A Shift in the Situation

"You seek death!" The moment Fat Ball swallowed the Polong beast's willpower, a colossal gate in the distance suddenly shuddered. A furious bellow reverberated between heaven and earth! It was the true body of the Polong beast! Sound could now carry out from behind the Hell Gate, a clear sign that the portal was not far from opening completely. Yet right as that enraged roar rang out, Su Yu's furious cursing erupted even louder, drowning it out entirely. In that instant, Su Yu was practically shaking with rage as he roared, "Beast! You dare kill two of my Heavenly Kings?! I will see your Sinner clan wiped from existence!" "..." Good grief! To anyone listening, his furious shouting sounded as though he had not been the very one who called for the self-detonations just moments ago. Damn it all, hadn't Xuelan and the other detonated their Great Daos on their own under his command? Before anyone from the Prison King lineage even had time to get angry, the roars of two other enraged figures had already filled heaven and earth, robbing them of the chance to vent their own fury. "Kill!" Su Yu roared. Having obliterated the Polong beast's willpower, the four Heavenly Venerables charged straight for Yue Hao ahead. Yue Hao had initially advanced to engage them only because of the Polong beast's presence. No matter how one looked at it, that beast was a peak-tier existence. Unfortunately, it relied on six Hell Gates. While its raw power measured up, its tether was far too dependent on the gates; once they broke, the beast was finished. Now, piloting the ancient beast's carcass with his willpower, Yue Hao felt his sea of will roil. Without a second thought, he spun around and fled. He had no choice! Four Heavenly Venerables were not an enemy he could face alone. Further back, Yueluo and the others also paled, immediately tearing through the void in pursuit. The white-haired elder and three Heavenly Kings, however, had been injured by the destruction of the gates and had no choice but to stop, leaving the remaining three Heavenly Venerables and nine Heavenly Kings to give chase! Yueluo let out an incensed shout, fury boiling within her. That bastard Su Yu, weaving truth and lies together, was making things utterly miserable for them. The crux of the matter was that Su Yu had detonated the Daos of two Heavenly Kings specifically to target the Polong beast. It had been a crucially calculated choice: not only was the Polong beast eliminated, but one Heavenly Venerable and three Heavenly Kings were severely wounded by the backlash from the shattered gates. It had been an astonishingly favorable trade! In one fell swoop, he had effectively neutralized two Heavenly Venerable-level combatants plus three Heavenly Kings, while on Su Yu's side, the pieces traded off were merely three Heavenly Kings. Witnessing this, onlookers from all factions felt a surge of awe! In such a clash, the sheer peril was spine-chilling—a single misstep meant total annihilation. Yet Su Yu navigated it with effortless ease, executing his piece-trading tactics to absolute perfection! The fiercer the battle grew, the calmer Su Yu became. ... At this moment, Tiangu could not help letting out a sigh, remarking with deep emotion, "A natural-born killer, a peerless battle general!" Indeed! Su Yu was both a commander-in-chief and a vanguard warrior. Under these circumstances, the disparity in raw combat strength had been immense. Yet with an effortless trade, he had narrowed the gap in the blink of an eye. In moments, the number of Heavenly Venerables had leveled out again; all the opposing side had left in surplus were those below the Heavenly Venerable realm! At this moment, not just Tiangu, but the various experts of the myriad races, as well as the two ancient beast sovereigns including the Chaos Dragon, were all slightly shaken. Su Yu! Though his methods appeared vile and shameless, their effectiveness was astonishing. Putting aside the fact that none of the three Heavenly Kings had actually died, even if they had perished, sacrificing three Heavenly Kings in a battle of this scale to render two opposing Heavenly Venerables and three Heavenly Kings incapable of fighting was a massive victory! Moreover, Marquis Tongtian had fled carrying the others. Their Great Daos had shattered—everyone saw that—but a shattered Dao did not mean it could never be restored. With Marquis Tongtian escaping deeper into the chaos under these conditions, the Prison King lineage was unlikely to hunt them down. For one, catching them would be difficult; for another, they feared Su Yu would use the diversion to divide their forces! Hearing Tiangu's praise, rarely did anyone contradict him, including Heavenly Venerable Long. Still, after a moment, Heavenly Venerable Long snorted coldly, muttering in displeasure, "Aside from making people detonate themselves, what else does he know how to do?" "Why don't you try getting a Heavenly King to detonate themselves willingly first?" Tiangu rebutted him without hesitation. He did not say it to defend Su Yu, but rather because he did not want these people constantly using such excuses to comfort themselves and underestimate Su Yu. If they were displeased, they should keep it to themselves; saying it before everyone would only encourage others to belittle Su Yu. It was plainly Su Yu's astonishing control and sound tactics, but if Heavenly Venerable Long's remarks influenced everyone to think Su Yu was merely a one-trick pony relying on self-detonations, disaster would follow. Snapped at like that, Heavenly Venerable Long wanted to flare up, but after a second thought, let it go. The Immortal race was not to be trifled with either! What was more, everyone was currently allied. Their battle against the ancient beasts was still ongoing, with experts falling continuously. Yet compared to the other clash, despite hundreds of powerhouses engaged, it seemed almost like petty skirmishing! ... At the same time. Without the burden of the three Heavenly Kings... To be blunt, the three Heavenly Kings lacked their explosive power and speed, truly dragging them down somewhat. Now, freed from Tongtian and the other two, Su Yu and his companions moved even faster. At maximum speed, they lunged toward Yue Hao! The pursuers from behind charged forward, but their speed fell short of Su Yu's group. Though all were Heavenly Venerables, Su Yu and Fat Ball were peak existences, and while San Yue and Great Axe were slightly weaker, they were still genuine Heavenly Venerables. Yue Hao, on the other hand, was piloting an ancient beast carcass, and his control was far from seamless. In the blink of an eye, Su Yu's group was about to overtake him! Right at that moment, amidst the mountains, Yue Zhan was drenched in sweat—not out of fear of Su Yu, but because he was straining to wrench open a small crevice in the Hell Gate. Seeing the situation, he growled, "You two, go reinforce them!" There was more than just him on this side. Several powerhouses remained. Two of them, resembling twins and virtually identical, rose upon hearing the order and vanished in an instant. Yue Zhan cursed under his breath. Useless trash! So many experts dispatched to ambush Su Yu and his few lackeys, yet they had been thoroughly humiliated. It was infuriating. Of course, as long as they trapped Su Yu's party, they were as good as dead! Not even four Heavenly Venerables would survive! ... As Su Yu and his companions pursued Yue Hao, two figures suddenly burst out from the distant mountains at astonishing speed. Two more Heavenly Venerables! At this sight, the myriad races were all taken aback! These were the sixth and seventh Heavenly Venerables to appear today. Including the Polong beast, that made eight. Yue Zhan had not even shown himself, Yue Qin had been slain, and Yuqing had yet to step out of the Hell Gate! If all were counted... the strength of the Prison King lineage was terrifyingly immense! Having bided their time for a hundred thousand years! Sure enough, their foundation remained formidable. At this moment, before Su Yu's group were three Heavenly Venerables including Yue Hao, while behind them—counting the injured white-haired elder—were four more. Even Su Yu could not help marveling inwardly! This lineage was truly monstrously strong. In truth, the united forces of the myriad races were only roughly equal to the Prison King lineage. Yet the myriad races were an alliance of multiple whole species. The Prison King lineage, strictly speaking, was merely an organization under a single Quad-Polar Human King. Such power was absurdly excessive. In this era, whether it was Su Yu or Hundred Battles, the strength under their command fell short of this single lineage! "Your Majesty!" San Yue and Great Axe both felt their hearts leap. Two more had arrived! This spelled trouble! They had already been outmatched, relying solely on superior mobility. But now, with formidable foes ahead and behind, once encircled by seven Heavenly Venerables coordinated with Heavenly Kings and Dao Integration experts, the four of them would surely be done for! At that moment, Su Yu bellowed, "Are the myriad races still going to stand by and watch?! Seven Heavenly Venerables have shown themselves! Are you still waiting?! Must you wait until their Ruler of Rules steps out?!" He roared, and in the next breath, shouted, "Retreat!" Boom! With a punch that shattered the void, carving out a tunnel, Su Yu dove in and bolted. The other three did not hesitate for a fraction of a second, vanishing into the passageway right behind him and fleeing through empty space. Yue Hao converged with the twins and soon reunited with Yueluo's group. Their expressions were grim as they looked toward Su Yu's retreating figures. Beside Yueluo, the axe-wielding expert snarled, "Pursue them!" Hitting and running—how could things be so easy? All seven Heavenly Venerables had been exposed! Neither Yueluo nor Yue Hao spoke. Soon, the pale-faced elder whose Hell Gate had exploded flew over, coughing as he said, "Do not pursue a desperate foe!" In truth, they could not pursue! They had to defend this place! If they gave chase, capturing Su Yu's group would require five or six Heavenly Venerables, not just four. If that many left, what would happen if the myriad races attacked? Thus, Su Yu's group had far greater mobility. The defenders, by contrast, had a territory to protect. "Deploy the array!" The white-haired elder coughed, barking out orders: "Deploy the Heaven Sealing Array and seal off the perimeter!" It was not an entrapping array, but a sealing array to protect themselves within. At that moment, the white-haired elder quickly sent voice transmissions to the Heavenly Venerables: "We cannot pursue, but we must beware of them doubling back! Wait! Wait until Supreme Venerable Yuqing emerges from the Hell Gate. Otherwise, even if we kill them, our losses will be catastrophic!" Yue Hao's voice carried over, laced with exasperation and anger: "I know, but this bunch is extraordinarily difficult to deal with!" A huge headache! To be honest, provoking Su Yu's band left them deeply aggrieved. In reality, it was that bastard Su Yu who had ambushed them first, which led to casualties on Su Yu's side. Yet now, Su Yu was turning around to exact vengeance on them! Where was the justice in that?! Far in the distance, the four figures of Su Yu and his companions emerged once more. Su Yu looked on with feigned surprise, crying out in astonishment, "Holy crap, you cowards aren't chasing after me? Damn it! I beat you like dogs, and you won't even pursue me? Come on, send out a few Heavenly Venerables! Sealing yourselves in—have you no shame at all?!" Yue Hao and the others stared back coldly across the expanse. In the next moment, Su Yu turned on his heel and left without another word. San Yue and the others merely followed along, minding only the fighting and asking no questions about anything else. Moments later, Su Yu's trace reappeared elsewhere. Boom! An ancient beast was blown to bits by a single punch from him. San Yue and the others joined in the slaughter immediately. In the blink of an eye, four Dao Integration beasts were blasted apart on the spot! The Eight-Winged Tiger, who had been merely going through the motions with the myriad races, experienced a sudden shift in expression. In that fraction of a second, Su Yu and his companions slaughtered several more ancient beasts. What was more, Su Yu barked coldly, "Kill!" The aura pointed directly at the Eight-Winged Tiger. The four powerhouses breached the encirclement of ancient beasts in an instant. Charging straight in! The Eight-Winged Tiger let out a roar, flapping its wings, and transmitted: "Emperor Yu, this is just an act! We're putting on a show..." Boom! An act? Su Yu attacked with terrifying speed, and the powerhouses under him struck wherever he struck—what act? No acting! Su Yu's logic was simple: the Eight-Winged Tiger and the Chaos Dragon were treacherous bastards. If he killed them, good riddance; if he couldn't, then it was just an act! Indeed, it was merely to make the performance more convincing! You couldn't say he wasn't acting! Rumble! The power of Great Daos erupted. San Yue struck out with his bamboo stalk; Great Axe cleaved the void with his greataxe; Fat Ball stomped down with his boot while devouring the surrounding space, instantly swallowing every trace of chaotic power around the Eight-Winged Tiger! "Saber!" Boom! A saber slashed out, rending heaven and earth. Before the Eight-Winged Tiger could flee, squelch! One of its eight wings was severed in an instant. The tiger's eyes flared blood-red! "Roar!" With a thunderous roar, numerous nearby ancient beasts rushed to assist. Su Yu barked coldly, "Are the myriad races all dead?!" Boom! At that cue, experts like Lei Bao and Tianming took action one after another, slaughtering a swarm of ancient beasts in an instant. The Eight-Winged Tiger was genuinely furious. Just as it was about to go berserk, its gaze shifted, taking a deep look at Su Yu. Meanwhile, Su Yu wore an exceptionally gentle smile and transmitted: "Brother Tiger, retreat into the depths quickly! Fall back! A massive swarm of ancient beasts is approaching from there. You and the tailless dragon should take command of those beasts and seize the opportunity to win the trust of the Prison King lineage. Regrouping with them will serve your upcoming plans much better!" He sounded as though he were thinking of the tiger's best interests at every turn! Before the Eight-Winged Tiger could escape, boom, boom! Su Yu tore through the void as the Five Elements Cage manifested, sealing off heaven and earth. Moreover, chains pierced the void, hurtling toward the tiger to bind it. The Eight-Winged Tiger cursed wildly in its heart! Fuck! Is this really an act, or is he trying to kill me?! You treacherous bastard! It was a clever tiger, however, and saw right through Su Yu's scheme: since allegiance was ambiguous anyway, try to kill it first; if he couldn't, then call it an act... Well, that was the exact same mindset the tiger had! Sure enough, humans were the most insidious! The Eight-Winged Tiger could no longer care about anything else. It roared, "Retreat!" With that, its remaining seven wings flapped violently, shattering Su Yu's Five Elements Purgatory. Su Yu's punch struck empty air as the Eight-Winged Tiger rapidly fled. Over on the other side, the Chaos Dragon regained its true form and roared, sending Lei Bao flying with a tail whip before swiftly fleeing with a pack of ancient beasts. Su Yu paid no heed to their departure, wildly slaughtering the remaining ancient beasts! With the beasts scattering in flight, Su Yu and his companions mingled among the forces of the myriad races, cutting them down ruthlessly. In the blink of an eye, the four Heavenly Venerables had slain nearly twenty Dao Integration ancient beasts! As Su Yu raised his saber to slash down once more, Heavenly Venerable Long's expression changed drastically, and he bellowed, "Stop!" Only then did Su Yu stay his blade and glance at Heavenly Venerable Long, who roared in fury, "What do you think you're doing?!" Before Su Yu cowered a colossal dragon, trembling violently with terror filling its eyes! Taking a closer look, Su Yu curled his lip. "Marquis Tianlong? Damn it, I thought you were an ancient beast! You all look the same! I thought I'd already slaughtered every last dragon, but I forgot there were a few slippery fish that got away!" "Su Yu!" Heavenly Venerable Long raged, "What in the world do you want?! Give me back Longpan Mountain!" Su Yu sneered. "Give you back what? What did I take from you? Save your slander! You bunch of useless trash, you fought for half a day and achieved sweet nothing! More than a dozen Heavenly Venerables fighting this entire time, and you didn't even kill twenty Dao Integration beasts between you—utter garbage, the lot of you!" "Retreat!" With a low bark, the four powerhouses tore through the void once more without lingering. Su Yu was also wary of being surrounded and killed by these bastards; fleeing first was the safest course! Only after he had fled did the myriad races have a chance to take stock of the aftermath. Looking around, Heavenly Venerable Yue frowned slightly. "He took away all the corpses of the ancient beasts... including our fallen!" In the earlier clash, around twenty ancient beasts had been slain, while the myriad races had lost seven or eight Dao Integration experts. Of nearly thirty fallen powerhouses, most had left intact bodies behind. Normally, these would be collected once the battle concluded. Yet Su Yu, while everyone else was occupied with fighting, had covertly swept up all the corpses! The brute! That rascal truly fed on everyone, leaving no scrap behind! Tiangu, however, had no time to dwell on this. Looking into the distance, he frowned. "Everyone, are we still going to wait? Seven Heavenly Venerables, plus the two ancient beast sovereigns from earlier, make nine, not to mention a quasi-Ruler of Rules... Must we really wait until another Ruler of Rules emerges?" He was growing genuinely exasperated! Back in the Lower Realm, even though he had suffered numerous defeats, he had always acted decisively. In every major battle, he committed his full forces, with the Immortal race constantly fighting on the frontline against Su Yu. Yet upon arriving in the Upper Realm, the way these people fought left him thoroughly depressed! With more than a dozen Heavenly Venerables present, rather than pressing forward en masse, they insisted on waiting for Su Yu's group to finish probing. A pack of useless fools! Tiangu cursed violently in his heart. He genuinely thought so! Did they really have to wait until an enemy Ruler of Rules stepped out before they would be satisfied?! Now look what happened: Su Yu had fled. Su Yu had seen through their hesitation and simply taken his leave. In any case, Su Yu was in no hurry; taking a few small profits was enough. As for his three Heavenly Kings, none of them had died. Marquis Tongtian had devoured a gate last time and advanced to Heavenly King; perhaps this time he had a shot at reaching Heavenly Venerable! If Tongtian truly became a Heavenly Venerable, Su Yu would have profited even more, so why would he be anxious? But what about the myriad races? Apart from losing seven or eight Dao Integration experts, they had gained nothing! Tiangu's words caused the Dowager Imperial Consort to frown slightly as well. She spoke up, "Everyone, that person from the Prison King lineage is clearly facilitating a descent. Are we... still going to wait?" The fighting attitude in the Upper Realm was something she was not accustomed to. It was... somewhat sluggish! Yes, sluggish. Far less decisive and incisive than in the Lower Realm! The Lower Realm had indeed lost, routed completely by Su Yu, but that did not mean they lacked decisiveness. Several times they had mobilized their full might, committing every Dao Integration expert they had; it was just that Su Yu was too monstrous a freak. Yet what was happening in the Upper Realm? During the intense clash earlier on Su Yu's side, Tiangu had wanted to charge in, but the other Heavenly Venerables seemed unhurried, wanting to wait and see a little longer. They were far too obsessed with absolute certainty! They insisted on having Su Yu probe every shred of the Prison King lineage's power first! Heavenly Venerable Yue remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Fight, we certainly will! But... what we must consider is, if our casualties are too severe..." Irritated, Tiangu said nothing further. I knew it! The first thing these bastards thought of was: if an all-out battle broke out and a few Heavenly Venerables fell, what would come next? Disgusting! ... Far away, atop a mountain peak. Su Yu gazed in the direction of the myriad races and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he said, "The people of the Upper Realm have grown soft from neglect." He continued calmly, "Six thousand years of dominating the myriad realms, six thousand years of sham battles! It has made them indecisive." Sham battles! Those were Su Yu's exact words. San Yue opened his mouth to say something, but remained speechless for a long time. Indeed, sham battles! They had fought for six thousand years in the Dao Origin Land, yet hardly anyone had died. Prior to the ninth tide, when the human race still had a presence in the Upper Realm, the fighting had been genuine—every three to five years, a Dao Integration expert was sure to perish! That was why Dao Integration experts had been scarce back then. Now, however, not even one Dao Integration expert might die in three hundred years! They had grown far too complacent! Six thousand years of undisputed dominance! In this regard, they were inferior to the Lower Realm. The Lower Realm had fought for more than four hundred years, and across those four centuries, the war had never ceased for a moment. Su Yu looked over and sighed. "They are more useless than I expected. I thought that once we struck, they would press forward—whether Tiangu, Jiwu, or even Moji... they should have led their forces to charge in right now! And yet, they didn't!" This had truly defied his expectations! Before this, he had assumed the other side would swiftly mobilize their armies to halt the emergence of the Ruler of Rules. But damn it all, they hadn't! This was also why Su Yu refused to keep fighting! They were far too unreliable! Su Yu suddenly chuckled. "If this was Hundred Battles' intention all along... then that would be truly terrifying!" "Hmm?" The others looked at Su Yu. He said softly, "With no great enemy, six thousand years of peace made them far too comfortable! The myriad races were never of one heart to begin with. Having not cooperated for six millennia, suddenly coming together makes them wary of one another. Add six thousand years of play-fighting, and tell me: how much true fighting strength do the myriad races still possess?" At this moment, Su Yu saw right through them! Fierce on the outside, hollow within! Those words described them perfectly. San Yue fell silent for a moment before remarking, "Separated... they might actually fight better! When allied without a single leader, they end up even weaker!" Su Yu nodded! Indeed, more numbers did not always mean greater strength. After the myriad races allied, Su Yu had realized that their combat effectiveness might well be inferior to each faction fighting on its own. Too many cooks spoil the broth? Su Yu smirked! A rabble! They were not even as capable as the Lower Realm. Down there, Tiangu could at least serve as a tentative leader for the myriad races; when war erupted, Tiangu could swiftly lead everyone into battle, committing their full forces in almost every major engagement! Up here... they were just coasting along! "Your Majesty, what do we do now?" San Yue asked. They had not reaped tremendous benefits, and now that the myriad races refused to press forward, it was unwise for them to strike again. Seven Heavenly Venerables united with twelve Heavenly Kings were formidable foes! Fighting further would just turn them into cannon fodder for the myriad races. Su Yu looked toward the Prison King lineage's territory, where an array of powerhouses encircled the void, standing on high alert! The grand array had been set! Su Yu suddenly smiled. "We don't necessarily have to beat the Prison King lineage to death ourselves! If that pack of trash from the myriad races can still hold back once a genuine Ruler of Rules emerges from that lineage, I'll take my hat off to them!" At this, Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "If those bastards remain this useless... capable of ruining everything and achieving nothing... then later, if a Ruler of Rules truly appears, we'll seize the chaos to slaughter indiscriminately and harvest corpses! Even the Heavenly Venerables of the myriad races won't be spared! We'll kill whoever we can; everything in sight will be an enemy! Once the killing is done, we find a way back to my world and escape with our people. What do we have to fear?!" The others were stunned. Su Yu's shift between friend and foe was far too swift—was he intending to turn on the myriad races? "A pack of useless fools hogging Great Daos. The power of their Daos isn't weak, at least!" Su Yu said calmly, "That is precisely what I lack right now! This so-called cooperation has fallen far short of my expectations. The results are abysmal; there's no need to cooperate any longer!" All right, then! San Yue nodded. He sighed softly, understanding Su Yu's reasoning while still feeling a touch of helplessness. Earlier had truly been a golden opportunity. Seven Heavenly Venerables against more than a dozen on the myriad races' side! The enemy forefather was plainly channeling someone through the gate, yet they hadn't even dared to make a move! ... At that moment, over by the Prison King lineage. Yue Hao and his group watched with furrowed brows as the routed ancient beasts came fleeing toward them. Though many ancient beasts had died, the Eight-Winged Tiger and Chaos Dragon still brought along more than fifty scattered beasts. Furthermore, from the depths of chaos, more ancient beasts were pouring forth! The Eight-Winged Tiger and Chaos Dragon quickly began rallying them! The beast forces under their command assembled once more. Looking across the void toward Yue Hao and the others, the Eight-Winged Tiger called out loudly, "We have come answering the will of the chaos! Shall we join hands in defense, or resist separately?" It did not propose merging their forces completely! Saying that would only arouse suspicion. Two peak Heavenly Venerables! Yueluo raised an eyebrow, quickly offering a charming smile. "Beast Sovereigns, why don't you trouble yourselves with constructing defensive positions on the outer perimeter? The Hell Gate will open very soon. As long as you hold off Su Yu and the myriad races, those fools will have nowhere to run!" The Eight-Winged Tiger cursed inwardly! Cunning humans! Treating us as cannon fodder! After we suffered such grievous losses, you won't even mention combining our ranks. Fine, have it your way! It quickly replied, "Fine! But if the enemy attacks, you must join the fray as well. I have no wish to face those lunatics on my own!" "Of course!" Yueluo smiled. This way, their position was much safer. In just a few more hours, Yuqing would emerge! At this moment, the Chaos Dragon sent a voice transmission to the Eight-Winged Tiger: "Eight-Wings, what is Su Yu playing at? From what I saw just now, he nearly killed you for real..." "It's nothing. Our alliance was temporary to begin with. Brother Dragon... be on your guard. In this place, only you and I can trust each other. No one else is worthy of trust. Humans are cunning, the myriad races are no better, and this Prison King lineage is absolute scum!" The Chaos Dragon fell silent. Indeed, in this place, perhaps only the Eight-Winged Tiger and itself counted as being on the same side, and even with the Eight-Winged Tiger, it needed to remain cautious. These days, the smarter someone was, the more insidious they became! ... "Your Majesty, what do we do now?" Great Axe was growing anxious as well. Were they just going to wait here? That didn't feel right! Su Yu said nothing, glancing instead at his arm. "Have they returned?" "They've arrived!" Lan Tian spoke: "Tongtian brought back that shit mountain. Hongmeng is thrilled; I can see he's about to advance. Tongtian has a good chance himself, while Xuelan and Juzhu are both fusing into new Daos. We are protecting them as they make their breakthroughs. Rest easy, Your Majesty!" Engaging in a major battle was all about reaping rewards. If no gains were made, killing any number of enemies was utterly meaningless. If both Tongtian and Hongmeng advanced, two more genuine Heavenly Venerables would be added to their ranks, while Juzhu and Xuelan might become quasi-Heavenly Venerables. In an instant, Su Yu's camp would see another surge in power. What was more, Fat Ball was currently half-asleep and half-awake. It had devoured a tremendous amount of the Polong beast's willpower! At this moment, it showed faint signs of strengthening. Fat Ball was not truly a natural Heavenly Venerable; it had forged its own Dao—the Dao of Biting—which was not very long. After blackening, its strength rose considerably, but in its normal state, its combat strength was merely comparable to a Heavenly King. Su Yu glanced at Fat Ball, then at Lan Tian's avatar coiled around his wrist. After a moment of silence, he said, "It looks like that Ruler of Rules is certain to emerge! The myriad races have grown completely useless... far weaker than I expected! This time, if circumstances allow, we will wipe out the forces of the myriad races first!" "When the time comes, we retreat to the Dead Spirit Realm. The Upper Realm goes to the Prison King lineage, the Lower Realm goes to Hundred Battles, and the Dead Spirit Realm belongs to us... That works out fine too—a three-way division of the world once more!" Lan Tian's clone spoke up: "Your Majesty, what if... we go all out right now? We might end up the biggest winner!" Several Heavenly Venerables had yet to enter the fray! If the Southern King, Hongmeng, and Tongtian all became Heavenly Venerables, coupled with their quasi-Heavenly Venerables, there was indeed hope of emerging as the greatest victors. "No rush!" Wait and see! Su Yu surveyed the surroundings and finally looked toward the myriad races. "Even now, there is no way they feel nothing at all. Even if the Upper Realm natives are oblivious to their own shortcomings, those who came from the Lower Realm definitely notice! Let us wait a bit longer and see if the myriad races show any change!" ... At that moment, the ranks of the myriad races had not moved. Tiangu finally stepped forward, looking toward the Dowager Imperial Consort of the God race, and said in a heavy voice, "Imperial Consort, we cannot go on like this. The situation is growing more perilous by the moment! Su Yu's faction is formidable and may still be hiding their strength. Hundred Battles' power... is difficult to estimate! As for the Prison King lineage, everyone has seen them! Yet as for us, I suddenly realize that I somewhat overestimated the strength of the Upper Realm!" "The situation earlier was so favorable, yet no one was willing to press the advantage... Such indecisiveness will lead to certain defeat!" Tiangu said in a grave voice, "Fellow powerhouses of the Upper Realm, in ancient days you were seasoned, ferocious warriors. Only six thousand years have passed, yet everyone has changed! Shrinking from death, bickering over petty gains, concealing your strength, and waiting for others to strike first... Since that is the case, my Immortal race shall take the lead without hesitation! In this battle, the Immortal race will serve as the vanguard, and all races shall temporarily obey our command!" Several Heavenly Venerables were about to speak when the Dowager Imperial Consort interjected, "My God race has no objections!" On the Demon race's side, Moji lacked sufficient sway to speak. However, from the Destiny race, Tianming said gravely, "Carrying on like this is improper. Perhaps... you are right. My race has no objection either!" Lei Bao also chimed in, "Neither do I!" They were not submitting to another race; rather, they were temporarily appointing a coordinator. With the Immortal race's four Heavenly Venerables willing to serve as the vanguard, that was more than acceptable. Seeing everyone turn to look at him, Heavenly Venerable Long frowned slightly. "Why are you looking at me? Heavenly Venerable Feng and I only recently exited secluded cultivation and aren't familiar with the situation. If you are willing to fight, I naturally have no objection!" Hearing this, Tiangu's eyes lit up slightly. Thankfully, they were not entirely beyond saving! He said promptly, "Then right now, encircle the Prison King lineage immediately, contact Su Yu again, and resume the fight!" The battle earlier had been cut short midway! Now, they would fight on! The enemy had only seven Heavenly Venerables. Even if they could not prevent the Ruler of Rules from emerging, they could still force the other side to pay a far steeper price! Tiangu quickly turned to Lei Bao: "Venerable Lei Bao, I must trouble you to visit Su Yu once more... This time, we will serve as the vanguard, and he can seize the opportunities to kill the powerhouses of the Prison King lineage!" Lei Bao truly did not want to go! Seeing his hesitation, Tiangu quickly added, "Go together with Venerable Tianming! Simply remain at Su Yu's side. If Su Yu moves to strike, the two of you may follow his command at your discretion and join the battle together!" Tianming's eyes held an odd glint as he asked, "Fellow Daoist Tiangu, what is the meaning of this?" "No other meaning!" Tiangu said solemnly, "I merely believe Venerable Tianming can play a greater role on that side, while helping us keep an eye on Su Yu to prevent him from suddenly changing his mind and turning against the myriad races!" Tianming was struck speechless! This Tiangu... had he grown suspicious of him? Most likely! Sure enough, this fellow's head was still remarkably clear. After some thought, Tianming nodded. "Very well. However... I must trouble everyone to take good care of my Destiny race!" Tiangu said swiftly, "Rest assured, the Destiny race will handle cleanup. Your race specializes in manipulating the currents of destiny. In this clash, the enemy lacks sufficient fortune, so the Destiny race will be of great use. Venerable Tianming, be at ease; your people will not be placed on the frontline." At these words, Marquis Tianming gave him a meaningful look, said no more, and turned to Lei Bao: "Fellow Daoist Lei Bao, shall we... make the trip?" Lei Bao glanced at him, cursing inwardly. Surely it won't come to that? Last time he had descended to the Lower Realm with San Yue, only for San Yue to run off and pledge allegiance to Su Yu. This time, he was being sent out with Tianming—Tianming wouldn't defect to Su Yu as well, would he? If that happened... damn it all, my position is going to be horribly awkward! ... The two quickly flew in Su Yu's direction. Su Yu was pondering how to respond next when he was taken aback. Why had these two arrived together? A moment later, they stepped through the sky and arrived. Tianming stated bluntly, "Tiangu was dissatisfied with the passive fighting of the various races and pledged that the Immortal race would serve as the vanguard. Lei Bao and I have come to assist the Human Sovereign. This time, the myriad races will take the initiative to attack; the Human Sovereign only needs to eliminate enemy powerhouses at the critical moments!" As his words fell, far in the distance, twelve Heavenly Venerables of the myriad races—nine from the three major races plus those of the Nether, Phoenix, and Dragon races—mobilized in unison, advancing toward the depths of chaos! Su Yu looked at the two of them and suddenly laughed. "Assist me? He's worried you two won't follow orders and will stir up trouble! Now that you two are gone, the three major races can easily keep the remaining three Heavenly Venerables in check! The Nether and Dragon races have suffered heavy losses among their Dao Integration experts, and the Phoenix race is mediocre... They can be suppressed in an instant. Tiangu merely tossed his troublemakers over to me!" He understood Tiangu's calculations in a flash! Regardless of whether these two were secretly in league with Su Yu, tossing them over here solved the problem; having them around only hindered Tiangu's plans! The myriad races had adapted swiftly. Su Yu smiled. "For the myriad races to have survived to this day... sure enough, there are still some who keep a clear head!" Tianming smiled and nodded, while Lei Bao's gaze turned exceedingly strange. What was going on? The tone in which Tianming spoke with Su Yu was far from normal. Holy crap... could these two truly be in cahoots?! Ignoring him, Su Yu smiled and said, "Very well. In that case, Tianming, you will act alongside Great Axe. He is reckless, and I worry he might get himself killed! Tianming, you are a smart man—keep an eye on him!" Tianming responded at once, "I will do my utmost!" Su Yu nodded, then turned his gaze to Lei Bao with a chuckle: "As for you... if I go to kill Yueluo, you take on Yueluo. Simple as that. You must hold her off. If you fail to stop her... then you two are in cahoots, on the same side!" "..." Damn it all! Lei Bao had no idea what to say. In that moment, he suddenly felt that being on Su Yu's side was perilous. The danger wasn't to anyone else—it was to himself. Tianming was very likely Su Yu's man! How terrifying! And he was the sole person here who did not belong to Su Yu's camp! Paying him no mind, Su Yu said briskly, "Let's go, keep up! I want to see if the myriad races going all out is actually formidable enough. If they aren't... and we can't wipe out the Sinner clan, we'll wipe out the myriad races today instead!" Lei Bao gulped, suddenly overwhelmed by terror! Su Yu dared to say such words right to his and Tianming's faces—there was no need to guess anymore; Tianming was definitely Su Yu's man! I... I seem to know too much! He was genuinely terrified. It was far too dangerous. I'm not going to end up as cannon fodder, am I?! As if reading his thoughts, Su Yu spoke without turning his head: "Aside from self-detonation, which you don't have to obey, as long as you listen to my orders, I won't target you. Otherwise... Lei Bao, just wait and see! I won't force you into an impossible spot, but if you dare cause trouble for me, remember that I am Su Yu, not those useless bastards of the myriad races. You will be the first one I kill!" Lei Bao's heart quailed, and he blurted hastily, "I wouldn't dare!" Only then did Su Yu let it go, ignoring him to turn back to Tianming: "Your arrival is well-timed. That gives us another Heavenly Venerable. Once the Chaos Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger turn traitor... the chances of wiping out the Prison King lineage today are very high! Still, there is no need to make it too obvious. At the critical moment, you can head back to rescue the Destiny race and evacuate them so they don't become cannon fodder!" Marquis Tianming said with heartfelt gratitude, "My gratitude to Your Majesty!" Hearing Su Yu remember to protect the Destiny race even in the midst of this, Tianming was genuinely touched. At that moment, Lei Bao was practically on the verge of tears. I'm right here! Use voice transmission, damn it! Stop talking out loud in front of me—I'm genuinely terrified!