generosity. Not enough?
If it's not enough, we'll snap off a few more arms and legs for you!
"..."
Su Yu was utterly speechless.
This... might actually work!
The Wild Heavenly Beast was indeed an ancient beast, and right now, these two were essentially miniaturized Wild Heavenly Beasts at the Dao Integration realm!
King Daming probed the limbs for a moment, studied them, and said with pleasant surprise, "No problem! Between the four arms and four legs from the two of you, we should be able to craft eight talismans. However... one must be used to anchor the overarching concealment array, leaving seven to forge seven individual talismans for personal use! As for any arms or legs you regenerate later, their archaic aura will be too thin to work, unless you spend time cultivating them..."
With that, he added eagerly, "How about you two pull out all your ribs and extract your spinal cords? That way, we might be able to craft a few more..."
The corner of King Daqin's mouth twitched.
Fuck you!
I was just being polite, and you actually start making demands? Why don't the two of us just give you our entire physical bodies while we're at it!
Are you even human?
King Daxia couldn't hold back either, snapping furiously, "Why don't we just give you our entire bodies? That way, we can leave behind a pile of minced meat and still blow our enemies apart!"
What are you thinking!
Su Yu rubbed his temples, glancing at King Daming. Truth be told, he had briefly contemplated having the two dismantled as well, before deciding against it—it was simply too inhumane.
Clearing his throat lightly, Su Yu said briskly, "Seven is enough for now! Equip one to each Heavenly King-level combatant. Huoyun, Juzhu, Director Wan, Lan Tian, myself, the dog, and King Dazhou—one for each! As for the others... once battle breaks out, ancient beasts will inevitably fall, and we can find materials then!"
"Alright, then!"
King Daming sounded somewhat regretful as he eyed King Daqin and King Daxia up and down, genuinely wishing he could take them apart to see if he could produce a few more.
King Daqin felt thoroughly exhausted.
When a man's strength wasn't enough, he had to make up for it with his own bones—what a sorrowful fate!
Chapter 745