The Human Race Is Finished

Su Yu naturally had no intention of letting her go. Regardless of whether she could repair or fuse Great Daos, she was a Heavenly King–level being. If Su Yu released her and she became an enemy, what then? Qi Rong, for her part, no longer harbored such hopes. She soon said, "Human Ruler, the reason I previously advised you not to slaughter pseudo-Dao experts was because of this. Pseudo-Daos can be extracted! Whether applied to a true Dao or used for enhancement, they have immense utility!" "Pseudo-Daos can devour true Daos, so naturally, true Daos can devour pseudo-Daos as well!" Su Yu was startled. An idea suddenly struck him, and he nodded. "You mean that if an expert of a true Dao devours a pseudo-Dao expert whose Dao rules are identical, that true Dao expert will also grow stronger?" "Indeed!" Qi Rong said solemnly, "Precisely so! When the Human Sovereign established the Dao Origin Land in the past, I believe it was quite likely for the sake of strengthening his true Dao experts! As for pseudo-Daos, I doubt the Human Sovereign had any interest in controlling a few weaklings... It was to better empower the experts under his command!" It was a base for strengthening Daos! What use was it for the Human Sovereign to control mere weaklings? Qi Rong continued, "Furthermore, as I mentioned before, once more experts cultivate pseudo-Daos, I believe there is also hope of guiding the Human Sovereign back! The Dao in the Dao Origin Land is essentially a road marker, but right now the Human Sovereign cannot find it, or has no way to make his way back. Once this Dao grows powerful enough, the Human Sovereign might be able to traverse straight back." Clearly, Qi Rong had studied these matters thoroughly and deeply. Su Yu rubbed his chin, falling into deep contemplation... Pseudo-Daos could empower true Daos. Su Yu was aware of this. Earlier, he had allowed King Daming and the others to devour some of the little golden dragons he had taken, but he had never had them devour rules-based Daos that were already controlled. Whenever he slew such foes, he had simply broken their pseudo-Daos on the spot. Now, he was pondering: if a pseudo-Dao could allow the weak to swallow the strong, why couldn't a true Dao do the same? "In other words, if I currently have an Eternal under my command who cultivates the Dao of Fire, I could let him devour a Dao Integration expert cultivating a Fire pseudo-Dao, and perhaps my subordinate would step into the Dao Integration realm?" Su Yu asked. Qi Rong considered it and replied, "If the gap between them is too wide, the efficiency of devouring will not be high, and Dao power will easily bleed away! But if the difference in strength is small, the devouring effect should be optimal!" "If a true Dao Integration expert devours a pseudo-Dao Integration expert, they might fully absorb the opponent's Dao power without any waste. Moreover, doing so actually broadens the original Dao, giving it even greater potential!" Her words tied back to what King Dazhou had mentioned earlier about fusing Daos of the same nature. Understanding gradually dawned on Su Yu. "You are right. Those pseudo-Dao experts really shouldn't have been killed. That means... I've already killed quite a few pseudo-Dao Heavenly Kings..." Su Yu's heart suddenly twinged with agony. "It feels like I've suffered immense losses! How many pseudo-Dao Heavenly Kings have I killed from start to finish? If my people had devoured them, wouldn't they all have become Heavenly Kings? Even if that fell short, becoming top-tier Dao Integrations would have been well within reach!" The loss was simply too devastating! Those pseudo-Dao experts were essentially just like Marquis Longxue in the Dead Spirit Realm—pawns meant to be used as tools. Yet to his dismay... he had wiped them all out! Su Yu's eyes flickered. "Take Liu Yi, for example. He likely cultivates speed-attribute Dao power. Speed... Little King Zhou's Dao of Time is actually a type of speed Dao—the ultimate Dao of speed! Could he devour him?" Even if that was a stretch, there would always be an expert matching that type. Su Yu rapidly calculated before asking again, "Consort Qi, what Dao do you cultivate?" The skeletal sockets of Consort Qi's eyes shifted in hue. Only after a good while did she say, "Human Ruler..." Su Yu smiled. "Do not misunderstand, Consort Qi. I merely ask so I can make proper arrangements. Perhaps I can even find a true Dao expert for the consort to devour." Consort Qi was momentarily speechless. She was unsure whether she should speak, yet some things simply could not be hidden. After a long pause, Consort Qi said in a deep voice, "I cultivate the Dao of Petrification, which is akin to confinement. However, its form of confinement differs: it turns people to stone. During battle, if an opponent is not strong enough, they can be petrified and sealed!" This counted as a variation of sealing... Though in Su Yu's mind, it seemed an exceptional skill for civil engineering. Instant petrification would be first-rate for erecting buildings. Among his subordinates, there seemed to be no experts along this Dao. In fact, very few people specialized in the Dao of Sealing altogether, save for the Prison King lineage. Su Yu smiled. "Not bad at all. On my side, truly few specialize in sealing, so this fills a gap quite nicely." "Consort, do recover your strength as soon as possible. Nowadays, any Heavenly King is a figure of pivotal importance to me!" Consort Qi gave a slight nod, feeling relieved. She was hardly a kindhearted soul. Yet before this young man, Su Yu, she did not feel her ruthlessness could rival his. This man blew up Heavenly Kings as casually as squashing chicks, without so much as blinking, his smile never wavering. Such a ruthless character was someone even Consort Qi found daunting to cross. What was more, he easily held command over the human race. Even if ancient veterans were few, the quasi-kings beneath his banner were very real. The two quasi-kings beside him were not necessarily weaker than Su Yu, yet they obeyed him just as submissively. As Consort Qi nodded, Su Yu smiled. "Then would the consort please return to the civilization chronicle to reside for a few more days? The Upper Realm has been turbulent of late, and I fear someone might sense you. The consort will not mind, will she?" She minded very much! In truth, Qi Rong despised such cramped, enclosed spaces. Having spent countless years in secluded cultivation, she had had more than enough of it. Yet at this juncture, she could not object. She quickly said, "I do not mind. That the Human Ruler can provide Qi Rong with a shelter is Qi Rong's honor." "Listen to you!" Su Yu chuckled. "You are a consort, after all—the Dao companion of a Human Ruler. Senior Yue Gang is also an exemplar of mine... Cough, I shall treat the consort well!" An exemplar? Hardly! To have fallen to the point where he couldn't even protect his own Dao companion—what kind of exemplar was that! Qi Rong said no more. Su Yu manifested his civilization chronicle, and Qi Rong stepped inside of her own accord. Su Yu also tossed in a generous supply of treasures to aid her recovery. ... Once Qi Rong had entered, Su Yu suddenly smiled. "I've been pondering a question..." The others all turned their eyes to him. "Tell me, is Baizhan truly foolish, or is it merely an act?" Surprise appeared on their faces. Lan Tian asked with a smile, "What does Emperor Yu mean?" "The previous Human Rulers were so pathetic, nothing more than puppets. Yet Baizhan could hardly be considered a puppet. Many people marched to their deaths to clear a path for him, and later everyone obeyed his orders. The Torchbearers laid down their lives for him, and after being sealed for all these years, everyone still anticipates his return... Is Baizhan truly foolish to the bone?" Su Yu narrowed his eyes with a grin. "Killing off those old fogies—could it be that they were simply meddling too much? So Baizhan took the opportunity to get rid of them all in one fell swoop?" Lan Tian chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think so! As you said, those old fogies ended up obeying him anyway. If that was the case, why bother? In my view, he was simply foolish, plain and simple! Baizhan was extraordinarily powerful, so his life wouldn't have been as miserable as Yue Gang's! Look at him—he even managed to hook up with the Giant race. Who would ever give Baizhan grief over that or accuse him of colluding with foreign races? Contrast that with Yue Gang, who took a foreign woman as his wife... So you see, even the old fogies judge a person by their strength. When you're strong enough, everything you say is right!" Su Yu burst out laughing. "True enough! I was overthinking it. Speaking of which, Baizhan fought his way into the depths of Mount Chaos, so why hasn't there been any word from him? Could he have been killed?" "Hardly. If he were truly dead, to say nothing of the others, people like King Datang and the Great Han King in the lower realm would probably have broken through to the Dao Integration realm!" Lan Tian remarked, then chuckled. "I'm more inclined to wonder whether, while fighting Yueluo, old sparks flew and rekindled their past romance." Lan Tian gave a faint, eerie chuckle. "What a pity I don't know what Yueluo looks like, what her aura is, or what her style is... Otherwise, I could have sampled Baizhan's flavor myself..." "..." *Cough, cough, cough!* Su Yu erupted into a fit of coughing. He whipped his head toward him, gritting his teeth. "Get out!" "..." Lan Tian looked at him resentfully. Su Yu snapped, "Get out for now! Let me catch my breath!" "..." Utterly aggrieved and thoroughly reluctant, Lan Tian transformed into an enchanting, voluptuous woman, swayed her slender hips, and departed with obvious displeasure. Su Yu let out a long breath. *Damn it all, why would such a thought even cross your mind?* *Sample Baizhan's flavor? What kind of flavor is that supposed to be?* *Confound you!* Being around Lan Tian lately, the man had seemed far more normal, to the point that Su Yu had nearly forgotten his past antics. Now that it had been brought up again, he felt utterly helpless. Forget it—better to keep this freak at a distance. Beside them, Marquis Juzhu and Si Yue exchanged glances, both shivering with chills down their spines. What a true pervert! Hardly anyone among Emperor Yu's subordinates was normal. ... The migration continued. One after another, various races arrived at Human Mountain. And the sweeping operation pressed on as well. ... Dao Origin Land. A full day had passed since Su Yu's departure. Over the course of this day, as the various powerhouses swept through, slumbering experts were unearthed one after another. Naturally, some rotting, withered bones were also dug up. Certain individuals had truly cultivated in seclusion until their demise, passing away without anyone ever knowing, as their rule power had long since dissipated. At this moment, on San Yue's side, a complete corpse was exhumed. The body was lifelike, yet its aura had long been extinguished. San Yue glanced at it and sighed. "This seems to be the human race's Marquis Dongqi. To think he died of old age... What a pity!" Heavenly Venerable Mo took a look as well and recognized the figure. Back in the day, he had been one of the stronger figures among the 360 Human Marquises. His seniority was by no means inferior to Minshan's, but he had been missing for many years. To think his corpse would be unearthed here. Having swept the Dao Origin Land for over a day, this was the second human powerhouse they had discovered. As for the first, he was currently being escorted behind them by several experts, taken alive! Behind them, the escorted old man, whose beard and hair were long enough to drag along the ground, looked at Marquis Dongqi's corpse with sorrow in his eyes. Another old comrade had fallen! He had died without anyone knowing. Had it not been for this sweep, his corpse likely would have remained buried underground for countless ages, until one day someone stumbled upon it by chance. By then, perhaps no one would recognize him, taking him merely for the remains of some ancient powerhouse. From the rear, a Heavenly King–level powerhouse said with a smile, "Venerables, though this fellow is dead, his corpse remains formidable. Why not refine it into essence blood and distribute it to juniors who need it for cultivation...?" San Yue cast him a sidelong glance, saying nothing. Heavenly Venerable Mo paid the suggestion no heed either. After looking for a moment, he said flatly, "Collect and store it for now!" Extracting essence blood from a corpse held little significance. At least to him, it was entirely meaningless. This corpse might well be handed over to the Torchbearer lineage. Even trading it for a few array talismans to enter Mount Chaos without being repelled would be worthwhile. Why make things difficult over a corpse? Seeing him say this, the Heavenly King behind him had no choice but to shut his mouth. Soon, he looked toward the old man under guard in the rear, gritting his teeth. "Lord Venerable, back then, this Marquis Nanxi also slaughtered many of our people. Now that he has been captured, why not execute him on the spot, lest he cause us trouble down the line?" Though Marquis Nanxi was not a Celestial Venerable, he faintly possessed the might of a Heavenly King. Of course, he was currently exceedingly weak. The Heavenly King felt it was better to take advantage of his weakened state to finish him off. Why go through all this trouble, sealing him and assigning guards, wasting manpower and resources? When it came to the human race, all of them ought to be eradicated down to the last! "Duanxue!" Heavenly Venerable Mo's brows knitted slightly. "Keep watch properly and cease this endless chatter!" The Heavenly King beside him was none other than Marquis Duanxue. Marquis Duanxue sighed helplessly. Fine, he would hold his tongue. Today, Heavenly Venerable Mo seemed somewhat off. Having captured a human powerhouse, he had not killed him. Yet when certain powerhouses of the myriad races resisted, Heavenly Venerable Mo had not held back in the slightest. Just a short while ago, an expert of the Immortal race had been unearthed; believing Heavenly Venerable Mo had come to kill him, he had fought back, only for Heavenly Venerable Mo to batter his physical body to the brink of exploding. Marquis Duanxue wished to say more, but feared another rebuke. Just as he was pondering, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted in the distance! *Rumble!* The deafening blast echoed across the Dao Origin Land. The explosion originated from the direction of Heavenly Venerable Yue and his group. At this moment, a formidable being soared into the sky as a battle erupted instantly! Heavenly Venerable Yue and Leibao joined forces to suppress him, though Leibao was somewhat going through the motions. Meanwhile, the newly emerged powerhouse possessed staggering strength, swinging a giant axe that caused heaven and earth to change color! San Yue took one look and was stunned. "Marquis Jufu!" Heavenly Venerable Mo also frowned slightly. "Another human fellow. They really did sweep out a Celestial Venerable–level human!" It was somewhat unexpected, yet entirely within reason. As the hegemonic race of the myriad realms, the human race naturally had figures nearing the end of their lifespans who chose secluded slumber. Sure enough, a top-tier powerhouse had been unearthed! A genuine Celestial Venerable! At that moment, the axe-wielding expert struck out, and the heavens cracked as the earth split. On Heavenly Venerable Mo's side, the bound Marquis Nanxi, drained of strength, screamed frantically, "Jufu, run!" He struggled desperately! Another human marquis had been exhumed—not a corpse like Marquis Dongqi, but a living person, and an exceedingly powerful one at that! The human race was likely finished. Otherwise, in this Dao Origin Land, how could these foreign powerhouses be permitted to sweep across all quarters? In the entire Dao Origin Land, Marquis Nanxi had not seen a single other human thus far, aside from Marquis Dongqi's remains and this Marquis Jufu who had just emerged! ... In the distance. Marquis Jufu panted heavily. He heard Marquis Nanxi's roar, but his heart was filled with bitterness. Run? Where could he run to! Here stood two experts matching his own strength, both in peak condition. Meanwhile, having remained in seclusion for far too long, he was still in a dormant state, his combat prowess nowhere near its peak. In a one-on-one fight, he was not even guaranteed to win, let alone against two. Not only that, there were more than just these two nearby who wielded comparable power. He sensed a full six of them! Furthermore, there were five or six slightly weaker quasi-kings. Against such overwhelming might, he had no hope of escape whatsoever! Opposite him, Heavenly Venerable Yue's eyes flickered. A Celestial Venerable! Among the human race's old seclusion-dwelling experts, an actual Celestial Venerable had emerged. Should they capture him alive and hand him over to the Torchbearer lineage? A Celestial Venerable was a pinnacle combatant of this era! If it were a Heavenly King, capturing and handing him over in exchange for assurances and other benefits would be acceptable to Heavenly Venerable Yue. But a Celestial Venerable—that was truly aiding the enemy. Once Marquis Jufu recovered to his peak, he might well take their lives! "Jufu, surrender without resistance!" Heavenly Venerable Yue said calmly, "Do you truly believe you can escape?" All around, Heavenly Venerable Mo, Heavenly Venerable Huang, and the others were rapidly closing in. Marquis Jufu could already sense that he had reached a dead end. With fury and unwillingness burning within him, he gnashed his teeth, gripped his giant axe, and roared, "What has become of the human race?" The Dao Origin Land was supposed to be under human control! Why had it become like this? "San Yue, you too have betrayed the human race!" Marquis Jufu sensed San Yue's aura and was consumed by rage. "The Iron Eater race was my race's ally for generations! Even you have betrayed the human race?" "..." San Yue twitched his lips. What kind of talk was that? Having old fogies in charge was simply infuriating! Look at Su Yu—how polite he was by comparison. Accusing him of betrayal the moment he opened his mouth? He wasn't even human, and besides, this marquis's word didn't carry weight anymore. Still, sweeping out a human Celestial Venerable had caught him by surprise as well. At this moment, San Yue was pondering what to do next. On Su Yu's side, there were no Celestial Venerable–level experts yet... Fat Ball was hard to say, but apart from Fat Ball, no one else had reached the Celestial Venerable level. If Marquis Jufu could be allowed to escape and then brought under Su Yu's command, the human race would gain its first true Celestial Venerable! As for whether Su Yu could subdue him, the probability was high! As for Baizhan, San Yue disregarded him entirely. San Yue's thoughts raced. From other directions, Marquis Tianming made no move, Leibao remained silent, and Heavenly Venerable Huang and the others rapidly hemmed Marquis Jufu in. Marquis Jufu's face filled with despair! There was no way out! He was doomed! "I'll drag you down with me!" With a furious roar, Marquis Jufu swung his axe, charging straight toward San Yue in the distance! "..." San Yue's large eyes nearly popped out of his skull. *Damn you!* *What are you doing?* *Did I provoke you?* "Traitor! My human race treated your Iron Eater clan well, yet you actually betrayed us..." Marquis Jufu was beside himself with fury! That the God, Immortal, and Demon races were enemies was completely normal; he didn't care about that. However, the Iron Eater race had always been an ally of the humans, yet San Yue had betrayed them as well. This was intolerable! Even in death, he would tear a chunk of flesh from him! A colossal axe instantly ripped through the void, shattering heaven and earth. As the axe came cleaving down, San Yue felt an urge to cough up blood. What in the world was this fellow doing? A massive bamboo stalk lashed out! A barrage of strikes! *Rumble!* Seven or eight consecutive strikes of the bamboo slammed into the giant axe, sending it flying and causing Marquis Jufu to spit blood. Only then did San Yue exhale, his eyes filled with helplessness. *Confound you!* *You attacked me first!* *I had no choice but to retaliate.* *If I hadn't struck back, you still wouldn't have escaped, and it would only have made the three great races even more wary of me.* Thinking of this, San Yue could only apologize silently. *You fool, if you had fled in another direction, I might have found a way to let you slip by. But you stared right at me and charged! Everyone is watching, and this isn't even a chaotic melee. If I let you go, my Iron Eater clan will suffer for it.* Marquis Jufu was thoroughly done for! Immediately, Heavenly Venerable Yue and several other powerhouses swarmed forward. At this moment, there was no point in single combat. Subduing him quickly was all that mattered! With multiple Celestial Venerables joining forces, in the blink of an eye, Marquis Jufu was battered until blood sprayed everywhere and his physical body shattered. Seeing that Marquis Jufu showed signs of self-detonation, Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others exchanged glances. Their eyes flickered, but none moved to stop him. If Marquis Jufu died by self-detonation, the Torchbearer lineage would have nothing to say. The opponent resisted fiercely, and they couldn't capture him alive—there was nothing to be done. They couldn't possibly risk their own lives to halt his self-detonation, could they? Just as they were thinking this and even waiting for him to blow himself up, an unusual wave of power suddenly washed over Marquis Jufu. From Marquis Tianming, an aura of profound tranquility erupted, enveloping the other Celestial Venerables. The minds of the Celestial Venerables suddenly grew remarkably calm. Marquis Jufu, who had been on the verge of self-detonation, also abruptly quieted down, a look of enjoyment washing over his features. However, Marquis Jufu quickly snapped back to his senses. Yet before he could do anything, a massive bamboo stalk came crashing down, striking him directly into a daze! San Yue's line of thought was simple: living was better than dying. As long as he lived, there was still hope of rescue. If he died, all hope was gone. Marquis Tianming had halted the self-detonation, so San Yue conveniently gave him a whack with the bamboo to knock him senseless first! At that moment, Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others communicated via voice transmission: "Did Marquis Tianming and San Yue do that on purpose?" "Did they deliberately stop us, or rather, stop Marquis Jufu from self-detonating?" "Is he someone from the Torchbearer lineage?" "Just how many pawns has the Torchbearer lineage planted on our side?" In their eyes, Marquis Tianming's action looked like an attempt to preserve Marquis Jufu. Now that Marquis Jufu had been taken alive, forcibly executing him at this point would appear deliberate. If the Torchbearer lineage learned of it, would they retaliate? If they retaliated, many pseudo-Dao experts would likely perish! Heavenly Venerable Yue's eyes flickered. Suddenly, he bellowed, "Audacious villain, you court death!" This roar left San Yue and the others utterly baffled. The man had already been caught, so what was he shouting for?! Yet at that very instant, on a small hill in the distance, a boulder suddenly opened its eyes as if awakening. It instantly morphed into a humanoid figure, glanced over, and locked eyes with Heavenly Venerable Yue across the distance. After a moment, the figure formed from stone curled its lips, burst apart with a *bang*, and perished! ... Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others wore grim expressions. A stone? There really was someone from the Torchbearer lineage nearby. Crucially, they hadn't paid attention earlier and hadn't scanned that direction. Were there any right by their side? At this moment, none of them could be certain. Though no one had stepped forward, who knew if someone was deliberately concealing themselves? Meanwhile, San Yue's eyes shifted slightly. What was going on? Marquis Tianming remained silent, his mind racing as he tried to discern the meaning behind it. Leibao was even more bewildered. "What was that thing over there just now? Why did it suddenly blow up?" Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others said nothing. Instead, they quickly sealed Marquis Jufu, then tossed the glaring, enraged marquis beside Marquis Nanxi. Heavenly Venerable Yue swept his gaze over the two and murmured, "One Celestial Venerable, one quasi-king!" These were big fish! Were they truly going to hand them over to the Torchbearer lineage? The more they considered it, the more uneasy they felt. Yet... if they killed them, would their own races simply forfeit the hundred-plus Dao Integrations and five or six quasi-kings? It was a splitting headache! Heavenly Venerable Mo said coldly, "Let us wait and see. The avatars of Heavenly Venerable Dao and the others will arrive soon. Once they get here, we can deliberate further!" Unable to hold back any longer, Leibao frowned and asked, "Fellow daoists, for what purpose are the avatars of Heavenly Venerable Dao and the others coming?" Heavenly Venerable Mo glanced at him and said flatly, "To discuss capturing Baizhan and slaying him. What does Heavenly Venerable Leibao think?" Leibao frowned at him. His tone... seemed off. Heavenly Venerable Yue smiled. "Heavenly Venerable Mo, now is not the time to speak of such things." Heavenly Venerable Mo said impassively, "What needs to be said must still be said, lest everyone feign ignorance while knowing the truth!" Heavenly Venerable Mo looked around and said calmly, "Among the six of us present, our stances are likely all different. I merely wish to say that in the eyes of the human race, we are ultimately all foreign races. The so-called myriad races of the humans have never included the human race itself. The human race is the human race, and the myriad races are the myriad races! Even the Iron Eater race is merely the Iron Eater clan, never a branch of humanity!" San Yue gave a dry chuckle. "Naturally. I have always supported the Council of Myriad Races!" "..." Heavenly Venerable Mo smiled and said no more, merely remarking with some emotion, "Certain matters are truly chilling. Yet it must be acknowledged that the human race is indeed the darling of heaven, the hegemons of the heavens. Wiped out batch after batch, they are never extinguished, always enduring and strong..." The Torchbearer lineage, the Chaos lineage—both belonged to the human race! Su Yu had claimed that the Torchbearer lineage and the Chaos lineage had been playing a game of chess for a hundred thousand years, using the myriad races of the heavens as pawns. Was that true? Perhaps... it was! Leibao frowned and said nothing, failing to understand why this fellow had suddenly grown so sentimental. Meanwhile, Marquis Tianming also sank into thought, unable to deduce what Heavenly Venerable Mo was getting at. San Yue was the same, not quite grasping his meaning. Heavenly Venerable Mo smiled and dropped the subject. Looking toward Marquis Jufu, who remained indignant and defiant even after being sealed, he suddenly asked, "Do you think we can still become Rulers of Rules? It is said that the myriad races being unable to step into the realm of Ruler of Rules is due to the Human Sovereign's seal. Marquis Tianming, you possess peerless wisdom and courage. How do you believe we might break this seal and step into the realm of Ruler of Rules?" Heavenly Venerable Yue also said softly, "Indeed. Our cultivation has all reached the threshold, yet we are perpetually separated from becoming Rulers of Rules by a single thread, as though obstructed by something. Perhaps it truly is the Human Sovereign's seal. Does Marquis Tianming have any inkling of how this seal might be broken?" "The Human Sovereign's seal?" Marquis Tianming looked at the group and fell into contemplation. Only after a moment did he reply, "Fellow daoists... why do you assume it was done by the Human Sovereign?" Heavenly Venerable Yue smiled. "Could it be otherwise?" Marquis Tianming pondered for a long time before speaking: "It is a possibility! Otherwise, it would not be the case that for a hundred thousand years, not a single person has stepped into the realm of Ruler of Rules! A seal... may not necessarily be a seal. Over the years, I have also contemplated this. Because a seal could not possibly seal the human race along with everyone else, I believe... it is more likely a Dao of rules that encompasses the heavens!" Marquis Tianming explained, "Back then, perhaps certain Daos of rules were laid down to lock away the possibility of becoming a Ruler of Rules. To break such a Dao of rules would require an opportune moment, a catalyst... Just as attaining the Dao through the three-body art invites punishment, becoming a Ruler of Rules has now been designated as something forbidden!" "To break through the shackles of the three-body art requires formidable strength to suppress the rules' punishment." "To break through the shackles of becoming a Ruler of Rules... I believe several conditions must be fulfilled. First, find where the source lies. Second, suppress the rule riot. Third, dispel the previous rule restrictions..." He laid them out one by one. Since everyone had asked and they all stood at this realm, he did not mind elaborating. Heavenly Venerable Huang remarked thoughtfully, "The source... what do you suppose this so-called source or catalyst might be?" Marquis Tianming considered it and said, "It could be an object, a person, or a weapon... something that carries the source of this Dao of rules! It is unlikely to be an overt Dao of rules; otherwise, back then there were numerous Rulers of Rules among the myriad races, and they would not have allowed the Human Sovereign to deploy it successfully! It could only have been laid down silently without anyone noticing..." In truth, Marquis Tianming did not elaborate fully. He suspected that the suppression of both the myriad races and the human race might be related to the ancient providential luck. Of course, such a speculation was ill-advised to voice openly. Heavenly Venerable Mo chimed in, "Could it be related to the existence of the human race? If we exterminate humanity—wiping them out completely and severing all human heritage—is it possible that this rule will be broken?" "It is possible!" This time, Marquis Tianming did not deny it. He nodded. "It is indeed possible. Therefore, if the human race is destroyed, there is hope that these shackles will shatter, allowing us to accomplish our breakthrough!" Once the human race was wiped out and their providential luck dispersed, there was indeed hope of breaking through. Marquis Tianming made this assessment internally, then asked, "Do you all wish to become Rulers of Rules?" Nonsense! Heavenly Venerable Huang muttered sullenly, "Who wouldn't? It's just that there has been no way!" With that, Heavenly Venerable Huang grumbled, "Tianming, do you think it's possible that the Torchbearer lineage possesses the method to break the seal and allow people to advance?" "The Torchbearer lineage?" Marquis Tianming gave him an odd look. "Probably not. If they could, Bingku of the Torchbearer lineage would have advanced years ago, yet he never did." Heavenly Venerable Yue said calmly, "Bingku was merely an outer member. Of the three core figures of the Torchbearer lineage, Bingku and Danyu died, while the third person has never appeared. I suspect that person is the true core of the Torchbearer lineage—the so-called lineage master! Perhaps he knows?" Marquis Tianming had no reply to that, so he could only say, "Perhaps. Even if they could, I doubt they would let us know. After all, the human race itself has few who can advance. If the seal is broken and we all become Rulers of Rules while the human race has none, then... the human race certainly wouldn't do such a thing!" Heavenly Venerable Yue's eyes flickered. "True. But if the human race could also produce a few Rulers of Rules, such as Marquis Jufu and the like, do you think the human race might reconsider and break the seal so that everyone advances together?" He was considering that not killing Marquis Jufu and the others might actually be a good thing. If they killed them and the human race had no Celestial Venerables left—or perhaps only one, like that lineage master—then the human race would die before allowing the myriad races to advance alongside them. Yet if the human race also had two or three Celestial Venerables who could advance, might the humans take the risk and let everyone break through together? If the Torchbearer lineage could not deal with Mount Chaos, would they take that gamble? Perhaps this lineage truly possessed a way! Everyone yearned far too deeply to become Rulers of Rules! At this moment, Heavenly Venerable Mo sent a voice transmission: "Heavenly Venerable Yue, perhaps... we can discuss this with the Torchbearer lineage, or even test them to see if they truly have a way! I know your elder brother is still alive, right in the God race! Likewise, whether it is the Immortal race, the God race, or the Demon race, I imagine... there are more Celestial Venerables than what meets the eye, as we all well know! If worse comes to worst, what harm is there in capturing a few human Celestial Venerables and handing them to the Torchbearer lineage? If everyone can advance... then the human race might gain two or three Rulers of Rules, while we could gain eight or nine... or even more!" Heavenly Venerable Yue replied via transmission, "Let us wait and see. Right now, this is merely speculation. That fellow didn't mention any of this earlier; who knows whether he didn't know or was deliberately hiding it. If they are truly willing to cooperate, we can take the opportunity to talk with them again!" "Next time we meet, I believe we can test the waters. If we do not advance and have no Rulers of Rules, and if what he said is true—that the Chaos lineage has them and the lower realm has them—can we truly win?" "Indeed!" After conversing briefly, they soon dispersed, ceasing their exchanges and resuming the sweep! ... Meanwhile, the captured Marquis Nanxi supported the heavily injured and sealed Marquis Jufu. With a look of sorrow, he turned to Marquis Jufu and sighed. "Jufu, it seems neither of us can escape this calamity!" Marquis Jufu gritted his teeth. "If we die, we die. We didn't have much lifespan left anyway; entering seclusion was merely to lessen the drain! But how has our human race fallen to such a state?" "I too was only recently forced out, so I know nothing of the situation." Marquis Nanxi looked around and sighed. "Apart from you and me, there is only Marquis Dongqi's corpse! Could it be that in the heavens and myriad realms, only you and I remain alive among the human race?" How tragic! It was very likely the case. Otherwise, how would the myriad races dare sweep through the Dao Origin Land? Even if there were still survivors, they were probably eking out a wretched existence, wandering adrift and hiding in fear. Marquis Jufu gnashed his teeth, watching the Celestial Venerables who continued their sweep. Following along, he gradually found it peculiar. "These fellows have swept out so many old experts, suppressing some and driving out others, yet they haven't treated us too harshly. Could it be they wish to subdue us? What a pipe dream!" He truly found it strange. Marquis Duanxue was none too polite to them, but the Celestial Venerables usually only glanced over them without saying a word about killing them, nor did they send them away for imprisonment. They simply kept dragging them along. Bizarre! What in the world did the myriad races intend to do? They didn't kill them, nor did they interrogate them; it was as if they had forgotten them entirely. He was, after all, an expert approaching the level of a Ruler of Rules. To just be tossed aside and ignored like this? Not even a single person came to interrogate him? At this thought, Marquis Jufu suddenly felt utterly disheartened. "The human race is likely truly finished. There's no need to ask anything from us, because it simply isn't necessary anymore!" Marquis Nanxi shared the same sentiment. Yes, the human race was probably done for. Otherwise, using them as leverage against humanity would have made sense, or failing that, trading them for treasures would have worked. Yet these people ignored them completely, absorbed only in their sweeping operation. The more they thought about it, the more sorrowful they became! Their hearts turned to ash, and for a time, neither wished to utter another word. Meanwhile, as the sweep through the Dao Origin Land progressed, experts emerged continuously. Humans were few, but as the sweep of the depths concluded, a third captured human powerhouse appeared. Likewise, they did not execute him. They simply sealed him and cast him aside, leaving the three of them to huddle together and comfort one another. With this, the human powerhouses became all the more convinced: the human race was completely finished.