Fall of a Heavenly Venerable

Led by Tiangu, the myriad races began their advance. The Immortal race formed the vanguard! Su Yu had to admit that Tiangu possessed remarkable courage at times. From the Lower Realm to the Upper Realm, the Immortals suffered heavy losses in every major war, yet when it came down to it, they dared to fight. Their heavy casualties were precisely what had earned the Immortal race the dominant voice in affairs. This was why, down in the Lower Realm, Tiangu had virtually called the shots among the three major races. Although their alignment was never absolute, Tiangu generally had the final say, giving him the air of an alliance leader. Now, the forces of the myriad races, who had initially wanted to wait a little longer, swiftly banded together and pushed toward the depths of the chaos. *** Deep within the chaos. The Kingdom of Mountains. Outside the realm, two defensive rings stood in formation: one comprised Chaos Dragon and his cohort, while the other held Yue Hao and his comrades. Between them, they fielded nine Heavenly Venerables, while the Heavenly Kings and ancient beasts numbered fifteen. It was by no means a small force. Furthermore, chaotic ancient beasts continued to fly in from the depths of the chaos, drawn by the will of chaos to aid the Prison King lineage in battle. At this moment, Chaos Dragon and the others grew exceedingly grim. The myriad races were closing in! They had assumed those factions would not react so swiftly, yet the coalition was advancing with alarming speed, bringing hundreds of Dao Integration experts hurtling straight toward them. At the rear of the defenders. Yue Hao was equally somber as he looked at Yueluo and said in a heavy voice, "The myriad races actually reached an agreement so quickly!" Truth be told, this had exceeded their expectations as well. According to their prior intelligence, the internal strife among the myriad races had been fierce. Yueluo gazed in that direction and only spoke after a brief pause: "It's the Immortals! Look—the Immortal experts are at the front. Tiangu must have orchestrated this, putting his own race at the vanguard to secure consensus among the myriad races!" Tiangu! His reputation was truly formidable. He had governed the Immortal Realm for a hundred thousand years and had almost swept across his generation at the end of antiquity. It was only that he had spent all these years agonizing over the Immortal Emperor's Great Dao, delaying his breakthrough for far too long. Coupled with the emergence of numerous Heavenly Venerables in the Upper Realm, the emperor of the Immortal race had fallen somewhat behind. And now, Tiangu had arrived in the Upper Realm. As Yueluo watched the approaching coalition, she glanced in another direction. Su Yu and his party were there—another troublesome bunch. Between Su Yu and the myriad races, they possessed sixteen Heavenly Venerables. Yueluo felt the crushing pressure and said hurriedly, "The Ancestor must take the field, or else... we can hardly withstand them! Rimian, Marquis Sheng, and the rest are no weaklings, and Su Yu is among them! I can hold one of them off, and even by borrowing the body of an ancient beast, you can only handle one... Without the Ancestor here, the others won't be able to stop them!" Without the Ancestor joining the fray, they were clearly outmatched. Within the clan, all seven Heavenly Venerables were present. Adding the slain Yue Qin, along with the Ancestor and Yu Qing, the Saint clan's strength was terrifyingly vast. Yet at this moment, even that was not enough! Just as Yueluo sensed the impending crisis, deep within the kingdom, beneath the mountain ranges and before the Hell Gate, Yue Zhan naturally sensed it as well. Yue Zhan's long hair whipped wildly in the wind. A few experts remained at his side, including several Heavenly Kings, but every combatant at the Heavenly Venerable level had already marched out. A single clan had fielded eight Heavenly Venerables, yet it still fell short! This was far worse than anticipated. Yue Zhan barked in a deep voice, "You four, go out and assist in the battle!" As his words fell, all four Heavenly Kings at his side took to the air without a word, speeding toward the outer perimeter. With that, all seven Heavenly Venerables and sixteen Heavenly Kings of the clan had been deployed. Yue Zhan cursed inwardly. Had Su Yu not killed one of their Heavenly Venerables and several Heavenly Kings last time, they would currently possess more than twenty Heavenly Kings. "Senior Sister!" Yue Zhan looked into the portal and said heavily, "We still need at least two more hours!" Too slow! They were short by just two hours. Yue Zhan could not help but sigh. "Our luck is truly rotten. I wonder if that beast Su Yu stripped away our destiny!" Their luck was truly terrible. They were short by merely that little bit of time! The crucial issue was that the myriad races had managed to reach an accord in this exact window. It defied all reason; their fortune was truly wretched! From within the gate, Yu Qing's chilling voice rang out: "Su Yu! That man must die!" The audacity of him! To actually strip the Sacred Lord of his royal status! Even if the Sacred Lord did not care, it was something the Sacred Lord could cast aside on his own, not something to be stripped away by Su Yu. After speaking, Yu Qing said coldly, "Together with the chaotic ancient beasts, you can still hold them off for a while. Yue Zhan... the Hell Gate requires power to open; it requires energy to be unlocked! If there truly is no other way... offer a sacrifice!" Yue Zhan said heavily, "A sacrifice? This..." "Obey!" Helpless, Yue Zhan pondered for a moment before saying, "It's not entirely without hope. Rest assured, Senior Sister, we will be as quick as possible and stall them!" "That would be best!" Yu Qing said no more. Once she stepped through, taking on two or three top-tier Heavenly Venerables would be well within her power. For example, she could easily handle Marquis Sheng and Rimian fighting together without any problem. Once those top-tier Heavenly Venerables were eliminated by her, Yue Zhan could take on two or three Heavenly Venerables with ease as well. In that case, even if Su Yu and the myriad races came out in full force, they would eventually be slaughtered to the last man! *** "Halt!" Tiangu barked a low command, and the army ground to a halt. Behind him, hundreds of Dao Integration experts stood tall, their auras shaking the heavens. Tiangu looked toward Chaos Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger on the outer rim and said in a grave voice, "If the two of you truly wish to cooperate with us, then set things right at once and join forces with us to slay the enemy! When the Ruler of Rules emerges, we shall strike him down together!" At these words, expressions shifted in every direction. Yue Hao and the others looked toward the Eight-Winged Tiger in shock. Meanwhile, the Eight-Winged Tiger nearly cursed aloud! You bastard! Are you selling us out? The Eight-Winged Tiger immediately snapped, "Are you trying to sow discord among us? We were summoned by the will of chaos—how could we be swayed by a few words from you?!" Tiangu said placidly, "Your attitude has been ambiguous, flirting with us while keeping ties with the Sinner clan! Right now is the best opportunity. Whatever goal the two of you hope to achieve, cooperate with us now, and I will treat you as allies! Hand in hand, we shall annihilate the Sinner clan this very moment! If you wish to fish in troubled waters... no one can stay out of this today!" "If the two of you are unwilling to join hands... retreat at once. I do not need you to act, but you had best stay far away from us!" Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others looked on with peculiar expressions. They had actually reached an understanding with the Eight-Winged Tiger and Chaos Dragon, agreeing that they would turn against the enemy at the critical moment. Yet now, Tiangu clearly did not trust them and had blown the lid off the arrangement directly! Naturally, Tiangu did not trust them! The stance of these two ancient beasts was extremely suspect. He had no need for them to turn coat at some critical juncture. If they took their stance right now, the three factions—the myriad races, the chaotic ancient beasts, and Su Yu—would possess a full sixteen Heavenly Venerables and over twenty Heavenly Kings. Facing the Sinner clan head-on would guarantee victory! Why bother keeping an ace up their sleeve and waiting for a betrayal? Why wear down their own Dao Integration experts in an exhausting clash against ancient beasts? Was there any need? He had felt it unnecessary before, but unfortunately, he had not had the authority to decide then. Now, he had to force these two to declare their stance. Would they stand with them, or with the Sinner clan? This move immediately soured the expressions of Chaos Dragon and his peer. The humans were treacherous, but this Immortal was no saint either. They had intended to fish in troubled waters, yet he was giving them no chance, forcing them to reveal their hand the moment he arrived. Prior to this, they had agreed with Heavenly Venerable Yue to turn at the critical moment... but what counted as the critical moment was up to them. Until then, they could have simply coasted along and pretended to fight. The Eight-Winged Tiger cursed madly in his heart. Every last one of them was a scoundrel! Su Yu had previously turned a staged fight into a real one, trying to kill him, and now Tiangu was doing the exact same thing, cornering them outright. What were they supposed to do now? Tiangu continued, "Whatever your motives are, I care not to know! But prior to this, you agreed to assist us at the necessary moment. Well... that necessary moment has arrived!" "Eight-Winged Tiger!" Behind them, the giant-axe-wielding expert of the Prison King lineage roared in fury, "You were summoned here by the will of chaos—are you going to betray us?!" If those two turned against them, they would be in tremendous trouble! Furthermore, there were still numerous ancient beasts under their command! *** Further back. Su Yu wore a playful smile. Marquis Tianming sighed softly. "Tiangu... is indeed different from what we imagined!" Before the battle had even started, Tiangu had cornered the chaotic ancient beasts first. This was quite unexpected! According to Tianming's thinking—or rather, the thinking of their camp—they would fight first, and if the Ruler of Rules emerged at the crucial juncture, having those two switch sides to deliver a thunderous blow would not be too late. Now, everything had been thrown into disarray! Su Yu chuckled. "A fine decision! A very wise one, in fact! We couldn't count on those two ancient beasts truly wanting to help; who knows what scheme they were cooking up? Right now, even if the two beasts don't help, the Sinner clan will still suspect them of plotting. A good thing!" He genuinely felt that Tiangu had played this move brilliantly! Right now, the enemy was weak while they were strong. Smashed with overwhelming, straightforward might, they would break the foe head-on! Su Yu looked over with a smile, curious to see how the two ancient beasts would choose. *** How would they choose? Did it even need to be asked? The Eight-Winged Tiger was a scholarly tiger, and scholars knew how to read the room. He had originally planned to fish in troubled waters, but now that they were backed into a corner... the coalition of the myriad races and Su Yu was clearly superior in strength. The choice was obvious. The next instant, the Eight-Winged Tiger bounded forward. "Tiangu, is it? You utter fool... Fine, fine! We originally intended to embed ourselves among them to provide you with greater support, never expecting you to be so dense... Forget it, my good intentions were entirely wasted!" With that, he let out a roar, leading more than a dozen ancient beasts under his command to fly swiftly toward the myriad races. Seeing this, Chaos Dragon also roared and soared out with over a dozen ancient beasts. However, several dozen ancient beasts still roared madly, struggling violently without following them. Those were the beasts deeply influenced by the will of chaos. Even among the ancient beasts, three Heavenly King-level existences refused to leave. A colossal serpent-like ancient beast roared in fury, "Why?! We were driven here by the will of chaos! Chaos is about to unfold, and this heaven and earth shall surely return to chaos! Why betray it?!" The giant serpent was beside itself with rage! Why? The Eight-Winged Tiger could not be bothered to reply. Why? No reason at all! He couldn't care less about explaining it to him! It came down to one simple truth: no one wanted to be treated like an obedient grandson. You want to boss me around just because you say so? On what grounds?! The chaos had been sealed for countless ages, and they had reigned supreme on the outside. Now, before those figures had even stepped out, they were already being ordered around by force. Once they emerged, the beasts wouldn't even count as cannon fodder! If luck was bad, being swallowed whole by an entity like the Polong beast was par for the course. We want to be rulers, not pawns. It was that simple. Tiangu, meanwhile, breathed a slight sigh of relief. As for being cursed out, let them curse! At the very least, friends and foes were now roughly sorted out. Unless these two intended to switch sides back and forth endlessly, defecting again without reaching an agreement with the Sinner clan would only draw the Sinners' suspicion. "Everyone, keep an eye on these two!" Tiangu sent a voice transmission, then looked at the Eight-Winged Tiger and Chaos Dragon, saying swiftly, "Since the two of you have joined... I leave those twins to you!" Among the seven Heavenly Venerables on the opposing side, those twins were formidable. Yet Chaos Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger were top-tier combatants as well. Tiangu assigning the twins to them could be considered considerate. The Eight-Winged Tiger and Chaos Dragon exchanged a glance and gave a subtle nod. Tiangu barked orders rapidly: "Yueluo and Yue Hao will be handled by my Immortal race! As for the remaining three, the God race will take one, the Demon race will take one, and the Heavenly Venerables of Ming, Dragon, and Phoenix will join hands to handle the last! If that person appears... we trouble the God Imperial Consort to tie him down for a time, and once we wipe out our foes, we will come to assist!" He had assigned Yue Zhan to the God Imperial Consort. As for Su Yu and his people, Tiangu had not factored them in at all. They could not rely on Su Yu; not having to guard against them would be a blessing in itself! In truth, he was still on guard. Tiangu's faction had taken on two powerful Heavenly Venerables, showing the sincerity of the Immortal race for all to see. The Heavenly Venerables of the Dragon and Phoenix races only had to deal with one between three of them; seeing little danger, no one objected. This was better than anticipated! Tiangu drew a deep breath, looking toward the Heavenly Kings behind him. "Heavenly Kings, find your opposing numbers one by one and engage in battle! You need not aim to kill, but you must pin down your opponents! The rest of you... the same applies! None may evade battle, none may retreat! Defiers... will be executed!" Every expert's heart tightened. Then Tiangu added, "Be careful of Su Yu and his people..." Having given his warning, he roared, "Kill!" The grand battle erupted. Yet right as they charged forward, Tiangu suddenly transmitted his voice to a select few: "Watch out for the Demon race!" Upon hearing this, the God Imperial Consort's eyes shifted slightly. Tiangu quickly sent, "Imperial Consort, do not charge into battle right away. If that Ancestor of the Prison King lineage truly appears, you must think twice before acting... Force Su Yu and his cohort to engage him as much as possible, and keep a close eye on the Demon race!" The God Imperial Consort's expression flickered, but she said nothing. "From what I understand of the intelligence from Su Yu's side, the Demon race may have colluded with the Prison King lineage... Though mixed bloodlines are not a major issue in themselves, we must exercise utmost caution! If the Demon race defects, Imperial Consort... I leave the Demon race to you!" Su Yu had actually raised the matter of bloodlines before, but few had paid it any mind. Mixed bloodlines were not unheard of. The human race took a dim view of hybrid bloodlines, but the other races were fairly tolerant. Besides, it was not the Demon race that had mixed bloodlines; the Demon race claimed they knew nothing of the situation, which had led many to drop their guard. Tiangu had not! He dared not be careless. If the two Heavenly Venerables of the Demon race rebelled... the peril would be immense. Furthermore, did the Demon race... truly possess only two Heavenly Venerables? As far as he knew, there was another powerful Demon expert who had not joined the battle. Naturally, by the Demon race's account, that person was secluded in closed-door cultivation at a life-or-death juncture. They had notified him this time, but he had remained in seclusion, leaving them helpless. Marquis Sheng and Rimian had personally inspected his place of seclusion. It seemed he truly had reached a critical juncture with his Daos intertwined, so the two powerhouses had not pressed the issue. Yet how could Tiangu rest easy? He had refrained from speaking openly for fear of forcing the Demon race into rebellion when it was unnecessary, in case the Demon race truly had no ties to them. In secret, however, he had notified Rimian, Marquis Sheng, and the God Imperial Consort. As for the others, their mouths were too loose, so he had not bothered to inform them. If real danger arose, it would be enough for the God Imperial Consort and her peers to react immediately. "Kill!" Tiangu roared once more, and ahead, a horde of ancient beasts charged furiously toward them, bellowing with rage. *** At the rear. Yueluo and her companions exchanged glances, and the next moment, Yueluo barked in a low voice, "Summon the Hell Gate!" In truth, everyone harbored some lingering apprehension. Yet things had reached a point where the Hell Gate had to be deployed. This was their clan's signature combat technique: summoning the willpower projection of a mighty entity out of thin air. Just because Su Yu had schemed against them before did not mean they could abandon food for fear of choking; when it was needed, it had to be used! Besides, Marquis Tongtian had already departed. In an instant, even more portals gathered together. In the blink of an eye, nearly ten Hell Gates swiftly converged, tearing through the void. A colossal Hell Gate manifested, radiating a surging, earth-shaking aura! A familiar aura and a familiar voice came booming through! "Scoundrels! This seat shall slaughter you all!" The aura shook heaven and earth. In an instant, a colossal ancient beast appeared once more—the very same one from before, the Polong beast! The Polong beast had been enraged after its willpower was devoured earlier. Now, summoned by the Prison King lineage, it emerged at once! This time, it was even stronger than before! Supported by ten Hell Gates, its aura climbed steadily, faintly reaching the level of Marquis Sheng and his peers, perhaps even slightly superior. Ahead of them, Tiangu and the others shifted slightly in expression. Another summon? Tiangu roared immediately, "Marquis Sheng, deal with it! This beast, my Immortal race accepts the challenge!" At these words, well, no one had any objections. The Immortal race had already pledged to take on two Heavenly Venerables, and now they had taken on this summoned Polong beast as well. What more could anyone say? "Heavenly Venerable Dao, go engage Yueluo! Heavenly Venerable Huang, engage Yue Hao! Yuansheng, you and I shall act as the opportunity arises... Kill!" Boom! The battle erupted in an instant! At the front lines, several ancient beast powerhouses were slain in the blink of an eye. The Polong beast and other experts swiftly entered the fray to stabilize the battle lines, while array after array was deployed by the Prison King lineage. The Prison King lineage had consolidated this ground for countless years; they were not without means. In the sky, arrays manifested one after another. Some were laced with chaotic lightning that came crashing down with thunderous roars. Boundless lightning raged wildly, and the entirety of Chaos Mountain was thrown into tempestuous turmoil! The great battle had officially begun! *** "Your Majesty?" Great Axe and the others looked toward Su Yu. The myriad races had truly struck! And with absolute decisiveness at that. Even with an additional Polong beast, the myriad races had pressed forward without the slightest hesitation! At this moment, the myriad races held an absolute advantage! Su Yu watched for a moment and smiled. "Let's go!" He flew swiftly in that direction, bypassing the frontline battlefield, and laughed loudly, "Tiangu, no need to worry about that supposed Ancestor—I'll help you tie him down! That way you won't have to keep fretting over me, hahaha! I'm not like the rest of you!" Su Yu sped directly toward the kingdom nestled among the mountains. Just as he arrived, layers of arrays suddenly manifested around the mountain ranges. Chains resembled a massive net blanketing the entire void, and at the core of this net, an illusory silhouette appeared! Just like the silhouette that held court at the center of the council within the Star Residence Mansion, this was an array personally laid down by the Prison King to seal the surrounding perimeter—a defensive array! The moment Great Axe charged in, chains lashed out toward him! Boom! In the blink of an eye, Great Axe was whipped until his flesh split open. Fortunately, Su Yu had arranged for Tianming to accompany him; Tianming opened his Heavenly Eye and dragged Great Axe out right as the chains came crashing down! Having escaped the array, Great Axe was left shaken, looking toward the mountains in utter shock! What was that? Su Yu looked up at the sky, his Heavenly Gate wide open. He saw the existence of the illusory silhouette—it was likely a residue of the Prison King's willpower that formed the foundation of this array. This clan actually possessed such an overwhelmingly powerful defensive array! It was a pity King Daming was not here; otherwise, they could have studied it. By this time, the God Imperial Consort and her companions in the distance had sensed it as well. Coughing lightly, she called out swiftly, "That is the Eight Domains Sky-Locking Array! Eight primary chains form the entire array, possessing immense offensive and defensive power..." The God Imperial Consort had not joined the fray; seeing the situation, she quickly began informing Su Yu. *** "The Eight Domains Sky-Locking Array?" Su Yu muttered softly. The array was formidable. Breaking it was certainly possible. However, breaking the array might bring about certain complications. Su Yu grinned. "Won't let me in? Then I... simply won't go in!" "Kill!" Abandoning the frontal assault, Su Yu flew swiftly toward the distant battlefield. From afar, he threw a punch, shouting, "Leave this corner to us! Myriad races, fall back!" The Dao Integration experts of the myriad races scattered in retreat. At this moment, Su Yu's side had six Heavenly Venerables entering the fray. Boom! A top-tier Dao Integration expert of the Prison King lineage threw a punch in return, charging toward Su Yu with a mixture of despair and grief. The moment he arrived—boom! All six Heavenly Venerables struck simultaneously. No one cared about martial honor at a time like this. Just kill! In an instant, this top-tier expert was blown to smithereens! Six Heavenly Venerables jumping a second-class Dao Integration expert... was truly no different from slaughtering a chicken. Su Yu said swiftly, "Don't go for outright destruction! Tianming, trap them; Fat Ball, swallow them; I will strip their Great Dao power!" "Understood!" The group swiftly engaged in battle at this corner of the field. Boom! Boom! Fireworks of energy continuously rose into the sky as Dao Integration experts fell one after another. In this place, all combatants were at the Dao Integration level, dying like dogs. At that moment, Yue Zhan's voice rang out from the depths of the mountains once more, roaring, "Eternals of the clan, take the field!" In an instant, hundreds of Eternals soared into the air from within the mountains, all carrying thoughts of despair and fighting to the death as they flew outward. Yue Hao and the other powerhouses did not retreat inside the array either. If they retreated inside now, the array would soon be broken; it could not hold against so many powerhouses. By staying outside, if any enemy tried to breach their territory, a lone Heavenly Venerable or two would find it impossible. "Kill!" By now, the Prison King lineage had fought themselves into a frenzy. The axe-wielding expert, currently surrounded by the three Heavenly Venerables of the Dragon and Phoenix races, let out an enraged roar. Brandishing his giant axe, his combat power surged to the absolute pinnacle; coughing blood repeatedly, he fought with manic ferocity! No retreat! There was nowhere left to retreat! *** Over on the Demon race's side, two Heavenly Venerables cornered the white-haired elder whose Hell Gate had been shattered earlier. The white-haired elder was exceptionally powerful. Even though he had been wounded before, facing two foes at once, he did not fall into a disadvantage! Overall, however, the Prison King lineage had fallen entirely onto the back foot. Only the projection of the Polong beast managed to suppress Marquis Sheng, putting immense pressure on the Immortal race. On all other fronts—especially on the God race's side, where Rimian and Heavenly Venerable Yue joined hands—a sword-wielding woman was beaten back repeatedly, coughing blood. Chaos Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger were also suppressing the twin Heavenly Venerables. The white-haired elder looked around him, his expression filled with desolation. The Sacred clan was exceedingly powerful, yet they could not withstand the joint assault of three major factions! To make matters worse, the Ancestor had yet to take the field, and Sovereign Yu Qing had yet to return! At this moment, the white-haired elder sighed with profound sorrow. Opposite him, Heavenly Venerable Mo and Mo Tian wore solemn expressions, continuously pressing the white-haired elder. Both sides clashed with intense ferocity; casualties mounted on all sides, with numerous ancient beasts dying and Dao Integration experts of the myriad races falling in succession! What was even more alarming was that on Su Yu's side, six Heavenly Venerables were slaughtering Dao Integration experts with frightening speed. In the blink of an eye, over ten Dao Integration experts had been slain on the spot! A swarm of Eternals hurled themselves toward Su Yu's group like moths to a flame—reckless, yet completely resolute! This, too, was defending their home! Behind them lay their kingdom! *** Su Yu continued slaughtering these foes. To him, killing them posed little difficulty and minimal threat. Some even self-detonated! Yet it could not harm his group. It had to be said that when the myriad races went all out, their deterrent might was staggering; they had truly suppressed the enemy across the entire board! Right at this moment, the axe-wielding expert looked on the verge of collapse, his bones shattered by a lash of Heavenly Venerable Long's tail. Right then, a terrifying aura surged violently from the depths. Yue Zhan could hold back no longer! In an instant, Yue Zhan shattered the void. Within the shattered space, a fist punched out, hurtling toward Heavenly Venerable Long and his companions in the blink of an eye! Su Yu had initially thought of intervening, but seeing that the punch was aimed at Heavenly Venerable Long... he didn't bother. Boom! With a tremendous crash, Heavenly Venerable Long was sent flying. Over there, just as the God Imperial Consort was about to step in, Rimian shouted, "I will fight him!" Abandoning Heavenly Venerable Yue, he charged toward the emerging Yue Zhan! He could not allow the Imperial Consort to enter the fray; if she did, she was certain to perish once the battle concluded. Seeing this, Su Yu tore through the void without a word, darting toward Heavenly Venerable Yue's opponent—the sword-wielding woman! Both Heavenly Venerable Yue and the sword-wielding woman were startled! Both feared Su Yu was targeting them. Yet Su Yu brought down a massive palm strike aimed straight at the woman, and in the next instant, San Yue, Great Axe, and Lei Bao charged in together! Despair washed over the sword-wielding woman's face! Too many! Such strength was enough to contend with a Ruler of Rules, let alone her! Heavenly Venerable Yue breathed a quiet sigh of relief! Fortunately, he isn't after me! Seeing Su Yu and his companions swooping down upon her, while the Ancestor was held back by Rimian and everyone else was locked in combat with formidable foes unable to assist, desolation painted the woman's face. Soon, it gave way to sheer ruthlessness. She snapped her gaze toward Heavenly Venerable Yue, who was still tangled with her. Heavenly Venerable Yue's heart leaped in fright. Yet it was already too late! Boom! A thunderous explosion echoed throughout the Upper Realm! This detonation directly blew apart the massive palm Su Yu had swept over. The sword-wielding woman acted with absolute resolve; in this moment, the decisiveness of a Heavenly Venerable powerhouse was displayed to the fullest! I am doomed to die! Yet even in death, I will claim my toll! Boom! The deafening blast rippled outward. Seven or eight nearby Dao Integration experts, friend and foe alike, were blasted to pieces and perished instantly! Not only that, Heavenly Venerable Yue, being the closest to her, had his physical body shattered in an instant by the blast. His Great Dao trembled violently; he tried to flee, but it was too late—it all happened far too fast! Su Yu had arrived fast, and the woman had detonated herself just as quickly. Not just her Great Dao, but her physical body and sea of will—the woman's ruthlessness exceeded all imagination. She understood that with Su Yu and his cohort present, even preserving her sea of will would offer no escape. With a single self-detonation, she destroyed everything! A Heavenly Venerable had detonated the entirety of her Great Dao power, the ferocious roar drowning out all other sounds! Heavenly Venerable Yue was blown apart, his sea of will laid bare. Right at that moment, from the distance, the God Imperial Consort suddenly thrust out a hand, snatching his sea of will back in the nick of time! Su Yu seemed to have no intention of saving anyone! Indeed, after absorbing the shock of the blast, Su Yu had simply pulled back his hands and retreated. Why would he care whether Heavenly Venerable Yue lived or died? It was the God Imperial Consort who sensed the mortal danger and snatched away Heavenly Venerable Yue's sea of will, though her arm was left cracked and bleeding from the tremendous force of the self-detonation. The self-detonation of a Heavenly Venerable! This was the very first time. Though many on Su Yu's side had detonated their physical bodies and Great Daos, no Heavenly Venerable had ever done so. Earlier, the self-detonation of two Heavenly Kings' Great Daos had blasted a top-tier Heavenly Venerable into an unstable state! And this was a Heavenly Venerable! Had Su Yu not obstructed the blast slightly, and had the God Imperial Consort not stepped in to pull away Heavenly Venerable Yue's sea of will, Heavenly Venerable Yue would have been killed right then and there! "Shijian!" In that moment, the experts of the Prison King lineage roared in grief and fury! Dead! This was the second Heavenly Venerable of their lineage to fall in battle since emerging from the mountains. The first had been killed by Su Yu and his group—an unexpected demise. Today, however, was no accident, for if things continued like this, every one of them might die! And the death of this Heavenly Venerable was linked to Su Yu as well! Had he not intervened, Shijian would not have fallen into despair and detonated herself; Heavenly Venerable Yue alone could never have taken her down! In an instant, venomous gazes from the Prison King lineage converged upon Su Yu! It was all because of this bastard! Today, the first Heavenly Venerable had fallen in battle, and it had happened far too fast! Boom! Another deafening collision rang out. Rimian was sent flying backward, his flesh torn open from a single punch by Yue Zhan! Yue Zhan's aura was utterly berserk! His long hair whipped wildly as he glared coldly at Su Yu, his voice dripping with venom: "Su Yu, you are courting death!" Su Yu wore an innocent expression. "It's not like I killed her!" How innocent am I? She detonated herself. Besides, the myriad races are the ones killing your people; we only killed a few Dao Integration experts. Why are you staring at me? "Die!" Yue Zhan suddenly roared. A Hell Gate manifested—not to kill, but to trap the enemy. In an instant, it enveloped Rimian, and the next moment, Yue Zhan swung his fist straight toward Su Yu! Kill Su Yu! A terrifying burst of power shook heaven and earth! On Su Yu's side, they grew slightly solemn, but they were by no means afraid of him. They had six Heavenly Venerables! Yue Zhan had trapped Rimian, and taking on seven Heavenly Venerables on his own would be too much even for a true Ruler of Rules! Unless he was of the highest tier! Seeing this, the God Imperial Consort considered intervening, but after a moment's hesitation, she held back. Su Yu's side could withstand it, whereas if she stepped in, she would likely perish. On the God race's side, Heavenly Venerable Yue was heavily injured and Rimian was trapped, but the formidable foe assigned to them had detonated herself. Barring any accidents, the God race would not need to pay any further price in this battle. Yet right at that moment, right as Yue Zhan's power surged to its absolute peak and his roar drowned out all else, the situation shifted once more. The God Imperial Consort's expression changed subtly. She snapped her head toward the distance, casting aside all worries about perishing in battle! Just as she struck out with a palm, she was suddenly startled, whipping around to throw another palm strike! Behind her, an entity radiating monstrous demonic qi suddenly appeared! It was a woman—a female demon! Incredibly powerful! Her purple hair billowed wildly, and a ball of lightning crackled in her hand as she punched directly toward the God Imperial Consort. Further away, Heavenly Venerable Mo and Mo Tian instantly joined forces with the white-haired elder. The three powerhouses struck out simultaneously, ambushing Heavenly Venerable Long, who had just been knocked flying by Yue Zhan's punch! Right at that juncture, Tiangu and Marquis Yuansheng struck out together, moving to execute the axe-wielding powerhouse! The Demon race had rebelled! Tiangu had worried about this earlier, and now it had truly come to pass. He had warned the God Imperial Consort, yet she was held off by a top-tier Demon powerhouse who had appeared out of nowhere! Tiangu did not choose to rescue Heavenly Venerable Long. Instead, taking advantage of the axe-wielding expert's heavy wounds, he led Yuansheng and Heavenly Venerable Ming in an immediate assault to slaughter the axe-wielder! A piece trade! That was Tiangu's calculation. As for rescuing... Heavenly Venerable Long was not of his race anyway. All of this happened too fast. Inconceivably fast! Horror flooded Heavenly Venerable Long's face. Having just taken a heavy blow from Yue Zhan, he was already gravely injured. Now facing the combined onslaught of three powerhouses, he shrieked in terror, "Save me!" There were people who could save him! Tiangu and his group could, and nearby, Great Axe, Tianming, and Fat Ball were not far away either—any of them could have saved him! Yet... no one moved to his aid! Indeed, no one saved him. Everyone looked on with cold detachment or focused on slaughtering their own foes; who would care whether he lived or died? Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Four deafening explosions rang out in rapid succession. On one side, Su Yu clashed with Yue Zhan; on another, the God Imperial Consort fought the Demon woman; on a third, Tiangu's group attacked the axe-wielding powerhouse; and on the fourth, Heavenly Venerable Mo's group descended upon Heavenly Venerable Long! The four colossal detonations instantly caused weaker combatants to vomit blood, and several nearby Eternals were blown apart directly! In that split second, Su Yu was knocked backward while Yue Zhan staggered—after all, Su Yu had multiple combatants on his side. While the God Imperial Consort repelled the Demon woman with a palm strike, Heavenly Venerable Long was torn to shreds by the three Dao Integration experts, and the giant with the axe was similarly blasted apart by Yuansheng and his companions! The seas of will of both powerhouses manifested almost simultaneously! This sequence of events had unfolded so quickly that the others barely had time to react before the physical bodies of two Heavenly Venerables were destroyed. "Heaven Devourer!" An enraged roar echoed across heaven and earth. In that moment, an enormous maw appeared in the sky above everyone. With a thunderous roar, the massive mouth inhaled wildly, vacuuming up two seas of will in a single gulp! It was Fat Ball! Acting on Su Yu's command, Fat Ball had madly sucked away the seas of will of both Heavenly Venerables in an instant. In the blink of an eye, everyone's gaze locked onto Su Yu. Meanwhile, Su Yu, currently being knocked backward by the Prison King Ancestor, grabbed Fat Ball, turned around, and fled with his party. Two Heavenly Venerable seas of will... I'm taking them! I don't care who they belong to! This sudden turn of events plunged the entire battlefield into a momentary hush. In the blink of an eye, four Heavenly Venerables—including Shijian and Heavenly Venerable Yue—were either dead or crippled. It had happened far too fast!