Su Yu's Grand Scheme

A tremendous surge of physical power gushed forth. The assembled powerhouses tended to their recoveries or strengthened themselves, filling the place with harmonious cheer for a time. Of course, not everyone was cheering. When Marquis Dingjun rushed back without pausing for breath, he was panting with frantic urgency. Damn it all, they had really started! It was far too fast! At his age, he could hardly keep up with the tempo! When had cultivation ever moved at such a breakneck pace? Advancing, advancing, advancing without pause! Anxious beyond measure, he lunged forward to seize some physical power, only to find he couldn't outcompete the stronger figures. Driven to wit's end by fury, he ran off to rob Tianmie instead. That fellow was hoarding an entire pile of physical power all to himself. What did a big baboon like him need with so much physical power anyway? …… They made a raucous clamor, but the surge in strength was undeniable. Yet some had not advanced. Beside Su Yu, a figure materialized unnoticed. Tongtian, who had grown much quieter lately, could no longer contain himself and whispered, "Your Majesty, when are we going to beat Yue Hao to death?" I want to become a Heavenly King too! He was still at the second rank. Powerful, certainly, but once Heavenly Kings became a dime a dozen, his worth would plummet. He felt that beating Yue Hao to death would undoubtedly propel him to Heavenly King! "Killing the Martial Emperor works too!" Marquis Tongtian suggested once more. What do you think? Su Yu smiled. This fellow truly dared to say anything. "Cut the chatter!" Su Yu couldn't be bothered with him. Looking over at the improving crowd, and then toward San Yue and Giant Axe, who had absorbed vast amounts of vital force and returned, he asked, "Senior San Yue, has fighting broken out in the Upper Realm recently?" "There was a brief clash earlier, but it ended quickly. The arrival of the Broken-Tailed Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger made the myriad races wary, so they didn't dare press the slaughter!" "What a bunch of useless cowards!" Su Yu shook his head. "The myriad races lack all resolve, dragging their feet endlessly! What baffles me even more is why the Chaos race is dragging their feet too. Frankly, it doesn't surprise me that the myriad races stall—they're riddled with selfish motives, allied across disparate races and impossible to coordinate. But the Chaos race? If you ask me, they ought to strike with the force of thunder, sweeping across the myriad races and wiping them out in short order!" The Chaos race was hardly weak. The strength they had revealed so far was not necessarily their full hand. San Yue explained, "The Gate of Hell may soon open. The Chaos race might be waiting for that moment!" Is that so? Su Yu fell into deep thought. The Gate of Hell was said to have sealed away the Chaos Era. When it unsealed, would hordes of ancient chaos beasts emerge? Would Rule Masters appear as well? Might supreme powerhouses dwell within? If so, things would turn thorny! Su Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "A clash between the myriad races and the Chaos race is inevitable. Both sides must grind down each other's strength! Otherwise, both will prove exceedingly difficult to handle. The myriad races likely possess over ten Celestial Venerables, and no small number of Heavenly Kings!" Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "I cannot afford to delay too long. Upstream, the Human Sovereign and the others may be nearing their return. Their return is no happy occasion—they are certainly at a severe disadvantage, likely having suffered heavy casualties!" "There is another concern gnawing at me. The Prison King... might be behind the Gate of Hell!" At these words, both San Yue and Giant Axe turned pale. Su Yu said gravely, "The probability of the Prison King being on the Human Sovereign's side is low. The probability of him being on King Wen's side is just as slim. The greatest likelihood is that the Prison King entered the Gate of Hell, thereby evading the cataclysm when the Human Sovereign took all the powerhouses away!" "I am also curious: can one truly not emerge from the Gate of Hell? From what I know, individuals from the Chaos race seem to have entered it. Can one enter, but never leave?" Idea after idea surfaced. Su Yu continued, "Seniors, in your opinion, if I were to strike now, whom should I hit first?" Giant Axe thought for a moment. "Why not ally with the myriad races to strike the traitors first? Who knows when the Gate of Hell will open. Once experts emerge from within, the fight will only become harder. Better to eradicate the ones outside before dealing with those inside!" "Once the ones inside come out, the myriad races will have no choice but to fight anyway!" Giant Axe added swiftly, "The way I see it, the myriad races are terrified right now too. They dread the opening of the Gate of Hell!" That was certainly true! Whether Su Yu or the Hundred Battles King, their foundations were laid bare here. Even if the Human Sovereign and his companions returned, there was no cause for fear. It was the unknown number of powerhouses behind the Gate of Hell that inspired dread. Su Yu sank into contemplation. Strike the Chaos race first? Stroking his chin, he pondered. "Perhaps... we could negotiate an alliance! What the myriad races desire most right now, I wager, is to become Rule Masters. Once the seal is broken, their faction will instantly surge in strength—over ten Celestial Venerables!" "Yet as long as the seal remains unbroken, the myriad races pose no extraordinary threat; their strength is capped where it stands!" At this moment, Su Yu felt somewhat torn. Neither side above was fighting... Well, they would clash sooner or later. But how long was 'sooner or later'? Three months? Five months? For the myriad races and the Chaos lineage, that was hardly any time at all. The problem was, dammit, he was an impatient man! He had too many matters pressing upon him! He still had to devise a way to journey upstream! Was waiting passively to be struck Su Yu's style? Was sitting around waiting for the Human Sovereign's return what he had in mind? He had to charge upward himself, dammit! Once he finished the battle on that side, he would lead his powerhouses through the Heavenly Gate, slaughter whatever foes King Wen and the others faced, and be done with it! What was so complicated about that? Wait around my foot! In three to five months, he could become a Rule Master himself! Sinking into contemplation, Su Yu spoke briskly. "I need to scout a path first, shifting my heaven and earth through chaos over to Chaos Mountain! Once my world reaches Chaos Mountain, whenever a crisis arises, our retreat into Chaos Mountain will become our opportunity!" His eyes flickered. "I have another idea!" San Yue and Giant Axe looked on with keen curiosity. What idea? Su Yu paid them no heed, waiting until Wan Tiansheng and the others arrived before speaking rapidly. "I want to remodel my world, turning it into a treasure trove! A sacred realm emerging from the depths of chaos, drawing powerhouses from all quarters into a frantic pursuit. What do you all think?" Silence fell over the crowd. Tianmie, having just returned, couldn't help chiming in, "Is Your Majesty returning to your old trade, going back to swindling?" "Get lost!" Su Yu snapped. You're the swindler, I never swindle anyone! Stroking his chin, Su Yu ignored him and smiled. "Among those present, do any of the experienced elders know if rare treasures ever drift out from chaos?" If there was precedent, matters would be simple. If not, suspicion would arise. The group pondered. Suddenly, Hongmeng spoke up, "There is precedent! Does Your Majesty remember my Great Dao? A divine mountain! It drifted out from chaos!" Su Yu's eyes glinted. Hongmeng continued, "Treasures certainly exist within chaos; otherwise, how could ancient chaos beasts cultivate? Chaos Mountain itself is part of chaos. The void of chaos is not entirely empty; landmasses do exist, though only those ancient beasts have the chance to encounter them!" Su Yu's eyes gleamed with calculation. "Then tell me, if I disguise my world as an ancient chaos realm, will powerhouses from both sides come?" The others exchanged glances. Hongmeng said gravely, "Then what will Your Majesty use to entice them? Without immense benefits, neither side will gather rashly, and Celestial Venerables certainly will not deploy lightly!" Benefits? Indeed. A barren stretch of land drifting out wouldn't prompt anyone to come gawk just for the spectacle; no one was that idle. "The only thing holding appeal for Celestial Venerables is breaking through to Rule Master. Beyond that, there are hardly any treasures they would spare a second glance for!" Su Yu thought it over and added, "Yet breaking through to Rule Master has little to do with chaos unless one cultivates the Chaos Dao!" He narrowed his eyes. "Come to think of it, a chaos realm won't hold enough temptation for the myriad races. For the Prison King's lineage, however, it remains deeply enticing. With proper maneuvering, quite a few practitioners of the Chaos Dao within their ranks might take the bait!" "Furthermore, the Prison King's lineage has ventured deep into chaos before, even slaying ancient beasts!" Ideas surfaced one after another, only to be promptly discarded by Su Yu. A moment later, his gaze fell upon an inconspicuous figure. Following his line of sight, everyone turned toward a little girl in the distance. Tea Tree was chatting with Book Spirit, idling on the sidelines. She never involved herself in matters requiring deep thought. Sensing everyone staring, Tea Tree looked up in bewilderment, meeting their eyes. What is it? The crowd turned back to Su Yu. Su Yu smiled. "Tea Tree is actually a member of the Chaos ancient race! Tell me, if a chaos beast were on the verge of advancing to the realm of a Rule Master right now, would that draw the covetous gaze of the Prison King's lineage?" What did he mean? Wan Tiansheng and a few others caught on. The Great Zhou King frowned slightly. "However, Tea Tree is currently only a third-rank Dao Harmonizer. Her progress is slow, and she hasn't merged into Your Majesty's world. She remains exceedingly far from becoming a Rule Master. If she is not a Rule Master, it will be utterly meaningless!" The Prison King's lineage possessed discerning eyes. Observing a breakthrough to Rule Master might entice them, but a third-rank Harmonizer breaking through to second rank would hardly merit a glance! Licking his lips, Su Yu chuckled, "Not merely advancing to Rule Master, but advancing as an exceedingly rare Enlightenment Tea Tree! No one knows that Tea Tree attained the Dao as an Enlightenment Tea Tree, nor that she counts as a member of the Chaos ancient race, right?" "Even if they know of her existence, they could never imagine that she is nearing the Rule Master realm..." "Furthermore, the leaves of an Enlightenment Tea Tree exude the power of myriad Great Daos. From afar, a single look will give anyone the distinct impression: drink this tea, and I too can become a Rule Master!" "……" The crowd stared at Su Yu once more. He was preparing to move against the Chaos lineage, and by the sound of it, he intended to use this world, along with Tea Tree, to lure them in? Su Yu smiled. "Everyone, offer your thoughts!" Wan Tiansheng spoke immediately. "Is Your Majesty certain we should strike the Prison King's lineage first?" He added gravely, "If so, our previous feigned defeat becomes meaningless. Our goal was concealment, not striking out right now. While we might match a single faction, we cannot contend with all factions simultaneously! Your Majesty, even the Hundred Battles King does not share our heart. Should we suffer grievous losses, others will simply reap the rewards!" Su Yu nodded and smiled. "Quite right! Everyone harbors their own selfish motives!" He quickly continued, "Let's put it this way: there are not merely three forces on the board right now, but multiple factions! Ourselves, Hundred Battles, the myriad races, the Prison King, and the ancient chaos beasts—essentially five distinct powers! In addition, there are unaligned powerhouses like the Martial Emperor and the Necro Sovereign. Though sealed, they will break free sooner or later!" "As matters stand, whichever faction sticks its neck out first will suffer heavy casualties, leaving the rest to reap the spoils!" Su Yu chuckled. "Thus, everyone's best move is to wait for others to clash first. We think this way, Hundred Battles thinks this way, and even the myriad races and the Prison King's lineage think the same, itching for the myriad races to strike the Lower Realm..." "Yet someone has to make the first move!" Su Yu said with a grin, "They aren't in a rush, but we are! Since that is the case, we shall stir the pot and force everyone's hand!" Brows furrowed across the room. How would they force it? Su Yu said in an eerie tone, "Who said Tea Tree is meant to entrap the Prison King's lineage? She isn't entrapping them; she's helping them!" Everyone looked back at him. Wan Tiansheng and several others frowned in silence. Su Yu chuckled. "Here is my thought: Tea Tree is an innocent, naive child..." Everyone turned to Tea Tree. She stared blankly. Am I naive? "She doesn't know her tea leaves are precious. She possesses formidable strength, yet she is remarkably friendly! When a weakling from the Chaos lineage stumbles into my world and encounters Tea Tree, she warmly offers her tea leaves to entertain him, and his strength surges!" The crowd felt as though they were listening to a fable! Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "If the Chaos lineage member is wicked, their immediate thought would be to ruthlessly slay Tea Tree and seize all the tea leaves, if not the tree itself! If they fear her strength, they will fawn over her, begging for more leaves!" "And once the news that Tea Tree can help them ascend to Rule Master reaches the ears of the myriad races... how will they react?" The Great Zhou King smiled faintly. "The myriad races would never dare allow them to keep advancing! What if several more Rule Masters truly emerge? The myriad races might strike preemptively against the Chaos lineage, or move directly against Tea Tree... depending on their calculation!" Lan Tian giggled. "Striking the Chaos lineage fulfills our wish. Striking Tea Tree means the Chaos lineage will inevitably move to protect her. Both sides will descend upon this world! That way, we won't need to show ourselves—they will walk straight into our domain on their own!" The pinnacle of deception was not delivering the bait, but having others come knocking on your door begging to be duped! Wan Tiansheng took over. "Several key difficulties remain! First, Tea Tree lacks sufficient strength. Her tea leaves are miraculous, but of limited use above the second rank. Second, how do we arrange a 'chance encounter' with this expert from the Prison King's lineage? Third, how can the myriad races learn of this swiftly without suspecting a thing? Fourth, both the Eight-Winged Tiger and the Broken-Tailed Dragon know Your Majesty opened a world—will they grow suspicious? They have seen Tea Tree too! Fifth..." He rattled off problem after problem. The crux of the matter lay with Tea Tree. Tea Tree belonged to the Chaos ancient race, a fact few knew. Chaos ancient races generally avoided the myriad realms due to realm suppression, but Tea Tree suffered none, likely tied to King Wen and the Time Master. Consequently, one rarely saw a Chaos ancient creature mingling with the diverse races. Furthermore, Su Yu's side shouldn't possess a Tea Tree bordering on Rule Master. As for the Tea Tree from before, she had only been a fourth-rank Harmonizer, and advancing to the third rank was hardly a massive leap. It was common knowledge that the Chaos race advanced at an agonizingly slow pace! Su Yu nodded. "Tea Tree's strength is indeed a bit lacking!" The little girl Tea Tree manifested felt wronged. Am I really that weak? I'm doing fine! Su Yu laughed. "However, rapid advancement isn't out of the question! Tea Tree walks the Chaos Dao. The Chaos Dao relies heavily on slaughter and devouring—devouring treasures, devouring ancient beasts. Last time, we slew quite a few ancient beasts. Let Tea Tree consume more of them, and I'll extract some purified chaotic power for her. While becoming a Heavenly King might be a stretch, reaching the second rank is entirely feasible!" "As for the aura, that's simple enough: Tea Tree sits on top, and the Southern King is buried beneath!" The Southern King glared at Su Yu. What kind of arrangement is that? Su Yu grinned. "It's my world; how hard could it be to hide someone? The Southern King will lie buried at Tea Tree's roots, radiating aura. Naturally, since Tea Tree belongs to the Chaos ancient race, we only need the sheer presence. The chaotic aura will be supplied by Tea Tree herself!" Combined in this manner, a Chaos powerhouse verging on Rule Master would emerge! "Tea Tree's leaves indeed offer little help to top Harmonizers, which means we must counterfeit them!" Su Yu chuckled. "Tea Tree can offer her genuine leaves as initial 'scraps' to others. If the scraps are that miraculous, what about the supreme harvest? We'll hang several hundred glittering golden fake leaves on her canopy and claim they are 'Origin Leaves' not meant for gifting... One look, and everyone will see they are supreme treasures! Below, on the lowest branches, we'll hang her ordinary leaves, treating them like worthless trimmings to be consumed freely. If even those aid a second-rank Harmonizer, don't you think everyone will lust after the leaves above?" The others nodded. Without question! If even the scraps sparked greed, the crowning treasures would drive them mad. Su Yu added, "Furthermore, for Tea Tree's leaves, all of us can carve our finest insights into chaos into them. That will enhance the effect drastically! Inside my world, I can even assist them in comprehending the Dao, making them believe her tea leaves are miraculous beyond belief!" The crowd drew sharp breaths. Su Yu was truly a grandmaster at running cons! "As for arranging a chance encounter with someone from the Prison King's lineage..." Su Yu pondered. "I was wondering whether to cooperate with Hundred Battles. His connection to Yueluo is unusual; he might have planted spies within the Prison King's lineage!" Wan Tiansheng hesitated, then spoke up, "Better not. If we cooperate, Hundred Battles will see right through our foundation!" He continued swiftly, "Your Majesty... I actually think... we can cooperate with the Eight-Winged Tiger!" "Hmm?" Su Yu looked at him, and Wan Tiansheng explained rapidly, "Your Majesty saw it last time—the Eight-Winged Tiger is a clever beast! I believe he can serve as the intermediary. For instance, he could hunt down members of the Chaos lineage, driving them toward our territory, or arrange for an ancient chaos beast to break through within our domain, letting the news 'leak'... The information cannot come from our mouths, but if it leaks from an ancient beast, no one will doubt it!" Everyone would suspect Su Yu, but no one would suspect an ancient beast. In the eyes of the realm, ancient beasts were practically synonymous with idiocy! No matter how strong, their brains were rudimentary at best! If even an ancient beast swore by it, the Prison King's lineage would naturally believe it! Su Yu hesitated. "My worry is whether the Eight-Winged Tiger colludes with the Prison King's lineage." Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "I don't believe so. Is the Prison King's lineage truly allied with the ancient chaos beasts? Not necessarily; if they were, they would have banded together long ago! The true relationship between the Prison King's lineage and the Chaos ancient race is likely known only to the Prison King! Besides, the ancient beasts behind the Gate of Hell may not speak for those outside. If we forge a partnership, we can also prevent intelligence leaks!" Arranged thus, everything would fall into place naturally. Wan Tiansheng added, "If we truly lure both sides into our world, our combat strength here will skyrocket! With Your Majesty's domain suppression, the Southern King might rival a Rule Master in this space. When that time comes, our Celestial Venerables and Heavenly Kings will multiply!" He chuckled. "Your Majesty's intellect is as nimble as ever. This mirrors the scheme we ran back in the Great Xia Prefecture, luring everyone into the Nanyuan ruins! Driven by the ruins, they had no choice but to slaughter each other and converge!" "At Nanyuan, there was a drawback—we had no way to suppress them. But here, Your Majesty's world can suppress our foes!" This tactic should have felt intimately familiar to everyone. Naturally, no outsider would ever suspect that the architect of the Nanyuan ruins had now scurried into chaos to erect a sacred Tea Tree sanctuary! Wan Tiansheng continued, "If Tea Tree's leaves prove useful for Chaos Dao experts seeking to reach Rule Master, Celestial Venerables like Yue Hao will be tempted, and that so-called ancestor will surely covet them as well!" "Their first instinct will be an outright assault!" Wan Tiansheng said briskly, "However, we can make them hesitant... for instance, by making it appear that the Tea Tree sanctuary belongs to the Eight-Winged Tiger!" He turned to Su Yu. "Your Majesty, do you think the Prison King's lineage has planted agents among the ancient beasts?" Su Yu considered it and nodded. "Likely so!" "Precisely. If the Eight-Winged Tiger has such beasts under his command, matters become even simpler. Once he agrees to cooperate, let him pay a secretive visit to Tea Tree's domain, only to be 'discovered' and tailed, with the intelligence sold off to the Prison King's lineage... Passing through several hands to increase the difficulty of obtaining the information will only convince them it is genuine!" Make the intelligence hard to acquire, and the Prison King's lineage would assume that information obtained at such immense cost had to be the absolute truth. "That way, the Prison King's lineage won't dare launch an impetuous assault on the Tea Tree sanctuary, buying us precious time. That window of time is precisely what the myriad races need to catch wind of the news!" "As for how the myriad races will acquire this intelligence... that requires careful thought!" San Yue couldn't resist chiming in, "I can just tell the myriad races directly!" "……" Everyone rolled their eyes! Shut up! It would be fine if you kept quiet, but the moment you opened your mouth, wouldn't the myriad races immediately grow suspicious? To hell with that! The Iron Eater race gave terrible advice! San Yue felt utterly exhausted. What else could they do? The myriad races wouldn't dare delve deep into the chaos lands on a whim! If they couldn't penetrate the depths, what then? Su Yu stroked his chin. "Do the myriad races currently have eyes inside the Prison King's lineage?" "Unlikely. The Prison King's lineage exposed themselves too recently!" The Great Zhou King shook his head. "In such a short window, reaching their lower ranks is virtually impossible." Securing an intelligence conduit to the myriad races was indeed tricky. At this moment, San Yue looked at Giant Axe, and Giant Axe looked at San Yue. Soon, the two were glancing at the brawny warriors around them. Did you hear that? Su Yu and his lot were actually fretting over how to get the intelligence into the hands of the myriad races! What kind of madness was this! Su Yu sank into thought. "Indeed. We still need to construct a reliable channel for the myriad races..." San Yue couldn't help offering, "I might have an idea!" "Senior San Yue, pray tell!" "The myriad races are currently attempting to win over the Eight-Winged Tiger and the Broken-Tailed Dragon..." The moment he spoke, Su Yu's eyes lit up! "Tea Tree belongs to the Eight-Winged Tiger, but was discovered by the Prison King's lineage. The Prison King's lineage intends to seize it by force, and powerless to resist, the Eight-Winged Tiger is filled with bitter grievance! So he seeks out the myriad races and warns them: if you don't help me reclaim Tea Tree, you're finished—they'll advance to Rule Master! Whether to seize Tea Tree for themselves or thwart the Prison King's lineage, the myriad races will have no choice but to deploy their experts! That solves the intelligence problem in one stroke!" "……" Good grief! San Yue muttered under his breath. Damn it, I hadn't even finished speaking, and your whole scheme was already laid out! Su Yu smiled, eyes narrowed. "Even if the myriad races don't show up, if the Prison King's lineage is drawn in, slaying several Celestial Venerables will still yield a handsome profit, won't it?" Beside them, Tea Tree protested with an aggrieved pout, "How did I suddenly become the Eight-Winged Tiger's?" What are you all talking about! All I know is that I've been handed off to the Eight-Winged Tiger! I'm not his! I belong to the Young Master! Su Yu cleared his throat. "It's not that you truly belong to him; it's just a ruse!" What was this tree thinking! Ignoring Tea Tree, Su Yu smiled swiftly. "In this manner, we command the right timing, the right place, and the right people. It would be best if the myriad races and the Prison King's lineage slaughter each other; if they don't, we will strike the Prison King's lineage ourselves! We'll butcher them! If we kill several Celestial Venerables and the myriad races still refuse to kick them while they're down, then the myriad races truly pose no threat—they are far too fragmented, far too sluggish!" Lan Tian smiled. "What about Hundred Battles? I'm not trying to pick a fight, but he has arrangements within the Prison King's lineage. Our scheme might disrupt his plans, or even result in the death of his people. If that happens, what then?" That was a distinct possibility! What if the one who arrived was Yueluo? He smiled. "If Yueluo comes, do we kill her or not? Yueluo is formidable! Yet she might be Hundred Battles' operative. If we spare her, our plan crumbles; if we kill her, we make an enemy of Hundred Battles!" Su Yu fell silent for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "Kill!" A chill ran through everyone's heart! Su Yu said coldly, "Why shouldn't we? Anyone from the Prison King's lineage can be slain! A core figure all the more so! As for her being Hundred Battles' agent... what does that have to do with me? She isn't my person! I merely wish to avoid an open rupture with Hundred Battles for now, lest internal strife bring us heavy losses. But if his agent lurks in the shadows, am I supposed to tiptoe around and protect her?" If Hundred Battles turned hostile after she died... let him! If your secret piece gets killed, that's your own problem! Su Yu had no interest in shielding his pawn! With that settled, Su Yu continued briskly, "Pay no heed to such things. If truly necessary, I might drop Hundred Battles a hint or two! Whether he listens is entirely up to him!" He lingered no further on the matter. At worst, he could shatter her physical body and suppress her sea of will; if Hundred Battles truly wanted her back, he could toss her over—for a price, naturally. As for the rest, Su Yu refused to overcomplicate it. Bringing disaster upon his own people for the sake of an outsider would be true foolishness! The Great Zhou King remarked, "Which means Your Majesty intends to emerge from hiding very soon?" This period of seclusion of theirs had been treated like a game! He was genuinely at a loss for words! The Great Zhou King tallied the days—it had barely been a month. Yet everything had transformed. Their strength had been completely overturned! Moreover, Su Yu's plan this time carried an exceptionally high probability of success! Su Yu nodded. "I will emerge, but you all will not for the time being. Stay hidden!" Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "Fat Ball and Tongtian are known powerhouses! You two come with me! I will ascend to the Upper Realm alongside San Yue!" The crowd was startled. Su Yu grinned. "Yes, I will place myself in the open! Right under the eyes of the myriad races—that is our best move! I'll be right there, so they needn't worry about where I am. My sole objective for now will be vengeance!" "Giant Axe, San Yue, plus Fat Ball, Tongtian, and myself—that will be our visible strength. Not weak! But as for calling it overwhelmingly strong... it's respectable!" Su Yu smiled. "I will head to the Upper Realm to establish a sect, carving out a territory in the truest sense! That gives me two fronts: one open, one covert! I'll even demand the Iron Eater race join me, laying my cards on the table with the myriad races to talk alliance and slaughter our foes. I command Celestial Venerables: Fat Ball, San Yue, and Giant Axe—three Celestial Venerable powerhouses. If they refuse, don't blame me for being ruthless!" "That way, I stand in the light where everyone can watch me!" Su Yu added, "Aside from them, the only powerhouse Tiangu and the others know of is Senior Hongmeng! Yet Senior Hongmeng is a Guardian who cannot rashly depart for the Upper Realm. Thus, my forces will appear virtually fully exposed; even if a few Harmonizers remain, they will seem negligible!" Su Yu grinned. "The greatest hermit hides in the bustling market! With us planted squarely beneath the noses of the myriad races and the Prison King's lineage, what will they have left to fear? Their only lingering worry will be Hundred Battles, which has nothing to do with us! If they want to fight, they can fight Hundred Battles—what does it matter to me?" Everyone exchanged glances, their hearts stirring. Two lines: one overt, one covert! This... might truly be a brilliant stratagem! Blindly hiding only bred deeper paranoia. By taking several Celestial Venerables to the Upper Realm, Su Yu's safety would be guaranteed; the myriad races wouldn't dare wage war against him rashly and let the Prison King's lineage reap the spoils! The Great Zhou King nodded slightly, smiling. "A masterstroke, Your Majesty! Placing yourself right beneath their eyes will alleviate their suspicions. Furthermore, your strength won't be weak—commanding multiple Celestial Venerables, Your Majesty ought to act even more brazen! Even if my power took a hit, I would still command legions of powerhouses! The more brazen you act, the more at ease the myriad races will feel!" Su Yu laughed. "Exactly! If our visible faction appears this formidable, will anyone bother suspecting we have hidden even more powerhouses?" Certainly not! Hongmeng couldn't leave, the others were supposedly dead, and the Southern King and her cohorts were dead spirits. Where could Su Yu possibly conjure hidden strength from? Everything would appear completely aboveboard. Everyone knew Su Yu's foundation. How many years had it been since he rose to prominence? Even if he wanted to hide powerhouses, there wouldn't have been time to amass them! Su Yu swiftly finalized the decision. "Then it is settled! I'll first find a way to shift my world to the Upper Realm, then make contact with the Eight-Winged Tiger. His cooperation will be vital! As for setting up the Tea Tree sanctuary, I'll trouble Mansion Master Wan and the rest of you!" Su Yu had no doubt about their ability to forge a convincing fake; Old Wan had quite the knack for deceit! "Once I have shifted the world upward, San Yue, you two may depart! Seniors San Yue and Giant Axe, head to the living realm first with a single objective: buy time! Once my arrangements are complete, ascend to the Upper Realm, along with Leibao and the others!" Su Yu chuckled. "When I depart, I'll seal the passageway!" A strange look crossed everyone's faces. Su Yu narrowed his eyes and laughed. "Sixty Councilor Tokens are likely insufficient to shut it down on our own... but nearly all the rest are in the Upper Realm. Once I ascend, I'll approach the myriad races directly and tell them plainly that I want to seal the passageway—not to stop them from descending, but to prevent Hundred Battles and his faction from ascending! Do you think the myriad races will agree?" The strange expressions deepened. The Great Zhou King murmured, "They will, provided Your Majesty promises to return the borrowed tokens once the seal is in place. That way, Your Majesty alone won't be able to reopen the lower realm passageway with the remaining tokens... The myriad races will likely laugh themselves silly with glee!" Su Yu laughed heartily. "Of course! When that happens, they'll practically have to thank me!" Indeed, they would certainly have to thank Su Yu. Su Yu smiled. "That way, Hundred Battles and his people will find it exceedingly difficult to interfere with us! Besides, truth be told, the Soul Burying Mountain passage is likely compromised anyway; sealing it puts an end to the trouble!" Admiration filled the room. His Majesty's foresight was truly exhaustive; this would eliminate any disruption from Hundred Battles. Ascending via the Destiny race was no simple feat—the difficulty was monumental! Finding another route to the Upper Realm would be terribly arduous. Wan Tiansheng laughed as well. "Hundred Battles wanted to lie low in the Lower Realm, only to suddenly realize... he can no longer go up! That ought to be entertaining!" When that time came, Hundred Battles would be beside himself with anxiety. How do I get up there? What has the battle above turned into? Hundred Battles certainly knew of the Soul Burying Mountain passage; it was his conduit for gathering intelligence. With it sealed, he couldn't access the passage on the ninth floor of the Star Residence Mansion, and he wouldn't dare brave the passage through the chaos lands. He would have no way to ascend! Su Yu grinned. "Right, we also need to have a word with the Martial Emperor so he doesn't let Hundred Battles reach the ninth floor and cross over through the Dao Origin Land. That way, the Lower Realm will become a cage trapping Hundred Battles—unable to ascend to heaven, with no path into the earth!" Everyone exchanged glances and chuckled mischievously. In this manner, they could completely disregard Hundred Battles' interference! They could focus entirely on playing their game in the Upper Realm! Su Yu added, "Before that, there is one more matter to attend to: capturing Marquis Jiantian!" Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "Marquis Jiantian cannot be allowed to die. If left in the Lower Realm, what if Hundred Battles grows desperate, unable to ascend, and slaughters Marquis Jiantian? What would I do then? The myriad races gaining over a dozen Rule Masters would be disastrous!" "Duobao!" Su Yu barked. Duobao answered instantly, "Present!" Duobao could not have been more obedient. Su Yu smiled. "Lead me to Marquis Jiantian. I am going to protect him; he cannot be allowed to die." "Your Majesty, I..." "Shut your mouth!" Su Yu snapped coldly. "You can definitely find him, so cut the excuses! If you can't find him, I'll execute you right now. Can you find him or not?" "I can!" Duobao felt thoroughly helpless. I never said I couldn't, why snap at me like that! Terrifying! Only then did Su Yu beam with satisfaction. "The plan is tentatively settled as such; should unexpected changes occur, I will adapt accordingly! Later on, everyone will merge into my world and cultivate in seclusion, striving to become Rule Masters within my domain!" "Let's head out first and locate Marquis Jiantian. I'm genuinely worried someone might kill him!" At this moment, Su Yu was in high spirits. The broad strokes of the plan were drawn; now it all came down to execution. If all went smoothly, the troubles of the myriad realms would be dismantled piece by piece. First, tackle the myriad races and the Prison King's lineage; next, resolve the threat of Hundred Battles; then, deal with the Necro Sovereign and the Martial Emperor; and finally, see whether the Gate of Hell or the Human Sovereign runs into trouble first. If the Gate of Hell didn't open in the short term, he would lead his forces upstream to reinforce the Human Sovereign and his companions! The fact that the Human Sovereign had battled for so many years without collapsing meant that while a gap in power existed, it wasn't insurmountable! If the disparity had been catastrophic, they would have been annihilated long ago. If he could bring ten Rule Masters over, it might just turn the tide! Xingyue had already traveled upstream; as a dedicated healer, once she linked up with the Human Sovereign, she would undoubtedly help them hold out for far longer. "Right, once the troubles of the myriad realms are settled, I must strive to produce ten Rule Masters from my side!" Su Yu rose and shouted, "Move out! Let's ascend first—we must protect Marquis Jiantian at all costs!" "……" Watching him stride forward with his chest puffed out in high spirits, everyone felt utterly helpless. Who was it that had been screaming for Marquis Jiantian's blood just days ago? Scaring Marquis Jiantian so badly he was forced to demand a duel to the death! The Southern King spoke up shortly after, "In that case, we will scout ahead into chaos first. Advancing on two fronts will save time; I can see His Majesty is eager to settle this swiftly." Su Yu smiled. "True! However, chaos is perilous; the Southern King must exercise caution. Let's do this... Fat Ball, Lanshan, Tianhuo, and Lan Tian will accompany the Southern King to scout chaos first!" With those five together, even if they encountered a Rule Master, they could wage a fierce battle. If the foe was on the weaker side, the five of them united could outright slay it! "Giant Axe, San Yue, Tongtian, and Duobao will accompany me up to find Marquis Jiantian first!" "Mansion Master Wan will oversee the dead spirit realm!" "The rest of you, focus on your cultivation!" Su Yu issued order after order, delegating responsibilities and leaving everyone properly assigned. …… Soon, Su Yu led his group out of the realm. On this day, within the myriad realms, Su Yu had returned! No longer tiptoeing in secret, disregarding all caution, his aura surged across heaven and earth. Arrogant and unbridled, after hiding for barely over a month, he had returned! For now, pay Hundred Battles no heed! I withdrew from the Human Realm, not the myriad realms—what was there to fear? "Jiantian!" Su Yu bellowed with a hearty laugh. "I've come looking for you!" Several towering auras swept across heaven and earth! …… At this moment, in the Immortal Realm. Tiangu, King Fu, and the others frowned in unison, exchanging glances. Holy shit! That fellow had barely vanished for a few days! Didn't he claim last time that he was bidding farewell to the myriad realms? What the hell—how many days of peace had passed? Did his 'bidding farewell to the myriad realms' only amount to a few days' absence? Everyone was rendered utterly speechless! …… At that same moment, in the Human Realm. Hundred Battles and his entourage frowned deeply. Su Yu... had returned! This was... far too fast! Hundred Battles' brows knitted tightly. What concerned him even more was why Su Yu was looking for Marquis Jiantian. Could it be... he intended to kill Marquis Jiantian? That would be utter madness! Hundred Battles' frown deepened. Lately, vexing matters seemed to multiply endlessly. He had just been tormented by that woman, and now Su Yu was back! In his calculations, it should have been impossible for Su Yu to return so swiftly. …… At that very moment. Marquis Jiantian smoothed his robes. Having just been tormented by that woman, he felt somewhat despondent. Now Su Yu had come knocking. So be it—let it be a duel to the death with Su Yu! A calm composure settled over Marquis Jiantian's face. It was not yet decided whose hand the stag would die by! Su Yu, here I come!