The Mysteries of the Three-Body Art

At the Dead Spirit River. Su Yu knit his brows slightly. The Lord of the Dead Spirits was exceptionally strong—likely stronger than King Wen and the others. Otherwise, he would never have been able to project his power through. Yet just now, the other party had clearly projected power out, which put things in a completely different light. If the Lord of the Undead had been an imprint left behind before his departure, then what had just vanished was unequivocally power he had projected across moments ago. "The situation behind the Heavenly Gate is complicated!" Su Yu muttered. It was undeniably out of the ordinary. Even an existence like the Lord of the Dead Spirits seemed unable to come and go as he pleased. Had he entered voluntarily, or had he been sealed away? There were probably quite a few powerhouses in there. Were they all paragons from the Heaven-Opening Era? Could the Heaven-Opening Era have harbored even more powerhouses than the Chaos Era? Perhaps… that truly was the case. After the Lord of Time opened the heavens and the Great Daos emerged, if people back then were like the people in Su Yu's world… Su Yu paused. Exactly. When the Lord of Time opened the heavens, could there really have been no instances of one person attaining the Dao and elevating everyone around them? If cultivators back then directly became Rulers of Rules, then given the Lord of Time's immense might and how his world blanketed the Myriad Realms, that first generation of Dao powerhouses must have been top-tier beings. "Could the entities sealed in the Heaven-Opening Era be those very beings? And are those the ones King Wen and the others are fighting?" Thoughts surfaced one after another. Unfortunately, information was far too scarce, leaving Su Yu with no way to verify them. Still, Su Yu had no time to dwell on this now. He felt his inner world expanding once more as a current of yin-yang power circled the expanse. Far away, where the chaos lingered within the projection of Su Yu's world, a change gradually came over the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign. A monstrous surge of power erupted from his form! A moment later, an elegant, middle-aged man with his hair bound in a topknot appeared. Dressed in a cyan robe, his expression was complex, and starlight flickered across his frame. Catching Su Yu's gaze, he bowed respectfully. "My thanks to Your Majesty for fulfilling my resurrection!" Chaotic thunder crashed around him, but the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign paid it little mind. At his level, ordinary heavenly retribution could do nothing to him. Besides, Su Yu's world was far stronger than before. When the thunder dissipated and the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign stepped out from the world, his aura climbed steadily. Su Yu sensed it; gradually, the sovereign surpassed the fourth rank and likely stepped into the third rank. He felt noticeably weaker than the Martial Emperor, roughly at the weaker end of the third rank. Even so, that was already remarkable! Aside from the Martial Emperor, he was now the strongest figure on Su Yu's side. Among the rest, King Dazhou was hard to gauge, while even the Southern King was only on the stronger end of the fourth rank within Su Yu's world. The Chaos Dragon sat at roughly the same level. "Congratulations!" Su Yu said with a smile. The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign sighed deeply, adjusting to his new physical body with conflicted emotions. "Drifting through era after era, only now have I cast off my old shell to be reborn in the world… yet who knows how long I can live?" A trace of self-deprecation tinged his voice. As a defeated soul who had died at the tail end of the Heaven-Opening Era, reviving today naturally stirred a tumult of emotions. Even during the Human Sovereign's era, he had never surrendered or compromised, yet now he owed his resurrection to Su Yu. Su Yu laughed. "Who knows how long you'll live? But don't you think this era is magnificent? If you hadn't revived now and had remained a dead spirit forever, you might have missed out on so much splendor! I believe this era is far more exciting than any before it!" Among figures like the Lord of Time, the Lord of the Dead Spirits, the Human Sovereign, and the Human Ancestor, perhaps only the Human Ancestor and the Lord of the Dead Spirits had ever clashed; the others had never crossed paths, belonging to entirely different ages. Yet in this era, they might all collide! Along with King Wen, with Su Yu himself, and with countless others… Su Yu smiled. What an intriguing era this was! If one missed it this time, there might never be another chance. The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign paused slightly, then nodded. "It is indeed interesting… I, too, wonder whether the elites and chosen talents of our era will return to the world." Su Yu smiled. "Besides the Human Ancestor and his peers, were there other geniuses in your era?" "There were!" the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign affirmed. "That era was resplendent beyond measure! Before my time, people vaguely claimed to have seen the Demon Ancestor, the Immortal Ancestor, and the God Ancestor!" He sighed reminiscently. "The Heaven-Opening Era was truly the most magnificent of all! During that period, a hundred flowers bloomed, myriad daos competed, and chaos mingled with the myriad races. Emerging from chaos, returning to chaos… In truth, I was merely a minor figure at the close of the Heaven-Opening Era. The supreme existences and peerless figures lived only in legends. "The ancestors of the myriad races might all reappear…" He spoke as if prophesying a glorious age in which the mighty of every era would return. Su Yu, however, frowned deeply. "You mean… every race has an ancestor?" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign chuckled. "Your Majesty… jokes!" Of course they did! "Your Majesty surely doesn't believe the Daos within realms like the Immortals, Demons, Gods, and Dragons were all pioneered by their current masters, do you? Or that the realm suppression only began in the ancient era? Even the opening of the myriad realms… Dare I ask Your Majesty, if you were tasked with opening a realm right now, would it be difficult?" Su Yu pondered and said gravely, "Far from easy!" Opening a realm! Among the All-Heavens and Myriad Realms, the overarching world had been opened by the Lord of Time, but the smaller realms had been carved out by individual races. That meant the figures who had opened those realms back then were terrifyingly strong as well! Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "I previously assumed the myriad realms were also created by the Lord of Time…" "The macrocosm was, but the smaller realms were not!" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign shook his head. "The Lord of Time established the grand realm. Afterward, various figures, including some chaotic ancient beasts, entered the Myriad Realms to open their own minor domains! Wherever a being's Dao lay, they carved out a realm there. That gave rise to the dense forest of myriad realms. Some domains perished long ago, others were opened later… and some were simply claimed by opportunists after the original realms fell, leaving weaker successors to take over." "Ancestors of the myriad races?" Su Yu murmured. How many had died, and how many still lived? Where were they now? Behind the Heavenly Gate? Strictly speaking, those beings all belonged to the Heaven-Opening Era. Chaos fell short of heaven-opening… In this instant, Su Yu felt a sudden epiphany! No wonder the Heavenly Gate held greater strength! The powerhouses within the chaos had likely chosen to settle in the Myriad Realms after the Lord of Time opened the heavens, merging their daos into the River of Time. That depleted the number of powerhouses left in the chaos; anyone with true ambition had fled to the Myriad Realms! "So chaos is inferior to the heaven-opening era… Then what does the Human Gate seal?" Su Yu thought of the Human Gate. It might be tied to the Human Ancestor. Could it seal the Archaic Era? But the Archaic Era had continued on without interruption! The Human Gate might not seal the Archaic Era at all. Questions arose one after another. A few offhand remarks from the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign had sparked a cascade of realizations. Soon, Su Yu suppressed his thoughts. There was no need to dwell on them now! Too much information was flooding his mind, making it impossible to digest everything or pinpoint actionable intelligence. For now, remembering it was enough; when a flash of insight struck, he would deduce the rest. Dropping the topic, Su Yu smiled. "Not bad, third rank! Back at the close of the ancient era, you would have stood on par with King Zhan and his tier!" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign smiled placidly, neither overjoyed nor dejected. Regarding his strength, there was little to brag about. An existence from the end of the Heaven-Opening Era, likely older than Hongmeng, had only reached this point today—and even that was thanks to Su Yu's help. It was hardly something to boast of. Of course, Hongmeng rarely felt insecure. Vastly ancient, he spent most of his time sleeping, never feeling old at all. Treating ten thousand years as a single year, he practically considered himself a youth. At that moment, Su Yu glanced at Liu Hong. Liu Hong's face was deathly pale. He had been terrified out of his wits earlier, convinced he was doomed when the Lord of the Dead Spirits manifested. Fortunately, they were safe now! With lingering dread, Liu Hong said, "The Lord of the Dead Spirits is truly tyrannical. The Lord of Time is so much better!" Look at the Lord of Time: the Lord of the Dead Spirits, the Human Sovereign, and Su Yu were all shearing wool from him, yet he showed no reaction whatsoever. Either he was truly dead, had vanished completely, was deep in slumber, or simply did not care about people freeloading off him. Hearing this, Su Yu laughed. "True enough. Still… the Lord of Time is hard to fathom. For people like us, our inner world is our foundation, our everything. Yet before he ever opened the heavens, the Lord of Time had already swept across the chaos! Perhaps the River of Time was merely something he opened for fun. Comparing ourselves to him is impossible!" Now, Su Yu felt the terrifying depth of the Lord of Time all the more. Against the Lord of the Dead Spirits, Su Yu dared to provoke him and felt capable of catching up eventually. But the Lord of Time? Su Yu wondered if anyone could ever match him. A truly horrifying existence! Of course, Su Yu was not discouraged. He chuckled and said, "Let's leave them aside! Now that the dead spirit king has revived, it's a good thing. We were just discussing the three-body art earlier. Liu Hong, stay here and link the three daos as my junction point. Dead spirit king… come with me to the Myriad Realms." Saying this, Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Calling you 'dead spirit king' now… does that still fit?" He had revived, after all! The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign did not mind. He smiled faintly. "As you wish. Your Majesty may address me however you please." Su Yu dropped the matter. Fine, let it be. Or should he call him King Chen? Sun, moon, stars… Su Yu joked, "People from your era all seemed fond of single-character names. Sun, moon, stars… Across the celestial expanse, was there anyone simply named 'Ri'?" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign was struck speechless. After a long pause, he answered, "There was. Ri… was actually a supreme powerhouse! I cannot speak much of the details, but I do know that Xing's descendant is likely the one everyone refers to as the Human Sovereign!" Su Yu froze. Xing! Xingyu, Xingyue… Could it be that their surname really was Xing? Just as the Human Ancestor was named Zhou, leading all his descendants to take the surname Zhou. Seeing Su Yu's stunned expression, the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign smiled. "Sun, moon, star… these were relatively common names. People sharing the same name certainly existed, but for supreme powerhouses, bloodlines were far more likely to be passed down!" "Then your name being Chen sounds rather remarkable!" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign laughed self-deprecatingly. "Not particularly remarkable. One can only say that not many cultivated the power of the stars back then, so I picked a name at random!" Su Yu nodded and asked, "The Human Ancestor was named Zhou. By your logic, the Human Sovereign's forebear was named Xing. Were he and the Human Ancestor from the same era?" "Roughly, but whether they crossed paths, I wouldn't know." He continued, "As for the Human Ancestor… to be frank, he was originally just the leader of one human faction!" "What do you mean?" Su Yu looked at him. The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign explained, "Back then, the heavens were in chaos. Humanity was scattered across the domains and even throughout the chaos… Several distinct human tribes and factions existed at the time. The Human Ancestor was the leader of one major tribe! Later, as he grew mighty and his reputation soared, other tribes came to join him one by one. The Human Ancestor rendered immense service, leading humanity to rise during the era of the heavens! The Giant race was likely his direct tribe, which is why it makes sense that people like Baizhan and Yu stayed with the Giants!" It was a tribe directly subordinate to the Human Ancestor! Su Yu understood and nodded. "So that's how it is. I thought the Human Ancestor created a new race later on. Turns out it was his personal tribe from the start?" "Indeed!" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign nodded. "I mention this because I noticed Your Majesty seemed somewhat influenced by Baizhan and the others, perhaps feeling that the Human Ancestor betrayed humanity as well… That isn't quite the case. In his later years, he may have favored his own tribe, which is human nature. Even so, he truly was the common ancestor of humanity in that era!" He spoke candidly, wanting to offer clarity lest Su Yu be swayed by others' biases. Su Yu smiled. "Put that way, it makes sense to me. Everyone has their inner circle, and cultivating one's own people is entirely normal!" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign smiled as well. "In truth, if you trace back far enough… humanoid beings like the Gods, Demons, Immortals, Souls, and Underworld beings were likely all from the same origin! But as certain powerhouses emerged, they led their followers to carve out new realms, cultivating distinct techniques and Daos, until each eventually formed a separate race!" Su Yu found this unsurprising. Long ago, people had speculated as much; it was nothing new. Just like the Prison King's lineage: if Su Yu hadn't crippled them, a so-called "Sacred Race" might well have formed in a few tens of thousands of years! Su Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Let's head over to the Giant race. They should still have Eternals. I never bothered to wipe them out, and regarding Baizhan… if they were originally the Human Ancestor's retainers, there's no need to exterminate their entire race. Let's grab someone who cultivates the three-body art so you can take a look. Today, I've suddenly developed a keen interest in the three-body art!" "As have I!" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign smiled. He was equally curious. The three-body art? Truly peculiar! …… A short while later, the two appeared in the Myriad Realms. Soon, Su Yu arrived above the Giant race's territory. Ever since Baizhan was slain, Yu and Zhou Ji entered the Hell Gate, and Thunderstorm was killed, the Giant race had fallen completely silent. The Archaic Giant King was actually still alive! Last time, Su Yu had severely wounded him with a single punch, which had inadvertently saved his life. Because of his injuries, he had missed the great battle and escaped the purge. Yet as the injured Archaic Giant King sensed unfamiliar auras drifting down, he let out a despairing, pessimistic sigh. His race… was likely finished! Su Yu had finally remembered the Archaic Giant race! …… Soon, the severely wounded Archaic Giant King flew out of his realm, followed by over a dozen Eternals and several Dao Fusion experts of the Archaic Giant race. Without a word, the Archaic Giant King took off his imperial crown, shed his royal robes, and knelt on the ground. Offering up the Giant race's royal seal with both hands, he bowed as the group of Archaic Giant powerhouses behind him dropped to their knees one after another. The Archaic Giant King did not dare look at Su Yu. With his head lowered, prostrating on the ground while holding up the seal, he whispered, "Our race submits and surrenders! We beg Emperor Yu to take us in. Every member of our race above the Sun Moon Realm is gathered here, willing to sever our Daos to atone for our sins! "In remembrance that we were of one race in archaic times… we beg Emperor Yu for mercy!" "We beg Emperor Yu for mercy!" The gathered Eternals and Dao Fusion experts called out in low voices, their heads bowed, kneeling prone upon the ground. Those above the Sun Moon Realm were willing to sever their Daos and perish, asking only that Su Yu spare the common Giants and preserve their spark of life! This was war! The defeated, even their king, had to beg the victor to spare their kin and their youth! And their powerhouses were willing to march to their deaths if only to ensure the race's survival! Su Yu looked down at him and said indifferently, "You've relocated some of your people during this time, haven't you?" The Archaic Giant King's face turned pale. Su Yu said calmly, "I never intended to exterminate your race! Though I hated Baizhan, I also know that had Baizhan defeated me, he would not have wiped out the human race either." On this point, Su Yu refused to slander Baizhan. Even if Baizhan had defeated Su Yu, he would almost certainly not have exterminated humanity; at most, he would have left them to fend for themselves! At these words, the Archaic Giant King wept with joy, prostrating flat against the ground. "Emperor Yu is wise! King Baizhan… would never have destroyed humanity! Heaven and earth bear witness!" Su Yu said indifferently, "Enough. I have no interest in bothering ordinary Giants. As for you all, I don't necessarily have to kill you either. Serve as test subjects for me. If you live, you live; if you die, you die. Whether you survive depends on your luck! If you wish to seek vengeance later… come straight for me!" "We would never dare!" the Archaic Giant King stammered. Vengeance? Impossible! Su Yu was far too terrifying! Su Yu cared little. Seek revenge if you want; besides, you might not even survive. Su Yu needed them to test the three-body art. He asked directly, "Do you cultivate the three-body art, or some other method?" "The three-body art!" the Archaic Giant King answered at once. "After the ancient era, we have all cultivated the three-body art. I was not an ancient marquis, so I never practiced the weapon fusion method or similar arts; I have always cultivated the three-body method…" Su Yu nodded, reached out, and crushed him on the spot! Behind him, the Eternals and Dao Fusion experts paled in horror, yet they dared only show sorrow, not even raising their heads to look. Resist? If they resisted, their entire race would be wiped out! If they did not resist, only the strong would die while the weak survived! They were fish on the chopping block! Meanwhile, Su Yu had annihilated his target's sea of will and shattered his physical body, yet he had left his Dao intact. A moment later, winds surged and clouds gathered as the River of Time manifested. Su Yu opened his Heavenly Gate and observed closely. In the blink of an eye, an aura surged. Along a Great Dao within the River of Time, a faint tremor rippled, and in the next instant, the Archaic Giant King reappeared. Revived! One of his three bodies had perished! His strength had weakened considerably, but Su Yu inspected him thoroughly and raised an eyebrow after a moment. "Miraculous! His strength declined and he lost a great deal of rule power, yet his life imprint remains intact! Even his sea of will has recovered!" Su Yu found it fascinating. Previously, he had never paid it much attention. Now, even as a heaven-opener, he could not entirely discern how the revival had occurred. The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign was equally astonished. "Truly revived, and a complete revival at that… He merely severed a portion of his rule power. This three-body art… is incredible!" It was genuinely astounding! This was the first time he had witnessed the bizarre nature of the three-body art. Back in the ancient era when he was sealed, rumors of the three-body art had begun circulating, but it was considered too weak, and practically no one cultivated it. With orthodox methods available, who would be foolish enough to cultivate an inferior three-body art? The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign watched for a while, then shook his head. "I can't make sense of it!" Su Yu, however, vaguely grasped a portion of the truth. With another wave of his hand, just moments after the Archaic Giant King had revived, he struck down with a palm, killing him again and shattering his Great Dao in the process! The Archaic Giant King likely walked the Physical Body Dao as well, so Su Yu directly dispersed his Dao power! Yet this time, he revived once more. Su Yu acted slowly, keeping his Heavenly Gate open to catch every detail. A surge of power rose from the River of Time, and gradually, the scattered life imprint began to coalesce. The other party was reborn again! Two of his three bodies had now fallen! At this moment, the Archaic Giant King's aura was feeble, barely clinging to the threshold of the Dao Fusion Realm. "Is this your future body?" Su Yu asked. The Archaic Giant King nodded weakly, his face pale. "My future body!" "Intriguing!" Su Yu laughed. "In the three-body art, the past is the root, the present is the foundation, and the future is illusory! Losing the future is no fatal issue; losing the present still leaves hope; but losing the past leaves one like rootless duckweed…" Su Yu murmured, "Fascinating! This art gathers all the scattered imprints in the River of Time and divides them into three portions… No, it gathers every trace of one's existence without leaving a single sliver behind! Origin power?" Thoughts surfaced rapidly. Su Yu suddenly asked, "Has any Eternal or Dao Fusion cultivator who practiced the three-body art ever revived from death?" He thought back carefully. "Hetu belonged to the first tide; he didn't cultivate the three-body art! Lanshan and the others are from the ancient era. As for Xia Chen, he walked the divine character dao and King Zhan's dao, not the method of dividing three bodies…" Turning to the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign, Su Yu asked, "Lately, have any dead spirits who practiced the three-body art ever revived?" "It seems… none?" Probably not! The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign considered it and shook his head; indeed, there were none. Very few powerhouses who died after the ancient era had revived. Hetu and Xia Chen were the prime examples! Su Yu had dispatched people to search for various mansion founders and figures like Ye Batian, but none had ever been found. Su Yu's eyes flickered. "Those who cultivated the three-body art… likely have no chance of reviving at all! "Three bodies, three origins. Everything is absorbed into the origin. Your past imprint and your future imprint have already dissipated, so the Dead Spirit River cannot draw upon any origin!" Su Yu shook his head. "Therefore, anyone who cultivates the three-body art can forget about ever walking out of the Dead Spirit River!" This was an entirely new discovery! Previously, people assumed not enough time had passed, but in reality, it was because the three-body art concentrated all origin power into three bodies. Once all three bodies fell, the origin was utterly extinguished! There was zero chance of revival! By that logic, unless Ye Batian was a chess piece arranged by King Dazhou, his death… was truly absolute! Because he seemed to have cultivated the three bodies… Wait, that wasn't right either! Su Yu's eyes shifted. Had Ye Batian actually cultivated the three bodies? He wasn't entirely certain, but when Ye Batian died, Su Yu had seen through Wan Tiansheng's memories that he had been struck dead on the spot. On the other hand, Wan Tiansheng truly had past and future bodies back then, losing one before eventually abandoning the three-body art. "I think I understand!" Su Yu's eyes gleamed. Leaving the Archaic Giant King aside, he abruptly struck another Eternal dead with a palm, waiting for the revival while observing the River of Time. "Dividing the three bodies, three bodies and three origins… In essence, you wager everything on cultivation! You gather every trace of your existence…" Under normal circumstances, someone who did not practice the three-body art should have two lives: die, and become a dead spirit; as a dead spirit… one could still revive! No, perhaps three lives: one could die yet again, though whether another revival was possible remained unclear! As ideas formed, Su Yu struck down another palm, saying calmly, "I need to observe. If I figure it out before I kill you all, you should each retain one body to live… But if I haven't figured it out yet, I will shatter all three bodies until you are all dead or until I understand!" Left with only a single body, the Archaic Giant King understood what Su Yu was doing. He was researching that trash ancient technique, the three-body art! He was examining and experimenting. If he failed to comprehend it… they would all die. If he gleaned something before all their bodies were destroyed, they might survive. At Su Yu's level, there was no reason for him to deceive them. Su Yu struck again, shattering two bodies of the second powerhouse. Soon, his eyes flashed, and he moved on to the third! One by one, over a dozen Eternals were struck down by his hand! Su Yu murmured, "Three bodies, three deaths, slaying three bodies… It is also a comprehension of life and death! Fascinating… reviving through insights of life and death… It's a pity about Baizhan; he didn't walk the path of three bodies. Otherwise, if he had experienced being slapped to death a few times, I don't think he would have felt so hopeless…" This counted as an experience of death in its own right! Su Yu muttered to himself, watching the shifts in the River of Time with contemplative focus, continuously killing the powerhouses and observing the process. The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign watched as well. Though he could not see as much, he vaguely sensed the underlying principles. …… No one knew how much time had passed. Suddenly, after striking another powerhouse down, a gleam burst from Su Yu's eyes, as though he had made an immense breakthrough. By now, the group beside the Archaic Giant King had shrunk by seven or eight, leaving only five or six Eternals. These few had continually stepped in front of their king. Both of their alternate bodies had been shattered, and Su Yu was now obliterating their third! The Archaic Giant King felt sorrow and despair, yet he had prepared for this the moment he stepped out. Death was not what drove him to despair; what truly broke him was that Su Yu had offered a glimmer of hope, only to snuff it out by continuously shattering their final bodies! Just as despair consumed him, Su Yu's eyes flickered, and he smiled. "Good fortune! A few of you actually survived. Very well, since I gave my word, you may live. Look after yourselves!" With a laugh, he vanished instantly! He had found a lead! Only after they departed did the Archaic Giant King and his survivors gasp for breath, overwhelmed with relief and grief alike. Seven or eight powerhouses had perished. Even so, this was far better than expected. Su Yu had not exterminated their race, nor had he wiped them out entirely. "Seal the realm!" The Archaic Giant King gave a sorrowful, self-mocking laugh. Yu… Zhou Ji… Ah! When Tiangu and the others fled, they had taken their clansmen with them. Yet when Yu and his faction fled, they had never once negotiated with Su Yu to spare the Giant race. As expected, in their eyes, one cared only for the Human Ancestor, while the other cared only for his own Dao; neither gave a thought to the Giant race. Had Zhou Ji spoken to Su Yu, Su Yu likely wouldn't have cared much about the Giants and would have let them leave. Unfortunately… nothing of the sort occurred! The Archaic Giant King wore an expression of deep sorrow. Neither of those two made for worthy racial leaders. Or rather, neither was qualified. "They merely chase what they desire… lacking the single most crucial quality… responsibility…" A bleak chill settled in the king's heart. So be it! This was for the best! From now on, they could abandon all illusions regarding those figures. Even if they emerged from the Hell Gate, the Giants would remain unmoved. Whether Tiangu, the Divine Imperial Concubine, Su Yu, the Human Sovereign… or even Baizhan, had he survived and fled, none would necessarily have abandoned their people… Well, perhaps he gave Baizhan too much credit, as Baizhan had indeed abandoned them six thousand years ago! Yet that was because Baizhan no longer considered himself human! Countless thoughts raced through the wounded Archaic Giant King's mind. In the next instant, the survivors returned to their domain. The entire Giant Realm rumbled as it sealed itself off completely! Even if the Hell Gate opened… the Giant Realm would never again welcome leaders who abandoned their race! They were not leaders at all! …… Meanwhile, Su Yu's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Three bodies, three origins, gathering every imprint in the River of Time… In truth, the three-body art is a method of converging origins! "Naturally, there is a drawback: once you die, you die completely, with no way for the Dead Spirit River to receive you!" Su Yu spoke continuously, grinning broadly. "In that case, anyone can cultivate the three bodies—they have always existed! I, too, have left imprints in the River of Time. I have them, and everyone else does as well! "The three-body art is the true convergence of all Daos into oneself… It is not that separating into three bodies disperses your power; rather, cultivating a single body leaves a massive portion of your origin behind in the River of Time!" Beside him, the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign listened in silence. After Su Yu finished, he spoke. "Your Majesty means that the past and future bodies have always existed, merely manifesting as dispersed origin power…" Su Yu nodded and took a sharp breath. "Who created this three-body art? What an extraordinary figure! This is effectively identical to you dead spirits consolidating your origins from the Dead Spirit River! The River of Time also has dispersed origin power, though it is less obvious than in the Dead Spirit River! "The creator of the three-body art was truly fleecing the system, plundering imprints from the River of Time—just like me robbing the Lord of the Dead Spirits!" Su Yu calculated rapidly, his eyes flashing. "It might be tied to figures like the Human Sovereign. In the later eras, the rules forbade people from cultivating other techniques, forcing everyone onto the path of the three bodies! This forced everyone to strip their life imprints from the River of Time, even cutting off the foundation for the Dead Spirit River's expansion! "Whoever did this was either a heaven-opener with deep schemes, or held a grudge against both the Lord of Time and the Lord of the Dead Spirits! Could it have been the Human Sovereign?" Su Yu couldn't be certain! Brilliant! This three-body art was known as the trashiest cultivation method, yet… what if those who walked other Daos, like Su Yu, could also converge the three bodies? That would grant two additional physical bodies' worth of power out of thin air! "Past, future… Leaving the past behind was one thing, but fishing out the future as well… This cuts off the very foundation of the River of Time!" Su Yu licked his lips, realizing he had stumbled onto something extraordinary. The creator of the three-body art likely had a grand design targeting specific entities. Alternatively, it might have been created unintentionally, but its creator possessed an impossibly profound grasp of origin power. Such concepts were beyond ordinary comprehension; Su Yu had only grasped them after reviving several individuals. Simply put, the three-body art functioned just like the process used by the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign and his peers: it allowed cultivators to merge the origins within the River of Time into themselves, preventing the river from intercepting their power. The power was originally yours all along! However, just as a passing bird loses feathers, the River of Time plucked away its share—though perhaps less aggressively than the Dead Spirit River. Now, the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign understood as well. He said solemnly, "Your Majesty means that if we can locate our past and future bodies and merge them into our true selves, everyone can achieve an instant surge in strength just like us?" If so… that was terrifying! Wouldn't Su Yu and his allies all become vastly stronger? Su Yu shook his head. "It's difficult! Not everyone can do it. For instance, those who previously lost their past and future bodies and switched to other arts likely have no chance!" He was referring to King Daqin and his peers! Their origin power had already been consumed. Searching for their past and future bodies now might yield nothing. Then again, the past and future held countless facets; they might not have fished out every single trace. Back then, Old Wan had told Su Yu about stacking layers upon layers, continuously integrating past and future… which was truly nothing other than continuously absorbing scattered origin! Perhaps what everyone had integrated so far was merely the tip of the iceberg! Su Yu licked his lips. "Right now, I'm curious about one thing… Have the Human Sovereign and his allies merged their past and future? If not… this is an opportunity. Of course, finding those bodies won't be easy!" At this moment, Su Yu realized the three-body art might be the turning point that reshaped the entire board! As for whether it would work, he would know once he tried it himself! If he could grow significantly stronger, and the others grew stronger as well, their growth would in turn feed back into his world… That two-way enhancement would instantly reverse the balance of power on Su Yu's side! However, those revived from the dead spirits likely had no hope! Their origins had already been completely merged! Figures like the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign had no chance, but the Martial Emperor… Even if the Human Sovereign and his peers knew about this and had merged their bodies, the Martial Emperor was guaranteed to know nothing of it! So the Martial Emperor might still have room for improvement! Of course, he couldn't tell the Martial Emperor right now. If that fellow grew stronger, he might immediately plot another rebellion. "Unless I can suppress him indefinitely!" Su Yu thought to himself, feeling a surge of excitement. Could he truly capture the past and future? That was supposed to be exclusive to the Sun Moon Realm, and he had long moved past that stage! "Wait, that's not right either… I'm merely capturing origin; whether I'm at the Sun Moon Realm shouldn't matter much…" Thoughts surfaced in rapid succession. Excited, Su Yu wasted no time and vanished on the spot. If this succeeded, his strength would skyrocket, giving him all the confidence he needed to lead his forces to the upper reaches!