Slaying five ancient beasts made for quite a bountiful fishing trip.
However, with the Hell Gate sealed and the Chaos Will shattered, there was no way to keep fishing for now. More than anything, Su Yu feared trouble; if too many showed up and forced the Hell Gate open ahead of schedule, he would truly be in over his head.
As the five ancient beasts at the Ruler of Rules realm merged into Su Yu's world, it began expanding rapidly.
Meanwhile, Tea Tree began devouring the fragments of the Chaos Will.
She received half, while the Chaos Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger had to split the other half between them. Their strengths differed, however; the Chaos Dragon was already practically a fifth-tier Ruler of Rules, lacking only a catalyst.
It was just like a Heavenly Venerable breaking their seal.
Just as Su Yu finished absorbing his gains, the Chaos Dragon's aura shifted first.
Rumble!
Countless currents of chaotic power swirled toward the dragon!
Su Yu immediately turned to look at him.
The Chaos Dragon belonged to the ancient chaos clan. Ever since the Hell Gate appeared, members of the clan seemed unable to break through while outside the gate.
What catalyst did he need to make the leap now?
Su Yu focused his gaze and opened his Heavenly Gate.
He wanted to see how an ancient clan member achieved a breakthrough in the outside world.
And what was the true function of the Chaos Will?
Through his Heavenly Gate, unusual phenomena unfolded. As the Chaos Dragon prepared to advance, the power of the River of Time from the Lower Realm seemed to faintly reach out, though it was barely noticeable.
Far more prominent was the Hell Gate!
From the dormant portal, an ethereal, colorless chain materialized and flew toward the Chaos Dragon without a sound, instantly darting to bind the Chaos Great Dao he had outlined!
"A chain?" Su Yu murmured.
A chain emerged from the Hell Gate—was it meant to prevent anyone outside from breaking through?
The chain lunged straight toward the Chaos Great Dao!
At that very moment, phantoms abruptly surged from the Chaos Dragon's body, resembling several mighty ancient beasts. These were the wills of experts contained within the Chaos Will.
Now, these wills manifested all at once.
Seven or eight phantom beast experts materialized above the Chaos Dragon's head. As the chain struck, the wills erupted in unison, and the chain pierced through them one after another!
Meanwhile, the Chaos Dragon's own Chaos Great Dao swelled rapidly. In the blink of an eye, while the chain was entangled with the phantoms, his Great Dao surged forward a notch before sinking into the chaotic mist and vanishing from sight.
By the time the chain obliterated the phantoms, the Chaos Dragon had already completed his advancement. The chain seemed to hesitate for a moment, then faded away and retreated into the Hell Gate.
No one else saw this unfold, but Su Yu witnessed every detail.
"The Hell Gate..." Su Yu muttered, understanding dawning on him. So that's how it is!
Attempting a breakthrough outside the gate invited suppression from the Hell Gate. That ethereal, colorless chain was overwhelmingly powerful; under normal circumstances, breaking through truly was impossible.
The role of the Chaos Will lay in the wills of those powerful experts, who also belonged to the ancient chaos clan.
Naturally, they drew the chain's focus.
This provided the Chaos Dragon with an opening to seize a swift breakthrough.
And once the breakthrough was complete, the chain seemed to lose interest.
Su Yu pondered, If the Chaos Will were replaced with the will of another expert, would it still work?
Most likely not. The chain wouldn't necessarily care about other experts' wills.
What it existed to suppress was the ancient chaos clan.
"So it's the portal keeping them locked down!"
Or rather, the figure who had sealed away that era had left something behind to suppress the ancient chaos clan, determined to prevent them from birthing any more experts to interfere with the era that followed.
The measure was remarkably effective!
The Chaos Era had long vanished. Even with countless ancient beasts remaining, they had never disrupted the operation of the myriad realms, precisely because there were no top-tier experts among them. The Chaos Dragon was among the very strongest, yet even he was powerless to disturb the realms.
Does an era count as sealed when it can no longer interfere with the next?
A thought struck Su Yu.
Experts from the Heaven-Opening Era couldn't interfere with the present either, so the Heaven-Opening Era could also be considered sealed.
What about the Archaic Era... was it sealed?
Perhaps not!
The Martial Emperor and his contemporaries were experts of the Archaic Era, yet they continued to affect this era. Would there come a day when these figures could no longer interfere, and only then would the Archaic Era truly be sealed?
And what, then, had the Human Gate sealed away?
As thoughts raced through his mind, the Chaos Dragon let out a wild roar of exhilaration. Su Yu's voice cut through with chilling indifference: "Quiet down!"
Still intoxicated by his breakthrough, the Chaos Dragon instinctively felt like swatting back with his tail—before suddenly snapping to his senses. Wait, that's Su Yu!
Forget it!
The Chaos Dragon fell silent instantly. Five of his seniors had just lost their lives here; he had better behave himself.
Right then, the Eight-Winged Tiger looked poised to break through as well!
With the Chaos Dragon's advancement, Su Yu could sense that the beast's power had climbed considerably, vaulting from a weak fifth-tier to middle-high fourth-tier, perhaps even peak fourth-tier.
The greater one's initial foundation, the deeper one's strength. The dragon had already been hovering near the fifth tier, making him formidable to begin with; very few possessed such depth.
It wouldn't have shocked Su Yu even if the Chaos Dragon had leaped straight into the third tier.
Evidently, however, his foundation had not been quite enough, leaving him at a solid upper-fourth tier.
Under normal circumstances, breaking through to the Ruler of Rules realm naturally landed someone in the fourth tier.
Thus, the Chaos Dragon's enhancement wasn't excessively dramatic.
Now, watching the Eight-Winged Tiger prepare to break through, Su Yu's expression grew peculiar.
Scheming and calculating without end... when some people schemed too much, misfortune was bound to catch up with them.
The Eight-Winged Tiger was a textbook example.
He was also a top-tier Heavenly Venerable who, like the Chaos Dragon, could have stepped into the Ruler of Rules realm at a moment's notice. Yet he had held back, likely waiting to see the results of the Chaos Dragon's attempt first. His cunning was on full display.
However...
When the Chaos Dragon broke through, the chain had taken a moment to appear.
There had been a reaction delay!
Now, as the Eight-Winged Tiger began his attempt and his aura surged, the chain materialized instantly, completely hidden from ordinary sight!
Beside Su Yu, the Martial Emperor's eyes went wide. He muttered under his breath, "How miserable. Scholars are no good, and scholar tigers are just as bad! Serves him right!"
He was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle!
And he had deliberately spoken loud enough for Su Yu to hear!
Cowardly in action, but fearless with his tongue!
He wanted Su Yu to hear that endless scheming led to no good end!
While others couldn't see it—not even the Eight-Winged Tiger himself—Su Yu and the Martial Emperor both had their Heavenly Gates open. They watched as the chain darted straight toward the tiger.
Several giant beast phantoms appeared above the tiger's head, but... they were being obliterated much faster than before! At this rate, before the tiger could even complete his breakthrough, his Chaos Great Dao would be ensnared!
His breakthrough would fail. At best, he would end up like the Chaos Dragon before him, stuck forever at this threshold until the day the Hell Gate was unsealed.
The Chaos Dragon broke through first, and the chain required time to activate. But now it has already been awakened and only just retreated... The tiger was too impatient! If he had waited for the Hell Gate to settle down, there wouldn't have been a problem!
Su Yu immediately grasped the situation. It was as if a mechanism on the Hell Gate had been triggered; beforehand, it needed a startup time, but now it was primed to strike instantly!
The difference was merely a matter of seconds, yet those few seconds were enough to spell disaster for the Eight-Winged Tiger!
Pursuing petty calculations came at a price.
As for the Martial Emperor's muttered jab, Su Yu couldn't be bothered to respond.
The tiger's real disadvantage was that he couldn't see the underlying mechanism; had he known, he wouldn't have made such a foolish move.
At this moment, the Eight-Winged Tiger seemed to sense something amiss. He had swallowed the Chaos Will and was midway through his breakthrough when he felt the wills shattering one after another!
In the next instant, he sensed an invisible chain rushing to bind his Great Dao!
He didn't see it with his eyes, but felt it through his will.
He was... about to fail!
The Eight-Winged Tiger let out a panicked roar. Impossible!
Didn't the Chaos Dragon just succeed?
Why was he failing?
Roar!
The tiger roared madly, flapping his eight wings to flee into the distance, but it was futile. The chain shadowed him relentlessly; there was nowhere to hide.
Despair gripped him!
No, this was his only chance! If he failed to break through now, was he truly supposed to wait until the Hell Gate opened?
What a joke!
He and the Chaos Dragon had thoroughly offended the ancient beasts behind the gate. Once the portal opened, he would be as good as dead. Breakthrough aside, his only path was to advance now, reap benefits before the gate opened, and see if he could reach the third tier.
In any era, a third-tier expert was not to be trifled with.
Once he reached that level, those ancient beasts wouldn't dare trouble him.
Yet now, failure was staring him in the face.
A desperate thought struck him, and he wailed, "Your Majesty, save me!"
Su Yu's voice drifted over placidly: "You won't die. You'll just fail to break through, and your strength will still increase a bit. What is there to save?"
Besides, I don't owe you anything.
I already gave you the Chaos Will.
"Your Majesty... I submit! I will serve as Your Majesty's mount... Your Majesty lacks a mount..."
A suffocating sense of crisis overwhelmed the tiger. He knew that if he didn't break through right now, he was finished. He would be sealed away, unable to advance, forced to wait endlessly for another opportunity.
And opportunities didn't come around forever.
...
In the distance, Su Yu watched silently.
Suddenly, the world trembled. Chaotic power churned and formed a sharp blade that slashed toward the chain!
Chaos Will!
As the creator of a world, he could naturally convert the myriad daos into chaos; after all, the myriad daos originally arose from chaos.
Su Yu was merely testing a theory.
The result proved that the chain operated purely on mechanical rules without the intelligence to distinguish real from fake—or perhaps Su Yu's Chaos Will was genuinely authentic. In an instant, the chain whipped around and bound the chaotic blade instead.
Rather than entangling with it, Su Yu dispersed the blade back into the power of the myriad daos. The chain immediately lost its target and wheeled back toward the Eight-Winged Tiger.
"Fascinating!" Su Yu laughed.
The Martial Emperor watched for a moment, seeing nothing fascinating about it.
Su Yu remarked casually, "Isn't this interesting enough? Turning the myriad daos into chaos gets targeted, but turning chaos into the myriad daos does not!"
The Martial Emperor was at a loss. What of it?
Su Yu converted the myriad daos into chaos once more, drawing the chain's focus again. He murmured, "Still don't get it? Fool! If I capture this chain or analyze its structure, I might be able to counter the ancient chaos clan effortlessly! The moment an ancient beast steps out, one chain will bind it tight! This chain is specifically designed to suppress them!"
"What's more, it's completely invisible and silent to anyone who hasn't opened the Heavenly Gate... If my world were lined with chains like this, my own people would be unaffected, but the instant an ancient chaos clan member arrived, they would be bound on the spot... It would be the ultimate trap!"
"When the time comes to fish for ancient beasts, capturing them will be effortless!"
Is that so?
The Martial Emperor considered it, then shook his head. He couldn't be bothered to analyze anything. What was so special about ancient beasts? They could simply be beaten to death! Why bother locking them up?
Su Yu ignored him. The Martial Emperor was a musclehead; talking to him was a waste of breath.
The chain didn't feel overwhelmingly powerful to Su Yu, but its targeted suppression of the Chaos Dao was extraordinary. He genuinely wanted to capture one to study!
What was it made of?
Which Great Daos formed its structure?
Its counter to chaos was remarkably potent.
Perhaps by unraveling this chain, he could uncover a method to deal with the ancient beasts behind the Hell Gate.
Just as he was toying with the chain, the Eight-Winged Tiger let out a mighty roar in the distance. With a resounding boom, his Great Dao surged with power, slipping into the chaotic mist in the blink of an eye. Instantly, the chain dissolved into thin air!
Su Yu turned to glare at the tiger. Before the Eight-Winged Tiger could even celebrate, Su Yu's icy voice rang in his ears:
"You're dead meat!"
Damn fool!
Breaking through when he wasn't supposed to!
Su Yu had just been preparing to capture the chain, yet the idiot completed his advancement, causing the chain to vanish!
Su Yu cursed inwardly. Capturing that chain would have been immensely useful. Now, his only hope lay with Tea Tree. Yet she was still in the middle of devouring the Chaos Will, her aura only faintly touching the Heavenly King realm.
Reaching the Heavenly Venerable level would still take time.
Of course, if she could break through directly, she might not even need the Heavenly Venerable stage. The Heavenly Venerable realm existed only because people were sealed and unable to break through; without that seal, such a boundary didn't exist.
Just like the experts currently serving under Su Yu: some Heavenly Kings could advance directly to the Ruler of Rules realm because the Heavenly Venerable rank was irrelevant. In an unsealed era, it simply didn't exist.
In the ancient era, Heavenly Kings were known as Quasi-Kings—essentially the reserve force for Human Kings.
...
In the distance, the Eight-Winged Tiger's eyes flickered, and he cursed silently. I broke through; what was I supposed to do?
From Su Yu's tone, was I not supposed to break through?
He felt utterly aggrieved!
He had nearly failed today, which was misfortune enough, but now he was preoccupied with whether his earlier promise still held.
To save himself, he had offered to be Su Yu's mount!
Yet now he was a genuine Ruler of Rules. While not as strong as the Chaos Dragon, he possessed mid-fourth-tier combat power. A Heavenly Venerable's breakthrough naturally yielded greater strength than a Heavenly King's; in the ancient era, a Heavenly King typically entered at weak fourth tier upon breakthrough.
Let alone top-tier Heavenly Venerables like them!
He was no weakling!
Serving as someone's mount... The tiger had never even entertained the thought before.
Without a word, Su Yu stirred the world, instantly sweeping the Chaos Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger over to him.
Though both ancient beasts had achieved their breakthroughs and radiated formidable power, their courage withered the moment they faced Su Yu.
Five of their kind had just been slaughtered!
More importantly, they were currently inside Su Yu's world, making their position all the more perilous.
Outside of his world, they would have felt far safer.
Su Yu looked at the two beasts, remained silent for a moment, and said calmly, "Two paths. First, go behind the Hell Gate; I'll give you the chance to leave! Second, stay here and behave yourselves. If I head upstream, you come with me!"
Both beasts understood Su Yu's true objective.
They exchanged a glance.
Go behind the Hell Gate, or tag along behind Su Yu?
As for fleeing deep into the chaos... Su Yu would never agree to that!
Even the Martial Emperor hadn't been allowed to leave; Su Yu had been ready to execute him on the spot.
While the Eight-Winged Tiger was still deliberating, the Chaos Dragon blurted out, "I choose the second path!"
For no other reason than the fact that behind the Hell Gate lay greater danger. Furthermore, they had offended many ancient beasts; entering now was practically suicide.
Sticking with Su Yu for a while might even offer opportunities to grow stronger.
Su Yu gave a slight nod and said coolly, "Then behave yourselves and don't get any clever ideas!"
With that, without so much as glancing at the Eight-Winged Tiger, he waved a hand, banishing both beasts to the edge of his world.
The Eight-Winged Tiger hesitated, wanting to speak. I haven't even answered yet!
Yet... he soon grasped Su Yu's meaning.
You don't have the right to speak!
Because you are already my mount, even if I don't necessarily ride you!
The Eight-Winged Tiger felt utterly dejected. He was finished. Making reckless promises to Su Yu had truly come back to bite him.
...
On this day, Su Yu had reaped immense gains, while the Eight-Winged Tiger and the Chaos Dragon had advanced in succession.
Tea Tree lagged slightly behind, having started from a much weaker foundation.
Seeing that she was still steadily absorbing the Chaos Will, Su Yu left her be; there was still a strong chance she could step into the Ruler of Rules realm.
...
By now, Su Yu's world was home to quite a few powerful experts.
Within his world, the Martial Emperor's status remained unchanged, still at the peak of the third tier.
Fourth-tier Rulers of Rules, however, were plentiful.
King Dazhou, Giant Axe, Destiny, the Southern King, Hongmeng, Princess Consort Qi, Hong Yue, and Xue Ying were all among them. As for the Dead Spirit Emperor Zun, he had returned to the Dead Spirit Realm; he had not merged into Su Yu's world, as doing so right now would likely destroy him.
There were also several experts who had not broken through beforehand and required time after merging into Su Yu's world.
Figures like San Yue, Tianhuo, Marquis Lanshan, and the previously formidable Wuji had not broken through back then, so they remained at their current level rather than advancing straight to Ruler of Rules. Still, these Heavenly Venerables possessed deep comprehension of the Great Dao; reaching the breakthrough was only a matter of time.
Additionally, Heavenly King-level figures needed only sufficient insight to become pseudo-Rulers of Rules within Su Yu's world—and there were many Heavenly Kings.
Figures like King Daqin and King Daxia had already possessed Heavenly King combat strength upon merging. With Su Yu's world expanding, they stood merely half a step away from grasping rules.
Yet as Su Yu's world expanded, if they failed to seize this window, progressing in realm would only become harder later on, even as their combat strength grew.
By that time, Su Yu's Great Daos would be far more complete.
Failing to master a Dao now meant the difficulty would only steepen in the future.
...
At this moment, Su Yu commanded a formidable roster of talent!
Yet it was still not enough.
If the ancient Human Sovereign were uninjured, bringing this force along would have provided immense assistance. Granted, their strength would be suppressed outside Su Yu's world, but the outcome would still be respectable.
However, the Human Sovereign was currently an empty shell, which changed everything.
Marching in under those conditions would be asking for trouble.
Thus, Su Yu set his sights on the River of Time once more—it was time to fleece some wool!
If the Time Master were alive, he would probably be furious, but Su Yu had no other choice. If he didn't fleece the Time Master now, what else could he do?
He had to strengthen his world. Even if it couldn't rival the Time Master's scale, he had to ensure that when the experts of his world stepped outside, they wouldn't be substantially weaker than the experts of the River of Time.
That was entirely achievable!
Elevating his world to the level of the entire River of Time was impossible, but the Dao experts of the River of Time merely drew upon individual tributaries. As long as Su Yu made his world stronger than dozens of tributaries combined, he wouldn't need to sustain hundreds or thousands of Rulers of Rules.
Sustaining several dozen Rulers of Rules at full strength, without falling into a disadvantage, would be more than enough!
The River of Time distributed its power evenly across countless experts. Su Yu, by contrast, only needed to supply a select few, allowing his experts to close the gap with their adversaries.
...
Lower Realm.
Su Yu returned.
The Human Realm.
Two months after leaving the Human Realm, Su Yu stepped foot on its soil once more.
Peace had returned to the myriad realms!
As Su Yu led his retinue back, wave after wave of thunderous cheers shook the heavens and earth.
The thirty-six manor lords, accompanied by a host of Sun and Moon experts, stood waiting at the entrance of the Human Realm, cheering wildly. Su Yu had returned victorious! In less than three months, he had pacified the chaos across the myriad realms.
In a single stroke, he had brought down the Hundred Battles King!
At the forefront of the crowd, Xia Huyou grinned so wide his ears practically touched. It was too fast! Everyone knew Su Yu could fight his way back, but returning this quickly exceeded all expectations. Xia Huyou shouted at the top of his lungs, "We welcome His Majesty the Yu Sovereign returning in triumph! Absolute victory!"
"Absolute victory!"
Jubilant shouts echoed across the realm!
A smile touched Su Yu's lips as he looked upon the Human Realm. It looked well preserved; the Hundred Battles King had spent so little time here that he hadn't managed to alter much, nor had he cared to.
The Human Realm remained the Human Realm of old.
Su Yu laughed heartily. "The myriad realms are free of war! The tens of millions of humans relocated to the Tianyuan Realm may not wish to return right now, as I have already transformed that land into a sacred ground!"
"However, I will soon relocate the Tianyuan Realm directly beneath the Human Realm!"
"The ancient space beast clan will construct teleportation arrays connecting the two realms! The Human Realm will be divided into upper and lower domains, allowing free passage between them!"
The tens of millions of humans moved to the Tianyuan Realm had only just settled in and might not be eager to move again. Still, the Human Realm was their ancestral foundation, and Su Yu had no desire to force them. If so, he would simply expend some effort to shift the Tianyuan Realm beneath the Human Realm.
That way, with Marquis Tongtian and the ancient space beast clan working together to bridge the boundary, there would be no issue.
Those who wished to return could return; those who preferred to stay in the Tianyuan Realm could remain.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Cheers erupted once more!
This was an undeniable boon. It effectively expanded the territory of the Human Realm; even if the Tianyuan Realm lay beneath them, no one minded. The realm was larger, giving humanity far more living options!
Most importantly, they wouldn't have to leave their ancestral home.
It would all remain within the territory of the Human Realm!
On that day, celebratory shouts echoed incessantly across the Human Realm as lavish banquets were held to commemorate the unification of the heavens. Su Yu's name had attained mythic status; no one dared utter his personal name anymore, referring to him only as the Yu Sovereign.
Just like the ancient Human Sovereign: with the passage of time, no one spoke his true name, replacing it entirely with 'Human Sovereign.'
In this New Yu Era, Su Yu's prestige had even eclipsed that of the ancient Human Sovereign. The ancient sovereign was a distant legend, but the Yu Sovereign stood right beside them, having accomplished the unification of heaven and earth!
...
Yu Sovereign Mansion.
Once seized by the Hundred Battles King, it now welcomed its true master once more.
The formerly cavernous hall was truly packed with heroes today. This was a gathering of those at the Dao Integration realm and above. In past councils, the arrival of thirty-odd Dao Integration experts had been awe-inspiring.
Today, over two hundred Dao Integration experts gathered in the Yu Sovereign Mansion!
With the expansion of Su Yu's world, many had ridden the rising tide straight into the Dao Integration realm.
Most of the human race's veteran Eternals had broken through directly. When the Hundred Battles King and Zhou Ji merged their physical body dao into Su Yu's world, those human experts who chose the physical dao and reconnected to his world seized the opportunity to step into Dao Integration as well!
The entire grand hall was filled to overflowing.
Of course, certain non-Dao Integration figures were also granted entry, such as the thirty-six manor lords who had guarded the Human Realm, led by Xia Huyou; all of them were qualified to attend.
From the Dead Spirit Realm, the Dead Spirit Emperor Zun had been summoned across the boundary to attend this high-level council in the Yu Sovereign Mansion.
Inside the hall.
Su Yu was already seated, lightly tapping his fingers against the table as though lost in thought. The entire hall remained pin-drop silent.
Everyone looked toward Su Yu, their expressions a mix of reverence, awe, and intricate emotions.
This was especially true for those from the Hundred Battles King's camp who had severed their Daos alongside Wuji to merge with Su Yu's world. Beyond the few Heavenly Venerables, figures like Marquis Zhennan and Marquis Nanxi had also chosen to submit to Su Yu.
Just days ago, this very hall had been where the Hundred Battles King convened his meetings. Now they were back, but the master of the hall had changed.
For Marquis Zhennan... he had attended several extraordinary councils in this place.
The first time, he had been captured by Su Yu, and Su Yu had convened his very first Dao Integration assembly here. Shortly after, Su Yu left the Human Realm, the Hundred Battles King returned, and Zhennan attended the Hundred Battles King's return ceremony as his subordinate.
Yet before long, the mansion had returned to its rightful owner. The master was once again Su Yu, while the Hundred Battles King had perished.
On the dais.
After a period of quiet reflection, Su Yu spoke: "The war of the myriad realms is over! It marks both an ending and a beginning! It is now confirmed that the ancient Human Sovereign and his forces are at the upper reaches of the River of Time! Furthermore, their situation is dire!"
"The Human Sovereign still lives, but he is said to be severely wounded, and every other Ruler of Rules carries injuries!"
Su Yu paused. Below, Wan Tiansheng stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what is the current balance of power between the myriad races and our human race?"
Su Yu offered a faint smile. "The exact numbers remain unclear, but back then, the myriad races commanded over a hundred Rulers of Rules! Just councilors alone numbered ninety-nine, alongside non-councilors who possessed the strength of Rulers of Rules! That already exceeded a hundred! Of the seven hundred and twenty marquises of the myriad races, about two-thirds were taken along—roughly five hundred! It is said that after countless years of battle, many of them have also broken through!"
This was only natural. Anyone who survived that long would have advanced by now.
The flow of time was different, but even if a century here felt like a single year there, one hundred thousand years translated to a millennium. A thousand years of constant warfare in the River of Time—the closest place to the Great Daos of rules... if you didn't become a Ruler of Rules without dying, you were simply letting yourself down!
"How many of those five hundred marquises broke through? How many fell? It is difficult to say... Even assuming a balance where the fallen equal those who advanced, the myriad races still possess over a hundred Rulers of Rules!"
"The human race, by contrast, had only about forty back then. They took around two hundred human marquises with them. Even if their numbers held balanced, humanity likely commands only forty to fifty Human Kings at present!"
"The disparity between the two sides is at least two to one!"
"However, because humanity possesses a transcendent powerhouse like the Human Sovereign, he has kept them suppressed, preventing the myriad races from committing to an all-out fight to the death!"
Su Yu gave a concise summary. Even Xingyue hadn't provided exact figures on their combat strength.
Broadly speaking, however, this was the situation.
With that, Su Yu added with a smile, "One more thing I must remind everyone: the Human Sovereign is heavily wounded. If we stay away, the myriad races won't dare risk everything. But if we show up, they will certainly fight to the death! At that point, you can treat the Human Sovereign as if he doesn't exist..."
"..."
The crowd stood speechless. Even at a time like this, he was still pulling this routine?
Wan Tiansheng paid it no mind and pressed on: "Then how much strength does Your Majesty believe we must amass before we are qualified to go to their aid?"
Su Yu considered it briefly. "Around thirty Rulers of Rules! And I mean those who can retain the combat strength of a Ruler of Rules even outside my world! I will handle that part; I will ensure my world can sustain thirty Rulers of Rules at equivalent strength. But... as for reaching that number, you will have to achieve it through your own efforts!"
With that, Su Yu produced a list. "Those whose names I call, become Rulers of Rules as quickly as possible! Those who already are, I have nothing to say to you—work hard to grow another notch stronger!"
"If anyone not on this list becomes a Ruler of Rules..."
Su Yu broke into a grin. "I will reward them—handsomely! But if those I name fail to become Rulers of Rules before I depart..."
His smile vanished. "Then... the Daos in my world are limited. Yield your Dao!"
The words struck the hall like a thunderclap!
Yield their Dao?
This... Wan Tiansheng spoke up urgently, "Your Majesty, is this appropriate?"
Su Yu was being far too ruthless!
Becoming a Ruler of Rules wasn't something that could be forced through pressure alone!
Su Yu replied placidly, "The Great Daos in my world are open for you to comprehend. Every advantage I could offer, I have given you. If you still cannot become a combat force I can take onto the battlefield... then occupying the latrine without taking a shit—what is the point?"
"Rest assured, even if you yield your Dao, I will arrange things properly so that you do not perish from relinquishing it. This is my world; naturally, I can take care of everyone!"
"Of course, at that point, such individuals can comfortably retire!"
Su Yu said indifferently, "Those who can fight will continue to fight; those who cannot will retire. I, Su Yu, will not force you to follow me in battle to the bitter end! The path of conquest is inherently a process of elimination!"
"Naturally, battle is perilous, and death is commonplace. When our opponents are a horde of over a hundred Rulers of Rules, even I will no longer be able to shield you!"
"Therefore, some might not be incapable of advancing, but rather too afraid to!"
Su Yu sighed softly. "Such individuals are still my comrades-in-arms... but I will not force you. You may simply retire in peace!"
A heavy silence descended over the hall.
Some began mulling over the deeper meaning behind Su Yu's words. Who was he referring to?
Who was afraid of becoming a Ruler of Rules out of fear of death?
People looked around, wondering: was he talking about Heavenly Kings, or Heavenly Venerables?
Only those individuals currently possessed the chance to become Rulers of Rules.
Having fought their way to this stage, had someone truly turned cowardly?
Su Yu named no names. Such people certainly existed, even if it hadn't become obvious yet. After fighting a never-ending war against increasingly terrifying enemies, a degree of weariness and despondency was only natural.
Su Yu paid it no further heed and began reading the roll:
"King Daqin, King Daxia!"
He started directly with the two commanders of the Tenth Tide.
The hall stirred. Neither of them had truly ancient seniority, yet both were placed on the list of mandatory Rulers of Rules?
"Feiqiu, Tea Tree, Wan Tiansheng, Lan Tian, King Daming, Tianmie, Wuji, San Yue, Juzhu, Doubao, Jiu Yue, Chubing, Wuming, Tian Ce, Xuelan, Nanxi, Huoyun, Tianhuo, Lanshan, Liekong, Yingwu, Zhennan, Tongtian, Xinghong, Futiling, Hou Emperor, Space Ancient Emperor, Hetu."
Su Yu read out thirty names in a single breath!
Exactly thirty individuals!
Su Yu looked at them and said evenly, "Thirty people. Some are Heavenly Venerables, others Heavenly Kings! Even those who were not Heavenly Kings before have reached that level thanks to the repeated expansions of my world!"
"Among you, some I revived from the River of Dead Spirits, some I guided in comprehending Great Daos, and others came over from the Hundred Battles King's faction... Regardless of how you arrived, whether I helped you switch Great Daos or provided other aid... I have invested heavily in all of you!"
Su Yu swept his gaze across them. "Of you thirty, some may succeed while others fail, whether due to lacking talent or insufficient effort. If you fail to break through before I head upstream... then yield your Dao!"
"You might not need to surrender your Dao entirely; some can simply step aside and let another take the lead!"
"My world's Great Daos are relatively focused; a single Dao might only accommodate one person... Some of you occupy primary Great Daos yet cannot break through, forcing others onto unfamiliar paths. That, too, is a struggle for the Dao... But occupying the spot without producing results means you must make way!"
Su Yu sighed. "It is not yet time to sit back and enjoy life. I do not wish to see you hogging Great Daos without any drive to advance!"
He already had several Rulers of Rules under his banner. If all thirty of these individuals could break through, the number of top-tier experts at his command would skyrocket!
Right then, someone's expression shifted below, and he stepped forward: "Your Majesty... what about those of us who aren't on the list?"
Su Yu looked at the figure and smiled. "Dingjun, why are you joining the commotion?"
Marquis Dingjun's face went through an extraordinary sequence of contortions!
I... fuck you!
Of the six ancient marquises who had survived to this day, excluding those who had died, he was the only one omitted from Su Yu's list! It was a devastating blow to his pride!
Marquis Dingjun gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, does that mean... we have been abandoned by Your Majesty?"
He felt utterly slighted!
Tianmie and the others kept their mouths shut this time, purely because their names had been on the list.
This list felt less like a roster for becoming Rulers of Rules and more like Su Yu's official investiture roll! It was infuriating!
Su Yu chuckled. "That's not it. It's simply that some of you, despite reaching the Heavenly King level, lack deep comprehension of the Great Dao... I can sense it quite clearly!"
"Of course, if you truly manage to break through..."
Su Yu smiled. "As I said earlier, you will be rewarded handsomely!"
Dingjun gritted his teeth and nodded. "Your Majesty, I will break through! I count as a Heavenly King now too!"
Right, a pseudo-Heavenly King. Su Yu nodded without contradicting him.
Amidst the crowd, Xia Longwu suddenly stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, what handsome rewards are you speaking of... so that we might have greater motivation?"
He wasn't on the list either, simply because he was too young.
Even though he had advanced at lightning speed, Su Yu had not named him.
Su Yu looked at him with a warm smile; he held deep admiration for Xia Longwu and treated him with great respect. Hearing the question, Su Yu laughed and said, "Enfeoffment as a King! I will bestow rank upon you using the power of destiny within my world! With that, within my world, everything will go smoothly for you, your cultivation will accelerate, and your comprehension will deepen..."
The crowd stirred!
Su Yu continued, "Not only that, there are other rewards!"
He smiled. "For instance, once you become a Ruler of Rules, I will venture into the Great Dao of Time, extract the corresponding Dao power, and use it to reinforce your Great Dao! That way, even among Rulers of Rules, you will be no weakling!"
"As for the others... they can cultivate on their own!"
"Furthermore, I will grant you a page from the civilization chronicle!"
At this, some looked bewildered.
Yet Wan Tiansheng and several others instantly blanched.
Su Yu stated calmly, "The civilization chronicle is the foundation of my Great Dao! The myriad daos are formed from its pages! As long as the pages remain with me, it signifies that I retain absolute control over you. Once you take the page... it means that particular Dao is no longer under my control; you will hold full command over it!"
Boom!
The entire hall erupted in an instant.
This... was incredible!
Su Yu relinquishing control over a Dao meant his authority over them would drop to the absolute minimum.
Yet Su Yu remained entirely calm: "This offer applies only to those not on the list, because I know they received less and gained less beforehand. As for those on the list... we will see when the time comes! If you cannot become a Ruler of Rules now, there won't be much opportunity later anyway!"
Now, those whose names had been omitted exchanged glances, suddenly filled with wild excitement!
If they became Rulers of Rules, they would be enfeoffed as Kings, share the world's destiny, and gain autonomous control over their own Great Dao—it was a monumental, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
No matter how much they revered Su Yu, deep down, no one truly wished for their Great Dao to be perpetually held in another's grasp.
If Su Yu was truly willing to release his hold over them... everyone's motivation would soar through the roof!
On the dais, a faint smile played across Su Yu's lips.
Very well!
This way, perhaps one or two formidable experts might emerge from among them against the odds. If someone he hadn't bet on managed to step into the Ruler of Rules realm, it would be a delightful surprise.
Chapter 842