Capturing Marquis Jiantian, Dao of Life Advances

In the boundless void. Marquis Jiantian emerged. He did not hide. Today, he would fight Su Yu to the death! …… Before long, Su Yu also sensed Marquis Jiantian's aura. Su Yu tore through the void at rapid speed. When Marquis Jiantian sensed the auras of San Yue and Giant Axe, his expression shifted slightly, and he said coldly, "Su Yu, are you bringing people to surround and slaughter me?" Su Yu had not come alone after all! Were those two Celestial Venerables here to observe the battle, or to join in a siege? "Halt, both of you!" Su Yu let out a laugh, calling for San Yue and Giant Axe to stop. It was not out of a desire to follow rules of etiquette, but out of fear that Marquis Jiantian might be scared off. If he fled, finding him again would be a nightmare! San Yue and Giant Axe exchanged a glance, saying nothing, and halted promptly. There was nothing to worry about! Su Yu had dispatched Celestial Venerables with ease before. No matter how fast Marquis Jiantian advanced or how flourishing his destiny was, he surely had not reached the Celestial Venerable realm yet. Even if he had, at most he would have barely stepped through the threshold. For Su Yu to defeat him would pose little difficulty. …… In the boundless void. Su Yu arrived, coming forward alone, tearing through empty space. Opposite him, Marquis Jiantian breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, Su Yu possessed some sense of honor. Had there been more opponents, he certainly would have fled; he was not one to walk into certain death. At that moment, Su Yu also looked at Marquis Jiantian. Robes as white as snow... Seeing people in white robes annoyed Su Yu lately. Why the hell was everyone wearing white? Pretending to be scholars? "Su Yu, since you have come, let us fight to the death. Whichever of us wins, between heaven and earth, there will likely..." Bang! A tremendous roar rang out. Before Marquis Jiantian could even finish his sentence, Su Yu covered the heavens with a single hand, unleashing the Five Elements Cage! The cage instantly shattered the void! It blocked Marquis Jiantian off on every side! He was not a Celestial Venerable. Su Yu sensed it; Marquis Jiantian's progress was not slow, roughly at the level of a top Heavenly King. In truth, that was quite formidable. Previously, he had only been a second-rank Dao Merger, and now he was nearly a Celestial Venerable. Ordinary people truly would struggle against strength like that! However... he was facing the present Su Yu. Su Yu could not claim to fight ten Celestial Venerables at once right now, but he could certainly take on two or three. A single Celestial Venerable could battle two or three Heavenly Kings... goodness, a mere Heavenly King like Marquis Jiantian was nowhere near enough to contend with him! What was more, Su Yu possessed an immense arsenal of methods. Marquis Jiantian's power of destiny erupted at once, but from Su Yu's body, an even more intense power of destiny burst forth. Comparing destiny? Marquis Jiantian represented ancient destiny, true enough, and the ancient era had been mighty, true enough, but Marquis Jiantian could only represent the ancient destiny remaining in the myriad realms today. Su Yu, on the other hand, had opened his own heaven and earth, gathered over a hundred Dao Mergers, subjugated top experts from various races, and counted numerous Celestial Venerables among his ranks. When it came to destiny, how could you compete with me? The power of destiny erupted instantly! Furthermore, a portion of Marquis Jiantian's power of destiny had originally been provided by Su Yu. Now, as Su Yu's power of destiny flared, he chuckled low. "Playing with destiny? You're not even in my league! Fall down!" Bang! A trip on flat ground! Marquis Jiantian stumbled. Destiny was a wonderful thing to wield, but once it suffered backlash, it became far more troublesome. On the battlefield, if you truly competed in destiny and your power was suppressed, you became utterly helpless. Marquis Jiantian crashed to the ground, his face filled with shock. How was this possible?! "Fall into the cage!" With a thunderous rumble, a spatial ripple stirred without any wind. Marquis Jiantian subconsciously dodged, only to plunge into the Five Elements Cage with a heavy thud. Within the cage, hundreds of chains fell instantly, enveloping him and binding him in the blink of an eye. Marquis Jiantian's eyes went wide with disbelief. Impossible! How could it be like this? He erupted with power, his formidable aura bursting forth in an instant as hundreds of divine characters manifested around him. "Ten thousand Daos converge to me!" Just as his hundreds of divine characters appeared, the power of hundreds of Great Daos surged from Su Yu. An equivalent Dao power erupted in an instant, suppressing the hundreds of divine characters in a heartbeat! Su Yu flashed through space, appearing right in front of Marquis Jiantian. Pressing down with one hand, his palm struck, sending Marquis Jiantian flying backward with a loud crash. At the same time, tens of thousands of chains materialized within the cage, tightly binding Marquis Jiantian from every direction. Immediately after, the cage shrank, compressing to the size of a rice bowl in the blink of an eye. Su Yu reached out and grasped the cage. Marquis Jiantian had shrunk as well, struggling violently within while roaring, "Impossible!" Even a Celestial Venerable, capable of defeating him, would have found it exceedingly difficult to capture him. Because he was the incarnation of destiny! In battle against him, opponents were bound to suffer misfortune; missing their strikes was entirely normal, and being counter-killed was far from out of the question! That was the charm of the Dao of Destiny! Su Yu could not be bothered to pay it any mind. In destiny, you were suppressed by me; in raw power, you were crushed by me. Since that was so, what did you have left to compare with me? You amounted to nothing! Having subdued Marquis Jiantian in an instant and bound him with countless chains, Su Yu sealed the entire cage so not even a sound could escape. Immediately after, he reached out and snatched Duobao. "You go in too. Keep him company and chat with him. Tell him to stop struggling so much—I am protecting him right now!" Duobao bared his teeth, unable to refuse. Nodding, he was promptly sent into the cage by Su Yu. Oh well, he would just go in and chat with Marquis Jiantian! Too terrifying! Even Duobao was shaken to the core. To Duobao, Marquis Jiantian had always seemed invincible. Although quite a few Celestial Venerables had emerged recently, in Duobao's view, Marquis Jiantian could hold his own even against a Celestial Venerable. Destiny was simply too bizarre. People might call it inconsequential, but once a true fight began, a Celestial Venerable fighting Duobao would suffer constant bad luck. As long as one's destiny could not overpower Marquis Jiantian, even a stronger combatant might be slain by him on the spot! Yet Su Yu remained completely nonchalant. Marquis Jiantian was no match for him; that was inevitable. Destiny? It had no numerical values to measure, but strictly speaking, Marquis Jiantian's destiny was vastly inferior to his own. Ancient destiny? Nonsense! From the ancient era, the destiny of King Wen, the Time Master, and the Human Sovereign was likely aligned with Su Yu. Even the destiny of figures like King Ming and King Zhan was probably on Su Yu's side, because their descendants stood in his camp. Destiny was an intensely subjective concept. Marquis Jiantian's claim to represent the ancient era could only extend to those figures who had already perished. Those who had not died were either claimed by Su Yu or by the Hundred Battles King! Just as Su Yu secured Marquis Jiantian, a formidable aura surged forth. It was not Hundred Battles! In the distance, a colossal figure emerged—it was Thunderstorm. Thunderstorm cast his gaze around. Before he could spot Su Yu, San Yue and Giant Axe blocked his path. Just as Thunderstorm was about to speak, Su Yu's voice rang out: "Tongtian, let's go!" Three gateways materialized before Su Yu and his companions. In the next instant, San Yue and Giant Axe exchanged glances without a word and stepped into the passages. Immediately after, all three departed the scene along with Tongtian! Thunderstorm's expression shifted slightly, and he frowned, staring into the boundless void. Where was Marquis Jiantian? He had not seen San Yue or Giant Axe take action, and there had only been a minor disturbance here moments ago. Where could Marquis Jiantian have gone? He had not even caught sight of Su Yu! Thunderstorm knitted his brows, then suddenly turned his gaze in another direction! Toward the Immortal Realm. Su Yu reappeared! At that moment, Su Yu's voice boomed like a great bell, reverberating across the heavens: "Tiangu, Jiwu, Moji! You powerhouses of the three realms, prepare yourselves to accompany me to the Upper Realm! San Yue and Giant Axe have reached an accord with the experts of your three races. You shall ascend to the Upper Realm to assist the myriad races in battle! The myriad races face a powerful enemy; our personal grievances will be settled later!" The moment these words went out, Thunderstorm was startled in the distance. He was truly sending them up? That was not the crux—the crux was that Su Yu had stepped forward directly to speak on behalf of San Yue and Giant Axe. Was this not openly declaring to the three great races that San Yue and Giant Axe were his men? Previously, even if the myriad races had guessed as much, they had not confirmed it, and no one had pierced that sheet of window paper. Yet here was Su Yu, stating it outright. Thunderstorm frowned. Then he heard Su Yu bellow once more, "In three days, I will come to collect you!" From the direction of the Immortal Realm, Tiangu's voice drifted across: "You intend to ascend to the Upper Realm as well?" Su Yu said coldly, "Naturally! I suffered a bitter defeat in the Upper Realm. I have swept across the myriad realms, invincible wherever I tread. No one may inflict defeat upon me—no one! The Prison King's lineage acts against the natural order, treasonous and perverse. I can slaughter them, yet they dared try to kill me? Audacious and reckless, their entire clan deserves extermination! Tiangu, prepare yourselves. In three days, I come for you. How many go is for you to weigh; if you stay, you may never have the chance to leave again!" At that very moment, from the God Realm, a will fluctuation weakened to the absolute extreme rippled out, and the Former Imperial Consort's voice echoed: "Emperor Yu intends to negotiate cooperation with the myriad races to face the enemy?" Su Yu turned toward the God Realm. "Imperial Consort, are you on the verge of complete demise? I observe your destiny scattering and your Great Dao power falling into disarray. Are you about to die?" "Those who live long must eventually meet their end." The Former Imperial Consort truly was dying. She had merely been lingering on her last breaths, and recently, to bolster Jiwu and the others, she had directly infused them with Dao power, leaving her clinging to only a thread of life! Su Yu smiled faintly. "If you must die, it is best to die in the Upper Realm! Lest those old bastards up there assume I killed you in the Lower Realm! Naturally, I do not fear their misunderstanding, but the Former Imperial Consort holds a noble status. If you truly die in the Lower Realm, the Upper Realm God race might turn against me! Figures like the Sun and Moon Celestial Venerables are no weaklings either! Imperial Consort, you had best hold onto that thread of life; whether you live or die, it is not by my hand!" Su Yu projected an extraordinary presence across the heavens, his hands clasped behind his back as he said impassively, "If the Former Imperial Consort believes dying in the Lower Realm poses no problem, and the God race turns hostile toward me, do not blame me for being ruthless if the Sun and Moon Celestial Venerables end up dead by my hand. It will only be because the God race sought their own doom. Whether you ascend or remain, decide for yourself!" Arrogant! He would not even permit someone to die in peace. If the Former Imperial Consort died, the God race might assume Su Yu had killed her and turn hostile. According to Su Yu, the ones to die next would certainly be the Sun and Moon Celestial Venerables. Hearing this, even San Yue and Giant Axe felt his words were a bit overbearing! Yet the God Realm fell silent for a time before the Former Imperial Consort's voice drifted forth, filled with boundless frailty, softly saying, "Then this old woman... shall go die in the Upper Realm!" Indeed, the Former Imperial Consort conceded. Only the powerful entities of the Lower Realm truly understood Su Yu's terror. His strength might not be unmatched, but he was invincible in battle and unstoppable in conquest, turning danger into safety whenever a crisis arose! He always managed to reverse everything! Figures like Fate Emperor had chosen Su Yu in the Lower Realm before the Upper Realm had made their choice, simply because Su Yu was too much of a miracle! Even now, with Hundred Battles returned and immensely strong, Tiangu and the others feared Hundred Battles far less than they feared Su Yu, who had fled into the dead spirit realm. Because this was the being who had upended the myriad realms bit by bit, right under their noses. From the Soaring Stage onward, Sun Moons had come to kill him, then Dao Mergers had come to kill him. Through it all, Su Yu had not died, only growing stronger with every battle! He was too legendary! So legendary that Tiangu and the Former Imperial Consort would rather battle Hundred Battles than cross blades with Su Yu! …… San Yue and Giant Axe exchanged glances, looking thoroughly peculiar. Did no one question it? Su Yu made a declaration, and they just believed it? He said he would take them to the Upper Realm, and they simply accepted it? While they were pondering this, Moji's voice resonated from afar: "Su Yu, will we take the Destiny race passageway to the Upper Realm?" "No!" Su Yu said calmly, "We take the Fire Spreader passageway!" "Is there a limit on numbers?" Su Yu scoffed contemptuously. "If you have the capability to pack up the entire Demon Realm and haul it up, I won't stop you!" Moji was rendered speechless. From the God Realm, Jiwu's voice drifted forth as well: "Do we need to seal ourselves?" "No need!" Su Yu stated coldly, "Conduct yourselves with caution. There is no need for self-sealing; cause trouble, and I will slaughter you all to be done with it! If you believe you can deal with me without relying on the Upper Realm's forces, feel free to try!" The three realms fell silent. None had such thoughts! That meant Su Yu truly intended to take them up. At that moment, an Eternal voice came from the Dragon Realm, tinged with shrill desperation: "May my Dragon race send people as well?" Su Yu looked toward the Dragon Realm. He had nearly wiped out all the dragon powerhouses; Marquis Tianlong had fled to the Upper Realm as virtually their only surviving Dao Merger. Today, the Dragon race in the Lower Realm was feeble beyond measure. Su Yu said impassively, "If you wish to go, very well. If you are not afraid of dying, not afraid of serving as cannon fodder in the Upper Realm, then go right ahead! For weaklings like you, the myriad realms today are actually safer. If you wish to be cannon fodder, I will grant your wish! Any race that possesses a Celestial Venerable may send representatives! The three great races, plus the Underworld, Dragon, Phoenix, and Destiny races, may all go! As for the Giant race, that depends on Thunderstorm's thoughts. Thunderstorm has descended to the Lower Realm as well; whether you leave or stay is up to you!" "Wait for me in the boundless void in three days!" Su Yu's voice boomed, shaking the myriad realms: "I am no babysitter for the overly weak. Traverse the passageway yourselves; if you die, do not blame me. Aside from the Former Imperial Consort, who must not die, however many of the rest perish will be entirely up to your own fate!" The myriad realms fell silent! This sky still belonged to Su Yu. With Hundred Battles choosing to keep a low profile, his deterrence in the myriad realms fell far short of Su Yu's! Peerless tyranny! Only those he permitted to leave could leave; whoever he demanded to leave had to leave! As for whether he was deceiving them... there seemed little need. If Su Yu truly possessed the power to wipe them out, he would not need deception. Gathering them together was actually more troublesome than assaulting them realm by realm! Gathered together, each faction was stronger, not weaker! …… In the Human Realm. Hundred Battles remained silent, but Wu Ji murmured with a hint of doubt, "Your Majesty, this Su Yu is quite arrogant! If he takes all those people away, then... then what about us..." The experts of the three great races were effectively their hostages. If Su Yu took them all to the Upper Realm, what would become of their leverage? Changqing, however, said softly, "It might not be a bad thing. Everyone heard Thunderstorm's words. If they are taken to the Upper Realm, the Upper Realm will temporarily stop concerning itself with the Lower Realm. Otherwise, the myriad races would constantly worry about complications here, and their eyes would never leave us!" Saying that, he hesitated slightly. "Is this Su Yu truly going to the Upper Realm?" He had only just gone into hiding in the Lower Realm, yet now he was rushing to the Upper Realm to seek revenge? Nearby, Changmei remarked indifferently, "That is easy enough to understand. The arrival of San Yue and Giant Axe gave him confidence! Two Celestial Venerable-level experts, plus King Wen's dog on his side—meaning three Celestial Venerable-level beings. He feels he can secure a foothold in the Upper Realm!" With that, he sneered, "I said before that he would collude with the myriad races sooner or later. Xueying and Hongyue refused to believe it, defending him... And now? He stated openly that he is going to the Upper Realm to discuss cooperation with the myriad races!" Su Yu had said it himself! How could they excuse him now? Xueying and Hongyue could not be bothered to acknowledge him, their expressions merely turning somber. Su Yu was heading to the Upper Realm? The Upper Realm was far from peaceful right now. It was a very unwise decision! They had no idea what Su Yu was thinking. Having already hidden in the dead spirit realm, why show himself now? Even if Giant Axe and San Yue supported him, how much backing could they provide? Once in the Upper Realm, would the myriad races truly treat him as a partner in cooperation? More like cannon fodder! Everyone knew how many powerhouses of the myriad races Su Yu had slain in the Lower Realm. Furthermore, he had killed plenty of the three great races' experts in the Upper Realm, not to mention virtually wiping out the Dragon race's Dao Mergers! With such deep-seated enmity, could Su Yu meet a good end upon entering the Upper Realm? Hundred Battles watched for a moment, then said placidly, "Let him be!" If Su Yu wished to ascend, he would not stand in his way. Changqing murmured, "Giant Axe... what is he thinking?" Without Su Yu saying a word, Giant Axe was following right along. Upon descending this time, he had not even returned to the Human Realm, heading straight to Su Yu instead. Now he was about to escort Su Yu to the Upper Realm. What was Giant Axe thinking? "Giant Axe places great weight on loyalty. Su Yu essentially rescued him, so following Su Yu is normal." Hundred Battles did not elaborate; that had always been Giant Axe's temperament. Having been rescued by Su Yu, his loyalty to Su Yu came as no surprise. San Yue, however—this time, Su Yu had virtually declared that San Yue was siding with him. That was the truly astonishing part. Was San Yue not worried about the consequences? The Iron Eater race was not foolish; had they been foolish, they would have been annihilated long ago. …… Whatever the Human Realm thought, Su Yu did not care. He was certain Hundred Battles and his cohort would not show themselves at this time. Having gone to great lengths to lie low, stepping out now would be asking for trouble. Since Su Yu was taking the lead, they would simply let Su Yu handle it. Not only that, but at this moment, the distant Thunderstorm suddenly called out, "Emperor Yu, once we reach the Upper Realm, I hope we can look out for one another!" Su Yu glanced in his direction. He laughed! What was this? Trying to deflect attention for Hundred Battles? Saying that made it sound as though Thunderstorm were his man as well. Su Yu chuckled and nodded. "Rest assured, I will take very good care of you!" I haven't provoked you, so don't even think about shifting the blame onto me. If you, Thunderstorm, want to play tricks on me, I can play you to death. Soon, Su Yu said no more. He was busy; he had no time to waste on them. "Tongtian!" Marquis Tongtian's teleportation portal opened once more. This time, Su Yu stepped through alone, while San Yue and Giant Axe remained behind. Su Yu instructed, "Keep watch, both of you. We rendezvous in three days!" The two nodded, watching Su Yu depart. Once Su Yu had left, Thunderstorm tore through the void and arrived, demanding in a heavy voice, "Where is Marquis Jiantian?" San Yue glanced at him, giving a goofy smile. "Ran away. The moment he saw how many of us there were, he ran faster than anyone!" Ran away? Thunderstorm could not be sure. He had arrived swiftly, yet by the time he got there, Marquis Jiantian had already vanished. Had he fled, or had he been captured? He could not tell! Looking back at San Yue, he said gravely, "Setting Giant Axe aside, Brother San Yue... are you truly going to the Upper Realm with Su Yu?" For the Iron Eater race, that meant choosing a side outright! Previously, their stance had been ambiguous. Now that Su Yu was broadcasting this before the entire myriad realms, it might not bode well for the Iron Eater race. San Yue smiled. "We are ascending together! I actually want to see if I can demand my kin back!" He laughed, "Joining hands with Giant Axe and Feiqiu gives us three Celestial Venerables at least. If Rimian and the others don't want an all-out clash, I think there is hope! Why doesn't Brother Thunderstorm join us as well? Perhaps it would give us a bit more hope?" Thunderstorm pondered rapidly, then smiled. "Forget it. I am better off in the shadows than out in the open. I will support Brother San Yue, but if you truly break away from the myriad races' camp, you will lack intelligence. I had best act as the intermediary!" "Heh, fine!" San Yue sneered inwardly. Naturally, Thunderstorm would not openly side with Su Yu; if Su Yu met with disaster, Thunderstorm would be dragged down with him. He was Hundred Battles' man, content to lurk quietly within the myriad realms' camp. As for whether the powerhouses of the myriad races grew suspicious, what of it? San Yue calculated the odds and brushed it off. Ascending this time offered a strong chance to negotiate with the myriad races and retrieve his kin. If he could manage that, many of his worries would vanish! As for danger, that would only arise if Su Yu were defeated. Yet, while others remained ignorant, how could San Yue not know Su Yu's true strength? It was terrifying! So many powerhouses gathered within that new heaven and earth—apart from Su Yu's inner circle, no one in the myriad realms knew of it yet. It was a force capable of upending the entire myriad realms. …… With Su Yu gone, the three great races also began preparing for the ascent to the Upper Realm. At this moment, their mindset was to leave if they could. Remaining in the Lower Realm was indeed growing increasingly perilous. Hundred Battles was here, Su Yu surfaced from time to time, and war seemed to be erupting in the Upper Realm as well, leaving the upper echelons unable to watch over them. If they did not ascend, disaster would strike sooner or later. In the Immortal Realm. Tiangu ordered items packed away while turning matters over in his mind. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "He made such a grand show of seeking out Marquis Jiantian, and then departed all of a sudden. King Fu, where do you think Jiantian went?" King Fu wondered, "Ran away?" Ran away? Tiangu sank into thought. If he ran away, would Su Yu simply let the matter drop? He had caused quite a commotion. Was Su Yu the kind of person to let things go so easily? Not likely! In truth, he harbored a faint suspicion. After a long pause, he said, "Perhaps... Jiantian was captured!" King Fu gave a start. "Surely not? As far as I could tell, San Yue and Giant Axe didn't intervene!" Marquis Jiantian was no weakling! In just that short span—just a brief exchange of words, merely catching a glimpse of each other—could he have been captured by Su Yu alone? Tiangu could not be certain, but he still suspected that Marquis Jiantian had been captured! A headache seized him. Soon, he said, "Forget it. We will see once we reach the Upper Realm!" With that, Tiangu pondered briefly and said, "Once we reach the Upper Realm... Dao and Huang are currently in charge of the Immortal race, correct?" "Yes." Tiangu went quiet for a moment, then chuckled. "Whatever, let us go see!" He was the true king of the Immortal race, yet he had remained in the Lower Realm for far too many years. Some of those in the Upper Realm had grown mighty and might not heed his commands. Even though he had stepped into the Heavenly King realm, he might not possess sufficient say up there! Unless driven to the absolute brink, he had never wanted to ascend. "No matter!" Tiangu smiled faintly. "In the Upper Realm, the Great Dao is more untethered. Perhaps I will make swift progress!" Saying no more, he walked away in silence. Once gone, he might never return. Today, he would take a good look at this Immortal Realm he had ruled for a hundred thousand years. Ascending this time, had Su Yu stayed behind, all might have been well; but with Su Yu going, was that man capable of staying idle? Before long, massive battles would likely erupt in the Upper Realm. As for himself, if he died, it would either be at Su Yu's hands or by the Prison King's lineage; there truly was little hope of ever returning to the Lower Realm. Deep down, he felt a measure of despair and premonition. Yet he kept it to himself; even if voiced, no one would necessarily believe him. …… Busy and unrelenting, Su Yu settled affairs in the myriad realms before returning to the dead spirit realm to attend to other matters. …… Meanwhile. Within the River of Time, a figure was swimming against the current. Xingyue had no idea how long she had journeyed upstream, but the vitality beneath her feet was on the verge of dispersing completely! Even the Xingyu Stamp had lost its radiance. Xingyue looked ahead. Had she still not arrived? Had she not possessed the Xingyu Stamp, and had she not just been revived with an abundance of vitality, she likely would never have reached this point. "Still not there?" Anxiety crept into her heart. If she did not reach her destination soon, she would have no choice but to drift back downstream. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she seemed to cross a boundary. At that moment, her aura underwent a drastic transformation. In the blink of an eye, a tremendously rich surge of vitality rippled out. Xingyue started, glancing back; she seemed to have passed through a thin membrane! "I... have breached the blockade zone?" Her aura grew steadily stronger, far more powerful than before. In an instant, vitality boiled beneath her feet with supreme intensity—a Dao Master! Yes, she had broken through! Or rather, she had recovered. A Rule Master! Xingyue was slightly dazed. So my brother had merely blocked off a single section back then. That made sense; if he had possessed the strength to seal the entire River of Time, the Human Sovereign would already have rivaled the Time Master! "Which means that if powerhouses from downstream can breach this blocked region, they can break through as well?" Thinking carefully, it was simply too difficult! She had reached her absolute limit, bolstered by the power of revival and the Xingyu Stamp. Anyone who was not a Rule Master would likely never make it here; and if one already was, coming here made no difference anyway! The section sealed by the Human Sovereign was calculated with precision! Those below the Rule Master level could not arrive, and those who had achieved it gained nothing new from coming. Having recovered her strength, Xingyue's aura continued to steadily expand. Back when she had revived and merged her origin, her cultivation had progressed substantially. "The Dao of Life and Death?" She originally only commanded the Dao of Life, yet at this moment, faint traces of death qi emanated from her body. She had spent countless years as a dead spirit, merged equal halves of life and death origin, and subsequently merged Su Yu's Dao of Life and Death. Now, the power of both Life and Death resided within her. The instant she regained control of the Dao of Life, Xingyue hesitated briefly. The vitality in her body far exceeded the power of death, as she effectively controlled two Daos of Life. "The Dao of Death within the River of Time vanished long ago, having been extracted by the Necro Sovereign. Therefore, the Dao of Death no longer exists within the River of Time!" At this stage, strengthening life energy was simple, but reinforcing death energy was troublesome. Unless she enacted a conversion between life and death, transmuting the power of life into the power of death. "And as for the power of life, which Dao of Life should I primarily strengthen?" She possessed two! After a moment's thought, she drew a substantial amount of power from the Dao of Life within the River of Time and infused it into the two Daos inside her—specifically, into the white one. She would try strengthening Su Yu's Dao of Life! She was effectively the very first Rule Master in Su Yu's heaven and earth—a true Rule Master in every sense. Having long held command over the Dao of Life, her restoration instantly granted her mastery over Su Yu's Dao of Life, and she even took control of his Dead Spirit Dao. She had lived as a dead spirit for far too many years! An ordinary person taking command would easily turn into a dead spirit within Su Yu's world, but Xingyue faced no such issue, her life energy permanently suppressing the power of death. At this moment, upon her restoration, she commanded three Daos simultaneously. Naturally, two of them were somewhat weak. Compared to the Daos within the River of Time, the disparity was stark. Those two critically important Daos, even fused together, barely matched the power of a single Great Dao. The Dao of Life and Death was a fundamental Dao, immensely powerful on its own, let alone as a pair; yet merged now, they felt inferior even to her own Dao of Life. Xingyue weighed the matter. The Daos of Su Yu's heaven and earth were still too feeble! "Since the Dao of Life and Death rests with me, if I strengthen them, his heaven and earth should expand as well..." Wielding the Great Dao, Xingyue swiftly siphoned life energy from the River of Time and channeled it into Su Yu's Dao. For her, the impact was negligible, though it introduced a certain imbalance. …… At that exact instant. Su Yu had just stepped back into his heaven and earth. The next moment, he raised an eyebrow. This modest world suddenly expanded once more, and this time, the growth was both swift and vast! A rich surge of vitality erupted across the entire world! Wan Tiansheng flew over at once, looking around the heaven and earth and then at Su Yu, a look of surprise on his face. "It expanded! And it feels like it's expanding even faster than when the Southern King revived and merged her Dao!" Su Yu nodded. "Someone has become a true Rule Master!" Wan Tiansheng understood—Xingyue! She had become a Rule Master, a Rule Master belonging to Su Yu's heaven and earth. This also meant that in an instant, Xingyue had assumed true mastery over the power of the Dao of Life and Death. With life and death brought to completion, the world that had originally been the size of a small town grew at an astonishing pace, swelling to the size of Nanyuan City in the blink of an eye! Not only that, but looking toward the sky, Su Yu could discern faint phenomena: vast amounts of life energy were still pouring in, completely suppressing the death qi within the realm. The tremendous vitality made Su Yu feel as though his own life force had been greatly replenished, his body growing visibly younger. Even his white hair showed signs of turning black. Su Yu raised an eyebrow, quickly understanding that an external surge of vitality had merged into his Dao of Life! Xingyue had advanced. Not only had she broken through within his world, but she had also seized the Dao of Life within the River of Time, channeling a portion of her own Dao power into Su Yu's Dao of Life. Wan Tiansheng observed for a moment and deduced the situation as well, chuckling. "She seems to have advanced to Rule Master. Yet with no disturbance in the myriad realms, does this mean she has reached the Human Sovereign's side?" "She must be close!" Wan Tiansheng calculated. "It has been quite a while. Travelling upstream in the River of Time for over a day, and that was while carrying the Xingyu Stamp. Otherwise, she wouldn't have arrived even in three days. From the look of it, anyone below the Rule Master level can hardly cross over!" Su Yu nodded. "Naturally. If it were that simple, someone would have forced their way across long ago! Over a day..." Su Yu pondered. "If time flows faster there, perhaps in a year or two, the Human Sovereign and the others will return!" Of course, that was merely his own speculation. He watched for a while, then paid it no further heed. It was a positive development, and in any case, it lay beyond his control; Xingyue was not here, so she would not hear him even if he spoke. Su Yu walked swiftly toward the edge of his heaven and earth, where a massive seal soon presented itself. The great seal opened on its own! Su Yu peered inside. Within the seal lay the source of the myriad Daos. Several of Lan Tian's clones were currently stationed there, seemingly linking to the power of the myriad Daos within the River of Time. The interior of the great seal functioned like a central control hub. Su Yu retrieved the cage, letting it expand to its normal size. Marquis Jiantian was currently speaking with Duobao. The moment the cage appeared, he looked in all directions, deeply startled. What place was this? Here, he could barely even sense the power of destiny from the myriad realms! Su Yu offered no explanation. Looking at him, he said plainly, "Stay right here. Don't think about fleeing; you couldn't even if you tried!" "This is the core of my heaven and earth. If you manage to escape from here, I'll tip my hat to you!" Having said that, Su Yu added briskly, "I have other matters to attend to. While you are here, you may comprehend the Dao of Destiny within my world. However..." Su Yu's tone turned chillingly cold. "You are not permitted to merge into my Dao of Destiny. Do so, and I will kill you!" If this fellow merged into it, he would siphon away all the destiny from the myriad realms. That would unleash tremendous chaos: the myriad realms would lose all restrictions, the seals would shatter, and that was the last thing Su Yu wanted. Of course, without his permission, Marquis Jiantian would find it difficult to merge even if he wished to. Su Yu continued, "However, you may comprehend it, and leave your insights behind in this place! Rest assured, I won't kill you. Why would I kill you?" Su Yu gave a faint, chilling smile. "You are my primary object of protection. If you die, wouldn't I suffer even more? Marquis Jiantian, enjoy my protection while you can!" Marquis Jiantian did not know what to say, feeling only dejection. Was the chasm between him and Su Yu truly widening by the day? The core of heaven and earth—piecing it together with what Duobao had just told him, he already knew what this place was. Su Yu had opened his own heaven and earth! He was breaking free from the constraints of the entire myriad realms! Marquis Jiantian remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Even if you control me, it is useless. Once the destiny of the myriad realms disperses, I will die, and everyone will still advance!" Su Yu narrowed his eyes with a smile. "True enough. But... that will be a long time from now. Do you really think it will take me that long to finish off my enemies?" Well, Marquis Jiantian thought it over; perhaps it really wouldn't. This man was growing more terrifying by the day!