In the lower realm, Su Yu fought Hundred Battles.
He rarely clashed head-on, continually stalling for time.
Why stall?
Because... Su Yu needed a bit of time. He needed time to perfect his plan. Some things developed faster than plans could anticipate, requiring constant adjustments.
And at this very moment.
In the upper realm.
A heavy gloom weighed on everyone's heart. A massive battle seemed to have erupted in the lower realm, though none of them knew for certain.
Yet right then, an unexpected shift occurred in the upper realm.
Suddenly, clouds surged and winds billowed over the Dao Origin Land.
The next moment, in the Dao Origin Land, the Great Daos shuddered, the power of rules surged, and the Human Sovereign's Dao rippled. In the blink of an eye, a colossal projection that blotted out the sky manifested before everyone's eyes.
It was... Su Yu and Hundred Battles!
……
Su Yu: "The Hell Gate... To summon the Human Ancestor, you people have truly gone mad! You wouldn't even hesitate to sacrifice the Human Sovereign and the others! You beasts!
"So this time, when I took people to slaughter those bastards of the Sin race, I must have touched a nerve, haven't I?"
Hundred Battles: "Hardly. Dead is dead. If they didn't die, how could we summon Yuqing and Polong out? How could we widen the crack in the Hell Gate? If it wasn't them dying, it would have been someone else... I simply didn't expect you to move to unify the myriad realms so quickly!"
"So... you, Hundred Battles, are the greatest traitor of all!"
Hundred Battles: "You are far too clever!"
"Perhaps from the very beginning, starting in the first tide, your people were already operating in the shadows! Reaching you was merely reaching a peak. Perhaps since the first tide, your people have been entrapping and slaughtering those loyal to the Human Sovereign!
"I think... perhaps I've guessed right!
"So... the wars of these past hundred thousand years were all caused by you!
"Countless humans died in battle! Countless ancient powerhouses perished! All caused by you! The ancestral decree of the Sin race is to prevent King Wen and the others from returning—and perhaps one more clause should be added: to prevent the Human Sovereign and the others from returning as well! Even the Time Master might have been sabotaged by you lot!"
Hundred Battles: "Su Yu, you really are far too clever!"
Yes, just a few short lines.
And these few lines... seemed to have been spliced together. The footage looked slightly blurred, as if it had been edited and re-edited multiple times—distinctly carrying the feel of a stitched clip.
Hundred Battles' repeated remarks about him being "far too clever" had not actually been replies spoken at those moments. But... one had to know how to edit!
This massive scene continued to loom above the Dao Origin Land, looping and playing again and again.
At this moment, the entire upper realm fell into dead silence.
……
"Impossible!"
Wuji and his people stood dazed. It was impossible.
This couldn't be real!
His Majesty could never do such a thing! He was fighting Su Yu in the lower realm, and their dialogue appeared to have been projected to the upper realm—perhaps through Su Yu's methods, or perhaps through some other means.
In those few short lines, Hundred Battles admitted that he was a traitor, admitted that over these hundred thousand years, the warfare had actually been steered by his faction, who secretly assassinated the Human Sovereign's hidden guards.
Not only that, Hundred Battles even seemed to be in league with the Sin race!
Not only were they colluding, Hundred Battles' words implied that those who died were just expendable—killing them had merely been to summon Polong and Yuqing out.
And what about themselves? Were they also discarded pawns?
At this moment, Wuji's expression twisted completely!
Yueluo, Yuexiao, and their companions turned pale as well. Before they could say a word, Wuji snapped cold, "Don't move! Do you want to die?"
Shortly after the projection appeared, Hongyue and several others encircled Yueluo and the rest. Around them, a crowd of Dao Harmonizers and Heavenly Kings were terrified, restless, incredulous, and paralyzed with shock.
Wuji looked toward the Dao Origin Land, his expression growing grimmer by the second. He muttered hoarsely, "It's fake... It's all fake!"
He said as much, but was it truly fake?
The real could not be faked, and the fake could not be made real!
As for how Su Yu had projected this up here, Wuji did not know. It might be related to the River of Time, or to the Human Sovereign's Dao.
Su Yu had sealed the lower realm himself, holding the initiative.
Wuji dared not believe this was real, nor was he willing to believe it.
Yet there were no "what ifs" or "supposings."
If it was true... all of them were finished!
Nearby, Xueying let out a heavy sigh and looked at Yueluo and the others. "So... you and His Majesty were on the same side all along. And we... perhaps from beginning to end, we were merely pawns! We thought you were the pawns, while you might have been laughing at us the entire time, right?"
With self-mockery in his voice, he murmured, "Your Majesty... why would you do this? We followed you for so long—is this the outcome we receive?"
Yueluo's face darkened, her brows knitting slightly.
Hundred Battles' words revealed a great deal. Naturally, almost all of it was true.
At this moment, Yueluo said in a deep voice, "Everyone... His Majesty has his own objectives. This projection is merely taken out of context... It does not state the core reason behind why His Majesty did what he did."
Her words clearly conceded that everything in the projection was real, though she felt the crucial context was omitted.
When Yueluo said that, Wuji began to laugh. "All of this... was truly said by His Majesty?"
As he laughed, tears threatened to spill.
He had still clung to a final sliver of hope that it was fake, yet Yueluo's words had just told him that every word was true!
Not only that!
As the projection rippled, over by the Hell Gate, the eyes of Yuqing and her cohort flickered, and several figures soon came hurtling rapidly in their direction.
Hundred Battles and Su Yu had truly gone to war!
Hundred Battles had made his move!
Witnessing this, Wuji finally understood: it truly was as the projection showed!
Hundred Battles and Yuqing's group were actually on the same side.
Though countless questions remained unanswered—such as why Hundred Battles had not allied with the Prison King's lineage six thousand years ago, or what Hundred Battles truly intended to do...
None of this did he understand.
Yet at this moment, he knew that they were indeed discarded pawns!
Wuji sighed. "So Hundred Battles sent us here just to find an opportunity to kill us, so that the Sin race could summon another Ruler of Rules or two?
"So many years of loyal following... Was it really worth so little?"
Hongyue's face was frosty. "Kill them and withdraw, quickly!"
Wuji was still wasting breath; they had to strike down Yueluo and the others right now and retreat at once!
Wuji sighed. "Withdraw? Withdraw to where?"
"To... Human Lord Su's side!"
Hongyue said in a low, heavy voice, "We... took the wrong path! We were wrong six thousand years ago. Must we continue repeating our mistake now?"
Hundred Battles had admitted it himself!
Did he think that because the lower realm was sealed while he killed Su Yu, he could speak without restraint?
Only for Su Yu to use some unknown method to project everything up here?
They did not know that it was Su Yu who had sealed the lower realm himself.
Hundred Battles had merely been forced out into the open by Su Yu.
Even if Hundred Battles hadn't spoken those words, Su Yu could have fabricated them.
What was more, Hundred Battles actually did say a portion of it, so all it took was a little creative editing. Su Yu was hardly a novice at this; back when the Single Divine Character faction tried to assassinate him at Mount Falling Star, the footage circulated throughout the Human Realm had also been heavily edited.
It was all the wickedness of the Single Divine Character faction, while Su Yu remained a paragon of radiant virtue from start to finish.
Certain skills became second nature with enough practice.
……
Meanwhile, over at the Human Mountain.
The powerhouses of the myriad races stared at the sky, looks of shock and bewilderment in their eyes. Infighting!
The humans were tearing each other apart!
Hundred Battles and Su Yu had truly come to blows.
What shocked them even more was that Hundred Battles and the Prison King's lineage were actually allies. Six thousand years ago, they surprisingly didn't wipe out the myriad races; in other words, surviving all these years had purely been a matter of luck!
On the side of the Emperor Yu Manor, hearts were somewhat uneasy.
Fortunately, the fact that such scenes could appear over the Dao Origin Land was clearly Su Yu's doing. That meant Su Yu had not been pushed to the point of utter helplessness, or else he wouldn't have the capability to transmit all this up here.
At this moment, King Zhou and the others paid no heed to the myriad races, turning their attention toward Wuji's group.
Wan Tiansheng said in a deep voice, "Wuji and his people are in danger! Do we reinforce them? His Majesty's intention is likely to bring them into the fold; otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately projected this upward!"
Otherwise, there would have been no need.
Since it had been projected up, it wasn't meant for their own faction to watch, but for Wuji and his people to see.
No one else needed to see this.
King Zhou glanced in that direction. On Wuji's side, Yueluo, Yuexiao, and Leibao were already three formidable combatants whom Wuji's group would struggle to bring down, not to mention the numerous powerhouses of the Sin race.
Two Rulers of Rules... Once they joined the fray, it would spell immense trouble!
Yet reinforcing them would be no simple task.
If the myriad races pinned them down, it would cause massive problems.
King Zhou knitted his brows slightly. Usually, Su Yu would instruct them in meticulous detail on how to respond and what to do. This time, however, Su Yu had said very little. Why was that?
Under such circumstances, how were they supposed to subdue the myriad races?
As for the hostages of the myriad races, all the captives were in Su Yu's possession!
Should they reveal now that their people had been captured?
Yet at a time like this, would it even work?
King Zhou's mind raced. What kind of outcome did His Majesty truly want?
He didn't know.
He genuinely had no idea!
King Zhou weighed the options quickly in his heart, then called out, "Dead Spirit King, Feiqiu, Tongtian, go reinforce them at once!"
Send the three supreme powerhouses to reinforce them first!
As for how the myriad races would choose... he didn't know, but they would most likely intervene, for this was the myriad races' sole opportunity.
King Zhou was plagued by a massive headache!
……
Meanwhile, atop the Human Mountain.
As those powerhouses moved, the eyes of Rimian and the others lit up. "Stop them! Quickly, this is our only chance!"
The opportunity had arrived!
This time, Su Yu was truly waging war on three fronts at once.
They had never expected to actually wait out a turn of events!
To wait out a turning point!
Their previous choice to compromise had been the right one; otherwise, they would have been annihilated long ago. As expected, Tiangu's decision had been correct after all.
Right then, Tiangu's heart stirred as well. Just as he was about to speak, his expression shifted slightly. "No, wait..."
"What?"
Rimian and the others couldn't believe their ears!
At a moment like this, you still want to wait?
Celestial Venerable Huang barked in fury, "Wait for them to go reinforce the others? Once they join hands and crush the Prison King's lineage, our death will be at hand!"
Tiangu frowned. "Wait a moment... Su Yu wouldn't fail to foresee this; otherwise, he wouldn't have projected it upward. We must not act rashly..."
Celestial Venerable Huang shouted angrily, "You've been scared out of your wits by Su Yu! Tiangu, this is our only chance! If we miss this window, we won't have another opportunity!"
Bastard!
Tiangu wanted to say more, but Celestial Venerable Huang roared, "Charge out! If you don't want to die at the hands of Su Yu and his lot, cooperating with the Prison King's lineage to annihilate these bastards right now is our only chance! The Prison King's lineage and Hundred Battles haven't moved against us for so many years... They must have their own plans. Only Su Yu is dead set on wiping us out!"
His deduction was not entirely mistaken.
At this point, some of the other Celestial Venerables were stirring with restless intent, while others looked toward the God Imperial Concubine and Tiangu.
Tiangu's brow furrowed deeply!
Would Su Yu really engineer such a desperate predicament and crisis for himself?
Yet... Su Yu was tied down, the Martial Emperor seemed to have been lured away, and all of Su Yu's forces and foundation were right here.
Then... where could the problem possibly lie?
He couldn't figure it out!
Nor could he make sense of it!
Looking at King Zhou's side, where some wore anxious and unsettled expressions, even they probably hadn't anticipated this outcome.
"Where is the catch?"
Yet now there was no time left to ponder. Heavenly Venerable Yue and the others were growing deeply restless. Tiangu suspected that if he tried to stop them now, the myriad races might tear themselves apart in internal conflict instead.
Once again, he had been placed on the pyre!
The Dao Harmonizers below, who had previously been scared out of their wits, now saw hope amidst despair and began shouting in unison: "Charge out!"
If they charged out now, there was still a chance!
Tiangu wanted to scream: Don't be in a rush! Wait a little longer!
Su Yu isn't that simple!
Yet... the public fervor was raging, impossible to oppose.
Before Tiangu could speak, Shenghou, who had always supported him, whispered softly beside him, "Let us charge out! Your Highness, if we wait any longer, unforeseen changes might occur. We finally waited out an opportunity!"
"But..."
Heavenly Venerable Dao cut him off directly: "Tiangu, hesitate no longer! If you still hesitate at this juncture, must you wait until Su Yu and his lot strangle us to death?"
Since things had come to this, Tiangu frowned—there was no other way!
If he blocked them any further, unity would disintegrate completely!
"So be it!"
Tiangu sighed inwardly. It truly could not be this simple!
Su Yu was not the type of person who would place himself in a dead end!
He even suspected that the whole sealing of the lower realm was Su Yu's own doing!
The likelihood of that was enormous!
Yet having reached this stage, there was no choice.
Tiangu closed his eyes for a split second, gritted his teeth, and bellowed, "Deploy our troops! Kill!"
Stop Su Yu's side from sending reinforcements!
Even if some went, not many could be spared.
Once the Prison King's lineage wiped out Wuji's group, they would likely turn to deal with Su Yu's forces.
Even as Tiangu gave the order, he swiftly transmitted his voice to several Celestial Venerables: "Focus on stalling. Do not truly go for lethal strikes... Otherwise, I fear..."
Before he could finish, Celestial Venerable Huang and his cohorts had already charged forth, leading their forces into battle!
They were utterly exasperated with Tiangu as well.
What time was it already, yet he was still so indecisive!
Now the opportunity was here—wasn't this precisely the chance they had been waiting for?
Helpless, Tiangu quickly sent a voice transmission to the God Imperial Concubine: "Imperial Concubine, matters are not that simple. Su Yu allowed you to mend your Dao, fully aware of the immense trouble it would cause, and now he deliberately projected that footage into the upper realm, actively inciting an all-out war among three factions... This is deeply suspicious!"
The God Imperial Concubine's heart was heavy as well. Yes, she harbored the exact same worries, but at this stage, she had no way to control everyone and force them to sit idly by.
"I know. Be careful. Just as you said, focus on stalling and watch how things unfold between the Sin race and Su Yu's faction..."
The God Imperial Concubine said no more. She swiftly flew forward and soon intercepted several people flying from the opposite side.
The God Imperial Concubine said in a deep voice, "It is enough for those three to pass through. As for the rest, I suggest resting here for a moment. I have no intention of engaging in a fight to the death with you all..."
She had kept her own reservations!
The Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign and his companions had gone, and she wouldn't stop them, nor could she. But right now, she had no desire to clash with Su Yu's forces either; it was better to simply stall here.
As for the outcome... leave it to heaven!
Meanwhile, over on the other side, Celestial Venerable Huang and several others swiftly clashed with some of the human powerhouses.
Below, the Dao Harmonizers surged forward as well, clashing with the human Dao Harmonizers.
King Zhou presided over the void, swiftly marshaling and deploying troops as he yelled, "His Majesty has been merciful to the myriad races, continually sparing you from extermination! Yet now you court your own doom! Even if the Sin race and the traitor Hundred Battles join hands, they cannot change a thing! Consider your actions carefully!"
"Hmph!"
A cold snort rang out, and in the next moment, Celestial Venerable Huang charged straight toward him!
On Su Yu's side, there were thirteen Celestial Venerables and one Ruler of Rules.
Now, with the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign, Feiqiu, and Tongtian gone, only eleven Celestial Venerable-level beings remained.
On the myriad races' side, there were also nine Celestial Venerables and one Ruler of Rules.
The God Imperial Concubine had intercepted the Southern King and Wan Tiansheng directly; though they didn't engage in combat, the other nine Celestial Venerables gained opportunities to suppress their opponents one-on-one. Rimian and Shenghou were exceptionally powerful. On Su Yu's side, the formidable Feiqiu had departed, and the Southern King was matched against a Ruler of Rules; the remaining individuals could hardly contend against Shenghou and Rimian.
The Chaos Dragon was capable of fighting, but right now, the fellow seemed intent on coasting along; together with the Eight-Winged Tiger, they merely held back two Celestial Venerables. They didn't dare flee, but they weren't going all out either.
All of a sudden, the myriad races had gained the upper hand!
Fortunately, among Su Yu's Heavenly King-tier powerhouses were top-tier combatants; Marquis Lanshan and Tianhuo were considerably strong, and by joining forces, they managed to tie down these Celestial Venerables.
At this moment, although the crowd was not entirely sure what Su Yu was planning, they had no choice but to exert every ounce of strength to hold back the myriad races!
……
Deep within the Chaos Mountain.
When Yuqing and the others sensed the myriad races' powerhouses surging forth to intercept Su Yu's forces, grins immediately spread across their faces.
Their speed instantly increased.
Yuqing roared, "Yueluo, tie them down! Do not let them escape far—slaughter them!"
Killing Wuji and these Celestial Venerables, along with several Heavenly Kings and Dao Harmonizers, would without doubt be enough to summon one or two Rulers of Rules out.
Yuqing moved at blistering speed, and the Polong beast laughed heartily.
Su Yu's faction was finished!
Su Yu had been foolish enough to brawl with Hundred Battles in the lower realm; otherwise, Hundred Battles might not have moved against him so quickly.
Two Rulers of Rules, plus Yue Zhan who was near the level of a Ruler of Rules, alongside Celestial Venerable Mo—even with the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign and the other two arriving, Su Yu's forces still fell short!
With Tongtian around, they arrived swiftly as well.
In the blink of an eye, the three appeared before them.
Yuqing looked coldly at them. "You think you can stop me?"
She instantly lunged toward the Dead Spirit Imperial Sovereign. Yue Zhan naturally matched up against Feiqiu, while Celestial Venerable Mo instantly tangled with Tongtian. Just as the Polong beast was about to strike, Yuqing yelled, "Polong, go help Yueluo and the others kill those people! We will hold down these few... Leave none alive this time!"
If they killed these few as well, summoning three Rulers of Rules would pose no problem at all!
Although Polong was eager to wipe out Su Yu's people first, there was another Ruler of Rules present here who wouldn't be easy to dispatch. Wuji and his people, on the other hand, would be far easier to slaughter. Without another word, he laughed uproariously, tore through the void, and surged toward Wuji's group!
……
Meanwhile, over on Wuji's side, patience had long run out, and the six Celestial Venerables swiftly engaged in battle.
Wuji fought Yueluo, Hongyue took on Yuexiao, and Xueying clashed with Leibao.
At this moment, Wuji was consumed by rage, gnashing his teeth: "I knew you ugly wench harbored vile intentions all along, but I never imagined you truly colluded with them... You bastard, I'll slaughter you!"
Yueluo was not weak, possessing strength comparable to his. However, she had previously been severely wounded by the Martial Emperor's punch; now, under his wild, sweeping attacks, she was battered into continuous retreat!
Around them, among the Heavenly Kings and Dao Harmonizers, some were filled with despair, some with grief, and some gritted their teeth as they charged toward the trio!
Yet... there were still those who sided with Yueluo and her cohort.
Someone shouted hurriedly, "It's all fake... It's all Su Yu's fabrication, not His Majesty's true intent... Stop them..."
Among the twenty-odd Dao Harmonizers, five or six charged out frantically to block the others from besieging Yueluo's group.
In an instant, total chaos erupted!
What had previously been a tense standoff across the upper realm transformed into an all-out chaotic melee in a flash.
Hongyue shouted sharply, "Kill them quickly and withdraw!"
Polong was coming!
They wouldn't be able to stop him!
That beast was overwhelmingly strong—terrifyingly so!
As for Su Yu's side, they had already mobilized three supreme powerhouses to reinforce them; sending any more was clearly impossible, for doing so would leave them disadvantaged against the myriad races.
Everything had been going so smoothly before! They had clearly held the overwhelming advantage to suppress and annihilate both factions!
Why... had everything suddenly changed?
In the crowd, Marquis Zhennan was equally overwhelmed with despair: "I thought that even if His Majesty was at odds with Human Lord Su, he would only turn hostile after eliminating the myriad races and the Sin race... Why has it come to this? Humanity has yet to claim victory... Must it be like this?"
He had known Hundred Battles might turn against Su Yu, but in his view, that should only have happened at the very end, once all other troubles had been resolved.
Not right now!
"Your Majesty..."
A shrill roar tore from his throat. The next moment, Marquis Zhennan's aura surged violently as he bellowed, "No! He is no longer the Human Lord, nor is he our human race's Hundred Battles King! He is a traitor! A creature who betrayed humanity! Slay the traitor!"
As deep as his former adoration had been, just as intense was his hatred now.
He had truly idolized Hundred Battles!
Because Hundred Battles was genuinely powerful and had possessed immense charisma back then. Even when standing opposed to Su Yu, Zhennan had stood with Hundred Battles, so long as Hundred Battles' objective remained strengthening humanity. Even though he didn't think Su Yu was wrong either... when he met Su Yu last time, he had even said that when battle commenced, Su Yu didn't need to show mercy.
Between the two, it had merely been a disagreement of philosophy!
Yet at this moment, it was no longer a philosophical dispute!
Hundred Battles was a thorough liar, a traitor! His objective had never been to strengthen humanity!
Hundred Battles' few words had utterly shattered his world. Hundred Battles had long forgotten the human race and had even been secretly sabotaging humanity all along. At this moment, Marquis Zhennan fell into total despair and abandoned all remaining illusions!
"Kill!"
Marquis Zhennan was also formidable, having ascended to Heavenly King long ago. He had previously been stronger than Marquis Huoyun; though he had not yet reached the Celestial Venerable realm, the gap was not wide. Thrusting his spear forward with a deafening boom, he slew one of the Dao Harmonizers blocking them on the spot!
Beside him, Marquis Nanxi sighed softly. "After circling all this way... it turns out we were in the wrong!"
A profound sorrow gripped him.
When Su Yu rescued them back then, they had thought that no matter how strong Su Yu was, he still couldn't compare to Hundred Battles. Who could have imagined that not long after, Hundred Battles would reveal his true colors as the real traitor!
Whereas Su Yu... was surprisingly humanity's sole remaining hope. How bitterly ironic!
Among those who had been rescued, only Great Axe and Xuelan had pledged themselves to Su Yu.
And Xuelan had only done so later on.
Had it only been a projection, they might not have believed it. But the existence of Yueluo and the others, their active obstruction right now, and the impending arrival of Polong left them with no choice but to believe!
"Hundred Battles!"
At this exact moment, Wuji roared in fury. A thunderous punch caused Yueluo to cough up blood, shattering her physical body. His aura spiked significantly as he gnashed his teeth: "I will go intercept Polong! You all join forces... and kill these people! Even if we die, we must butcher them! Hundred Battles... you beast!"
Indeed, the greater the hope had been, the deeper the despair now.
Back then, for the sake of Hundred Battles' plan, they had abandoned everything to follow him, suffering countless casualties along the way, even watching helplessly as old comrades-in-arms went to war and died across the heavens due to differing ideals.
They were guilty!
And yet, they had believed there was hope—that today's sacrifices were for a brighter tomorrow.
Now, however... that illusion had been shattered to pieces!
Wuji's aura flared dramatically as he soared into the sky, glaring at Polong with resolute determination, gritting his teeth: "Come fight!"
In the distance, Polong sneered with disdain.
Ridiculous fool!
Not even a Ruler of Rules, yet he dared to block him?
Could he even hope to stop him?
"Then go die, you ungrateful wretch!"
In an instant, Polong swooped down upon him, wings flashing across the sky. With a sickening crunch, Wuji's spear snapped in two, and a bone-deep bloody laceration opened across his chest. The gap between them was simply too vast!
Wuji let out a savage roar, his blood qi surging thirty percent stronger, and hurled his fist forward to strike at him!
Hold on for just a moment!
Once the people behind him killed Yueluo and the others, even if they couldn't defeat Polong, they would have a chance to flee. He bellowed, "Kill them and withdraw! Tongtian... take them and escape... In the past, we were wrong... I will definitely hold off Polong!"
Stop fighting among ourselves!
Find an opening and retreat!
If they gathered together, the myriad races and the Sin race might not dare wage a fight to the mutual bitter end!
……
In the upper realm, battle raged with world-shaking fury.
In the lower realm.
Su Yu continually fled and maneuvered, keeping a smile on his face throughout.
When he sensed something—sensing that the power of his Great Dao was steadily draining... not by his own expenditure, but because battle had erupted in the upper realm and those who had merged into his heaven and earth were consuming power—Su Yu knew the great battle had begun!
As expected, the myriad races had come out to interfere.
"Fine then!"
Su Yu smiled and looked toward Hundred Battles in the distance. At this point, Su Yu bore several wounds, while Hundred Battles' expression was icy cold. He had pursued Su Yu relentlessly, but Su Yu was extraordinarily slippery, willing to pay minor prices just to slip free of his pursuit.
Su Yu broke into a grin. "Hundred Battles, looks like fighting has started in the upper realm... Who do you think will win—your people or mine?"
Hundred Battles said coldly, "Sealing the lower realm and making an enemy of me is courting your own destruction!"
Did it even require guessing?
The Prison King's lineage possessed two Rulers of Rules; there was nothing to guess.
Once he made his move here, the myriad races would certainly step in to block Su Yu's forces. That being the case, victory was guaranteed!
Su Yu's faction was fighting three factions at once!
"True enough... But I'd like to go see for myself..."
Su Yu chuckled. "Fighting in the lower realm is boring. Why don't we go take a look in the upper realm? If your people really win, you can all join hands to kill me. If they lose... then my people will join hands to kill you!"
Hundred Battles' eyes shifted as he looked at Su Yu. Have you forgotten that Changqing, Changmei, and the others currently have no way of intervening in our fight?
Yet once they went to the upper realm, while they couldn't do much against Su Yu, the addition of two Celestial Venerables would easily allow them to deal with Su Yu's subordinates!
At this moment, Hundred Battles truly could not understand Su Yu.
Was Su Yu truly devoid of fear?
Hundred Battles' gaze flickered, and he said indifferently, "Su Yu, what are you anticipating? What are you waiting for? Could it be... you think the Martial Emperor can return anytime soon?"
He added coldly, "Since Ji'er lured him away, the Martial Emperor won't even dream of returning in the short term!"
"I know. The Martial Emperor is an idiot... for all I know, he got himself lost!"
Su Yu laughed. "I just feel that if the two of us fight here and I die, there won't even be anyone to weep for me... It's too pathetic. If we go up there and I die, at least there will be people crying for me... That feels a bit more comforting!"
Before Hundred Battles could reply, Su Yu shattered the space with a palm strike. The Dao rules he had previously used to seal the realm were retracted by his own hand, and in an instant, the upper and lower realms were connected once more.
Hundred Battles' Human Gate could actually have sealed it again.
Yet right now, Hundred Battles couldn't quite discern Su Yu's game. After thinking it through carefully, even if they went to the upper realm... his own side would not be weakened; on the contrary, Changqing and the others would finally have a stage to exert their strength!
What scheme was Su Yu plotting?
Harboring such doubts, he did not intervene. If Su Yu wanted to go, he would accompany him!
Adding two Celestial Venerables and several Heavenly Kings was a positive development anyway.
Moreover, once he ascended, his presence might carry sufficient deterrent power to overawe Wuji and the others so they wouldn't listen to Su Yu's nonsense!
With that thought in mind, Hundred Battles made no move to stop him.
Seeing this, Su Yu burst into hearty laughter and surged through the realm in an instant, reaching the endless void where the entrance at Soul Burial Mountain was located. He charged upward at top speed, while Hundred Battles led his men in hot pursuit.
In virtually the blink of an eye, both sides entered the upper realm one after the other!
……
The upper realm.
As the fierce battle raged, a towering aura suddenly erupted into the heavens, startling all factions. In the next moment, yet another aura surged upward, followed immediately by Hundred Battles' voice booming across the skies: "Changqing, Changmei... go assist Yueluo and the others!"
With that, Hundred Battles' voice shook heaven and earth: "Wuji! Hongyue! What are you doing? Are you going to throw in your lot with this rebel Su Yu?"
Ahead of him, Su Yu fled rapidly, coughing repeatedly and gasping for breath as he roared, "Kill! Today we fight until heaven and earth overturn, until the nets tear and the fish perish! As for Hundred Battles, I will risk my life to hold him back... He is not human... Hundred Battles... cough cough... Hundred Battles and us are not of the same race..."
At these words, everyone was shaken.
King Zhou and the others turned to look toward Su Yu's direction. At this moment, Su Yu was fleeing, while Hundred Battles pursued him relentlessly from behind.
Changqing and Changmei, meanwhile, led their subordinates in a rapid dash toward Wuji's group.
Two Celestial Venerables, several Heavenly Kings, and over a dozen Dao Harmonizers!
All at once, Su Yu's arrival had not reversed anything; instead, it made Hundred Battles' side even stronger!
If Wuji and his people were slain, allowing yet another Ruler of Rules to emerge, today's battle would become utterly unwinnable.
……
"Has Su Yu... truly lost?"
At this moment, Tiangu, situated at the rear, watched Su Yu flee and knitted his brows slightly, still vaguely sensing something amiss.
Yet having reached this juncture, defeat seemed certain for Su Yu's side!
How could he possibly turn the tables?
Right then, Su Yu roared, "Powerhouses of the myriad races, help me kill the enemy! I have captured all your clansmen in the lower realm! If you do not help me, then if I die, they die with me!"
At these words, Tiangu's heart jolted, and the expressions of Shenghou and the others changed dramatically. The next moment, Shenghou bellowed in fury, "Su Yu, you demon! Do you think you can succeed? Even if you captured them... after this battle, you are doomed to defeat! Our myriad races still have our legions in the upper realm, whereas your human race will surely be exterminated!"
Su Yu had actually captured their clansmen in the lower realm!
Had this devil truly cast all restraint aside?
Yet at this point, how could they possibly aid Su Yu?
Su Yu's faction was clearly at a disadvantage, and Su Yu acted with utter abandon. It was better to wipe them out here and now. As for their kin... they loathed to part with them, but their lineages still lived on in the upper realm. If the lower realm clansmen truly died... they could only pin their hopes on their people in the upper realm. Unless the upper realm fell as well, choices had to be made!
"You people are truly heartless!"
Su Yu bellowed as he fled, "Aren't you afraid the upper realm will be destroyed as well? Do you think Hundred Battles will spare you? Fools! Cooperate with me, and I will leave you some foundation!"
At this moment, no one paid him any heed!
They could not allow themselves to be coerced by Su Yu now!
……
As for the fleeing Su Yu, he watched and observed as he ran.
Among the myriad races, a few fought with brutal ferocity, charging at the front.
Over on Wuji's side, he was on the verge of death. His combat strength exploded as he burned his blood qi, which was formidable enough, but unfortunately, he had encountered Polong. Polong practically crushed him; had Wuji not fought with reckless abandon, he would have been slain already!
"How pitiful!"
Yet he felt no sympathy!
If you die, you had it coming!
That's what you get for being blind!
Behind him, Hundred Battles frowned continuously. This fellow Su Yu had feigned misery the moment he arrived—was there any need for that?
He wasn't that miserable at all! In the lower realm, though he had wounded Su Yu, for someone like Su Yu, those were merely superficial injuries!
Even now, he still didn't understand what Su Yu was plotting.
Meanwhile, seeing that conditions were roughly ripe, Su Yu's aura suddenly surged powerfully, and his voice turned biting cold: "That should be about enough, shouldn't it? King Zhou, hear my order! Slay half of the myriad races' Celestial Venerables! Slaughter the myriad races on Human Mountain until none are left alive!"
King Zhou and the others were taken aback. What kind of joke was this?
It was hard enough just maintaining balance right now. If we could slaughter them, we would have done so already!
Tiangu's brow, however, twitched violently, his unease instantly peaking to the extreme!
Su Yu's chilling voice rang out again: "Keep slaughtering until the myriad races' powerhouses agree to help me annihilate the Sin race! Otherwise... keep killing!"
As if he could actually do it!
Celestial Venerable Huang and the others almost laughed out loud. Had Su Yu been driven insane by the setback?
To think he could utter such words!
Why on earth would we help you?
Who do you think you are?
"Unite!"
A thunderous roar rang out. In the next moment, Su Yu unsealed all the Great Dao power within his heaven and earth! The Time Book instantly merged entirely into the heaven and earth; aside from a single recipe book cover, everything was completely assimilated!
In this very instant, on Su Yu's side, the Southern King's aura spiked dramatically!
Marquis Lanshan reached the Celestial Venerable tier in a flash, and Tianhuo ascended to Celestial Venerable in an instant as well!
Not only that: King Daqin, King Daxia... every powerhouse who had merged into Su Yu's heaven and earth experienced an explosive surge in strength!
Princess Consort Qi skyrocketed straight to peak Celestial Venerable, vaguely progressing toward Ruler of Rules... In fact, within Su Yu's heaven and earth, she was already a Ruler of Rules, though here outside, she couldn't take that further step!
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, several new Celestial Venerables appeared.
Marquis Lanshan and Tianhuo both became Celestial Venerables; Xuelan and Marquis Juzhu also manifested Celestial Venerable auras in an instant; the Southern King vaguely possessed the strength of a Ruler of Rules, having already become a true Ruler of Rules within Su Yu's heaven and earth!
And almost all the other Dao Harmonizers experienced massive advancements!
In just this one instant, the combat strength under Su Yu's command doubled!
And that wasn't all... At this precise moment, the projection of a heaven and earth instantly descended to envelop the Human Mountain!
The God Imperial Concubine's face changed drastically!
Yet it was too late to stop it. That colossal heaven and earth enveloped the entire Human Mountain in one sweep!
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted as the vicinity of Human Mountain was directly encompassed by the heaven and earth!
With this, the auras of everyone under Su Yu's banner surged violently once more!
In the rear, Hundred Battles was stunned and said in horror, "How is that possible? How can your heaven and earth encroach upon the upper realm...?"
When had Su Yu's heaven and earth been moved over here?
This was not merely a projection of a world—in truth, it meant Su Yu's heaven and earth was right nearby!
Logically speaking, his heaven and earth could only exist within the chaos.
Su Yu gave an innocent, sheepish smile. "Er... I forgot to mention: Human Mountain... is actually a colossal mountain from the chaos. Didn't... everyone know that? That shouldn't be right—I recall on the very first day, someone told me that Human Mountain was a mountain King Wen and the others hauled over from the chaos. This is also part of the chaos!"
Su Yu grinned guilelessly. "Over the past few days, I've been moving my world every single day. I was exhausted to death... Did you really not know? What a pity! Human Mountain is a wonderful place! To think the myriad races chose their territory right here at Human Mountain... I truly have to thank their ancestors back eight generations!"
Human Mountain was truly wonderful; he loved Human Mountain to bits.
This was a primordial chaos mountain!
Huh, nobody knew?
Su Yu wore a look of simple honesty: "How strange. How could you not know? Everyone knows Human Mountain is a chaos mountain. Could you all... be too stupid?"
Hundred Battles cursed furiously in his heart!
We knew!
Even so, he said in shock, "The upper realm is the realm where the Human Sovereign opened the heavens! Under the collision of worlds, you couldn't possibly encroach upon the upper realm without a reaction from the Dao Origin Land..."
He truly knew a great deal.
And Su Yu, always eager to help, nodded with a genial smile: "That's true... But the Human Sovereign is an easygoing good old fellow! The moment he saw how impressive my Human Lord Seal was, he could tell right away I was the Human Lord, so... he didn't interfere! Didn't you know the Human Sovereign is a foolishly good old chap? As long as it benefits humanity, he doesn't care about his Great Dao at all. He even wanted to give it to me, but I refused... I remember mentioning this before, didn't I?"
Did I not say it?
Well, Hundred Battles didn't seem to know, though King Zhou and the others did.
Worlds would clash!
Both were world-openers, and Su Yu was encroaching on the Human Sovereign's territory—how could they not clash?
But the Human Sovereign... was a good man!
I just love bullying honest, simple folks!
……
"Achoo!"
At this moment, in the upper reaches of the River of Time, a phantom suddenly sneezed. The surroundings shook violently. What was going on?
You are an absolute supreme powerhouse!
The phantom muttered, "Fucking hell, feels like someone's cursing me. And it's some dog of a bastard who took favors from me and still curses me... and more than once! Turning hostile the moment he gets what he wants!"
That grandson is encroaching on my sanctuary, and I couldn't be bothered to deal with him, so I let him encroach.
After all, he knew that grandson was the fellow who wouldn't even accept the Dao power he tried to give him last time.
Encroaching on the sanctuary... For my sister's sake, I didn't bother to fuss over it. I wasn't even planning to keep the Dao and offered it straight to you; you didn't want it, so encroaching on the sanctuary isn't that big a deal.
So why does it feel like this grandson isn't grateful at all, but instead seems to be calling me stupid?
Fuck your ancestors!
Is that something a human being does?
"The myriad realms... have undergone a massive upheaval!"
The phantom murmured, soon turning his gaze toward Xingyue over there, mumbling, "Is he really crippled?"
Crippled, my ass!
He's even encroaching on my sanctuary—does that look like someone who's crippled?
Why do I feel like my sister is lying to me?
What on earth is going on in the myriad realms? By now, even he was completely baffled and couldn't begin to guess!
And what does that grandson want with encroaching on my sanctuary anyway?
The chaos is so vast; you could place your heaven and earth anywhere you please. Why did you insist on snatching mine? Does the territory I carved out smell sweeter or something?
On this point, even the Human Sovereign could not comprehend.
What is this grandson actually doing?
Lately, disturbances had been non-stop. Although he was accustomed to getting screwed over, surely this grandson he hadn't even met wouldn't screw him over big time, would he?
Chapter 833