The First Detonation

The six Celestial Venerables arrived at the Dao Origin Land. They flew straight toward the deepest reaches of the Dao Origin Land, splitting into three routes to form an encircling sweep. Each emanated an unimaginably formidable aura. At that moment, Celestial Venerable Motian's voice echoed outward, laced with concussive force and utterly cold: "All living beings within the Dao Origin Land, assemble at Myriad Races Mountain in the west!" "Effective immediately, the Dao Origin Land is sealed. No being shall enter!" His voice reverberated through the void, inciting tremors in the power of rules. The six Celestial Venerables had not come here to kill indiscriminately; within the Dao Origin Land, aside from human experts, all other experts were potential allies. Killing was not their objective. However, if anyone refused to comply, slaughter was certainly an option. Right at that moment, an expert soared into the air. Likely having just emerged from seclusion without receiving any news, he tore through the void upon hearing the commotion, his tone laced with panic and indignation: "Celestial Venerable Motian? Does the Demon race intend to monopolize the Dao Origin Land?" Motian could not be bothered to elaborate. In the distance, Celestial Venerable Huang shook the earth as he flattened various obstacles, saying coldly upon hearing this, "The myriad races have formed an Alliance Council. The myriad races are gathering! Marquis Douyi, you have been in seclusion for far too long—it is time you went out to see the world! Today, the six races—God, Demon, Immortal, Archaic Giant, Destiny, and Iron Eater—have come to notify all of you. If you have any objections, voice them once you reach Myriad Races Mountain!" As they spoke, another group entered the Dao Origin Land. The six Celestial Venerables had not come alone after all. Only now did their escorts arrive—elites from the major races, including several Heavenly Kings and over a dozen Dao Integration experts. Their primary purpose was to clear minor troubles and assist the six Celestial Venerables. Formidable auras crisscrossed the sky. On the Immortal race's side, Marquis Xianzhan's voice boomed like a bronze bell: "Fellow Daoists, a crisis looms over the myriad races! The human race is staging a resurgence, and danger is imminent! You may proceed on your own to Myriad Races Mountain in the west. The experts of all races are gathering there, overseen by several Celestial Venerables. The Dao Origin Land is no longer safe!" "To purge the human remnants, the Alliance Council has resolved to scour the Upper Realm and raze every place where humans might hide! For the sake of the future, we ask for everyone's understanding!" ... With several top experts speaking out, various Dao Integration experts within the Dao Origin Land felt helpless and took to the sky, preparing to depart. Evidently, this place was no longer tenable. This had been the consensus of the major races: while they fought and bled on the frontlines, those in the rear could not be allowed to leisurely enjoy the Dao Origin Land. That was out of the question. All of them had to be driven to Myriad Races Mountain! Once there, whether they wanted to join the war or not, they would have no choice! With six Celestial Venerables alongside multiple Heavenly Kings and Dao Integration experts arriving in force, no single race had the strength to resist, even if they banded together. Without saying more, the six Celestial Venerables continued pressing deeper toward the end of the Dao Origin Land. At the very end of the Dao Origin Land stood another barrier of light. There, the power of rules was far denser, but also far more perilous, frequently suffering violent surges of rule power that could damage one's Great Dao. ... Su Yu and Lan Tian did not follow them. Hidden, the two silently watched those figures fly into the depths. Since the encirclement had not yet begun, those experts would not recklessly probe this outer area. Once the crowd flew toward the inner perimeter, Lan Tian sent a voice transmission: "Emperor Yu, should we follow them?" Although they had spent two days scouting, they had primarily been searching for pseudo-Dao experts. As for true Dao experts, they had hardly found any. Lan Tian added, "Perhaps there really are human experts inside. Should we bring out that skeleton rack and question him? After all, he lived for a long time and had been slumbering in secluded cultivation here; he might know of others in seclusion." "No rush." Su Yu glanced into the depths, where powerful auras surged, then looked around. Some Dao Integration experts had already begun flying outward. "We'll pull back to the outer perimeter as well." Even for several Celestial Venerables, the search would not be quick. The Dao Origin Land was vast, and since their goal this time was an inch-by-inch sweep, it would take a considerable amount of time. Meanwhile, those Dao Integration experts had not actually left either. They wanted to see whether everyone would truly withdraw. Otherwise, it wouldn't feel fair! Naturally, if someone resisted and managed to remain in the Dao Origin Land, some wouldn't mind voicing support. No one wanted to be driven away just like that; the Dao Origin Land was a holy land for cultivation. Even back when the human race held dominion, they had never dared to expel all other races. ... Su Yu and Lan Tian swiftly retreated to the outer perimeter. The immediate vicinity was deserted, though in the distance several Dao Integration experts had gathered together, seemingly waiting to watch the show. None of that concerned Su Yu and Lan Tian. Those few Dao Integration experts were not particularly strong, and Su Yu had no desire to stir up trouble. With a gentle tap on the civilization chronicle, a skeletal figure appeared. The moment the skeleton appeared, he asked in a raspy voice, "Who on earth are you? Since you are humans, why did you capture me?" Su Yu did not bother explaining. Why explain? Revealing his full background might even lead to unnecessary slips. He cut straight to the point: "Cut the nonsense. Do you feel that?" The skeleton froze slightly. Feel what? Soon, the skeleton sensed it. From deep within the inner perimeter came wave upon wave of incredibly formidable auras, six of which swept across heaven and earth with overwhelming might. Within his gaunt, withered eye sockets, a glimmer of surprise appeared in the skeleton's cloudy gaze. "These are... top-tier Quasi-Kings?" "Nowadays, they're called Celestial Venerables!" Su Yu smiled. "Six Celestial Venerables—no, nine Celestial Venerables—have joined forces with multiple Quasi-Kings to purge the Upper Realm and eliminate the remaining human experts! Skeleton, I actually saved you. If we hadn't taken you away, you'd be dead the moment they found you!" "Purge the Upper Realm?" The skeleton trembled, unable to conceal his horror. "My human race... has already lost the Upper Realm?" Lan Tian smiled faintly. "What did you think? I already told you: several thousand years ago, a Human Master emerged who buried the majority of the human experts. Barely any human experts remain!" "Then you two..." "We belong to the new generation of humans. We have nothing to do with the past!" Su Yu cut him off. The skeleton was utterly dazed. Over all these years, what had happened? How could the mighty human race have fallen so low as to lose even the Upper Realm? The skeleton could sense those mighty auras steadily penetrating deeper; soon, the purge would begin. The Dao Origin Land, once the domain of the human race, was now being trampled underfoot by the Celestial Venerables of the myriad races! The skeleton looked in all directions. Some Dao Integration experts had not bothered to conceal their auras. As far as the eye could see, not a single one was human! Back in his day, for every Dao Integration expert among the myriad races, there was nearly one human counterpart. The two sides were evenly matched, and only by uniting could the myriad races rival humanity. Yet now... it seemed the only humans left were the two standing beside him. Su Yu did not care about his thoughts and asked, "Skeleton, as far as you know, are there any other human experts in secluded cultivation in the inner reaches?" "I do not know..." Su Yu chuckled. "Say it or don't. Either way, if they get killed later, it has nothing to do with us! I've seen plenty of stubborn old relics like you, always acting tough and thinking you're peerless under heaven, needing no help from anyone. In that case, I won't bother either. I'll just sit back and watch the show!" The skeleton fell silent. Su Yu did not say more, while Lan Tian said with a smile, "He might truly not know. A guy cultivating a pseudo-Dao, even if he reached the Quasi-King realm... back in that era, cultivating a pseudo-Dao was either to save his life and extend his lifespan, or because he was completely neglected and had no choice but to switch paths..." Cultivating a pseudo-Dao among humans back then meant either clinging to life or having negligible status. However, earlier he had inquired about various human experts and casually mentioned the third-generation Human Master Yue Gang. His status might not have been low, but his lifespan might have been nearing its end. Perhaps his aptitude was mediocre, making further breakthroughs impossible, so he switched Daos in a desperate bid to prolong his life. Yet extending lifespan compared to being in seclusion for seventy thousand years... had something gone awry? Otherwise, if he hadn't died after all these years, he must have had sufficient lifespan back then. Peculiar! The skeleton remained silent. He looked around at the Dao Origin Land, which had changed drastically compared to his era. Through the vicissitudes of time, after seventy thousand years, even the Dao Origin Land had undergone earth-shattering changes. "The Dao Integration experts of the myriad races... are numerous..." he muttered softly. Lan Tian smiled faintly. "Numerous? You must be seeing things! How many are even here? Right now, around here, only a dozen or so Dao Integration experts have shown up. Adding those in the inner perimeter, that's barely over thirty. Is that a lot?" Su Yu also smiled. "It's different. Didn't I mention it earlier? At the peak of the Ninth Tide, the human race plus its allies only had about a hundred Dao Integration experts, and the myriad races were roughly the same. During the Third Tide, neither side likely had that many Dao Integration experts. So thirty-odd might indeed seem like a lot to Brother Skeleton." The skeleton was speechless. After a long while, his raspy voice asked, "Nowadays... are there many Dao Integration experts?" "Of course!" Lan Tian giggled. "Among the myriad races, I'd say there are three hundred! Over at Chaos Mountain, there are probably plenty too—a hundred or so? Plus the Dead Spirit Realm, the Lower Realm, the ancient beasts... putting them all together, I reckon there are five to six hundred! And that's after many have died; otherwise, there'd be six or seven hundred!" The skeleton was shaken. "So many... all belonging to the myriad races?" "Pretty much!" "Then... humanity has not been completely annihilated?" The skeleton was puzzled. Against so many enemies, humanity still had people left, and the two before him were both exceedingly powerful. Lan Tian did not answer that, smiling instead as he asked, "Brother Skeleton, during the Third Tide, were there not many Dao Integration experts on either side?" The skeleton remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Not many. At that time, humanity had around fifty Dao Integration experts. The myriad races had slightly more, about sixty to seventy... roughly a hundred-plus in total." Evidently, over all these years, the number of Dao Integration experts had grown. This was largely due to the increase in pseudo-Dao cultivators, as well as the downfall of humanity, which allowed the myriad races to develop unchecked. Large-scale wars had become rare, and it had been countless years since large numbers of Dao Integration experts had fallen in battle. Among the previous nine tides, the Ninth Tide had been a decisive clash, but the earlier tides also had wars. Even if they weren't cataclysmic showdowns involving hundreds of Dao Integration experts, clashes involving dozens had certainly erupted. "Then that really wasn't many," Lan Tian nodded. If they were dealing with the numbers from the Third Tide, the current human race could actually take on the myriad races and test their mettle. Unfortunately, this was no longer the Third Tide. "You two..." Lan Tian interrupted with a smile: "Stop asking. Countless things have happened over all these years; how could we possibly explain it all in a short time? It would only bring unnecessary distress! If you manage to stay alive, once we find some spare time, we'll tell you slowly!" The skeleton considered this and fell silent. Indeed, according to these two, a full seventy thousand years had passed since his era. Countless events had unfolded during that span, impossible to sum up quickly. The skeleton looked toward the depths. He could see numerous formidable auras spreading out at the end of the Dao Origin Land, beginning their deployment. Just as the white-haired youth beside him had said, they were preparing to purge the Dao Origin Land. After a moment of silence, the skeleton asked, "Did you bring me out because you wanted to ask me something?" Su Yu laughed. "Didn't I already say? What else could I ask you? Just whether you know of any other humans in secluded cultivation in the depths. Did you expect us to ask when the Human Sovereign or King Wen will return?" The skeleton was at a loss for words. He pondered for a moment, as if recalling memories, and only spoke after a long pause: "There might be. Back when I went into seclusion, it was said that someone was cultivating in the depths. But at that time, humanity and the myriad races were evenly matched. Even if either side knew, neither had any intention of investigating too deeply, so as not to provoke an incident." Well, he was basically clueless about everything! Just as Su Yu prepared to put him away, the skeleton grew anxious: "Could you let me watch from outside for a bit longer? If you need to make a move, you can put me back into the weapon space!" He wanted to stay outside a little longer. It had been too long! So long that he had become a complete stranger to this world! Su Yu smiled, not minding. Fine, look all you want. At any rate, he was a pseudo-Dao Heavenly King. Later, they could see if he could recover. If he recovered, so long as he obeyed orders, Su Yu expected nothing else from him. Su Yu turned his gaze back toward the depths. A tiny Heavenly Gate flickered in his eyes, not fully manifested to avoid being detected by those experts inside. He wanted to see if they could flush out any other powerhouses. With March here, it wasn't particularly dangerous. Moreover, he had planted two massive surprises. Once they erupted, there might be a good show to watch. ... In the depths. The six Celestial Venerables split into three groups: March and Celestial Venerable Motian formed one group; Destiny and Celestial Venerable Huang formed the second; Leibao and Celestial Venerable Yue formed the third. The three groups of experts were accompanied by several Dao Integration experts. Over by Motian's group, March looked rather bored as he probed around. Celestial Venerable Motian frowned slightly: "Brother March, do not overlook a single spot. Probe deep underground! Some fellows have sealed themselves away for ages; the slightest oversight might cause us to miss them!" March gave a simple, honest chuckle: "Don't worry! With so many of us searching inch by inch, who could possibly hide?" Motian said no more. Streams of demonic qi penetrated deep into the earth. Whenever they met the slightest resistance, they shattered it directly. On the other two sides, the other Celestial Venerables did the same. Celestial Venerable Huang stomped his foot down, causing the earth to violently quake and crack open, radiating endlessly underground. If any obstruction was encountered, someone would immediately burrow down to investigate. The Dao Origin Land had existed for countless epochs, and everyone had searched it before. If any slumbering powerhouses truly remained, they would only be underground, as no secluded cultivation spaces remained on the surface of the Dao Origin Land today. Not only that, but they also erected tall towers that swept across the ground like searchlights. These were Myriad Law Towers! Similar in function to the Great Ming Prefecture's resonance mirrors, whenever they detected a significant concentration of rule power or origin qi, they could detect and display it. The Myriad Law Towers swept in all directions, missing nothing. This time, the myriad races were entirely serious about sweeping the Upper Realm. Soon, a red light flashed atop one of the Myriad Law Towers. Celestial Venerable Motian arrived in an instant and slammed a palm down against the earth, shouting loudly: "Motian of the Alliance Council! Who lies below?" The ground shattered. In the next moment, an aura grew from weak to strong, gradually manifesting the power of roughly a second-tier Dao Integration expert. In the blink of an eye, an enormous ape flew out, bearing a faint aura of decay. His eyes held shock and confusion. Glancing around, terror gripped his heart! So many powerhouses! Seeing Motian's imposing killing intent, even without understanding the situation, he shouted back hurriedly, "It's me... Marquis Motian, it's me!" Motian looked closely and frowned slightly: "Marquis Douling, you're still alive?" The ape let out a breath of relief. It was good that he was recognized! He said hurriedly, "I was in seclusion... What are you all doing..." "The Alliance Council has been reformed, and the myriad races are gathering at Myriad Races Mountain..." Motian briefly explained the situation, then said in a deep voice, "Follow us for now and continue the sweep. Your Ape race is also at Myriad Races Mountain currently. Having just emerged, you know nothing, so do not lose your composure!" The ape nodded and looked around, unable to hide his astonishment. Why... had the three major races taken control here? And where was the human race? When he entered seclusion over ten thousand years ago, humanity had still been the master of this place. Though bewildered, he did not dare resist. There seemed to be countless powerhouses around here. ... On the outer perimeter. Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Flushed out a second-tier Dao Integration expert! And so quickly. It seems quite a few people really were playing dead." Lan Tian smiled. "It's normal. Over so many years, there are always those who choose slumber when their lives are on the verge of ending." The Dao Origin Land was the most suitable place for slumber. Other places lacked sufficient rule power to replenish them. Saying that, Lan Tian added, "Are we just going to stand here watching? The way these guys are searching inch by inch, by my estimate, scouring the entire Dao Origin Land will take at least five days!" For six Celestial Venerables to take at least five days to search the Dao Origin Land showed just how meticulous they were being. Normally, a sweep would take barely half an hour. Su Yu looked at him and smiled. "Where do you want to go?" Lan Tian chuckled slyly. "Right now, the experts are either here or in the west, and mass migrations are taking place among the various races, creating quite a mess. I want to see if I can slip some clones in." Going to create clones? Su Yu nodded slightly. "Go give it a shot." If Lan Tian could truly infiltrate the various races, that would be a great boon. Lan Tian glanced at the skeleton and smiled: "Then I'll go get busy. Be careful with this fellow. Even though he's human, no one knows his true background. Don't give him too much origin qi to recover." Su Yu nodded. In a flash, Lan Tian's figure vanished from the spot. Seeing how slow the Celestial Venerables were searching and with the races currently migrating, it was the perfect time for him to act. Lan Tian departed. For now, only Su Yu and the skeleton remained here. In truth, Doubao and Chui Bing were also sleeping soundly inside the civilization chronicle. That couple could sleep anywhere, and they always slept soundly. The skeleton glanced in the direction of Lan Tian's departure, then turned to Su Yu, his raspy voice remarking, "His Dao seems rather peculiar." Su Yu smiled. "It's decent." "Your status seems quite high; he always listens to you." The skeleton's cloudy eyes fixed on Su Yu. "Nor have you asked my name. Do you truly not care who I am?" The skeleton was very curious! Under normal circumstances, when excavating an old relic—even if he had slumbered for too long and appeared on the verge of perishing—wouldn't anyone be curious about his identity? Moreover, if he recovered, his strength was nothing to scoff at! Yet neither of the two had asked earlier. Su Yu laughed. "Alright then, what's your name?" "..." The skeleton looked at him, hesitating for a long while before asking, "Could you tell me how humanity is faring right now?" "In the Upper Realm, they're nearly wiped out; in the Lower Realm, there are still plenty." Su Yu smiled. "Why did you cultivate a pseudo-Dao?" "Pseudo-Dao?" The skeleton seemed to grasp his meaning, his voice dry: "A pseudo-Dao? I don't see it that way... I once proposed that everyone cultivate what you call a pseudo-Dao. That way, perhaps... we could summon back the Human Sovereign!" Su Yu raised his brow. "Summon back the Human Sovereign?" "Indeed." The skeleton's voice was hoarse. "Since you know it is a pseudo-Dao, you likely know even more. If everyone were to cultivate this pseudo-Dao of yours, striving to empower this Dao and supplying it with sufficient rule power, perhaps... it could strengthen this Great Dao and allow His Majesty the Human Sovereign to return!" Su Yu fell into thought. If everyone cultivated pseudo-Daos, could the Human Sovereign really return? The Great Dao here had been opened by the Human Sovereign. If they could help the Human Sovereign bridge the Great Dao and continue strengthening it, could the Human Sovereign re-anchor to this Dao? Hard to say! Even Su Yu was unsure of the outcome. It sounded somewhat fanciful, but if truly pursued, it might not be entirely impossible. "You seem to know quite a bit." Su Yu smiled. "Did you know that the River of Time in the Dao Origin Land is actually the Human Sovereign's Great Dao?" The skeleton was shaken, his voice raspy: "You... know that as well?" Su Yu smiled. "To me, the myriad realms hold very few secrets. Besides, so many years have passed; things you considered secrets back then aren't necessarily secrets today!" Intelligence had an expiration date. After so many years, any freshness was long gone, rendering most intelligence essentially useless. Thus, Su Yu never expected these ancient relics to provide him with groundbreaking intel. It wasn't as if there were no surviving ancient marquises, and King Dazhou had been around all along, knowing no less than these fellows. The fact that the skeleton knew the River of Time was the Human Sovereign's Dao surprised Su Yu slightly, but that was all! Su Yu ignored him and continued peering into the depths. The search progress was slow! After searching for a while, the Celestial Venerables hadn't covered much ground. Su Yu observed the routes of the three groups. He had buried two massive bombs, and it seemed that large bird would likely be encountered by March's group. If they kept to their current paths, Celestial Venerable Yue and Leibao would cross paths with that God race powerhouse, while Celestial Venerable Motian and March would encounter the giant bird. Even if a Heavenly King went mad, they might not be able to do much to a Celestial Venerable. Su Yu glanced at the experts operating the Myriad Law Towers. Even if the Celestial Venerables came out unscathed, killing off those lackeys wouldn't be bad either! Every dead one was one less enemy! ... Su Yu chatted no further with the skeleton. One man and one skeleton silently watched the distance. BOOM! Three hours into the search, a massive boom erupted. In the next moment, an enormous golden bird appeared. It was not the pseudo-Dao expert Su Yu had encountered earlier, but a true Dao bird possessing three claws. "A Golden Crow!" Su Yu was surprised. An expert of the Golden Crow race. At that moment, the giant golden bird's aura rapidly expanded, flames erupting from its body as it shouted harshly, "Marquis Yueshi, what are you doing? This is my seclusion ground! What do you think you are doing?" The Golden Crow's aura was formidable and growing stronger by the second, yet it was inwardly alarmed. Why were there suddenly so many powerhouses around? What had happened? Marquis Yueshi was none other than Celestial Venerable Yue. Nowadays, however, few called them by their original titles, replacing them with Celestial Venerable. Celestial Venerable Yue and Leibao both frowned. Yue was somewhat surprised that this fellow was actually still alive! Soon, his brow relaxed, and he laughed heartily: "It turns out to be Marquis Jinhuo! You disappeared for over thirty thousand years; I assumed you fell during the Sixth Tide..." This Marquis Jinhuo was exceedingly powerful. Although not yet at the Celestial Venerable realm, he possessed several of their characteristics—a top-tier powerhouse among Heavenly Kings. The Golden Crow assumed human form, clad in golden robes, and asked with vigilance in a deep voice, "The Dao Origin Land has rules: no one may recklessly pry into concealed domains. My seclusion ground was protected by restrictions; why break them and force me out?" He was quite annoyed. Of course, he did not fly into a rage, because other powerhouses were nearby! Celestial Venerable Yue smiled lightly: "It seems we truly need to forge some will fragments so those newly emerging can grasp the situation, sparing us from explaining every single time!" With that, treating him with far more courtesy than the previous Ape expert, he projected a wave of willpower. A moment later, Marquis Jinhuo grasped the general situation. His gaze flickered repeatedly. The Upper Realm's situation had shifted so drastically? A Chaos race and a Fire Spreader lineage had suddenly appeared? In that case, Marquis Jinhuo said no more, nor did he linger, stating quickly, "Then I shall go to Myriad Races Mountain to see how my Golden Crow race is doing!" With those words, he tore through the sky and departed without pausing. Having been in seclusion for so many years, issues might have arisen in his clan; the Golden Crow race seemed no longer prominent. ... "Marquis Jinhuo." Beside Su Yu, the skeleton glanced at the departing Golden Crow and rasped, "That bird specializes in the Dao of True Fire, capable of incinerating heaven and earth. Back then, he was one of the top experts of the Golden Crow race. How many Quasi-Kings does the Golden Crow race have today?" Su Yu laughed. "With him going out, there's probably just him. If he hadn't, there would be none." "Is that so? The Golden Crow race was very powerful back then... even slightly stronger than the Iron Eater race. Truly, times have changed." He added, "So that was Marquis Yueshi just now! No wonder his aura felt somewhat familiar, though he is far stronger than he was back then. Since Marquis Yueshi is still alive, I wonder if his elder brother, Marquis Rimian, is still around." Su Yu raised a brow. "He had a brother?" "Yes, and he was slightly stronger than Yueshi." Su Yu fell into thought. "Then he might still be alive. Currently, among the three major races, the other two each have two Celestial Venerables, while the God race has only him. Another might indeed be alive; otherwise, the Immortals and Demons wouldn't treat the God race as an equal. The Immortals and Demons probably know." The skeleton said nothing more. Glancing back at the depths, he rasped, "Are you waiting here to rescue any humans?" "No, I'm here to see how many hidden relics the myriad races still possess. My strength is meager; how would I dare attempt a rescue? You saw it yourself: six Celestial Venerables, four Heavenly Kings, twelve Dao Integration experts... Against that kind of might, there's no way I could rescue anyone." Hearing this, the skeleton could only say, "If the opportunity arises, I still hope you might lend a helping hand..." "We'll see!" Su Yu ignored him. The skeleton felt helpless; this youth was impervious to persuasion, and up to now, the skeleton hadn't gleaned much useful information. Right at that moment, Su Yu licked his lips and grinned: "Watch the show, watch the show! They're about to uncover that other big bird!" The Golden Crow had just flown away, but over on March's side, Su Yu saw that they were on the verge of discovering the other giant bird! Excellent! As for March... nothing to worry about. March was shrewd and had been slacking off the entire time. Motian was always the first to investigate, so any trouble would fall on Motian's head. ... At that moment, on Motian's side. A Myriad Law Tower lit up again. Repeating his previous trick, Motian dashed forward and struck down with a palm. The earth cracked open, and an extremely faint aura seeped out. Motian's willpower swiftly probed underground, and soon he saw a giant bird slowly awakening. Seeing this bird, Motian was somewhat surprised, but soon laughed: "The Nine-Winged Celestial Wing race... You are Marquis Guyi!" He recognized this bird! The Nine-Winged Celestial Wing race was near extinction; he hadn't expected Marquis Guyi to still be alive. Below, Marquis Guyi opened his massive eyes, still somewhat groggy. Looking upward in bewilderment, he soon regained clarity: "It is Brother Motian..." The giant bird spoke slowly. Under normal circumstances, unless locked in a life-and-death struggle, experts of the myriad races would not recklessly fight upon meeting. At this moment, the giant bird also sensed surges of auras rising above. Hesitating slightly, the bird slowly flew upward, beginning to connect to the power of his Great Dao, asking with some confusion, "Brother, why did you breach my seclusion ground?" "Marquis Guyi, you are unaware. Currently..." Motian briefly recounted the situation, and Marquis Guyi understood. So that was it! At that instant, the power of his Great Dao connected completely. And in that very instant, a frenzied will surged into his mind! "Slaughter!" "Kill them all!" "Kill, kill, kill!" The sinister trap Su Yu had planted in his Dao erupted in full force! The moment he linked with his Dao, Marquis Guyi's cloudy eyes turned blood-red, burning with manic madness. When he looked at Motian, it was as if he were staring at his father's murderer! Motian caught his gaze and froze for a fraction of a second. What was going on? The next instant, a terrifying killing intent erupted. BOOM! Colossal wings sliced through the void, slashing directly toward Motian! Motian rapidly backed away, shouting angrily, "Guyi, have you lost your mind?!" Marquis Guyi had actually attacked him! Was he crazy? In the distance, March, who was just about to arrive, halted abruptly, thoroughly confused. What was this? Whatever! No matter what it was, he'd watch first. Marquis Guyi, utterly berserk, charged forward. His formidable aura boiled over with heaven-scorching wrath as he let out a shrill, frenzied roar: "DIE!" BOOM! Motian instantly clashed with him, roaring in rage, "You court death!" This bastard was out of his mind! I didn't even move against you, yet you dare strike first? Do you wish to die? Did you really think I wouldn't dare kill you? He thrust another palm forward, suppressing heaven and earth. A colossal phantom of a demon god materialized and crashed onto the giant bird's back. How could the newly awakened Marquis Guyi match him? Motian was furious as well, shouting, "What madness has seized you? Did your cultivation drive you into qi deviation?!" He suspected Guyi had been in seclusion for so long that he had suffered qi deviation. However, Guyi's violent thrashing made it somewhat taxing. Motian hadn't intended to kill him outright, wishing to subdue him first. "March..." he called out. If March lent a hand, subduing him would be much easier. Guyi seemed truly gripped by qi deviation; Motian saw his blood-red eyes. A side-effect of cultivating a pseudo-Dao? Pseudo-Daos really were plagued with flaws. At this moment, several nearby experts rushed over. One Heavenly King shouted, "Venerable, we will help suppress him..." Motian nodded slightly. That bastard March was slacking off again! In the distance, Celestial Venerable Yue and the others looked over, though none moved to assist. With so many people, dealing with a newly awakened Quasi-King was hardly an issue. ... Meanwhile. A smile on his face, Su Yu muttered, "Boom! Blow them to pieces!" The skeleton whipped his head toward Su Yu. Right now, Su Yu's smile looked positively sinister. An uneasy feeling crept into his heart. Right at that moment, deep within, the eyes of the mad, suppressed Marquis Guyi burned with an ultimate crimson gleam. "You forced my hand!" "Die, all of you!" BOOM! Accompanied by that furious bellow, an enormous shockwave tore across heaven and earth as the giant bird blew itself to pieces! In the sky, a magnificent firework blossomed. A Heavenly King had detonated himself without hesitation. Even if it was a pseudo-Dao in Su Yu's eyes, to everyone else, that was still a genuine Heavenly King! RUMBLE! The terrifying blast sent Celestial Venerable Motian flying backward for tens of thousands of meters, coughing up blood continuously, his expression blank with shock. He self-detonated? He truly had gone completely mad! In the next second, Motian's expression warped. Under the sheer force of the self-detonation, one Heavenly King had his physical body blasted apart, though he had not yet perished; however, the two Dao Integration experts behind him were blown to smithereens by the detonation of a Heavenly King! Even their seas of will were obliterated! Rumble! Two more bursts of rule power detonated! In an instant, two Dao Integration experts had died. One Heavenly King was heavily wounded! "Bastard!" Motian raged! He whipped his head toward March in the distance. Seeing Motian glare at him, March wore an innocent, bewildered expression and said, "I didn't expect him to self-detonate..." Don't look at me! How was I supposed to know he would blow himself up? Did you know? Motian choked on his breath, nearly coughing blood from sheer anger! Yes, I didn't expect it either! Weren't we talking normally? Damn it! Why did he blow himself up? In the distance, Celestial Venerable Yue and the others were also shaken. "What happened?" "Why did Marquis Guyi self-detonate?" A Heavenly King was dead, along with two Dao Integration experts... How could he suddenly blow himself up out of nowhere? "He suffered qi deviation from his cultivation!" Motian ground his teeth! For now, he didn't suspect anything deeper, merely feeling cursed with rotten luck. To run into something like this! Pseudo-Daos truly had countless flaws; under normal circumstances, such violent qi deviation was exceedingly rare! ... On his end, Su Yu wore a face full of regret. Damn it! He only heavily wounded one Heavenly King and killed two Dao Integration experts... What a shame. Why didn't it blow that Heavenly King to death? Beside him, the skeleton's gaze shifted slightly. It was him! He looked at Su Yu. It was definitely this youth's doing! How on earth had he accomplished this? What a ruthless fellow!