Giving It All

This battle truly dumbfounded everyone. Yue Hao and his people were utterly battered! Had they lost out? Not necessarily! In this clash, the other side had also lost multiple Heavenly Kings, and every Dao Integration fallen was at the very pinnacle of the realm. Of course, they had still suffered a slight disadvantage, having lost a Celestial Venerable. Yet how much deeper could the Fire-Passing lineage’s reserves truly run? Fighting this battle out—hadn't it completely emptied the other side's coffers? In truth, that the Fire-Passing lineage had even gathered so many Heavenly Kings had already exceeded their wildest imaginations. And yet... this unfathomably mysterious lineage had suddenly gone mad today, tearing itself apart in this manner. Plumes of fireworks were still rising. The great mountain behind the entire Chaos Forest had been completely reduced to a sinkhole—a colossal crater! "Strike while they're down!" At that exact instant, San Yue roared fiercely, charging forward as he brought his bamboo staff down with earth-shattering force, shaking the entire Chaos Forest violently! A massive chaos bird was blasted straight out by his staff strike! San Yue roared, "Kill! Are we supposed to wait for them to recover their vitality? Even if we can't kill the Celestial Venerables, slaughter those two Heavenly Kings!" At these words, despite feeling that something was odd, Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others took to the air one after another! San Yue was right! San Yue appeared somewhat unhinged right now. To Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others, perhaps... they actually understood something now. San Yue likely had ties to the Fire-Passing lineage. Now that the Fire-Passing lineage had suddenly gone berserk and suffered countless casualties, it would be stranger if San Yue did not want revenge. No wonder San Yue had consistently charged at the very forefront today. The other side currently had only four Celestial Venerables and two Heavenly Kings remaining. Moreover, all of them were battered and bleeding after the intense battle. Of course, there was still a Celestial Venerable–level great bird in the Chaos Forest, and in the Chaos River, there was also a gigantic alligator-like monster—not a Celestial Venerable, but at the Heavenly King level. Formidable indeed! Yet on their side, there were nine whole Celestial Venerables! "Kill!" With a ferocious bellow, the nine Celestial Venerables charged forward in unison! If they didn't seize this opportunity to kick them while they were down, they would truly be squandering the opening created by the Fire-Passing lineage. What if they had four Celestial Venerables? Even with that great bird, there were only five. Two against one would be more than enough! Across from them, the expressions of Yue Hao and his companions shifted dramatically. "Retreat!" With an enraged shout, they no longer cared about anything else—retreat! If they didn't pull back now, they might truly meet disaster. In the distance, an imposing aura surged into the sky! It seemed to be the aura of their race's ancestor. Yet the nine Celestial Venerables merely glanced toward it before charging recklessly forward in a frenzied sweep. A supreme expert of the Chaos race? The Fire-Passing lineage had spoken the truth! This race was truly unfathomably powerful. That aura shook the soul. Perhaps... perhaps it genuinely possessed the combat strength of a Ruler of Rule. So what? A Ruler of Rule... even among Rulers of Rule, it depended on their level. If it was a weaker one, three Celestial Venerables could definitely hold their own! At worst, they would fight! Boom! The nine Celestial Venerables unleashed their auras all at once, powerful waves shaking heaven and earth. The ancient beasts grew hesitant. Should they continue? In the Chaos Forest, the great bird battered by San Yue let out a shriek, suddenly spread its wings, and fled swiftly! In the river, the giant alligator likewise bolted in an instant. Knowing they were outmatched, seeking death was out of the question; having reached their level, they possessed at least some intelligence. Retreat! On the perimeter, over twenty Dao Integration ancient beasts had already been slain by the nine Celestial Venerables. They, too, knew danger had arrived! At once, they scattered in flight. In this battle, beyond Su Yu's side and the Chaos race, many ancient beasts in Mount Chaos had also been slaughtered. Now, the nine Celestial Venerables charged together toward the enemy! Killing intent shook the heavens! "Kill!" Boom! Striking across the void, Heavenly Venerable Dao unleashed massive divine characters that blanketed heaven and earth, Great Dao scriptures even condensing into tomes as they hurled forward. Heavenly Venerable Huang stamped his foot, making the earth shudder violently. Ahead, countless earthen walls instantly morphed into giants, charging at Yue Hao and his group. The various Celestial Venerables unleashed their full combat power. Auras roiled! At this moment, Heavenly Venerable Mo's demonic qi billowed to the heavens. He and Motian appeared to be preparing something, and in the next instant, a monstrous wave of demonic qi surged up. "Demon Descent!" With a low shout, the two Demon race experts seemed to summon something extraordinary. In the void, a demonic silhouette suddenly manifested as though stepping forth from past and future, descending amidst Yue Hao's group in an instant. The colossal silhouette loomed over heaven and earth. With a thunderous boom, a single stomp smashed Heavenly King Zishui—who had just narrowly escaped with his life—straight into pieces! "Bastards!" Yue Hao and the others were enraged! Meanwhile, the Celestial Venerables rapidly closed in. Bastards? Once we kill you, you'll know what true bastards are! A rare opportunity! Had they encountered them under normal circumstances, dealing with them would not have been easy: four Celestial Venerables, multiple Heavenly Kings, dozens of Dao Integration experts, and a large host of ancient beasts... They would have been truly difficult to handle. Yet today, their location was exposed, their strength laid bare. Stepping from the shadows into the open, the nine Celestial Venerables were not to be trifled with either. Furthermore, having just fought a fierce battle, these foes had not emerged victorious; rather, they had repelled the Fire-Passing lineage at heavy cost. Even Yue Hao's Gates of Hell had been blown apart—what right did they have to remain arrogant? That demonic silhouette had trampled a Heavenly King to death upon appearing! One could see how terrifying this phantom was. This was the Demon race's innate racial technique—Demon Descent! It summoned Demon experts existing in the unseen, calling upon their past and future strength. Summoned by two Celestial Venerables working together, it was far stronger than an individual Celestial Venerable. Right now, Heavenly Venerable Mo and Motian were both controlling the demonic silhouette, sweeping across the four Celestial Venerables! Meanwhile, the four Celestial Venerables of the Chaos race roared continuously. One among them cultivated the Dao of Chaos; a single punch shattered heaven and earth, causing the Great Dao itself to tremble. They fought as they retreated! Four against nine, they were clearly outmatched. As for the sole surviving Heavenly King, Yuxi, she did not join the battle at all. Nor did she possess the strength to do so, fleeing swiftly into the distance. Far away, powerful waves of aura erupted. An enraged roar echoed through heaven and earth: "You court death!" Boom! In the next instant, that aura pierced the void, shattering space and tearing across the sky at extreme speed. The Celestial Venerables grew solemn! Was it a Ruler of Rule? Or an expert at the level of the Hundred Battles King? They could not easily judge. Yet all of them knew the newcomer was terrifyingly strong. "Celestial Venerable Ming, Heavenly Venerable Yue, Tianming, Leibao—the four of you intercept him!" Heavenly Venerable Dao barked a command. He, Heavenly Venerable Huang, the two Demon race experts, and San Yue made five against four. They would suppress Yue Hao and the others first—kill them if possible, and adapt if not! They needed to test the strength of this peak Chaos expert first! The four Celestial Venerables wasted no words, rocketing through the air. At this juncture, this race was simply too strong. Regardless of whether this turned into a fight to the death, they had to test the waters. Boom! A titanic detonation echoed across heaven and earth. With a massive crash, a Nether River manifested directly in the void, only to be snapped in two by a single punch in the blink of an eye. Celestial Venerable Ming's figure materialized instantly, coughing up a mouthful of blood, an expression of shock on his face. Right then, Heavenly Venerable Dao bellowed, "Dragon and Phoenix Venerables, come assist the battle!" Roar! Screech! A dragon's roar and phoenix's cry resounded together. In the distance, outside Mount Chaos, a dragon and phoenix tore through the void. Reverting to their true racial forms of colossal proportions, they charged straight toward the battlefield, though they still needed time to arrive! At that moment, the peerless expert who had broken the Nether River with a single punch roared into the void, "To me!" Farther out, several more auras surged into the sky! The old man bellowed, "Do you intend to fight to the death today? Then I will slaughter you all!" The nine Celestial Venerables were shaken! Just how powerful was this lineage? The moment the old man roared, Celestial Venerable auras emerged from behind him once again, along with the auras of multiple Heavenly Kings. Not only that, but the roars of countless ancient beasts echoed across heaven and earth. The old man roared, "Must you fight to the bitter end and allow the ancient beasts to encircle us all?" At this moment, the two ancient beasts that had fled earlier had somehow rallied a horde of beasts. Provoked by the disruptive pressure of several Celestial Venerables, they were now charging toward the battlefield with savage fury! They cared nothing for who belonged to the Chaos race and who belonged to the myriad races. They recognized only auras! Whoever was rejected by the chaotic aura was an enemy. The Chaos race possessed jade talismans, but once the fighting became a brawl, would the ancient beasts care whether you held one or not? In ordinary times, it might suffice to conceal one's tracks, but a large-scale battle on this scale attracted vast numbers of ancient beasts, rendering talismans completely useless. "Kill!" Heavenly Venerable Dao barked another command. Regardless of what happened, they had to see if they could slay one before the beasts completed their encirclement. He quickly transmitted to the others: "Kill the wounded one!" He meant Yue Hao! Yue Hao had been blasted by King Dazhou's self-detonation, stomped several times by Fat Ball using King Wen's boot, and bitten repeatedly by Fat Ball's Great Dao. His injuries were quite severe. Heavenly Venerable Dao and the others had no intention of fighting to the death right now! However, killing a Celestial Venerable would be the best possible outcome. As for killing a Heavenly King, what was that worth? A heavily injured Heavenly King facing nine Celestial Venerables acting together—it would be bizarre if they couldn't kill one. The five Celestial Venerables displayed a rare tacit understanding, striking together toward Yue Hao! Yue Hao was beside himself with fury! Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't fear any single one among these five, and might even have hoped to defeat them. Yet right now, having battled Fat Ball for so long and having had his Gates of Hell blasted open by King Dazhou's detonation, his strength had dropped drastically! At this moment, San Yue of the Iron-Eating race was thoroughly berserk, swinging his massive bamboo staff exclusively at him. The phantom summoned by the Demon race was also holding off three Celestial Venerables, leaving Yue Hao surrounded and assaulted by Heavenly Venerable Dao, San Yue, and the others! "Ancestor!" Yue Hao roared. At that exact instant, the ancestor in the void let out a cold snort. "You... truly court death!" In the next instant, a portal manifested upon his forehead. The moment this portal appeared, an incomparably terrifying aura leaked out, as though something extraordinary dwelt within! The ancestor hurled the portal straight toward Leibao. Just as Leibao prepared to strike, a pang of dread struck his heart, and he backed away rapidly. Right at that moment, two claws suddenly reached out from the portal, tearing through the void toward him! Leibao retreated swiftly, but was still grazed. With a squelch, the flesh on his leg melted instantly, a massive chunk of flesh ripped away! Meanwhile, though facing three Celestial Venerables alone, the ancestor remained unfathomably mighty. With another punch, he sent Celestial Venerable Ming flying backward, spitting blood once more. Marquis Tianming and Heavenly Venerable Yue both wore extremely solemn expressions. Marquis Tianming glanced over, then barked in a low voice, "Leibao, tie down that portal! Controlling it costs him dearly as well!" The ancestor's face turned icy. "Tianming, you don't know what's good for you!" A punch shattered the void! Tianming seemed to have anticipated it and shifted aside instantly. Yet two portals surfaced in the ancestor's eyes as he said coldly, "The Destiny race can evade others, but can you evade me?" With a dull thud, the fist struck from an unbelievable angle, battering Marquis Tianming until flesh and blood flew. Marquis Tianming's expression changed slightly. In the next moment, he gave a cold bark, and an eye manifested upon his brow—the Sky-Peeking Eye! "Merely a false heavenly gate!" Marquis Tianming sneered, "A projection of the Gates of Hell—it's neither the true Heavenly Gate nor the true Gates of Hell!" The moment his Sky-Peeking Eye opened, he pointed a finger forward. Just as the ancestor threw another punch, it struck empty air. Looking ahead, no one was there! Marquis Tianming sneered, "Not much different from Baizhan back then... I dared to fight Baizhan in his day, let alone you! Heavenly Venerable Yue, break his Gates of Hell! Evil spirits are sealed inside! Shatter that portal and give him more than he can chew!" Heavenly Venerable Yue said nothing, darting toward Leibao's position to smash the Gates of Hell! Celestial Venerable Ming flew back swiftly as well, joining Marquis Tianming to confront this formidable ancestor. Four peak Celestial Venerables were now joining forces to battle him. The ancestor was aggrieved as well! His very first battle upon emerging, and he was besieged by four Celestial Venerables. Even Baizhan hadn't enjoyed such treatment back then. His expression turned grim. Damnable! This sudden outbreak of war had exceeded his expectations too. And five whole Heavenly Kings had died in one breath! As for the Dao Integration experts, there was no need to speak of them—thirty fallen. Even he felt immense heartache. Though the Chaos race had remained hidden for countless years, six Heavenly Kings had died recently if one counted Ziyan! For any race, losing six Heavenly Kings at once was an unbearable blow! The two sides locked in brutal combat! Right then, a great many ancient beast auras surged in all directions. The beasts were arriving—thirty or forty of them, with even more converging from every quarter! If this continued, it would turn into a massive final showdown! At this moment, a sigh drifted from deep within the chaos, carrying faint lament as an aura seemed to awaken. At the same exact time, atop Human Mountain, in the territory of the God race, an aura as brilliant as a blazing sun suddenly surged into the heavens! Heavenly Venerable Rimian! Heavenly Venerable Yue's elder brother! At this moment, an aura overshadowing the other Celestial Venerables rose from Human Mountain! "Fall back!" Heavenly Venerable Rimian's voice reverberated over. "Hold the perimeter of Mount Chaos, using the Chaos Forest as the boundary! The Chaos race... it seems we did not guess wrongly back then. Powerful indeed—a formidable faction truly existed!" At this moment, auras seemed poised to rise from the territories of the Immortal and Demon races as well! Meanwhile, deep within Mount Chaos, an incomparably powerful aura suddenly surged forth, surpassing everyone present—even exceeding that ancestor. The sigh carried the subtle quality of a woman's voice as she murmured faintly, "Take the Chaos Forest as the boundary, and withdraw!" "Do not force my hand!" The female voice carried a hint of melancholy. Marquis Tianming's gaze shifted as he looked in that direction, then sneered, "Putting on airs! Step out from behind the Gates of Hell first before talking!" His Sky-Peeking Eye opened wide! No longer displaying his usual easygoing demeanor, he looked into the depths with utter majesty. "I peer into heaven and earth—your race is destined for decline, doomed to perish!" "Whether we live or die is not for you to question." The sigh carried helplessness and sorrow. In the next instant, Marquis Tianming's brow suddenly exploded, his Sky-Peeking Eye shattering. The ancestor seized the opening to unleash a punch. Boom! Marquis Tianming was sent flying backward, coughing up blood incessantly! The ancestor's face was dark. With a cold snort, the Gates of Hell swept across heaven and earth, repelling Leibao and Heavenly Venerable Yue, before crashing down toward the Demon phantom! Boom! The phantom shattered. The ancestor reached out, scooping Yue Hao and the others into his grasp. Taking advantage of the moment, San Yue swung his bamboo staff. With a resounding crack, it pulverized half of Yue Hao's head. In the next instant, the ancestor withdrew with everyone, vanishing without a trace! San Yue wanted to pursue, but glancing around, he stopped quickly, his face dark with rage. Seeing ancient beasts everywhere, he wasted no words, snatching up General Xuelan, who remained frozen where she stood, and sealing her within his bamboo. The others saw this and frowned slightly, but none spoke. Earlier, Youzhen's self-detonation had obliterated Xuelan's physical body, but a surge of immense power from her sea of will had frozen it in ice. Now that the enemy was repelled, San Yue had seized the chance to claim her, and the others raised no objection. "Withdraw!" Heavenly Venerable Dao said nothing about it either, barking a swift command. There were too many ancient beasts around; if they kept fighting, they wouldn't be killing enemies—they would be surrounded and slaughtered by beasts! The nine Celestial Venerables withdrew rapidly. Soon, they linked up with the Dragon and Phoenix Celestial Venerables. Eleven Celestial Venerables in total flew swiftly toward Human Mountain. All eleven were solemn. The opponent was exceedingly powerful! Setting aside the four Celestial Venerables, the ancestor who arrived later likely possessed the strength of Baizhan in his prime. And the one who revealed her aura afterward might be even stronger—perhaps a genuine Ruler of Rule! As for Heavenly Venerable Rimian of the God race on Human Mountain, though powerful, he was likely still somewhat inferior to that ancestor. The myriad races' advantage lay in having more Celestial Venerables! Counting Heavenly Venerable Rimian, there were now twelve Celestial Venerables exposed! Of course, the Chaos race was not weak either; two more Celestial Venerable auras had seemed to reveal themselves near the end. Adding the one who had died, that made seven Celestial Venerables and two even stronger existences! This shook everyone to their core! The Fire-Passing lineage had not lied. Not only had they not lied, but the reality was likely even grimmer than described! As for why that old creature in the depths hadn't come out, everyone turned their eyes toward Marquis Tianming. Severely injured, Marquis Tianming saw their gazes and spoke in a deep, gravelly voice: "She seems to be behind the Gates of Hell... It seems she cannot easily emerge. I couldn't see clearly—the Gates of Hell shattered my Sky-Peeking Eye. Unless one possesses the Heavenly Gate, ordinary scrying arts cannot probe that deeply!" Heavenly Venerable Dao took a deep breath. "No matter! The Fire-Passing lineage drew these fellows out for us, and they are indeed formidable! Still... we have nothing to fear! Trying to be chess masters is laughable. If we join hands, we can kill even a Ruler of Rule!" Heavenly Venerable Huang also said coldly, "Were it not for the constraints of heaven and earth's rules, all of us would be Rulers of Rule. Why should we fear one or two Rulers of Rule? Once the seal of heaven and earth breaks, there will be over a dozen Rulers of Rule. If the Chaos race wants a war, let them have it!" Though they lacked the combat strength of Rulers of Rule, they possessed the corresponding realm. Back in the ancient era, they would have been figures on par with Human Kings! At this moment, their auras flared, a mix of shock and rage among them. What a Chaos race! Hidden in the shadows for so many years, the strength this lineage had accumulated was terrifying! Previously, they had guessed this race wasn't weak, but they hadn't anticipated it reaching such heights. The Fire-Passing lineage had warned that if the myriad races did not unite, they might be overrun—and that was indeed no lie. This time, the Fire-Passing lineage had truly gone insane as well. So many of their people had died! Why on earth had this lineage done such a thing? Right, Marquis Tianlong! Marquis Tianlong was still alive, and that Xuelan was alive as well. However, Xuelan might not know much; after all, she had only just emerged and been escorted out before the battle erupted! The Celestial Venerables flew quickly onto Human Mountain. Heavenly Venerable Yue's voice resounded across heaven and earth: "Seal Mount Chaos! No one and no ancient beast is permitted to enter, exit, or approach!" Numerous experts began scattering, flying in all directions to lock down every exit of Mount Chaos. ... Soon, in the Grand Hall of Human Mountain. A figure sat here, radiant as a blazing sun—Heavenly Venerable Rimian of the God race. Together with the eleven returning Celestial Venerables, a total of twelve Celestial Venerables were present. In the next moment, Marquis Tianlong's sea of will was tossed out. With a wave of Heavenly Venerable Dao's hand, a massive surge of life force poured in. In the blink of an eye, Marquis Tianlong's physical body reformed, though it remained frail. He still looked dazed and terrified. Upon seeing the experts gathered in the hall, he gasped and hastily bowed: "Tianlong greets the Venerables!" Twelve! Terrifying! Fortunately, he spotted an expert of the Dragon race. With some uncertainty, he asked cautiously, "You... you are... Marquis Yulong?" Marquis Yulong looked at him, frowning slightly, and nodded. "Explain the situation. How did you end up with the Fire-Passing lineage?" Beside the dragon expert, a woman in human form asked with evident irritation, "Why did I sense that our lower realm's Phoenix Emperor was killed?" Marquis Tianlong said hurriedly, "We were all captured by Su Yu..." "Su Yu?" "The Human Master of the lower realm!" Marquis Tianlong said anxiously, "In the lower realm, we were ambushed and captured by them..." "What does he look like?" Marquis Tianlong hastily manifested an illusory figure. Heavenly Venerable Yue took one look and furrowed his brow slightly: "It's him! Zhou Tiandao, the deputy lineage master of the Fire-Passing lineage, the grandson of Zhou Tian of the Fire-Passing lineage..." Su Yu? Everyone was surprised. Human Master? The lower realm's Human Master? His strength was certainly not weak! In this clash, he seemed to be the one who had escaped with a few others. Moreover, he seemed to have been issuing the commands throughout the battle. As for that Zhou Tian, they had seen him as well; his strength hadn't seemed to reach the Celestial Venerable level, and in the end, he had detonated himself! To be honest, none of them had fully understood this battle! Heavenly Venerable Yue, who had spoken little, said quickly, "Explain what on earth is going on in the lower realm. And who exactly is this Su Yu? Weren't you captured by the Fire-Passing lineage?" "The Fire-Passing lineage?" Marquis Tianlong said hurriedly, "That lineage died out long ago! No, wait—King Dazhou in the lower realm seems to be alive, the one who detonated himself later! He should belong to the Fire-Passing lineage! But the Fire-Passing lineage was gone long ago. I felt some of it during the battle—it was Su Yu leading his people on a slaughter... That madman actually fought his way into the upper realm!" "Su Yu... a madman?" Several people looked at him, making Marquis Tianlong intensely nervous. He said in a rush, "I was captured by him, I'm not on his side! Marquis Yuansheng and the others all know that I went down to the lower realm back then because trouble arose in the Dragon realm! Then I was captured, and I only reappeared just now. I was forced to detonate my Great Dao. Fortunately, after several successive detonations—the Ape Emperor and the Roc Half-Emperor detonating to death—I barely managed to escape..." Heavenly Venerable Yue frowned. "You're saying that this strike wasn't made by any Fire-Passing lineage, but by the lower realm's Human Master bringing his people up to attack—is that what you mean?" "Yes!" He nodded vigorously. "In the lower realm, everything is completely different now! That Su Yu opened the Heavenly Gate and possesses immense strength. He won over numerous experts—Hongmeng, Doubao, Liu Yue, and others all joined him! Beneath him are multiple experts, the prodigies of this era: Lan Tian, Wan Tiansheng, King Daqin, King Daxia are all peak experts under his command. Even King Dazhou of the Fire-Passing lineage was subdued by him, campaigning across the lower realm on his behalf..." Fearing he would be treated as an accomplice, he dared not delay, blurting everything out in one breathless torrent. Meanwhile, the expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically. There was no Fire-Passing lineage! That lineage was extinct! Only a so-called King Dazhou remained, and King Dazhou had submitted to Su Yu! Now, according to Marquis Tianlong, the people who had just fought that battle accounted for virtually the entire strength of what they had imagined to be the Fire-Passing lineage. Aside from Hongmeng, Liu Yue, and a scarce few who hadn't joined the battle, it seemed... all of them had fallen! Many turned their gaze toward San Yue. San Yue wore a calm expression, remaining silent. Seeing this, the others said nothing. San Yue likely had ties to that faction. Yet now, that lineage... had met disaster! Heavenly Venerable Yue furrowed his brow slightly. "You mean this battle comprised almost their entire strength! Then why would this Su Yu do such a thing? Not only did he throw away all the strength he had accumulated, but he even sacrificed all those ancient human experts he had subdued!" Marquis Tianlong shook his head. Seeing Heavenly Venerable Yue's displeasure, he said hastily, "It might be because he despises this Chaos lineage... I don't know what this Chaos lineage's deal is, my Lords. Could you briefly explain it to me?" "Descendants of the Prison King!" With that single phrase, Marquis Tianlong understood instantly. Realization struck him, and he said in a rush, "Then it makes sense! Su Yu is King Wen's inheritor, while the Prison King's lineage has constantly hunted King Wen's legacy in the lower realm. The entire family of Su Yu's teacher was slaughtered by descendants of the Prison King's lineage, and his grand-teacher was killed by them as well. He despises this lineage above all else, and once personally stepped in to execute King Jintian, a human traitor from that lineage... "Furthermore, Su Yu is someone who seeks vengeance for the smallest grievance, never letting revenge wait overnight—exceedingly arrogant and overbearing! "This man possesses peerless talent, yet he is actually very young—barely in his twenties by human reckoning. His word is absolute law; no one is permitted to contradict him! "I heard him order people to self-detonate... That is precisely his temperament, thoroughly ruthless. The moment a battle turns grim, he will spare no expense to inflict catastrophic losses on the enemy... "My Lords, I truly am not his accomplice! Right, that dog—I know about it too! That's King Wen's dog. It appeared in the past as well, possessing immense strength. Because Su Yu inherited King Wen's mantle, that dog follows him! In the lower realm, he ran rampant and slaughtered countless foes. By now, aside from the three major races, I imagine most others have been brought under his heel... I never expected him to bring his forces to the upper realm! "In this battle, aside from those left behind to guard the lower realm, I think the experts under him have all fallen... "He is simply terrifying!" Marquis Tianlong still conveyed Su Yu's terror, trembling with lingering dread. "I fought him not long ago, shortly after I descended. Back then, he only possessed Dao Integration combat strength, yet suddenly became a quasi-king... Not just him—Wan Tiansheng, Lan Tian, and the others were all weaklings before, yet suddenly became so strong. Wan Tiansheng was somewhat formidable after killing the lower realm's Nether Emperor, but Lan Tian was weak before... To think he became a Heavenly King too!" "He opened the Heavenly Gate!" Marquis Tianming said indifferently, "Having opened the Heavenly Gate, as long as he finds the correct Great Dao, it is entirely possible to make them strong quickly. That is hardly surprising. However, it still requires those people to possess astonishing talent and deep foundations themselves; otherwise, not just anyone could become a quasi-king!" Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others wore peculiar expressions. "In other words, this arrogant Human Master was never part of the Fire-Passing lineage at all. He merely borrowed their name to operate in the upper realm, and then... upon learning about his old enemy, the Chaos race, he... led his people to fight them to the bitter end?" This was simply insane! According to Marquis Tianlong, those quasi-kings were the entire foundation Su Yu had built up to this day. Now, he had fled with Fat Ball, and there might still be Hongmeng in the lower realm, but aside from them, there were likely no experts left. What was this fellow after? Just for revenge? Because the Prison King's lineage had provoked him in the lower realm, killing his teacher's entire family and his grand-teacher, he sought retaliation? A mad retaliation! Utterly unhinged! Everyone frowned. Heavenly Venerable Rimian said softly, "Let us set Su Yu aside for now and speak of this Chaos lineage. They are formidable. Back when Yueluo sealed Baizhan, we conjectured whether other experts remained hidden in the shadows. Today, that has been proven true! Not just a few, but a great many! In a single battle, five quasi-kings, one Celestial Venerable, and thirty Dao Integration experts died, yet they remain immensely powerful..." He felt a headache coming on and sighed. "Does this count as internal human strife? Had this Su Yu not been so completely deranged, perhaps... we would have had to pay a heavy price just to probe their strength." It was somewhat ironic. In the end, it was actually the humans who had helped them ascertain the strength of the Chaos race. Moreover, the nine Celestial Venerables hadn't accomplished much—merely managing to kill a single quasi-king by chance. By contrast, those lunatics under Su Yu had relied on self-detonations to forcefully blow a large batch of enemy experts to death! Crucially, they had even finished off a Celestial Venerable! Too insane! Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable Mo felt somewhat fortunate—fortunate that they hadn't moved against Su Yu that day. Otherwise, had a battle truly erupted back then, would those lunatics have blown them to death as well? There had been quite a few Heavenly Kings, and combined with that dog, they might truly have managed to kill the two of them! "King Wen's inheritor... no wonder!" Heavenly Venerable Dao said softly, "Monstrously talented. Yet when he retreated at the end, I saw... his Brush Dao seemed to have snapped! That madman—just to kill that Celestial Venerable, he even ignited and severed his Brush Dao... Such a terrifying desire for vengeance!" At that moment, Su Yu could have retreated! Wan Tiansheng too! The two had had a chance to escape, even bringing Fat Ball with them. Granted, the result would have been failing to kill the Celestial Venerable, but it wouldn't have ended like this—Wan Tiansheng fallen, and Su Yu's Brush Dao severed. That entire faction had vanished in an instant. Leaving only a single injured dog of King Wen! "Not only that, but Marquis Nanxi and his people didn't seem to heed his orders very well... I heard Su Yu shout for them to self-detonate, but none agreed, choosing instead to break out on their own..." "Natural enough! How could those old fellows submit so easily to a youth's commands!" On this point, no one was particularly surprised. No matter how monstrous Su Yu's talent was, he was still too young. Furthermore, Nanxi and the others had only just returned; how could they easily die for him? Marquis Tianming said with mixed emotions, "In that case... this lineage is essentially finished... Even if Hongmeng becomes a quasi-king, combined with that dog, perhaps... only that dog and Hongmeng pose a threat. The others, including Su Yu himself, have lost all deterrent power!" He had still been observing! According to what Changhe had said, Marquis Tianlong was indeed correct—this was the entirety of Su Yu's strength! He had been thinking that if Su Yu bided his time, there might still be a chance. Yet... why choose this path? Too disappointing! Was it all for vengeance? If so many experts were sacrificed merely for hatred, it was truly a tragedy! At this moment, someone glanced at San Yue and said flatly, "San Yue, earlier, an Iron-Eating expert seemed to take part in the battle..." San Yue glared at him coldly, his voice freezing: "And what of it? He was captured by Su Yu—is there a problem with that? As for Liu Yue, is everything Tianlong says absolute truth? Tianlong even detonated himself to help him kill a quasi-king—does that mean the Dragon race has a problem too?" San Yue rarely lost his temper, yet right now, he was thoroughly enraged. Motian, who had just spoken, instantly shut his mouth, refusing to provoke him further. This fellow was definitely in cahoots with Su Yu's gang. Yet he had probably never expected Su Yu's group to suddenly launch a suicidal assault against the enemy, causing Su Yu's combat power to plummet by ninety percent! They had originally been the weakest of the three factions; now, any one of the three major races could crush them! San Yue couldn't be bothered to say more. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I want Marquis Jufu!" The crowd frowned. San Yue said coldly, "What? They achieved it. Not only did they kill quasi-kings, but they even slew a Celestial Venerable. Surely the Myriad Races Council does not lack even this much integrity, breaking its own word? If so, how can it lead the myriad races? A promise is worth a thousand gold—release Jufu!" The others frowned again. Heavenly Venerable Yue said calmly, "San Yue, think carefully! Even if Jufu is released, he might not go help this Su Yu. You must understand that after Nanxi and the others were freed, they still refused to heed his orders. And that was before; now... with Su Yu's experts virtually wiped out, do you think they can command a Celestial Venerable?" He looked toward San Yue. "Brother San Yue, we understand your thoughts! But now... think it over! Humans are humans, and external races are external races. Even if Jufu leaves, he won't help Su Yu... What's more, Su Yu's own Great Dao is shattered. Do you think Marquis Jufu would go help a madman who has fallen back to the Sun Moon Realm?" A genuine madman! Even he had to admit that Su Yu was utterly insane! San Yue gritted his teeth. After a long pause, he nodded. "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps... Regardless, I believe we should release Jufu! Tell him that Su Yu paid the ransom for him. Now that Su Yu's people have been slaughtered by the Chaos race, I want to ask Jufu: will he help Su Yu seek revenge, or will he be an ungrateful wretch?" He said in a deep voice, "If even humans won't help humans, if even humans prove ungrateful and abandon their savior... then our race naturally won't make fools of ourselves either! Jufu might... serve as a touchstone! Everyone, take this as my request: release that fellow and let him choose for himself. Let us see whether he stands against us, fights the Chaos race, or... continues hiding like a turtle with its head pulled in!" The crowd frowned once more. Releasing a human Celestial Venerable... was not a wise choice! San Yue spoke again: "If this Jufu truly goes to Su Yu, given Su Yu's character, he will inevitably find a way to retaliate against the Chaos race again. Everyone... this madman is thoroughly deranged; he will not let this rest! With so many of his people dead, do you think he will simply drop the matter? Even with his strength heavily depleted, he still has a Celestial Venerable, and Hongmeng remains in the lower realm! Along with a few Dao Integration experts!" Everyone weighed the pros and cons. Heavenly Venerable Dao said softly, "And what if Jufu doesn't seek out Su Yu, but instead seeks vengeance against our myriad races? A Celestial Venerable–level expert with no strings attached would be immensely troublesome if he secretly retaliates against us!" San Yue looked at them. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and roared, "He will either go fight the Chaos race, or seek out Su Yu and the others, or join Baizhan against Yueluo! If he moves against the myriad races... I, San Yue, swear here and now that I will slay him! My Iron-Eating race will never spare him!" He was far more direct now, no longer playing the simpleton, his rage towering to the skies. "I will lay things out clearly to him. And I give you all my guarantee: if he truly strikes against the myriad races... even if I must abandon the Iron-Eating race, I will hunt him down to the end! Everyone, is that enough?" San Yue was not of one mind with the myriad races; everyone knew this. He had thrown his lot in with Su Yu, but... his luck was terrible. Before he could even act, Su Yu's side had been practically wiped out! Right now, San Yue was like a keg of gunpowder, ready to detonate at any moment! If they refused to release Jufu, San Yue might choose to rebel against the Myriad Races Council, or at least slack off in battle. Yet whether he sided with Su Yu or stood with the myriad races, he would currently direct his efforts against the Chaos lineage! Considering this, the Celestial Venerables exchanged secret voice transmissions. Soon, Heavenly Venerable Rimian chuckled softly. "Brother San Yue, calm your anger. No one said we wouldn't release Jufu! Since we could capture him once, we can capture him a second time! We'll heed Brother San Yue's words and release Jufu shortly!" A smile appeared on his face. "The Myriad Races Council isn't so weak as to fear a single Celestial Venerable. None among us fears that Jufu! If he truly dares make a move, we'll simply kill him and put an end to his ambitions once and for all!" The Celestial Venerables nodded one after another. Jufu was a minor matter! At this moment, exchanging glances, their expressions turned solemn again. "Jufu is of little concern. As for Su Yu... he may have fled to the lower realm. The situation is difficult to judge for now, but the threat of the Chaos race is right before our eyes! "Everyone... this lineage may possess two Rulers of Rule. Aside from the one who didn't show herself, the old fellow who came out isn't inferior to the weaker Rulers of Rule from back then! He is likely enough to match Baizhan!" At these words, everyone grew somber once more. Formidable! Even Heavenly Venerable Rimian might not be his match. Of course, there was hope of a fight, but the odds of defeat were higher. Heavenly Venerable Rimian said softly, "If worse comes to worst, we can call upon the other two Dao Brothers. The three of us should be able to take that fellow down!" At this, peculiar looks appeared in several eyes. The other two Dao Brothers... the three major races truly possessed profound foundations after all! He was likely referring to the Immortal and Demon races! If three supreme experts joined hands and claimed confidence in taking down that ancestor, their strength was truly extraordinary. After all, four Celestial Venerables working together earlier had failed to hold him back. Heavenly Venerable Dao and the others said nothing. The myriad races still possessed hidden reserves. The humans had foundations, and so did they. In the ninth tide, even if Yueluo hadn't sealed Baizhan, the myriad races might not have lost; certain old monsters had yet to intervene. Of course, had a true life-and-death struggle ensued, the final outcome would undoubtedly have been mutual destruction. "Where is Baizhan?" At this moment, Marquis Tianming suddenly frowned. "Did he truly fight his way into the depths of Mount Chaos, or what? Why hasn't there been the slightest stir from him!" Baizhan hadn't made a single sound! One had to remember: this time, it was humans who had attacked the Chaos race. The Chaos race was Baizhan's bitter enemy, yet there was no word of him at all. Had Baizhan appeared, perhaps this battle wouldn't have ended so tragically! Even if partially sealed, he could still handle someone like Yue Hao! "That brute Baizhan... couldn't have been sealed by Yueluo all over again, could he?" Everyone looked at one another, utterly speechless! Perhaps... it was truly possible! If that was the case, that fellow Baizhan was truly beyond saving!