Isn't Cooperation Good?

Three streaks of light tore through the void. Ahead, Liu Yi moved with astonishing speed, crossing over a thousand li with every flap of his six wings. Behind him, Heavenly Venerable Yue was incensed. He roared furiously, "Liu Yi, why?" He could not understand! Liu Yi had slumbered for countless years and could not possibly bear a grudge against the God race. Why would he slaughter his own people for no reason at all? Pseudo-Dao! A faint intuition stirred in his heart that this was related to the pseudo-Dao. Perhaps something had gone wrong with Liu Yi's Dao. Lately, issues had repeatedly plagued the pseudo-Daos, already leaving Heavenly Venerable Yue uneasy. Pursuing Liu Yi now was also to uncover the truth, for Liu Yi was not the only one cultivating a pseudo-Dao. Across the myriad races, nearly a third of all experts likely cultivated pseudo-Daos. What had happened to Liu Yi? Marquis Guyi had self-detonated, but Liu Yi was still alive. Capturing Liu Yi might reveal what was truly going on... As Heavenly Venerable Yue gave chase, he shouted, "Liu Yi, halt! I will not kill you! I know you have your difficulties, and something may have gone awry with the Dao you cultivate. As long as you cooperate, we will save you!" He could barely hold back a curse! Liu Yi was simply too fast! The fellow was originally a quasi-king, essentially in the same realm as himself. Combined with Liu Yi's innate mastery of speed, Heavenly Venerable Yue faintly felt as though he could not keep up. Up ahead, Liu Yi's eyes burned blood-red. A sinister sneer twisted his face. Retaining a shred of sanity, he was remarkably still able to speak, his voice venomous. "Not kill me? Who do you think you are! Yueshi, back then, you were nothing more than a dog before me. Even your elder brother Rimian had no right to order me about! Now, after all I have sacrificed for the God race, you dare say you won't kill me? Do you even have the right?" Heavenly Venerable Yue fumed with rage. What on earth was wrong with this fellow? Farther behind, Heavenly Venerable Mo closed in rapidly, his voice booming forward: "Heavenly Venerable Yue, capture him first! His Great Dao may have truly run into an issue. Perhaps all the Daos in the Dao Origin Land have problems!" This was grave indeed! If this matter was not resolved, countless experts across the myriad races would live in terror. In fact, this could not be leaked at all, or it would inevitably incite turmoil! What Heavenly Venerable Mo and the others feared even more was what would happen if these pseudo-Dao experts suddenly turned traitor at a critical moment. That was far more disastrous than the deaths of a few Dao Integration experts! If the news leaked, widespread panic would surely follow. No matter what, Liu Yi had to be captured. Moreover... they were wondering whether the pseudo-Daos could be controlled by someone. If they could be manipulated... every race had pseudo-Dao experts. If someone could command them, then... that was an even more terrifying prospect. With these thoughts in mind, Heavenly Venerable Mo accelerated his pursuit! He still carried injuries from Marquis Guyi's self-detonation, but he paid them no mind now. If he did not capture Liu Yi and get to the bottom of this, he would never have peace of mind. ... Farther back. Su Yu was filled with emotion. Truly fast! Every one of those figures moved a notch faster than he did. Terrifying beings. That fellow from the Six-Winged God race was also astonishingly swift; encountering him alone would indeed be difficult to handle. In all martial arts, only speed was unbreakable. Once speed reached that level, one held the advantage in any battle. "Two Heavenly Venerables... seems impossible to take on." Against one, Liu Yi's self-detonation might have inflicted severe wounds, giving him and Lan Tian a chance to finish the job. But against two... forget it. Even if those two caught Liu Yi, self-detonating would be useless! Although he felt there was no opportunity to kill anyone, Su Yu still swiftly followed along. Ahead, they encountered a migrating group led by only a weak Dao Integration expert. Sensing the surging auras sweeping through, the leader was terrified and was about to lead his people to flee. Liu Yi's eyes flashed with madness; in a blur of motion, a massive head tumbled down! Before the Dao Integration expert could even leave, Liu Yi's wings cleanly severed his head. "Liu Yi!" Heavenly Venerable Yue roared in fury. In the next breath, he hollered, "Liu Yi has rebelled! All parties, beware of Liu Yi!" He had to speak up! Otherwise, if Liu Yi continued killing like this, the God race would take the blame. The three powerhouses flashed past and vanished in an instant. Behind them, the tens of thousands of experts from other races trembled in fear. The Dao Integration expert whose head had been severed was scared out of his wits. Suddenly, he revived once more. Those who achieved Dao Integration through the three-body art were relatively weak, but their greatest advantage was having three lives to preserve their existence! Though he had been slain once, he could still revive! He was thoroughly terrified! Just now, Liu Yi had been too fast; he had not even had time to flee, let alone escape. Though losing one incarnation diminished his strength significantly, at least his life was preserved. Just as he was thinking this, his expression changed drastically, and his vision went pitch-black! In the next instant, a massive seal smashed squarely onto his head. His second incarnation was blown to bits! The civilization chronicle blotted out the sky. On the ground, the tens of thousands of cultivators were swallowed by it in an instant. Su Yu's civilization chronicle was extraordinarily powerful now, bolstered by a third-class Demon race Dao Integration expert stationed within; it was not something these beings could contest. Taking in tens of thousands of living beings at once, those below the Eternal realm perished immediately upon falling into the civilization chronicle, melting into essence blood to be absorbed by it. As for the Dao Integration expert, the moment his third incarnation revived, Su Yu struck him with a pen, shattering his physical body in the blink of an eye. With two of his three bodies crippled, his strength was merely comparable to a top-tier Eternal. Against a Heavenly King-level powerhouse like Su Yu, how could he resist? His physical body was crushed and devoured by the civilization chronicle, leaving only his sea of will, which Su Yu suppressed and sealed into the chronicle. With a casual wave of his hand, Su Yu wiped away all traces of his presence, chuckled, and vanished into thin air. Not bad at all! Let them fight up front while I pick up bargains in the back and pin the blame on them to boot. Whether the myriad races believed it or how many flaws were found in the story was not Su Yu's concern. Let Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others try to prove it wasn't their doing first. ... The chase continued. Su Yu fell farther and farther behind. The two sides seemed to have faintly begun clashing, as Su Yu could already sense waves of turbulence. Right then, a figure suddenly emerged beneath Su Yu's feet, instantly transforming into a bamboo ring that coiled around his wrist and spoke: "I can already sense their auras. They aren't far from the Phoenix race!" Lan Tian asked in bewilderment, "Is it that God race fellow they discovered first?" "Him!" Su Yu nodded. Lan Tian was surprised. "He actually has some skill. I thought he self-detonated, but he actually managed to run. What happened? Didn't the influence take hold of him?" "His willpower is strong. It only interfered with his normal judgment; he still retained a shred of reason." "Are we going to kill the Heavenly Venerables?" Lan Tian quickly asked. "It's too difficult. I sense two Heavenly Venerable experts. Unless we summon Tian Sheng and all the others back, it will be... nearly impossible!" Practically hopeless! "No rush, let's see how things develop first!" Su Yu was in no hurry. He would wait until they clashed up ahead to assess the situation. If the right opportunity presented itself, he would strike. ... Boom! Near a towering mountain, Heavenly Venerable Yue unleashed his power and finally intercepted Liu Yi. At this moment, Liu Yi's eyes brimmed with madness, laced with faint streaks of bloody aura. Flapping his six wings, he tore through the void and lunged recklessly toward Heavenly Venerable Yue! Heavenly Venerable Yue was immensely powerful. He struck out with a palm, sending sparks cascading through the void as it collided with Liu Yi's wings. Behind him, Heavenly Venerable Mo arrived swiftly. Covering the sky with one hand, Heavenly Venerable Mo reached out to seize Liu Yi. Facing two Heavenly Venerables joining forces, how could Liu Yi resist? Seeing Liu Yi's eyes turn blood-red with signs of self-detonating, the two of them pulled back almost simultaneously. Heavenly Venerable Yue's expression instantly melted into a warm, holy smile: "Liu Yi, do not self-detonate! I came to save you, not to kill you!" Heavenly Venerable Mo's expression shifted slightly as he glanced at Heavenly Venerable Yue. Everything went without saying! Both wanted to capture Liu Yi alive! They wanted to uncover why Liu Yi had turned out like this. Where had that suicidal, frenzied will come from? Liu Yi's gaze flickered. Looking at Heavenly Venerable Yue, he felt a strange sense of closeness, but in the next instant, the color of madness once again engulfed his mind. The more rule power he absorbed, the more deranged he became! "Die!" Liu Yi instantly broke free from Heavenly Venerable Yue's suppression and charged at him. Yet before Heavenly Venerable Yue could strike, Liu Yi abruptly turned and bolted, vanishing again in the blink of an eye. Heavenly Venerable Yue cursed under his breath and transmitted his voice: "Heavenly Venerable Mo, this is an internal matter of my God race. There is no need for you to interfere; I will handle it myself." "How could I agree to that!" How could Heavenly Venerable Mo possibly agree? Right now, Liu Yi was not merely a rebellious quasi-king; he might harbor the secrets of the Daos within the Dao Origin Land! The two exchanged a glance, and Heavenly Venerable Yue cursed internally. Bastard! Without further words, the two resumed their pursuit. ... Shortly after they departed, Su Yu arrived, frowning slightly. "They stopped Liu Yi, yet he wasn't killed or forced to self-detonate?" Were the two Heavenly Venerables useless? Was killing a Heavenly King really that difficult? One-on-one might be difficult, but two-on-one, how could it be so hard? Lan Tian was also puzzled. His avatar spoke, "They don't seem to want to kill this fellow." Su Yu pondered for a moment. It seemed so! They didn't want to kill him... His eyes flickered, and Su Yu nodded. "They probably really don't want to kill him. But... why?" Thinking carefully, he swiftly kept pace, transmitting his voice to Lan Tian: "Let's observe further. If they catch up again and still don't kill Liu Yi, it means they only want to take him alive. Taking him alive... could it be they want to know whether Liu Yi is being controlled? Whether someone can manipulate pseudo-Dao experts?" Su Yu made a deduction. Though not necessarily entirely correct, he felt it was nine times out of ten on the mark! It was likely just so! With two pseudo-Dao experts turning rogue one after another, these two Heavenly Venerables might truly believe someone was pulling their strings. Now that was interesting! One idea after another surfaced in his mind. In the next moment, a ruthless glint appeared in Su Yu's eyes, and he sped forward. ... Boom! Another thunderous blast erupted as Liu Yi was overtaken once more. This time, neither Heavenly Venerable Yue nor Heavenly Venerable Mo held back lightly; their strikes broke one of Liu Yi's wings. Yet seeing that Liu Yi was about to self-detonate again, Heavenly Venerable Yue felt an urge to murder. Gritting his teeth, he forced out another holy smile: "Liu Yi, return with me. We have no intention of killing you..." "Get lost!" Liu Yi roared, broke through the barrier once more, and fled. Heavenly Venerable Mo also frowned deeply. "This won't work! Whenever he faces a life-or-death crisis, his impulse to self-detonate becomes overwhelmingly intense! Capturing him alive is too difficult. Killing him wouldn't be hard, but the moment death looms, he detonates. This..." He too wanted to curse! Handling Liu Yi with the two of them working together was truly child's play. Either of them alone could suppress or even seal him. Yet they could not prevent him from choosing suicide, which was extraordinarily difficult to stop! And Liu Yi's value alive was far greater than dead. As the two pursued, Heavenly Venerable Mo said darkly, "Has he been controlled by someone? If someone can control a quasi-king and make him ready to self-detonate at any moment, that is simply terrifying! The human heart is unpredictable; in a great war, the greatest fear is cowardice. Yet right now, Liu Yi looks almost like a puppet, yet retains his intellect and combat power!" Heavenly Venerable Yue took a deep breath. "Do not let the Immortal race know!" It could not be concealed from the Demon race now! However, the Immortal race must not learn of this. Otherwise... the Immortal race was naturally adept at manipulating the mind. Once Liu Yi fell into their hands, they might deduce something from him. Heavenly Venerable Mo nodded, though he still frowned. "What do we do now? Killing him is no problem, but capturing him alive..." "Find an opportunity in a moment. You shatter his physical body, and I will instantly suppress his sea of will to see if we can take him alive!" "Fine!" The two reached an agreement and gave chase once more! ... Meanwhile, Su Yu frowned as he continued following. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked, "Lan Tian, do you think there's any hope of killing them?" "None," Lan Tian answered definitively. Su Yu fell silent for a moment before asking again, "Do you think we could make some deals with the myriad races?" Lan Tian froze. What did he mean? A pair of eyes emerged from the bamboo ring, looking at Su Yu. Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you say earlier that our enemy right now is the Chaos race? If I could kill the myriad races' Heavenly Venerables without paying a price, I would naturally be delighted! But if we pay a heavy price to kill their Heavenly Venerables only to hand the advantage to the Prison King lineage, that is not my goal!" "You want to cooperate with them?" Lan Tian said in a low voice, "What do we have to cooperate with them? What capital do we hold to negotiate with them?" Su Yu squinted. "Pseudo-Dao experts! The myriad races have plenty of pseudo-Dao experts—at least a third of them. There are still five or six Heavenly Kings, and dozens, nearly a hundred Dao Integration experts. Do you think the myriad races are willing to discard such a formidable force?" "You mean..." "Marquis Guyi and this Liu Yi gave us the chance to prove ourselves—to prove that we can use this to threaten the myriad races!" "Scheming with tigers!" Lan Tian gave his verdict. Su Yu nodded. It was indeed scheming with tigers, but so what? Nowadays, everything involved taking risks. The myriad races had lost quite a few experts lately. To be frank, Su Yu was genuinely worried they wouldn't be able to contest the Prison King lineage, which would become an even bigger headache. Since the myriad races already knew a third party existed... then let there be one! Su Yu's expression shifted as he gazed into the distance, judging the direction those figures were traveling. Soon, he directly retrieved a spatial portal. He intended to teleport ahead of them! Lan Tian was alarmed. "You want to show yourself in person?" That was too dangerous! There were two Heavenly Venerables ahead! He could already guess some of Su Yu's intentions. Lan Tian quickly urged, "Let me impersonate you..." "Useless. Only I can suppress Liu Yi!" Su Yu's eyes gleamed. "Rest assured, even if those two truly attack, I can escape. You support me from the side, and it's best if we don't expose the spatial passage!" "Alright!" Lan Tian could only support Su Yu's decision, secretly calculating how to swiftly rescue Su Yu if he ran into danger. ... The pursuit continued. Heavenly Venerable Yue grew irritable, as did Heavenly Venerable Mo. They could not kill him, could not block him, and could not capture him. It was infuriating! Heavenly Venerable Mo gritted his teeth. "If it really doesn't work, just kill him!" Heavenly Venerable Yue hesitated, but soon nodded darkly. "If there is truly no other way, kill him. That is better than letting him escape!" Just as they thought this, atop a mountain peak ahead of the fleeing Liu Yi, a silhouette appeared. Which unlucky fellow was staying here? Heavenly Venerable Yue still shouted, "Get out of the way! Ahead is the rogue Liu Yi, run!" It seemed to be a Dao Integration expert! If he was killed by Liu Yi, the God race would have a hard time explaining it. Meanwhile, the fleeing Liu Yi had no eyes for Su Yu, intending to shoot straight past and sever Su Yu with his wings in passing! Yet as Liu Yi spread his wings and flew forward with astonishing speed, Su Yu did not dodge! Behind them, Heavenly Venerable Yue was ready to curse. Fool! Can you block Liu Yi? You deserve to die! Just as the thought crossed his mind, a profoundly holy aura suddenly surged from Su Yu. In the next moment, Su Yu struck out with a palm toward Liu Yi, the Xingyu Seal concealed deep within his palm. A single seal slammed down in suppression! The power of the Great Dao was instantly severed. In the blink of an eye, Liu Yi was cut off from his connection to the Great Dao. His gaze shifted, suddenly gaining clarity. What did I just do? Before he could think further, Su Yu's massive palm pressed down. With a thunderous boom, a single slap pinned Liu Yi into the void, and Su Yu's hand closed tightly, grasping Liu Yi within his palm. Silence! Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable Mo's faces warped drastically. They halted instantly, staring gravely at Su Yu ahead. Who was this? Liu Yi was a quasi-king expert! The two of them joining forces to kill Liu Yi was feasible, but suppressing him instantly... The two seemed to realize something, looks of shock appearing on their faces. Instant suppression of Liu Yi... was impossible, especially considering how Liu Yi's aura had weakened in a flash. There was definitely something unusual going on. Su Yu, wearing a mask, spoke in a low voice and chuckled lightly: "The two Heavenly Venerables have chased so hard. Why don't I hand him over to you?" With that, he tossed Liu Yi outward. In an instant, the power of the Great Dao reconnected. At that moment, Liu Yi went mad again, his eyes turning blood-red, preparing to self-detonate. Heavenly Venerable Mo and Heavenly Venerable Yue retreated instantly, while Su Yu struck down with another palm. The Xingyu Seal suppressed downward once more, grabbing hold of Liu Yi just as he was about to detonate. Stepping forward in the void, Su Yu chuckled, "Do the two Heavenly Venerables not want him?" Heavenly Venerable Yue's expression changed, his gaze turning frigid. "You did this?" By now, they faintly understood! What had happened to Liu Yi was this person's doing! Suppressed once more, Liu Yi regained clarity. He looked at Heavenly Venerable Yue with a trace of sorrow, yet felt utterly helpless, unable to even speak. He was a completely different person from the madman just moments ago! Heavenly Venerable Mo was poised to strike, but Su Yu laughed sinisterly: "Heavenly Venerable Mo, you had best remain where you are. Quite a few among your ranks cultivate pseudo-Daos. Do you no longer care for their lives?" With that, Su Yu chuckled darkly: "Besides... even if you kill me, this is not my true body. Why bother?" At that moment, in the distance, figures identical to Su Yu appeared one after another. All possessed seas of will, physical bodies, and virtually identical auras. Every single Su Yu wore a mask, and all spoke in unison with a smile: "Heavenly Venerables, you could kill one of me, or a hundred... but what about a thousand, or ten thousand?" "..." Heavenly Venerable Mo swept his willpower across them, his expression shifting slightly. They all seemed real, differing only in strength! Which one was the true body? The fellow before them was quite powerful. Was he the true body? Yet far in the distance, there seemed to be a presence with the strength of a quasi-king! They were all Lan Tian! Indeed, among those who appeared now, aside from the first one, all the rest were Lan Tian. Misdirection! Moreover, Lan Tian's avatars were exceptionally skilled at disguise. Even without disguising themselves, they were essentially identical to true bodies, indistinguishable from the original. At this moment, both Heavenly Venerables looked rather grim. They had intended to capture Su Yu, but now they dared not act rashly! Heavenly Venerable Yue said coldly, "Are you of the human race?" "Torchbearer lineage, Zhou Tiandao!" Su Yu chuckled. "Greetings, Heavenly Venerables!" "Torchbearer lineage!" The two showed shock once more. Heavenly Venerable Mo seemed to recall something and snapped, "The attack on Mount Seal last time was your doing?" Su Yu smiled. "Yes, merely to give you a reminder. You are simply too foolish! All these years, you never even discovered the Chaos race! I am thoroughly disappointed! Do you know that the Chaos race possesses dozens of quasi-kings, five or six Heavenly Venerables, and two Dao Sovereigns? I was worried that you would be too stupid and die before anyone could resist them!" "Utter nonsense!" Heavenly Venerable Mo's purple hair flew wildly as he said harshly, "This world can no longer give birth to Dao Sovereigns!" Su Yu sneered coldly, "Frogs in a well, ignorant fools! Do you not know the Dao of Chaos? The Dao of Chaos does not belong to the myriad Daos! Back then, the Human Sovereign sealed the myriad Daos, preventing the myriad races from mastering the power of rules, but he could not seal the Dao of Chaos! You foolish beings, my Torchbearer lineage inherits directly from His Majesty the Human Sovereign. Could we possibly know less than you?" The two paled. Dao Sovereigns! Was it believable? Hard to say! Yet Heavenly Venerable Yue did not dwell on this. He said coldly, "You were hidden so well. Why reveal yourself now? Were Marquis Guyi and Liu Yi both your doing?" Su Yu said faintly, "Enough, don't bother contacting others. There is no need! Since I dared show myself, I am not afraid of being captured by you. What use is seizing a mere avatar of mine?" Heavenly Venerable Yue frowned. "Fellow Daoist misunderstands!" Su Yu laughed. "Whether it's a misunderstanding, you know best!" "Then what does Fellow Daoist want to accomplish this time?" Both of them urgently wanted to know the truth. And the fellow before them might reveal something. Sure enough, Su Yu chuckled faintly: "The Chaos race originates from the Prison King lineage! The Prison King rebelled back then, scheming to make King Wen, the Time Master, and King Wu disappear one after another. Otherwise, would the myriad races have dared to rebel? The Prison King lineage is the greatest sinner of the human race!" With that, Su Yu said chillingly, "Furthermore, Mo Tian, I do not know whether you are truly ignorant or feigning ignorance, but the Prison King lineage today is actually of mixed human and demon bloodline—part Demon race, part human race!" Heavenly Venerable Yue was startled! Heavenly Venerable Mo's expression also changed violently, and he gritted his teeth. "Utter nonsense!" He could not admit to this! Su Yu laughed softly. "Utter nonsense?" He chuckled, and suddenly plucked someone from the void. King Miecan looked pale. Su Yu said faintly, "This person is a Chaos clansman we spent considerable effort capturing! Of course, previously there was Ziyan; they are all of the same lineage..." With that, he plunged a hand into King Miecan's chest, tore out a chunk of flesh and blood, and tossed it toward the two, his tone cold: "Whether it is the Prison King's bloodline, judge for yourselves!" "Whether this bloodline is real or fake, fabricated or genuine, judge for yourselves!" "According to my lineage's investigations, it is the descendant bloodline of the Prison King and Demon Emperor Yanhuo!" Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable Mo both caught the flesh and swiftly probed deep within. Soon, strange expressions appeared on their faces. Heavenly Venerable Yue was deeply shaken! The Chaos race possessed not only the Prison King's bloodline, but also the Demon race's bloodline! This... this was terrifying! This bloodline power was not fake, nor was it crudely patched together. As Heavenly Venerable-level experts, they would not lack even this much discernment—it was perfectly blended! To fake this, unless someone had mixed the bloodlines of the Prison King and Demon Emperor Yanhuo long ago, with both eliminating the repulsive forces simultaneously, it would be impossible! Heavenly Venerable Yue's heart trembled! At this moment, he felt both shock and fear. Heavenly Venerable Mo gritted his teeth. "Are you driving a wedge between us?" Su Yu laughed lightly. "No, I trust the Demon race! For no other reason than that the Prison King lineage refuses to acknowledge even the human race, let alone the Demon race. Bloodline is just bloodline; it doesn't represent anything! I have no intention of sowing discord; that is childish and boring. Of course, if Heavenly Venerable Mo believes the Chaos race will treat you as one of their own... you can take the Demon race and try joining them. See whether they are the masters, or you are!" Su Yu added faintly, "Could your Demon race possibly intend to seize power from them? Do you think the Prison King lineage would allow that?" Heavenly Venerable Mo frowned slightly. Heavenly Venerable Yue asked coldly, "What exactly do you mean?" "Don't move!" Su Yu knitted his brows. "I said, capturing my avatar will achieve nothing. Of course, this quasi-king avatar of mine is extremely precious, and I don't want to lose it for no reason!" Heavenly Venerable Yue's heart shuddered slightly. The hand he had clenched gradually relaxed. "Fellow Daoist, do not misunderstand!" Su Yu smiled. "No misunderstanding! My appearance today is merely to remind you that your so-called Myriad Races Alliance... is far too fragile!" "Just like this Liu Yi and that Marquis Guyi, they were easily toyed with in the palm of my hand!" Su Yu laughed somewhat arrogantly. "Not just them—the raid on Mount Seal last time, killing those quasi-kings, was the same! As the inheritors of the Human Sovereign, my lineage naturally holds the power to counter them!" Heavenly Venerable Yue furrowed his brows. "You mean, all who inherit from the Human Sovereign can counter them?" "Naturally!" Su Yu laughed. "Within the Torchbearer lineage, only we truly count as the orthodox line of the Human Sovereign. Bing Ku, Dan Yu, and the others refused to listen to the lineage master back then, rashly stepping forth to aid Baizhan in battle... how utterly foolish!" "Their deaths brought great grief to the lineage master. But they are dead, and further words are pointless!" Heavenly Venerable Mo was still pondering the matter of the Chaos lineage. Seeing them mention this, he said gravely, "So last time, and this time as well, you were behind it all?" Su Yu smiled. "Yes and no. The incident with the Nether race was not done by us, but by those fellows trying to draw us out! Likewise, everything we did was to draw them out! The myriad races serve to balance us in all this! You are strong; though foolish, your strength is not weak!" "All these years of fighting, including your battles against Baizhan and his men, were merely part of the Chaos race's plan!" Su Yu said gravely, "Our Torchbearer lineage cannot restrain them, nor can we match them. That is why we took the risk of killing a few people to warn you that they are about to emerge! Freeing Baizhan was merely to put some pressure on them. That Yueluo played Baizhan like a fiddle; just one Yueluo is enough to give you a headache!" The expressions of the two grew increasingly grim. Heavenly Venerable Yue looked at the captured Liu Yi, then at King Miecan, whom Su Yu had stowed away. Taking a deep breath, he spoke: "You reveal yourself now because you want to cooperate with us?" Su Yu laughed. "Speaking with intelligent people is so effortless!" Heavenly Venerable Yue sneered, "Cooperate? Do you have the capital? Where are the experts of your lineage? If you want to cooperate, come out and talk! Or do you merely wish to use us as pawns?" "Are you not?" Su Yu laughed. "After all these years, do you truly believe you haven't been pawns? To be honest, you are merely chess pieces in our game against the Chaos race! Our piece was the human race, and the Prison King lineage's pieces were you... Unfortunately, we were one move short. We lost, and Baizhan ruined everything we built!" These words were too difficult to swallow! Both Heavenly Venerables looked exceedingly grim. Chess pieces! According to this person, in the hundred thousand years of struggle, they and the human race had merely been pawns, while only the Torchbearer lineage and the Chaos race were the chess players of this era! Yet from what they could see, perhaps it was all true! If so... the hundred thousand years of war had been nothing but a joke! Su Yu looked at them with pity. "You know far, far too little! You know nothing of us, nothing of the Chaos race, and nothing of the Dao Origin Land being a backup plan left behind by the Human Sovereign, where all pseudo-Dao cultivators are within our grasp! Knowing nothing, you dared let your people cultivate pseudo-Daos! Do you know why the human race never allowed anyone to cultivate pseudo-Daos? Because in every generation, our Torchbearers warned them never to cultivate them!" Su Yu laughed faintly. "You know too little! Like children, utterly clueless! You didn't even know the Chaos race could produce Dao Sovereigns! Nor did you know that in these myriad realms, there are far more than just one or two Dao Sovereigns! Even in the Lower Realm, there are quite a few!" The pupils of both figures constricted. Heavenly Venerable Yue said harshly, "Nonsense!" Su Yu laughed. "Truly foolish! Did you think you could win? Laughable ants! In the Lower Realm, the Martial Emperor is still alive! Perhaps you don't even know who the Martial Emperor is, but he was suppressed! And he... can be considered on the side of the Chaos race!" Su Yu added faintly, "Did you not even know that? In the Dead Spirit Realm, several Dao Sovereigns are suppressed. Could it be you don't know that either? From start to finish, this has always been a war belonging to the human race. The myriad races... as I said, are merely chess pieces!" These words were unacceptable to the two Heavenly Venerables! Heavenly Venerable Mo's purple hair whipped around as he barked coldly, "Pawns? All of this is merely your one-sided claim! What right do you have to manipulate the myriad races? Who do you think you are!" They could not accept such a conclusion! It was too humiliating! His mighty aura pushed Su Yu backward, yet Su Yu's smile remained unbroken, his laughter unwavering. "Don't be angry. As a Heavenly Venerable, do you lack even this bit of patience?" Su Yu chuckled. "Pawns can turn the tables too! In these myriad realms today, who isn't a pawn? We are all pawns of the Human Sovereign, the Prison King, the Immortal Emperor, and the like! You didn't truly believe they were dead, did you?" Su Yu chuckled. "If so, I can only say... you are far too naive!" Heavenly Venerable Yue frowned. "They aren't dead?" Su Yu laughed. "You... you truly thought they were dead?" He chuckled helplessly. "Good heavens, you actually believed they were dead all along! Are you joking? Of course they aren't dead! How could they possibly die! They are deep within the River of Time, still fighting to this day! Very few Dao Sovereigns have truly died!" This series of explosive revelations struck their minds like thunderbolts. Was what this Torchbearer said true or false? The Human Sovereign and the others were not dead! The myriad realms still held multiple Dao Sovereigns! The Daos in the Dao Origin Land were controlled by the Human Sovereign lineage! Each piece of news detonated repeatedly in their minds, leaving them dizzy and overwhelmed! If everything this person said was true, then... what had all these years of fighting, all these years of bloodshed, been for? Everything had been under someone else's control! As if knowing what they were thinking, Su Yu smiled. "The fighting was meaningful, of course! Right now, the powerhouses on both sides—or rather, three sides—are fighting: one side is the human race, one side is the myriad races, and one side is the Prison King. The Prison King... can perhaps be seen as the spokesperson for the ancient chaos beasts!" Su Yu said softly, "He betrayed the human race, yet refused to associate with the myriad races, establishing his own lineage. He joined forces with the powerhouses among the ancient chaos beasts, opened the Gates of Hell, and framed King Wen and the others..." Su Yu sighed with emotion. "The Prison King is our common enemy! Of course, there is no friendship between humans and the myriad races either; we are merely using one another!" Saying this, Su Yu smiled. "My coming here today is merely to remind you that the Chaos race is far more difficult to deal with than you imagine! Even if you defeat the Chaos race, there are ancient beasts behind them—many of them, with no lack of Dao Sovereigns!" "Now, only by joining hands is there a sliver of hope! Otherwise, only death awaits us all!" Heavenly Venerable Yue digested this information, suppressed his agitation, and said calmly, "Cooperate and join hands? We have fought for so many years; how can we cooperate? How can we join hands? How can we trust each other?" Su Yu chuckled. "I didn't say we should merge our forces. You do your thing, and I'll do mine. It's just that... you and I can engage in some appropriate cooperation, with our target being the Chaos race, minimizing our mutual attrition! To be frank, when nine of your quasi-kings were killed last time... even my heart ached. With so many dead, the Chaos race must be laughing their heads off!" The moment these words fell, both of their auras surged, brimming with murderous intent! Heavenly Venerable Mo barked coldly, "Do not think we won't kill you!" "Go ahead and kill me!" At this moment, the thousands of Su Yus in the surroundings all chuckled: "Go ahead, kill me. Once you do, the cooperation between us ends right here! We, after all, are in the shadows. When the Chaos race acts, they will target you first! If you truly believe you can hold them off... feel free to try! Or, if you don't wish to cooperate now, that's fine too. I will wait until you suffer a massive loss before you come looking for us!" Su Yu chuckled faintly: "Trust me, if you charge into Mount Chaos, you will definitely suffer! Without suffering a devastating loss, you won't know how strong they truly are—strong beyond your imagination!" Heavenly Venerable Yue raised a hand to stop the enraged Heavenly Venerable Mo, his voice low: "Then the cooperation you speak of... is merely non-interference with each other?" "No, no, no!" Su Yu smiled. "As the first step of our cooperation, we can make some trades." "Trades?" Su Yu smiled. "Indeed, trades! The first step is that as you sweep across the Dao Origin Land and the Upper Realm, I can refrain from causing trouble, and can even assist you. However, any human experts you capture must be handed over to me! In exchange, I promise not to touch any of your pseudo-Dao experts!" "Are you joking?" Heavenly Venerable Yue was dumbfounded and laughed in exasperation. "Are you out of your mind? We are sweeping the Upper Realm precisely to exterminate the human race. Yet we are supposed to hand over the humans we capture to you, while all you have to do is leave those pseudo-Dao experts alone?" Su Yu's smile vanished, his expression calm. "Is it funny? Not at all! Your sweep of the Upper Realm is not merely to kill humans, but to consolidate the strength of the myriad races so the three dominant races can establish complete control. As for killing humans... are there truly many living humans left?" Heavenly Venerable Mo's eyes shifted, seemingly communicating with Heavenly Venerable Yue via voice transmission. A moment later, Heavenly Venerable Yue said calmly, "If you want to take the humans... it is not impossible. Hand over the method to undo the control over the pseudo-Dao experts, and we can complete this trade!" Su Yu laughed. "That... is truly impossible! Our control over pseudo-Dao experts is not some trick; it comes from inheriting some of the Human Sovereign's Dao principles. It is not control for control's sake; controlling the pseudo-Daos is merely a byproduct! I can only promise you that before the Chaos race is wiped out, we will not touch them, as doing so would be equivalent to helping the Chaos race! As for afterward... each by their own ability! Of course, during this period, you can have those pseudo-Dao experts find ways to switch Daos... and recultivate their own Great Daos." Su Yu chuckled. "If all else fails, just treat these people as disposable cannon fodder. If they die, so be it. During the great war, have them charge at the front to whittle down the Chaos race's strength. Could I possibly manipulate them to aid the Chaos race?" Su Yu laughed good-naturedly: "Of course, if you are unwilling to reach this agreement... then I apologize. I can only make these pseudo-Dao experts a thorn in your side, ready to turn on you and strike at any moment!" Both expressions shifted slightly. Words alone carried no weight! Yet the transformations in Marquis Guyi and Liu Yi had unfolded before their very eyes, shocking them to the core! They had witnessed with their own eyes how Liu Yi had turned frenzied, completely indifferent even to self-detonating. Heavenly Venerable Yue suppressed the urge to kill Su Yu. He worried that killing this fellow would be utterly pointless. With these thousands of avatars and the faintly discernible quasi-king aura, which one was his true body? It was impossible to tell! He said in a deep voice, "In other words, we hand over any human experts we find to you, and you can only guarantee that before the Chaos race is destroyed, you will not tamper with the pseudo-Daos?" Su Yu smiled. "Correct. Furthermore, your people must not target us; otherwise... what needs to be done will still be done!" Heavenly Venerable Yue tested the waters: "Then what about the other aspects of cooperation? How will they work?" Su Yu chuckled. "That... is not convenient to tell you! But since we wish to cooperate, I don't mind sharing some information! We have people inside the Chaos lineage! At a critical juncture, they can naturally deal a fatal blow! If not for that, it would have been difficult for us to capture Ziyan and the others!" Su Yu smiled with narrowed eyes. "Gentlemen, I have said all that needs to be said. If you are interested, we can try cooperating once! You can await my news; next, my lineage plans to launch an ambush against them... If you are interested, we can briefly join hands to test the waters. The myriad races have lost so many quasi-kings, and we have lost some as well, while the Chaos lineage has suffered virtually no losses. How about cooperating once to slay a few of their quasi-kings?" The two exchanged a glance. Heavenly Venerable Mo said coldly, "Heavenly Venerable Yue and I cannot make the final decision. What's more, the Immortal race is absent this time, making it even more impossible to decide!" Su Yu laughed. "The Immortal race has many clever people; they will weigh the options! If you agree, you can continue your sweep, flush out a few human experts, and hand them to me as a pledge of alliance... If you are unwilling, then forget it!" "Handing them to you for just a simple promise?" Heavenly Venerable Yue said coldly, "Isn't that demanding too much!" Su Yu smiled. "Fair point. How about this: when you hand human experts over to us, I will gift you some array talismans that allow entry into Mount Chaos without being rejected by the ancient beasts! Otherwise, once you enter Mount Chaos, the ancient beasts will be your greatest threat! When the Chaos lineage and our lineage enter Mount Chaos, we are not targeted by the ancient beasts; you, on the other hand... can only fend for yourselves!" Hearing this, the eyes of both lit up! "Are these words true?" Su Yu laughed. "Naturally. Only our lineage and the Chaos lineage know this Heaven-Forbidding Grand Array! You all saw the sealed auras earlier; we know it, and they know it, but only you... do not! As such, if you enter Mount Chaos, you cannot linger for long. The ancient beasts in the depths even include Heavenly Venerables and Dao Sovereigns!" This time, the two truly showed shock. Array talismans, plus a promise not to tamper with the pseudo-Dao experts—these were the commitments offered by the Torchbearer lineage. And the demand was simple: exchange them for human experts. Heavenly Venerable Mo said gravely, "What if we don't find any human experts?" Su Yu chuckled. "If you truly can't find any, so be it. Of course, if you kill them, I will know. You don't truly believe there are no pawns belonging to us and the Chaos race among you, do you? To say nothing else, San Yue is on good terms with my human race; you know this yourselves! Lei Bao is the same. Did you not know that Baizhan actually had a marriage alliance with the Giant race? Could you truly not know? As for Tianming, that fence-sitter, chatting with him casually is enough; he wouldn't mind selling some information to us. And as for the others... I won't say more!" Su Yu chuckled good-naturedly: "Including those pseudo-Dao experts—learning information is far too easy for me!" "Gentlemen, since I dared make this demand, I naturally have the certainty to back it up!" "You had better keep this confidential as well. It is best if this cooperation is known only to a few Heavenly Venerables. Do not spread it around everywhere; if even Dao Integration experts learn of it, the Chaos lineage will likely know as well!" Awkward! Uncomfortable! Such were the feelings of Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable Mo. Everything seemed to fall within someone else's calculations; beside them, other people's eyes seemed to constantly watch their every move. Now, their enemy was actually reminding them to maintain secrecy! It was utterly maddening! "Then how do we contact you..." Su Yu smiled. "Simple. I have countless avatars. Whenever you want to find me, just shout 'insolent rogue' in a crowded place, and my avatar will naturally approach you!" What kind of arrangement was that? The expressions of the two turned even uglier! Did this mean their every move was truly under this person's surveillance? Just find a crowded place and shout? They wanted to disbelieve it! Yet... what if it was true? Suppressing the fury and killing intent in his chest, Heavenly Venerable Yue looked at Liu Yi and said in a low voice, "Then Liu Yi—can you release him?" Su Yu chuckled. "Naturally, a minor matter. Liu Yi might be a fierce warrior for us to use against the Chaos race moving forward. He is very fast, and I rather like him; why would I let him die?" Saying that, Su Yu smiled. "However, I need to restore his sanity, lest he try to self-detonate at every turn!" With that, Su Yu tapped out a finger. The power of the Great Dao spread forth, swiftly coming into contact with Liu Yi's Great Dao power. Su Yu rapidly extracted the chaotic will within it. A moment later, with a casual toss, he threw Liu Yi toward Heavenly Venerable Yue. Heavenly Venerable Yue took a quick step back. Yet Liu Yi did not go mad this time; he attempted to connect to his Great Dao, and his Heavenly King aura was promptly restored. However, Liu Yi felt utterly despondent. Turning his head toward Su Yu, he gritted his teeth: "Am I... doomed to be controlled by you for the rest of my life?" Su Yu smiled. "You can switch Daos—switch to a true Great Dao. I'm not stopping you! But right now, we need combat power, so you had best consider carefully! Did I force you to cultivate a pseudo-Dao? Liu Yi, I won't kill you; killing you is meaningless! I merely want the Heavenly Venerables to understand that I... can take control of you at any time!" Heavenly Venerable Yue was also secretly alarmed. This fellow had undone Liu Yi's control just like that, after having effortlessly seized control of him earlier. Liu Yi was, after all, a formidable quasi-king, yet he had released him without a second thought! Su Yu chuckled lightly. "If you gentlemen have no further business, then I shall take my leave!" With that, he smiled. "If you aren't going to kill me, then I'm leaving?" Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable Mo were eager to act, yet they were unsure whether they should strike to take him down. Looking at the surrounding avatars, both frowned. At that moment, Su Yu snapped his fingers lightly. In the next instant, a figure manifested, instantly transforming into a portal. Marquis Tongtian's voice rang out with a chuckle: "Deputy Lineage Master, where would you like to go? Tongtian is at your service!" "Anywhere!" "Understood!" With a hum, Su Yu vanished on the spot. In the surroundings, the multitude of avatars vanished instantaneously. Far away, Lan Tian's true body, possessing the strength of a quasi-king, also vanished into thin air. Heavenly Venerable Mo wanted to give chase, but Heavenly Venerable Yue raised a hand to stop him, gritting his teeth: "What are you chasing? It's just an avatar; what good does catching it do? Marquis Tongtian! That fellow... is actually here!" This Torchbearer lineage felt extremely dangerous and mysterious to him right now. He felt somewhat frantic. "Heavenly Venerable Mo, tell me... do you think what he said earlier was true or false?" Heavenly Venerable Mo remained silent; it was hard to say. Yet they both knew that none of this was within their control anymore! ... Meanwhile, far in the distance, Su Yu's back was soaked in cold sweat! Scared the living daylights out of me! Lan Tian's avatars had truly come through, leaving those two Heavenly Venerables completely unable to determine whether he was an avatar or not. After the fright passed, a grin quickly spread across Su Yu's face—a somewhat mad grin. Cooperation... isn't it good? Perhaps I can even receive some human powerhouses from the hands of the enemy. That will be interesting. Even knowing they are strengthening the enemy, Heavenly Venerable Mo and the others will probably have to bite the bullet and deliver them right to me!