The dead spirit giant tore through the void toward them.
At this moment, Su Yu waited no longer. He let out a sudden chuckle. "Hetu, after you devour the origin, have everyone look for their own origin and tell them how to devour it!"
"Your Majesty!" Hetu cried in astonishment. "All of them?"
"All of them!" Su Yu shouted clearly. "Everyone, find your own dead spirit origin! Devour these origins and restore yourselves into complete dead spirits!"
With those words, he shot forward through the void!
Behind him, Hetu wanted to say more, but towering waves surged around him, leaving him feeling somewhat helpless. He could not move freely here; very few people truly could.
***
"Kill!"
Su Yu took the initiative and charged into battle. Along the way, he met the Southern King and the others. Before they could speak, Su Yu waved a hand, unleashing a tremendous wave of force that swept them over to Hetu's side.
*Don't cause trouble, just focus on restoring your origins!*
Boom!
Covering the heavens with a single hand!
Su Yu's massive hand pressed down, instantly colliding with the fork-wielding giant.
It was merely a Heavenly King!
Well, a Heavenly King was terrifying enough.
This had been provoked by Hetu. Under normal circumstances, Hetu would definitely have ended up skewered to death!
Because the moment they clashed, Su Yu sensed it.
An endless stream of power was coalescing inside this giant.
Drawing upon the power of the entire Dead Spirit River, the giant possessed an inexhaustible supply of death qi.
However, today's Su Yu was no ordinary Celestial Venerable.
He had always said he could rival Hundred Battles from six thousand years ago.
And six thousand years ago, Hundred Battles could fight three Celestial Venerables, while a single Celestial Venerable could take on two or three Heavenly Kings.
Now, the gap between Su Yu and his opponent was an absolute crushing difference in strength.
He struck out with a palm!
Rumble!
His massive palm smashed the giant into dust in a single strike. Yet in the very next moment, the Heavenly King giant revived again. A glint of murderous intent lingered in its eyes; somewhat wooden, it spoke in the ancient lingua franca, repeating ceaselessly:
"Usurper of origin, die!"
"Usurper of origin, die!"
Yes, repeating it over and over!
Su Yu's expression changed slightly. A saber appeared in his hand, and the Heaven-Cleaving Blade Technique erupted. He slashed out, churning the river like a roaring tsunami, blowing the giant apart once more into dispersed death qi with a resounding blast. But the entity rapidly reformed again.
In the blink of an eye, it resumed the shape of the giant.
By now, Su Yu understood, murmuring with some helplessness, "It can't be killed!"
Indeed, this giant could not be slain.
It was effectively the manifestation of the Dead Spirit Dao's will. He could not truly kill it; he could only destroy it repeatedly while it continuously resurrected. To kill it permanently, Su Yu would need the ability to sever the Dead Spirit Dao itself!
Su Yu slashed the freshly resurrected giant dead once more and shouted, "Get across, all of you!"
Behind him, more people were rushing forward.
At this moment, Su Yu had figured out how the mechanism worked. Yes, he had guessed it.
If more people devoured their origins, a second giant probably wouldn't appear; instead, this very giant would draw on even more power and grow increasingly stronger until it slaughtered all those who had seized their origins.
Spread out?
Hetu devouring his origin had only produced a Heavenly King entity, but if many more people did it, this giant would surely become far more terrifying.
Yet the giant was already awake.
If more people came next time, an even more terrifying existence might appear. Right now, this giant didn't seem fully conscious—it acted mechanically, in a daze—yet Su Yu could also feel its will continuing to awaken!
"Troublesome!"
With a roar, Su Yu repelled the opponent once more. After a brief hesitation, he stopped killing it.
Su Yu now sensed the gravity of the problem.
Every time he killed it, it seemed to grow stronger.
Moreover, it seemed to be gaining more intelligence.
"I can't keep killing it. I have to seal it!"
Su Yu swiftly laid down array after array of sealing and suppressing formations. Though he wielded ten thousand Daos and was not a specialist in array formations, setting up simple sealing arrays was well within his capabilities.
Not only that, Su Yu gripped a colossal writing brush—the power of the Brush Dao!
He had devoured a substantial amount of Brush Dao power, and the Brush Dao inherently possessed sealing properties.
The four Daos of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were prepared by King Wen for his revival. King Wen had evidently known a few things, including the appearance of such unkillable giants!
"Brush Dao governs sealing!"
Drawing out array after array with the giant brush in hand, Su Yu rapidly sealed the giant within.
The giant roared violently, struggling frantically!
Rumble!
Its massive pitchfork battered against the barriers relentlessly.
Having sealed the giant, Su Yu looked back at the dead spirits behind him and yelled, "What are you standing there for? Move!"
Many dead spirits were terrified, but gritting their teeth, they flew rapidly forward, bypassing the struggling giant.
However, fear crept into the hearts of some. An Eternity dead spirit suddenly wheeled around and flew backward toward the breach Su Yu had opened.
He wanted to go back!
Only after arriving here did he understand how dangerous it was.
Even a single giant was an entity far beyond his realm of comprehension.
Yet before he could fly far back, boom! A colossal wave crashed down upon him, smashing him into death qi that merged right back into the Dead Spirit River.
Su Yu's eyes flickered, and he glanced in that direction.
At this moment, the waves over there subsided slightly—almost negligibly, but Su Yu still sensed it.
And the colossal dead spirit giant seemed to calm down just a fraction.
*When a dead spirit dies, its entire origin merges back in... what does this mean?*
Thoughts churned in Su Yu's mind, and an idea began to take shape.
Hetu had stripped away his origin power, making the Dead Spirit River feel that it had suffered a heavy loss; hence, it manifested a dead spirit giant. But if another dead spirit died and merged back in, it might weaken the giant, because the river had recouped a tiny fraction of its losses.
Dead spirits originally had roughly half of their power retained within the river; upon their death, all of their power flowed back in.
Still, a mere Eternity dead spirit was too far below Hetu.
Thus, the giant had only quieted down by the faintest degree.
With these thoughts in mind, Su Yu reinforced the seal on the giant. How long it would hold, he did not know, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now. He flew rapidly back toward the entrance, needing to help everyone fuse with their origins.
Soon, Su Yu reached the group.
Nearly sixty dead spirits had gathered here, varying in strength, all struggling against the massive waves.
Among them were his own people as well as outsiders, including experts under the Northern King's command and even dead spirits controlled by the figures in the sealed lands.
If all sixty attempted to revive, Su Yu could hardly imagine how powerful that giant would become.
Whatever!
They had to disperse; there wouldn't be another chance anytime soon!
"Find your respective origins!"
Su Yu shouted in a low voice. The Southern King and the others quickly flew forward. Su Yu continued to suppress the area with the Star Universe Seal, but the seal's power was clearly running thin.
At this point, Tianhuo of the Fire God Clan, the Heavenly King expert who had previously flown out of the Dead Spirit River, hurriedly called out, "Human expert, if we go further, the river's repulsive force against us will grow stronger, especially with a living being entering! Human expert, how about you focus solely on suppressing that giant, and we'll fuse with our origins ourselves? Life and death are up to fate; we cannot rely entirely on you..."
He felt... well, seeing Su Yu split his attention between two tasks filled him with dread.
*We can withstand the river's power on our own. Please, human expert, just go deal with that giant, or we're terrified something catastrophic will happen.*
Su Yu ignored him.
The Southern King, however, said gravely, "Your Majesty, we are not children, we are experts! When it comes to fusing with our origins... let us do it ourselves! If we die, so be it; are we to be coddled like infants? Doing this will divide your focus, which cannot be allowed!"
Tianhuo was right: Su Yu had to protect them while also dealing with that giant.
Right now, living beings could not easily enter; otherwise, the river's repulsion against the living would amplify the turbulence. That would only be viable at the very last moment, and Su Yu had no intention of calling everyone in just yet.
Hearing the Southern King's words, Su Yu looked at the others. Although some wished for Su Yu to escort them part of the way, one look at the thrashing giant behind them prompted several to say in deep voices, "Your Majesty, you should focus on dealing with that giant. As for fusing with our origins, we will do it ourselves!"
"Indeed, Your Majesty!"
Xingyue, who had just arrived, also looked toward Su Yu and said in a resolute tone, "Just deal with that giant. Finding our origins isn't overly difficult. If we can't even withstand these waves, it means we don't deserve to be revived!"
Su Yu went silent for a moment before nodding. Suddenly, he reached out, retrieved the Star Universe Seal, and handed it to Xingyue. "This belongs to you. Take it yourself!"
Xingyue paused in surprise.
Su Yu said gravely, "This object has aided me tremendously, but it was never mine—it is yours! The Star Universe Seal suppresses all anomalies, suppresses everything. I have already expended a vast amount of its energy, perhaps as much as eighty or ninety percent... For now, I return it to you. We can discuss the rest later!"
Xingyue remained silent for a breath, then promptly accepted it.
Su Yu glanced around at the others. "This rightfully belongs to Xingyue. I had no intention of explaining, but..."
He looked coldly at Tianhuo and the rest. "I hope none of you stir up trouble over this! Xingyue, just use this seal to protect yourself. Many of these things were actually prepared for you by others!"
Be it the Star Universe Seal, the Dao of Ink, or even the Brush Dao, all had the underlying intent of helping Xingyue revive.
In truth, they belonged to her.
Xingyue said nothing, and the others kept their silence as well.
Su Yu sent a secret voice transmission to Hetu: "Protect Xingyue well. She should be very important! Do not let anyone seize her Star Universe Seal. The seal is bound to have a great purpose, especially for her!"
Certain matters were preordained in the dark, arranged by the ancient paragons.
All these things likely revolved around Xingyue.
Su Yu said no more, concluding, "Then... go fuse with your origins. I will hold off the giant. It cannot be killed and will only grow stronger!"
The Southern King and the others nodded.
Soon, the group pressed onward.
Several Eternity dead spirits turned back; their origins apparently did not lie in the river's depths.
As for Su Yu, he flew swiftly back toward the giant.
***
Boom!
Just as Su Yu arrived, the giant broke straight through the seal, causing Su Yu's expression to harden.
No one had fused with an origin yet—why had it grown stronger?
It was awakening faster than anticipated!
"What a pain!"
Su Yu cursed under his breath. "So whether I revive one person or many, you damned bastard just keep getting stronger on your own anyway?"
Damn it all!
In that case, his choice hadn't been wrong after all. This bastard was continually growing stronger by itself, rather than waiting for everyone to fuse with their origins!
"Die!"
The giant grew even colder and more ruthless, thrusting its pitchfork straight at Su Yu. Su Yu met it with a ferocious slash of his saber!
Boom!
A fierce clash erupted.
Elsewhere across the Dead Spirit River, anomalies multiplied as towering waves surged to the heavens.
***
At this moment, in the sealed lands.
Someone frowned slightly. "Imperial Sovereign, this upheaval in the Dead Spirit River is affecting us as well. If this continues... Pfft..."
Before he could finish, he spat out a mouthful of pitch-black blood!
Catching his breath, he couldn't help cursing, "We're taking the fall for them!"
Indeed, the violent turmoil throughout the river had swept them into its wake.
Dizhiluo, having been rebuked by the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign earlier, hadn't dared to speak out of turn. But now he couldn't hold back either. "We didn't gain a single benefit, yet we have to take the blame and suffer for them?"
Infuriating!
The entire river's upheaval was making things excruciating for them.
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign said nothing. After observing for a moment, he suddenly commanded, "Go all out and suppress the river's fluctuations!"
Hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
They all turned to look at him.
Ignoring their stares, the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign gazed toward the sky and said in a heavy voice, "The river is in violent turmoil. Su Yu is dealing with that dead spirit incarnation; the living cannot easily enter right now, or it will trigger an even greater upheaval! The others are all searching for their origins. If the upheaval becomes too severe, it will cause them to perish completely!"
Someone dearly wanted to say that if they perished, so what? What did that have to do with them?
However, the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign paid them no further heed.
In the next moment, a surging aura rippled out from within the Dead Spirit River.
At this time, seven or eight top experts broke through the void. Wan Tiansheng and the others wore solemn expressions, just about to take action, when suddenly, a formidable power erupted from one stretch of the river, abruptly quelling a section of turbulence spanning over a thousand meters.
At this moment, the entire river had turned transparent.
Wan Tiansheng looked up, somewhat surprised. Looking at the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign with a rather strange look, he cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks to the Imperial Sovereign for lending a hand!"
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign made no reply.
His power surged once more. He was exceptionally formidable; though sealed in this place, his presence inside the Dead Spirit River suffered minimal interference.
Under his suppression, the towering waves across that stretch of the river subsided one after another.
Wan Tiansheng and his companions watched silently, saying nothing more.
Beside the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign, of the other fourteen experts, some felt unwilling, while others held their peace and assisted in suppressing the turbulence.
***
Meanwhile.
As the Southern King and her group advanced, seeing the massive waves calm down over a stretch ahead caused the waves on their end to lessen considerably. The Southern King let out a soft breath of relief.
At this moment, Xia Chen suddenly spoke: "My origin is here!"
Without another word, he dove straight into the river. Sizzling sounds rang out unceasingly.
Xia Chen showed signs of melting!
Without Su Yu's assistance, simply capturing an origin was an arduous task.
With a cold expression, the Southern King struck out with a palm, blasting away the river water around him, and said in a low voice, "Hurry up!"
"Southern King..."
Xia Chen shook slightly. "You can just go on ahead..."
The Southern King said coldly, "Aid the weaker ones first. Our origins are too far ahead; we will attend to ours once you have fused with yours! Quickly, make haste!"
Xia Chen dared not delay.
The Southern King then looked toward Tianhuo and the others, barking coldly, "Search on your own. Do not follow us! Emperor Yu permitted you to enter, but... for those outside our faction, not attacking you is already an act of mercy. Go find your own origins!"
Did they expect her to help them find theirs?
Tianhuo cupped his hands slightly and vanished into the distance; his origin lay further ahead!
The other experts dispersed quickly, though some hesitated. Having witnessed Xia Chen's agony just now—Xia Chen was a powerhouse, yet even he had struggled to fuse on his own—one dead spirit couldn't help asking, "Lord Southern King, could you help suppress things for us a little..."
Bang!
Before the words finished leaving his mouth, the Southern King struck out with a palm, shattering him into pieces! In an instant, his shattered form melted into the Dead Spirit River with a bloodcurdling scream, completely dissipating into the waters!
Her face was icy, her voice chillingly hollow: "Get lost!"
That single shout terrified the remaining dead spirits, their faces draining of color. This Southern King was even more ruthless than Su Yu!
Su Yu hadn't made a move against them just now, yet the Southern King struck to kill without a second thought!
In a flash, over twenty dead spirits fled in all directions.
Forget it—they would search on their own!
Everyone held immense dread for the Southern King. She was one of the four ancient Heavenly Kings, her authority deeply ingrained in their minds; none dared to utter another word of protest.
The Southern King snorted coldly. "Give them an inch and they take a mile!"
She had no time to waste on them. Having executed a dead spirit in one strike, she swiftly turned to Lanshan and said in a grave voice, "Lanshan, go help the others integrate their origins! The living cannot enter here! We are the core strength of this Dead Spirit Realm. Be swift—we must lead everyone to revive together!"
She and Marquis Lanshan were the core strength of this realm, the strongest pillars under Su Yu's rule here!
At this moment, only they could help everyone rapidly fuse with their origin power!
Below, Xia Chen seized his origin power. It struggled violently, but with the giant blocked by Su Yu and a section of the massive waves suppressed by the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign, the remaining strain was tolerable.
Xia Chen's strength soared at a visible pace.
Third-class Dao Integration!
Second-class Dao Integration!
Only when he reached a level comparable to Hetu did Xia Chen cease his assimilation. He quickly soared upward, saying with delight, "The power is immense! At least an amount equal to our original strength was contained within the origin!"
In other words, experts of the Dead Spirit Realm had possessed only half their true power all along—a terrifying realization!
Just as he spoke, bang! In the distance, a Dao Integration expert found his origin power, but the moment he attempted to fuse with it, bang! He blew himself apart, instantly perishing and dissolving straight into the Dead Spirit River!
Xia Chen and the others felt a lingering dread. Without assistance, wouldn't one be doomed?
The Southern King cast a cold glance over, barely lingering on the sight before saying, "Spread out, make haste! Lanshan, myself, and Hetu paired with Xia Chen—split into three groups! Quickly, help everyone fuse with their origins!"
The three groups of powerhouses rapidly led the rest to continue hunting for origins.
Soon, Marquis Zhengyang roared, "My origin is here!"
"Lanshan, head over!"
Marquis Lanshan swiftly led her team over, while the others pressed onward.
***
At this moment.
The giant facing Su Yu grew stronger and stronger—an unkillable entity!
By now, it already possessed the strength of a peak Heavenly King.
This fellow seemed only half a step away from becoming a Celestial Venerable.
Su Yu cursed inwardly. *Too fast!*
At this rate, it would soon reach Celestial Venerable!
Could it grow even stronger?
All the way to Ruler of Rule?
Then he would be in catastrophic trouble!
However, the self-destruction of that Dao Integration expert just now had caused the giant's power to decline slightly. Su Yu understood even more clearly what he had to do. *Longxue, my apologies, but it looks like I'm going to have you dissolved into this river!*
Right at that moment, the giant suddenly spoke. It was no longer as dazed as before; though its voice still carried a mechanical cadence, the words it uttered were different:
"Insolent junior, encroaching upon my Dao—do you seek an unbridgeable feud with this seat? An enmity born of contending for the Dao surpasses all else!"
The giant spoke mechanically. Su Yu felt a tremor in his heart, but responded swiftly: "Let my people go!"
"Kill!"
The giant said no more, thrusting its pitchfork forward!
Taking half a step back, Su Yu whipped out a punch that shattered the pitchfork, but his control over his strength was no longer as precise as before.
As soon as he smashed the weapon, another pitchfork materialized in the giant's hand, even stronger than the last.
You couldn't kill it; killing it only made it stronger. Encountering such a foe was the ultimate headache!
Su Yu looked back and roared, "Pick up the pace!"
He couldn't drag this out much longer!
Beyond this giant, Su Yu could already feel the entire Dead Spirit River continuing to awaken.
What he feared most was about to happen.
Sure enough, at that very instant, a thunderous boom erupted. Farther back, where the Southern King and the others were, a monstrous wave surged violently—the section of waves previously suppressed by the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign suddenly exploded outward!
This wasn't intentional on the Imperial Sovereign's part; rather, a grand and majestic will swept across the entire river!
"My subjects, slaughter the invading foes!"
The grand voice resonated in every direction.
Indeed, the residual will of the Master of Dead Spirits was erupting, commanding his followers to kill!
***
At that moment.
Among the dead spirits staying behind below, some suddenly saw their eyes turn blood-red, while others clutched their heads and screamed in agony. A few forcibly maintained a semblance of composure, gritting their teeth and shouting in anguish: "K-King Dazhou... this is bad... our... our instincts... are driving... driving us to kill His Majesty..."
Boom!
There was no need for him to say more. At that very moment, several dead spirits went completely berserk and charged toward the gap in the sky.
And that gap was right next to where Su Yu and the giant were locked in battle.
Engaged in combat, Su Yu saw this and was not alarmed, but rather delighted. Good!
Killing them to appease the turbulence of the Dead Spirit River wasn't a bad idea at all!
He instantly divided into clones—one clone contending with the giant, while another met the charging dead spirits head-on. Anyone he didn't recognize was slain immediately. As for those he recognized... well, dead spirits looked largely alike; Su Yu could only ensure he recognized most of his own people at Eternity and above. Those below Eternity couldn't fly up here anyway.
***
In the Northern King's territory.
At this moment, some dead spirits could not control themselves and flew upward.
The Northern King frowned slightly, forcibly suppressing his own impulse to rush up and slaughter. He said in a deep voice, "Restrain our people! Some of our own have gone up there too!"
He pinned down a dead spirit Dao Integration expert beside him. Marquis Longxue's eyes glinted, and he abruptly struck with a fist, obliterating a nearby Dao Integration expert. He said casually, "Lacking even a shred of self-control, what use are you?"
That Dao Integration expert had been losing control, but was still managing to barely restrain himself. Yet... Marquis Longxue had ambushed and slain him on the spot!
As the expert died, Marquis Longxue casually absorbed the fallen entity's power. Seeing this from a distance, the Northern King frowned and demanded coldly, "Longxue, what are you doing?"
*I told you to restrain them, not kill them!*
Marquis Longxue said indifferently, "Just weak-willed trash, controlled the moment something happens. Such beings would be the first to surrender in a crisis anyway. Better off dead!"
The Northern King glared at him with knitted brows, his tone freezing: "Longxue, what on earth are you trying to do?"
Marquis Longxue barely obeyed orders anymore!
This bastard killed Dao Integration experts whenever he felt like it.
Despicable!
Killing a Dao Integration expert was normally no easy feat, but under the onslaught of the massive waves, influenced by the will of the Master of Dead Spirits, and caught completely off-guard by Longxue's sudden betrayal, the victim had been slaughtered effortlessly!
Marquis Longxue replied coldly, "Lord Northern King, disobedient fools can be killed as we please; what's wrong with that? You are far too benevolent, My Lord!"
With that, Marquis Longxue gave an eerie smile and suddenly leapt into the air, flying toward the Dead Spirit Heavenly River. Seeing eyes turn toward him, Marquis Longxue chuckled faintly, "I will go slay the rampaging dead spirits! Experts of the human race, if you are willing to lend a hand, you may join me in cutting down those beasts so as not to cause trouble for Emperor Yu!"
"Longxue!"
Behind him, the Northern King barked, displeasure heavy in his voice.
Marquis Longxue paid him no heed.
Opportunity... had arrived!
Yes, an opportunity.
Under normal circumstances, killing a powerful dead spirit would inevitably draw scrutiny. Now, no one was watching. If he went to slaughter the berserk dead spirits, the humans might even assist him. Excellent!
Borrowing a knife to kill someone suited his desires perfectly.
A faint smirk concealed itself in Marquis Longxue's eyes. In the next instant, a sentence echoed in the minds of every dead spirit, imbued with an overwhelming, majestic pressure:
"Children of my domain, slay the invading foes and receive the power of rules! The more enemies you slay, the greater the reward!"
Those with weak wills were commandeered immediately!
Those with stronger wills could still restrain themselves, but now, the remnant will of the Master of Dead Spirits wasn't merely issuing an absolute decree; it was tempting them with rewards, wielding both carrot and stick!
While Longxue was still pondering just how grand the reward for slaying invading enemies would be, something suddenly happened in the Dead Spirit River.
One of the dead spirits that had entered earlier abruptly lost control. In full view of everyone, that expert—roughly a fourth-class Dao Integration powerhouse—struck out and pierced clean through a fellow Dao Integration dead spirit beside him, instantly pinning him to death in the river!
And in that very instant, a potent surge of dead spirit rule power manifested around the killer.
Almost in the blink of an eye, he jumped from fourth-class Dao Integration straight into third-class!
And the one he had slain was merely a fifth-class Dao Integration expert!
Stunned!
Everyone was utterly stunned.
Could the Dead Spirit Dao... even differentiate such things?
Because they had all stepped into the Dead Spirit River!
No, the key was that this... this reward was unbelievable!
Marquis Longxue was dumbfounded as well!
Killing a fifth-class Dao Integration bumped him straight to third-class, advancing an entire tier! What kind of reward was this?
"My children, slay the foes and receive lavish rewards!"
"Slay those who devour origins, and the reward shall be doubled!"
"Slay the foreign-Dao expert, and this seat shall assist you in stepping into the realm of a true Ruler of Rule, commanding the Dead Spirit Dao to rival Rulers of Rule!"
"..."
Marquis Longxue was flabbergasted!
Not just him—at this moment, every dead spirit was shaken to the core.
Kill one who devours origin, double reward.
The "foreign-Dao expert" surely referred to Su Yu. Killing Su Yu would turn someone directly into a Ruler of Rule?
Could this be real?
An existence like the Master of Dead Spirits would never deceive them.
***
At this moment.
In the sealed lands, among the fifteen experts, some felt their hearts stirring with desire, while others said helplessly, "We are sealed; we can't get out!"
It had little to do with them, unless they could stir up some commotion within the Dead Spirit River.
Dizhiluo also sneered, "Forget it, we can't go anyway. It's just origin power in the Dead Spirit Dao—it's not overwhelmingly strong, certainly not on par with fellows like Yu Ziqi!"
He dearly wanted to slay a formidable enemy, but alas, they couldn't leave!
The rewards were too lavish!
And to the master of the Dead Spirit Dao, what was the power of a single Ruler of Rule to him?
It was probably not a lie!
***
Meanwhile, Su Yu stared coldly at the giant before him and remarked indifferently, "Ruler of Rule? Even your giant avatar isn't a Ruler of Rule, yet you claim you can reward someone into becoming one? How laughable—you haven't even revived to that extent yourself!"
This fellow was lying!
Otherwise, why wouldn't he just make his own avatar a Ruler of Rule?
Yet the giant was equally chilling: "Foolish creature. This seat has not fully awakened. Once you are slain, this seat shall gradually revive and naturally fulfill that promise!"
He had never said the reward would be granted instantly!
A mere Ruler of Rule—could he not afford to grant that?
Of course he could!
"My children, slay the foreign-Dao trespasser, and the Dead Spirit Realm shall be ruled by you as viceroy!"
He was designating an overseer for the Dead Spirit Realm! Of course, only a viceroy; the true master would remain him!
And at this moment, the giant's strength spiked once more. Boom!
The power of a Celestial Venerable manifested!
The giant's strength was awakening.
With a tearing sound, a thrust of the pitchfork drove Su Yu several paces back. Sweeping massive waves in its wake, the giant charged forward as turbulence erupted across the river again, towering waves surging to the sky.
Right at that moment, several dead spirits in the river who hadn't lost control suddenly attacked their companions!
Slash!
Killing the dead spirit beside them instantly brought a surge in strength. Becoming a Ruler of Rule might be difficult, but anything below that was easy. The giant's aura dipped slightly, but it revealed a smile that was no longer mechanical: "It seems these invaders are turning on one another!"
It possessed intelligence!
Su Yu's expression changed. The giant was deliberately inciting infighting among those who had entered.
Killing those around them granted power—immense power!
Even if the giant had to expend a sliver of its own strength to grant the reward, it mattered little, as its power was rapidly recovering!
Su Yu stared coldly at it, throwing a punch in the next moment, his heart growing anxious. *Are they still not done devouring their origins?*
The trouble was only going to escalate!
***
"Devour!"
The Southern King barked. The next instant, her expression changed drastically as she looked forward.
Ahead, a massive breach opened spontaneously in the Dead Spirit River. Yes, a breach—the river had torn open! At this moment, the Southern King's face drained of all color!
Because within that torn opening, she saw a sight she dreaded most.
And beneath the rupture, someone below was equally stunned.
Dizhiluo stared upward in a daze, then turned to the others and muttered, "This... the river... has torn open! Can we... can we just enter the river directly, and then... break our seal?"
This was unbelievable!
This section of the river lay almost at the deepest part and was virtually impossible to pry open; otherwise, they would have long pooled their strength to crack it open, charge inside, and look for a weak point to escape!
Yet now, the river had opened a rift.
The will of the Master of Dead Spirits had sensed something and granted their desire, proactively tearing open a passage for them!
They could unseal themselves, kill enemies, and escape!
Overcome with shock, Dizhiluo suddenly turned to the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign, his emotions spiraling out of control: "Imperial Sovereign... let us... let us go in!"
Go in!
Alone, he wouldn't dare charge in blindly—he could see the Southern King and her group.
But if they all went together, what was there to fear?
Fifteen top experts: the Imperial Sovereign rivaled a Ruler of Rule, four others rivaled Celestial Venerables, and the rest were on par with Heavenly Kings!
Against just the Southern King and Lanshan, they could beat them to death in an instant!
The Imperial Sovereign frowned slightly, looking up at the sky. He wanted to escape as well, but trying to flee would inevitably lead to a collision with certain individuals. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Wan Tiansheng and his group rose into the air!
Wan Tiansheng sighed. "Everyone, I truly hope you can... stay out of this battle. After this battle, we will find a way to undo your seal, and neither side will interfere with the other. On His Majesty's behalf, I promise you: if you do not enter the river during this battle, our Yu Emperor Manor will spare no effort in helping you break free!"
Dizhiluo spoke with a touch of madness: "Do any of you believe that? At a time like this, the river has opened of its own accord! Don't forget, we are dead spirits—the Master of Dead Spirits is our only sovereign! Are we going to foolishly stay here and not flee? Are you insane?!"
Several dead spirits grew restless, some glancing toward the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign.
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign frowned slightly, then suddenly asked, "Is the Yu Emperor Manor truly willing to help us break free?"
Wan Tiansheng said solemnly, "I guarantee it, and it is Emperor Yu's guarantee as well! Right now, I merely do not wish for conflict to break out between us... it benefits neither party!"
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign went silent for a moment before nodding slightly: "I... choose to believe you this once."
"Imperial Sovereign!" someone shouted in a low voice. It wasn't Dizhiluo, but another Celestial Venerable, who could no longer contain his impatience. "Imperial Sovereign, you... we can walk out under our own power!"
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign said calmly, "Leave? Going out right now... will inevitably result in a bloodbath; otherwise, we won't get out! Better to wait here and let the Yu Emperor Manor release us voluntarily!"
"Imperial Sovereign!"
Someone yelled furiously. What kind of logic was this?
Refusing an open route out to wait for others to release them?
Fine, even if it meant a massive battle, so what?
Could they possibly be afraid?
Never!
"Do as you please, everyone," the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign said, looking toward the sky. After a moment of silence, he added, "Right now, the only breach lies by Su Yu's side. Going out... will inevitably ignite a battle!"
Inevitably!
Among the others, some gritted their teeth, while others wrestled with indecision.
What was the Imperial Sovereign thinking?
In truth, Wan Tiansheng was also astonished. The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign was actually choosing not to leave! He hadn't expected this either. By his reasoning, after being sealed for countless years, having a chance at freedom should have driven them to break out regardless of the cost.
As for fighting a massive battle... for the sake of freedom, who cared?
Yet the man had actually believed his words, leaving even Wan Tiansheng bewildered!
What... what did this mean?
What was this Imperial Sovereign plotting?
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign said nothing, merely staring up at the opening.
What was he thinking?
His reasoning was simple: if he went out, he might die!
Die completely!
Could a heaven-opener possess only these few meager tricks?
He didn't believe it!
The other party definitely held other trump cards; right now, he was merely testing the waters. If they chose to step into that breach, they would become mortal enemies with Su Yu's faction. Don't even bother saying they wouldn't participate in the fight—that was impossible!
Just at that moment, someone barked, "Charge up!"
In an instant, eight figures soared toward the sky!
Only a fool wouldn't leave!
The Imperial Sovereign had gone mad from imprisonment!
An idiot!
A path to survival was presented, yet you refuse to take it, insisting on waiting until the seal breaks on its own?
And waiting for the Yu Emperor Manor? Heh, who would entrust their fate to someone else!
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign frowned and murmured softly, "Within ten years, even if no one unseals us, this seal will crumble on its own. Why bother?"
At worst, wait another ten years!
"Imperial Sovereign, we... cannot wait any longer!" someone roared. They couldn't wait!
At that moment, Fat Ball tore through the void. A boot came crashing down, cutting off the passage! In the next instant, Fat Ball transformed into a ferocious black hound and let out an earth-shaking roar: "Kill them!"
At this moment, Fat Ball was benevolent no longer!
Chapter 794