Past Body

Back when he was six years old, a figure—a supreme powerhouse—had actually been following his father. An existence too blinding to look upon directly! An overwhelmingly formidable entity! Su Yu laid down a grand formation, sealing everything away. Grasping the others, he drifted slowly toward his old home, keeping his back turned the entire way. He did not dare look straight at the figure, lest he be discovered and disrupt his own memories. Su Yu was fairly familiar with how these phenomena worked. In his memories, as long as he refrained from looking closely or investigating carefully, it would be extremely difficult for the other party to detect him across a span of sixteen years. Drifting down into his home, Su Yu kept his back turned to his younger self, to his father, and to the illusory shadow. At this moment, the entire room held Su Yu's group, the phantom figure, and Su Long. Su Long was chatting with little Su Yu, seemingly in high spirits, chuckling endlessly. "We've struck it rich!" "Dad, did you find money on the ground?" "Pretty much!" Su Long chuckled heartily. "Anyway, we're rich! Son, let me show you, but don't you dare show it to anyone else… Look, your old man picked this up: a book! A golden book!" "Do you know what a golden book means? Daring to use a golden book—in the past, only big shots used such things… Even now, selling it just for its gold would make us a fortune! I value this tremendously. Once I find a chance to sell it… we'll make a killing!" "Still, we have to be careful so no one gets greedy and causes trouble. In any case, it's definitely a treasure!" "The only thing is, it won't open. I can't tell if it was just forged in the shape of a book, or if I lack the ability to open it… This thing might just be some supreme Dao cultivation treasure…" "……" Su Long rambled on and on, looking exceptionally cheerful. Su Yu judged that his father really might have stumbled upon it by accident… Yet Su Yu felt all the more vividly how overwhelmingly powerful the Time Record was, whereas Su Long had sensed nothing at all. Perhaps… the phantom figure had sealed it, masking the aura of the Time Record. The Time Record had not arrived without energy in the first place! It possessed power, but someone had sealed it, allowing an ordinary mortal to pick it up. *Why my father?* Su Yu wondered. What kind of existence was this phantom? Why was it his father who picked up the treasure? His father was nothing special. Had this been aimed at his father, or aimed at him? Even if it had been aimed at him, back then, had there been anything special about him? One question after another surfaced in Su Yu's mind. Had the Time Record truly been an inheritance passed down from the Time Master, or had this phantom forcefully bestowed it upon him, or was it something else entirely? The existence of this item was what had allowed Su Yu to accumulate enough starting capital. Otherwise, he could never have reached his present height. From beginning to end, the phantom spoke not a single word. Before long, Su Long cooked a meal for his son. Su Yu did not look, but he could hear the sounds. The scene naturally took shape in his mind, along with the image of that phantom perpetually shadowing his father. Under these circumstances, having finished eating, Su Long spoke again. "A'Yu, stay home and don't run around. I'm going out to find some connections. When I get back, I'll move us into a big house, and before I leave, I'll help you beat up Wu the Third's dad… Remember, don't run around outside!" "Oh, okay." "Also, I'm leaving the golden book at home for now. Don't take it out to show off! If someone snatches it, our big house is gone! If anyone comes by, just say Dad isn't home and don't open the door for them…" "Got it!" "Good boy. Dad's going out for a bit to look up old contacts and see if I can get in touch with Marquis Xia. That fat bastard has money… We don't know what this book is good for anyway. If the fat bastard takes a fancy to it, he'd believe it even if I tricked him into thinking it's an invincible supreme treasure! More money than brains, and the Xia family doesn't usually resort to dirty tricks like double-crossing. We're guaranteed to strike it rich…" As Su Long continued to blather, a smile crept onto Su Yu's face. His father truly had possessed no small amount of guts back then. He had actually planned to take this thing to cut a deal with Marquis Xia? If that transaction had gone through, Su Yu would never have entered the picture. Soon, Su Long departed. Su Yu's expression shifted slightly. Su Long had left, yet the phantom… had not! This entity had not been following Su Long; it had come following the Time Record. The Time Master? King Wen? The Time Record was a supreme treasure, so was this phantom King Wen or the Time Master? Bizarre! At this moment, King Dazhou and the others were also taken aback. Unrelated to Su Long, had this figure come for the Time Record, or for Su Yu? "To think a cookbook would fall into the hands of a piece of trash…" Right then, a human voice suddenly echoed in their ears. The Southern King's heart jolted so hard she caused a slight disturbance, but Su Yu hurriedly pressed down on her shoulder, signaling her not to make a sound. "What a pity!" The voice sounded once more. At that exact instant, without knowing what the phantom had done, young Su Yu's voice suddenly rang out. "Who… who are you?" Su Yu's expression turned grave. *Did I see the phantom when I was little? Did the phantom reveal his true form?* Before the phantom could speak, everyone suddenly heard a voice full of boundless joy: "Grandpa! Are you Grandpa? Dad said Grandpa was amazing and could beat up ten city lords by himself. Grandpa's come home!" Su Yu wore an odd expression. *Grandpa? My grandfather died early. Where would a grandfather come from? I knew that even as a kid!* "Grandpa?" The phantom spoke again with a faint chuckle. "Little one, you've mistaken me for someone else…" "No, Grandpa, you're my grandpa!" Young Su Yu was overjoyed. "Your grandson Su Yu kowtows to Grandpa! Grandpa, you're finally back! Someone's been bullying A'Yu… Grandpa, Dad just went out. I'll go call Dad home! Grandpa's back!" *Thump, thump, thump.* It sounded as if young Su Yu was genuinely kowtowing… Su Yu looked utterly unnatural. At that moment, the phantom also seemed taken aback, remarking faintly, "What an exquisitely perceptive mind! Little one, are you afraid I'll kill you?" "N-No… Grandpa… How could Grandpa kill his own grandson… Grandpa…" "Little one, you should know that once you reach a certain level of strength, every single move you make and every thought you hold will be grasped by others!" The phantom's tone carried amusement. "I am surprised that in a family like this, a mere child possesses such an intricately clever heart. Are you trying to fetch your father to deal with me? Most likely… it won't work! He is far too weak!" King Dazhou and the others glanced at Su Yu's true body with exceedingly bizarre expressions. *Were you really that shrewd as a child, dropping to your knees, kowtowing, and calling him Grandpa just to survive?* *Good heavens!* The group had nearly believed that Su Yu's actual grandfather had returned! Or that the child had simply made an honest mistake! "Wuu… Grandpa… are you going to hit me? I'm a motherless child… Everyone bullies me. Is Grandpa going to bully me too? Grandpa…" Su Yu's true body's eyes flickered. *That isn't me!* *Everyone heard wrong. I have no memory of this whatsoever! As a kid, I would never go around kowtowing to strangers and calling them Grandpa!* At six years old, he had not been that young anymore; he was already old enough to attend primary school. Kowtowing and calling someone Grandpa… Su Yu would never do such a thing! Of course, if the kid had thought the intruder was a bandit or something, then… maybe! Still, his memory truly lacked this scene. Su Yu himself had no recollection of it. At this moment, the phantom let out a faint laugh. "A pity… I did not come for you this time. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind taking an apprentice… However, I came for this cookbook… With the Heavenly Gate sealed, the time I can remain is far too short!" A mere single sentence shook Su Yu's heart once more. What was going on? The Heavenly Gate was sealed—could this person be a powerhouse who had emerged from behind the Heavenly Gate? Was that why, like the Lord of the Dead Spirits, he could not linger for long? The Lord of the Dead Spirits had previously projected his willpower across, unable to remain for an extended period. So this phantom… was not his true body? Even without being the true body, it exerted such an overwhelmingly suffocating pressure upon Su Yu! Su Yu's mind churned violently as he pieced together a rough timeline: the Time Master had run into trouble and cast the Time Record back. Perhaps the Time Master had briefly forced open the Heavenly Gate, or perhaps this phantom's true body had briefly forced it open, pursuing the Time Record back through it, unable to linger for long. And the Time Record might originally have intended to return to King Wen's former residence, only to be picked up by his father… But having seen his father pick it up, why hadn't this person killed his father, choosing instead to follow him home? Su Yu was deeply perplexed! While he was baffled, young Su Yu seemed to have forgotten his fear. Likely still kneeling on the ground, he asked curiously, "Grandpa, didn't you come back to see A'Yu?" "Little one… you are quite amusing!" The phantom laughed. "I came looking for Xingyu… A pity! I originally thought that when Wen Yu encountered danger, the Time Record's return would lead it to Xingyu, taking me straight to him… Yet, it turned out not to be so!" Su Yu's heart jolted again. Looking for the Human Sovereign! Why look for the Human Sovereign? He had presumed that once the Time Master's Time Record flew out of the Heavenly Gate, it would seek out the Human Sovereign. Yet the outcome was clearly otherwise. The Time Master's will had simply been to return home! She had merely wanted to go home! "Xingyu? Xingyu is me!" Young Su Yu suddenly piped up, exclaiming with delight, "Grandpa knows my name too? I am Xingyu! My name is Su Yu, but my mother's surname is Xing, so I'm called Xingyu too!" "……" Black lines formed across Su Yu's forehead. What absolute nonsense! Besides, had he loved lying this much as a kid? Surely not! He had been an honest child back then! King Dazhou and the others knew that Su Yu had emerged unharmed from this incident and had inherited the Time Record. At this moment, their expressions turned exceedingly peculiar. *Could this incomparably formidable existence have been duped by a little brat like you?* *Otherwise, since he clearly hadn't come for you in the first place, why would he give you the Time Record?* *Could he… really have been fooled?* As for whether the visitor had sought the Human Sovereign to kill him, cooperate with him, or something else, no one could tell. Yet everyone knew the outcome. The Time Record had ended up with Su Yu! At this moment, the phantom laughed as well. "Xingyu? You are not Xingyu. Little one, Xingyu is an immensely powerful paragon! However… you might be called Wen Yu… Bloodline of Wen? Is this Nanyuan… where Wen Yu and the others once resided? Wen's territory… mostly carries the bloodline inheritance of Wen… Wen was no weaker than me. Changing your ancestral lineage carelessly will not make your ancestor happy!" Laughter laced the phantom's words. "Wen, Ri, Yue, Zhou… those individuals were all powerhouses! Yet after countless ages, their bloodlines have thinned. The human race is uniquely blessed by heaven… In this tiny Human Realm, I see quite a few powerhouses' bloodlines, though sadly, all have grown faint!" The phantom sighed with emotion. Su Yu and the others were surprised, yet not entirely so. In the Human Realm, bloodlines of ancient powerhouses were abundant, though most could be treated as negligible. For instance, the descendants of the Human Ancestor—anyone surnamed Zhou dared claim to be a descendant of the Human Ancestor. The ancient ancestors had numbered only so many. Tracing back far enough, nearly everyone was the descendant of a powerhouse. Yet after countless generations, it could practically be treated as nonexistent. Here in Nanyuan, King Wen's former fief, could it be that before King Wen, it had been the territory of his ancestor, Wen? If so, it was entirely normal for the people of Nanyuan to carry a trace of Wen's bloodline. Su Yu did not care much about this. King Dazhou and his ilk might very well carry the Human Ancestor's bloodline themselves. At this moment, young Su Yu, likely failing to understand, continued to call out sweetly, "Grandpa, is your surname Wen too?" "Mine?" The phantom seemed in no hurry. Su Yu had no idea why, having claimed his time was short, the figure still had the leisure to chat with a little kid. The phantom chuckled. "My surname is not Wen…" Without pursuing the topic, he added, "It is time I took this cookbook away. It is not something you can enjoy! At such a young age, your mind is remarkably lucid. A pity… you are too small, and far too weak… There is no time for you to grow…" With a light chuckle, he seemed about to take the Time Record away. At this, Su Yu's interest was piqued. *How the hell did I manage to keep the Time Record?* The other party clearly intended to carry it off. As for why he hadn't taken it from the start, Su Yu had yet to figure that out either. While Su Yu pondered how his younger self could possibly respond to this situation, a thunderous shout suddenly echoed through heaven and earth from the distance: "What foul demon dares run wild? Arrogant fool, coming and going as you please!" The explosive roar made even Su Yu jump. In that instant, an aura swept across the area. King Daxia! King Daxia had detected this person? Su Yu's heart jolted slightly! He seemed… to realize something! Right then, the phantom also seemed startled. "He detected me?" "A mere Eternal… though carrying some powerhouse bloodline…" Before he could finish speaking, the phantom was suddenly taken aback. "Hm? Who's there!" At that exact instant, another aura surged forth, indistinct and ephemeral. Before anyone else could react, King Dazhou's expression shifted slightly, growing unnatural. The next moment, a figure materialized nearby. Su Yu peered through the wall into the distance and froze. That was… King Dazhou? In the distance, King Dazhou glanced around, looking puzzled as if muttering to himself, seemingly having noticed something. "The river is turbulent… the Great Dao trembles. What happened?" Abruptly, King Dazhou looked toward Su Yu's direction, seemingly having noticed the phantom, or perhaps… having noticed Su Yu watching him! Suddenly casting his gaze over, he whispered, "I sense it…" Muttering under his breath, he actually began walking toward Su Yu's location. The phantom also looked peculiar, wearing a strange expression. "Discovered… The Human Realm actually still has powerhouses guarding it…" The phantom abruptly turned his gaze toward young Su Yu and sighed. "A curious little fellow. Your luck… is extraordinary! Strange, could your destiny truly be that of Wen's direct descendant? It feels as though transmitted across space… Strange, utterly strange!" At that moment, he reached out a hand to grasp. Su Yu's true body trembled slightly as a monstrous surge of karmic destiny materialized. Yet the phantom did not seem to detect anything amiss, remarking in wonder, "Such dense power of destiny—unbelievable… Transmitted across the void, does Wen's blessing still endure?" Now it was Su Yu's turn to feel bewildered! What on earth? This fellow was truly terrifyingly strong! So powerful that even with Su Yu standing right here, the other party had sensed the karmic destiny of his true body across the void! Formidable! However… that was not the destiny of his childhood self! Still, his childhood self was also him. Calling it his destiny was not entirely incorrect. As Su Yu was thinking, the phantom suddenly sighed with emotion. "Forget it. This cookbook is peculiar as well; it refuses to leave with me… It only insists on following your father. Perhaps it truly came looking for you, or looking for your father… The bloodline power of Wen? I intended to seek an opportunity to depart… Never did I expect that your bloodline might be even richer than your father's…" As the phantom spoke, King Dazhou drew near. The next instant, Su Yu's group felt a ripple—the phantom had apparently taken the Time Record and pressed it directly into young Su Yu's body! "Fate is something one must sometimes believe in… The person outside is quite strong and will discover the cookbook sooner or later… Rather than letting him have it, I might as well give it to you… Judging by his aura, he likely has some connection to Xingyu… A pity, the cookbook cannot be given to him. He has already taken shape, his aptitude is mediocre, he cuts off his tail to survive, lacking any drive to strive. Giving it to him is worse than giving it to you. The unknown holds far more promise than the known…" The phantom sighed. "Little one, remember: if you truly manage to rise, remember to seek me out behind the Heavenly Gate…" With those words, a formidable aura erupted from his form, and soon after, a powerful aura burst forth from young Su Yu as well! That was the power of the Time Record! At that moment, on the periphery, King Dazhou seemed to sense something. Just as he was about to step forward to investigate, he suddenly snorted coldly, "A diversion? Zhou Ji's aura… You dare enter my Human Realm?" In a flash, King Dazhou vanished! Su Yu and the others watched with peculiar expressions. What was going on now? Zhou Ji? Beside Su Yu, King Dazhou's expression was equally unnatural. What in the world? Seeing Su Yu look over, he hurriedly sent a voice transmission: "This… I have some recollection. Back then, around this time, the Great Dao here trembled. Thinking something was wrong, I came to investigate, but found nothing unusual. Instead, over in the Great Xia Prefecture, Zhou Ji's aura suddenly surfaced. I assumed it was a diversionary tactic…" "You knew about Zhou Ji? You knew that early on?" Su Yu asked. King Dazhou kept his mouth shut. *Nonsense, if I didn't know, how could I have told you Hundred Battles had a son?* He continued, "Perhaps Zhou Ji also sensed something back then, causing his aura to leak. Disguised as Wan Mingze, he might have detected the anomaly too… So after sensing the aura, I left immediately… I had no idea that just a few steps away, I had nearly crossed paths with Your Majesty!" Su Yu said nothing. At this moment, he still felt bewildered. Was this phantom good or evil? It felt very strange! He seemed to have come looking for the Human Sovereign, but why would the Time Record have brought him to find the Human Sovereign? Did he have a connection to King Wen and the Time Master? Far too many questions assaulted Su Yu's mind. Su Yu was not particularly worried about his younger self… It was merely a scene in his memories; he had indeed integrated with the Time Record. Yet the process of integrating with the Time Record seemed to have been rife with unexpected turns. One moment King Daxia shouted, the next King Dazhou appeared. Su Yu had not known that in his childhood, he had nearly encountered King Dazhou, separated by a mere few dozen meters. Had King Dazhou failed to sense the phantom's existence back then? How strange! If he had not sensed it, why would he have shown up here? As he pondered, the phantom behind him suddenly cursed, "Cowardly and afraid of death! Luckily, I didn't leave the cookbook for him. Just leaking a bit of aura, and this person actually fled… Shameless scoundrel, I truly didn't misjudge him!" Su Yu was stunned! What did that mean? Looking back at King Dazhou's true body, King Dazhou wore an unnatural expression and kept silent. Su Yu stared at him, and King Dazhou, deeply embarrassed, transmitted his voice: "Well… to tell the truth, I sensed a bit of it. But then an aura suddenly erupted—a very strong one. Fearing something might happen to me, I fled first…" Su Yu was shocked! *You… sensed it?* Growing even more embarrassed, King Dazhou transmitted, "Your Majesty should understand my circumstances. I could not fight to the death here; the other party was far too strong, so I had to leave. I feared something would happen to His Majesty the Human Sovereign, and I truly believed it was a diversion aimed at harming him!" Su Yu was completely speechless! So what the phantom said was true: King Dazhou had sensed the phantom's existence at the time, and the phantom, knowing King Dazhou had discovered him, had chosen to fuse the Time Record into Su Yu's body. Was that how it had happened? In essence, King Dazhou had inadvertently helped him fuse with the Time Record? The crux was that the bastard had sensed a powerhouse's aura and actually fled! He had run away! And he had made up an excuse about Zhou Ji's aura erupting—pure nonsense! Truly shameless! When a powerhouse infiltrated the Human Realm, shouldn't you have investigated? King Dazhou transmitted awkwardly, "I actually returned later, but found nothing, so I assumed it was merely a simple diversion…" "I thought it was done by Hundred Battles' faction, so…" Su Yu could not be bothered to listen to his explanations. At that moment, he felt the aura behind him rising! After cursing King Dazhou, the phantom soon spoke again: "Little one, your… luck is truly extraordinary! Had I known this person was so cowardly, I wouldn't have fused this item into your body. It's too late to regret it now… Nor did I expect that someone capable of setting the sun and moon would be so afraid of death…" Sighing with emotion, the phantom lamented, "Now, I lack the strength to seek out Xingyu… That person just now… an utter villain. Given the chance, decapitate him to be done with it! A dignified supreme master of seven Daos fled before even catching sight of the enemy… Had this person lived in my era, he would still be a villain… deserving of death!" With those words, the phantom sighed once more. "Because of his interference, the Heavenly Gate can no longer be suppressed; it is about to close completely. I must depart, leaving you to profit, little one! Forget it, it is fated. Time to leave!" *Boom!* A monstrous aura surged, and in an instant, that power erupted simultaneously with the aura inside Su Yu's body. Su Yu abruptly turned his head! Turning around, he saw his younger self drenched in blood, his fleshly body rupturing. Meanwhile, the phantom's power surged, instantly reshaping his body and erupting repeatedly to suppress the power of the Time Record, tinged with exhaustion and helplessness. "That bastard ruined my plans. Next time I meet him, I'll definitely beat him to death…" Beside Su Yu, King Dazhou's face shifted slightly. At that exact instant, the phantom seemed to sense something. He froze, murmuring, "Isolated destiny… memory backtracking? Your true body tracked back… You truly managed to rise?" Tinged with surprise, the phantom shattered the next moment, leaving behind a trace of regret: "Very well… I know not if you can hear this, but seek out Xingyu… tell him…" With a massive *boom*, Su Yu saw a gateway materialize! The phantom vanished instantly. He hadn't even finished his sentence! Su Yu was stunned. What kind of nonsense was this? Vanishing before finishing his words! Speechless! Could he not have uttered the important words before shattering? Telling him to seek out the Human Sovereign was fine, but what on earth was he supposed to tell him? To hell with this! Su Yu felt immensely frustrated! At this moment, he also saw that his younger self's aura had begun to wane, and the boy had fallen into a deep coma! Su Yu sighed helplessly. Never mind; if he didn't fuse now, it would be too late! If the aura decayed completely, fusing it into his body would make this past body far from strong. Just moments ago, when the phantom's aura had melded with the Time Record's power, had been his peak moment. Without further words, Su Yu gave a low shout. Seizing the opportunity before both auras dispersed, he abruptly thrust his hand into the endless void, reaching across an entire world—not even within the same spacetime—to grasp what was merely a remnant origin imprint from years past. Yet during this period, the arrival of multiple powerhouses had made the origin of this era exceptionally robust. With a low growl, Su Yu extended a massive hand, seized young Su Yu from the memory, and pulled him out, tearing him free of that world! The world began to shatter! Su Yu's group instantly reappeared within the River of Memory, which was rapidly churning. Behind Su Yu, an illusory shadow of his childhood self vaguely emerged. Eyes closed, two conflicting auras surged across the child's form, extraordinarily powerful—feeling considerably stronger than the present Su Yu. Su Yu could not bother to fuse it immediately. Instead, he snapped his head toward King Dazhou, his tone solemn: "What 'supreme master of seven Daos'? Did you deliberately ignore it back then, or did you genuinely flee?" King Dazhou's mouth opened and closed. Su Yu stared at him coldly. Grimacing helplessly, King Dazhou hurried to say, "He… he just said that off the cuff…" "Speak the truth!" Behind Su Yu, the River of Memory had begun to collapse, yet Su Yu paid it no heed. "If you don't speak, you can just stay here!" Speechless, King Dazhou quickly said, "It's not some supreme master of seven Daos… It's… it's just that I cultivated seven Great Daos…" Su Yu stared at him coldly. Seeing this, King Dazhou grew even more helpless and had no choice but to admit, "Fine. I wield the power of seven Great Daos, but I'm truly no supreme powerhouse. Moreover, several of those Daos are sealed by me; I have no way to use them!" With a helpless tone, he hurriedly added, "Strictly speaking, I'm inferior to Your Majesty. Seven trash Daos—at best, they reach the peak of the third rank! What's more, a large portion of them are sealed. If I were truly that strong, I would have beaten Hundred Battles and his group to death long ago… If Hundred Battles and Yu joined forces, I wouldn't stand a chance. Your Majesty, on this point, I truly haven't lied to you!" Su Yu stared at him coldly. Peak of the third rank? Unable to match Hundred Battles and the others joined together? The possibility existed, but this was a terrifying fellow who controlled seven Great Daos! Su Yu walked swiftly forward along the River of Memory, fusing his past body as he went. Behind him, the young Su Yu abruptly snapped his eyes open, a formidable aura surging forth! Countless questions arose in Su Yu's mind. As he walked, he asked, "Do you know who that shadow was? Why could he follow the Time Record to the Human Realm and seek out the Human Sovereign?" "I'm not quite sure…" Seeing Su Yu's dark expression, King Dazhou could only say glumly, "I truly don't know for certain. In all likelihood, he's an existence sealed behind the Heavenly Gate long ago! I… I suspect that seeking the Human Sovereign wasn't necessarily to oppose him; with merely a projection, opposing the Human Sovereign would be difficult… My guess is, could he be… Xing?" He added uncertainly, "Perhaps he had something to tell the Human Sovereign!" "Xing?" Su Yu was startled. "The Human Sovereign's ancestor?" "Possibly!" "Based on what?" Su Yu was puzzled; he hadn't seen how the figure could be Xing. King Dazhou explained swiftly, "Earlier, little Su Yu… cough, Your Majesty in your youth said you were Xingyu. He later said that Wen was no weaker than him, warning you not to change your ancestry carelessly. I think he might be Xing!" "Seeking His Majesty the Human Sovereign was probably to pass on a message or something else… He was only a projection, and killing the Human Sovereign was clearly beyond him. That projection wielded second-rank power at most, and might not have lasted long…" "Therefore, my guess is that he didn't come to kill, but to convey some message." King Dazhou continued, "As for tracing the Time Master's Time Record to seek His Majesty the Human Sovereign, that's actually understandable. In this era, the most powerful figure was the Human Sovereign! If the Time Master needed help, the best person to turn to was His Majesty the Human Sovereign! Moreover, the Human Sovereign shared a deep bond with King Wen and was very familiar with the Time Master. Logically speaking, if the Time Record sought rescue, it should have gone to the Human Sovereign…" Su Yu did not know whether his judgment was correct, but at this moment, he had no way of obtaining further information. He only knew that this formidable existence had actually crossed paths with him during his childhood. His fusion with the Time Record had been filled with bizarre twists and turns. Both King Dazhou and King Daxia had made appearances nearby. King Daxia went without saying—his loud shout had likely been due to sensing something amiss, suspecting someone lurked in hiding, and deliberately shouting to startle the snake. Yet King Dazhou's arrival had genuinely led to discovering that figure! And the result? He had run away! Su Yu continued fusing his past body, his aura steadily growing stronger. He spoke with a touch of gravity: "What a mess. Before the matters regarding the Human Sovereign and the others are resolved, the Human Sovereign's ancestor has shown up! Does this mean the group from the Heaven-Opening Era is truly still alive? Are they all behind the Heavenly Gate? If he is Xing, are the ones he mentioned—Wen, Ri, Yue…—still alive as well?" Su Yu frowned. Having too many powerhouses was not a good thing; it would interfere with his plans. Of course, he had long anticipated that many powerhouses lurked behind the Heavenly Gate, only their identities had remained unknown. Now, perhaps he knew! A group of powerhouses from the Heaven-Opening Era truly had been sealed away! Su Yu felt a headache coming on! What on earth was the Heavenly Gate? Who had sealed these existences? What had that phantom wanted to tell the Human Sovereign? In the end, he vanished without even finishing his words—what kind of nonsense was this! And then there was King Dazhou… Su Yu looked at King Dazhou again. Wearing a helpless expression that pleaded not to be scrutinized further, King Dazhou could only say, "Your Majesty, I truly have nothing left to hide! The reason I didn't want to say too much was partly because knowing wouldn't help Your Majesty much, and partly because… I was traumatized by Hundred Battles back then!" He felt utterly helpless as well! He had no choice but to say, "Regarding Nanyuan back then, I genuinely thought Hundred Battles and his group were behind it. Those scoundrels never gave up! Furthermore, the aura that erupted from the other party possessed the strength of roughly a second- or third-rank Ruler of Rule… I thought Yu had broken into the Human Realm…" Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Nonsense. Back then, Yu hadn't even broken his seal!" King Dazhou explained, "Your Majesty, people like us can actually briefly unleash some aura; we don't necessarily have to break our seals! I'm actually in the same state as them…" "If you were truly the same, when I broke the Human Sovereign's seal, your seal should have broken too!" Su Yu said coldly, "So, you now wield seven Great Daos? No, perhaps nine. You mastered the two Daos of Endurance later on, which means you are now a powerhouse of nine Daos! You're at least second-rank!" "I really am not…" "Even if you aren't, you have to be!" Su Yu glared at him coldly. "Even if you have to conjure it out of thin air, you'd better turn into a second-rank for me! Nine Great Daos—no matter how weak each one is, the power of a single Dao isn't negligible, let alone nine!" King Dazhou said helplessly, "Your Majesty, if I had truly reached the second rank, I would have gone upstream long ago. As for my distance from the second rank… put it this way: I'm similar to the Martial Emperor, still falling a bit short." "Heh!" Su Yu sneered, his aura surging continuously! *I don't believe you!* "If you can't reach the second rank… I naturally have ways to deal with you!" Su Yu transmitted two words: "*Human Mountain!*" King Dazhou's face turned green, and he looked ready to weep. "Your Majesty, I'm truly only third-rank, I'm not lying to you! At this point, there's no need for me to deceive Your Majesty. I've already shared my greatest secret, so why lie about this?" Su Yu ignored him! Whether true or false, if you don't become second-rank, I'll find trouble with you. Although King Dazhou had always concealed many things, Su Yu couldn't be bothered to settle scores with him over it. The man had mainly been terrified by Hundred Battles. But that was between him and Hundred Battles—just because you were deceived by that scoundrel Hundred Battles, you keep your guard up against me? That's entirely out of line! It was like getting cheated on by your ex, and then constantly suspecting your current partner would cheat on you too. That was completely unwarranted—the newcomer was an honest person, so what did he do to deserve that? To the side, King Dazhou resigned himself and fell silent. The others kept quiet as well, reflecting on everything that had just occurred. The phantom, the Time Record, King Dazhou… And young Su Yu—he had truly been a rascal even back then. Kowtowing everywhere and calling people Grandpa! No wonder that when he rose to power, he had acknowledged relatives left and right. Turns out he had been like that since childhood! Not wanting to continue the previous topic, King Dazhou diverted: "To think Your Majesty shares an ancestor with King Wen…" Su Yu scoffed dismissively. "Nonsense. According to his logic, everyone in Nanyuan shares an ancestor with King Wen!" What did that matter? Everyone surnamed Zhou was a descendant of the Human Ancestor! Countless ages had passed, and bloodlines had long become mixed. Among the humans of today, there were no longer any truly pure-blooded humans left; everyone was somewhat mixed. Very well. King Dazhou was speechless, unable to carry the conversation further. Before long, Su Yu returned to the entrance where they had entered the River of Memory. He suddenly declared, "Forget everything that just happened!" "Understood!" The others responded, understanding perfectly. Forget what? Forget that you kowtowed and called someone Grandpa as a kid, of course—what a trivial thing. How old had you been back then? No one took it to heart! Su Yu said no more, though his thoughts were in turmoil. Was that phantom truly Xing? Behind the Heavenly Gate… Su Yu's interest was genuinely piqued. The Lord of the Dead Spirits was there, King Wen was there, King Wu was there, the Time Master was there, alongside countless powerhouses—it seemed the ancient ancestors of the myriad races from the Heaven-Opening Era were all there! Just what kind of scene lay behind the Heavenly Gate? "I'll fuse my past body first, then my future body later… As for the rest, I'll ignore it for now!" Su Yu suppressed his wandering thoughts. For now, behind the Heavenly Gate was far more perilous than the Human Sovereign's side—it was not a place he could afford to venture into yet.