Everything in Place

"Greetings, Marquis Liekong!" Su Yu smiled, returning to his true form as he looked at Marquis Liekong. Marquis Liekong had not actually strangled Kongkong to death. She returned the greeting with a slight bow. "Liekong greets the Human Master!" The two sides formally met. Marquis Liekong observed the group and recognized several figures, such as Doubao and Marquis Huoyun. Glancing at their surroundings, Marquis Liekong said softly, "This is no place to linger. Would the Human Master mind coming into my manor for a chat?" After all, staying outside was inconvenient. Inside a daochang, under normal circumstances, no one dared to recklessly probe; even Celestial Venerables would not do so lightly, as it was an easy way to invite trouble. "It would be my pleasure!" Su Yu chuckled. With ease, Marquis Liekong tore open a spatial rift, revealing the scene on the other side. It was as if two separate spaces had been compressed into one, allowing them to clearly see into the interior. At Su Yu's side, King Dazhou praised, "Marquis Liekong's mastery of the Dao of Space has truly reached the pinnacle of perfection!" "You flatter me!" Marquis Liekong smiled. What King Dazhou said was simply the truth. Then again, if an Ancient Space Beast had mediocre spatial abilities, they would hardly be worthy of the name. Su Yu said nothing more and stepped through. Marquis Liekong raised her eyebrows slightly, offering no comment. This Human Master certainly had guts. Yet upon second thought... that was only natural. Bringing along so many powerhouses, even capturing him would require multiple Celestial Venerables. How could he not be bold? *** Inside the massive manor. There were no extravagant decorations. The entire place could be described with a single word—huge! Truly colossal! The true forms of the Ancient Space Beasts were enormous, meaning they could not remain in human form indefinitely while inside their residence. Immensity was therefore a necessity. Excessive furnishings were also pointless; once an ancient beast reverted to its true form, anything in the way would be crushed into dust. Marquis Liekong was straightforward. The moment they entered, she invited them to take seats and cut straight to the chase. "Did the Human Master come for my race's teleportation gates?" "Indeed," Su Yu nodded. "So the Ancient Space race truly possesses a large number of teleportation gates?" "Naturally, we do." Marquis Liekong did not hide anything. Since he had already come to her door, she was forthright. "Those teleportation gates were constructed at immense cost and effort by my race. We opened paths into one perilous zone after another. Over the years, more than one Dao Integrator has perished for this cause, and even Quasi-Kings have fallen! "They were originally planned for our race's future, so that if a great war ever erupted, the Ancient Space race could seek refuge at any moment..." Su Yu listened in silence and nodded. "Marquis Liekong speaks reasonably. In that case, what price must I pay if I wish to borrow a spatial gate right now?" "Which gate? Where does it lead?" "The inner reaches of Mount Chaos!" Su Yu looked at Marquis Liekong. Did they have one? Marquis Liekong frowned, not answering immediately. Her reaction itself indicated that they did. Su Yu felt a jolt of inner surprise. They really had one! Marquis Liekong said heavily, "Back then, in order to open that passage, a Quasi-King of my race was gravely wounded and on the verge of death, perishing not long after!" An enormous price had been paid. Su Yu was shaken as well. If even a Quasi-King had died for it, the cost would indeed be difficult to match. Seeing his silence, Marquis Liekong paused for a moment before speaking again. "Now, a great war is on the verge of erupting. The Three Great Races intend to purge the Upper Realm, so our teleportation gates leading to other perilous zones may all be rendered useless! Mount Chaos alone has not yet been breached. It might very well be our race's last retreat!" After paying such a steep price to open all those gates, every single one of them was on the brink of being scrapped. Marquis Liekong felt a profound sense of sorrow. Yet there was no other choice. The gate to Mount Chaos might be their very last way out. And now Su Yu wanted to borrow it. Once borrowed, it might never be returned. Even if returned, the location might no longer remain a secret—and without secrecy, how could it serve as a retreat? After a moment's consideration, Su Yu said, "State your conditions, Marquis Liekong. Within my capabilities and within reason, I will do my best to satisfy them." "Conditions?" Marquis Liekong glanced at Kongkong and said in a low voice, "In the Lower Realm, our race has already submitted to the Yu Emperor Manor. The old fellow down there is my Dao companion. We are of one body; how can we be divided?" She sighed, her voice tinged with helplessness. "Our race has always remained neutral. The old fellow believes the Human Master can become a second Human Emperor, but I am unfamiliar with you and cannot tell whether such hope is genuine. "Right now, the Three Great Races want to gather all races at Human Mountain. I might not even be able to take these spatial teleportation gates with me. "Since that is the case, gifting them to the Human Master as a favor is not out of the question. "As for conditions... so long as the Human Master remains undefeated, that will be the greatest benefit to our race. But if the Human Master falls... any condition would be utterly meaningless to me!" She shook her head. What condition could possibly help? In truth, nothing was useful. At this moment, all that mattered was survival! The situation was murky; who would win and who would lose was impossible to foresee. Su Yu had quite a few Quasi-Kings on his side, no weaker than any single one of the Three Great Races. Combined with San Yue, they could likely rival one of those three races—yet that was only one race, and the Three Great Races did not stand alone! Of course, Su Yu's faction was developing rapidly, with many powerhouses still in their growth phase. The old fogies of the myriad races had been stuck at their respective cultivation bottlenecks for far too many years; Su Yu's side genuinely possessed greater potential. After weighing her thoughts, Marquis Liekong continued, "I can hand all those things over to the Human Master. I don't harbor excessive schemes or demands. My sole condition is that unless the Human Master openly raises his banner and possesses the certainty to withstand the Three Great Races or the Chaos lineage... the Ancient Space race will not publicly support you!" She spoke with blunt clarity. "What the Human Master must do is this: before the Lower Realm is opened, do not announce any connection with my race! Unless I willingly choose to offer aid, I will not be coerced merely because of the cooperation in the Lower Realm into joining hands with the Human Master at a critical juncture while disregarding my people's survival... That is an outcome I refuse to see!" Su Yu smiled. "In other words, in the Upper Realm, the Ancient Space race will continue to align itself with the Three Great Races." "Yes!" Marquis Liekong nodded. "The Ancient Space race lacks the strength to resist the Three Great Races! The Iron Eater race at least has Celestial Venerable San Yue, whereas I am not even a Celestial Venerable. How could I resist them? If the Human Master can plant his banner in the Upper Realm and secure a firm foothold, our race will naturally come over... But if you cannot... I apologize, but I only hope the Human Master will spare us, grant us a way out, and not drag the Ancient Space race down into the grave with you." She looked toward Su Yu. That was her only condition. If Su Yu agreed, she would simply hand over those teleportation gates. Aside from the gate to Mount Chaos, the others were nearly useless anyway. Keeping them served little purpose! Once the perilous zones were cleared, keeping the gates would merely provide alternate transit points. Su Yu smiled and asked, "Then if I truly am defeated, won't the Lower Realm Ancient Space race's cooperation with me implicate the Upper Realm?" Marquis Liekong gritted her teeth. "If it truly comes to that... losing half our race is better than total extermination! Since the old fellow sided with you, he will have to plead guilty before the Three Great Races... Whether they kill him or punish him will be up to them. Our race excels in the Dao of Space, so we will still have room to survive!" Su Yu smiled, a trace of emotion in his expression. It was all for the survival of their race! Weaker races had no choice but to be this passive. Even though the Ancient Space race was not weak, under the present circumstances, they were not masters of their own fate and had to prioritize their race's survival above all else. Su Yu nodded. "Unless I possess the strength to withstand both the myriad races and the Chaos lineage... I will not disturb Marquis Liekong again. That includes Kongkong—it would be best for him to remain here as well. The myriad races won't care about one additional Eternal!" "Emperor Yu..." Su Yu raised his hand, cutting off Kongkong's words, and said with a smile, "Just stay here. I won't be returning to the Lower Realm anytime soon. If you wish to go down, you can contact the Iron Eater race, and I will take you with me. The various races are about to sweep through the Upper Realm, making it exceedingly dangerous. Staying with Marquis Liekong will be much safer for you." Kongkong felt helpless and could only nod. Without sufficient strength, there was nothing he could do. Marquis Liekong said nothing further. Seeing Su Yu agree, and having already learned a general outline of his character from Kongkong, she did not doubt his word. For someone who could carve out an empire in the Lower Realm, he would not be so shameless as to break a promise over this. Her rule power fluctuated for a moment, and a spatial vortex materialized. "The teleportation gates are inside. Does the Human Master wish to go in and take a look?" "Let's go together!" Su Yu smiled and called the others over while inspecting the spatial vortex. It had been right here all along, yet he hadn't sensed it earlier. Of course, he hadn't opened his Heavenly Gate, but even so, the concealment was remarkably strong. *** The group soon stepped into a labyrinthine space. The moment they entered, everyone drew a sharp breath. So many! There were nearly a hundred gates. Marquis Liekong felt a flicker of pride, which quickly gave way to dejection. They were all useless now! With a sigh, she began introducing them one by one. "This gate leads to Mount Shenhuo. Back when the experts of our race were exploring Mount Shenhuo, Marquis Huoyun had not yet entered it. Later, when our race went to check, we discovered that Marquis Huoyun had occupied the base we had left behind. That gate was essentially rendered useless, so we never used it again." "..." Marquis Huoyun froze and stared at her. Marquis Liekong said calmly, "Marquis Huoyun was hiding in the forty-seventh volcano of Mount Shenhuo. When you arrived back then, you must have noticed that the spot was exceptionally suited for concealment, featuring a massive platform large enough to accommodate over ten thousand people..." Marquis Huoyun was stunned. "Marquis Liekong means... that platform was opened up by your race?" Marquis Liekong sighed. "No, but we discovered it. Seeing that it was ideal for hiding, we established a spatial teleportation tunnel there. When we heard that Marquis Huoyun was hiding in the area, we worried that his location overlapped with the spot we had chosen. After testing the waters later, we confirmed it was indeed the case, so we had no choice but to abandon that sanctuary." "..." Marquis Huoyun felt a wave of shock. "Then... if the Ancient Space race had informed the myriad races back then, wouldn't we have been..." Finished? Marquis Liekong didn't seem to care much. "That was a retreat for our race. Why would we casually disclose it to outsiders? To tell other races that we had spatial tunnels in all these places? Even if we wiped you out, Marquis Huoyun, what benefit would there be for us?" Marquis Huoyun felt lingering fear coupled with immense relief. He hurriedly said, "I investigated back then as well, and found no spatial tunnel whatsoever." "If our race establishes a spatial tunnel, could it be discovered so easily?" Marquis Liekong declared proudly, "Our race's spatial tunnels are first excavated, then sealed! In other words, we merely locate a path and open a passage, before sealing it shut with spatial power. Even if you shatter the space there, you will only think it is an ordinary spatial fracture... You would never trace it back to its origin and find your way to our side." As the race most adept in the Dao of Space among the myriad races, Marquis Liekong had every right to be proud. "It's not just Mount Shenhuo. This one leads to Bright Moon Flower Valley... though it is also useless now, as Bright Moon Flower Valley is gone." Su Yu was surprised as well. "To be honest, we were in Bright Moon Flower Valley that day, and we truly didn't notice any tunnel." Marquis Liekong smiled and continued pointing toward the other gates. "This one leads to Yixiantian, this to Tianku Ridge, this to Fuchen River, this to Mount Yunwu, this to Demon Fall Ravine, this to Soul Burying Mountain..." Gate after gate led to perilous zone after perilous zone, leaving everyone shaken. Like a spider, the Ancient Space race had spun an intricate web of threads across the entire Upper Realm, crisscrossing the whole domain. Su Yu couldn't resist asking, "Are there no tunnels near the daochangs of the major races?" "There are." Marquis Liekong coughed lightly. "Naturally there are. It's just that... we don't activate them." "So when the Nether race was attacked that day, you didn't actually need to open a brand-new tunnel; you could have teleported straight there?" "I didn't have the gate on me, so I still had to open one." Marquis Liekong smiled. "However, I knew where that tunnel was located. I could have simply opened it along that established passage at incredible speed, fully capable of teleporting Celestial Venerable Ming there in time... But... why would I do that?" She could have rapidly teleported Celestial Venerable Ming that day. But what good would it have done her? She chuckled, "If I had teleported Celestial Venerable Ming there in an instant that day, my death wouldn't have been far off! Everyone knows our race's teleportation is formidable, but it still takes time and often arrives too late. If our race could reach any location in the Upper Realm in an instant... the Ancient Space race would have been exterminated! Such a race would never be permitted to exist!" Su Yu nodded. That was indeed the truth. It would be far too terrifying! Looking at the dense cluster of gates filling the area, he drew a deep breath. "In other words, this place is essentially the transit hub of the Upper Realm. One can reach any corner of the Upper Realm at astonishing speed?" "More or less!" Marquis Liekong looked at the gates with a trace of melancholy. "Our race sacrificed far too much for this! Yet now, they are practically half-useless! Moreover, almost none of them have ever been activated; they were merely meant to serve as retreats for our race!" She pointed toward a colossal gate. "That one leads to the Source of the Dao, but it can only teleport outside the light barrier of the Source of the Dao. Entering inside the barrier makes one vulnerable to being invaded by rule power." Having said that, she pointed to another massive gate. "This is the gate to the inner reaches of Mount Chaos. Back then, when that Quasi-King of our race ventured deep into the inner reaches, he was besieged by ancient beasts and gravely wounded, dying shortly after... There are many ancient beasts in the inner reaches of Mount Chaos, and they are far more powerful. You must be careful!" She warned, "The ancient beasts in the inner reaches are exceedingly strong, with quite a few Quasi-Kings among them! There might even be Celestial Venerable-level ancient beasts, though we never encountered one. The inner reaches are boundlessly vast, with countless peaks, far larger than the outer perimeter. Mount Chaos stretches for tens of millions of li, perhaps even directly bordering the edge of the myriad realms!" She said solemnly, "As you all know, the myriad realms and the Upper Realm have their limits! Beyond those limits lies primal chaos. Mount Chaos is where chaos spills over, the boundary where the myriad realms meet primal chaos! Deep within lies the Gate of Hell, which marks the dividing line between the myriad realms and primal chaos! If you want to know where the Chaos race might be hiding, I believe they are most likely over there! "Our race once explored the inner reaches but didn't dare venture too deep. However, the areas we scouted are unlikely to accommodate too many people. Hiding three to five hundred might work, but according to speculations, the Chaos race has vast numbers and may have even established their own domain... That means they can only be in the deepest depths!" Su Yu nodded. Looking at the gates lining the labyrinth, he couldn't help licking his lips. There were so many! Controlling this place meant being able to travel virtually anywhere in the Upper Realm! Marquis Liekong seemed to anticipate his thoughts and said helplessly, "Human Master, it would be best not to use them casually. If you do... the fact that our race created so many tunnels might be exposed. Unless absolutely necessary, I advise against using them!" Su Yu snapped back to reality and nodded. "I understand. Rest assured!" He pointed toward the gate leading to Mount Chaos. "Can this one be moved?" Marquis Liekong pondered for a moment before saying, "Try not to move it. Being here means our tunnel's entrance is located right here. Once moved, a new spatial entrance will have to be excavated..." She paused, then added, "However, as long as it lies along the same straight line, it can be connected at any point! "Put it this way: on the straight line connecting our location to Mount Chaos, you can use this gate to open a passage at any point along that line. But... any other location won't work! "If you try to open it elsewhere, you would have to excavate a dedicated tunnel specifically for it... and that would cause far too much commotion." Between two points, a passage could be opened at any spot along the straight line; once deviated from that straight line, it became impossible. Su Yu recalled the territory of the Ancient Space Beasts and the direction of Mount Chaos, raising his eyebrows slightly. "So that means if I am in the Nether race's territory, I can open it there as well, since it roughly falls along the same line?" "Yes!" Marquis Liekong nodded. "A minor connection will suffice. If the Human Master truly wishes to take it, I will teach you how to operate it and how to link it with the existing passage." Su Yu's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Is that the case for the other gates as well?" "Most of them, yes!" Marquis Liekong nodded. "Any point along the straight line between the two endpoints can be connected at will. But if it's off that line, there is nothing that can be done! There is one more thing I must warn the Human Master about: once opened, the spatial tunnel's presence might be sensed by others... So do not use it recklessly!" Su Yu laughed. "Once is enough!" Who needed to use it multiple times anyway? Naturally, in the later stages, once their strength was sufficient, being discovered wouldn't matter in the slightest. Thinking of this, Su Yu raised his brow again. "The various races are currently moving Human Mountain. Will their route cross that tunnel to Mount Chaos? If so, does that mean I might be able to teleport directly to Human Mountain?" "It is possible." Marquis Liekong did not deny it. "By my estimation, if the designated coordinates deviate little from the original plan, you should be able to teleport there. However, you will likely appear around the foot of the mountain, not directly on it." "That is more than enough!" Su Yu felt fortunate that he had come here today. A whole room filled with spatial gates was practically an invaluable treasure trove! Nearly the entirety of the Upper Realm was covered by them. Su Yu asked again, "The myriad races are sweeping through the perilous zones of the Upper Realm right now. Will these tunnels be discovered?" "No," Marquis Liekong shook her head. "As I said, these passages are in a sealed state, completely indistinguishable from normal space. Unless those Celestial Venerables have nothing better to do and start blasting the space everywhere to pieces, the tunnels won't be affected! However, once the perilous zones are cleared, the value of these passages will be vastly reduced... They will no longer serve as sanctuaries!" Su Yu licked his lips and refrained from further questions, taking note of where each gate led. Finally, he drew a deep breath and said, "I want to take all these gates! Whatever requests the Ancient Space race may have in the future, feel free to ask! So long as it is within my power, I will not refuse!" Marquis Liekong felt a pang of reluctance. Even though more than half of them were obsolete, she still hated to part with them; her race had sacrificed far too much for this network. She remained silent, gazing quietly at the gates for a long time. Eventually, she sighed. "Take them all. Keeping them here is merely a waste!" Su Yu cupped his hands. "Thank you!" He didn't bother with false modesty; he needed them. The Ancient Space Beasts had spent a hundred thousand years crafting this all-reaching teleportation network. On Su Yu's side, even if King Dazhou was skilled, he couldn't possibly excavate these passages alone without hundreds or thousands of years of relentless effort! And he would have had to work day and night! The Ancient Space Beasts hadn't worked on it constantly either; they had slowly excavated them little by little whenever no one was paying attention. The myriad races likely wouldn't believe it even if told that over the years, the Ancient Space Beasts had been like spiders, weaving a massive web that spanned the entire Upper Realm! Marquis Liekong said nothing more. Su Yu thought for a moment, then turned to Wan Tiansheng and the others. "Let's have everyone teleport from right here. The space here is stable and the fluctuations are minimal, probably because the Ancient Space race spent countless years stabilizing this place." Marquis Liekong nodded. "We have stabilized this area for many years. Teleporting from here won't cause any disturbance! Moreover, on the first teleportation, the fluctuation of spatial power within the tunnel will be very faint, making it difficult for anyone to sense." She then added, "However, once you teleport across, coming back will be difficult... We were worried about someone reverse-teleporting back to our side, so these are all one-way passages!" "One-way?" Su Yu furrowed his brow slightly. Marquis Liekong nodded, but quickly added, "However, if you bring the teleportation gate with you, it becomes two-way!" Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. That was workable. The teleportation gate was clearly the core component. "Is the other side of the Mount Chaos tunnel dangerous?" "Quite dangerous. It emerges inside a mountain cavern, but staying there too long will alert the ancient beasts." Marquis Liekong explained, "Once you arrive, it is best to proactively sever your connection to the Great Dao. That way, you will be much safer." Clearly, even if these powerhouses hadn't observed the root cause directly, they still understood that the danger had something to do with the Great Dao's rejection. On Su Yu's side, there was no need to worry; King Daming could construct a concealment formation. Su Yu turned to Wan Tiansheng and the others. "Then you should all teleport across right now. I won't be going, and there's no need to use the Xingyu Seal to suppress the commotion, since the first teleportation won't cause much disturbance! Once you're across, scout out the surroundings and establish a foothold there! When the time comes, I will contact you through Lan Tian and strike the enemy from behind!" Wan Tiansheng said solemnly, "Then take care of yourself. With all of us gone, and with several Celestial Venerables emerging now, the danger here has increased once again..." Pausing, he considered for a moment before adding, "Why don't... why don't you keep Senior Fat Ball with you?" He looked at Fat Ball, who stared back with clear, innocent eyes. *Why call me?* Wan Tiansheng chuckled and quickly said, "Senior Fat Ball might only possess the combat strength of a Heavenly King on his own, but he has many treasures—especially that... that shoe. Once unleashed, he might possess the combat strength of a Celestial Venerable!" Marquis Liekong was inwardly shocked. *Celestial Venerable combat strength? This dog?* She looked toward Fat Ball. Fat Ball said modestly, "That won't do. Celestial Venerable sounds very powerful; I can't beat one! I'm just a dog, I only know how to bite people, not fight, and I'm only in the Eternal Realm..." Su Yu was speechless. *You said the exact same thing last time.* *You said Dao Integrators were very powerful!* *That you couldn't beat them!* *And then... then you were in a hurry to go back and water the flowers, so you stomped the Western Heavenly King to death with a single shoe!* Whether Celestial Venerables or Heavenly Kings, they were all Dao Integrators in the end. Because no Ruler of Rules could emerge, the Dao Integration Realm had accumulated a massive number of experts spanning vastly different levels of strength. Could Fat Ball match a Celestial Venerable by using King Wen's shoe? That was hard to say! A Celestial Venerable killing a Heavenly King wasn't that simple either. After all, a qualitative transformation had not yet occurred! Could Fat Ball fight a Celestial Venerable? For now, no one knew. Su Yu didn't expect to get any real answer from Fat Ball anyway. In the dog's eyes, it was merely a dog that couldn't beat anyone; as for whether it could win, it would only find out after fighting. "Let Fat Ball go with you. The interior of Mount Chaos is more dangerous. Besides, if you're discovered by the Prison King's lineage, I suspect their faction might have powerhouses who walk the Dao of Chaos—perhaps even reaching Baizhan's level, or even... surpassing Baizhan!" Su Yu took a deep breath and continued, "The Dao of Chaos can bypass the seals of the myriad Daos. I know this, and the Prison King's lineage, having cultivated the Dao of Chaos, must know it as well! If I were in their position, no matter the cost, I would nurture a powerhouse at the Ruler of Rules level who walks the Dao of Chaos! Therefore, I suspect such a possibility exists. With Fat Ball there, you'll have at least some resistance!" Fat Ball blinked. *You're really overestimating me.* *A Ruler of Rules!* *An ancient Human King!* *How could I possibly resist that?* *This new Human Master really thinks too much.* *Forget it, no use explaining.* "Seniors Doubao and Chuibing will stay behind, hidden inside my civilization chronicle." Su Yu smiled. "Lan Tian and I, along with Marquis Juzhu, won't be leaving. With Senior San Yue, Doubao, and the others, our strength is sufficient! As for Xia Longwu and the rest, I will locate them as quickly as possible. Don't worry, everyone; I'll take them into the civilization chronicle. Since they haven't reached the Dao Integration Realm, they won't be in danger!" Wan Tiansheng said softly, "Then be careful. Lan Tian, protect Emperor Yu well!" Lan Tian giggled. "Rest easy!" Wan Tiansheng nodded. Although Lan Tian was eccentric and unreliable at times, he could always be counted on when it mattered most. "Then we shall teleport across!" King Dazhou chimed in. He considered whether there was anything else to remind Su Yu of, before saying, "If there truly are humans hiding in the Source of the Dao, I still suggest offering them some assistance if it's within your power!" He explained, "Most of the old fellows from Baizhan's era are dead, aside from Marquis Huoyun and the others! If anyone appears now, they are likely figures who went into hibernation long before that! Such people are well worth winning over! With the Xingyu Seal in hand, having inherited King Wen's Brush Dao, and having opened the Heavenly Gate, even those old fellows will support Emperor Yu once they see you... They won't harbor other intentions, because they never lived through Baizhan's era!" Su Yu nodded. "I'll see when the time comes. We might not even get the chance. Besides, whether there are ancient human experts in the Source of the Dao is still up in the air!" "Mm." King Dazhou said no more. By now, every expert was prepared to teleport across. Tianmie wore a look of utter helplessness. Ever since coming up, all he had done was run for his life without fighting a single battle, and now he was running off to Mount Chaos. How lonely! Once he reached Mount Chaos, he wouldn't even have his own individual array talisman, meaning he couldn't leave on his own. Obviously, even in Mount Chaos, he wouldn't get a chance to fight. He felt more desolate by the second! Meanwhile, Marquis Tongtian didn't care about any of that. He chuckled and said, "Your Majesty Emperor Yu, once I arrive at Mount Chaos, I will do my best to establish an anywhere-door teleportation along the Space race's tunnels! When the time comes, so long as Your Majesty controls these Ancient Space race gates, I can lock onto your coordinates at any time..." He added with a beaming smile, "If Your Majesty has the chance in the future, you only need to bring me along—no need for these gates at all! These gates can serve as beacon points to be handed over to others. When that time comes, with Your Majesty carrying me, I can teleport Your Majesty to the location of any gate whenever you wish!" "..." He was eager to display his worth, taking the opportunity to show some jealousy and flaunt how formidable Marquis Tongtian was! Hearing his words, Marquis Liekong's expression shifted slightly. "You... Marquis Tongtian?" Marquis Tongtian bared his teeth in a grin. "Marquis Liekong, your Ancient Space race's teleportation is still too clumsy. Setting up so many gates is far too much hassle! One of me is enough! Once I get the hang of your tunnel network, I can go wherever I please... In these myriad realms, where can I not open a door? If Emperor Yu finds the Gate of Hell, I can even have a showdown with it! When it comes to the Dao of Doors, I consider myself number one under the heavens... Even the Gate of Hell shouldn't dream of snatching my crown!" *It's just opening a door!* *I am a door myself!* *A door cultivated all the way to the Dao Integration Realm—who's afraid of whom?* Marquis Liekong said solemnly, "You actually came out!" She was genuinely shaken. After a pause, she looked at Su Yu and said, "With this fellow around, it really can save some trouble. In fact, back then, the thing my race's emperor wanted to do most was to refine this fellow into our race's spatial gate. Unfortunately... he was taken away by the ancient Imperial Court!" With a hint of regret, she added, "If our race controlled this door, we could truly teleport anywhere throughout heaven and earth! If the Human Master deems it necessary, you can hand Tongtian over to me to refine. Once refined, I might even be able to shuttle to the Lower Realm..." "..." Marquis Tongtian's face turned green, and he snapped furiously, "Sheer nonsense! Utter drivel! Your Majesty must not listen to her slander! If she takes control of me, even Celestial Venerables would find it hard to catch her. She would rebel sooner or later—yes, rebel!" "..." Marquis Liekong glanced at him sideways and ignored him. Marquis Tongtian snorted coldly. "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will take control of all this race's tunnels sooner or later. When that time comes, it won't matter whether they are around or not! This race actually dares to bargain with Your Majesty, thinking they are so indispensable, when in fact they are nothing at all! "With me here, one person can replace an entire race!" Marquis Liekong narrowed her eyes and looked at him. Marquis Tongtian wore a look of supreme pride. "Don't try to explain; explanations are just cover-ups! I was personally enfeoffed as a marquis by King Wen himself! Connecting above to heaven, connecting below to earth, of all the marquises in the myriad realms, who is more noble than me?" Marquis Liekong was speechless and couldn't be bothered to respond. Yet deep down, a faint sense of crisis began to rise. She had forgotten about Marquis Tongtian's existence! Now that she had handed over these spatial gates, once Marquis Tongtian took control of them and familiarized himself with the entire tunnel network, he might truly be able to teleport anywhere in the Upper Realm at will. When that happened, the Ancient Space race's importance would indeed decline sharply. However, at this point, she could hardly say anything. Su Yu, meanwhile, was pleasantly surprised. He glanced at Marquis Tongtian and laughed, "Marquis Tongtian, stop talking nonsense..." Marquis Tongtian nodded vigorously. "Emperor Yu is entirely right! Even if one is happy, it must be kept hidden in one's heart, not displayed openly! Keeping the spatial faction in check is indeed necessary. Even if Emperor Yu doesn't say it, I understand completely! I will manage everything thoroughly and help Your Majesty keep the entire spatial faction under thumb!" "..." *Fuck!* Su Yu cursed inwardly. *Did I say that?* *Did I imply that?* *This fellow talks way too much damn nonsense!* *I never said anything of the sort; it's all your own wild imagination!* The expressions of the others turned odd. Did Su Yu harbor such thoughts? Perhaps... he did. After all, the Ancient Space race seemed quite terrifying at this moment. Back then, King Dazhou had teleported people around at will, becoming a trump card against the myriad races; he could launch surprise raids whenever he wanted, terrifying enemy Dao Integrators so much they dared not even flee. Now, the Ancient Space race was even more formidable, having mapped out a complete transit network across the Upper Realm. Could Su Yu truly feel zero apprehension? Now, with Marquis Tongtian stepping up, he provided a natural check against the spatial faction. Naturally, Su Yu would never admit to it. His face darkened as he barked coldly, "If you don't know how to speak, shut your mouth! Enough nonsense, teleport!" Marquis Tongtian wasn't offended at all. Everything was understood without saying a word! *I get it!* *Rest assured, watch me work!* As he was about to leave, he even added, "Rest easy, Your Majesty. When I have time, I'll comb through the entire Upper Realm teleportation network to make sure Marquis Liekong hasn't secretly hidden any passages... Your Majesty can relax; with me here, I am their natural nemesis!" "..." With that, he quickly ducked into the massive gate. A faint voice echoed back: "Your Majesty need not worry, I know Your Majesty cannot say it openly! It was all done on my own initiative, I understand how this works! Having guarded a gate for so many years, what don't I understand? This is called 'everything understood without saying a word'!" "..." Su Yu looked at Marquis Liekong. After a long pause, he said awkwardly, "I didn't say any of that!" *I said nothing!* *It's a misunderstanding!* *That bastard Marquis Tongtian—would it kill you to keep your mouth shut for once?!* Marquis Liekong was equally speechless. Only after a while did she reply, "It's fine." Internally, however, she was seething with frustration. *Marquis Tongtian, you dog, I'll teach you a lesson sooner or later!* *I haven't even officially joined the human race yet, and this dog is already trying to intimidate me. We should have refined that door back in the day!* Meanwhile, the others filed into the gate one after another. Marquis Liekong waved her hand, sending a surge of spatial power forward. The spatial gate shimmered, and the teleportation commenced! The teleportation power surged for a moment. Suddenly, a head poked back out from the gate. Marquis Tongtian wore a sly grin. "Your Majesty, see? I told you I could teleport at will! I've already grasped some of the principles! Look, I can travel back and forth freely now! Your Majesty, call me whenever you need anything!" With that, his head vanished! Marquis Liekong's expression turned grim. After a moment, she gritted her teeth. "Shameless!" Su Yu looked at her in confusion. Marquis Liekong ground her teeth. "He is stealing the imprints my race left in the passage... He is attempting to seize control of these teleportation tunnels!" Su Yu's expression changed slightly. "Outrageous! Shameless! If he hadn't already left, I'd definitely discipline him! I'll call him back..." "No need!" Marquis Liekong sighed. "Forget it. Perhaps he's right. Since my race has given them up... and handed them to the Human Master, let him be!" Her voice carried a note of powerlessness. Marquis Liekong was helpless. Even though she had given them up and handed them to Su Yu, still... even if given to Su Yu, the Ancient Space race could have continued using those passages. Now, however, Marquis Tongtian was rapidly seizing the Ancient Space race's imprints within the tunnels, erasing their control over the network. If this continued, the Ancient Space race wouldn't even be able to use the passages they had excavated themselves! Su Yu's retinue truly contained all sorts of characters. Marquis Liekong had completely forgotten about this particular nuisance. Only now did she recall that back in the day, Marquis Tongtian was the natural bane of the Dao of Teleportation. He controlled the entrance to the eighth floor; no matter how impressive the Ancient Space race was, no matter how many barriers their teleportation could bypass, if they wanted to enter the eighth floor, they still had to go through his door! If he refused to let you in, even if you were the ancient emperor of the Space race, you couldn't enter the eighth floor unless you forcibly shattered him! King Wen had personally enfeoffed him as a marquis back then. It wasn't as if there were no powerhouses stronger than him who failed to earn a marquis title; King Wen clearly valued his unique ability. As for Su Yu, he was only offering polite words. Marquis Liekong didn't even need to guess: Marquis Tongtian seizing these tunnels was probably something Su Yu was thrilled to see! Su Yu put on an ugly look, suppressing the joy in his heart, and said with a solemn expression, "Rest assured, Marquis Liekong, next time I encounter that fellow, I will definitely punish him! Utterly preposterous!" "..." Marquis Liekong didn't want to speak. Su Yu coughed lightly, downplaying the matter, and looked at the gates. "Then I will collect these gates. Thank you very much for your generosity, Marquis Liekong!" "The Human Master is too polite!" Su Yu smiled and said no more. Quickly, he collected all the gates. Good stuff! *** A short while later, Su Yu took his leave of Marquis Liekong, feeling thoroughly unburdened. He and Lan Tian quickly vanished into the void, departing the territory of the Ancient Space race. Once they were gone, Marquis Liekong suddenly reached out and grabbed Kongkong by the neck. Under Kongkong's panicked and helpless gaze, she squeezed tightly, gritting her teeth. "Little fellow, there's an awful lot of intelligence you didn't tell me! You didn't mention that they had multiple Quasi-Kings and top Dao Integrators! You didn't mention that Tongtian, that chatterbox bastard, was among them either! "You didn't tell me that this new Human Master is at the Quasi-King realm himself! "You didn't tell me that there might be a Celestial Venerable-level powerhouse among them—that dog... why didn't you mention it?! "And you didn't tell me that Marquis Huoyun and all those others had submitted to him! "And..." Kongkong wanted to cry, but had no tears. *I didn't know! I didn't know any of this!* *I'm just an Eternal! We parted ways right after arriving last time—it's only been a few days, how was I supposed to know so much had happened?!* *Besides, I'm quite old already, I'm not a little fellow!* Unfortunately, here, he was indeed a little fellow. At least in Marquis Liekong's eyes, he was just a shrimp. After venting her fury and nearly choking Kongkong to death, Marquis Liekong finally let go, looking somewhat dejected. "Forget it, I won't lower myself to your level. This new Human Master has an abundance of talent beneath him; perhaps he truly can accomplish great things!" She patted Kongkong and said after a long silence, "Cultivate diligently. You are still too weak! Even if our race wishes to join him, now is not the time... That old fellow in the Lower Realm doesn't seem to have rendered any great service either. If we submit without a shred of merit, who will look upon us with respect and take us seriously? Without a Celestial Venerable, and with so many Quasi-Kings under his command, wouldn't the Ancient Space race simply be marginalized? What would be the point of submitting then?" Marquis Liekong's eyes grew profound. "Either we perform a monumental service so that even if we join, we instantly become a pillar of support! Otherwise... we maintain the current status quo. Understood?" "Understood!" Kongkong nodded. He understood Marquis Liekong's reasoning. Indeed, Su Yu had plenty of experts under his command right now; the Ancient Space race's importance was actually not that significant. "Then My Lord's intention is..." "No need to ask questions. Just cultivate diligently!" Marquis Liekong ignored him. *What's the point of telling you? You're just a weakling!* Kongkong sighed. In times like these, lacking strength was truly a tragedy!