"You people have been plotting for many years..."
Su Yu sighed with emotion. "I never expected you to start scheming so early on. Is your so-called summoning of the Human Ancestor real or fake? Why do you insist on opening the Hell Gate?"
Could matters truly be that simple?
Su Yu continued, "Did you know from the very beginning, or did you only learn everything once Zhou Ji appeared, which led to your betrayal?
"Hundred Battles... you could clearly have become the strongest Human Lord of a generation, the true successor to the Human Sovereign. Why must you stubbornly remain obsessed with this path?"
Su Yu murmured, "In your eyes, could the Human Sovereign really be inferior to the Human Ancestor?"
He gave a soft chuckle. "Why do I feel that the Human Sovereign is far more formidable than the Human Ancestor ever was?"
In Su Yu's eyes, the Human Sovereign might seem somewhat unreliable... Well, in truth, he was exceedingly reliable. Though Su Yu had not inherited the Sovereign's Dao of Responsibility, in his estimation, the Human Sovereign was undeniably a man of tremendous courage and remarkable capability.
A master of war left behind no flashy feats!
In ancient times, the Human Sovereign's fame had not equaled King Wen's, yet King Wen submitted to him, King Wu submitted to him... all the ancient powerhouses submitted to him.
When catastrophe descended, the Human Sovereign stepped forward without hesitation and quelled the crisis.
Perhaps in his own mind, he thought he would return swiftly.
He likely believed the human race would rise again soon after his departure.
Yet what followed was... an absolute disaster!
Su Yu felt that the Human Sovereign's life was truly tragic. At the peak of his glory, he was dragged down by King Wen, dragged down by King Wu, and at the final juncture, sabotaged by the Prison King, by Hundred Battles, by King Dazhou and the rest—all of them pitfall after pitfall!
Yet despite so many terrible teammates, the Sovereign still hadn't died. One had to admit, the Human Sovereign was phenomenal!
Anyone else would have perished ten times over!
To survive until this day was nothing short of miraculous.
"The Human Sovereign?"
Hundred Battles did not seem to be in any rush either. He chuckled softly. "The Human Sovereign is indeed powerful, possessed of immense resolve. He even opened his own heaven and earth. Who would dare claim such a being is not mighty?"
Su Yu's heart gave a slight jolt!
Hundred Battles knew!
He knew the Human Sovereign had opened a world!
Hundred Battles smiled again. "More than just the Human Sovereign—King Wen is formidable too. All of them are immensely powerful! However... if I told you the Human Ancestor is even stronger, you might find it unrealistic. Yet that is the absolute truth!"
With a faint smile, he continued slowly, "Do you know what the Human Ancestor's most glorious battle record was?"
Su Yu arched an eyebrow. "Enlighten me."
"Confronting the Lord of Dead Spirits!"
Hundred Battles stated calmly, "The Lord of Dead Spirits did not vanish of his own accord. It was the presence of the Human Ancestor that forced him into vanishing... Put this way, do you understand now?
"In this world, the Time Master might be considered first, and you might think the Lord of Dead Spirits ranks second... But in reality, the Human Ancestor was in no way inferior to the Lord of Dead Spirits, and was perhaps even stronger!"
Hundred Battles sighed with emotion. "All of you always think you are in the right! You are wrong! What kind of world did the Human Sovereign open? A chaotic mess! A feeble, pathetic world! And as for you, Su Yu..."
Hundred Battles smiled faintly. "Do you want to say your trump card is your own heaven and earth?"
Su Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Why... do all of you always enjoy underestimating the world?"
Hundred Battles murmured, "You are like this, and the Human Sovereign was actually the same. He, too, believed he could resolve every trouble! But in reality... Su Yu, do you truly believe you can surpass the Human Sovereign? Surpass the Lord of Dead Spirits? Surpass the Time Master? Even the Lord of Dead Spirits could not match the Human Ancestor, and even the Human Ancestor could not solve these problems... He could only rely on time to grind everything down. So what makes you, Su Yu, think you can achieve it?"
At this moment, great waves surged in Su Yu's mind.
Had Hundred Battles... fallen into despair?
Perhaps he, too, had once dreamed of rising and striving, but now... he looked utterly hopeless.
Was the Human Sovereign powerful?
Su Yu had assumed Hundred Battles did not know the Sovereign had opened a world, yet Hundred Battles was well aware.
Not only that, Hundred Battles also possessed secrets Su Yu had never heard of—for instance, the possibility that the Human Ancestor had once defeated the Lord of Dead Spirits!
That was earth-shattering news!
In Su Yu's eyes, the Human Ancestor's Great Dao was strong, his Body Dao terrifyingly mighty, yet no matter how powerful, Su Yu had assumed he was still inferior to the Human Sovereign. But according to Hundred Battles, the Human Ancestor was definitely stronger than the Sovereign.
After all, the Lord of Dead Spirits was undoubtedly stronger than the Human Sovereign!
Did that mean the Human Ancestor... might have opened a world as well?
Could that be it?
Just like King Wen—everyone assumed he wielded the Brush Dao, but he had abandoned it long ago and opened his own heaven and earth; Su Yu simply didn't know where he had opened it.
Thoughts flashed rapidly through Su Yu's mind.
Furthermore, Hundred Battles also knew Su Yu had opened a world. Thinking of this, Su Yu said softly, "Did Lei Bao tell you?"
"Lei Bao?"
Hundred Battles laughed despite himself. "Would I need him to? There was no need! Su Yu, do not assume you are the sole genius, the only wise man under the heavens! The moment I saw you emerge from the dead spirit realm, I understood everything!
"You wouldn't think the Heavenly Gate is the only thing under heaven capable of observing all things, would you?"
Hundred Battles smiled. "I have not opened the Heavenly Gate. I have opened the Human Gate!"
The Human Gate!
Su Yu was startled. What did that mean?
Upon Hundred Battles's forehead, a small portal materialized. It looked slightly different from Su Yu's Heavenly Gate. Hundred Battles said softly, "To open the Heavenly Gate, one must unlock seven hundred and twenty acupoints! It is far too complex! The Human Gate is vastly simpler. The human race's understanding and development of the physical body is far too shallow. When you push the physical body to its absolute limits, you will discover that certain things are not nearly as difficult as they seem... such as the Human Gate!"
Su Yu furrowed his brows. "The Human Gate... the Heavenly Gate... the Hell Gate... the Three Gates of Heaven, Earth, and Man?"
He frowned and said, "That doesn't make sense. If that's the case, does the Earthly Gate come first, and the Heavenly Gate second?"
Certain names were not merely designations; they carried specific significance. For instance, if a Human Gate truly existed as Hundred Battles claimed, why would the Heavenly Gate follow the Earthly Gate?
The Earthly Gate sealed away chaos, while the Heavenly Gate sealed away the Heaven-Opening Era?
How strange!
Hundred Battles smiled. "It doesn't necessarily follow chronological order... Wouldn't ranking them by strength make more sense? It is quite simple: the beings within the Heavenly Gate are stronger... so it is naturally named the Heavenly Gate! Take, for instance... the Time Master!"
Su Yu's heart stirred!
"Is the Time Master truly inside the Heavenly Gate? And what about the Lord of Dead Spirits?"
"Perhaps he is inside as well!"
Hundred Battles remarked softly, "Who can say for sure? He might be, or he might not. What great bearing does it have on you anyway?"
Hundred Battles sighed with emotion. "Su Yu, knowing too much is not necessarily a blessing. When you know too much, don't you feel... despair?"
Su Yu thought about it, then shook his head. "Not at all. The more I know, the more excited I get!"
Su Yu said with genuine enthusiasm, "For example, learning that you actually know this much makes me want to beat you to death and devour your memories to see just how much you really know. Tell me, do you think I'm a bit perverted?"
Su Yu grew increasingly thrilled. "I love this feeling of stripping away someone's deepest secrets and seeing through everything! I relish the thrill of having everything under my control, of being all-knowing!"
Su Yu chuckled with wicked delight. "You don't understand—that feeling is intoxicating! For instance, suppose you don't know who your father is, but I do. I expose his identity right to your face, leaving you dumbfounded, thinking, *So he's my father... Su Yu is amazing, he actually knows who my father is!*
"That exact feeling!"
Su Yu's smile turned slightly unhinged. "So... whatever despair you speak of, I'd love to taste it! If I've ever felt despair in this life, it was probably only that one time. Ever since then, I told myself never to despair again, never to depend on anyone else. Better to rely on oneself than on others; everything must be seized with one's own hands!"
Su Yu pointed into the distance toward the Human Realm and smiled. "Just a few years ago! Right over there! My teacher was besieged, my elders, my friends... they were all surrounded and hunted down over there! I screamed, begging someone to save them... I begged everyone. I brought out my most precious treasures, my secrets, things people thought I had no right to possess... all laid bare!
"On that day, I felt true despair!
"No one was willing to help me!"
Su Yu's smile grew brilliantly radiant. "Hundred Battles, have you ever experienced that kind of despair? Watching your relatives and friends being surrounded and slaughtered before your very eyes! Begging people, only for no one to pay you any heed, no one willing to lift a finger... Back then, I was still young. I had barely stepped onto the martial path. I was only eighteen years old... Although I'm still not old now, I've lived through far too much!"
His smile turned even brighter. "From that day forth, I knew that I could rely solely on myself! I sought out my own backers, forged my own umbrellas of protection. Everything, every single step, was something I chased down myself. Never again did I expect these things to be served to me on a silver platter, because... I didn't need that anymore!
"When I was weak, I called everyone grandfather, ancestor, master, mistress... Hundred Battles, I doubt you've ever experienced anything like that. If you had, you would understand... What do all those ancient secrets amount to?"
Su Yu burst into loud laughter. "Ancient secrets? Primordial legends? Human Ancestor, Human Sovereign... can any of them match the reliability of oneself? If I have the capability, I can seize everything. If you don't give it to me, I'll beat you to death! It's as simple as that!
"A sheltered house pet like you probably doesn't understand!"
Su Yu shook his head. "What a pity! But then again, I heard that since childhood, because of your extraordinary talent, you were pampered like a treasure by ancient relics! You never endured any of this. You never tasted that brand of despair! Therefore, the despair you speak of... to me, is utterly laughable!"
Su Yu chuckled and shook his head, brimming with mockery. "Indeed, how could people from previous tides understand? How could people like you, sheltered from youth, ever understand? Do you know what it felt like for a weakling at the Kaiyuan Realm to kill someone to earn merit points just for a single drop of Qianjun Ironwing Bird essence blood?
"At eighteen, in the Kaiyuan Realm... you probably don't even know what Kaiyuan is! A being like you was probably born with nine opened apertures, perhaps stepping into the Qianjun Realm in a single day... You likely have no concept of Kaiyuan... A guy like me, who had only ever held a pen, beat an All-Races Cult fanatic to death with his bare hands for the very first time in an academy... That feeling is entirely different!"
Su Yu's smile grew ever more radiant. "To me, do you think the secrets you spoke of count as despair? How ridiculous!"
Hundred Battles's smile slowly faded as he looked at Su Yu.
This was perhaps the first time he had come to understand Su Yu so deeply.
At eighteen, from a student who only knew how to read, killing someone for the very first time just for a pittance of merit points to trade for a drop of essence blood—essence blood so weak it was beneath notice.
His teachers and elders besieged, while he screamed and shouted at the top of his lungs, begging desperately... yet not a single soul helped him.
Despair?
That truly was despair!
Hundred Battles did not understand it, because just as Su Yu said, he had never lived through such a scene. Blessed with outstanding talent, he had been sheltered by countless ancient figures since childhood!
As Su Yu recounted all this, Hundred Battles fell silent.
Su Yu smiled again. "You've been stalling for so long—are you waiting for news? Waiting to confirm whether the Martial Emperor was truly lured away, led astray by Zhou Ji?"
Hundred Battles raised an eyebrow slightly.
Su Yu laughed. "Rest assured, that idiot Martial Emperor honestly doesn't have much between his ears! In all likelihood, he really was led away!"
Hundred Battles arched his brow once more. "Su Yu, you are remarkably confident! Is it because you opened a world while at the Sun Moon Realm?
"Opening a world... is indeed extraordinary, truly magnificent! But you have had it open for far too short a time!"
Hundred Battles sighed softly. "Originally, I thought you would have the Martial Emperor deal with me, or perhaps lure me into the depths of chaos into your world. Yet I found... you did neither!"
He seemed genuinely surprised. "Aren't you a bit too confident?"
With a slight smile, he asked, "Confident enough to believe you can genuinely handle me on your own?"
"Can't I?"
Su Yu smiled as well. "Hundred Battles, do you know what the biggest difference between you and me is?"
"I would gladly hear it!"
"I am someone... who is rather shameless... If I can't handle you... I'll run!"
Hundred Battles paused in surprise. In that instant, Su Yu had already vanished from the spot.
Hundred Battles's expression froze!
It was Su Yu who had taken the initiative to force his hand, Su Yu who had actively sealed off the lower realm. Yet after chatting for a bit, Su Yu actually ran!
What was this supposed to mean?
Hundred Battles's face darkened slightly. Soon, the portal on his forehead materialized, and he threw a punch. It seemed like a casual strike, yet the fist traveled tens of thousands of li, blowing the void apart in the distance!
Su Yu's figure abruptly emerged.
Looking back at Hundred Battles with a solemn expression, Su Yu frowned and said, "Are you going to cling to me like this? We were just having a chat, and you actually want to fight for real?"
Just having a chat?
Did you genuinely take this for a joke?
Hundred Battles's face looked rather unsightly. "Su Yu, you are, after all, a Human Lord of your generation!"
Su Yu put on a cheeky grin. "Is that so? If you commit suicide right now, I'd even call you father! Hundred Battles, the education you received taught you that as an emperor, you must possess imperial bearing... but unfortunately, I never studied the art of rulership. My sincere apologies!"
What is imperial bearing?
I haven't the faintest idea!
People like Hundred Battles were traditional emperors; they had been indoctrinated with certain ideals from youth, and certain habits simply could not be changed.
The difference between a commoner rebel and high nobility!
Face and dignity... Su Yu treated them like dog dung. When needed, he would use them for decoration; when not needed, what worth did they possess?
With that, Su Yu's figure vanished once more!
Hundred Battles watched coldly. *Do you think you can escape?*
*Now that you've come, don't even think of running!*
"Pursue!"
Hundred Battles gave a low shout. Changmei, Changqing, and the others cast aside any lingering obsequiousness, their expressions turning intensely solemn as they vanished in an instant.
Su Yu would not escape!
Hundred Battles kept Su Yu firmly locked in his senses. *Run? You won't get away!*
His Human Gate remained fixed on Su Yu. In trying to flee, was Su Yu hoping to reach the chaos and enter his own world?
Was that even possible?
Hundred Battles stepped through the air, tearing through the void at astonishing speed!
In a flash, he appeared in a certain direction, yet Su Yu had not even arrived there yet.
However, Su Yu swiftly pivoted and continued fleeing in another direction.
Hundred Battles frowned deeply. "Since you sealed the lower realm, wasn't it to fight a life-and-death battle with me? Su Yu, if you keep running, I will ascend to the upper realm and slaughter your people!"
It wasn't as if he couldn't reach the upper realm!
If Su Yu kept running, he would go kill his people!
Su Yu bared his teeth in a grin. "Go right ahead!"
Hundred Battles froze!
Su Yu chuckled slyly. "Go kill them! My father, my teacher, and my friends have all been hidden away by me. As for the rest... ahem, they're just subordinates. If you kill my subordinates, I don't care in the slightest! If you manage to find my dad and kill him, I'll surrender on the spot! Otherwise, go ahead and slaughter them all. Once you've killed every last one, it'll be perfect—I'll spend every day hiding in the shadows, assassinating your entire family... Heh, trying to threaten me with this? What a joke!"
Su Yu looked utterly smug. "If all else fails and you wipe them out, I'll just head up the River of Time to find the Human Sovereign and his people. I'll have zero attachments left anyway, so running away would be completely natural! Grandson, if you don't go kill them, you're no Hundred Battles! You idiot, trying to threaten me with that? You think I'd be scared?"
"..."
Hundred Battles's expression turned chillingly cold. "So all your talk of fighting for the human race and righteous duty was fake?"
"Not at all!"
Su Yu laughed as he fled. "That's called looking out for the world within reasonable limits when one is prosperous! When I can't beat you and can't outmatch you, I preserve my own integrity in times of adversity! I was an exceptional student, and my comprehension of that ancient adage is extraordinarily thorough! If I can kill you, I'll aid the entire world; if I can't... then I'll look after myself! Is that so hard to understand? When you study, you have to apply the knowledge flexibly, not memorize dead texts! Little Hundred Battles, you're still far too green; those ancient relics ruined you!"
Hundred Battles chuckled coldly. "A fine 'too green.' Su Yu, it seems you truly are a difficult adversary!"
Threats were utterly useless!
Hundred Battles had wondered whether Su Yu would truly stand by if he went to the upper realm to kill his people.
Perhaps he would, perhaps he wouldn't.
Yet that had merely been talk!
Why would he leave now just to kill those subordinates?
Now that Su Yu was cornered in the lower realm...
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Su Yu abruptly tore open a dead spirit passageway and said with a chuckle, "Little Hundred Battles, farewell! I'm off to the dead spirit realm! By the way, I recorded everything about your betrayal of the human race. It looks like you'll soon be the public enemy of mankind!"
Hundred Battles's expression shifted slightly. "You want to leave?"
He threw a sudden punch. Not only that, a portal suddenly manifested between heaven and earth—the portal from Hundred Battles's forehead. The moment the Human Gate appeared, Hundred Battles barked, "Seal!"
*Boom!*
The Human Gate anchored itself in heaven and earth. In an instant, an incomparably immense power permeated in all directions, abruptly severing the dead spirit passageway Su Yu had just opened!
Su Yu froze. Hundred Battles said coldly, "Su Yu, do you truly believe you are the cleverest person under heaven? Did you think I didn't know you could open a passage to the dead spirit realm?"
Su Yu sucked in a sharp breath. "It's over, I'm going to die! Hundred Battles, I surrender! Do your earlier words still count? I admit defeat; let's live in peace. You do your thing, I'll do mine. What do you say?"
"Too late!"
Hundred Battles tore through the void toward him. His Human Gate was indeed formidable. Su Yu attempted to open a passage to the dead spirit realm once more, but found it genuinely impossible. Sucking in another breath, Su Yu said, "Come on, Brother Hundred Battles, let's talk this out nicely... The myriad realms are so vast. If you really attack me, I still have plenty of room to run. This really isn't worth it!"
Su Yu's sheer shamelessness redefined Hundred Battles's understanding of rock bottom!
Perhaps Su Yu was right—compared to him, Hundred Battles was indeed far less brazen!
One moment he was calling him a beast, and the next he was calling him Brother Hundred Battles!
In terms of shamelessness, Hundred Battles truly could not compare.
"Su Yu, feel free to see just how long you can run!"
At that exact moment, a colossal net materialized in the sky. Changqing, Changmei, and the other Dao Harmonizers had woven a great net across the heavens without anyone noticing—a Net of Rules!
This great net descended toward Su Yu in an instant!
Changmei and his group unleashed their auras to the absolute peak!
With Hundred Battles pursuing from the front and this coordinated group closing in from the sky, they had not scattered. Instead, they pressed in together to trap Su Yu, clearly aware of his cunning and taking precautions against being picked off one by one!
"Even you lot dare bully me?"
Su Yu's brow furrowed as he let out a cold bark. In the next instant, he slashed his saber upward!
Changmei and the others wore grim expressions.
Just as they prepared to meet it head-on, Hundred Battles suddenly roared, "Left three!"
The group's expressions shifted, and they hastily shifted the great net three units to the left. In that exact fraction of an instant, Su Yu's saber qi dissipated into nothingness, and his true body materialized directly beneath the net's coverage!
Trapped beneath the net, Su Yu instantly retreated, cursing, "That's crossing the line! You're actually directing them! Can't we fight fairly? Can't we just duel one-on-one? Hundred Battles, you have zero imperial dignity!"
Hundred Battles glared at him coldly and closed in rapidly. To still be lecturing him about imperial dignity at this stage—didn't he find himself utterly shameless?
"Sever!"
With a low bark, Hundred Battles threw another punch. The void abruptly split open out of thin air!
It was as if he were slicing apart space itself!
In the blink of an eye, Su Yu felt severed from the surrounding heaven and earth. He inhaled sharply once more. "What on earth? Aren't you on the Body Dao? When did you start dabbling in the Space Dao?"
"When the physical body is sufficiently powerful, all things naturally follow!"
Hundred Battles walked toward him step by step. "I told you, you do not understand the physical body!"
In that instant, spots of light began to gleam across Hundred Battles's body. Every single point of light radiated dazzling brilliance, immensely potent—they were acupoints.
Su Yu was suddenly shaken. "You... aren't human? No... you actually have seven hundred and twenty physical acupoints!"
That was impossible!
Whether human or myriad races, the limit was three hundred and sixty Yuan acupoints. Yet Hundred Battles was different—he actually possessed seven hundred and twenty!
At Su Yu's level of attainment, it was impossible for him not to notice hidden physical acupoints!
Su Yu had examined the positions of Hundred Battles's acupoints; he had no acupoints in those spots, not even hidden ones!
Hundred Battles said indifferently, "Thus, the Human Ancestor's might is beyond your imagination! What you call the human race is merely the human race in your own eyes. Who ever said the true human race does not possess seven hundred and twenty physical acupoints?"
Su Yu grinned through gritted teeth. "Holy crap. So that means we aren't even the same race? Even though we look identical, you're actually wearing human skin—a fake human!"
"You are mistaken; you are the pseudo-human!"
Hundred Battles's physical acupoints shone brightly, each acupoint resembling an entire world. The brilliance of his acupoints overflowed across heaven and earth, and from within them, silhouettes stepped out one after another—all of them Hundred Battles.
Hundred Battles said coldly, "Everyone says the myriad races possess innate racial skills while the human race does not. You are wrong about that too! Just because people like you do not have them does not mean we don't! Su Yu, the innate skills of the human race are powerful beyond anything you can fathom! Do not assume that opening a world makes you truly omnipotent!"
In an instant, an avatar of Hundred Battles appeared—manifesting out of nowhere!
Traversing the void!
Farther away, Hundred Battles's true body shifted instantaneously, swapping places. The phantom Hundred Battles vanished, and the real Hundred Battles emerged, smashing a fist toward Su Yu!
Su Yu retreated once more, but another phantom Hundred Battles appeared—and this one actually wielded an imprisonment skill!
Hundred Battles said indifferently, "One acupoint, one martial skill; one acupoint, one innate gift! Su Yu, you truly do not understand the human race!"
This time, Su Yu grew significantly more solemn!
"One acupoint, one combat skill... I heard of this years ago, and I even achieved it myself back then—one acupoint, one martial technique... But yours is completely different!"
"Naturally. Because... do you even qualify as a human?"
Hundred Battles shattered the void with a punch. Su Yu's body dispersed into a phantom, fading from the spot, yet at that very moment, the Human Gate suppressing heaven and earth unleashed a blinding ray of light!
*Boom!*
The void blasted apart!
Upon the portal, Su Yu's image instantly surfaced, revealing him transformed into a gentle breeze lurking in the surroundings. Following the projection upon the portal, Hundred Battles struck out with another punch!
With a thunderous crash, Su Yu was knocked out of his breeze state!
Hundred Battles remained cold and impassive. "You always assumed the Body Dao belonged to brute fighters, to reckless brawlers who only know fists and kicks! You weren't entirely wrong—I truly only rely on fists and kicks, as that is what I excel at most! But that does not mean I cannot use other techniques; I simply cannot be bothered to!"
Seven hundred and twenty acupoints, seven hundred and twenty combat skills, seven hundred and twenty innate gifts, reinforced by the tracking of the Human Gate!
Hundred Battles was not merely a practitioner of the Body Dao; he was an immensely versatile prodigy!
A trace of blood seeped from the corner of Su Yu's mouth. Looking rather grave, he remarked, "Good grief, you're almost catching up to me! I only know several thousand innate skills myself, and you've already mastered seven hundred and twenty! Looks like you're really standing tall now, Hundred Battles!"
Su Yu suddenly grinned. "Let's play around and see who plays it better!"
In an instant, he transformed into raging flames. Sky-scorching fire surged forth, boiling the Sea of Stars dry until the seabed was exposed!
Hundred Battles sneered and threw a punch. This strike summoned wind and rain; torrential downpours descended, instantly extinguishing the flames. Striking out again, surging torrents battered heaven and earth, slicing through the void!
Su Yu retreated rapidly. The moment he vacated his spot, the void shattered; those streams of water felt even more lethal than sharp blades.
Su Yu grimaced. "Impressive... Brother Hundred Battles, I surrender, what do you say?"
"Shameless scoundrel!"
Hundred Battles snorted coldly with visible displeasure. Su Yu was not weak, but he refused to clash head-on, constantly relying on all manner of tricks to evade him!
"Seal him!"
Hundred Battles barked a low command. Above, Changmei and the others swiftly dropped the great net, sweeping it toward Su Yu!
This great net was exceptionally powerful!
It had been constructed by two Celestial Venerables, multiple Heavenly Kings, and over a dozen Dao Harmonizers.
Hundred Battles said grimly, "This was originally prepared for the Martial Emperor. Since you insisted on sticking your neck out... consider it a gift for you!"
"Listen to how you talk..."
Su Yu suddenly gave a sinister laugh. In the next instant, before the eyes of Changmei and the others, Su Yu abruptly transformed into Hundred Battles! In a flash, he and Hundred Battles tangled together, separating an instant later!
Then... Changmei and his cohort were stunned!
Which one was Hundred Battles?
Hundred Battles barked coldly, "A petty trick! Human Gate, lock onto him!"
With that, the Human Gate trembled and shot a beam of golden light toward Su Yu!
*Disguising yourself as me? Laughable!*
Changmei and the others were startled, hurriedly casting the great net toward Su Yu. But that Su Yu instantly roared in fury, "Bastard!"
With that roar, he reached out and tore a phantom Human Gate in the void to pieces, shouting in anger, "*He* is Su Yu!"
Meanwhile, the "Hundred Battles" across from him who had just manipulated the Human Gate—well, he was actually Su Yu—also roared furiously, "Bastard, you dare use visual illusions?"
Hundred Battles was enraged!
His seven hundred and twenty acupoints immediately blazed with brilliant light. Opposite him, Su Yu's body also displayed seven hundred and twenty acupoints in an instant. If he didn't have real ones, couldn't he just fake them?
What a joke!
Was there anything Hundred Battles knew that Su Yu couldn't replicate?
Now, Changmei and the others were completely bewildered.
They couldn't see through it!
Truly!
Both combatants were simply too powerful; the onlookers had no way to distinguish who was who. Without the Heavenly Gate, Human Gate, or Earthly Gate, how could they tell real from fake?
Whom should they envelop?
If they made a mistake and trapped the real one, the fake one might seize the opening to land a devastating blow!
They absolutely could not afford to get this wrong!
Su Yu was far too cunning. Moreover, during the instant of transformation, he had actively engaged the Human Gate... Changmei and the others genuinely had no idea who was real and who was an imitation!
……
Hundred Battles was furious!
He had not anticipated that Su Yu would be shameless to such an extent, actually disguising himself as him!
The crucial point was... Su Yu's disguise was remarkably convincing!
Because Su Yu possessed countless methods, terrifying strength, numerous combat skills, and command over many Great Daos, his disguise was virtually flawless.
Naturally, Hundred Battles still had ways. In the next moment, he barked, "Changmei, sipping a hundred wines above the clouds..."
In the sky, Changmei shuddered and swiftly shouted, "This one is real!"
The group hurriedly steered the great net toward Su Yu!
Su Yu was startled. *A secret code? I don't know that!*
In the next instant, he shouted, "Changqing, late-night talks on the bed, sharing our deepest thoughts..."
Changqing froze. What on earth was that?
Yet the others were stunned as well. Could this one be the real one?
They looked toward Changqing, whose face shifted dramatically. Looking back, the Su Yu from a moment ago had vanished, once again tangling together with the Hundred Battles from earlier!
The group nearly coughed up blood in frustration!
It was over!
They were mixed together again!
How could they tell them apart now?
Holding the great net woven of the Great Daos of rules, the group had no idea whom to cast it over. The real Hundred Battles roared in fury, "Drop it down! Envelop us both!"
Sooner or later, they would determine who was real!
Yet Su Yu roared in anger, "Do not! He wants to borrow my strength to shatter the seal! If the two of us join forces and break it, all of you will suffer severe injuries!"
That made sense!
Now, Changmei and the others hesitated once more!
Hundred Battles was about to explode with rage!
He had never imagined Su Yu's methods could be this shameless!
With a twitch of his brow, the Human Gate surfaced once more. Opposite him, Su Yu's Heavenly Gate emerged, looking identical to the Human Gate at this moment!
Su Yu struck preemptively, barking, "Reveal your form!"
Upon his Heavenly Gate, Hundred Battles's likeness appeared, but it quickly shifted into Su Yu—into his own appearance. Su Yu roared, "Reveal your true self at once!"
Idiots!
He wagered that Hundred Battles would never explain the full functions of the Human Gate to his subordinates. As for what abilities it possessed, wasn't that entirely up to him to fabricate?
Who would tell their subordinates every single secret they possessed?
Wouldn't that be moronic?
Especially a man like Hundred Battles!
Sure enough, Changmei and the others shuddered. *This one is real; the one opposite is fake!*
The real Hundred Battles nearly spat blood!
Yes, Su Yu had guessed correctly—Changmei and the others had no idea what specific abilities the Human Gate possessed.
In the next instant, Hundred Battles roared furiously, "I walk the Body Dao! His physical body is not as strong as mine! Su Yu, come clash with physical bodies! If you are Hundred Battles, don't you want to prove yourself?"
It wasn't that the two of them couldn't defeat Changqing and his cohort—that was impossible.
However, the two of them were locked in constant combat; the addition of that great net could easily put one party at a severe disadvantage!
What's more, to Hundred Battles, Changqing and the others were his own people. If his own people attacked him... it would be too much of a betrayal to bear; he would vomit blood!
Su Yu cursed inwardly. *That's actually true—my physical body really isn't as tough as this guy's!*
Certain innate skills of Hundred Battles, or the Human Gate, could be mimicked or forged, but physical toughness was something that could not be faked. If they truly traded blows, Hundred Battles's physique was immensely powerful, and Su Yu would certainly fall short.
Of course, though outmatched in substance, he wouldn't yield in spirit. Su Yu barked coldly, "Su Yu, you are courting death with this bluff!"
With that, he charged straight at Hundred Battles, an illusion manifesting as he moved.
To the onlookers, it appeared as though the real Hundred Battles was instantly torn open by the strike... yet the real Hundred Battles flew into a rage, his blood qi erupting to shatter the illusion in an instant!
Su Yu was utterly shameless!
He actually relied on conjuring illusions to deceive Changqing and the rest!
By this point, Hundred Battles could bear it no longer and roared, "Step back, all of you! Do not interfere! I will slaughter him with my own hands!"
The presence of these people was actively hindering him!
It was better for them to just leave!
Su Yu, however, shouted, "Do not fall for his trick!"
Above, Changqing and the others were going mad!
What were they supposed to do?
Should they retreat or not?
Hundred Battles was furious beyond measure as he bellowed, "Changqing, six thousand years ago I told you that once I returned, I would surpass the ancients... Retreat!"
Changqing's face changed drastically, and he shouted, "Fall back!"
In an instant, the entire group scattered and retreated!
Seeing this, Su Yu had no choice but to revert to his original appearance, sighing. "I couldn't fake that one. Truly shameless—'surpass the ancients'? You've thoroughly disgusted me. My apologies, but I really couldn't bring myself to utter something so nauseating!"
"..."
Hundred Battles was seething with rage. "Su Yu, is this all you dare to do?"
Su Yu was speechless. "You brought a bunch of people to jump me, and you have the nerve to ask if this is all I dare to do? You double-standard dog, you'll die a miserable death!"
"..."
Hundred Battles threw a punch, flames scorching the heavens!
*I'll slaughter you first!*
Meanwhile, Su Yu... resumed his running routine, fleeing swiftly while letting out a string of miserable wails: "Stop hitting me, I surrender!"
The further Hundred Battles pursued, the more solemn he became. "What on earth are you trying to do? Why have you been stalling for time?"
Su Yu was stalling!
Yes, he was certain of it now—Su Yu was deliberately buying time. This fellow was exceptionally strong; from their exchanges and his effortless retreats, he didn't look in the slightest like someone about to be beaten to death!
Su Yu was far stronger than anticipated!
Suddenly, Su Yu halted his steps. Wearing a solemn expression, he turned around. "You actually figured it out!"
Hundred Battles was startled, but Su Yu immediately broke into a cheeky grin. "Fuck your ancestors, you're so damn stupid! You only realized it just now? Holy shit, I thought you saw through it right from the start! Oh man, you're killing me with laughter!"
"Su Yu!"
A furious roar shook heaven and earth!
Hundred Battles realized that this fellow Su Yu truly possessed the infuriating talent to anger someone to death!
"Hahaha!"
"Cackle cackle cackle, what an idiot Hundred Battles is!"
"Hahaha, I'm dying here! Only now does he ask, 'Su Yu, why have you been stalling for time?'... How hilarious!"
Su Yu laughed maniacally, his laughter causing the surrounding world to tremble.
Hundred Battles's expression had turned frighteningly dark.
Why had Su Yu been stalling all this time?
Chapter 832