Memories at Age Six

The three-body art fused three bodies. To draw back the past and future from the River of Time was, in truth, to extract origin power. …… "The three-body art requires a carrier. The carrier serves as a catalyst and conduit that links to the River of Time and channels the origin… If the physical body is powerful enough, one doesn't need a carrier and can channel it directly." At this moment, Su Yu sank into deep contemplation. He had already returned to his own world. Looking out over his domain, he pondered the problem. If he channeled his past and future from the River of Time, would he need a carrier? Could his physical body bear the three bodies? "A carrier is used to support the three bodies because the fleshly body isn't strong enough to endure the surplus power, necessitating an external medium to shoulder the burden. If my three bodies are weak, I can sustain them. But once they become powerful…" Su Yu's physical body might not keep up. His body was not yet as strong as the Hundred Battles King's—or at least, that had been true before. Later, after Hundred Battles and Zhou Ji severed their Daos and Su Yu's world incorporated the Dao of the Body, his physical form had become exceptionally formidable. Perhaps he could give it a try! Integrating the three bodies into one was ultimately the superior choice. Relying on a carrier inevitably created a subtle barrier of separation. "Right now, what I need to consider is how to channel the three bodies, and whether any accidents might occur during the process." Thoughts flickered across his mind. Soon, Su Yu's lips moved slightly. …… A moment later, several figures appeared. King Dazhou, Wan Tiansheng, Princess Qi, and the Southern Heavenly King arrived. Su Yu had not summoned anyone else; doing so would have been pointless, as others were unlikely to offer constructive insights. Entering the room, the group exchanged glances, somewhat surprised. Normally, Su Yu only called upon them when he ran into a thorny dilemma. Before anyone else could speak, Su Yu cut straight to the point: "Do any of you know much about the three-body art?" "The three-body art?" They looked at one another. Before King Dazhou could answer, Princess Qi spoke up: "Is Your Majesty referring to that three-body art which wasn't held in high regard back in the day?" She was quite knowledgeable on the matter and quickly added, "During the third tide, not many cultivated the three-body art. However, after the third tide, quite a few people seemed to take it up…" She had entered secluded cultivation in the middle of the third tide, but she had questioned others about subsequent events and knew the art had eventually become mainstream. Hearing Su Yu's inquiry, she continued, "In my view, the three-body art is quite peculiar. It grants two extra lives, and later it even became a mandatory part of the rules…" Su Yu interrupted, "In the third tide, the three-body art wasn't mandatory?" Had there been no rule punishment? Failing to walk the path of the three-body art would always incur rule punishment. Princess Qi explained, "It wasn't that severe back then. Failing to cultivate the three-body art only drew minor rule penalties. Later, I heard that those who didn't follow the three-body art would mostly perish and see their Daos extinguished. That was quite different from the third tide." Su Yu fell into deep thought and asked slowly, "When did the three-body art begin to flourish?" King Dazhou, who did know, chimed in, "After the sixth tide, the three-body art became entirely mainstream! The rule penalties grew heavier and heavier, posing an immense threat to cultivators who chose not to walk that path!" Su Yu frowned. "So the three-body art only became mainstream after the sixth tide. Yet based on what we know, the rules were established back then by the Council and the Human Sovereign. That means they were gradually constricting the paths for others to cultivate alternative methods. Why would they do that?" He turned to King Dazhou. "Do you know why? Why force everyone to cultivate the three-body art?" "Well…" King Dazhou pondered for a moment. "It was likely related to the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth. Perhaps it was because Dao Integrators across the myriad realms were increasing, or because the number of Rule Masters grew too high, creating excessive drain. Walking the three-body art reduces consumption significantly!" "You don't know anything more?" King Dazhou looked puzzled. "In what regard does Your Majesty mean?" This time, he genuinely failed to grasp Su Yu's intent. What else was he supposed to know? Su Yu furrowed his brow. "The three-body art grants three lives. Shouldn't such an aspect be held in immense regard?" "But the three-body art is very weak…" King Dazhou muttered. Such a feeble technique was only cultivated when one was backed into a corner. What good were three lives if one remained so weak? Why was Su Yu suddenly bringing this up? Yet Su Yu's brow furrowed even deeper. "Is coming back from the dead not worthy of attention?" He had not paid it much heed before, but judging by their reactions, King Dazhou and the others had brushed it aside as well. Did resurrection truly not deserve serious regard? Leaving himself aside, the three-body art had already emerged during the era of the Human Sovereign and his peers. Why hadn't the Human Sovereign and the others paid attention to it either? Cultivating three bodies granted three lives! Coming back from the dead! Others might not understand, but the Human Sovereign, King Wen, and those seeking to resurrect Xingyue should have known better than anyone how arduous resurrection was. Why hadn't they cared much about this art either? Hearing this, King Dazhou and the others were slightly taken aback. Three bodies and three lives were indeed noteworthy, but… King Dazhou still said in a low voice, "Yet this art is very weak, and those so-called three lives don't seem to have much practical effect…" What kind of talk was that! How could it be useless? Cultivators of the three-body art possessed far greater survival capabilities than anyone else! Su Yu looked at them, sinking into contemplation. "Just because people thought it was useless, they ignored it?" That did not match the temperament of such mighty figures. Under normal circumstances, even if Su Yu had not cared for it, he still would have investigated it. Yet previously, Su Yu himself had not paid it much attention, nor had he researched the three-body art in depth. A possibility crossed Su Yu's mind… rule influence! Now, having opened his own world, he had shattered the influence of the rules. Was that the reason? Just like the Great Zhou Heavenly Technique, which could never be fully propagated because it was subject to external influence. Could an ancient powerhouse have instituted such a rule influence? A technique of obvious importance, yet nobody paid it any mind. During the Human Sovereign's era, the three-body art had just appeared, so hardly anyone cultivated it, and people disregarded it. According to King Dazhou, it was only after the sixth tide that it truly received widespread adoption. At this moment, even Su Yu felt perplexed. King Dazhou and the others fell into thought. After a long silence, Wan Tiansheng spoke: "Your Majesty suddenly brought up the three-body art. Does it hold some special secret? The three-body art can save lives; I have experienced that firsthand, and reviving from death is indeed real. But it is equally true that its combat strength is weak." Su Yu smiled. "That applies to the ordinary three-body art! I was wondering: what would happen if people like us channeled our three bodies right now?" Wan Tiansheng froze. Right now? None of them walked the three-body art anymore. Could they still channel the three bodies? If they could, it would naturally be adding icing to the cake, taking their strength to greater heights! King Dazhou's heart also jolted. "Does Your Majesty mean to say we can still channel our three bodies at this stage?" That sounded impossible! Su Yu laughed. "It's worth an attempt. Besides, in my eyes, the three-body art is simply channeling one's origin to return, exactly like the resurrection of a dead spirit! You fuse origin power to strengthen yourself! "Of course, doing so will cause us to extract origin power from the River of Time. If the Lord of Time is like the Lord of the Dead Spirits, we'll certainly face retribution… Yet nobody knows whether the Lord of Time is truly dead or truly unconcerned. After all, everyone who cultivates the three-body art strips away origin, yet the River of Time has never intervened, has it?" Right now, Su Yu had no idea what state the Lord of Time was in. However, he knew that when cultivators drew their past and future from the River of Time, the Lord of Time seemed utterly indifferent, never once blocking them. That was the truly curious part. The eyes of the others flickered. If what Su Yu said was true and they could indeed channel the three bodies, everyone's strength would surge by a notable margin. King Dazhou said gravely, "Your Majesty, the three-body art channels the past and future when one is at the peak of the Sun and Moon Realm, just beginning to touch the River of Time and rule power. At our current level, there seems to be no way to channel them." How could they do it now? Wan Tiansheng added, "We have all integrated our Daos into Your Majesty's world. Can we still channel origin from the River of Time?" That was another problem! Su Yu considered it and said, "Let's try! I observed earlier that we have lived in the myriad realms for a long time and left behind countless traces. Those traces are our origin! "I summoned you all here simply to refine the channeling method, and to let you observe whether it suits everyone… The final point is… how to open different Rivers of Time?" Everyone was startled. What did he mean by different rivers? Su Yu said softly, "Have you forgotten? When we open the River of Time, what we see differs. The river we open now does not contain memories! But the river opened through the three-body art is an individual's personal memories…" At these words, both the Southern King and Princess Qi looked stunned. Princess Qi asked in bewilderment, "What memories?" King Dazhou was also taken aback and looked at the two of them. "Neither of you has ever opened that kind of river?" "..." Instantly, everyone was dumbfounded. Su Yu, on the other hand, did not mind. "I've never opened such a river either! Every time I open a path, I connect directly to the main Dao and see the current river. It seems that unless one walks the three-body art, it cannot be opened!" Wan Tiansheng had opened it before and had even shown it to Su Yu. Now, Wan Tiansheng was also surprised. "Do people not see the same River of Time when they open it?" Things were growing stranger by the moment! He had assumed everyone saw the same thing. Su Yu turned to King Dazhou once more. "When you integrated your Dao back then, did you open the river like that? Did you see the River of Memory, or the mainstream river?" King Dazhou thought back. "I… personally, I never opened a River of Memory, but someone once brought me to see one. Besides, last time, I accompanied Your Majesty to inspect Wang Hu's River of Memory… So I thought it was just because I integrated my Dao so long ago that I lacked the experience… but I knew the three-body art possessed it!" He explained, "I assumed it was a trait of the cultivation art. But I figured the Southern King and the others would know. If they don't, does that mean it didn't exist in the past?" Strange! He pondered, comparing it to antiquity. Unfortunately, so few people had cultivated it in that era that no one had ever heard of such details. By this point, Wan Tiansheng was puzzled as well. "Has nobody else opened it? "I certainly opened that kind of River of Memory… Is there truly a difference?" He added, "Later, I thought it was because I had grown stronger that I could no longer open it, so I stopped caring. I assumed the illusions of past and future in the river had simply faded away…" He had categorized them as mere illusions—a naive perception from when he was still weak. Su Yu, however, plunged into rapid calculation. Illusions? His own River of Memory… He closed his eyes in contemplation. After a long silence, Su Yu suddenly asked, "Tell me, does the three-body art cultivate oneself, or does it cultivate the Great Dao?" What did that mean? Everyone looked at him again, more bewildered than before. Su Yu clarified, "In other words, does the three-body art cultivate one's own River of Time, or does it cultivate the Dao power within the Time Dao?" Nonsense! King Dazhou said firmly, "All cultivation naturally cultivates the Time Dao!" How could one cultivate oneself? Wouldn't that just be the Chaos Dao? Su Yu shook his head. "Not necessarily. The three-body art is becoming increasingly bizarre. To me, it feels more like cultivating one's own river and then siphoning power from the River of Time. Simply put, just like opening a world, one cultivates their own Dao, borrows the power of the river to nourish their own Dao, and ultimately breaks away from the River of Time!" Su Yu said softly, "The River of Memory… and the River of Time might not even be in the same place!" Everyone was bewildered by his words, yet they could grasp the broad stroke of the concept. Wan Tiansheng pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty means that every being cultivating the three-body art possesses their own River of Memory, but through that River of Memory, we siphon power from the River of Time. Once we finish draining that origin power, we break free of the River of Time and form our own world?" If so, the three-body art was utterly terrifying! Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "Wouldn't that mean anyone could open a world? Could that still be called the three-body art? That would be a world-opening art!" Could such a terrifying technique truly be dismissed by everyone as the trashiest Dao-manifestation method imaginable? Su Yu did not know either! "Let's test it!" Su Yu smiled. "True or false, we'll know once we try! The three-body art channels one's past and future… Perhaps the River of Memory is merely another manifestation, not necessarily an independent river…" At this stage, Su Yu's understanding was also limited. The only way forward was direct experimentation! As long as it strengthened him, who cared? Whatever flaws or origins the three-body art possessed, he would uncover them sooner or later. It might have been devised by a supreme expert, or perhaps by an ordinary cultivator who inadvertently stumbled upon a method that absorbed origin. The myriad realms were vast, filled with countless eccentrics! If it was a technique born by accident, it was nothing extraordinary. If a supreme expert had crafted it deliberately… that figure was truly terrifying! As for the motive, it might have been for their own cultivation, or perhaps to prepare others to break away from the River of Time, denying the River of Time any further opportunity to expand. To suppress the Lord of Time? It was entirely possible! If everyone cultivated the three-body art and absorbed their own origin power, how could the River of Time continue to grow? If that was the case… the wars of the myriad realms might hide deeper conspiracies! At this moment, the thought struck Su Yu. Because the three-body art was weak, hardly anyone had cultivated it initially. When the Human Sovereign and his peers resided in the myriad realms, their presence had suppressed its growth; not a single ancient powerhouse had thought highly of the three-body art. Their disciples, friends, kin, and subordinates… none would ever cultivate it! It was simply too worthless! Yet the moment the powerhouses of the myriad realms departed, the three-body art rapidly became mainstream. If so, it signaled that something was deeply amiss. "The Time Master's departure was the root cause of the turmoil in the myriad realms… King Wen and King Wu followed shortly after! Those accidents might have been orchestrated by the Human Ancestor's faction. But what did the Human Ancestor's faction have that could plot against King Wen and the others? Yu? She had neither the strength nor the brains!" "Yet when I brought this up last time, Hundred Battles didn't deny it… Does that imply the three-body art is connected to the Human Ancestor as well?" The objective would naturally be weakening the River of Time. Matters were growing more convoluted by the second! So tangled that even now, Su Yu could not see through them. Enough! Su Yu stopped overthinking. The pressing priority was elevating his strength. Having pierced through the fundamental nature of the three-body art, the danger to him was minimal; it was primarily about extracting origin from the River of Time. "Weakening the River of Time…" In the dark, Su Yu suddenly sensed that some grand conspiracy—or monumental plan—was underway! "The Lord of the Dead Spirits… the Lord of Time… the Three Gates… fortune…" Terms surfaced in his mind one after another. Su Yu suddenly called out, "Dead Spirit King!" In the void, the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign materialized. Su Yu said gravely, "You said earlier that the three-body art might relate to something the Lord of the Dead Spirits once remarked. How did he put it again?" The Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign felt a twinge of uncertainty. Why ask again? Even so, he answered, "The Lord of the Dead Spirits said that if a single person wants to devour the River of Time, it is exceedingly difficult. One must find three supreme powerhouses, separate their three bodies, and have them uphold the front, middle, and rear sections to compress the river. Only then is there hope of devouring it!" "That was the gist of it!" He repeated it once more. Su Yu's eyes flashed fiercely. "Three bodies, Three Gates, devouring!" Something clicked in his mind, and he drew a sharp breath. Not just him—the moment those words left his mouth, King Dazhou and Wan Tiansheng both showed looks of sheer terror, their minds reeling. The Southern King had not thought that far ahead. Seeing their expressions, she asked in surprise, "What's wrong?" King Dazhou said in a heavy voice, "Did the Southern King not hear His Majesty's words? Three bodies, Three Gates, devouring the river!" What did that mean? The Southern King remained somewhat doubtful. Meanwhile, the Dead Spirit Emperor Sovereign seemed to grasp the implication and gasped in disbelief: "Does Your Majesty mean that a powerhouse is currently using the three-body art to weaken the entire river? And perhaps three supreme figures have entered the Three Gates, which might represent three nodal points of the river, aiming to swallow the River of Time whole?" He added in horror, "And the Lord of the Dead Spirits is one of them?" Could it be? After all, this had been an idea proposed by the Lord of the Dead Spirits back then. Furthermore, the Lord of the Dead Spirits had once declared that the Lord of Time had seized some immense fortune, and had he arrived first, he could have done the same! Su Yu fell silent for a moment before saying uncertainly, "I cannot be sure. But if the deduction holds, a supreme powerhouse resides within each of the Three Gates! The Heaven, Earth, and Human Gates… The Earth Gate lies within the myriad realms, while the Heavenly Gate and Human Gate should be flanking the river on either side, together propping up the entire river! Right now, the Earth Gate might hold the Human Ancestor, the Heavenly Gate might hold the Lord of the Dead Spirits, and within the Human Gate… I don't know who exists there. Or perhaps… the Human Ancestor is actually in the Human Gate, while someone else occupies the Earth Gate?" Su Yu said in a low voice, "The spread of the three-body art might have been intended to weaken the River of Time, and the emergence of the Three Gates might serve a grand scheme… devouring the river!" Having said this, Su Yu suppressed the tremor in his heart and commanded, "Speak no more of this. Stripping origin may not be a blessing, and weakening the River of Time might… not be a good thing either! Whether the Human Sovereign and his peers knew about this remains an open question!" Were three supreme figures truly preparing to swallow the river? Was that what had sparked endless upheavals? Su Yu could not determine the truth. However, they could speculate no further. Continuing to probe might invite catastrophe and infringe upon the interests of terrifying figures. The Human Sovereign and his allies might not have been simply outmaneuvered; they might have obstructed the designs of certain titans, leading to their betrayal and targeting! "Things… are growing more complicated by the day!" Su Yu sighed inwardly. Wan Tiansheng and the others wore shifting expressions, none of them daring to speak further. Su Yu said no more on the subject and stated directly, "I will attempt to channel the power of the past and future! Keep a close eye on me and see if any issues arise. If everything goes smoothly, perhaps you can all try it!" …… Su Yu set aside those theories and had the group observe. This time, he did not tear open the River of Time. In a dizzying spin, Su Yu returned to the Heavens Battlefield. Before the others could register any disturbance, Su Yu stood upon the battlefield. "Traced to the source of the three bodies…" Su Yu murmured. He now understood broadly how to open the River of Memory. The source! At that exact instant, the others seemed to hear the roar of surging waves! Boom! A blur flashed before their eyes. Suddenly, they appeared in a place distinct from the River of Time, yet remarkably similar, bearing subtle differences. Towering waves surged! There were no tributaries—or rather, none existed here. This was a pitch-black river, its surface undulating with crashing waves. This bore an uncanny resemblance to the river Wan Tiansheng had once guided Su Yu through! Su Yu's voice echoed across the expanse: "The three-body art and the River of Memory are both paths of tracing back to the source!" The others did not fully comprehend, but they committed it to memory without time to ponder deeply. Su Yu's figure materialized before them, looking forward. "Ahead lies the past, behind lies the future. Every single wave is a vital segment of memory left behind in your life. Fusing the three bodies means scooping out a powerful version of yourself from the past or future to bolster your present!" That was the essence of the three-body art! "And each of these waves is an important origin in your life… A true convergence of origin involves drawing the entirety of your past and future into your true body, uniting myriad origins into one! "Of course, you may not be able to scoop them all up. Under normal circumstances, claiming a single body is plenty!" Su Yu led the group forward, watching the waves crest and fall. He smiled. "This is my past and future! In your opinion, if I were to scoop up a past or future body, at what moment would I be at my absolute strongest?" Which moment in the past would make him strongest? King Dazhou said solemnly, "Your Majesty's strongest past was naturally just a moment ago!" Only the immediate past could be Su Yu's peak, couldn't it? Could Su Yu possess an even stronger past? As for the future, it was fickle and unknowable. He might be weak, he might be dead, or he might be peerlessly strong—who could tell? If scooping from the past, there was no doubt! Su Yu said softly, "Perhaps! But I was thinking: inside my world, I rank at the second grade; outside my world, I am merely third grade… My past existing within the River of Time is likely only at the third grade. If two third-grade bodies fuse, can I reach the second grade?" King Dazhou considered this. That… was far from certain! In other words, even if Su Yu scooped it up, he might not achieve second-grade strength outside his world, let alone reach first grade! Su Yu continued, "Scooping up power requires a carrier and physical resilience. With my current strength, my body might only endure one channeling. As for a carrier, to find one capable of holding such immense power… unless I use the Human Lord Seal, I will only have one shot! "Therefore, either I don't scoop, or I claim the absolute strongest! "When in my past was I truly at my peak?" The group exchanged looks. Wasn't it just a moment ago? Su Yu had asked repeatedly. Did he genuinely believe there was a time he was stronger than right now? Impossible! Su Yu wasn't some ancient antique who had possessed peerless might eons ago! "Could Your Majesty… believe it isn't in the past?" Wan Tiansheng was puzzled as well. I watched you grow with my own eyes; you've grown stronger every single day without ever experiencing a period of decline. Su Yu smiled. "Not necessarily! It's true that I've been constantly growing stronger, but… I'm wondering: when I was six years old, at the exact instant I fused with the Time Record… was I stronger?" Everyone froze. Su Yu said quietly, "When the Time Record first appeared, did it carry a portion of the Time Master's power? The Time Master should be far more powerful than I am now. At that moment, did the eruption of the Time Record's power make me surpass my current self for a fleeting instant?" No way, right? Shock filled their hearts. Could a six-year-old Su Yu have commanded power eclipsing his present state? Even if only for a fraction of a second! Wan Tiansheng said gravely, "That seems unlikely. If Your Majesty had been stronger than you are now at that age… you would have exploded on the spot!" Su Yu shook his head. "Not necessarily. Perhaps… I died back then? And the Time Record brought me back to life—who knows? By the time I truly made use of the Time Record, its energy was almost completely drained… I want to see what on earth happened when I was six years old." That instant might truly have been his zenith. Regardless, he would know once he looked. "Let's go. With my current strength, I can swim against the current, return to sixteen years ago, and witness how I fused with the Time Record that day!" Su Yu found it strange as well. Had the Time Record truly fused with him as effortlessly as his father claimed? Such a formidable treasure had boosted Su Yu significantly even when he integrated it recently. How could a powerless six-year-old child have fused with it? Just a single day's fever? And that was it? Su Yu didn't believe it! There had to be hidden details; he had always felt it was far from that simple! Previously, he couldn't open the River of Memory and lacked the opportunity to look. Today, having grasped the essence of the three-body art, he had opened the River of Memory. In that case, he would go and see what had happened when he was six! …… The group advanced upstream. Su Yu knew that even if he didn't remember, returning to age six would be just like King Miecan's experience. Back then, King Miecan had been deep in secluded cultivation and had no idea what occurred, yet in his memory, Su Yu had witnessed King Jintian's father swapping his bloodline. King Miecan himself had remained entirely oblivious! Thus, by retracing his memories, Su Yu could observe that scene as a bystander. As for bringing King Dazhou and the others along, it served partly to have them check for anomalies and partly to help identify unknown elements. Su Yu ignored the massive waves along the way. They were meaningless—he knew they were merely scenes of his past battles and had no desire to watch them again. Walking forward, he chuckled, "My Time Record was given to me by my father. Tell me… could my father be a supreme powerhouse in hiding?" He had suspected this before, but… his old man didn't look like a supreme powerhouse at all! The others wore bizarre expressions. Even the Southern King asked in astonishment, "Your Time Record was given to you by your father?" That was genuinely shocking! Su Yu nodded. "Indeed! Not only that, my father found the treasure at Starfall Mountain. He even told me there seemed to be ruins at Starfall Mountain because he heard sounds… Looking back, that was likely the sound of the Time Waterfall—the sound of the waterfall crashing before King Wen's former residence. Can an ordinary person hear that sound?" "No!" King Dazhou exclaimed in surprise. "Even I couldn't hear it!" Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "It wasn't you who guided my father?" He had assumed King Dazhou had orchestrated it! King Dazhou practically swore to the heavens, hastily stating, "It really wasn't! I know where King Wen's residence is, and I did consider guiding someone to find it, but… I couldn't get in, nor could I part that Time Waterfall! I swear, it truly wasn't me." "I thought it was you!" King Dazhou said helplessly, "It really wasn't, Your Majesty! If it were me, I would have admitted it by now! Put it this way: the emergence of the Brush Dao was indeed guided by me… Back then, I knew where Xia Chen was hiding. When disaster struck Hundred Battles' side, I deliberately suppressed Xia Chen and pinned him under the Human Realm… So when he awoke, he found himself alone in the entire Human Realm. In the end, he had no choice but to emerge with the Civilization Tombstone and establish the Multi-Character Academy!" Su Yu laughed, while King Dazhou sighed, "Truly, the Brush Dao's emergence was related to me! The Dao of Ink… was related to me as well! The inheritance of the Dao of Ink originally lay in the dead spirit realm. Later, I made a trip there, retrieved the inheritance… and gave it to Liu Hong. Strictly speaking, it wasn't that I gave it to him; he was naturally compatible with the Dao of Ink. I chose him, but the Great Dao chose him as well! "As for the Paper Dao, it was loosely connected… but my initial choice wasn't Lan Tian. That lunatic Lan Tian went mad under pressure, developed a split personality, and transformed into myriads of avatars… Originally, I had my sights on Wan Tiansheng…" Wan Tiansheng said faintly, "Is that so? Then my Dao of Seven Emotions and Six Desires has something to do with you after all? Its influence on me runs quite deep. And one person who influenced me profoundly was my senior brother! He treated me wonderfully. His later demise made me taste the warmth and chill of human relations, the fickleness of the world, joy, anger, sorrow, and grief… My life has been profoundly shaped by that senior brother of mine!" The senior brother he spoke of was Ye Batian. Wan Tiansheng had rejected the three-body art and later chosen to walk the current Human Dao—the Dao of Seven Emotions and Six Desires. That choice was inextricably tied to Ye Batian! King Dazhou was speechless. Right, Wan Tiansheng was standing right there! He could only say, "I know nothing about that… In any case, Your Majesty's situation was a complete accident and had nothing to do with me! I never expected Your Majesty to inherit the Brush Dao, nor did I anticipate Your Majesty inheriting the Time Master's lineage!" Su Yu frowned. "It truly wasn't you?" "Truly not me!" King Dazhou protested his innocence. Had he known Su Yu was this monstrous, he would have groomed him long ago. All of this had fallen outside his calculations. "I never imagined the Time Record would return to the myriad realms!" King Dazhou explained, "Without opening the Heavenly Gate, how could that object return? That is why I've always been puzzled: who brought the Time Record back? If the Time Master could open the Heavenly Gate to send the Time Record back, wouldn't she have returned to the myriad realms long ago?" True enough! Su Yu's heart jolted. He asked in a low voice, "You mean… there might have been a powerhouse within the Heavenly Gate who opened it and transmitted the Time Record back?" "Yes!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Yet as far as I know, the time I obtained the Time Record roughly coincided with the period Liu Hong inherited the Dao of Ink!" King Dazhou thought it over and explained, "That… I'm genuinely not entirely sure about! The reason I chose that moment was because the Great Dao underwent a tremor back then. The River of Time trembled, and the Dead Spirit Dao seemed to shake as well… Seeing that the timing was ideal, I guided Liu Hong to inherit the Dao of Ink!" He had merely acted on the opportune moment to grant Liu Hong the optimal window to claim the Dao. "Otherwise, under normal circumstances, inheriting the Dao of Ink is exceptionally difficult due to suppression from the Dead Spirit Dao…" Su Yu nodded and dropped the subject. Since King Dazhou had denied it multiple times, the probability of him being responsible was slim. Otherwise, there was no reason to deny it. Su Yu was about to see the truth anyway; King Dazhou would have used the opportunity to claim credit instead: *Look, Your Majesty, I was the one who bestowed your great fortune…* Yet King Dazhou refused to take credit, making that scenario unlikely! The group continued forward. Soon, Su Yu's eyes flickered. Ahead, an enormous wave—larger than any wave they had encountered—surged with violent fury! At this moment, King Dazhou and the others changed color. What a massive wave! It felt even larger than the wave representing the moment Su Yu slew Hundred Battles and the others! Su Yu's guess had hit the mark! At age six, he might have been truly formidable—or at least possessed transcendent power for a single instant! Looking at the churning wave ahead, Su Yu took a deep breath and smiled. "Come, let's see what on earth happened when I was six!" For a wave to be this colossal—surpassing even the turbulent ripple when King Miecan discovered Lan Tian's true identity—was extraordinarily abnormal! Without hesitation, Su Yu swiftly led the group plunging into the wave. Boom! The world spun. It was as though they had returned to sixteen years ago. Nanyuan came into view. The ancient city of Nanyuan, sixteen years in the past! Before them appeared a child—a small, frail boy of slight stature. "A'Yu, your dad's not back yet?" A childish yet headstrong voice rang out. Even at such a young age, the voice carried a brash tone. Su Yu recognized the speaker instantly: Chen Hao. The two had known each other for years. They had been neighbors in their childhood until Chen Hao's father received a promotion and moved the family away. "Not yet!" The little squirt sniffled, his voice tender. "Haozi, when my dad left, he said he'd be back soon and bring me something tasty… I'll give you half…" "Something tasty?" Beside him stood a much larger boy, remarkably sturdy—far more robust than young Su Yu! He looked like a little bull calf! At this moment, the boy drooled slightly. "What tasty food? When can we eat it?" Little Su Yu sniffled again. "Go beat up Wu A'san first, and then I'll share it with you…" "Beat him again? No way, last time his dad complained to my dad…" "Do you want the tasty food or not?" Little Su Yu sniffled once more and coaxed, "At worst, your dad will just beat you. He's your real dad, so he won't beat you to death… If you beat up Wu A'san, you get to eat tasty food… And once Wu A'san is terrified of you, he'll have to share his tasty food with you next time, so you get to eat good stuff multiple times…" "Hey, that's true!" The burly boy nodded, looking hopeful. "A'Yu, if I take a beating, I get to eat good stuff several times?" "Yeah!" "Then I'm off to beat Wu A'san!" "Go on!" "..." Instantly, the onlookers turned to look at Su Yu with bizarre expressions. Good grief! How old were you back then?! You were already instigating people to beat others up? Were you already this unprincipled as a child?! Su Yu, lost in reminiscence, only spoke after a long pause: "I don't remember clearly… Wu A'san… I have a faint impression. When I was little, he always bullied me whenever my dad was away. My mother died early, so no one protected me… Dad wasn't home, and his mother was a fat, vicious shrew… When my dad came back, he couldn't even out-argue her…" Su Yu smiled. "That kid used to snatch my food, so I vaguely remember. Haozi gave him quite a few beatings back then… That's probably how it went!" Su Yu's smile turned radiant. "Wu A'san… I wonder if he's still alive? I'd completely forgotten about this, but seeing it brought it all back. Right, that rascal constantly picked on me, then joined the army later… I'll have to look into it. He left around sixteen, and six or seven years have passed since. I don't know if he's dead… If he's alive, I'll go settle the score!" "..." Everyone was speechless! Good grief! You… you are the Emperor Yu! This happened more than a decade ago! The guy is probably at most a Soaring Realm or even a Wanshi Realm cultivator now. How could you shamelessly settle scores with him?! While they were caught between tears and laughter, little Su Yu suddenly cried out in delight, "Dad, you're back!" At that moment, everyone turned to look! With that single glance, everyone's expressions changed drastically! Su Yu's expression shifted as well! Looking toward Su Long, he saw that while Su Long appeared slightly injured, it was nothing severe, and a broad smile covered his face. That was ordinary enough. What was terrifying was that behind Su Long stood a figure—ethereal and indistinct, yet radiating an aura so monstrously potent… it seemed to blot out the heavens and eclipse the sun! The enormous wave in Su Yu's childhood memory had likely been caused by this very entity! Su Yu's face darkened instantly. He grabbed the others and rapidly deployed the power of myriad Daos to conceal their presence! A sufficiently powerful entity could perceive being spied upon! Even across more than a decade of time! Sure enough, something was wrong! Su Yu was horrified, not daring to stare too long at the phantom standing behind Su Long. Who was that? Just as terror gripped him, another aura stirred! A figure emerged, also incomparably powerful… though that was by the standards of those years; today, it was nothing remarkable. It was… the elderly gatekeeper from Su Yu's school. Later, of course, he knew that was King Daxia! He had been stationed there to guard Liu Wenyan! King Daxia seemed to have sensed something as well. Arriving swiftly, he surveyed the surroundings. Finding nothing, he was about to leave when a sturdy little fellow abruptly crashed into him. It was Chen Hao. Crashing into King Daxia, Chen Hao immediately scrambled to his feet and bolted, shouting as he ran, "Wu A'san, my grandpa is here! He's going to avenge me…" Behind him, several kids who had been chasing him screeched to a halt at the sight of King Daxia. Seeing how burly the old man looked, none dared pick a fight and turned tail to flee. King Daxia seemed stunned for a moment, looked around, chuckled, and shook his head. Naturally, he had no interest in meddling in children's squabbles. Glancing toward the direction where Su Long had appeared, King Daxia muttered in confusion, "Did no one sneak in?" He shook his head and sighed. "Forget it. If that bastard King Dazhou were here, maybe he could have sniffed something out… I clearly felt something strange… Or could it be that bastard Wan Tiansheng running around? Stay hidden properly like you're supposed to, why the hell are you scurrying everywhere!" "..." King Dazhou looked at Wan Tiansheng, and Wan Tiansheng looked at him. Both gave dry smiles. Sixteen years ago, someone had cursed them right here! Naturally, neither had any inclination to settle accounts with King Daxia right now. Their expressions turned solemn, and they dared not turn back to look. In the distance, Su Long was leading little Su Yu toward their home. Faintly, Su Long's joyful voice carried over. "Good boy, we've struck it rich!" "Your dad had incredible luck this time… we made a fortune!" "Dad, Wu A'san bullied me…" "Oh… hang in there, son. Now that we have money, we'll buy a bigger house and move away. His mother is a shrew, and a real man doesn't fight women. If we go demand an apology, that woman can curse us for ten days and ten nights… Before we move, watch your dad smash their roof with a single punch…" "We'd have to pay compensation for that… Dad, before we leave, let's trick Uncle Wu and tell him Aunt Wu found a new dad for Wu A'san… so Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu fight every day…" "Son, that's not clever enough for someone your age… You should trick your Uncle Wu into thinking Wu A'san isn't his biological son!" "Oh, I got it!" "Good boy!" "..." At this moment, Wan Tiansheng and the others wore increasingly strange expressions. Teaching by word and deed! Who would have guessed that Su Long, with his thick brows and honest eyes, had been teaching his son to be completely unscrupulous since childhood? No wonder Su Yu grew up rotten to the core! Su Yu maintained an indifferent face. What are you looking at? My dad was just worried I'd be bullied. He was rarely home; shouldn't a bullied kid learn self-defense? Of course, none of that mattered. What truly mattered was… who was that phantom? Even King Daxia, a pinnacle Eternal powerhouse, had failed to detect anything amiss, yet Su Yu and the others could clearly feel that terrifyingly immense power. Su Yu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Come, let's go to my house. My dad should have obtained the Time Record on this trip. I want to see how this Time Record actually fused with me!" His father was no powerhouse, yet someone had been shadowing him. Had that figure followed him all along, or had they trailed behind the Time Record? That was what Su Yu cared about most! And just who was that figure?