With Xingyue's revival, this journey of resurrection had come to a complete close!
Su Yu had returned.
Diving from the River of Time into the River of Dead Spirits, he quickly made his way back to the dead spirit realm.
The turbulence within the River of Dead Spirits gradually subsided.
The fleeting Master of the Departed might have vanished entirely, or perhaps he would appear again next time—if anyone dared attempt resurrection again and devour the origin, he would undoubtedly re-emerge!
Meanwhile, the situation in the dead spirit realm had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
The Northern King was dead. Longxue was dead. Fourteen top powerhouses had perished in the sealed domain. As for the formidable dead spirits within the River of Dead Spirits, those who could die had died, and those who survived, like Tianhuo of the Fire God race, had now merged into Su Yu's world.
Su Yu's world had expanded substantially as well!
By this point, Su Yu's strength had grown considerably, and his Daos were far more complete.
Xingyue had integrated with the Dao of Life and Death, taking Su Yu's Dao of Life and Death with her. Yet because this Dao belonged to Su Yu's heaven and earth, as Xingyue grew stronger, those two Daos would also grow in power.
Consequently, they would make Su Yu's world even more complete.
There were both pros and cons!
Xingyue had taken Su Yu's Dao of Life and Death. If Xingyue died, the cycle of the Dao of Life and Death in Su Yu's world would be broken, throwing his entire world into turmoil.
However, if she strengthened both Daos, they would reciprocate and bolster Su Yu's world.
That would all depend on Xingyue's progress.
...
Within the new world.
There were twenty-six resurrected dead spirits, almost all of whom were Su Yu's subordinates, though a few were not, such as Tianhuo.
As for strength, the Southern King was the most powerful among them at this moment.
When Su Yu stepped into this world, he suddenly felt that here, even he, the master of the realm, might not necessarily be stronger than the Southern King. That was what made it terrifying.
Of course, that was only inside.
Once outside this heaven and earth, Su Yu was still Su Yu, but the Southern King... might not be the Southern King she was now.
The shortcomings of a pseudo-Dao were fully exposed here.
Marquis Lanshan possessed the might of a top-tier Heavenly King here, even bordering on Celestial Venerable power, but outside, she would at best barely reach the threshold of an ordinary Heavenly King.
Tianhuo, on the other hand, also wielded Celestial Venerable power here, and outside he would certainly retain Heavenly King strength, and a fairly strong one at that.
The others had all received improvements as well.
Hetu, for instance, faintly exhibited a touch of Heavenly King power here. Xia Chen was roughly a second-class Dao Integration expert, bordering on the Heavenly King realm. Others like Marquis Zhengyang were second-class or third-class Dao Integration experts, not far from the Heavenly King level.
Among the twenty-six powerhouses, some were stronger and some weaker, but even those who had previously been in the Eternity realm mostly possessed Dao Integration strength after merging with their origins.
This was an entire contingent of experts—a full twenty-six of them.
On the guards' side, there were thirty-one experts.
Between these two groups alone, there were fifty-seven powerhouses, not to mention the experts of the various other races, the human race, and the ancient eras...
At this moment, Su Yu's camp truly possessed a gathering of supreme experts!
Su Yu landed on the ground.
By now, everyone was returning one after another.
Giant Axe and San Yue arrived as well. Seeing the previously scattered crowd assembling, and upon stepping into this world, Giant Axe and San Yue were inwardly shocked!
Outside, some of these people possessed only ordinary strength.
Yet the moment figures like King Daqin and King Daxia entered, their auras surged wildly, instantly transforming them into Heavenly King-level existences. That was what was truly terrifying!
Earlier, outside, there had been a dozen or so Heavenly Kings.
Now that they were inside, the number was approaching twenty!
Furthermore, the impression the Southern King and the others gave Giant Axe here was that even he could not possibly match her. Not only the Southern King, but he might not even be able to match Tianhuo. Here, Marquis Lanshan's aura was barely any different from his own.
San Yue was equally startled!
He looked around at the area. It was not very large—about the size of a small town, or the territory of a single mountain belonging to the Iron-Eating race.
Yet this place felt completely distinct from the outside world.
This was not the dead spirit realm, but it did not seem like the Myriad Realms either.
As San Yue pondered this, Su Yu smiled and said, "Senior San Yue, it was fortunate that you and Senior Giant Axe came to assist us in battle this time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how to handle things!"
These were merely polite pleasantries!
Even if they hadn't come, it wouldn't have made much difference.
Back then, Su Yu had already unleashed the Sanctification Seal; routing those opponents was only a matter of time. The only factor that could have truly disrupted Su Yu's plan was the Necro Sovereign.
Had that sovereign intervened, unexpected variables would have arisen.
Since he hadn't, everything had unfolded according to Su Yu's design.
Without thorough preparation, how could Su Yu have dared to act rashly? Since he had dared, it meant his preparations were virtually complete!
San Yue hastily replied, "Emperor Yu is being too polite!"
Giant Axe hesitated, opening his mouth before thinking better of it and remaining silent.
Su Yu smiled at him and said, "Senior Giant Axe, this is the first time I've met you. Previously, I had only heard your name without ever seeing your face. Meeting you today, your strength truly reaches the heavens!"
Giant Axe chuckled awkwardly. "Emperor Yu, you have so many experts here. I thought..."
Forget it, better not say it.
I thought your side was truly in a pitiful state.
Reaching this point, he still asked, "So... none of those people from before actually died?"
He had thought they were all goners!
Su Yu smiled and nodded. "Naturally, they didn't die. Previously, I simply didn't wish to become the balancing pivot between the Chaos race and the myriad races, so I seized the opportunity to withdraw with everyone."
"That's good, then!"
Giant Axe breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried that saving me had caused heavy losses for Emperor Yu's side, and I felt quite guilty. Now I feel much more relieved."
Su Yu chuckled lightly. "Feeling guilt... that already makes you far better than most! But Senior doesn't need to feel that way. Forcing the myriad races to release you was merely an attempt on my part; it was their own hope that you would exert your strength for them that made them willing to let you go."
With that, Su Yu smiled. "Let us set that aside for now. Senior can put the matter to rest!"
Having said that, Su Yu turned his gaze to Tianhuo. Currently, Tianhuo was accompanied by four individuals, all of whom were in the Dao Integration realm.
This group of five were the outsiders of this endeavor.
All the others had died.
Seeing Su Yu looking over, Tianhuo said in a deep voice, "Many thanks for Emperor Yu's assistance!"
They had been resurrected!
This time, they had reaped an enormous advantage without facing too much danger—naturally, those who had faced danger were already dead.
Su Yu looked at the few of them and said calmly, "There's no need for polite words; they're meaningless. You chose to merge your Daos into my world, so you probably understand what that entails. I don't care much for exchanging pleasantries with people I don't know well. Here, you and I are bound to the same Dao. If something happens to me, it brings you no benefit; if something happens to you, it damages the power of my Dao as well!"
Tianhuo replied solemnly, "I have already sensed it. Since we chose to merge into Emperor Yu's Dao, whether out of having no other choice, resigning ourselves to fate, or repaying your kindness, we will fight for Emperor Yu!"
He didn't claim to have been won over; that was a matter for the future.
For now, they were not well acquainted.
At present, they had to serve Su Yu!
If they refused, they could choose to sever themselves from the Dao and leave, reverting to the Sun and Moon realm, and then... die of old age!
Yes, they would definitely die!
Their lifespans were calculated based on when they were alive. How long could a cultivator in the Sun and Moon realm live?
Without the power of Su Yu's Dao, other Daos could not accommodate them, and they would instantly perish of old age.
Su Yu smiled. "I appreciate clear-sighted individuals. What I dread are the blind; that never ends well. Right now, if anyone dares to haggle with me, it will inevitably leave behind grudges!"
"We wouldn't dare!"
Tianhuo cupped his fists. To haggle while on Su Yu's territory and using his Dao would be utter foolishness.
Moreover, Su Yu possessed so many methods—who wouldn't fear him?
Were there many powerhouses in the sealed domain?
And what of them now?
They were practically all dead!
Su Yu nodded slightly. He then looked toward the sealed domain, smiled faintly, and cupped his hands in that direction. "Congratulations to the Sovereign!"
His voice echoed across the distance. Far away, the Necro Sovereign opened his eyes and said calmly, "What is there to congratulate? The congratulations belong to Emperor Su!"
Su Yu smiled. "Of course there is cause for celebration. This time, a massive number of dead spirits perished, the Southern King and the others were revived, and the origin within the River of Dead Spirits has settled. I imagine the coming days will be the optimal opportunity for the Sovereign to advance himself! Even among Rule Masters, there are differences in strength. In my view, the Sovereign may soon step into the next realm!"
Indeed, there was no longer any competition!
His rivals were either dead or resurrected. The period ahead would be a window of growth for the weaker dead spirits. At this juncture, given the right opportunity, becoming a dead spirit Heavenly King or even a Celestial Venerable would not be exceedingly difficult!
Su Yu's side still had some dead spirits remaining. Not everyone had possessed the courage to undergo resurrection, including several Dao Integration experts who had stayed behind.
For these individuals, the coming days represented a prime opportunity for advancement.
By this point, the combat strength of Su Yu's camp had essentially peaked.
As for himself, he was far stronger than when he had first pioneered his Dao, because people had continuously merged into his Dao, expanding the world under his control. At this stage, Su Yu's personal combat prowess was rising alongside it.
Now, the number of powerhouses under Su Yu's command was formidable.
Celestial Venerable tier: San Yue, Giant Axe, Fat Ball, the Southern King.
Pseudo-Celestial Venerables: Tianhuo, Lanshan.
Heavenly Kings: Lan Tian, Wan Tiansheng, King Dazhou, Doubao, Chubing, Jiu Yue, the Destiny Emperor, Huoyun, Marquis Juzhu, Consort Qi, Hongmeng.
Pseudo-Heavenly Kings: King Daqin, King Daxia, Foutuling, Yingwu, the Hou Emperor, Liu Yue, the Space Beast Emperor, Hetu.
The pseudo-Celestial Venerables, Tianhuo and Lanshan, could barely exert Heavenly King combat strength in the outside world, while the Southern King could truly unleash Celestial Venerable might. Within Su Yu's world, she might even be capable of fighting a pitched battle against the ancestor of the Prison King's lineage.
Such was the harvest of this undertaking!
A tremendous harvest!
If such strength were revealed to the outside, it would be terrifying; it was likely not inferior to any faction.
Lan Tian actually gave off a faint impression of reaching the Celestial Venerable level, but that fellow detonated his clones every single day. His injuries healed only to worsen, and worsened only to heal; for the moment, no one could tell when he might make the breakthrough.
The Hou Emperor, Foutuling, and the others had all merged into Su Yu's world. Within this realm, even though Foutuling had only recently attained Dao Integration, he had overtaken others from behind because the Five Elements race was continuously perfecting his Dao of the Five Elements.
Within this world, those possessing Heavenly King combat strength exceeded twenty individuals!
Su Yu looked around at the crowd of powerhouses.
He was in a good mood.
Even a fellow like Tianmie could probably be considered a second-class Dao Integration expert within his world. Furthermore, comprehending the Dao was far simpler in his world, meaning everyone would enjoy a period of growth rather than halting their progress here.
Pseudo-Daos... Su Yu did not consider his Daos to be pseudo-Daos. It could only be said that the master of this world was inferior to the Master of Time, which had nothing to do with whether the Daos were genuine or false.
Among the surviving ancient powerhouses, only that unlucky fellow Marquis Dingjun remained at the second class to this day, having not yet merged into Su Yu's world.
And for no other reason than that this guy was pigheadedly stubborn, insisting on merging with the Dao of the Spear.
Now the Dao of the Spear was gone; even the similar Dao of the Halberd had been taken by Marquis Lanshan, and the Dao of the Staff had been merged by Tianmie. Su Yu felt that this fellow was perpetually late to the feast, and going forward, there didn't seem to be any Dao suitable for him.
As Su Yu was pondering this, Marquis Dingjun was actually feeling somewhat inferior himself.
Outside, it wasn't so noticeable.
King Daqin and the others were roughly comparable to him.
His old friend Yingwu was also his equal outside.
Yet the moment they entered... great. He was surrounded by Heavenly Kings, leaving him as the sole pitiful outlier, battered by the auras of these experts to the point where he could barely maintain his footing in the inner circle.
Damn it, it feels like I'm about to get booted from the front ranks!
With Su Yu at the center, over twenty powerhouses were currently standing in the surrounding circle. He was barely holding his ground in the inner ring, but... he felt he would soon be pushed out.
Seeing that Su Yu appeared to be lost in thought, he could no longer hold back and whispered, "Your Majesty, is there any Dao in our world suitable for me?"
I want to merge with a Dao!
Earlier, King Daqin had been faster than him to merge with the Dao of the Spear. He had thought he could take his time to consider, but in the blink of an eye, the halberd and staff Daos were completely gone. What was he supposed to do now?
Su Yu narrowed his eyes with a smile. "You want to merge with a Dao now?"
"Yes!"
Marquis Dingjun nodded hurriedly, looking helpless. "Your Majesty, but... there doesn't seem to be a Dao suitable for me!"
I want to become a Rule Master too!
If a fight broke out with others, wouldn't this put me in trouble?
"There are!"
Su Yu chuckled. "I told you to merge long ago, but you wouldn't. Now you come looking for me. If I weren't idle right now, I wouldn't even bother with you. There's still a Dao of the Shuo and a Dao of the Pike left; pick one! The shuo is difficult to practice, but a pike isn't much different from a spear. A lengthened spear is essentially a pike... just stretch your spear a bit longer! I saved it specifically for you!"
That last sentence delighted Marquis Dingjun immensely. Saved specifically for me?
My standing... is rock-solid!
Of course, Su Yu was merely saying that; no one had merged with it yet, that was all. He added, "For warriors, it's better to merge early. Unlike Civilization Masters who have a wide range of options, warriors have far fewer choices!"
This was the truth; many people utilized the common combat Daos.
With a wave of his hand, Su Yu manifested a Dao and paid no further attention to Marquis Dingjun, leaving him to his own devices. This was not the first time someone had merged with a Dao; many had done so last time, and Marquis Dingjun had witnessed it, so there would be no issue.
Su Yu looked at the crowd and said with a smile, "Everyone's strength has improved sufficiently! What comes next is the final boost: I will shatter and extract the Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast to help everyone fully restore their physical bodies! For a while after this, there probably won't be many opportunities for Dao comprehension!"
The crowd rejoiced—there was still one more round!
Following Su Yu truly meant eating three meals a day, whereas not following Su Yu meant not even getting one meal every three days!
Leaving his world where it was, Su Yu led everyone as they flew back. Behind them, Marquis Dingjun was in a state of frantic urgency, hurriedly merging with the Dao while shouting as he did so, "Your Majesty, shatter the Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast a bit more slowly, wait for me!"
Tianmie chuckled sinisterly. "It's gone! When you get back, there won't be anything left!"
Marquis Dingjun cursed under his breath, impatient to death.
Honestly!
Had I known, I would have merged with a Dao earlier.
Su Yu couldn't be bothered with him and led the group toward the sealed domain once more.
Within the sealed domain, of the original fifteen pillars of light, only a solitary one remained.
The Necro Sovereign opened his eyes and looked toward Su Yu.
Su Yu looked back at him and smiled. "Earlier, Director Wan agreed on my behalf to unseal you."
The Necro Sovereign remained silent.
Su Yu continued, "Wait a while longer. Once I finish the business at hand, I will come to unseal you! Rest assured, it won't take too long—certainly faster than the Martial Emperor and the others—and it will also avoid any conflicts arising between you and my people if you were unsealed right now."
"Emperor Su need not be overly hurried."
The Necro Sovereign was in no rush. "Sooner or later makes no difference. Being unsealed now holds no great benefit for me anyway. Quietly comprehending the Dao of Dead Spirits is also a good thing."
"The Sovereign is certainly open-minded!"
Su Yu smiled and said no more, leading his people away.
The group flew toward the Tianyuan Realm.
Far away, the Martial Emperor seemed to be peeking again. Su Yu faintly sensed it but couldn't be bothered to pay attention. In the distance, the Martial Emperor felt rather miserable and wanted to curse aloud!
What is going on?!
Lately, the premonition of mortal peril had been too pronounced; every day, someone seemed to be chanting that he was dead, dead, dead. Was it Su Yu after all?
If not Su Yu, who else was idle enough to chant day in and day out that he had died?!
Is that guy even human?
I'm alive and well!
Now, he had even begun to doubt his own danger senses. Am I dead or not?!
Seeing Su Yu flying toward the Tianyuan Realm with so many experts, his teeth ached. They were growing stronger and more numerous.
My unsealing is clearly right before my eyes, so why... why do I feel increasingly endangered?!
We agreed that once I'm unsealed, I'd beat this grandson to death.
But... how am I supposed to beat him to death now?!
Su Yu's own strength was terrifyingly formidable, not to mention the host of experts under his banner.
"No matter... once unsealed, I'll be stronger than ordinary Rule Masters!"
Even Rule Masters were divided into tiers, and he was no weakling. Why should he fear Su Yu?
What use were large numbers!
Well, large numbers did have their perks—at least there would be more heads to claim.
The Martial Emperor amused himself with these thoughts; life was becoming rather unlivable.
...
The Tianyuan Realm.
When San Yue and Giant Axe stepped inside, both were stunned.
Was this still the Tianyuan Realm?
This was simply a cultivation holy land!
Sure enough, their prior assumptions had been total nonsense. San Yue already saw a massive bamboo mountain standing in the distance, covered in bamboo, upon which numerous Iron-Eating Beasts were eating, drinking, and sleeping to their hearts' content!
Their days were far more comfortable than his own.
Throughout the entire realm, origin qi was abundant, the mountains were verdant, the waters pristine, and flowers bloomed alongside birdsong!
Even the power of rules was exceptionally dense.
We thought you were living in misery, but good grief, you're actually living like immortals!
How comfortable!
Giant Axe looked around as well, secretly curling his lip. Damn it, this truly was comfortable!
This place was even more pleasant than the Human Realm.
Who claimed Su Yu was having a rough time?
Absolute nonsense!
San Yue seemed to recall something and quickly said, "Your Majesty, I just remembered: our descent this time was tacitly approved by the powerhouses of the myriad races in the hope that we would bring Tiangu and the others up. That was why they gave Leibao and me the chance to descend!"
"Marquis Juzhu and the others are serving as hostages, correct?"
Su Yu asked with a chuckle. San Yue nodded. "Yes. Our clansmen up there are all acting as hostages; they're all there!"
Su Yu smiled. "Then bring them up! Even if you don't, Leibao will. Right now, Hundred Battles would love nothing more than for a war to break out above, while the myriad races worry about trouble in the lower realm. Sending people up will also demonstrate that the lower realm has no intention of joining the battle."
San Yue nodded slightly and soon added, "By the way, there have also been some developments in the upper realm. In the Chaos Mountain region, two top powerhouses suddenly appeared: an eight-winged tiger and a severed-tail dragon..."
Everyone's expressions turned strange.
Fat Ball mumbled, "That tiger actually ran up there? Could he betray us? And that dragon ran up there too; we broke off its tail, will it seek revenge against us?"
San Yue and Giant Axe were dumbfounded. Holy crap!
This is related to you guys too?
Su Yu said calmly, "The Eight-Winged Tiger probably won't, but the Chaos Dragon is hard to say... Still, it might not dare. It should have heard King Wen's voice. Pay it no heed. Even if it truly betrays us, so what? Will the myriad races believe it? As long as one side doesn't believe it, there's no issue! They saw with their own eyes that I suffered heavy losses last time; would they dare take the words of a Chaos beast seriously?"
Compared to the Chaos race, Su Yu's faction did not seem to pose as great a threat in their eyes.
San Yue nodded slightly. Remembering something else, he suddenly produced a large block of ice and said hurriedly, "This is General Xuelan. What should we do about her?"
Su Yu was surprised. "How did she end up with you?"
Xuelan's physical body had exploded last time; Su Yu had witnessed it. She hadn't detonated herself intentionally; rather, her opponent's self-detonation had forced her physical body to shatter, and a chilling power had sealed her.
It was a form of self-preservation. With a sweep of his senses, Su Yu knew the seal was formidable, difficult even for an ordinary Celestial Venerable to break.
How had she ended up in San Yue's possession?
Su Yu had assumed she had been taken by the Chaos race.
San Yue offered a brief explanation. Giant Axe hesitated for a moment before speaking up: "Xuelan is a descendant of the Snow King, her direct daughter. The Snow King may not have perished. Saving Xuelan... might still prove useful! Besides, Xuelan isn't a bad person..."
Last time, he had been captured alongside several other powerhouses.
In the end, Nanxi and the others had followed Hundred Battles, while he had now come to Su Yu's side, leaving Xuelan sealed.
Su Yu chuckled. "She's disobedient!"
Giant Axe said awkwardly, "She... after all, she wasn't very familiar with Emperor Yu. Detonating oneself... means dying. I think... it might just be... because of the lack of familiarity. Once she's familiar, it'll be fine!"
Su Yu nodded slightly and smiled faintly. "Fair enough! But even if unfamiliar... Senior Giant Axe, let me ask you: in the ancient era, if you were under King Wu's command and were reassigned to King Wen, once war broke out, would you dare disobey orders on the battlefield?"
Su Yu said indifferently, "This isn't a question of familiarity. I am the commander, and they are the soldiers! I am the contemporary Lord of Humanity. Since their lives were saved by me and I led them onto the battlefield, orders must be strictly obeyed! If I order them to charge as a suicide squad, they must charge! It's that simple!"
"Those are military orders, not social pleasantries. Senior Giant Axe, do you understand my meaning?"
Su Yu looked around, his gaze falling upon Tianhuo and the others, and spoke coldly: "In normal times, laughing, joking, scolding—do as you please! But on the battlefield, you are soldiers, you are troops! I am the commander, and on the battlefield, there will only ever be one voice!"
"If I say self-detonate, you self-detonate. If you trust me, you do it; if you don't trust me... you still do it. Failing to do so is insubordination!"
The crowd felt a chill in their hearts.
King Daqin chimed in at this moment, "Naturally. On the battlefield, orders must be obeyed without question; this has held true in every era! There are no personal sentiments on the battlefield, nor the right to pick and choose assignments. If you can fight, you fight; if you cannot, you must still fight! We are still in a state of war, and wartime military discipline is mandatory, regardless of strength!"
Marquis Giant Axe looked rather embarrassed.
Su Yu turned back to Giant Axe and smiled. "However... Senior Giant Axe traveled thousands of miles to come here for the first time, coming to my aid even while knowing my strength was severely diminished. For Senior Giant Axe, I can grant some face!"
Su Yu chuckled. "As for any gratitude from the Snow King, there's no need, nor is it required! I don't care about such things!"
"Senior Giant Axe, saving and unsealing Xuelan this time will be credited to you!"
Giant Axe looked awkward. "This..."
Su Yu smiled. "Senior, say no more. Just tell me whether to save her or not! If not, we'll keep her frozen in ice and find an opportunity to toss her out later; leaving her here permanently isn't an option! Or Senior can keep this block of ice as a personal keepsake!"
Giant Axe felt increasingly helpless. Credited to me?
I... I'm not that familiar with Xuelan.
But if it was credited to him, wouldn't that mean he owed another life?
How vexing.
He looked once more at the frozen Xuelan. Su Yu added, "This is also an opportunity for revival. I intend to cleave open the Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast to restore everyone with physical body strength. If she isn't unsealed now, then even if she recovers, restoring her physical body later... seeking out Hundred Battles might work, but otherwise, it will be exceedingly difficult!"
Right, Giant Axe remembered!
Xuelan's physical body had also been blown apart. If she didn't restore it now, it truly would be difficult in the future.
With that in mind, Giant Axe bared his teeth and said, "Then... then I must trouble Emperor Yu to save her. Although Xuelan and I aren't very familiar, the Snow King... was quite beautiful!"
"..."
Everyone was dumbfounded by this abrupt remark.
What was that supposed to mean?
We thought you had feelings for Xuelan, but turns out you didn't—you had feelings for Xuelan's mother?!
To the side, Marquis Huoyun couldn't hold back and grumbled, "Giant Axe, you had designs... on the Snow King too?"
He grimaced. "Weren't there rumors... about the Snow King and King Wu?"
Giant Axe snapped, "Nonsense! Even if King Wu had thoughts, the Snow King wouldn't have entertained them. The Snow King was a pure and noble woman!"
Damn!
Everyone cursed internally. What kind of gossip was this?!
How had King Wu gotten dragged into it again?
Now, curiosity was piqued. Tianmie stared blankly and said, "Xuelan wouldn't happen to be King Wu's daughter, would she?"
"Bullshit!"
Giant Axe shook his head. "Utter rubbish! Of course she isn't. Xuelan was born before the Snow King even became a king. I knew Xuelan's father personally and met him several times. Of course, that was an ancient time; Huoyun might recognize him."
Marquis Huoyun nodded. He indeed recognized him, but couldn't resist adding, "He died rather early. Xuelan was born more than thirty years after his death."
"..."
Everyone's expressions grew even stranger. This was massive gossip!
Giant Axe said exasperatedly, "Nonsense, that was during the great war back then! The Snow King froze her pregnancy; it's not like you didn't know that. Why bring up all this meaningless drivel? Huoyun, are you trying to stir up trouble on purpose?"
For powerhouses, who dictated that a child conceived in a given year had to be born in that same year? If one didn't wish to give birth yet, one simply sealed the pregnancy, and gave birth when ready!
After he offered a few words of explanation, everyone understood and nodded one after another.
They dropped the subject.
Yet their gazes remained intensely peculiar.
Could Marquis Giant Axe truly have feelings for the Snow King?
This guy really hid it well!
No wonder he had insisted on unsealing Xuelan; turns out he wanted to be her stepfather!
Su Yu merely chuckled, saying no more. Reaching out, he drew the block of ice into his grasp, examined it closely, and smiled. "This Dao of Freezing is rather intriguing. Under normal circumstances, it truly is difficult to break; it makes for quite a decent life-saving measure!"
With those words, a peculiar flame flared in his palm, distinct from ordinary fire and piercingly cold.
As the flames rose, the ice block gradually melted.
A moment later, an orb of light emerged, and in the next instant, General Xuelan coalesced into human form. Looking at Su Yu, she was taken aback.
Su Yu... was here?
Then where was she?
She swept her gaze around, inwardly astonished. Where had so many powerhouses come from? Furthermore, the people she had seen self-detonate last time were all still alive!
Without giving her a chance to speak, Su Yu said indifferently, "Senior Giant Axe asked me to unseal you and restore your physical body. You will follow Senior Giant Axe from now on; in return, Senior Giant Axe will serve under me!"
Xuelan was completely stunned. Marquis Giant Axe said awkwardly, "No, no, it's all thanks to Emperor Yu's magnanimity!"
Su Yu smiled. "Enough, it's a minor matter! Shortly, I will channel the Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast so everyone can restore their physical bodies. Xuelan, you should recover as well!"
Though Xuelan was filled with questions, this did not seem like an appropriate time to ask.
Where was this place?
The Human Realm?
Was this what the Human Realm looked like?
She faintly felt it wasn't, but if this wasn't the Human Realm, where was it?
So many powerhouses!
She had communicated with Yingwu and the others last time, but hadn't heard of there being this many experts. And how long had she been sealed?
Why did those who had self-detonated last time seem so much stronger now?
A century?
A millennium?
For a moment, Xuelan had no idea how much time had passed.
...
Meanwhile, Su Yu walked over to the section of the River of Time where he had previously channeled the Dao and excavated the opening.
From here, he could channel the Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast.
The Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast had been sealed by King Wen, later handed over to King Daqin and the others by Su Yu, and was now once again masterless.
He also wanted to see what Xingyue had left behind for him.
A drop of blood appeared in Su Yu's hand—a drop of Wild Heavenly Beast blood he had retained earlier. Activating the blood, a savage, primal force manifested, and a Dao faintly emerged.
With his current, deeper comprehension of Daos, even if the Wild Heavenly Beast's Dao was not situated here, channeling it over was just as easy.
A moment later, Su Yu opened the Heavenly Gate again and spotted the power of a Dao extending toward him!
Soon, the power of the Dao descended through the opening.
Su Yu reached out and tore through the void!
In the next instant, he stepped into the River of Time.
Before long, he reached the tributary of the Wild Heavenly Beast.
Stepping into the tributary, he was initially met with resistance, which quickly dissipated. Su Yu sensed it and smiled; this was sealed by the power of his own Dao of Life and Death, so it posed no hindrance to him, though anyone else trying to venture deep inside would find it troublesome.
Upon entering, he was slightly startled.
Such dense vital qi, such thick physical body strength.
"Where did this come from?"
How strange!
Even though Xingyue had revived and taken command of the Dao of Life, she had only just revived, not long ago. Where could she have obtained so much physical body strength and vital qi?
Moreover, it wasn't wild energy; it had been tamed and refined!
That was even stranger!
"Could it have been left behind from the past?"
Su Yu could only guess as much; he hadn't anticipated that Xingyue would go to Hundred Battles and his faction to extract the vital qi and physical body strength of that group.
Su Yu smiled. Well, all the better!
He was currently in dire need of physical body strength. He had been worried that the power of a single Wild Heavenly Beast Dao wouldn't suffice, but now it was more than enough.
As for the vital qi, it was actually quite wonderful too—it could heal injuries, strengthen physical bodies, bolster vitality, and restore lifespan... but Su Yu didn't pay it much mind. Xingyue had likely left it to help restore his lifespan.
Yet he didn't really need it!
Su Yu believed that if he could continue advancing, he would inevitably achieve a breakthrough within ten years!
At that time, his lifespan would naturally recover.
If he couldn't advance, then in ten years... he would probably perish long before that anyway. Lifespan truly didn't matter; ten years was more than enough!
Even three years was plenty!
"Besides, once my own Dao of Life grows stronger, it will naturally replenish lifespan!"
Lifespan was still a good thing; some of the old fellows might need it.
After all, approaching the limit of one's lifespan caused one's condition to decline!
"Giant Axe, San Yue, Huoyun... these people are no longer young. Absorbing some vital qi can help them recover better and reach their peak state!"
And the newly resurrected Southern King and her companions needed it as well.
After resurrection, their vital qi was not particularly vigorous.
This was great!
Su Yu smiled. The power Xingyue had left behind was precisely what was urgently needed right now, saving him a tremendous amount of trouble. Now, there was more than enough for everyone's recovery!
"It seems her memories truly have recovered quite a bit..."
Su Yu chuckled, feeling somewhat curious. Xingyue had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, and spent countless ages as a dead spirit; could she truly remember just those few years?
Yet on second thought... she probably could.
Having stayed shut inside for hundreds of thousands of years, it seemed... all she did was plant flowers and tend grass, which might have been her exact state in life as well. For such an extreme recluse, one couldn't expect her memories to hold much beyond tending flora.
"Frighteningly reclusive!"
Su Yu shook his head and thought no further. In the next moment, with a low shout, he abruptly threw a punch, causing the Dao of the Wild Heavenly Beast to tremble violently!
Su Yu intended to forcibly cleave open this Dao and release all of its power!
Other Daos either had masters or someone merged with them; attacking them forcibly would mean a fight to the death.
This Dao, however, was something Su Yu knew inside out. It was completely uncontrolled, and punching a hole in it would draw no interference.
...
Boom!
The heavens shook and the earth trembled!
A massive rift suddenly appeared in the sky, and Su Yu stepped out from it, accompanied by boundless physical body strength and vital qi. Su Yu laughed and said, "Restore your physical bodies! The elders, strengthen your vitality!"
Without needing further instructions, the crowd began greedily absorbing this immense physical body strength!
King Daqin and his companions devoured it at an astonishing pace.
King Daqin and King Daxia in particular had previously mastered this Dao; now that its physical body strength was dispersing, the two of them absorbed it frantically.
Su Yu's eyes flickered as he looked toward several figures in the distance and called out with a smile, "King Dajin, King Dachu... see if you can seize this opportunity to draw upon more physical body strength and break through directly to Dao Integration!"
These founding mansion masters of the human race had yet to achieve breakthrough!
The men exchanged glances. Suddenly, King Dajin called out loudly, "Your Majesty, after we absorb this physical body strength and break through to Dao Integration, may we carry this physical body strength to merge into Your Majesty's world, open a Dao of the Physical Body, and jointly recreate the physical body Dao?"
Su Yu looked at them, smiled, and nodded. "You may. But... must you forge a physical body Dao identical to the one in the River of Time?"
"We are... warriors!"
The men felt helpless. They didn't want to either, but they were warriors, and warriors were destined to have powerful bodies!
The weapon Daos had all been snatched up by those bastards; left with no choice, they might as well recreate the Dao of the Physical Body!
At worst, they would become kings of the physical body!
Su Yu smiled and nodded. At this moment, those former human mansion masters who had not yet switched Daos began extracting physical body strength to break through!
After breaking through, they had no interest in returning to the Human Realm to contest the Dao of the Physical Body with Hundred Battles. Far better to directly merge into Su Yu's Dao, recreate a Dao of the Physical Body, and act as pioneering Dao masters for once!
Instantly, the number of Dao Integration experts increased by several more!
The others also rapidly restored their physical bodies.
Su Yu's world on the outside expanded once more. As the crowd grew stronger, so did Su Yu; they were perfecting Su Yu's Daos.
Gaining strength effortlessly!
By now, the combat strength under Su Yu's command had truly peaked. Having fully restored their physical bodies, King Daqin and King Daxia were faintly on the verge of stepping into an even higher realm.
Could these two become pseudo-Celestial Venerables ahead of schedule?
If so, they would be Heavenly Kings in the outside world as well!
Su Yu harbored a small degree of anticipation, hoping these individuals would become even more formidable!
It would be best if they all became Celestial Venerables, becoming Rule Masters within his Dao. Even if their strength dropped a tier outside, it would be enough to suppress the current Myriad Realms!
"Protect Marquis Jiantian well, and my side will eventually become the strongest faction!"
Yes, protect Marquis Jiantian!
At this moment, such a thought suddenly popped into Su Yu's head. Indeed, since he was now separate from the Dao of Time, he wasn't counting on killing Marquis Jiantian to allow his subordinates to advance to Rule Masters!
He had to protect him!
As long as Marquis Jiantian didn't die, his faction would eventually become the strongest!
Watching the crowd recover, Su Yu calculated the days and sighed with emotion. "I've been away from the Human Realm for over a month!"
So long!
He had yielded the Human Realm over a month ago. Time truly flew.
To the side, Fat Ball, who had no need to restore a physical body, glanced at Su Yu with a peculiar expression, wagging its tail.
Over a month... was that long?
I've been watering flowers for hundreds of thousands of years!
Why did listening to Su Yu's lament suddenly make a single month feel rather long too?
Chapter 799