Su Yu's Fury

Relying on oneself was always better than relying on others; this had been Su Yu's philosophy all along. It was rooted in the environment he had grown up in. Ever since he was weak, he had only ever been able to rely on himself and the Time Book from back then. Liu Wenyan had been crippled, and the unreliable Bai Feng spent all day buried in research. At the start, Bai Feng's strength had been decent enough, but once Su Yu reached the Soaring Realm, Bai Feng could no longer shield him at all. In truth, there was no need to look as far as Soaring—even back when Su Yu was in the Character Nurturing phase, when Sun and Moon experts attacked, Bai Feng was already powerless to protect him. As for Nan Wujiang, Yun Chen, and the others who appeared later, fundamentally they still fell short of that mark, lacking that intimate sense of closeness. Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng were his teachers, elders, and kin. Wan Tiansheng, Lan Tian, and the others were fellow Daoists, companions on the Great Dao. Close as they were, they were still different from Bai Feng and the rest. Of course, Su Yu rarely visited Bai Feng's circle these days. It was better to let them focus peacefully on their research. At Su Yu's current level, Bai Feng's talent clearly lagged behind, and he could no longer keep pace. If Bai Feng got tangled up in Su Yu's affairs, Su Yu might find himself having to collect his teacher's corpse by tomorrow. …… Su Yu did not dwell on it. At this moment, he returned to his own world. He did not bring many people along, but just in case, Su Yu still took the little white dog, Lan Tian, and Tongtian with him. That was enough! Tongtian could take everyone and flee at any moment, Lan Tian could transmit messages instantly, and the little white dog possessed immense combat prowess. All three commanded Celestial Venerable combat strength. Together with Su Yu, even if the Martial Emperor unsealed himself and suddenly made a lethal move, they could still put up a fight even if outmatched, and reinforcements would arrive quickly. Unseal the Martial Emperor! Mulling this over in his mind, Su Yu soon hurried back to the dead spirit realm. …… The dead spirit realm. The Martial Emperor was also waiting, feeling rather tormented. Would Su Yu... come back? Granted, even without Su Yu, he still had hope of breaking the seal, but given the current situation, it would probably take another year or two. The Martial Emperor was anxious; now that his consciousness had recovered, a year or two felt like an eternity where each day dragged on like a year! The Martial Emperor waited with bated breath. At this point, his greatest fear was that Su Yu would leave and never return—that midway through, Su Yu might decide unsealing him wasn't worth the trouble and choose not to do it. If that happened, the Martial Emperor would weep. Giving someone hope only to snatch it away was the most despicable thing someone could do. While the Martial Emperor was waiting, silhouettes suddenly materialized as a passageway opened. In an instant, several figures shot forward from the distance. The Martial Emperor paused, then cried out in surprise the next moment, "That idiot Tongtian advanced too?" "……" Silence fell! The Martial Emperor rarely cursed like that. Su Yu was genuinely surprised to see him start swearing the second he laid eyes on Tongtian. No, perhaps that was his genuine sentiment. He was probably just sick of Tongtian's relentless chattering. Marquis Tongtian's expression froze for a second, but he quickly chuckled. "Martial Emperor, shouldn't I advance? As the saying goes, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river..." The Martial Emperor snapped irritably, "Even if you become a Ruler of Rules, I'll still slap you to death!" What an annoying fellow! He cut Tongtian off directly; the guy talked far too much nonsense. Su Yu laughed as well. "You're old neighbors of over a hundred thousand years. Why start cursing at each other the moment you meet? You two ought to have the closest bond!" The Martial Emperor cursed under his breath, while Tongtian merely smiled without a word. Who has a close bond with him? That was the simultaneous thought of both men. Though they had been neighbors for countless years, they belonged to different factions. Looking closer, the Martial Emperor recognized Lan Tian and said in surprise, "You advanced too?" Lan Tian smiled faintly. "Indeed. Many thanks for your support back then, Martial Emperor!" The Martial Emperor snorted. Support? When Lan Tian entered Star Residence Mansion back then, the two of them had indeed established some resonance, but that hardly counted as support. Back then, this fellow was merely at the Sun and Moon realm, yet he had reached such heights. The Martial Emperor was both surprised and shocked. Tongtian had previously been around third or second tier, yet he had stepped into the Celestial Venerable tier so swiftly, and Lan Tian had done the same. And that dog! The Martial Emperor looked toward the little white dog, who looked back at him with curiosity. The Martial Emperor narrowed his eyes, and a look of confusion appeared on the little white dog's face. This was likely their first face-to-face encounter. They had observed each other across distances before, but never this close. After watching for a while, the little white dog asked puzzledly, "Have I seen you before?" The Martial Emperor frowned. "Sun-Devouring Divine Dog! We met once! We clashed back then. You also fought King Wen, and he seemed to have severed your chaos. Have you cultivated the Great Dao anew?" Now Su Yu was astonished! "You... fought with the little white dog?" Su Yu was thoroughly astounded! The Martial Emperor said indifferently, "What of it? This fellow must be the Sun-Devouring Divine Dog from back then! It might even be the last one that hadn't switched its Dao yet remained powerful to the extreme!" "What do you mean?" Su Yu asked, perplexed. The Martial Emperor frowned. "Aren't you all-knowing? During ancient times, the Hell Gate faintly broke its seal several times! Those powerful beings, including the Wild Heavenly Beast, all escaped from the Hell Gate! Present-day chaos cannot sustain beings like them. Among those who escaped, some chose to integrate their Daos into the River of Time to assimilate into the myriad realms... like the Wild Heavenly Beast! Others, like the Sun-Devouring Divine Dog, refused to integrate Daos and chose to survive in the chaos instead... The Sun-Devouring Divine Dog was likely the last being from that era that never switched its Dao!" Su Yu shook his head slightly. "You mean chaos... also has restrictions?" He truly didn't know this. The Eight-Winged Tiger and Chaos Dragon had never mentioned it, and the only chaos-path cultivator under Su Yu's command was the Tea Tree. Even now, the Tea Tree had only barely scraped into the second tier, still far from that level. The Martial Emperor instantly regained his confidence. So there are things you don't know after all, Su Yu? He sneered, "Naturally! Chaos itself was sealed. Only beyond the Hell Gate lies the true primordial chaos era! Since it was sealed... that also signifies that era has ended! No more supreme beings will ever be born here! When the Hell Gate's seal cracked back then, a horde of ancient beasts surged out, aiming to restore primordial chaos. As fate would have it, they ran straight into the peak zenith of humanity and the myriad races... You know the outcome: those who submitted, like the Wild Heavenly Beast, became part of the myriad races; those who refused were slaughtered; and some who hid in the chaos, like the Sun-Devouring Divine Dog, were ultimately beaten into guard dogs!" The little white dog looked at him in confusion. Su Yu frowned. "So at the end of the primordial era, the little white dog was truly a formidable being?" "It should be him!" The Martial Emperor nodded slightly. "Its Great Dao changed, but fundamentally it remains the same—except... it seems to have been reborn!" The little white dog didn't care much about this, but Su Yu looked at him curiously. Last time, the Chaos Dragon had mentioned how formidable the Sun-Devouring Divine Dog had been, but Su Yu hadn't paid it much mind back then. Hearing the Martial Emperor today, he realized even the Martial Emperor had clashed with the dog back then. Given the Martial Emperor's temper, if an opponent had been weak, he wouldn't have bothered remembering them and would have killed them long ago. Since the little white dog hadn't been killed and had even prompted King Wen to step in personally, he had clearly been extraordinarily strong. Yet later on he had been taken in... and seemed to have no memory of it. What was that about? Su Yu pondered for a moment, deciding not to overthink what happened in the past, and asked in a low voice, "Then you mean the ancient Chaos clan cannot achieve a breakthrough outside the gate?" "More or less!" Seeing that Su Yu was ignorant of this, the Martial Emperor was in a good mood. "That's exactly it! But this dog changed its Dao, so it doesn't affect it." Su Yu nodded slightly. No wonder the Chaos Dragon had reached this stage without becoming a true Ruler of Rules—he simply couldn't break through. And their constant fixation on Yuqing meant that what they called the Chaos Will was indeed crucial. It was the key to breaking through! Su Yu had no use for it, but on his side, someone could use it—the Tea Tree! The Tea Tree, the Book Spirit, Big Wood, and the little white dog were all left behind by King Wen. When Su Yu discovered the former residence, he had just become Human Master and wasn't very strong yet. Back then, the little white dog, the Tea Tree, and the others had played pivotal, anchoring roles. However, none of them had chosen to integrate their Daos into Su Yu's world. The Book Spirit had attained the Dao from King Wen's book; attaining the Dao from a book—and King Wen's book at that—perhaps made it better left unintegrated. The Tea Tree went without saying, while Big Wood was simple-minded and dazed; since the little white dog and the others didn't integrate, it didn't either. Now, as Su Yu's strength grew, his subordinates had also become powerful. Among those who had once played anchoring roles, the Tea Tree had only barely advanced to second-tier Dao Integration two days ago, the Book Spirit was merely at third-tier Dao Integration, and Big Wood was also third-tier. In Su Yu's camp, they could only be considered third-line combatants. With so many Heavenly Kings and Celestial Venerables and an abundance of second-tier Dao Integration experts, third-tier combatants weren't particularly valuable anymore. Now, hearing that the ancient Chaos clan found it nearly impossible to break through, Su Yu couldn't help thinking of Yuqing and the Polong Beast. If the Tea Tree and the little white dog devoured the Polong Beast's true body—ancient Chaos beasts primarily strengthened themselves through mutual devouring—and then devoured the Chaos Will in Yuqing's hands, could the Tea Tree also have hope of becoming a Ruler of Rules? One good turn deserved another! At times, it wasn't that Su Yu didn't want to repay them, but that he lacked the means; cultivating strength truly depended on opportunity. Right now, the Prison King lineage happened to be the opportunity for the Tea Tree and the others. Su Yu mused silently. As for the Chaos Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger, their earlier flight meant cooperation had ended. Since that was the case, the conditions Su Yu had agreed to previously were naturally null and void. Su Yu soon pushed those thoughts aside; keeping it in mind was enough, and speaking of it now served little purpose. He looked at the Martial Emperor, smiling calmly and casually. "Alright, let's put this pointless chatter aside..." The Martial Emperor cursed internally! Whatever you don't know is 'pointless,' you shameless brat. Even so, he suddenly gained a bit more confidence in Su Yu. The fact that the experts under Su Yu had grown so powerful gave the Martial Emperor a glimmer of anticipation... Even though he might not necessarily agree to cooperate with Su Yu. The Martial Emperor licked his lips, tossing those thoughts aside, and asked with suppressed excitement, "Did you get the councilor tokens?" "Of course!" Ninety-seven tokens weren't the full set, but it made no difference. Su Yu guessed the remaining two were likely still with the Giant race, but he couldn't be bothered to ask for them. Last time he asked for four, they handed over four without hesitation, which suggested they probably had more. It didn't matter! Ninety-seven was plenty. After all, the myriad realms were already nearing the point where the rules would dissipate on their own; having every single councilor token wasn't necessary to disperse the power of the rules. "Then when will you disperse the power of the rules..." "Disperse?" Su Yu laughed. "I'm not dispersing it!" The Martial Emperor's expression changed. You're going back on your word? "I'm going to devour it!" Su Yu chuckled. "The power of the rules is good stuff! Previously, whenever I wanted to devour it, I was worried that shearing too much wool would cause the rules of the myriad realms to collapse! Now that we want to actively clear it away, of course I'm going to devour all that rule power!" The Martial Emperor didn't care about that; hearing this, he breathed a sigh of relief. Do whatever you damn well please! Disperse it, devour it—as long as the rule restrictions on the myriad realms are lifted! "Then get ready. I'll head to the living realm to unseal you! And while I'm at it, I'll see where your true body actually is." Just as Su Yu spoke, Tongtian suddenly piped up, "Your Majesty, someone seems to have come to the Tianyuan Realm looking for you." "Who?" "Marquis Zhennan!" Zhennan? Su Yu was slightly taken aback. What does he want with me? Never mind, he couldn't be bothered. After a moment's thought, Su Yu said, "Tell him to find me in the depths of the Sea of Stars, just outside Star Residence Mansion!" Su Yu didn't intend to let him enter the Tianyuan Realm, to avoid complications. All of Su Yu's people were gone; if Zhennan noticed anything, he might run back and tattle to Hundred Battles. Then again, why was he looking for him? Yueluo and Yue Xiao should have reached Hundred Battles by now, right? Could he be coming to pick a fight? Even so, Hundred Battles ought to come in person! Whatever, no need to dwell on it. Su Yu said straightforwardly, "We'll take the aperture passages into the myriad realms. I can't be bothered to make the trip normally!" Traveling through the Martial Emperor's body would do just fine! This time, the Martial Emperor had no objections; the faster, the better. His apertures were all passageways, and the channels across the myriad realms teleported into his body through these apertures. Soon, Su Yu and his companions entered the Martial Emperor's body. A moment later, they stepped through aperture teleportation gates and emerged in the Sea of Stars region. …… The myriad realms. The Sea of Stars. At this moment, wind and clouds surged as towering waves churned. The closest landmark to the Sea of Stars had originally been Xinghong Ancient City. When the ancient city vanished later, the experts of the Nine Realms nearly wept tears of joy. Their previous attempts to create a continent had all failed because Su Yu refused to allow it! Now, Su Yu had withdrawn, and Hundred Battles didn't care. The experts of the Nine Realms once again began expending tremendous effort to rebuild the land! The entrances of the Nine Realms were close to one another. There had once been a continent here, but that bastard Su Yu had destroyed it all. Now that Su Yu had fled, it was time to build the continent anew. At this moment, on the Nine Stars Continent, experts from the Nine Realms bustled about. Cities were being erected, and the experts felt thoroughly content. Someone shouted excitedly, "In just a few more days, the Nine Stars Continent will be fully completed! We have finally returned to the myriad realms!" Almost done! Just a few more days. Ever since Su Yu moved away, they had set to work. Over two months, expending countless manpower and resources, working around the clock—for a group of experts in the myriad realms, spending two months on infrastructure was an immensely massive undertaking! Good riddance to that fellow Su Yu—it would be best if he never returned! As they spoke, a Sun and Moon cultivator from the Nine Realms looked into the distance and asked in confusion, "Is a tide coming? That can't be right; the last tide wasn't long ago!" A tide occurred once every ten years. Every tide caused Star Residence Mansion to open. Of course, the last one hadn't been long ago—the one that drastically shifted the landscape of the myriad realms and pushed Su Yu onto center stage. From then to now was only a year and change. Logically, the next tide shouldn't arrive so soon. "If it comes, it comes. The myriad realms are so turbulent these days, who knows what's going on... Besides, it's just big waves; it won't affect us much." "True enough!" "……" The crowd chatted without much worry. A tide was merely bigger waves, and perhaps good treasures would be washed in with it. That would actually be a good thing. With far fewer experts in the myriad realms now, things were much quieter. If Star Residence Mansion really opened, maybe no one would come, and since the Nine Realms were nearby, they might even reap some benefits! Yet this tide grew increasingly violent! The tides were actually caused by the Martial Emperor circulating his cultivation technique. Previously, it cycled naturally once every ten years, sweeping up origin qi and causing wild waves across the Sea of Stars. Now, however, the Martial Emperor was actively circulating his cultivation technique to teleport Su Yu and his companions out, so the waves naturally surged much faster. …… At this moment, Su Yu didn't pay much attention to any of that. Soon, the group emerged from the aperture teleportation. Right then, Su Yu saw the Heavenly Gate once more. The Martial Emperor's Heavenly Gate! This Heavenly Gate, standing in the Sea of Stars for countless eras, represented Star Residence Mansion and the greatest treasure ground of the myriad realms. After today, this gateway might vanish forever! The Martial Emperor's voice faintly drifted over, tinged with excitement. "Disperse the power of the rules!" His consciousness had completely revived; now, there was still some suppression from the Great Dao. Coupled with the rule suppression of the myriad realms, he was still missing that final step to break his seal. Hearing this, Su Yu glanced toward the sky. With the Heavenly Gate open, he could faintly see that the Myriad Realms Battlefield was indeed densely webbed with the power of rules, like a giant net locking down the entire battlefield. "The Myriad Realms Battlefield..." Su Yu murmured. It was time. Completely unseal the Upper and Lower Realms and let this tide change arrive in full! The tidal change occurred once every ten thousand years, but this time, it was beginning in earnest after only six thousand years. Yes, the reconnection of the Upper and Lower Realms was what typically marked the true start of a tidal change. And its conclusion was usually marked by the death of the human race's leader and the closing of the Myriad Realms Battlefield—that signaled the end of the tidal change! "The Human Master falls, the battlefield seals!" Su Yu murmured. Today, he seemed to understand so much more. The battlefield sealed only when the Human Master died—what did that imply? Su Yu knew the battlefield had been created artificially. Yet once the Human Master died and the human race's fortune waned, the battlefield would automatically shut down. Was this designed to protect humanity? The Human Sovereign and his peers had truly put great care into setting up the Myriad Realms Battlefield back then! At this moment, Su Yu grasped the general mechanics of how the battlefield functioned. He took a deep breath, and tokens materialized before his eyes. On each token, phantom figures manifested—immortals, demons, gods, dragons... The rule tokens forged by the sovereigns of the myriad races in ancient times. They represented their wills! Wind and clouds surged! Across the sea, the waves grew even higher. Su Yu faintly sensed people behind him, but he couldn't be bothered with them. He didn't know them anyway; it looked like people from the Nine Realms building land. Bored out of their minds! In a moment, when the Martial Emperor broke his seal, no matter how sturdy that continent was, it would be obliterated. Right at that moment, a figure flew swiftly toward them. It was Marquis Zhennan! …… Marquis Zhennan couldn't help looking toward the sky as well. His expression was solemn! Su Yu had Tongtian inform him to come to the Sea of Stars and look for him outside Star Residence Mansion. Had he returned to the myriad realms? He returned... Could he be planning to return to the Human Realm today? Ruminating on this, Marquis Zhennan flew swiftly into the distance. In the blink of an eye, traversing the void, he spotted the Heavenly Gate, Su Yu beneath it, and the tokens hovering before him! Councilor tokens! "Human Master Su!" Marquis Zhennan's heart stirred, and he offered a salute. Su Yu turned his head and said with a smile, "Zhennan, your arrival is hardly a good omen!" Marquis Zhennan grew grave. What did that mean? "Zhennan—truly difficult!" Su Yu laughed. "Speak, what do you want with me?" "Human Master, I have come on behalf of His Majesty Hundred Battles..." "Hundred Battles?" Su Yu chuckled. "Don't tell me it's about Yueluo and the others?" "It has nothing to do with them!" Marquis Zhennan replied quickly. "It is regarding..." "Hold on, say it in a bit. If you keep talking, the Martial Emperor is going to blow his top!" Right then, a shadowy figure coalesced in the void—the Martial Emperor. He glared at Marquis Zhennan with hostility. Piss off! You're wasting our time! Can't you see we're handling serious business? Marquis Zhennan's heart skipped a beat. "Human Master, this is..." "Unsealing the Upper and Lower Realms." Marquis Zhennan shuddered. "Human Master intends to unseal the Upper and Lower Realms? This..." "Is there a problem?" Marquis Zhennan said gravely, "If so, travel between the Upper and Lower Realms will be completely unimpeded! For humanity, the Human Realm will lose all suppression power, which may not be a good thing. I urge Human Master to think twice!" Su Yu smiled. "No matter, it's all the same! Besides, it will force Hundred Battles out into the open. There's no need to hide all day, is there? Can hiding save the human race?" Su Yu shook his head. "Isn't it exhausting to hide? The myriad races are guarding against him, and I have to guard against him too! Isn't it annoying? Tell Hundred Battles this: I don't need him to do much—just keep a tight watch on the myriad races and the Chaos Dragon's lot for me. He is more than capable of that! I don't even need him to fight; just keep them pinned down! I'll take my people and eliminate the sinner race!" That was Su Yu's plan. I'm not asking you to fight, dammit. Since you want to hide, go ahead and hide; just block the myriad races if they make a move. With the people I lead, killing two Rulers of Rules has a very good chance of success. Hundred Battles was simply unwilling to cooperate; otherwise, with Su Yu handling the sinner race and Hundred Battles dealing with the myriad races, the perils of the myriad realms would be settled in no time! Leaving the myriad realms behind and dumping them on Hundred Battles would actually be fine by Su Yu. I'll take my people upstream to join the war! As for when we fight our way back, we can talk about that later. Unfortunately, Hundred Battles stayed cloaked in secrecy day in and day out, annoying Su Yu to the point where he stopped bringing up cooperation. Dumping it on Hundred Battles actually had an advantage: at least Hundred Battles wouldn't harm the human race after Su Yu left. That way, Su Yu could rest easy. While Su Yu was thinking, Marquis Zhennan suddenly asked, "I hear Human Master won a great victory in the Upper Realm this time?" "Yueluo and the others told you?" The Martial Emperor grew irritated. "Su Yu, why are you chattering with this little bug? How annoying!" Ignoring him, Marquis Zhennan said quickly, "Human Master, His Majesty Hundred Battles' intention is for Human Master to... put the Prison King lineage aside for now. We can join forces to strike the myriad races first; once their forces are annihilated, we can turn our attention to the Prison King lineage!" Su Yu considered this and smiled. "That's not out of the question. Is he willing to contribute? If he is, that works!" Hundred Battles was willing to contribute to fighting the myriad races? That was great news! Su Yu laughed. "Let's do this: I don't need much. If his people can just pin down five Celestial Venerables, I'll go wipe out the myriad races myself. Hundred Battles won't even need to lift a finger—how's that for generous?" Striking the myriad races first was fine by him! Had Marquis Zhennan really come here to discuss cooperation? Su Yu was surprised and rather pleased. "Hundred Battles has finally seen reason. The myriad races and the sinner race are merely minor ailments; the real battle lies ahead. Wasting too much time in the myriad realms is no good. Once we secure the myriad realms, we'll go rescue the Human Sovereign and the others!" Su Yu smiled. "We can't wait until the Human Sovereign and the others get beaten back here. If they're driven back, it means they've lost! If we're going to join the battle, we have to turn the tables for them—otherwise, what's the thrill in joining the war?" Marquis Zhennan let out a bitter laugh, followed immediately by dejection. Su Yu... actually wanted cooperation and didn't mind it at all. He was willing to bear the brunt of the burden; as long as Hundred Battles intercepted the myriad races or dispatched five Celestial Venerables, Su Yu would commit even greater strength to wipe out the myriad races first, then destroy the Prison King lineage. He was even prepared to leave the myriad realms to Hundred Battles while leading his own people upstream against the River of Time to rescue His Majesty the Human Sovereign and the rest. If Hundred Battles could agree... in Marquis Zhennan's eyes, these terms were overwhelmingly generous beyond measure. Su Yu... didn't seem to have planned on an all-out war with Hundred Battles. "Then... Human Master will not take back the Human Realm?" Su Yu chuckled. "Idiot! If I'm going on a long journey, having someone watch the house isn't bad, is it? Besides, when I return, the Human Sovereign will be back too—who ends up in charge of the Human Realm is anyone's guess! I can't be bothered squabbling over the Human Realm! Right now, what interests me far more are the powerhouses behind the gates..." Su Yu grinned brilliantly. "If I don't get to meet those legendary figures, wouldn't my time in this world have been completely wasted?" With that, he looked at Zhennan. "Alright, that's settled. Go tell Hundred Battles that I have no interest in fighting him for the position of Human Realm Master. Of course, he won't be staying long either; I'll bring the Human Sovereign and the others back soon... The Human Sovereign can take over then!" That was a fine alternative! Su Yu added, "If the Human Sovereign and his peers do a poor job, we can always overthrow the Human Sovereign!" Su Yu laughed heartily. "These days, fists make right. Once we're stronger than the Human Sovereign, he'll just be working for us, won't he?" Marquis Zhennan smiled, but gradually fell silent. "Human Master, His Majesty Hundred Battles' intention is that the myriad races can be eliminated, but the Prison King lineage cannot be destroyed right now. His Majesty Hundred Battles wishes to open the Hell Gate to welcome the return of the Human Ancestor." "Hmm?" Su Yu froze. "The Human Ancestor... is inside the Hell Gate?" "He is." Su Yu nodded slightly. "That works too. In that case, we bring the Human Sovereign and the others back first, and immediately strike the Hell Gate! Of course, it's best to wipe out the myriad races' Rulers of Rules first; otherwise, accidents could happen! Chaos is hostile to us—you can tell just from the Polong Beast's attitude! We can ally with the Human Sovereign and the others, suppress the myriad races first, then welcome the Human Ancestor and wipe out chaos... We can fight our way through step by step, and finally rescue King Wen and the rest by attacking the Heavenly Gate... I feel the Heavenly Gate is the most dangerous!" That was Su Yu's intuition. The Heavenly Gate was likely even more dangerous than the Hell Gate! Inside the Heavenly Gate, figures like King Wen seemed to be constantly hunted and fleeing for their lives, whereas inside the Hell Gate, the Prison King was weaker than King Wen yet seemed to be doing quite well, even cultivating her own faction. So if they were to fight, they should hit the Hell Gate first, eliminate chaos, then destroy the Prison King. If the Human Ancestor was in there, they could welcome him back, unite all sides, and attack the Heavenly Gate together. That was the scenario Su Yu would be most satisfied with, though things might not necessarily go so smoothly. Seeing how coherently and logically Su Yu laid everything out, Marquis Zhennan knew Su Yu had a clear plan. After a moment of silence, Zhennan said again, "His Majesty Hundred Battles' intention is to welcome the Human Ancestor first, and only then head upstream to rescue the Human Sovereign." Su Yu was dumbfounded. "Is he an idiot? Welcoming the Human Ancestor first... First, whether the Human Ancestor is even in there is uncertain. Second, if the Human Ancestor comes out, won't the beings in the chaos come out too? Third, is the Human Ancestor even that formidable? Fourth, if you fail to bring out the Human Ancestor and instead summon the Prison King, will Hundred Battles take responsibility for fighting her? Fifth, the Human Ancestor belongs to the primordial era, whereas we inherit from the ancient era—if the Human Ancestor comes out, will he even save the Human Sovereign and his peers? After all, whether King Wen lives or dies has nothing to do with him! Sixth, the Human Ancestor seems to have founded his own branch, the Giant race. Will he prioritize the Giants or the humans? Is the human race supposed to become little lackeys to the Giants?" Su Yu fired off a barrage of questions and laughed in disbelief. "What in the world is Hundred Battles thinking?! Of course we save the Human Sovereign first! As for the Hell Gate, we should wipe out the sinner race and find a way to seal the gate! At the very least, delay it until the Human Sovereign returns... My idea is to eliminate the sinner race first, then have Hundred Battles help me guard the Hell Gate, killing whoever comes out, one by one... under no circumstances letting them emerge... Do you think Hundred Battles will agree to that?" Marquis Zhennan remained silent. Su Yu's smile gradually faded. "What's the meaning of this? Hundred Battles... sent you here... could it be to tell me to open the Hell Gate first?" Marquis Zhennan's eyes were conflicted. "Yes! That is indeed His Majesty Hundred Battles' intention!" He hesitated for a second, then suddenly added, "Not only that, but His Majesty Hundred Battles also said not to attack the Prison King lineage. Yuqing carries a homing beacon—the Chaos Will. Killing Yuqing might cause the beacon to fail, making it impossible to open the Hell Gate!" He said quickly, "Therefore, not only can Yuqing not be killed, she must remain alive. We need only apply a certain amount of pressure to force her to continually summon reinforcements, thereby widening the fissure of the Hell Gate!" Su Yu's gaze sharpened. "Bullshit! If it truly widens and dozens of Rulers of Rules emerge from behind it, is Hundred Battles going to fight them?!" "His Majesty Hundred Battles said... the human race will fight them!" Su Yu couldn't help cursing, "Fuck that! The Human Ancestor? Even if the Human Ancestor is inside, after all these years, he hasn't defeated the chaos! If he had, would Yu and her lot still be running rampant inside? Would the ancient Chaos beasts have been able to escape out the door? Isn't that pure nonsense?" Marquis Zhennan fell silent, then said, "His Majesty Hundred Battles said the Human Ancestor is our only hope." "Fuck that!" Su Yu cursed again. "Hundred Battles really said that?" "Yes." "Meaning all his hopes are pinned on the Human Ancestor?" "Yes!" "He's... out of his mind!" Su Yu raged. "How could he?! Relying on someone he's never even met, expecting him to save all living beings—has water flooded his brain?! Even if he's an ancestor, who knows how many generations separate them? Does he know how strong the Human Ancestor is? Does he know what state the Human Ancestor is currently in? Does he know if the Human Ancestor even considers modern humans his kin? We know nothing about the Human Ancestor! At least we know something about the Human Sovereign—the Human Sovereign and his peers are blocking the upstream, warring against the myriad races. That at least proves one thing: the Human Sovereign and his allies protect humanity!" This was glaringly obvious! The Human Sovereign and his group were willing to fight for the human race and protect all living beings. They had fought for countless ages, and that alone made them worthy of trust. As for the Human Ancestor... who knew anything about him? Su Yu laughed out of sheer fury. "Zhennan, you're kidding me, right?" Marquis Zhennan kept his head lowered. "No. That is indeed His Majesty Hundred Battles' intention. Furthermore, he demands that Human Master refrain from attacking the Prison King lineage. He will take action to apply sufficient pressure on them... Human Master need only focus on dealing with the myriad races!" "Are you certain?" "I am certain!" Marquis Zhennan kept his head bowed, avoiding Su Yu's gaze. "Moreover, if Human Master insists on attacking the Prison King lineage, His Majesty Hundred Battles may intervene to stop you!" Su Yu stared at him, his voice heavy. "Something is off with you. Have you betrayed us? Are you deliberately provoking a clash between Hundred Battles and me?" Why did it feel like Marquis Zhennan's words were intentionally instigating conflict? Was this truly Hundred Battles' intention? Marquis Zhennan kept his head low. "I have never betrayed the human race—never! Under His Majesty Hundred Battles, including Thunderstorm, there are currently eight Celestial Venerables! However, among them, Celestial Venerables Xueying and Hongyue both have their hearts with the human race! Changqing and Wuji obey only His Majesty Hundred Battles' orders! As for Long Eyebrows... he is dead set against Human Master. Additionally, Jianghai, Wushan, and several others harbor no small amount of hostility toward Human Master!" Su Yu looked at him in surprise. Marquis Zhennan kept his head lowered, refusing to meet Su Yu's eyes, and continued, "I do not know... which choice is truly better! But Human Master and the Human Sovereign stand on one side, while His Majesty Hundred Battles and the Human Ancestor stand on the other... When it comes to the heart to protect humanity... perhaps... I ought to show some bias..." "Under His Majesty Hundred Battles, there is also a group whose hearts lie with the human race, for whom humanity is their faith... But back then, forced by circumstance, they had no choice but to avoid war. If they hadn't avoided war... If His Majesty Hundred Battles and the others hadn't avoided war, everyone else would have died!" "Marquis Nanxi and several ancient marquises actually still hold humanity in their hearts. It is just that... previously, they felt His Majesty Hundred Battles could bring greater hope to the human race!" Marquis Zhennan kept his head bowed. "I have not betrayed anyone, but back then, I chose to follow His Majesty Hundred Battles... That being the case, I will fight for His Majesty. If the day comes... when I become Human Master's enemy, Human Master need not show mercy! His Majesty Hundred Battles' resolve is set; he will not alter his plans on account of minor changes!" "Long Eyebrows' words may very well just be the mouthpiece of His Majesty Hundred Battles!" Having said this, Marquis Zhennan produced a massive sphere, left it where he stood, and stepped backward. After retreating a distance, he bowed deeply, his tone laden with emotion. "I do not know which outcome is better! But what Human Master has said aligns with my own thoughts! I do not know who the Human Ancestor is, nor how powerful he might be. But I know that whether it is the Human Sovereign or Emperor Yu, both are still warring for the human race... without pause!" "I only hope... that humanity may fare better!" With those words, Marquis Zhennan sped away into the void, his departing figure looking bleak and lonely. He didn't know whether he was right or wrong, nor whether he counted as having betrayed Hundred Battles. But he knew he was simply following his own conscience, hoping that humanity could prosper. He had never betrayed anyone! From the very beginning, that was the truth. Humanity was his faith! Everything he had conveyed was indeed what Hundred Battles commanded him to deliver. He had merely laid bare the unvarnished truth that Hundred Battles would never change his mind, warning Su Yu to make preparations early. If you insist on your course... a clash between both sides is inevitable! At this moment, Su Yu's face darkened completely! No room for compromise! Otherwise, Marquis Zhennan wouldn't have adopted such an attitude, wouldn't have been so resolute. What he had left behind was death qi. Clearly, Marquis Zhennan was worried—worried that Hundred Battles and his faction would use death qi to launch a direct assault on Su Yu's base! At this moment, Su Yu's expression was grim to the extreme. After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "Lan Tian, investigate the Hundred Battles faction's stance. See if it is truly as Marquis Zhennan said!" One could not dismiss Marquis Zhennan's words out of hand, but neither could one place absolute faith in them. Su Yu was no reckless brute. If Marquis Zhennan was trying to mislead them, fighting Hundred Battles would only benefit their adversaries and enemies. However... if it was true... Murderous intent erupted in Su Yu's eyes. "If he truly chooses this path and ruins my plans, then I... will not show any mercy!" Chilling intent boiled over! What utter nonsense! Unsealing the Hell Gate first? What in the world was Hundred Battles thinking? Su Yu's face was livid. He didn't ask for Hundred Battles' help, but Hundred Battles wasn't allowed to drag him down! Otherwise, no matter how powerful Hundred Battles might be, Su Yu would slaughter him all the same! Beside him, no matter how impatient the Martial Emperor was, he didn't dare utter a sound. To be frank, when this fellow Su Yu flew into a rage, even the Martial Emperor felt a twinge of dread. Su Yu had been in high spirits moments ago, only for his mood to turn stormy in an instant. The Martial Emperor was burning with impatience, but he dared not rush him, terrified that Su Yu might vent all that fury onto his head.