Fleecing the River of Time

Su Yu had not met face-to-face with Hundred Battles; there was no need. The current state of affairs suited Su Yu's intentions. And although they had exchanged only a few sentences across the distance, Su Yu felt that Hundred Battles was not quite as insufferable as he had imagined. Of course, their philosophies were completely incompatible. Six thousand years ago, Hundred Battles had chosen to go into dormancy while countless common mortals stood by him and defended him. That was something Su Yu simply could not accept. Su Yu had once harbored similar thoughts of staying out of it, but the situation back then was that the human race had not protected or supported him. As an outsider, he naturally had no reason to wade into the mess. Yet once he entered the game, Su Yu knew that he could no longer extricate himself—nor was he permitted to. …… Returning to the Tianyuan Realm with King Daqin and King Daxia, Su Yu once again summoned the various experts. Tianyuan Realm. Hongmeng Ancient City. By now, this place had become Su Yu’s temporary imperial palace. Su Yu did not particularly care about pomp; any location would do, so long as it made it convenient for everyone to find him whenever something arose. Quite a few people gathered in the City Lord’s great hall. Su Yu wasted no words, getting straight to the point. “King Daqin and King Daxia have decided to integrate their Great Daos into my Dao and cultivate this Dao of Cosmic Civilization alongside me. I won't belabor the pros and cons; I'm sure you all know a thing or two about them!” “I won't say much else. Today, we will integrate the Daos of these two so that we may grow together. Anyone interested is welcome to observe!” Many in the crowd exchanged glances. Soon enough, Tianmie—who had seemed rather displeased lately—spoke up immediately: “Your Majesty, if we integrate into your Dao, will it make us stronger?” Su Yu smiled. “Below Heavenly King, there is hope. Above Heavenly King… I don't recommend it!” Indeed, at the Heavenly King level, Su Yu's current strength could at most support Heavenly King-level experts. If someone at that level integrated into his Dao, they would have no way to advance further. They would be unable to become a Heavenly Venerable, and even if they somehow did, they would only possess the combat power of a Heavenly King. Hearing this, Tianmie felt a stir of restlessness. He had now stepped into the ranks of third-tier Dao Integrators. However, in the short term, the chances of making any further progress were slim. Hearing Su Yu's words, those below the Heavenly King level were genuinely tempted. Yet everyone also knew something of the drawbacks Su Yu had mentioned. Su Yu’s Great Dao was simply too weak. It was not nearly as stable as the River of Time or the Dead Spirit Dao. If anything happened to Su Yu… and in truth, an accident could easily occur, since there was more than one person in the myriad realms capable of dealing with him right now. As the others pondered, Su Yu said no more. On one hand, he hoped people would cultivate alongside him and help perfect his Dao rapidly. On the other hand, he did not actually want everyone bound to him so tightly. A bond was a two-way street. The more Daos bound to him, the heavier Su Yu’s responsibility became. When the time came, he truly would not be able to afford a single defeat. A single loss could mean total annihilation. …… Giving them no more time to hesitate, Su Yu looked toward Marquis Tongtian. Marquis Tongtian was quick to take the cue, immediately opening a portal. It led straight to the edge of the chaos! Su Yu rose. “King Daqin, King Daxia, let's go. Anyone else who wants to see the situation can follow along. This is also the first integration of Daos—merging a true Dao into a pseudo-Dao!” He himself referred to his own Dao as a pseudo-Dao. Compared to the River of Time, his Dao was indeed not worth mentioning. King Daqin and King Daxia promptly followed, and the rest filed through the gateway one after another. Regardless of what choice they might make later, they wanted to see it with their own eyes first. …… At the edge of the chaos. Su Yu’s world still stood. Now, it was clearly visible. Between the Land of Guixu and the chaos, a tiny new world had emerged, slightly larger than when he had first opened it. However, it was only slightly larger, hardly even as big as an imperial palace. At that moment, someone inside was comprehending the pseudo-Dao. At the source was the Human Lord Seal, faintly hovering in the air. Su Yu said nothing more. With a reach of his hand, the Human Lord Seal opened automatically, vaguely revealing Lan Tian’s silhouette and the countless myriads of his clones. Su Yu dropped something inside and swiftly sealed the Human Lord Seal again. It was precisely the ten thousand divine characters left behind by King Wen. …… Inside the Human Lord Seal. Lan Tian snapped his eyes open, caught the cluster of light Su Yu had tossed in, and examined it closely, his eyes flickering. Divine characters! Countless divine characters, each embodying different rules and Great Daos. Without needing Su Yu to explain, he understood in an instant. His gaze shifted toward the deepest recesses of the Human Lord Seal, where countless millions of threadlike pathways seemed to branch out. Lan Tian remained silent. Su Yu could have used these himself. Both walked the path of myriad paths converging into one; since Lan Tian could use them, Su Yu naturally could as well. "Ten thousand divine characters…" Lan Tian murmured. In cultivating the Great Dao, one avoided owing personal favors. Yet no sooner had he repaid one debt than another arrived. What was he to do about this? To use them, or not? Earlier, to help Su Yu achieve Dao Integration, his own Dao had suffered severe damage. First, he entered the Human Lord Seal to comprehend Su Yu's power of myriad Daos, and now Su Yu had somehow produced ten thousand divine characters. If he used them, not only would his Dao fully heal, he might even take another step forward! "Sigh!" A sigh escaped him, laden with melancholy and helplessness, yet also tinged with delight. Perhaps this was what it meant to be Dao companions. Supporting and aiding each other along the Great Dao. "Ah, whatever. Why overthink it?" Lan Tian smiled brightly. In that instant, he felt genuinely carefree. The entanglements between him and Su Yu were only growing deeper. "Since it has come to this… I accept!" The next moment, ten thousand divine characters hovered in the air. Ahead lay the foundation of Su Yu’s myriad Daos. Lan Tian suddenly smiled playfully. "If you won't steal the power of myriad Daos, I'll steal it for you! As the saying goes, 'Until the sages perish, great thieves will never cease.' I'll gladly take that 'thief' literally!" The next instant, ten thousand divine characters hung aloft. Every divine character aligned with a person—all of them Lan Tian’s clones, though somewhat weakened at the moment. Those clones opened their mouths simultaneously and swallowed the divine characters. A moment later, having digested the power of the divine characters, the clones stepped forward one after another to seek out their corresponding Daos in Su Yu's world. After a short while, they connected themselves directly to the sources of those respective Daos. All the clones then linked back to a single youthful incarnation of Lan Tian. Immediately following that, the youthful Lan Tian jolted his Dao power. In an instant, a faint trace of power from the River of Time seeped through. Through Lan Tian's connection to the myriad Daos, a gentle stream of River of Time power flowed into Su Yu’s Great Dao. Indeed, this too was a method of pilfering—siphoning power directly from the River of Time. In a sense, it was also a form of Dao integration! Lan Tian had not severed himself from the River of Time; instead, he acted as an interface connecting Su Yu's Great Dao to the River of Time. This differed from both the Dead Spirit Dao and the Human Sovereign’s Dao. Their Daos connected directly to the River of Time, whereas Su Yu clearly had no desire for a direct link. Lan Tian did not mind serving as this relay station. If any problem arose on the River of Time’s end, Lan Tian needed only to sever his own Dao connection. At this moment, two distinct powers surged from Lan Tian’s body. He seemed to turn into a being of black and white: one power came from Su Yu, and the other from the River of Time. The two intertwined and blended within him before pouring even more power into Su Yu’s Great Dao. Millions of Lan Tians looked up at the sky and smiled in unison, their smiles exceptionally brilliant. To cultivate the Dao was to cultivate an unburdened conscience! I owe nothing to anyone! Of course, fools like Wang Hu didn't count; they had brought it upon themselves. I, Lan Tian, have never wronged a soul from beginning to end. The tenth tide will surely triumph! …… In the chaos. Not long after Su Yu threw the ten thousand divine characters in, an aura suddenly surged. In his eyes, the invisible power of the myriad Daos instantly absorbed a vast surge of energy, free from both chaotic turbulence and the unique imprint of time. In an instant, Su Yu understood! It was Lan Tian! Just like before, Lan Tian was acting as a filter—only this time, between the River of Time and his own Great Dao. Within Su Yu’s Great Dao, the power of myriad Daos steadily grew. There was no dramatic spike in raw strength, but the myriad Dao energies began to flow smoothly. This brought a tremendous advantage: endurance! Yes, greater endurance, and far faster recovery. Previously, Su Yu had to slowly convert chaotic power, but now Lan Tian had assumed that burden, siphoning power directly from the River of Time to help Su Yu recover quickly. The beauty of this method was that it prevented Su Yu’s Dao power from being assimilated by the River of Time! Su Yu’s gaze flickered. Lan Tian! Su Yu did not stop him. Such an act had both pros and cons for Lan Tian; enduring some pain was inevitable. The real risk lay in the clash between two different Dao powers. If either side fluctuated, it could snap Lan Tian’s Dao. Of course, it also helped Lan Tian comprehend two distinct sets of myriad Daos. Su Yu said nothing and made no mention of it. At their stage, spoken words were mere platitudes; it was enough that each understood in his heart. Su Yu then turned his gaze to King Daqin and the others. Seeing Su Yu look over, King Daqin gave a slight nod, offering a stiff smile. "Your Majesty, we can begin!" Su Yu nodded and looked toward Princess Consort Qi. "Princess Consort Qi has experience with Dao integration. This is my first time doing this, so if you notice anything amiss, please speak up immediately to prevent any mishaps!" By now, Princess Consort Qi had completely cast off her skeletal form, appearing graceful and noble. She carried a distinguished air, faintly accompanied by majesty. Yet as Su Yu looked her way, she quickly reined it in, nodding solemnly. "Rest assured, Emperor Yu. If needed, Qi Rong will naturally do her utmost!" "Thank you for your trouble!" After Su Yu’s polite reply, the two experts flew straight into that miniature world. The power of the Great Dao manifested at once! The power of saber and spear shook that small expanse of heaven and earth. Above the world, a saber and a spear materialized. Since this was Su Yu’s own world, he could naturally manifest the Dao powers within it. Only a single saber and a single spear appeared! "You two, grasp the weapons!" The two experts swiftly took to the air: King Daxia gripped the saber, while King Daqin grasped the spear. "Incorporate them into your bodies!" Su Yu barked a low command. Without hesitation, the two men drew the saber and spear into their forms. The moment they entered, a resounding boom echoed as another saber and spear manifested inside each of their bodies! The saber and spear powers from different Daos briefly clashed! There were differences between them, after all! Princess Consort Qi’s brows knit slightly, and she spoke quickly: "Transform your own Daos into the power of the saber and spear, and merge your Daos with Emperor Yu's Dao. Let Emperor Yu's Dao encompass you both. What you must do is suppress the backlash and turbulence of the Time Dao, find a point of resonance and integration, and harmonize the differences so that you do not repel each other!" The two experts exchanged a glance. King Daxia chuckled. "Old Qin, let's see which of us suppresses this turbulence first!" With those words, two long sabers manifested from his body. "Merge!" King Daxia shouted in a low voice, and the two sabers rapidly clashed and began to fuse. However, the repulsive force remained strong. After trying to force them together for a while, King Daxia frowned, then suddenly laughed. "Too much trouble!" Abruptly, the two collided violently! "Your Majesty, bolster the saber Dao in your world and just swallow it whole!" Boom! The two sabers slammed together! At that moment, in the realm of the myriad races beyond everyone's sight, the River of Time trembled slightly. …… Within the River of Time. The saber Dao King Daxia had previously integrated began to tremble. Streams of rule power seeped into the void and vanished without a trace, as if devoured by force! Just as King Daxia began devouring, King Daqin started on his side as well! In the River of Time, rule power began leaking from the spear Dao King Daqin was integrated into, unable to return once lost. From the currents of the myriad Daos in the River of Time, a stream of saber and spear power flowed into the two Daos to replenish the deficit. …… Upstream in the River of Time. The shadowy figure felt nothing this time. Yet someone ahead seemed to notice something. An expert suddenly called out in surprise, "My saber Dao power… some of it is leaking out…" "So it's leaking, what's so strange about that?" Someone scoffed dismissively! It was perfectly normal; why make a fuss over something so minor? The speaker was exasperated and snapped, "Nonsense! If it were normal consumption, would I even mention it? The point is, I just felt someone integrate into my Dao, and immediately afterward they started siphoning my Dao power—and they have no intention of returning it!" Hearing this, someone asked in surprise, "Did they perish?" "Probably not?" Who could say! Would perishing cause power to dissipate? Usually not; even if Dao power exploded, it would return to the River of Time. This time, the power had not returned. In the rear, the shadowy figure fell into contemplation. A loss of saber Dao power—what did that signify? Someone had just integrated into the Dao, and immediately afterward, its power drained away. It was clearly being siphoned off. But where to? Aside from other branches of the saber Dao, no other Dao could assimilate saber power! Unless… another saber Dao was drawing it away. Was someone merging saber Daos? Great Daos could indeed be merged; Daos of the same type could integrate the same kind of power. Thinking of this, the shadow spoke softly: "Could another saber Dao genius be siphoning your power?" The person might have cultivated a different branch of the saber Dao and now integrated into this one, drawing out its power. Yet normally, only a Rule Master could accomplish such a feat, and only one with an exceptionally profound comprehension could siphon someone else's Dao power. Everyone was puzzled. The myriad realms had been stirring up quite a few bizarre incidents lately. The shadow pondered and added, "Some upheaval must have occurred in the myriad realms recently. Perhaps our impending return has triggered some sort of backlash there." For so many years, there had been hardly any disturbance. Yet recently, one disturbance followed another. Someone teased, "Your Majesty, could the Martial Emperor have resurrected again and gone off to drain saber Dao power?" "……" The shadow was speechless. Get out of here! Could they stop bringing up the Martial Emperor? The others chuckled, but someone soon asked, "Your Majesty, can your… your true body recover? I feel that before long, our time flow will align with the myriad realms!" Back then, the Human Sovereign had led them upstream against the current, holding back the experts of the myriad races in the past so that the future myriad realms would remain undisturbed. Over the years, the experts of the myriad races had launched assault after assault. Though they had failed to break through, they had severely wounded the Human Sovereign. Compounded by the natural flow of the River of Time, they were drawing ever closer to the myriad realms. Yet the Human Sovereign’s true body had not appeared for years. How severe his injuries were remained unknown to both the humans and the myriad races. The shadow smiled. "I will naturally recover before returning to the myriad realms. It is of no concern!" The crowd said no more. Soon, another person spoke up: "Huh, some of my spear Dao power has been siphoned off too… Could it really be the Martial Emperor? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that he siphoned King Zhan's saber Dao first and now comes for my spear Dao?" Everyone grew even more perplexed. Only a Rule Master should be capable of this, right? The shadow sank into thought once more, only speaking after a long silence: "Are they being siphoned at the same time?" "Yes." The shadow pondered carefully, brow furrowing, and said in a grave voice, "Could it be… merging a true Dao into a pseudo-Dao?" "What?" Someone asked in confusion, but the shadow was no longer certain. He had multiple hypotheses about what was happening, but it was impossible to confirm without seeing it firsthand. *Could my previous deduction—that someone opened a new heaven and earth—actually be true?* *That shouldn't be possible!* Thoughts raced through the shadow’s mind as he remained lost in contemplation. Just then, another person spoke up: "Your Majesty, our fleshly strength has been deteriorating year after year! Has someone among the human race specializing in the flesh Dao been encroaching on more of the flesh Great Dao’s power?" It had been going on for a long time! Yet recently, it seemed to have accelerated. "The flesh Dao…" The shadow frowned again. "The encroachment on the flesh Dao began long ago. When you brought it up previously, I judged that an exceptionally formidable flesh Dao expert had emerged, absorbing power to expand his control over the flesh Dao!" "However, it stopped several years ago. Has it started again?" "Yes!" an expert who had attained kingship through the flesh Dao replied quickly. "It started again recently. There was some movement before, but it wasn't fast, so I assumed it was normal cultivation and Dao integration. But recently, the speed has increased dramatically! If this continues, we may be substantially weakened!" The shadow’s expression shifted slightly. Others frowned as well. "It must be someone from the human race, right? Perhaps a human expert emerged years ago, slowed their expansion midway, and recently accelerated again. Your Majesty, could the human race know we are returning and be strengthening themselves to battle the myriad races?" The shadow fell silent for a moment before replying, "Perhaps! King Ping, keep observing for a while. The flesh Dao is not the only path. After so many years, you all have insights into other Daos. If it truly comes down to it, we'll find another way!" "Your Majesty, I'm worried the myriad races will notice our weakness… Things are already difficult; if we grow any weaker, they may launch even more assaults!" "I will find a solution!" the shadow said, reassuring the crowd, though he sighed inwardly. The power of the flesh Dao was being encroached upon. This meant an extraordinarily powerful being of the flesh Dao had likely arisen, devouring the power of the entire flesh Dao and perhaps even seeking total control over it. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? At least for now, it was not good for them. Several Human Kings of the flesh Dao were growing weaker. Though they could still maintain the combat power of Rule Masters, if more power were siphoned, trouble could arise. *Just what has happened in the myriad realms?* For years there had been no major upheavals, but now problems were erupting one after another. …… At the same time. In the chaos. The two experts rapidly integrated their power, extracting massive amounts of saber and spear energy and pouring it into the saber and spear Daos within Su Yu’s world. Their auras shifted continuously. A long spear and a long saber shone with increasing brilliance. Among the myriad Daos, these two visibly thickened. Beside Su Yu, Wan Tiansheng watched for a while before asking, "The integration seems fairly smooth. Your Majesty, can they be self-sufficient?" In other words, when they fought in the future, would the rate at which their Daos absorbed and converted chaotic power keep pace with their consumption? If not, it would actually drag down Su Yu’s endurance. Su Yu sensed the flow and nodded slightly. "They can maintain a rough equilibrium. Neither King Daqin nor King Daxia is weak. Now that the saber and spear Daos are strengthened, the power those Daos draw in should roughly cover their personal consumption!" Wan Tiansheng let out a breath of relief and smiled. "That's good!" He had feared the two would draw too much power and leave Su Yu weakened, which would be disastrous. As they spoke, King Daqin let out a thunderous shout. His long spear swept across the void, sending a tremor through the entire miniature world. In this space, King Daqin seemed to become the spear itself! He roared, "Old Zhou, come in and fight me!" "……" King Dazhou looked utterly exasperated, but Su Yu chuckled. "King Dazhou, go in and have a look!" Left without a retort, King Dazhou flew in reluctantly after a moment's hesitation. The moment he entered that tiny world—boom! A deafening explosion rang out! King Daqin swept his spear forward. At this moment, he had practically merged with the entire spear Dao; in this world, his spear Dao was unique! This world belonged to Su Yu. And it also belonged to him, King Daqin! King Dazhou’s expression shifted, and he struck out with a palm. Yet this strike lacked the power it possessed elsewhere, falling far short of what it would be in the myriad realms. His palm was swept aside by King Daqin's spear. Forced back several steps, King Dazhou growled, erupting with the power of forbearance. A flicker of hesitation crossed King Daqin's eyes, but it vanished instantly. Spear Qi burst forth with a thunderous roar, rattling King Dazhou’s Dao! King Dazhou frowned again. "Not bad!" In this place, King Daqin actually seemed to suppress him. King Dazhou suddenly unleashed a formidable aura of his own—when forbearance was no longer possible, there was no need to bear it any longer! He shuttled swiftly through space, battling King Daqin in a flurry of sonic booms. Moving at extreme speed, he struck repeatedly while circling King Daqin, who swung his long spear with equal ferocity, continually pressing his opponent back! Gradually, King Dazhou was forced to the edge of the world. The more he fought, the more alarmed he became. This fellow was truly powerful in here. He circled with high speed, bringing forth all manner of techniques, while King Daqin was wild with joy—he was actually suppressing King Dazhou here! King Daqin grew fiercer by the moment! Yet in the next instant, King Daqin abruptly withdrew his spear and leaped back. King Dazhou froze. King Daqin gave a disdainful snort. "Enough. Beating you is plenty. I won't push too far; there's no point!" "……" King Dazhou was struck dumb! Su Yu and the onlookers all broke into laughter. King Dazhou’s intention had been obvious: lure King Daqin outside the boundary of Su Yu's world. Surprisingly, King Daqin hadn't acted like a reckless brute this time; he knew when to quit and stopped right at the edge of the world! King Dazhou had no words. To hell with you! You shameless bastard. Right then, King Daxia laughed heartily. "Old Zhou, come, play a round with me!" A saber Dao manifested and instantly merged into King Daxia's body. Raising his blade, King Daxia charged straight at King Dazhou! King Dazhou acted decisively, immediately retreating outside the world. Seeing this, King Daxia hesitated for a split second, but charged out blade in hand anyway. The moment he stepped outside, King Daxia knew he was in trouble! Inside the world, he felt omnipotent. Yet the moment he left, he felt instantly weakened. The empowering boost vanished. Boom! Outside, King Dazhou was unaffected; if anything, the oppressive pressure had lifted. The moment he exited, he vanished, reappearing directly behind King Daxia. A spatial rift formed in his hand and slashed out! *Rip!* King Daxia's robes were shredded! King Daxia swung his blade around in a counter, but King Dazhou vanished again without a sound. King Daxia's face tightened. Just as he tried to pull back, *squelch*—a small sword pierced right through the sole of his foot. King Daxia bellowed and cleaved down with his saber, only for King Dazhou to disappear once more. In the blink of an eye, King Daxia was left bruised and battered. Thoroughly disheartened, King Daxia scrambled back into the miniature world. Only then did King Dazhou reappear at an unhurried pace, smiling faintly. "Number One Under Heaven, you and Qin Hao may wield Heavenly King combat power inside His Majesty's domain, complete with enhancements while your enemies are suppressed. But once you step outside… you're at best second-tier Dao Integrators. How could you hope to match me?" These two actually thought of themselves as genuine Heavenly Kings! Not far away, Su Yu nodded slightly. "Inside my little world, you two truly are Heavenly King-level beings. But as I said before, once you leave, you drop a tier! Unless you step into the Heavenly Venerable realm… or even… the Rule Master realm!" Everyone was startled! Su Yu chuckled. "What? Is a Rule Master so strange? The Human Sovereign sealed off part of the River of Time, but mine isn't the River of Time! Becoming a Rule Master here isn't impossible! Still, you will drop a tier outside—unless my Dao can rival the River of Time!" At this moment, King Dazhou felt a jolt of excitement. "Your Majesty means that by integrating into this Dao, one can become a Rule Master? Then… then among those cultivating pseudo-Daos in the Human Sovereign’s Great Dao, there are quite a few… why didn't…" "Senior Human Sovereign hasn't severed his connection to the River of Time!" Su Yu smiled. "The power at the Tianhe entrance hasn't been cut off yet! Therefore, the strength of pseudo-Daos under the Human Sovereign's Dao is roughly equivalent to true Daos. Otherwise, given that the Human Sovereign's Dao hasn't expanded much and is only slightly stronger than mine, how could it compare to the true Dao?" "My Dao drops a tier outside. Even if the Human Sovereign's Dao doesn't drop a full tier, it wouldn't match a true Dao either—it would be at least half a tier lower!" King Dazhou was visibly shaken. "Your Majesty means… the Human Sovereign's Dao is inferior to… Your Majesty's?" Su Yu laughed and shook his head. "Not at all! It's just that the Human Sovereign is unwilling to sever the connection, choosing instead to borrow the power of the River of Time to perfect his Dao first! Once it is perfected and no longer needed, he will naturally cut it off!" "My Dao is simply too weak! Thus, converting chaotic power is barely enough to sustain it. The Human Sovereign's Dao is far too powerful, yet its conversion speed isn't that fast, and the Upper Realm lacks a sufficient supply of chaotic power… That leaves the Human Sovereign's Dao consuming far more than it can convert!" Thus, the Human Sovereign had chosen not to sever the link! King Daxia, casting aside his earlier embarrassment, asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty means that inside this world, we are genuine Heavenly Kings, but outside, we remain second-tier Dao Integrators?" "Yes." King Daxia sighed dejectedly. "Then… can we carry this world with us into battle, or pull enemies inside?" Otherwise, it would be far too frustrating! Su Yu smiled. "Not yet. Of course, it can move within the chaotic region for now. But once it leaves the chaos, both the Dead Spirit Dao and the River of Time will reject a new world." Su Yu’s eyes flickered. "The chaos is interconnected! Especially since chaotic experts from the Upper Realm have come here before… meaning my world can be relocated to Mount Chaos!" Everyone’s heart skipped a beat! If that were the case, didn't it mean that once they reached Mount Chaos, so long as King Daqin and King Daxia stayed within this world, they could truly trade blows with Heavenly Kings? Wan Tiansheng asked quickly, "Your Majesty… can… can this world expand rapidly? It's too small right now…" "It can, but it requires me to perfect the power of the Daos!" After King Daqin and King Daxia integrated, everyone could see the world visibly expanding. The strengthening of the saber and spear Daos caused the limits of the Great Dao to extend, covering a wider area. The chaotic expanse ahead was clearly receding. Tianmie hesitated no longer and spoke up immediately: "Your Majesty, if I integrate into the Great Club Dao here, will I quickly become a Heavenly King?" Su Yu smiled. "Not necessarily! It still requires comprehension, though comprehending it will be easier, because there is only one Dao for each path here! Take your Great Club Dao, for instance… isn't that just the staff Dao? I have only one staff Dao here. If your comprehension runs deep enough, forget Heavenly King—even Rule Master is possible! I will also actively open the Dao for you to perceive… But if you're too dense to grasp it even when it's wide open, there's nothing I can do!" Tianmie scoffed internally. *Dense? Me?* *Heh!* He felt tempted. If he integrated into this Dao and became a Heavenly King, even dropping a tier outside would still leave him at the second tier. Besides, this world was still being perfected! During this process of perfection, the insights and gains would surely be immense. This was plainly a chance to ride the dragon's coattails! When a world was newly opened, comprehending the Dao was at its simplest. Moreover, the Daos here held a distinct advantage: no one else controlled them! Each Dao was unique! Apart from Su Yu, no one controlled an entire path—save for King Daqin and King Daxia, who held the spear and saber Daos. Surely no one else would try to contest those! After a moment's contemplation, Tianmie said decisively, "Your Majesty, I want to integrate my Dao into this place!" He wanted to integrate as well! Su Yu looked at him, and Tianmie nodded firmly. "I want to merge into the Dao here. Once Your Majesty becomes a supreme expert, our fortunes will rise with yours! If Your Majesty can rival the River of Time, won't that mean we instantly become genuine experts of the same level?" Su Yu nodded. Tianmie grinned. "In other words, we can all ride Your Majesty's coattails as your Dao strengthens! Trying to comprehend the River of Time on our own is far too difficult, and we don't even know if our paths already have Rule Masters. But here, we are unique! For now, we drop a tier, and even becoming a Rule Master might not match a Heavenly Venerable… but once Your Majesty grows strong enough, we'll be true Rule Masters, won't we?" Su Yu smiled. "That is true. But you must understand, it might take a very long time before I reach that point. By then, you might feel like you possess Heavenly Venerable power, but in reality, you might struggle against a Heavenly King. Won't that sense of disparity bother you?" Tianmie bared his teeth in a grin. "Not at all! Besides, I had virtually no hope of reaching Heavenly King on my own, but now there's hope! This is a shortcut. Those of us who integrate can essentially share in Your Majesty's talent!" Su Yu chuckled. At that moment, Xinghong and several others chimed in: "Your Majesty, let us integrate as well!" Eyes gleamed across the gathering. This was indeed an opportunity! And a massive gamble! Yet if the gamble paid off, they would secure a permanent place in this new world! In the truest sense, they would soar alongside Su Yu! Those who had not reached the Heavenly King realm were all considering it. As for those who were already Heavenly Kings, Su Yu preferred they refrain for now; otherwise, their combat strength would actually be diminished, since direct Rule Master-level comprehension was extraordinarily rare. Su Yu looked around and smiled. "Very well!" He no longer refused, chuckling, "Since everyone trusts Su Yu, whoever wishes to integrate may do so. Let's fleece the River of Time until it goes bald!" With a hearty laugh, he caused streams of Great Daos to manifest. "Everyone…" Boom! Before he could finish, Tianmie shot through the air, scrambling to seize the staff Dao. Xinghong pulled a dirty trick, directly kicking Yunxiao away with a feigned apologetic look: "Yunxiao, there's only one sword Dao. You should wait a bit; let me go first!" Su Yu was dumbfounded! Both Xinghong and Yunxiao practiced the sword Dao, but… wasn't this fellow being a bit too shameless? Yunxiao was equally stunned, and in the next moment, she roared, "You bastard!" *Bullying a woman like this?* *Despicable!* While the two fought over the sword Dao, King Daming smiled on the other side, stepping forward with a chuckle. "Nobody's competing with me for the formation Dao. Guess I'll play around as a Heavenly King for a bit!" No sooner had he spoken than Zhu Tiandao materialized, beaming at his father. "Dad, let me have it. Life's tough for me—I only stepped into Eternity recently, while you're already a second-tier Dao Integrator. What's the point of you integrating? Dad, you're old; give the younger generation a chance!" King Daming's mouth hung open for a long moment before he cursed, "You don't need to take the formation Dao! You little brat, do you have shit for brains? With so many Great Daos, you have to fight your own father for one?" "……" Zhu Tiandao sighed. "Dad, I'm familiar with the formation Dao. As for the others… I'm really not that comfortable with them!" "……" King Daming wanted nothing more than to beat his brat to death! Infuriating little beast! At this moment, a crowd of figures surged inside. Dao integration! Without needing Su Yu to say another word, powerful auras erupted one after another as they swiftly began integrating their Daos. With that, Su Yu’s world expanded continuously. Su Yu finally let go of all reservations. He glanced at King Dazhou, who returned the look with a smile, transmitting mentally: *"Your Majesty, are you satisfied?"* *"Is this the outcome you were hoping for?"* *"No,"* King Dazhou replied with a warm mental smile. *"I merely sought to secure an opportunity for everyone. Danger… is always commensurate with reward! Your Majesty, without taking risks, how can we grow strong? I would much rather hear Your Majesty declare that we won't wait for the Human Sovereign to return, but instead… take the initiative to attack!"* *"I would rather see Your Majesty take the fight to them. That is the Emperor Yu we know!"* Hearing this, Su Yu smiled. Indeed, perhaps this was the best choice of all! To strike first! Just as on that day, when he declared they would charge into the Upper Realm on their own initiative! On this day, numerous experts began integrating their Daos into Su Yu’s world, fleecing the River of Time for all it was worth!