Relying on Oneself Is Better than Relying on Others

Lower Realm. Human Realm. When Yueluo and Yue Xiao tore through the void and arrived, Hundred Battles was observing the heavens. Seeing Yueluo and Yue Xiao, the gathered experts reacted in varying ways—some frowned slightly, some remained expressionless, and others greeted them with smiles. As Hundred Battles' civil leader, Changqing saw that Hundred Battles was still looking up at the sky and hurried to say with a smile, "Yueluo and Yue Xiao are here! His Majesty sensed fluctuations in the River earlier and has been observing the River of Time ever since. You two have traveled far—thank you for your hard work!" Changqing beamed warmly. Beside him, Wuji curled his lip in disdain, paying them little heed and not even sparing them a second look. People of the Prison King lineage! Even though they had pledged their allegiance to Hundred Battles, Wuji still looked down on their kind. Day in and day out, all they did was betray others. First, the Prison King betrayed the human race, and then Yueluo and her cohort betrayed the Prison King. Who knew who they might betray next? Yueluo paid them no mind either. She gave Changqing a slight nod and turned her gaze toward Hundred Battles. Hundred Battles continued observing the heavens for a moment before finally lowering his head and asking softly, "Did Ji'er send you two back?" "Yes," Yueluo nodded gently. Hundred Battles said softly, "Did the Prison King lineage lose?" "It counts as a defeat!" Yueluo said briskly. "Except for Yuezhan, every Celestial Venerable was slain in battle. The Quasi-Kings were nearly wiped out, and not even one in ten of the Dao Integrations survived!" "So they were defeated!" Hundred Battles sighed with emotion. Within the great hall, the expressions of the crowd shifted slightly. They had sensed the fluctuations in the River of Time, but none had imagined such massive upheaval had taken place in the Upper Realm. Yueluo continued, "On the Demon race's side, Motian and Marquis Ziyun were slain in battle. Celestial Venerable Mo fled with the remnants of the Demon race, and no one knows where he has hidden." The crowd's expressions shifted once more. Hundred Battles let out a soft sigh. "Su Yu?" "It was him!" "What were the losses of the myriad races? What were Su Yu's losses?" The crowd pricked up their ears to listen. Yueluo fell silent for a moment before answering, "On Su Yu's side, no one died. Xuelan and Juzhu self-detonated their Great Daos, and Tongtian advanced to Celestial Venerable! On the side of the myriad races, Celestial Venerable Yue's physical body was shattered, while Celestial Venerable Long, Celestial Venerable Huang, and Yuansheng were wounded. The God Imperial Consort did not go all out and can still fight!" "How is that possible?!" "No way, right?" "..." A heated buzz of discussion broke out within the great hall. Yueluo knew that this bolstered their enemies' morale while diminishing their own, but in order to let Hundred Battles understand the situation fully, she still said quickly, "Not only that, Yuqing actually joined the battle. However... even when she came out, she couldn't turn the tide! In the end, she had no choice but to summon the Polong Beast out of the Hell Gate to deter all sides! Tiangu realized the myriad races lacked the foundation to sustain the fight and chose to back down. Only then did Su Yu depart with his forces!" "Yuqing?" Hundred Battles said softly. "Has she reached the level of a true Ruler of Rules?" "Yes!" Yueluo nodded and said heavily, "Yue Xiao and I originally intended to remain undercover, but Su Yu forced us into a fight against Leibao and the Eight-Winged Tiger. He convinced Yuqing that the four Celestial Venerables on both sides should fight, and only when two died would the battle end... To preserve our strength, Yue Xiao and I chose to flee!" "Sigh!" Hundred Battles sighed softly and soon shook his head. "Su Yu..." In the hall, the experts wore strange expressions. Some looked grim, while someone remarked calmly, "This is a good thing! Even if the meat is stewed to mush, it stays in the pot. Su Yu led his forces to decimate the Prison King lineage—for us, that is a victory for the human race!" As soon as these words were uttered, many people turned their gaze toward the speaker. Several frowned. Amid the crowd, Venerable Changmei said in a low voice, "Xueying, whose side are you on, anyway?" Xueying replied calmly, "I stand on the human race's side! Su Yu is the Tenth Generation Human Master. He led his people to inflict devastating casualties on the traitors and suppress the myriad races. Isn't that a good thing?" Changmei said angrily, "He clearly knew that Yueluo, Leibao, and the others were our people! Xueying, he deliberately targeted us. Can't you really see that?" Xueying fell silent. He had seen it! Su Yu was indeed targeting the Hundred Battles faction. Everyone understood that. However... Su Yu had battered the traitors to the point of collapse, which was immensely gratifying! Six thousand years ago, to avoid a devastating battle against both the myriad races and the Prison King lineage that would have incurred disastrous losses, Hundred Battles had chosen to avoid fighting. Back then, some were unconvinced and indignant, but everyone knew the tide could not be turned. Furthermore, the losses would have been too severe and did not align with their expectations. Yet now, Su Yu had slain powerful enemies and wiped out multiple Celestial Venerables with seemingly effortless ease. Was that not worth celebrating? They followed Hundred Battles, but they also possessed faith. The human race was their faith. Whether it was the Human Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, Su Yu, or Hundred Battles, all of them belonged to the human race. They were not traitors like the Prison King. None of them had ever betrayed mankind, had they? Lost in thought, Xueying no longer paid attention to Changmei's questioning. Perhaps so! Yes, to some people, Su Yu's targeting of the Hundred Battles faction had been rather obvious this time. At this moment, great disagreement lingered. Below, Marquis Jianghai said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Su Yu did this deliberately! After this battle, the strength of Su Yu's faction has grown once more..." Just as he said this, Yueluo murmured, "Su Yu's side possesses quite a few Celestial Venerables now! San Yue, Giant Axe, Feiqiu, Tongtian, and Tianming have all likely pledged allegiance to Su Yu! He himself wields top-tier Celestial Venerable combat power. Earlier, when he joined forces with Leibao and San Yue, they instantly killed Yuehao." "Leibao?" Changmei remarked faintly. "Leibao also joined hands with Su Yu? What does he mean by that?" Some looked toward Changmei, raising an eyebrow slightly. What was Changmei trying to pull? Leibao was the patriarch of the Giant race—the patriarch in the Upper Realm, of course, while the Giant King was in the Lower Realm. Joining hands... was probably necessary under the circumstances, wasn't it? Hundred Battles waved his hand slightly to cut Changmei off. Without taking up that topic, he said softly, "I'm afraid it's more than that. This might not even be the full extent of his strength." A shiver went through the crowd! One had to realize that right now, even including Yueluo, Yue Xiao, and Leibao, Hundred Battles' side only had eight Celestial Venerable-level beings. Of course, if one included Hundred Battles and Zhou Ji, they had even more powerful experts. Yet how long had Su Yu been building his foundation? Hundred Battles looked up at the sky, as though gazing at the River of Time. After watching for a while, he continued, "Some time ago, that woman appeared... claiming to be family of the Human Sovereign... She should have come from the dead spirit realm. The dead spirit realm has also seen some turbulence!" He had to begin taking Su Yu's faction seriously. In the battle of the Upper Realm, Su Yu had actually led his forces to beat the Prison King lineage until they abandoned their armor and fled. That was beyond his expectations. Not only did they not lose a single person, but one of their experts even advanced to Celestial Venerable. "So to say, on the Prison King's side, only two Rulers of Rules remain, along with Yuezhan and Motian?" "Yes!" Yueluo nodded. "The losses of the myriad races were not small either... Though no Celestial Venerables died, from what you described, quite a few Celestial Venerables were injured." "Yes!" "And you two, because of Su Yu, have already been exposed..." Yueluo nodded again. "Not only that, halfway through the great battle, he called out Zhou Ji's name, claiming he had reached the level of a Ruler of Rules and was hiding deep in the chaos. Both the myriad races and Yuqing heard those words. No matter what, some suspicion will inevitably linger." "Sigh!" Hundred Battles sighed softly, but soon smiled. "Su Yu... truly an extraordinary man!" "Your Majesty!" The scholar Changqing said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, no matter how exhaustive Su Yu's calculations are, his own strength has not yet reached a certain tier. Now that Rulers of Rules have emerged, Su Yu cannot defy the heavens!" He still interrupted Hundred Battles' admiration. Right now was not the time to praise Su Yu's prowess; they could not afford to boost Su Yu's prestige any further. If this continued, some people's resolve would begin to waver. Hundred Battles smiled, not minding much. He stood up and looked around at the crowd. "I am still pleased by Su Yu's great victory in the Upper Realm! As for Yueluo and Yue Xiao being exposed... it can only be said that each person has their own ideals and perspectives!" "I do not know what Su Yu is thinking specifically. In my heart, I never intended to do anything to him... Even with this Human Realm, if he wants it, I can yield it!" "Whether it is the Human Ancestor or the Human Sovereign, both belong to the human race!" Hundred Battles' voice gradually grew louder. "However, my only fear is that Su Yu does not understand my heart. I harbor no intention to harm him, yet he harbors the intent to kill me!" These words were half true and half false! Hundred Battles was, after all, an overlord of his generation. At this moment, he did not belittle Su Yu. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "I am of the Human Ancestor's direct lineage, and all of you... are as well! The Human Ancestor endured hardships to blaze a trail, leading the human race toward glory! I have not betrayed the Human Sovereign; it is merely that the Human Sovereign could not overcome the Rulers of Rules of the myriad races, nor could he match our future enemies. Senior King Wen and the others became trapped in the Heavenly Gate, entangled by powerful foes within... Even if they return, it will only bring disaster!" "The Human Ancestor opened the Great Dao of the physical body, forged a new world, and, for the sake of humanity's future, ventured into the chaos alone to battle the supreme experts of the chaos!" "Only by guiding the Human Ancestor back will our human race stand a chance of victory!" Hundred Battles said heavily, "Su Yu is considering destroying our present foes, unaware that these present foes are merely the tip of the iceberg! The remnants of the myriad races and the Prison King lineage are both just the tip of the iceberg!" "He is not wrong, but his vision is too shallow!" Hundred Battles declared loudly, "Perhaps he thinks that once the Human Sovereign returns, the human race will be victorious! But is that possible?" Hundred Battles raised his voice. "Impossible! Slaughtering in all directions right now actually accomplishes very little. Our ultimate goal is to guide the Human Ancestor back to lead the human race toward glory once more! The various eras are converging. Chaos, the Primordial Era—countless experts will soon descend upon the myriad realms!" "Some feel that we are blocking Su Yu's path, blocking the Human Sovereign's path. No, we are not!" Hundred Battles shouted, "How the human race flourished and grew mighty was never dependent on any single person, but on everyone striving together! Yet His Majesty the Human Sovereign was clearly no match for the various factions... Otherwise, the crisis of antiquity would never have occurred! How can that allow us to pin our hopes on His Majesty the Human Sovereign returning to hold off foes from all directions?" The crowd listened in silence. Hundred Battles continued, "The Hell Gate has cracked open now, and Yuqing and her cohort have emerged! This is also an opportunity—an opportunity to bring the Human Ancestor back ahead of time!" Hundred Battles said in a low, heavy voice, "However... the Prison King lineage cannot be destroyed!" When these words came out, some were shaken, while others remained silent, clearly having already known. Hundred Battles said heavily, "If they are wiped out, how can more people be guided out to widen the rift in the Hell Gate? Right now, it can only accommodate the passage of isolated Rulers of Rules, and at great cost! Back then, it wasn't that we couldn't fight or kill, but the Prison King lineage could not be lightly touched!" "Only they can guide the experts inside to return and open the Hell Gate ahead of schedule, allowing the Human Ancestor to seize the initiative!" "The Human Ancestor will return, charge against the currents to rescue the Human Sovereign and his people, slay the mighty foes of the myriad races, and crush their Rulers of Rules—only that is our sole hope!" Hundred Battles shouted at the top of his lungs, "For this, we paid an immense price! For this, we did not hesitate to bear infamy!" "Betrayal? That day, that woman claimed we betrayed... Perhaps our actions did not align with the Human Sovereign's wishes, but in essence, they were for the sake of the human race! In the end, does the Human Sovereign matter more, or does the human race matter more?" The crowd grew solemn, sinking into silence. At this moment, someone suddenly spoke up. It was Marquis Zhennan. With a complex expression in his eyes, he asked, "Your Majesty, do you mean to say that back then, we intentionally allowed the Prison King lineage to grow powerful?" Hundred Battles said heavily, "It wasn't entirely intentional! First, the enemy was not weak. Had we gone all out, we would have suffered grievous casualties, and the myriad races might have reaped the benefits! Second, only if their people grew stronger would there be hope of guiding Rulers of Rules out to force the rift wider, allowing the Human Ancestor to return ahead of time! Third, I made arrangements as well—both Yueluo and Yue Xiao were our hidden cards!" Marquis Zhennan remained silent for a while, looking conflicted and troubled. Still, he spoke, "Then... Bingku and the others... still fell in battle!" Hundred Battles remained silent. Marquis Zhennan kept his head lowered. "They truly died! If... if this old minister's guess is correct, Bingku and the others probably knew of Your Majesty's plan as well, but disagreed with it, didn't they?" Before Hundred Battles could answer, Changqing frowned slightly and said in a soft voice, "Zhennan, this matter is not what you think! Back then, His Majesty treated everyone with absolute sincerity, and Bingku and the others knew His Majesty's thoughts! But the intention of Bingku's faction was to first break the blockade of the myriad races and the Prison King lineage, and then seek to break the seal, give rise to several Rulers of Rules, and head upstream along the River of Time to rescue His Majesty the Human Sovereign..." Changqing said bitterly, "Bingku's line of thought wasn't wrong either, but would a few more Rulers of Rules... truly be able to rescue His Majesty and his followers? That was hardly certain! What's more, there was no guarantee we would win in the end!" "His Majesty explained the pros and cons clearly to Bingku and the others. It was Bingku, Danyu, and their comrades who chose to fight the myriad races to the death in the end! His Majesty once promised that even if they died in battle, as long as their seas of will escaped, he would save them... It was they themselves who self-detonated even their seas of will at the very last moment!" Changqing let out a sigh. "I can understand their choice. They were secret guards of His Majesty the Human Sovereign; their hearts belonged entirely to His Majesty the Human Sovereign! But in terms of the overall situation of the entire human race, His Majesty's choice... was wiser, wasn't it?" Marquis Zhennan's expression grew even more complex. "So, the near-extinction of the fire-passing lineage was actually their own choice?" "Yes." Marquis Zhennan said in a low voice, "Then... this old minister asks one more question. Right now, if Su Yu's faction holds different ideals from Your Majesty, insisting on immediately slaying Yuqing and the others, temporarily sealing the Hell Gate, and heading upstream to rescue His Majesty the Human Sovereign, how will Your Majesty choose?" He looked up at Hundred Battles with profound complexity in his eyes. "Your Majesty! Must the tragedy of the fire-passing lineage repeat itself? Could it be... that Your Majesty will stop Su Yu and his people?" Hundred Battles was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "I will have someone explain the pros and cons clearly to Su Yu. The Prison King lineage cannot be completely destroyed right now! The emergence of two Rulers of Rules has already created a rift in the gateway. All we need to do is apply continuous pressure, forcing them to keep guiding Rulers of Rules out to continually widen the rift! Once the time is right, we can find a way to guide the Human Ancestor back!" Marquis Zhennan said in a low tone, "Then... what if we cannot guide him back? Is the Human Ancestor definitely inside the Hell Gate?" Hundred Battles nodded. "He is definitely there! And he can definitely be guided back!" "The Prison King is also inside. If we guide the Human Ancestor back, won't the Prison King be able to come out as well? And if the Prison King emerges, what about the ancient experts of the chaos?" Zhennan continued questioning, "Will the Human Ancestor be able to suppress them?" "He can!" Hundred Battles said firmly. "On this point, you must believe in the Human Ancestor's might!" Zhennan fell silent for a while, then said again, "Then... in other words, all our hopes are pinned on the Human Ancestor's power? Is the source of this information reliable? Your Majesty, why don't you pin your hopes on yourself?" Hundred Battles was silent for a spell before answering, "Because... our enemies are far more terrifying than you imagine! Every one of them is a supreme powerhouse of an entire era! Having lived through countless ages, even if I placed my hopes on myself, could I become one of the Four Polar Human Kings in six thousand years? Could I become the next Human Sovereign? I... don't hold much hope. It is not that I have given up on myself... but that I understand how difficult it is for me to catch up to them, to become the next Human Sovereign or the next King Wen!" Were these honest words? Naturally, they were! Hundred Battles was formidable, but no matter how strong he was, did he have the hope of becoming the next Four Polar Human King or the next Human Sovereign? Not necessarily! Therefore, hope lay with the Human Ancestor. Marquis Zhennan's face grew increasingly complex. "So... what we pursue is for the Human Ancestor to accomplish everything, to save everything! Your Majesty, that is what you mean, correct?" "Yes." "Once Su Yu disrupts Your Majesty's plans, Your Majesty... will also act against him? Correct?" Hundred Battles remained silent. Changmei reprimanded, "Zhennan, are you interrogating His Majesty? Do you really believe that even if Su Yu's side gives birth to a few Rulers of Rules, they will be able to save the human race?" Marquis Zhennan shook his head. "I did not say that, nor did I mean that. I merely feel... compared to Your Majesty, Su Yu... perhaps believes in himself more!" His expression was exceedingly complicated. "He believes he can resolve every crisis himself. He believes he can rescue others rather than waiting to be rescued by someone else! He is still different from Your Majesty—his confidence borders on blindness..." Was it truly blind? Marquis Zhennan didn't know! All he knew was that in the past, Su Yu had declared that he would charge into the Upper Realm and beat them until they scrambled across the ground, and he seemed to have achieved it—in less than a year! As of right now, the greatest difference between Su Yu and Hundred Battles was that Hundred Battles placed his hopes on the Human Ancestor, while Su Yu pinned his hopes solely on himself! Which was better? Su Yu's blind confidence—that sense of an arrogant youth who knew neither the height of the heavens nor the depth of the earth—would draw scoffing disdain as an initial reaction from anyone unfamiliar with him! You think you're stronger than the Human Sovereign? You think you can surpass the Human Ancestor? Or do you think you can become a Sovereign in three years—no, in just one year? Who would believe that? Yet Marquis Zhennan knew that people did believe it. Everyone around Su Yu believed it; if they didn't, they would not follow him to the death! Just like on Hundred Battles' side, people believed as well; if they hadn't, so many would not have followed him back then. In the past, Marquis Zhennan had sneered at Su Yu's choices! You're just a young fellow in your twenties who truly doesn't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth. Do you even know how powerful the Four Polar Human Kings were? Do you know how strong the Human Sovereign was? Yet now... he no longer thought that way. He had fought alongside Su Yu only once, during the rescue of Hundred Battles. Afterwards, everything had been hearsay and legend. But while in the Human Realm, he had learned everything about Su Yu. He had witnessed with his own eyes that day when the human experts retreated alongside Su Yu, and he remembered Su Yu's arrogant words: *I will be back very soon!* From start to finish, less than two months had passed. He was about to return! Marquis Zhennan had a premonition that Su Yu would return soon. Given Su Yu's temperament, a clash with Hundred Battles was inevitable—absolutely inevitable! This was Marquis Zhennan's firm conviction! And not just him. At this moment, those familiar with Su Yu, like Marquis Yunshui and Anying, all felt strange stirrings. Su Yu... was bound to clash with Hundred Battles. This was a total clash of ideals! Hundred Battles would not permit Su Yu to destroy the Prison King lineage right now! And Su Yu... would one hundred percent set out to kill them! The others had never interacted with Su Yu and didn't fully understand, but these three knew Su Yu's character. Even if they hadn't interacted with him for long, they knew Su Yu would never listen to Hundred Battles. No matter how eloquently Hundred Battles spoke, Su Yu would not listen. He would only follow his own thoughts. If Hundred Battles stood in his way... he would kill Hundred Battles as well! Marquis Zhennan struggled and agonized, but in the end, he spoke up again. "Your Majesty, if Su Yu obstinately insists on wiping out the Prison King lineage... is it possible for us to join hands with him? Kill Yuqing and the others—without Yuqing and her cohort, would it truly be impossible to open the Hell Gate?" "You don't understand!" Hundred Battles frowned slightly. "Yuqing was summoned out by the Prison King lineage using bloodlines and the power of Great Daos. When Yuqing emerged, she must have brought along tracking items to allow those ancient beasts to locate and lock onto the position of the myriad realms. Only in this manner can the Hell Gate be opened! If we kill Yuqing, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that the tracking items will be destroyed. Therefore, Yuqing... cannot be killed! Slaying Yuqing will bring the opening of the Hell Gate to a halt, and who knows how many ages we would have to wait for it to open again. Perhaps it would appear along with everyone else... By then, all initiative would be lost!" On this day, Hundred Battles explained a great deal. The invisible pressure compelled him to explain to these subordinates why he was acting this way. Before this, many of Hundred Battles' thoughts were difficult to fathom. Yet at this moment, he chose to tell everyone so that their hearts would not waver. Because of Su Yu! Having reached this point, Hundred Battles knew that a conflict between him and Su Yu was likely imminent! Such a conflict was not over the human race, nor over the Human Realm, nor over status, but... because their fundamental ideals were utterly irreconcilable. Marquis Zhennan asked again, "Then... what if we can preserve that tracking item intact?" Hundred Battles frowned slightly. "If you were an ancient beast behind the gate and saw that Su Yu and his forces had killed Yuqing and the Polong Beast, would you continue coming out one by one to be slaughtered by him? They cannot emerge all at once; they can only appear individually to widen the rift in the Hell Gate! If you were them, would you be stupid enough to rush out to your death knowing full well you would die?" Thus, even if Su Yu preserved the Chaos Will intact, it would be of little use. Certain entities behind the gate could sense what was happening. You've already killed two Rulers of Rules—would we still line up one by one to be slaughtered by you? "Therefore, the only way is to wait for Yuqing to guide out several more Rulers of Rules to widen the rift. When we strike, we cannot kill too many at once. For instance, if they have five Rulers of Rules, we kill one or two, baiting them so they continue sending reinforcements, keeping them on the hook rather than exterminating them all at once!" Hundred Battles said heavily, "We must not give them the chance to grow too powerful, but neither can we wipe them out directly. Do you understand?" Marquis Zhennan thought it over and nodded. "Then... could this old minister serve as an envoy to Su Yu's faction? I can explain the pros and cons to him. I believe there is still a possibility of joining forces! Whether it is Your Majesty or Su Yu, both strive for the prosperity of the human race. We share the same goal. If we can talk, wouldn't talking be better?" He wanted to act as an envoy to Su Yu's side! As soon as these words were spoken, many people wore unusual expressions. Hundred Battles pondered for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I also hope you can convince Su Yu instead of letting him act willfully!" "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Just as he finished speaking, Changmei frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I believe Zhennan going alone is not appropriate. Why not have someone accompany him?" Marquis Zhennan narrowed his eyes slightly. "What does Marquis Changmei mean by that?" Changmei said indifferently, "Nothing special, merely concerned for Marquis Zhennan's safety!" Marquis Zhennan said with furrowed brows, "Su Yu's faction is currently in the dead spirit realm. If I go, he might guide me inside. But if someone accompanies me, he may not allow us in!" "Marquis Zhennan certainly carries quite a bit of clout!" Changmei said faintly. "Su Yu would actually guide you inside? Could it be that you share a very close relationship with Su Yu?" Marquis Zhennan frowned. "Not particularly, but before Su Yu left, he met with me once and entrusted me with looking after the Human Realm. There is at least some modest sentiment between us! If someone truly must accompany me... then have Xia Huyou go with me!" Marquis Zhennan understood Su Yu reasonably well. If someone else accompanied him... Su Yu might not refuse entry, but if anything went amiss, there was a high probability Su Yu would... kill! Yes! He was utterly certain of this. Once people were killed—once the envoy was slain—things would truly become irreconcilable, leaving no room for mediation. That was why he did not want others tagging along, whereas there was no problem with Xia Huyou and the like going. Just as he was thinking this, someone suddenly murmured, "Doesn't the Marquis possess a substantial amount of death qi? Wouldn't it be better to directly open a path into the dead spirit realm and negotiate with Su Yu face-to-face?" The moment these words were spoken, Marquis Zhennan's face changed drastically! He snapped his head toward the speaker, his face turning livid as he gritted his teeth. "Wenqi!" Wenqi wore an apologetic look. "Marquis, you and I are both ministers of His Majesty. Now that His Majesty faces a dilemma, wouldn't it be better if we helped His Majesty resolve it more effectively...?" Marquis Zhennan's face was completely dark. "You... are courting death, do you know that?" Wenqi's heart trembled slightly, but he soon said in a low voice, "Is the Marquis referring to Su Yu?" Marquis Zhennan ground his teeth. "What do you think?" Wenqi knew a little about the death qi. After all, he was Zhennan's strategist. Marquis Zhennan hadn't actually spoken of it, but Wenqi understood him all too well. The two had been together constantly, so even the slightest slip of words made it easy for Wenqi to guess. Since Wenqi was a strategist, he was naturally an intelligent man. At this moment, Wenqi said softly, "I am His Majesty's minister, not Su Yu's! Marquis... I understand your thoughts. In truth, I am afraid as well. That's right, I fear Su Yu—I fear he will kill me..." Wenqi gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Yet one who eats the sovereign's grain must remain loyal to the sovereign's cause! Marquis, we... are subordinates of His Majesty Hundred Battles! We are not subordinates of Human Master Su Yu!" Was he wrong? He was Hundred Battles' minister, not Su Yu's. Marquis Zhennan had concealed a major secret that touched upon critical affairs. He had considered it and weighed it, and in the end, he had chosen to speak up. They could, in fact, directly enter the dead spirit realm! Marquis Zhennan's side possessed enough death qi to open a channel into the dead spirit realm and enter directly. Su Yu's previous intimidation had caused the myriad races to destroy their death qi. With the ancient cities gone, virtually no death qi remained across the myriad realms. Yet Marquis Zhennan's side could produce enough death qi to open a channel. At this moment, many eyes turned toward Marquis Zhennan. Changmei said heavily, "Zhennan, you have a large amount of death qi?" Marquis Zhennan said grimly, "And what if I do? What if I don't? Are we going to open a channel and directly battle Su Yu's faction? They have already retreated into the dead spirit realm—must we force our way in and fight them? To send an envoy, we only need to take the proper route!" Opening a channel directly would, with a ninety percent probability, instantly trigger a great war. Changmei said coldly, "Whether you have it or not is a decision for His Majesty to make. Zhennan, could it be that your heart has already changed?" Marquis Zhennan ground his teeth. "Whether I harbor disloyalty is for His Majesty to judge, not you! Changmei, so what if you stepped into the Celestial Venerable realm? What does that prove? Over these past six thousand years, you people nursed your wounds in peace, comprehending the Great Dao in peace, while we struggled in the Upper Realm, delaying the myriad races' footsteps and gathering intelligence on them... Of those who stayed behind back then, how many survived? It is not your place, Changmei, to question me!" His aura erupted—at this moment, he was actually at the Heavenly King level as well! He had originally been close to the Heavenly King realm. After Hundred Battles returned and restored his physical body, he had seized the opportunity to step into the Heavenly King tier! Marquis Zhennan raged, "Changmei, stop constantly fawning over His Majesty! You treacherous minister, you will only mislead His Majesty! You repeatedly instigate His Majesty to antagonize Su Yu's faction. Do you even know how strong Su Yu's forces are before spouting such grand nonsense? Do you truly think he can be wiped out at any moment? Do you realize that because of your flattering words, if a conflict breaks out with Su Yu and his people, how many human experts will die? Do you wish to gladden the hearts of our enemies and grieve our own people? He is a Human Master, and His Majesty is also a Human Master. Though from different eras and different periods, both are Human Masters, and their goal is the human race! Why must you constantly curry favor with slanderous words?" Changmei's face turned icy cold. "Are you talking about me?" "Yes, you!" Marquis Zhennan rebuked furiously. "His Majesty hasn't even spoken, yet you dare make decisions on His Majesty's behalf? My mission to Su Yu is purely for the human race and the hearts of the people, as witnessed by heaven and earth! For you to forcefully interfere—your motives are utterly despicable!" At this point, Hundred Battles said in a deep voice, "Enough, all of you be quiet!" He cut off the crowd's dispute, his voice carrying immense majesty. "Zhennan... since you are confident, you... go find Su Yu. Inform him that I have no intention of being his enemy! Yielding the Human Realm or departing the Lower Realm—all of it can be discussed! However, the Prison King lineage cannot be destroyed for now! This is the core policy. Whether Su Yu slays the myriad races or wipes out the dead spirits, he cannot wipe out the Prison King lineage for the time being!" "Your Majesty is wise!" Marquis Zhennan was overjoyed. Fortunately, His Majesty had not listened to the slanderous words of that treacherous minister Changmei. As for negotiating, talking was better than not talking. Not talking meant a hundred percent certainty of war, whereas talking at least left room for an opportunity. Perhaps... Su Yu could be persuaded? Or perhaps they could find a compromise acceptable to both sides! Hundred Battles nodded slightly and said no more. Let them negotiate! As for whether it succeeded, they would see then. Moreover, if he truly wished to enter the dead spirit realm, death qi was not strictly necessary, and there was no need to chill the heart of an old veteran like Zhennan. Thus, he did not utter a single word regarding the death qi! ... Meanwhile, Su Yu was entirely unaware of all this. At this moment, he was scouring the area for Celestial Venerable Mo, finally cornering him near the Chaos Mountain region. When Celestial Venerable Mo saw him, his expression warped drastically, and he turned tail to run! What rotten luck! Why was Su Yu still wandering around here? Wasn't he afraid that Yuqing and Yuezhan would appear and join forces to kill him? This lunatic was simply too mad! "Hand over the councilor tokens!" Su Yu's voice sounded lazy. "Give them to me, and I won't hunt you down. Refuse... and I will chase you from morning till night. If you manage to escape, I'll consider you capable!" *Buzz!* Seven councilor tokens shot through the air toward him. Their speed was incomparably swift. Su Yu was momentarily stunned. "You aren't even going to struggle a little?" Celestial Venerable Mo didn't say a single word to him, fleeing at breakneck speed. Struggle for what? Struggle over whether I live or die? The Demon race needed him. He could not die! If he died, the Demon race wouldn't even have a single Celestial Venerable left, and that would be true disaster. Su Yu felt a bit bored! Trash! What a coward! Killing you isn't that simple, you know. Su Yu called out anyway, "If I kill you, Yuqing and the others will most likely hunt me down. What are you afraid of? I was only scaring you!" Celestial Venerable Mo ignored him entirely, fleeing and continuing to flee! Taking advantage of the fact that Su Yu wasn't giving chase, he ran even faster, even burning his blood essence. Run—the farther away from this fiend, the better. Not a shred remained of the imposing demeanor he had displayed when hunting Su Yu down in the Dao Origin Land back then. Su Yu cursed under his breath. Why run so fast? I haven't even visited my old friend yet. "Hey, how is my old friend Moduona doing? By the way, is he related to you by blood? Moduona is my brother—you'd better treat him well! Even I couldn't bear to kill the number one on the Heaven Roll, so don't you go getting him killed... Also..." Celestial Venerable Mo had already vanished far into the distance. Su Yu let out a helpless sigh. He sure ran fast. Watching the demon flee in the direction of Yuqing and her cohort, Su Yu shrugged. Forget it, I won't provoke Yuqing and the others right now; the time isn't ripe yet. "Martial Emperor, I'm coming to save you!" Su Yu sighed with emotion. What a wonderful person I am. I am about to completely connect the Upper and Lower Realms! Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that soon, two more Rulers of Rules would emerge in the myriad realms. "The Martial Emperor, the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign, Yuqing, the Polong Beast, Hundred Battles, Zhou Ji... Are there any others?" Su Yu tallied them up. Quite a few already. From now on, there would be even more experts standing above me. "Pity poor me... I can only share the second tier alongside Yuezhan, the God Imperial Consort, the Chaos Dragon, and Feiqiu!" Su Yu smiled, his grin brilliantly bright. I am so pitiful! As for what my true strength is... how would I know? Su Yu only knew that with every expansion of his world and every Great Dao integrated into it, his comprehension grew stronger. At any rate, within his own world, he feared none of these people. But outside, it was hard to say. "Whatever, I'll just keep pretending to be a Celestial Venerable!" Su Yu didn't know what realm he was in either. For a heaven-opener, what realms were there to speak of? As long as it killed people, it was a good realm. "Say, while the Martial Emperor isn't unsealed yet, should I go beat him up again? Otherwise, once he's unsealed, I won't have the chance anymore..." Harboring this thought, Su Yu flew swiftly toward the depths of the chaos. As for Yuqing and her faction, he disregarded them. Those people wouldn't dare come out to kill him either; once they ventured too far and were ambushed again, that would be real trouble. *The Sin Clan must be eliminated as early as possible. Otherwise, if they keep guiding Rulers of Rules out again and again, who the hell could take it!* Su Yu muttered internally as he flew. They had to be killed! Not only must they be killed, but after doing so, a way had to be found to seal the Hell Gate. He didn't have the time to linger in the myriad realms for long. He had to go help the Human Sovereign and his people as soon as possible, guide the Human Sovereign's return, and fight the Heavenly Gate and the Hell Gate together. *My only fear is that after I leave, before the myriad realms are pacified, someone might open the Hell Gate again. That would be real trouble. So even if I head upstream, I must first pacify the myriad realms!* Time waited for no one! At this moment, countless thoughts raced through Su Yu's mind. As for leaving the Prison King lineage alone—killing one and letting them summon another Ruler of Rules—it looked thrilling on the surface and even offered benefits, but Su Yu worried that multiple summonings would cause the Hell Gate to open ahead of time. He had no interest in battling a swarm of ancient chaos beasts, nor did he care to face the Prison King alone. Leave those troublesome matters to the Human Sovereign and his people! At this moment, even though Su Yu did not know the Hundred Battles faction's ultimate goal, given that Hundred Battles had persistently driven wedges into the Prison King lineage, Su Yu harbored slight suspicions: could Hundred Battles' target lie inside the Hell Gate? Could the Human Ancestor be within? Who cared! I'm not familiar with the Human Ancestor anyway! Su Yu didn't take it too seriously. Whether it was the Human Ancestor or the Human Sovereign, only an ancestor who could help him get things done was a good ancestor; otherwise, none of them were reliable. Relying on oneself was better than relying on others. Seeking out the Human Sovereign was only because this mess was what he had left behind.